Teen Blog
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*Please note that the opinions expressed in this blog are those of the blog participants and not the library itself.
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Reviewed by: Darlene
“Eat, Pray, Love begins with Elizabeth struggling with her relationship with her inner self. She’s in the midst of age where ladies her age start to wonder their purpose in life and begin to have children, however this isn’t the paradigm she sees herself conforming to. She’s conflicted with herself and knows she has no choice, but to break the news to her husband that yearns to build a family with her.
In the midst of this conflict, she fights to find hope in the messy divorce. In the background she is spoken to by a journalist which sets on her journey to Indonesia to communicate with a mysterious monk. This monk tells her that she will visit Italy, India, and Indonesia, but she will be stripped of everything at first, but in this she will be like a dove flying out of the chaos. However, she must revisit the monk once more, but for the time being she will reside at her abode.
The chaos that surrounds her will soon disappear as she embarks on balancing her spiritual journey with the pleasures of life.
I gave this book 5/5 stars, since the author perfectly details her journey to Italy, India and Indonesia. The plot was engaging and made me glued to the book. The use of rhetoric in this book is visibly present and makes me awe at the words on the page. However, I would definitely recommend this book to young adults (ages 13+), due to the mature language and dark themes it includes. For instance, suicidal thoughts and explicit language present in the book.”
Passing by Nella Larsen
Reviewed by: Darlene
“Passing by Nella Larsen was a thrilling short novel to read! It’s about Irene Redfield and Clare Kendry being white-passing in a society where African Americans were discriminated against intensely. Irene Redfield chose to embrace her racial identity through remaining in Harlem, however Clare Kendry (who once was her friend) decided to portray herself as a white American female.
Irene Redfield on the other hand held disdain for Clare abandoning her roots. All she yearned for was Clare to get out of her and her husband’s lives once and for all. Irene is the only person in Harlem that knows of Clare’s true identity. This posed a difficult choice for Irene. To say the truth about Clare, or keep it in the dark?
The balancing of two identities, white and black. Clare had chosen to live and embrace the white American culture of a female. Throughout this story, she got to experience the privilege of being and experiencing what the white identity entails. However, in the process she succumbed to lusting towards Irene’s lifestyle. Clare had ultimately regretted her decisions, however there was no going back into the past. Was the unparalleled marriage, societal gain, and stable family all worth it? Was losing her identity worth it to Clare? The answers to these questions go subtly answered in a tragic way as we observe Clare through the lens of Irene.
I gave this book four out of five stars, since it sends a notable message to the audience. The difficulties of embracing an entirely different culture, in order to gain the favor of society. It’s an important tale to tell, since we’re forced to see the consequences of a judgmental and prejudiced society and how it affects individuals. However, one thing I disliked was the ambiguous ending of Clare. I loathed how it glossed over her death. Was she killed by falling or was she pushed? This question goes unanswered at the end. I do recommend this novel for young adults (13+), due to the explicit language.