My Reading Week #IMWAYR- May 10, 2021

Thanks to Unleashing Readers and Teach Mentor Texts for this meme!

 

First, I wanted to share some books I’ve been spotlighting on my Instagram as part of my #FilipinoReads.

Asian-Americans Who Inspire Us by Analiza Wolf
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Asian-Americans who Inspire Us is a picture book biography compilation- by Analiza Quiroz Wolf (a FilAm author) with Michael Franco- similar to Awesome Asian Americans which I’ve shared on a previous post a few months ago.

Usually I read these and become fascinated by a few people I hadn’t heard about before and end up wanting to learn more.

The Filipino inspirations shared in this book are workers advocates Larry Itliong and Philip Vera Cruz.

Lakas and the Makibaka Hotel / Si Lakas at ang Makibaka Hotel by Anthony D. Robles
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I actually read this back in 2011 but for some reason I didn’t write a review. Rereading it, I really enjoyed the format of both languages (English and Filipino) typed up. The lively illustrations really paired well with the cast of colorful characters including a drummer, a dancer, and a karaoke king.

This companion to Lakas and the Manilatown Fish/Si Lakas at ang Isdang Manilatown has Lakas, a Filipino-American boy, trying to save the hotel where his new friends live. The story was inspired by the gentrification that was going to force residents of Trinity Plaza Apartments out of their homes.

You can watch a storytime of this book with both the author Anthony D. Robles and illustrator Carl Angel on San Francisco Public Library’s YouTube page as part of their AAPI Heritage Month program. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRViEHUeoAs

You can purchase a copy of the book on Bookshop to support independent bookstores: https://bookshop.org/…/lakas-and-the…/9780892394111

Pan de Sal Saves the Day: A Filipino Children’s Story by Norma Olizon-Chikiamco
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

An English/Filipino bilingual picture book about a girl who learns to appreciate being herself. Set in a school in the Philippines, all the kids are named after different types of breads and pastries. The tale is kind of like a mix between Chrysanthemum and Yoko.

You can watch a storytime of this book on Maya Espiritu’s (MaiStoryBook) YouTube page as part of her API Interactive Read Aloud every weekday this month. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9cBdM7OFtzI

You can purchase a copy of the book on Bookshop to support independent bookstores: https://bookshop.org/books/pan-de-sal-saves-the-day-an-award-winning-children-s-story-from-the-philippines-new-bilingual-english-and-tagalog-edition-9780804847544/9780804847544

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was ecstatic to be able to read this sequel to one of my favorite books of all time. It’s incredible to fall in love with a book and have the words enter your being. This book comes out October 12th and I know I’ll be rereading it by listening to the audiobook.

Here’s my review of the first book…

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

“i ❤ falling in love w/a good book, getting lost in its words, living in a world of pure imagination.”

I tweeted that after reading a few pages of Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” which now has made my list of favorite favorite books, which currently has 37 titles.

I wasn’t even aware of it until the American Library Association’s Youth Media Awards where it won multiple awards- the Pura Belpre (Author), the Stonewall, and as a Printz Honor Book.

Official Summary:

A lyrical novel about family and friendship from critically acclaimed author Benjamin Alire Sáenz.

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be.

Immediately, I wanted to read it. Plus, I love long titles!

I literally couldn’t put the book down. I was so engrossed with the story, the characters. I wanted to know what happened next. I wanted to see how the inevitable conflicts were handled. I wanted to make sure they were in a good place when I said goodbye to them.

I wasn’t particularly in love with the ending. It’s not that it was bad, it was just a bit overdramatic. But the majority of the book was great.

It’s when you can’t stop thinking about the characters even after the last page that made “Aristotle and Dante” a favorite of mine. And, I relate when there’s an issue of identity, when the characters show actual, realistic growth. This was more than a book about being gay, though. Sáenz’s words were powerful and emotional. He put his characters in beautiful and awful situations- just like life.

After finishing this, I wondered what it was that made a book truly stand out to make it be not just a favorite book of mine but a favorite favorite. I really shouldn’t have overanalyzed because the answer was simple. It’s when I feel grateful that a book like that exists in the world and “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe” is definitely one of those!

UPDATED TO INCLUDE MY REVIEW OF THE AUDIOBOOK:

“I love it when the books I’m reading seem to be the right ones for me to be reading at the time. The words become as important as the air I breathe.” –Shared on Facebook

I listened to the audiobook version of Benjamin Alire Saenz’s Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe. (I hadn’t planned on doing so but it was narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda. I don’t know if it’s even called a coincidence but Alexander Hamilton was mentioned in the story.) I loved it when I first read it a couple of years ago. I may love it even more now.

The fact it’s regarded as a great LGBT YA novel- with award stickers on its cover- may actually deter readers from it. Ultimately, it’s a coming of age story about two Mexican-American boys on the brink of manhood who become friends over one summer. It’s also a look into their family lives, of secrets and expectations.

The words are absolutely beautiful. There was a moment toward the beginning of my rereading that I panicked. I had the irrational fear that the story I knew was going to change on me.

I found myself taking longer walks because I wanted to listen more to the story. I fell in love all over again with all the characters- not just the titular characters but their parents as well.

I wish I had read a book like this when I was a teenager. I’m glad this book is now part of my life.

I was beyond thrilled to discover there would be a sequel to be published within the next two years. I can’t wait!

Parable of the Talents by Octavia E. Butler
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I hadn’t been truly captivated by a book for awhile as I’d been with Parable of the Sower. And I knew I was going to change my reading schedule to make sure to read this sequel.

Even though this was published in 1998, it was so eerily prescient of what was to happen in 2015 and the next four years. Bone-chilling. I actually thought someone read this book and decided the antagonist was an exemplary person to model themselves after. But that’s giving them too much credit, that they would actually pick up a book, let alone read.

The tone of the book is immediately different and I would recommend not to read this one first. Without spoiling any details too much, we continue Lauren Olamina’s quest to build Earthseed as a belief system and a community. But she encounters terrifying opponents to her point of views who would stop at nothing to stop her.

And, there were sections in the book that was absolutely brutal to get through. So much pain and suffering. It seemed endless.

Even though Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents were intended to be part of a trilogy, readers will feel a closure with Lauren’s story.

I also went on a Storywalk at one of the many libraries I can visit. It was for Catch that Chicken! by Atinuke with illustrations by Angela Brooksbank.

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You can view all the books I’ve read on my Goodreads page.

Thanks for visiting my blog. Happy Reading!