Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai HarperCollins, 2011 272 pages The Vietnam War is kind of a nebulous area in my historical understanding. I know something about it--but only from an American perspective (how and why the U.S. got involved, our casualties, protests on the homefront). I know virtually nothing about the war … Continue reading Inside Out and Back Again
Out of the Dust
Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse Scholastic, 1997 227 pages I first read Karen Hesse's Out of the Dust several years ago (maybe around 2005?) and remembered it as an inspiring book, good fodder for Read Like a Girl. What I didn't remember is that it's also one of the rawest, heaviest books I've … Continue reading Out of the Dust
Goin’ Someplace Special
Goin' Someplace Special by Patricia C. McKissack; ill. Jerry Pinkney Atheneum, 2001 40 pages Since the birth of my daughter, I've become painfully sensitive to the idea of parenting under hardship. My heart twists around itself every time I think of families who are living through famine, war, oppression, or crushing poverty. This sensitivity reaches … Continue reading Goin’ Someplace Special
Read Like a Girl 