Tuesday, December 20, 2016

Book Review: Understanding Suicide: A National Epidemic

Title: Understanding Suicide: A National Epidemic
Author: Connie Goldsmith
Teen Reviewer: Turner Sykes
Rating: 5/5 Stars

Synopsis:
This book included details about suicide, including why people do it and how it can be prevented.

Review: This book was excellent! Connie Goldsmith provided great details and factual evidence about suicide. Prior to reading this book, I had little knowledge of why people commit suicide. After reading this book, I feel informed on the epidemic. Anyone reading this book can get something out of it, whether you have had experience with suicide or had no prior information, there is something to be learned.

If you'd like to locate this book in our catalog, click here.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Book Review: The Sun is Also A Star


Title: The Sun Is Also A Star
Author: Nicola Yoon
Rating: 5/5 stars
Teen Reviewer: Nanditha Prashanth

This book revolves around three main narrators/characters. Natasha, a Jamaican girl, who only believes in Science and facts to prove a cause. Not a girl to believe in love and fate. Whose future is being destined in the next 12 hours because of her father. Daniel is a Korean boy who is a good-son, smart, and a good student. But never the poet he wishes to be. Whose future is being destined in the next 6 hours. Lastly the Universe who decides the fate of all including Natasha and Daniel. The fate (Universe) managed to entangle these two people who seem to have come from the absolute opposite ends of life itself, in an arbitrary way of its own. The remaining of the book follows their journey as consecutive events build up to a unimaginable emotion in the entirety of the plot.

If you are a person who has an edge for scientific theory and a little romance, this book is definitely for you. This book showed me different perspectives of life but, the best part is that it taught a lot of valuable aspects in life that are not always appreciated or understood. Like how each person and event that happens in the world impacts you whether you know it or not. I also found the aspects of science in the book to be very informative. It was cool to understand what different people are thinking during a particular event. Overall I loved this book. It was perfect. The only thing is... this book may be hard to follow for some as it skips back and forth between the history, universe, Natasha, Daniel and side characters referring to the books narration. I give it 5/5 stars!