Tag Archives: POC

Aya, by Marguerite Abouet

Posted on August 11, 2009 by Thistle

This graphic novel takes place in the late 70s in the Ivory Coast. Aya is a teenage girl with academic ambition, while her two best friends, Adjoua and Bintou, are far more concerned with partying. This, of course, eventually leads … Continue reading →

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Pedro and Me, by Judd Winick

Posted on August 4, 2009 by Thistle

This graphic novel is about Pedro Zamora, a gay Cuban immigrant who contracted HIV at age 17, became an public speaker about AIDS, and died at age 22. He and the author, Judd Winick, were roommates on The Real World … Continue reading →

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Beneath My Mother’s Feet, by Amjed Qamar

Posted on June 26, 2009 by Thistle

Nazia lives in working class Karachi, Pakistan. Her family is not rich, but she and her siblings are still able to go to school, and her mother does not have to work outside the home. However, when Nazia’s father is … Continue reading →

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Death Comes for the Archbishop, by Willa Cather

Posted on June 23, 2009 by Thistle

It’s been awhile since I read a slow classic, over several days, and Death Comes for the Archbishop was just perfect for me: nicely paced, quiet and calm, evocative, and something that transported me to a different time. This was … Continue reading →

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Yemen, by Liz Sonneborn

Posted on June 13, 2009 by Thistle

The Enchantment of the World series is a set of books about different countries written for about middle-school aged kids. Each has a different author. Each one discusses the geography, history, government, religion, culture, holidays, plants, animals, economy, industry, education, … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Children's, Prose, Visual | Tagged , , | 1 Comment

A Bottle in the Gaza Sea, by Valerie Zenatti

Posted on June 4, 2009 by Thistle

When a bomb goes off in a cafe near Tal’s home in Jerusalem, she begins to write. At first, it’s just like a journal entry. Then, it becomes a letter to an as-of-yet unknown Palestinian. Tal has this idea that … Continue reading →

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Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton

Posted on May 27, 2009 by Thistle

A parson named Kumalo from a small town in South Africa is called by another parson to Johannesburg to help his “ill” sister (meaning she’s gotten into prostitution and illegal alcohol/drug distribution). Kumalo fears Johannesburg – every member of his … Continue reading →

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The Meaning of Consuelo, by Judith Ortiz Cofer

Posted on May 1, 2009 by Thistle

Set in the 1950s in rapidly-modernizing Puerto Rico, this is a coming of age story similar to A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. Consuelo Signe is growing up in a four-person home, with parents who cannot get along and a younger … Continue reading →

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American Born Chinese, by Gene Luen Yang

Posted on March 19, 2009 by Thistle

This is one of the most bizarre books I’ve read in a long time. I’m not quite sure what to say about it. It’s a graphic novel that intertwines three separate stories in a way I never would have guessed … Continue reading →

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Habibi, by Naomi Shihab Nye

Posted on March 16, 2009 by Thistle

Did people who committed acts of violence think their victims and their victims’ relatives would just forget? Didn’t people see? How violence went on and on like a terrible wheel? Could you stand in front of a wheel to make … Continue reading →

Posted in 2009, Prose, Young Adult | Tagged , , | 1 Comment