Corporations Killing Small Businesses by Armaan Verma
Book Banning in D5 (A student's perspective) by Ava Grant
Book Reviews
Book Review: Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo by Zaire Prime Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo is a wonderful fantasy heist novel with an ensemble cast of six teenage gang members who live on the streets of Ketterdam, a bustling city of international trade whose residents are willing to do nearly anything for the right price. The story follows the six “crows” as they attempt to break into the Ice Court, an impenetrable fortress containing a very important prisoner in the Nordic-inspired Fjerda. Each crow adds a unique skillset and perspective to the gang including, Kaz Brekker(A.K.A Dirtyhands): a criminal prodigy who raised himself on the streets of Ketterdam and has a plan for every situation(as well as 5 more just in case the first one goes wrong), Inej Ghafa(A.K.A. the Wraith): a wise, optimistic girl known for her extreme agility and ability to gather information on anyone Kaz needs who hopes to one day buy her freedom from the indenture she’s forced to serve Jesper Fahey: a jubilant sharpshooter, notable flirt, and gambling addict with an odd love for the thrill that a criminal lifestyle provides Nina Zenik: a trained Heartrender Grisha, a group of people with the special power to damage the human body, who falls in love with Matthias after they save each other after a shipwreck, but is forced to send him to prison without explanation in order to save his life Matthias Helvar: a Fjerden who was previously a member of the druskelle(a group of Fjerden “witch-hunters” who believe that all Grisha are abominations who need to be wiped out) who still struggles to reconcile his love for Nina with both the beliefs that he was raised on, and her sudden betrayal. Wylan Van Eck: the demolitions/chemistry expert who also happens to be the recently disgraced son of powerful merchant Jan van Eck because of one large secret: Wylan can’t read. He’s not used to the struggle of living on the streets and having to fight for everything, but he learns very quickly with the help of the gang. Bardugo tells a story about a group of people living in a world wildly different from ours while also making them relatable, funny, and human. For fans of fantasy, heists, and a healthy dose of both platonic and romantic banter, I have no doubt that you’ll fall in love with the characters, the world, and the story. I rate this book a 5/5.
Book Review: Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas Reviewed by Ava Grant Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas, the prequel to the The Hate U Give, is about Maverick, the father of Starr in THUG, as a senior in high school. Dealing with the struggles of having an incarcerated father, mother struggling to make ends meet, getting out of a gang, trying to fit in in high school, all while having a newborn son shows the struggles Maverick faces as he is learning to navigate the world. Growing in a place that one would not expect, this story of challenges, trials, love, friendship, pain, and loss make this story by Thomas one that is difficult to forget. His new son Seven introduces Maverick to a new version of the world he was already living in as he works to balance all the struggles in his life. This book is a well-written, heart-wrenching, beautiful story of a rose that can grow in the most difficult of places. I rate this book a 5/5 (wish I could rate it higher).
Book Review: Crank by Ellen Hopkins Reviewed by Ava Grant Crank by Ellen Hopkins explores how the life of rising senior Kristina or “Bree” is changed after just a short trip to her dad’s home. Her “perfect” life seems to change after just a few weeks where she faces challenges that will be extremely difficult to overcome. This novel is an honest and emotional view of how addiction can change someone’s life in a matter of minutes. The will, hardship, and trials that she will have to face to overcome this will be difficult, but can she face them? I rate this book a 4.5/5
Book Review: The Martian by Andy Weird Reviewed by Armaan Verma The Martian, one of Andy Weir’s most celebrated novels, was a joy to read. It features a comical but sincere protagonist marooned on Mars after a mission gone wrong, left to fend for himself on the (literally) deserted planet. As the story progresses, the reader is able to learn more and more about his life before Mars, as well as follow his exploits surviving in the inhospitable sands of the barren planet. The novel explores themes of hope and unity, and really shows the inherent goodness of humanity, which is a nice escape from our reality where people treat each other awfully. The author is also a huge nerd, and it’s evidently visible in his work; the book is chock-full of genuinely accurate references to astronomy, chemistry, biology, and even botany. The most notable thing about the book, however, is just the pure tone of it. Weir manages to integrate references to pop and 90’s culture, science fiction, and actual science, all while remaining accessible to any audience. Even if you lack any sort of understanding of scientific concepts, Weir writes elegantly enough that you will be by the end of the novel. Overall, flaws accounted for, The Martian is an extremely engaging tale of a man whisked away to Mars, and has fantastic storytelling, characters, and overall writing. It is a true testament to the science fiction genre, and Weir does a fantastic job bringing the heroic tale to life. I would 100% recommend this book to anyone interested in a science fiction thriller. “Sharp, funny and thrilling, with just the right amount of geekery” - Kirkus Reviews
“I never realized how utterly silent Mars is. It’s a desert world with practically no atmosphere to convey sound. I could hear my own heartbeat.” - The Martian
Book Review: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne Reviewed by Saina Srivastava
I picked this book during quarantine as one does. And little did I know that it would be one of the BEST contemporary novels I’ve ever read. The book is centered around the female protagonist, Lucy Hutton, and her desire to get the promotion at her small publishing company. However, her nemesis, Joshua Templeman, is in her way. They played their little games to one-up each other. And when they were told that they were the top contenders, both decided to make a bet: if one gets the promotion, the other one quits. Little did they know that that rivalry would turn into something else. The characters in this book are nothing short of wonderful. Lucy is a stubborn, adorable person who loves her family and has a Smurfs collection. Josh is a enigmatic character with a soft spot for his Shortcake. There are amazing side characters as well. Every character is well developed. This book has it all, swoon-worthy romance, hilarious banter, and heart-wrenching moments. It’s a perfect book for anyone to enter the contemporary world. One warning I will give: there are mature scenes and language. I would suggest anyone to know that before reading this book. I rate this book 10000000/5 stars
Corporations Killing Small Businesses by Armaan Verma
Every day, we see it around us. A forest wrecked for a new road, whole areas cleared for condos, new fast food places springing up left and right to meet the population growing at a breakneck pace. And though there are some good aspects of this, such as the huge amount of new jobs that these institutions create, there are a mountain of drawbacks that we should all consider before we allow large corporations to set up shop in our neighborhoods and communities. Small businesses all over our state are falling every passing day. Corporations are able to offer the same service at lower quality, but at a greatly lower price and much more efficiently, making consumers automatically default to them. Although I can’t really blame people for this, as logically buying the cheaper and quicker option makes the most sense, smaller, local establishments are dying out left and right because of this. When a corporation gets a monopoly on a given service, anyone else trying to do the same thing suffers. Take shopping, for example. Before Amazon decided to set up shop by building warehouses everywhere, small shops flourished. People bought homemade goods and actually got out of their beds to get what they needed, from groceries to crafting supplies. Now, Amazon has capitalized on our need for instant gratification, giving us two-day delivery on whatever we want at the tap of a button. Because of this, thousands of shops all across America have shut down, completely outclassed by corporations which treat their employees like garbage and pocket all the profits. This is just one corporation in one business, but this is evident in any service we receive in our daily life. So please, next time you want to eat out or get a coffee, consider a local mom-and-pop establishment.
Book Banning in D5 (A Student's Perspective) by Ava Grant
At the Lexington/Richland School District 5 board meeting on January 24th, 2022 parents called for books in our school libraries to be banned. Believing these “issues” needed to be “addressed in regard to what” the children in this district are “taught” and what is found in the libraries. Calling for the books students are allowed to read and the curriculum they are taught to be altered, these parents push for change in the school system. Their arguments include banning books that involve support of the LGBTQ community, bringing awareness to racial issues through the critical race theory (CRT), and issues of violence are extremely flawed as they actually are exposing students to real life situations and discussions. Parents will say that sending their children to these schools with these books accessible to them feels like they are sending them to a “government indoctrination camp” with “lunatics,” but in reality, these books do no harm to the students rather exposing them to real-life situations, preparing them for the real world. In addition, these books would not be available in school libraries if our librarians and employees in our district, who are experts in the field, did not believe them to be appropriate. This call to action by the parents in the district shows their belief that the librarians and teachers in this district are unable to do their job of providing students with appropriate reading materials. Furthermore, the active reading of these books is not mandatory, so for the parents who feel that their children are being “subjected” to these books do not have reason for concern. A book that has already been pulled from the shelves of our libraries includes All Boys Aren’t Blue by George Matthew Johnson, which talks about prominent issues that the LGBTQ community has to face. This book does no harm to students, unless harm includes making people more aware of the issues African American men in the LGBTQ community face in a society that can be far from welcoming. This is especially shown in the comment of a parent who stated that is “it’s trans this and gay this,” showing how neccessary books like this are in society. With the constant pressure, injustice, and homophobia in the modern world shown explicitly through this comment proves that these books are needed to make people more aware and compassionate about the challenges other people face. An additional book that is considered inappropriate for school is To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. In English 1 this book was read by my class. At Chapin Middle, a school that is predominantly Cacausian, I felt this book was very important to read and to discuss as it provides insight on the issues of racism in history, that is context, were not very long ago. Parents feel that talking about “CRT '' or the critical race theory is not appropriate in schools; however, it only allows the issues of racism and discriminiation to go unseen in our modern day society. It talks about real-life issues that African Americans, especially men, are facing in both the past and present. The core of this novel focuses on the injustices present in America, especially in the South, that are ingrained in society attempting to bring awareness to these issues. This is shown in recent movements in America including the Black Lives Matter movement and the wrongful deaths of Breanna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and so many more. By banning books like this, it only allows room for racism and discrimination to grow as people are not learning about these issues. Another book that is being called for removal from our libraries is Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. Talking about her experiences of sexual assualt and violence parents consider this to be inappropriate. However, in her following book, Shout, she talks about just how much of an impact Speak had made. Girls and boys from all over the country were heavily impacted by her work. She moved people to speak out about their experiences of sexual assault, allowing them to know that what happened to them was not their fault. She encouraged people to stand up for themselves and speak out when society has tried so hard to silence them. The parents believe that this book is too vivid for their children, but in fact it allows children who are experiencing this violence to not feel alone or what happened to them because of their decisions. This book could be a way for those who are too afraid to speak to come out and say what happened to them rather than allowing their pain to build up inside until it is too much to handle. Parents are trying to silence these issues while people are standing up like those in the #MeToo movement where women and men, girls and boys are refusing to be silenced. Some things may seem inappropriate or bad for their children when out of context like these books, and so many others, were. Parents call for a change in the books accessible to their children while forgetting that books like this help them realize that society is not this perfect bubble that they are trying to make it. This call to action is actually a call to inaction as it allows people to ignore the truth of how society functions and the challenges that come with being a part of it. All in all, silencing the voices of these authors only makes the issues larger. And by taking these books away from children, it allows them to live in this perfect world that when it is time for them to be immersed in society they will struggle to find their footing.