THEY WERE EXPENDABLE . . . UNTIL THEY STARTED COMPARING NOTES
Ensign Andrew Dahl has …
Redshirts
4 stars
Pirandello meets Star Trek. Scalzi takes an interesting premise and has a great deal of fun with it as the "below decks" crew of a starship in the future start to wonder why so many of them suffer horrible deaths while the bridge crew remain unscathed. The crewmen and -women decide to investigate, and the ensuing romp gives Scalzi plenty of opportunity for humor. A fun read with some poignant moments as the plot develops.
I know I’m not gay. Gay boys like other boys. I hate boys. They’re mean, …
Flamer
5 stars
Continuing my year of reading banned books. Curato tells a fictional (yet based in his own experience) tale of the summer between middle school and high school. The main character, Aiden, has a series of conflicting emotions about his ethnicity, weight, and sexuality, in addition to family tensions and fears of the bullying that might await him in high school. As a Scouting leader, I was particularly interested in the role that Scouting played in this book. Tellingly, Scouting can be a real sanctuary for Aiden (as it appears to have been for Curato), but also the site of cruel bullying (ditto). That's heartbreaking, and a great illustration of the conflicts that are roiling Aiden's life. Curato writes that the book takes place in 1995, and the dialogue and actions all rang true.
I don't read a ton of graphic novels (although I seem to be reading more during my …
Continuing my year of reading banned books. Curato tells a fictional (yet based in his own experience) tale of the summer between middle school and high school. The main character, Aiden, has a series of conflicting emotions about his ethnicity, weight, and sexuality, in addition to family tensions and fears of the bullying that might await him in high school. As a Scouting leader, I was particularly interested in the role that Scouting played in this book. Tellingly, Scouting can be a real sanctuary for Aiden (as it appears to have been for Curato), but also the site of cruel bullying (ditto). That's heartbreaking, and a great illustration of the conflicts that are roiling Aiden's life. Curato writes that the book takes place in 1995, and the dialogue and actions all rang true.
I don't read a ton of graphic novels (although I seem to be reading more during my banned books sojourn), but for me this book was another great example of the marriage of topic and genre. Aiden's daydreams and fears, skillfully illustrated throughout, are enormously effective as drawings. Would they be as powerful if merely described in text? Maybe -- there are plenty of books that are text-only -- but Curato's drawings and effective use of color are really moving.
Published early in DS9's run, but I think this holds relatively true to the characters. The main attraction here is Quark and Odo having to work together to solve the central riddle of the novel -- even at this early stage, writers must have realized the possibilities for comedy and tension there. Ab Hugh keeps the pace moving along briskly, and my attention never flagged.
In Beyond Magenta, six teens tell what it is like for them to be members …
Beyond Magenta
4 stars
Another banned book. For me, this was a remarkable and eye-opening read. The interviews in the book are candid, direct, inspiring and heartbreaking all at once. Brilliantly illustrated by photographs.
