Shaq Uncut

Shaq Uncut gives readers an insight into his life since he was a child, up until his retirement from the NBA. Shaq Uncut was written by Shaquille with the assistive help of ESPN analyst Jackie Macmullan. The autobiography takes the readers back to Shaquille’s infant years and explores Shaq’s rough upbringing. The book describes the impact of Shaq’s biological father not being present, and how it affected him later on in his life. The book goes on to tell the story of Shaq’s stepfather in the crucial impact he had on Shaq’s upbringing, and it also gives an insight into how Shaquille received his discipline. The autobiography goes on to analyze Shaq’s High School dominance and his eventual college decision and the controversy that surrounded it. The book goes on to explore Shaq’s 3-year tenure at Louisiana State University and the struggles he faced while he attended the school. Shaq’s decision to forgo his senior year of college to enter the 1992 NBA Draft, Is well documented by the book. The book goes on to explore the draft and his eventual arrival to Orlando. Shaq Would go to win the rookie of the year(An award given to the most outstanding 1st Year player annually.)He would also go on to have one of the greatest rookie seasons in the history of the NBA. Shaq’s next few years in Orlando were a rollercoaster ride of emotions. The book goes on to explain Shaquille's departure from Orlando and the dramatic process that preceded it. The book explores Shaq's 8 Year tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers and his dynamic relationship with the late great Kobe Bryant. At the time Shaq arrived at the Lakers Kobe was just a 17-year-old rookie who was unproven. The book goes on to explain how He and Shaq would develop together and create the greatest dynamic duo in the league’s history. The duo of Shaq and Kobe would go on to win 3 consecutive titles in 2000,2001 and 2002. Even after the duo split in 2004, Shaquille had good words to say about his former Teammate. “Everything Kobe is doing now, he told me back then he was going to do.… ‘I’m going to be the Will Smith of the NBA’’ (Oneal,248). Shaq would go on to retire in 2011, after creating a lasting legacy through not only his dominant play but also through his larger than life persona, and this book does an excellent job of illustrating that. 

I enjoyed this autobiography because it gives me a background look into Shaq's life and his thought process during those important moments in his life. The book also gives newfound information, that previous to this book was unknown. The target audience for this book would be basketball fans or fans of sports in general. I Believe any fan of basketball fans of Shaq would thoroughly enjoy this autobiography, because it gives us readers an inside look in Shaquille's mind throughout his personal life, and playing career.  This is the book that any Shaq fan has been longing for. If you are a true basketball fan, this is the book for you. This book gives background to key moments in NBA History, such as the Lakers 3 peat and Shaq's arrival to the league. 

In conclusion, Shaq uncut is the perfect uncensored, unfiltered and uncondensed autobiography for any basketball fan. This book gives readers an in-depth look at Shaq's personal life as well as his iconic playing career.

Book Review by Quamere J.

The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir

The book that I am reading is call  “The Latehomecomer: A Hmong Family Memoir”, it’s by Kao Kalia Yang. Kao Kalia Yang was immigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota when she was only 6 years old. This book is a non-fiction, it’s a very interesting. She had publish 2-3 books, all the book are almost the same but it has a little bit of difference. The first book is call “The Latehomecomer: A Family Memoir”, the second book is call “The Song Poet: A Memoir Of My Father” and the last book is call “A Map Into the World”. All of them were from different years such as in 2008, 2016, and 2019. And as I saying up there, the book is a non-fiction b/c it talks about her life and talks about the important things that had happen to her and many more.

This story is about a Hmong girl name Kao Kalia Yang. Yes, the author is the main character. In the book she talks about her family and other thousands of Hmong families who made a  journey from the war in Laos to the refugee in Thailand. And she also included how many Hmong families were immigrated to the United State and to many other places around the world. In this book you will know how the Hmong people went through and how they have to move places to places to be safe. There wasn’t any place to call home after all the journey she went through as a child. The journey was a really personal experience.There were many important main characters in this book, it would be her parent, older sister, grandma, uncles and cousins. Each of them were have a really special bond with Kao. As you read more you’ll find out more about coming into the United State was like.

In my opinion I really like this book. This book is a very interesting book, it shows about someone point of view of the war and how it was like to be over there at that time. She wrote to the people are actually interested in others people life and how it was. This book is more like journalistic, if you are into those types of book I recommend you to read this book.  And if you aren’t into non-fiction and journalistic types of book then it’s okay to read another book or just give it a try, you might like it.

Book Review by Jamie Y.

A Child Called It

The book I'll be reviewing today is A Child Called it by Dave Pelzer. Dave  pelzer has a series of books such as Help Yourself, Moving Yourself and also an sequel to this book named The Lost Boy. This book is very similar to his other books because they all cite back to problems he has had in life throughout growing up and, inspire others. This book is one of a kind and is very saddening from front to back. The book takes you throughout David's childhood growing up and, struggles he has faced he also explain his bravery and how he overcame and dealt with issues in his life. The genre of this book can be classified as a autobiography,biography and children's literature.

A Child Called "It" takes you through our author david’s heartbreaking true story of the abuse that he suffered from his alcoholic mother. Dave was born December 29, 1960 in Daly City, California. Dave counts his struggles over and over to cope with the abuse, which he survived by relying on faith hope determination, and the kindness of others. There are several types of abuse methods  that Dave received when he was a child. Those are explained in this book in great detail. You can find his story when his mother forced him to drink ammonia or even starved him.  She also forced him to eat his own vomit. Another physical abuse was when his mother tried to burn his arm on gas stove and stabbed his stomach. I was just so shocked on how someone could treat their own child this way. Here is evidence from the text that shows how abusive she was for example “ mother came closer and closer then placed a hard slap on my face, punch after punch she kept punching my face in, then she yanked and pushed me then we heard a POP we both looked at each other.” This part of the story surprised me most in left me in shock.

I truly love this book because it inspires me and also gives me hope in knowing even though I may have it rough people are going through tougher things, and to be appreciative with everything I have in life. Lastly I like this book because it also teaches me to greet and meet everyone with kindness for I don't know what problems they can be facing in life. In my opinion this book could be provided to a wide range of people only because somebody in any situation could read this book and still take something away from the reading. In conclusion I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a nice book to read. This book will give you chills but will also want you reading more and more I cannot express how much of a great book this is.

Book Review by Sophie P.

A Child Called It

I have a book called , A child called it where a six year old , lives with his family and other siblings. Dave and his mother does not get along very well. She treats him worse than his other siblings. She does some bad things to him like she puts Clorox in a bucket which makes him sick because of the gases. He has to sleep in a garage with nothing but an old army cot. She makes Dave brothers not to talk or even be okay with him. Dave was not aloud to have food for seven days she plays around  him with him "food"  Dave has to clean up while his mother does some pretty bad stuff She always drinking planning something terrible for.

Dave is feeling disconnected and unnoticed able at school, his classmates does not  like him and won't talk to him or even try to be his friend. He has to wear the same clothes everyday because of his mother  she won't take the time out of her day to buy him new clothes to wear , she basically makes him wear the same clothes.  He also has to steal kids lunches in his class room or he rans to the gas station by his school and also steals food from there. She makes him throw up to see if he ate anything. But Dave continues to keep holding on as much as he can to survive.

In the mean time while everything is still happening , Dave is still trying to put up with the stuff his mom is making him do , Daves dad is never around that much but when he was he didn't help save Dave at all which mad Dave feel some type of way.  He still going through the same stuff with his mom until teachers at school starts to see what's going on. Read the book a Child Called to find out what happenes next. It may be a sad book but it's a very good one to read.

Book Review by Zenobia H.

Facing the Lion

The book I read is called facing the lion by Joseph Lekuton, co author Herman viola. Facing the lion is the only book he has written, he decided to write this book to tell people about his life as a Maasai and as an American.

Joseph Lemasolai is an adolescent boy who grew up on the African Savanna in Maasai culture and as a nomad. (people who move a lot). In joseph’s culture there is a person they call the “pinching man. The pinching man is a person who discipline kid who are stubborn and disobedient by pinching them, he pinches them in any part of their body. In the Maasai culture in other for boys to become men they have to “circumcised” if they are not circumcised they are still considered children's. It doesn't matter how old or how smart they are circumcision is very important to them. Joseph Lekuton is the only person in his family to be educated. Lekuton couldn't decide between school and his culture so he choose to handle both at the same time by applying school method to his culture in other to balance both worlds. months later after Lekuton finished high school he was accepted into St. Lawrence University, in Canton, New York, with a full tuition scholarship. He is the youngest successor of kenya’s fighter to receive an award for excellent devotion to his country. In the end Lekuton proves that he can overcome any challenges that comes his way.

I like this book because it teaches me that anything I set my mind on I can achieve it and I should never give up trying in challenging situations. This book is not written for a specific age group. So readers people might like this books and some people might not like the book it depends on his or her taste of books. I think everyone schooldays read it because it helps you deal with difficulties.

Book Review by Esther I.

Marley and Me

The book I read was Marley and Me by John Grogan. This book isn't in a series but some other books from him are Bad Dogs Have More Fun, TheLongest trip home: A Memoir, Marley: A Dog Like No Other, and many more. This book is about a dog name Marley and the owners of the dog name John and Jenny. The theme in this book is that no matter what good or bad flaws your dog will have, always appreciate and love them to the fullest.

John and Jenny wanted a child but they decided to get a dog for practice first. They named him Marley after Bob Marley. John and Jenny always thought that Marley wasn't going to be loyal but when they got really comfortable with Marley, they thought that Marley was a loyal dog. Marley loves to eat things including, overripe mangoes, delicate gold necklaces, shoes, pillows and kitty litter. When Jenny miscarriage, Marley has always been on her side. But when Jenny was pregnant again, she had to stay in bed and Marley would bring toys to her and sleep next to her by her side. Marley has made the couple closer every time and who ever meets Marley would be happy. Marley became old and died. It was a really sad moment but Marley has taught John and Jenny how to live.

This book was a good book. It's sad that a great dog like Marley died. I would recommend this book to whoever likes dog but while reading it, just don't cry because it's a sad book but it has many interesting things in it.

Book Review by Serenity Y.

A Child Called It

A Child Called It

David is six years old and lives in a family of five other children with more to come later. David's mother isn’t nice to him. She treats him poorly compared to his other siblings. She puts clorox in a bucket which makes him sick because of the gases. She traps in him the bathroom for 20 minutes which causes him to cough up blood because it is so bad. He sleeps in the garage with nothing but an old army cot. His brothers are forced to ignore him while they play outside. His mother starves him up to seven days and uses food to tease David. While he does chores for his mother, she is either drunk lying on the couch or planning something terrible for David .

At school David is isolated and lonely. All of his classmates despise him and won't talk to him or try to be his friend. David wears the same clothes everyday. He steals lunches from kids in his class and runs to a gas station by his school to steal food. When he comes home from school his mother makes him throw up to see if he ate anything. She will make him sit in the basement on his hands for hours. At the end of the day david is extremely exhausted and prays to god why this is  happening to him.

His father barely comes home to visit the family because he doesn't want to deal with mother and watch his son suffer. Teachers and school nurses are starting to figure out that david is getting abused . Sooner or later they called the police and david was put into  a foster home.

Book Review by Rachel D.

The Freedom Writers Diary

The Freedom Writers Diary

I like this book since it indicates acceleration and that regardless of what you experience, you can get past it, it may require significant investment and devotion, however yet they sit tight for a change is justified, despite all the trouble. I for one think all readers might want this book since it indicates how far you can go in life. Everything I can let you know is to peruse this book you will appreciate it and crave to flip to the following page.

At the point when youthful instructor Erin Gruwell draws attention to her extraordinary and powerful showing strategies, the school organization relegates her to a class of “unteachable” understudies, the vast majority of whom are non-white individuals who encounter much hardship in their own lives.

Gruwell's understudies start keeping diaries or journals about their lives. In these, they discuss their own involvement with pack brutality, abusive behavior at home, substance manhandle, the lawful framework, and that's only the tip of the iceberg.

Gruwell acquaints her understudies with The Journal of Anne Frank and different books about the individuals who have survived war and oppression. The understudies are moved to the point that they start taking up accumulations to convey survivors to visit their school. This gains them national consideration.

Book Review by Shamya B.       

The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood

The book’s name is “ The Unwanted”-A memoir of childhood and was written by Kien Nguyen who also is the man character in the in the book.

The book is about Kien Nguyen is a boy who was borned in a wealthy family, the oldest brother of two kids- Jimmy and Be Ti, and son of a powerful woman in town- Ms.Khuong. But one day, Saigon felt and his family lost almost everything and after that, they had to been through a lot of difficult things to find freedom. And Kien is the unwanted person because he is a Amerasian.

This book is about survival, about hope, about nonstop trying. Your road to the happiness, to the freedom maybe very hard, sometimes you feel like your life is doing everything to nock you down but if you have the will of steel then you will get what you want at the end of the road. The readers whose read this book will get a lot of learning, a lot of energy to to get pass or to stand firm and move on their road because the journey of Kien was a lot harder and more painful than a lot of people but he still kept a lot of hope to get through it. Personally with me, I really like the book because Kien circumstances are a lot like of mine, and after reading the book I realized a lot of things for me to keep trying and be grated for. If you are in hard circumstance of your life then please read this book,it's gonna help to a lot.

Book Review by Vy D.

The Unwanted: A Memoir of Childhood

Title of the book: The Unwanted A Memoir Of Childhood

Author: Kien Nguyen

This book is autobiography by Kien Nguyen.  He tells about his childhood from Vietnam and how hard it was for his family, the house maid, and cooks after the war in 1975. The theme of the book is This is his first book I read and I don't know if he have other books he written. A theme I got is that life have opstacles and challenges one can gain knowledge and experiences

Kien went through horrible time from his home country. He was treated like a bad and got things take away from him. The important characters are Kien, his brother Jimmy, his sister BeTi, his mother, grandmother, and grandfather. “Don't let this anger ruin your life any more than it has” is a quote I admire because it's true that anger can ruin the life others and myself live in.

I like the book because it's like a lesson that people learn everyday and this book touched me and gave me another person’s experience. If your looking for a book that's like an autobiography or a true sad story that came from a person that has witness terrible things this is a book for you

Book Review by Christopher Y.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X

The Autobiography Of Malcolm X by Alex Haley is one of the most influential non fiction books of this century. Alex Haley and Malcolm X tell his life story from birth into death in an intriguing way. Malcolm X went from a inner city gangster who was sent to Prison into one of the most prominent Civil Rights Leaders along with Martin Luther King. Alex Haley tells the story beautifully, intricately, and intelligently. When Malcolm was a child his father was killed by The Black Legion, this led him into radical movements like the NOI. 

Malcolm X and Alex Haley tell Malcolm's life story from birth until death in explicit detail. You learn exactly what Malcolm is thinking and how he is feeling. My favorite sections of the book was when Malcolm was a child; this part of the book provides foreshadowing and reasons on why Malcolm turned out how he did. You see how somebody's environment can shape them into the person they are. Malcolm X went from a confused child , to a inner city gangster, to a reforming inmate, to a powerful civil rights leader for black people. You see these transformations in explicit, vivid, and interesting detail.

  

I would recommend this book for everyone to read. You see Malcolm's transformations and his ideologies throughout all the stages of his life. As Malcolm X said: "By any means necessary" you should read this book by any means necessary. It is also an important lesson in history; Malcolm X was a huge part of the Civil Rights Movement. Alex Haley and Malcolm did a beautiful job writing this book. Everyone should read this book. One of the best I've ever read. 

Book Review by Nasir M.

Lone Survivor

Lone Survivor is the true story of Operation Redwing told by Marcus Luttrell who was the only surviving member of the operation. Marcus also wrote another book titled Service: A Navy SEAL at War. Similar to Lone Survivor both are books about Marcus's experience as a Navy SEAL. The book takes you through Marcus's life from a young boy, through the Navy SEAL training course BUD/S, and through Operation Redwing. Through out the book I was plunged into the story and events that transpired, often feeling as if I was there and experiencing the pain and emotions that run high through this incredible book.  The main idea of this book is about following your dreams and living with any potential consequences.

The book opens with Marcus traveling to his fallen friend's mother's house to talk to her about the death of her son. Marcus proceeds to tell about his  experience as a Navy SEAL, his life growing up, and the events that transpired during Operation Redwing. His squad was made up of 3 other men, Mike Murphy, Matt Axelson, and Danny Dietz. All of which very close friends of his. All were killed during the ill-fated operation. "And so far not a shot had been fired. I looked up the hill again at one single tree above and to my left, maybe twenty yards away. And I thought I saw a movement. Then it was confirmed, first by a turban, then by an AK47, its barrel pointed in my general direction though not directly at me" (Luttrell 242).

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes non-fiction war stories and enjoys a look into the real world of military operations. It's a book that will pull you into the story and makes you feel like you're there with Marcus reliving what he endured in the mountains of Afghanistan. Read this raw, emotional, real-life story as soon as you can because it's one you'll never forget. 

Book Review by Noah K.

I Am a SEAL Team 6 Warrior

The book, “I Am a SEAL Team Six Warrior”, by, former SEAL Team 6 “Black Squadron” Sniper, Howard E. Wasdin, is an autobiography about Petty Officer Wasdin’s experiences, before and after joining the Navy SEALs. In the book I saw Wasdin beginning his SEAL training, going through “Hell Week” and “BUD/S”, and lastly engaging in firefights in Mogadishu, Somalia. In this book, I visited Coronado, California, where the training to become a Navy SEAL takes place. I also endured what the trainees had to go through for “Hell Week”. And I also “visited” Mogadishu, Somalia and witnessed the firefights and bloodshed that occurred, all through Petty Officer Howard E. Wasdin’s eyes. I also saw him training to become a SEAL Team 6 sniper (He is one of Team 6’s best snipers.).

I would recommend this book to anyone who likes action filled books, because trust me, this book has a LOT of action and more.

Book Review by Garrett N.

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Heaven

I recently finished reading, A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Heaven… (Or, How
I Made Peace With the Paranormal and Stigmatized Zealots and Cynics in the Process) by
Corey Taylor. Corey Taylor has written one other book titled, Seven Deadly Sins. Both of these
books are mad up of memoirs from Taylor’s past, as well as his opinions and outlooks on life. A
Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Heaven… (Or, How I Made Peace With the Paranormal
and Stigmatized Zealots and Cynics in the Process), is about Taylor’s encounters with the
paranormal throughout his life. Corey Taylor describes his experiences and how he made sense
out of other-worldly activity. I was unable to find a single theme that was constant throughout
this book, since Taylor uses each chapter and each one of his stories to bring across a different
point, but I did find that the themes of all of the chapters were closely relate in that they were all
meant to open the reader’s eyes to the paranormal, and to make sense of ghostly encounters.

A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to Heaven… (Or, How I Made Peace With the
Paranormal and Stigmatized Zealots and Cynics in the Process), takes the reader through the
mind of Corey Taylor, a grammy winning musician, and his thoughts and experiences with
paranormal activity. Corey writes about his adventures, hunting ghosts and sometimes running
into them by mistake, with his childhood friends, band-mates, his wife, and his lifelong
companions. Throughout the book, Taylor explains his reasoning for why he believes in ghosts,
scientifically, and philosophically.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I would recommend this book because
it is very insightful, and is also mind-opening to the paranormal and unexplained occurrences in
our strange world. I think people who are interested in ghosts would especially enjoy this book,
and so would fans of Corey Taylor’s music. I think everyone should pick up this book and read it
as soon as possible. I enjoyed this book, and look forward to reading Taylor’s other book.

Book Review by Conor Q.

The Freedom Writers Diary

The book I read was The Freedom writers by The Freedom writters and Erin Gruwell. Erin Gruwell wrote a few other books such as “TheGigantic Book of Teachers’ Wisdom”. By looking at the title and not have read this book it seems like a guide to become an understanding and smart teacher. It also seems that it all ties together with her book with The Freedom Writters wrote with the freedom writters.The Freedom writters is a book about a class of ninth graders who encounter a new type of english teacher who doesn’t give up on them like others had. The theme of this book would have to be believe in yourself.

               

The story is about a class of ninth graders who encounter a new type of teacher that pushes not only herself but the students to be and do their best. In the book there are not any names but Mrs. Gruwell’s. The book is wrote about all the conflicts that these young men and women had to encounter.

               

This book is a wonderful read because it has a lot of amazing and crazy stories in it that touch the heart. If you enjoy a sort of audbioraphy this book is for you.

Book Review by Jesus P.

Lone Survivor

The book Lone Survivor is an incredible story about how SEAL team 10 fought and died in the Hindu Kush Mountains of Afghanistan.  It tells the gripping story of Marcus Luttrell and how he survived through his own skill, sheer luck and the unlikely help from a foreign stranger he thought was his enemy. 

It all started when Marcus and his team were dropped down into the Hindu Kush Mountains in Afghanistan.  Their mission was to find and capture or kill a terrorist insurgent by the name of Ben Sharmak.  Sharmak, otherwise known as, “the bomb master”, was responsible for thousands of civilian and military deaths.  He had access to any kind of weapons or materials he needed to do almost any job asked of him involving terrorist activity. Unfortunately, soon after Marcus and his team made it to their set up area, and begin to scan the village for Sharmak, a heavy fog set in limiting their visibility into the village, and forcing them to a lower position on the mountainside.  No sooner did they find a wide-open cliff side overlooking the village, a goatherd and their shepherds begin to approach their position.  Marcus and his team were forced to come out of hiding and take the shepherds captive.  From there they began to face their most difficult decision, what to do with the captive shepherds and their goats?  They can’t just let them go because there is a good chance the shepherds will go and warn the village causing 200 plus Taliban fighters to rush up the mountain to hunt down Marcus and his team.  The odds are against them in a firefight of 4 on 200 plus they consider killing the shepherds and hiding the bodies.  Concerned that eventually the shepherds and their goats would be missing forcing a search party to head up the mountain, option 2 didn’t seem all that great either.  The whole team decides to take their chances on letting the shepherds go.  As the shepherds descend down the mountain the team returns to their spot to wait for Sharmak.  As they wait Marcus gets a nudge from his teammate to look behind him.  When Marcus turns around he sees at least a hundred men with dark beards, turbans, holding AK-47’s lining the ridge above them.  Marcus immediately turns and points his rifle at the group.  As Marcus scanned them he comes face to face with one of the men through his scope.  The man had brown eyes filled with hate, and a long scruffy beard the kind that hasn’t been trimmed in a decade. Concerned by the AK rifle pointed at him, Marcus lined his sights up right between the eyes of the man and squeezed the trigger of his mark 12 rifle.  A moment later the bullet pierced the skull of the man and a hail of gunfire exploded from the ridge down toward Marcus and his team.  Marcus and his team begin to fire back picking the Taliban fighters off one by one with relative ease, but eventually Marcus and his team are overwhelmed by gunfire and are forced to retreat by jumping off the ridge behind them and sliding down the steep rock face. Marcus was the first one down and then two more of his teammates came crashing down.  When the last team member came hurtling down the mountainside and into cover, Marcus could see blood gushing from his teammates side and knew instantly that he had been shot.  As the Taliban continued its relentless pursuit down the mountain, again Marcus’s team was overwhelmed with gunfire.  They knew they had to continue to roll down the mountain in retreat.  Each drop became bigger and bigger and harder to make.  As they continued down the cliff they bolted across a ridge and went into the cover one at a time.  The SEAL that was shot and another SEAL made it over the ridge and rolled down to better hiding.  Marcus and the other ran for it but after making it to cover his teammate popped up to start laying down covering fire he was shot in the throat.  His teammate dropped for a second but then popped right back up and started firing again.  They then ran for the next piece of cover and his teammate caught one right in the back.  The bullet must have hit his spine because he could not walk.  He dragged himself back into cover with Marcus still shooting at the enemy with seemingly every shot finding its mark.  Marcus then tried to drag his teammate to the ridge but as Marcus was dragging him a bullet hit his teammate right in the face.  His fellow SEAL’s head jolted back, he dropped his rifle and just laid their lifeless.  Marcus knew that the bullet had killed his teammate, and worse there was nothing he could do but leave the body there. Leaving a fallen comrade behind was the hardest thing a SEAL could do, but he knew if he tried to drag him down further he too would have been killed.  Marcus then ran for the ridge and rolled down to his last two teammates. They dove into a small crevice in the side of the mountain where they decided to make their last stand.  They began to start picking the Taliban warriors off one by one again.  Marcus swore he had killed more then fifty and counting.  Suddenly a bullet rocketed through the opening from which his teammate was firing from and lodged itself right in his head.  The SEAL slumped back and stayed there.  He was dead.  Now it was just Marcus and the injured SEAL who was still bleeding profusely.  Just then an RPG rocket was fired right at the crevice where Marcus and the other SEAL were.  Marcus could see the white smoke trail behind it right before it exploded in-between Marcus and the other SEAL.  When Marcus gathered his thoughts he saw the injured SEAL on his back blood oozing out of his mouth and ears and shrapnel lodged in his face while his uniform was cut to shreds.  Marcus then looked down and saw the bloody mess that was his leg.  Just then another RPG came crashing into the crevice and flung Marcus out onto the ridge.  Marcus then rolled off the ridge and down into hiding.  Marcus somehow evaded another firefight after rolling down the last ridge.  He was now alone and begun to crawl in search of safety.  He eventually came upon a stream, which he crawled to.  After a drink of water and sitting their trying to think of someway to get out of this he heard footsteps.  He then saw bearded men carrying AK-47s.  They came up to him yelling no Taliban, no Taliban. At first Marcus thought they were there to capture him, instead they brought him to their village, which was run by a man by the name of Gulab.  They took care of Marcus and helped him heal.  After Marcus’s leg had healed enough to walk they set out for the nearest military base where Marcus was then saved.

I would recommend this book to everyone because it is an incredible story about the bravery of SEAL team 10 in Operation Redwing.  I thought the book gripped me do to the fact that I love military type of books but I also think anyone would like it because it shows the true dedication and sacrifice of Marcus and his team

Book Review by Parker M.

A Child Called It

A Child Called It

Dave Pelzer's first book in this series is Amazing. What actually happened to him as a child is hard to imagine. This was a number one New York Times bestseller for months and is an inspirational story.

David was renamed “It” by his evil mother. His childhood begins as the life everyone hopes for. He enjoyed visits to the zoo, lake trips with family, and being cuddled by his mom while listening to a great book. David's life drastically changed when he became a first-grader. His mother and father developed drinking problems. It's very hard to read about all the sadistic “games” his mother dreamed up.

When you read some of what happens, you'll wonder how anyone could even think of ­doing such things to their own child. This book really makes you wonder how many other children suffer such abuse. As his teachers, principal, neighbors, and even his father stand by and let the abuse happen, it makes you wonder what you would have done. This book is extremely well written. All of the Horrifying details help you to visualize what he went through. There are more books in this series, and you'll want to read them all once you begin. 

Book Review by Mohamud A.

Down These Mean Streets

The novel I have been reading is called Down These Mean Streets, by Piri Thomas. The story is a memoir of Piri’s life. The book starts out when Piri is twelve and he is living in the Spanish Harlem in 1928. The book is broken down into three different sections, one over his life between Harlem and Long Island, one over his life down south, and one over his life in prison.

               

Piri was born of Puerto Rican and Cuban parents in New York City’s Spanish Harlem. His father was the only one working and had trouble making enough money for the family to live comfortably. Piri encountered a lot of problems involving his race because the kids on his street thought he was black and not Puerto Rican. Piri was forced to stand up for himself but ended up in the hospital after one of the kids threw rocks and dirt in his eyes. By this time Piri’s father had gotten another job and was able to move his family out of the Spanish Harlem and into Long Island. When Piri and his family move to Long Island he hates it and decides to move back to Harlem. Piri is going through a lot of personal conflicts regarding his skin color, “’You understand, Momma-I gotta find me. Maybe if I had come outta you with the same kinda color as them’-my eyes swept across my paddy-fair brothers-‘maybe I wouldn’t feel like I do. Who knows? Maybe I’m jealous. Maybe I hate ‘em for what I’m not-“’ (Piri Thomas, 149-150). Piri decides to move down south with his friend Brew to discover who he is. While Piri is down south he tries really hard to prove to people that he is Puerto Rican and not black. While he is down south his friend Brew disappears and he decides to return to Harlem where he is faced with the death of a family member and decides to return back to Long Island with his father. From there Piri’s life goes downhill as he starts hanging around people that are no good. He gets addicted to drugs and commits a crime that puts him in prison for many years.

               

This book was very inspirational and is proof that one bad decision doesn’t determine the rest of your life and who you are as a person. I would recommend this book to anybody who is going through a hard time in their life and needs a little bit of reassurance. I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody who doesn’t like slang and controversial materials such as drugs, street violence, robberies and shootings. To me, it was a very good book and I enjoyed reading it and learning Piri’s story, I hope you enjoy it as well.  

Book Review by Rylee S.

A Child Called It

The book a child called it by David Pelzer is about an innocent boy who gets treated unfairly by his unfit mother. The theme of this book is to always have a positive mind and never lose hope.  Other books written by David Pelzer: Lost boy and a boy named David

David Pelzer was burned, beaten, and even cut by his mother all at a young age. David doesn’t understand why his mother all of a sudden treats him this way. She didn’t used to act like this when he was younger he says. The only time David gets treated badly is when his dad is at work. David says his dad is his hero.

David’s punishments get worse and worse by the week. David has so much fear in his mother he refuses to tell “their secrets”. When David goes to school his most popular excuse is “I ran into the door” the staff at David’s school begins to worry and ask questions. David begs that they don’t call his mother he knows that if he gets a Phone call home he’s going to “get it”.

I recommend this book to any/everyone. You should read this book because it is a very interesting book and also a page turner. I enjoy this book because it is a true story, it makes you want to read on and you get the full effect on David’s life.

Book Review by Ary C.

Persepolis

Marjane Satrapi’s, “Persepolis,” is an uplifting and emotional biography of her life. The Iranian Revolution is at its peak in 1980, and the boys and girls are separated. Her parents involved themselves in protests in their city of Tehran. Her parents wanted a better life for her, so they sent her to live in Vienna and attend a boarding school. At times, she tries to get through life with her faith, but it was a mental and emotional struggle. Marjane’s grandfather served as prime minister for a bit, but he was sent to prison shortly for opposing the regime of Iran. Her father actively protested and would risk his life, but Marjane was young and did not have enough understanding of what was occurring in her country. Iran strictly set a conservative regime, forcing women to wear veils, up to today. Later when she is older, she moves to Europe, attends art school and marries Rezza, a painter that she met there. She learns that freedom comes at price, and hopes for her country of Iran to evolve.

               

The organization of the book is interesting and keeps the reader hooked. She transitions between stories from the past and the present. It is a shorter read, but her language and detail portray a very unique story.

Book Review by Christine V.