The Portable Beat Reader

Beginning in the late 1940s, American literature discovered a four-letter word, and the word was "beat." Beat as in poverty and beatitude, ecstacy and exile. Beat was Jack Kerouac touring the American road in prose as fast and reckless as a V-8 Chevy. It was the junk-sick surrealism of William Burroughs, the wild, Whitmanesque poetry of Allen Ginsberg, and the lumberjack Zen of Gary Snyder. "The Portable Beat Reader" collects the most significant writing of these and fellow members (and spiritual descendants) of the Beat Generation, including Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, Diane DiPrima, Bob Dylan, Leroi Jones, and Michael McClure. In poetry, fiction, essays, song lyrics, letters, and memoirs, it captures the triumphant rudeness, energy, and exhilaration of a movement that swept through American letters with hurricane force.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Surprisingly, out of everything I've read, I had never read anything from the Beat Movement before this. It was a time of rebellion and rejection of conformity mixed with experimentation of style in both writing and life. The Portable Beat Reader is a collection of essays, novel excerpts, and poems that really summarizes the Beat Movement. 

For the most part, I loved the work. I know it made a huge splash in the 1940s and 50s, but I think it's still relevant to today's society. There is still controversy over some (most?) of the topics the Beat authors wrote about and it makes the work feel timeless. A bit of a warning seems prudent here: Yes, some of the pieces are a bit offensive, some were seized for obscenity upon publication. I think this adds to the importance of the rebellious tone these authors took.

I really enjoyed how the book was about more than just Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and Allen Ginsberg. These names hold weight, but they weren't the sole members of the Beat Generation. It was, in fact, a generation with many contributors. Gregory Corso, Diane di Prima, and John Clellon Holmes were three writers who really stood out to me. With themes that range from sexuality to war to stereotypical expectations of society, these authors challenged it all.

For readers who have never read anything from the beatnik authors, but are interested in this idea of writing a rebellion, I highly recommend The Portable Beat Reader. It's a strong collection that offers the history of the era, short biographies of the authors, and the works themselves. 

Rating: 4/5 Cups

Heroes of Earth

If alien beings had conquered the Earth, would you feel justified in using terrorism to drive them out?
Close to half a century after starfish-like creatures from a star 20 light-years away short-circuited Apollo 11's mission to the Moon, Alison Grossbard, her brother Arnold, his girlfriend Kayleigh Scott, and their friend Jo Purnell struggle with this impossible moral dilemma and the trials of growing up in coastal Virginia. Their actions will change their world forever.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Martin Berman-Gorvine questions humanity's actions against alien leaders in his science fiction novel, Heroes of Earth. When a new librarian shows up at school, the Chincoteague children think nothing of it. Until she shows them there is a passageway to parallel universes in which history varies and aliens don't rule the world. Upon learning that the world could be different, the teenagers vow to rebel against the aliens and birth a new resistance. 

Berman-Gorvine writes his characters heavy with flaws which immediately helps them be more realistic to readers, though it doesn't make it incredibly easy to like them. Alison is the older sister of Arnold and has one good friend. She's decent in school and knows that she wants to go to college. Alison plays the mother-hen role as her mother is disabled for a good two-thirds of the novel. She knows she has to look out for Arnold and does a pretty good job at the beginning, but she isn't the rebellious type. I got the impression that she's the 'make the best of every situation' type, which is commendable in it's own right. I liked Alison's character the most, even if she was a little mean to Arnold at times. (What are older siblings for?) 

Arnold, on the other hand, I had a hard time connecting with. I felt sorry for him when he was being bullied and was proud when he stood up for himself, but when his resistance turned into him being manipulated... I didn't care for that. Though he is a young man brimming with naivete. It was difficult to connect with someone being tricked into doing horrible things. Arnold is the main main character of the novel and the focus is definitely on him as he tries to fight back against the invaded aliens. 

Kayliegh and Jo are Arnold's sort-of-sidekicks. Jo is from a parallel Earth where the United States never separated itself from England. She's a feisty firecracker who pretends to be tougher than she is. I enjoyed her spunk and liveliness. Kayliegh is a girl that Arnold goes to school with and gains sympathy with readers almost instantly because her home life is a steady stream of alcohol-induced abuse. 

The story line begins with Gloria, the new librarian. Heroes of Earth slowly becomes a novel about rebellion and fighting against the 'Winged-Thinkers' who have taken over Earth. Arnold and Jo quickly form the Freedom Fighters of Earth, but Arnold also wants to join an established resistance. When Arnold finds himself the acting proxy of one resistance group, he thinks he is making a positive difference, but Alison can see he's being used. The plot heats up even more when the troop learns that new alien technology is a ploy for mind control and personal gain. Overall the story line was interesting but a bit confusing at first with the parallel universes and explanation of the alien invasion. The things that Berman-Gorvine creatively changed in history was also a bit of a stumbling block for me. I think fans of science fiction will appreciate this novel, even with the limited character connections and unclear world separations as it is undoubtedly entertaining and inventive. 

Rating: 2.5/5 Cups

Reboot

Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum.

The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

*May Contain Spoilers*

Amy Tintera presents readers with a new spin on the zombie genre in her novel, Reboot. Instead of brain eating, flesh-dripping monsters, there are Reboots. With a slight deathish twinge about them, Reboots are the same but with a little less emotion and maybe a mortal scar. 

At the Rosa facility, Wren 178 is feared. She has the highest number in the entire facility because she was officially deceased for the longest amount of time. Higher numbers are considered the more lethal members of the Reboot race. Readers get to see two sides of Wren in this novel. The first side is the Wren that follows orders. She understands that if she starts asking questions, disobeying, or messing up in any way then her life is over. Wren is a bit of a loner who believes what she's told. Readers will like Wren because of the way her character is written, but forming a connection with her doesn't start until Callum shows up. 

Callum was only dead for twenty-two minutes. Not a long time for his body to accept that it has moved on to the after-living party. He is a very likeable character - full of spunk, easy to laugh, and interested in the how and why. Callum immediately forms a weary friendship with Wren and she struggles to accept the fact that she likes him and his company. When his Reboot status is up for debate against a quick elimination, Wren chooses her friend over the rules. At this point, readers will truly connect with Wren, after her stone cold mask begins to crack. Her brief history as an alive human will garner sympathy while her focus on keeping Callum alive will solidify the bond between her and readers. 

The plot of the book is deliciously adventurous. Wren works at a facility as a sort of Reboot Criminal Officer. Basically, she and others are sent out to capture the criminal or ill humans to protect the rest of the human population. Wren is incredibly good at her job. Some would say she's the best. Then Callum shows up for training and changes everything. Her eyes open and Wren starts to see her world as it really is: a prison full of secret testing, threats, and elimination. To save Callum's life, Wren knows he can't stay at the Rosa facility and decides to do whatever it takes to escape. Readers who enjoy love stories, zombies, and adventure will certainly devour this book. 

Rating: 4.5/5 Cups

The Hunger Games

There were 13 districts. Until the thirteenth was obliterated for rebelling.

Now there are only 12. And to ensure that history doesn't repeat itself the Capitol created The Hunger Games. A survival of the fittest match up of twenty four young adults, aged 12 to 18. Half of them female, half of them male. Two from every district.

Out of the thousands of slips of paper decorated with names, Prim Everdeen is drawn. A fragile twelve-year-old girl who hasn't been alive long enough to have even lived. To protect her sister, Katniss volunteers to take her place as the female district 12 contestant. And instantly, the reader is drawn in and a connection is formed.

Whether the reader connects with Katniss because of her strength, her need to protect the ones she loves, or the faith that other characters have in her, it doesn't matter -- Suzanne Collins crafts a story unlike any other, and once the cover is opened, the spine cracked, there's no stopping until it's finished.

Matched up against twenty-three other contestants, some who have been training for The Hunger Games since childhood, and some who are still children, Katniss is repeatedly challenged from the moment she takes her sister's place.

The arena holds the future for Katniss. Surrounded by death for mere entertainment, she must use every strength she has to stay alive.

An astounding novel of intertwining themes and blind side moments, this novel really is a must read.

The Hunger Games on Amazon

rating: 5/5 cups