Middlesex
By: Jeffrey Eugenides
p.529
Farrar, Straus & Giroux
ISBN-10: 0312427735
ISBN-13: 978-0312427733
Annotation:
Calliope's friendship with a classmate and her sense of identity are compromised by the adolescent discovery that she is a hermaphrodite, a situation with roots in her grandparent's desperate struggle for survival in the 1960s.
Summary:
Now on most Summer Reading Lists, this novel explores the difficulties of trying to discover who you are and in some case what you can become.
Imagine you are a person who for more than half of your life thought you were someone completely different, now imagine that this is the early 20th century. People are less understanding and even less knowledgeable that present day. This is but one part that makes of the complexities of Jeffrey Eugenides' Middlesex.
Calliope or as we grow to learn "Cal" is a fully formed hermaphrodite. At birth Cal was told that she was a girl and raised in such a manner for the first fourteen years of her life. It is then that she becomes the man she always knew she was. Eugenides does and exemplary job of balancing the issues of the time with the very difficult subject matter.
Readers will appreciate the realness that the author lends to the story and through it we can learn much about ourselves.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Middlesex
Friday, April 17, 2009
Audrey, Wait
Audrey, Wait
By: Robin Benway
320p.
Razorbill
ISBN-13: 978-1595141927
Annotated:
While trying to score a date with her cute co-worker at the Scooper Dooper, sixteen-year-old Audrey gains unwanted fame and celebrity status when her ex-boyfriend, a rock musician, records a breakup song about her that soars to the top of the Billboard charts.
Summary:
What could be worse than being 16 and breaking up with your first real boyfriend? How about when that talented musician ex- boyfriend writes a song about you, and it becomes a smash hit!! That is exactly what our heroine; Audrey has just had happen to her. As the song gains popularity, she is becoming a huge celebrity. How would you deal if you needed a police escort just to go buy some CDs? Now she has to deal with all the normal drama of life, like school and family, all while trying to avoid the paparazzi and get back to dating (especially that cute co-worker, she’s been checking out for weeks). If you’ve ever wanted to see what life would be like if you were thrust into the limelight, this witty read will have you hooked in minutes. It will keep you wondering if Audrey will ever have a chance at a normal life, or will this song haunt her forever?
