Four Great Books to Add to Your Reading List

Book at the Beach

Here are some great reads that I wanted to share with you because I enjoyed them.  None of these books are on easy topics, but they are all valuable story lines and explore the concept of children experiencing trauma.

1.     The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi W. Durrow  Based on the author’s own  adapting to prejudice towards being a biracial individual as she relocated  to the United States.  The author premised the book around an incident she read in the newspaper soon after she arrived in the USA.  A gentle story of a young girl figuring out who to be after the death of her mother. Appropriate for young adult readers.

2.    ROOM by Emma Donoghue  This story is told by a five year old boy about how he experiences his life and his mother’s role in keeping him healthy and strong in the worst of circumstances.  I thought I did not want to read this story, but then Delia of RealDelia http://realdelia.com/
described it as a WOW and the next thing I knew I was hooked.  Very well written book – I would not recommend this book to my children – it is adult reading.

3.     Imperfect Birds by Anne Lamott    I read everything Lamott writes and I use her How to Write Book as my writing guide – Bird by Bird. This story does not disappoint and it was hard to put down and go do something else.   This is a contemporary story about how dabbling in drugs helps to mask a teen’s emotions and confusions; those experiences which can enable them to mature and problem-solve. The story is told both by the mother and the daughter as they push against each other and sort out how best to encourage their growth.  Lamott’s ability to create the web of lies involved in covering up is just wonderful, and I wish I had read this story when I had an omitting teenager in my daily life.  The cues and words are all right there as a parental guide book for those with “good, smart kids.”

4.   Apologia to My Second Child by John Hodgman – you know the PC guy on all those funny ads and often a commenter on The Daily Show.   This is an essay from Psychology Today, that made me laugh and brought me to tears as he shares with his yet to be born male offspring.  It is pure pleasure to read – just a joy to discover.

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I did not receive any copies of these books and was not asked or paid to review them. If you order these books and purchase new books from Amazon, I will receive a few beans in my bucket.

What are you reading these days?   Have you discovered any of these books already?  What did you think?    Let me know your thought about Hodgman’s essay – please.

I would like to just add that I do not review, recommend, or write about books that I do not like or did not find some level of enjoyment – I have made 2 exceptions.

Related Reading:
American Wife
Breakfast With Buddha
The Highest Tide
The Help