Royally Ironic

Royalty believe they are chosen by God to be the next ruler of their country. But whoever is the current ruler has the power to decide which family has the divine right. A lot of rulers have had to fight for their titles and the losers then lose their title to the throne. Whoever has the heir has the power to control the country by continuing his line.
The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory
Katherine of Aragon became queen of England because she was engaged to Prince Arthur. After he died, she became engaged to his younger brother Henry and they became rulers of England. She denounced that her first marriage was never consummated in order that she fulfill her destiny of becoming queen that she had been raised to do. It's ironic that the only way she could become queen is if she married Henry because Arthur had not been declared king yet and a woman could not rule on her own in England at the time. When she married Henry VIII they had high hopes of having many sons. She had one son who died within less than two months of being born. Her only living child, Mary was thier only heir. All the power she had received by becomong Queen was decreased by not bearing a living male heir. After about twenty years of marriage to the King, her throne was taken by the younger Anne Boleyn. Out of Henry's six wives, only the first three had children. His third wife finally bore him a son, Edward, and died in childbirth. That son became King of England after Henry's death but died young. Katherine's daughter then became Queen and married Philip of Spain. But when she died and Anne Boleyn's daughter, Elizabeth, became Queen she did not marry. Katherine worked so hard for her country and was faithful to her husband only to have her throne taken by a younger more manipulative women whose daughter later became Queen on her own. Queen Elizabeth did a lot for her country, just like Queen Katherine had worked for her counrty while married to Henry.
Katherine was older than Henry VIII. He married her because he was in love with him and she lead him to believe that until she really loved him too. She used his emotions to get what she wanted: Queen of England. Anne Boleyn also used Henry's passion against him. He desired her and she told him she loved him. King Henry had a lot of wives and he had power over them. By being king he could sentence them back to widowhood like Katherine, or behead them like he did to Anne Boleyn. But I think women used him for their own wants or their families' wants too.
Another thing I find ironic is that Henry was destined to be a priest in the church before Arthur died. When Henry tried to marry Anne Boleyn he started his own church, the (Anglican) church of England in order to divorce Katherine of Aragon.
I learned this information by originally reading The Other Boleyn Girl and I am fascinated with this era of English history.

war

Come in from the Cold by Marsha Qualey.
This book was okay, very teen focused. I've never really know why the Vietnam War happened and I still dont. I don't think the characters did either really which is why so many people protested it. Maybe there was something going on in Vietnam at the time like what's happening now in Iraq; like something to do with their mob and our countries always have to interfere because we stand for freedom. Freedom is what our coutries were started from even though if you think about, we took away other people's freedom by grasping are own. I like how the characters joined a community that lived by their own rules and standards. They couldn't understand the society they were brought up in, so they started their own. Isn't that what the Americans did when they founded the US? They didn't like how the British were controlling things so they became separate. So it's weird how all these people were protesting the American government when that government was founded by the people.

The love story aspect of the novel was really predictable. Both Maud and Jeff had lost a sibling to the war. The cover had them kissing so its kind of a dead giveaway. Even with all the war/protesting adventure included, it wasnt a gripping book for me. I didnt like how it ended with a comment about snoring.

Ten Cents a Dance

I picked this book to read because of The title: Ten Cents a Dance. It is about dancing which I love and is also a historical fiction set in the 1940's when the USA joined World War 2.

The writing is a fast paced narrative. It feels as if she is trying to tell her story in one breath sometimes. They say things differently. She turns nouns into verbs like 'jitterbugging' I like the names of the dances: jitterbug, lindy hop, etc... Makes it sound fun and interesting. She lives in The Yard, the poor part of town, but her life changes when she drops out of school and starts learning her own life lessons by all the risks that she takes.

Ruby has an abusive boyfriend but she doesnt realize this until near the end of the book. There are clues along the way but I didnt pay attention to them either until I read the book a second time. It seeems like she would never take abuse from someone. A lot of people think they would never take abuse from someone. But when they think it's for love they make excuses like Ruby did. I dont know if I would realize what kind of a guy Paulie was either. I'm glad she figured it out before he ruined her life completely. She had enough confidence to know that he wasnt good for her- in the end anyway. He seemed like the sweetest guy, taking her out and buying her pretty gowns. He was even okay with her job and didn't get jealous of her dancing with other men. (I hate it when my boyfriend would get jealous of me just hanging out with friends). But Paulie also had alternative motives. He was a theif and wanted a girl that looked good. When Ruby didnt want him anymore he tried to go for her sister, Betty, who was angry at Ruby for being out all the time. I think it would be horrible to like the same guy as your sister. It would cause a lot of jealousy and storming out. I have two sisters and it is weird enough when they like my friends too much.
I chose this book for my research paper. I've done a lot of research lately on Chicago and taxi dancing especially during the 1940's. I decided to research these topics further after reading the back of the book. The author's great aunt had been kicked out by her family and become a taxi dancer and later a mistress for a man in the mob. I liked the ending of the book because Ruby didn't end up being rejected by her family and leading a double life. It seems like I've been reading a lot of books where people have been removed from their families and must learn from their own mistakes. Ruby didn't listen to her mother and had to discover Paulie's faults on her own but she still went home and made it right in time. I'ts hard to grow up but even harder when you try too soon.

Being

Being by Kevin Brooks.
This boy is not human. He is not of flesh and blood but inside him is a shield and metal wires and plastic things like computer chips. He went in for surgery to get an ulcer removed and ended up fleeing for his life and being chased by people who may not exist at least in any database. It is weird how the author doesnt explain what he is and the boy never finds out but he goes on. It makes you think about the human body and how it functions and how we have thoughts and emotions that make us function and react. He still looks like a human being, functions the same, falls in love. But he cant cry, has never been able to cry and he heals extremely quickly. It would be nice to heal so quickly making it easier to forget the pain. Maybe that's why he does heal so quickly because he needs to forget so much pain. He needs more strength to carry on. He was abandoned at birth and has been transferred from foster home to foster home for sixteen years. He is also okay with being alone until he starts to trust Eddi. She becomes involved with him while he is trying to hide. What if you didnt know who you were? I probably couldnt exactly explain who I am: A girl, a teenager, with brown hair and brown eyes. I could tell you about my likes, dislikes, my family, friends, places I've lived, experienced. But i couldn't imagine being told that it was all a lie. That who I am is a lie and I must become someone to survive. I probably wouldn't have enough willpower to survive as he did.
When the character, Robert, loses control over his life he reacts without thinking as if he is controlled by his own body. We are taught to take care of our body. 'This will keep you healthy' 'awake' make your bones strong' 'your teeth white'. Our bodies are controlled by what we put in them, how we exert them, what conditions we live in. It seems as if Robert's body is more controlling him. His thoughts turn on and off when in crisis mode. He realizes he doesn't need to know what he is; he just is.
I didnt like the end of this book because everyone who knew about him and the one person who loved him died. He was all alone again like he was before the story started except literally now. I would hate to be alone and not know who to trust.

society

The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
I found this book oddly eery. What if this was our society?

I couldnt figure out if it was future or past. But I found out at the back of the book that it was an alternate future based on events from the past.
I know I am not supposed to write a summary. but to help make sense of it I wrote down these facts found by reading the characters commentary:
The Society
- is a religious society based on the Puritans that immigrated to the States a couple hundred years ago
-they believe in the teachings of only the Old Testament in The Bible just like the Orthodox Jews
-society where women are protected against abuse (like rude comments or profanities against them) yet have none of their own freedom to do other things either like wear their own style or colour of clothing. Personally, I would not like to have to wear the same colour everyday, especially red. Red is such a bright noticeable colour but if a lot of poeple were wearing it, it wouldnt seem so vibrant anymore. Wearing the same outfit as someone is not something girls especially want. I wouldnt like this either; not being able to show some personality. One good thing about the clothing arrangement though, is that you would never have to worry what you are going to wear.

-marriages are arranged (no love, no distraction, no divorces)
-if wives can't have children the house is assigned a handmaiden who may produce a baby for them. At the Red Centre, the handmaidens are told they should feel sorry for the wives. It would be difficult to deal with the fact that you cant bear your own children and now you must share your husband with another woman in order to raise a family.
-there is a ceremony once a month where the wife gives permission for the handmaiden to take her place in the bedroom but the wife is still there to hold the maid's hand.
This seems like they have somehow legitimized polygamy because it is mentioned in the Bible that some of the women had maids who sometimes had children for them. Also this arrangement of having the wife there also makes it seems like the handmaiden is only an object and less of a person who turn into a threat.
It's like a business transaction rather than making love
Why? They want to repopulate the earth because atomic bombs and harmful chemicals have caused birth defects and a lot of people's bodies are infected making it more difficult for everyone to reproduce.

Types of people:
Guardians - like the community policemen
Angels - soldiers
Commanders - rich men with accces to the black market and sinful items
Wives - wear blue dresses, and like the other women they are not educated, not even allowed to read or write, they knit scarves for the soldiers and gossip with the other wives to keep busy. I would be so bored.
Econowives - wear striped shabbier dresses, they are wives of the middle class men and they cook and shop and clean instead of having Marthas do this
Marthas - wear green, they do the cooking and cleaning, shows stereotype of the working women being of dark coloured skin.
Handmaidens - wear all red, and a white winged hat, they have children if the wives cannot, only stay in a household for about two years or three depending on if a baby is conceived within two,they go for walks once a day and shop for the marthas, names start with "Of" and are given according to the name of The Commander they live under, ex. Offred, Ofglen, Ofwarren, these change when they move to a different household, thay have three chances to produce a perfect baby before they are sent to work in the colonies
Aunts - train the handmaidens. Every society has its insiders; betrayers of their own race or gender.
Colony people - who clean up the chemicals die sooner, or they work in the fields, not worthy to be within the community because they could be too dangerous or not usable, usually elderly people or nuns, everyone including men forced to wear a robe-like dress
Eyes - spies that could be anyone, usually the young men not allowed to marry yet who work as servants. I think they are placed everywhere so that poeple are afraid to not believe in the society because they know they will die otherwise.
Nick,(the man in the commander's household that Offred liked), was a spy. He worked for everyone and didn't reveal himself that much but he allowed Offred to be herself with him. He seemed like such a trustworthy character because everyone kept secrets with him and he didnt judge people. He took Offred for who she was, not what she had done. I think that Offred did make it to her freedom because of him.

Why was it written? To let us know how much freedom we have in human rights, women's rights. And with these rights and freedoms there are still problems and negative results as well as positive. No society is perfect because humanity itself is not perfect. Societies are made by humanity so protection and freedom are really only ideals of opinion.
What is Gilead? Was this real? The historical note at the back made it seem like this was based on someone's true story saved from tape diaries left behind.
Other types of poeple and religions are persecuted if they do not submit to the theocratic society of Gilead. This is the opposite of our society where we try to practice tolerance towards other cultures and religions. But this kind of behaviour has been practiced many times in history and still exists today.

I looked up Gilead and found that the book was written to show a dystopia. I shows how the government had good intentions by enforcing the above rules but people within were trapped by them. A society without choice can put down resistance but eventually it builds up. I also found that the historical notes is an epilogue. The year is 2195 and the setting is a meeting that discusses the story and time of the handmaiden's tale. http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/handmaid/summary.html

another historical fiction

A Constant Heart by Siri Mitchell is about the court of Queen Elizabeth I.
The ladies of the court paint themselves in the image of Queen Elizabeth. She uses ceruse and vermillion paint. It is a white lead-based paint which gives the illusion of youth while covering up the scars of age. The effects of using this paint over time is lead poisoning which causes greying, dry skin, rotting teeth, miscarriages, and paralysis. I would never use anything that could harm my body for fashion or to fit it. The character imitates the Queen and the the other ladies in court in order to gain a social standing. Another thing the court ladies do in imitation of the Queen is to dye their hair red and 'frazzle' or curl it until eventually it falls out and they are forced to wear a wig. The Queen is the most beautiful woman in the kingdom so everyone must copy her beauty by dimming their own. Queen Elizabeth had a lot of power especially because she did not have a marriage partner with to share the power. In this story anyway, she is jealous of anyone who has a strong marriage. Love is forbidden in her court. The main characters must hide their growing love for one another. I think it is selfish of her to make sure that no one could be happy with any other woman but her. I assume this is how she held so much power in court. She couldn't control the actions of the peasants (except by sending them to fight in the war) but she could control her noblemen.
It would be difficult to be a courtier and have to smile and laugh and make someone else happy while feeling miserable. It would be even worse if you were truely happy and had to hide it. I dont think I could ever do that, especially my whole life. When im miserable or happy, I show it. the character Marcia has trouble adjusting to the rules and court. Because everyone lies it is hard to tell when someone is really telling the truth. How confusing!
My favourite part in this book is when the court is seated at the dining table and marcia and her husband and seated side by side. They are both involved in separate cconversations but then the husband starts eating bitter radishes as a way to apologize for something that happened earlier. I like how the author gave meaning to plain vegetables. It's humourous and also sweet how they understand each other in that moment. It's nice to know that someone understands you when youre surrounded by people who are your friends and possible enemies.

After

After by Amy Efaw is a story based on "dumpster babies," something that happens a lot in modern society and has happens many times in history where a young mother has a baby usually out of wedlock and leaves it in the garbage to die because she doesnt know what to do with it. This book was so interesting that I it in less than a day.
The girl in this story was in complete denial that she was even pregnant. It shows how one choice can change your entire life.
I thought the girl, Devon, had gone crazy. She had no memory of what happened.
Why would someone throw out their baby? Not realize it's alive and needs caring for?

At the end she remembers what happens. She wants to plead guilty because she realizes that she must take the consequences for her choice instead of continuing to hide it. I wonder what her final verdict was. Guilty or not guilty? Did she get to be a pro soccer player like she had dreamed before?
I want to know if there are other cases similar to this one.

The Gemma Doyle Series continued

I should really write down what I am thinking more often while I am reading. These books are very interesting and I just want to keep reading and find out what happens next. There are so many themes in this series. One is fantasy, another is women in 19th century society, and another is growing up, discovering one's self through friendships and crushes and other relationships especially towards authority figures. The main theme though, is power. Who has the power? Men? Yes they have had more power in history. In this book the women have had the power in their magical world yet the girls are still longing for such power of their own in our world. I predict that in the end the realms will be returned to the balance of both the good an evil tribes controlling equal magic. Right now I am a qaurter way throught the third book, The Sweet Far Thing and Gemma is the one who controls all the magic within her. She wants to help her friends before sharing the magic with all the people of the realms. I think it would be very difficult to control so much power for you wouldn't only be responsible for yourself but also for all the people affected by your choices. Gemma is having trouble controlling it herself and I think if she doesnt make alliances wih the realms now it could change what happiness she was trying to achieve by changing her friends' fates.
I wonder now if she will ever be with Kartik in the end. He was a boy that in the first novel was sent to warn her of the dangers of the realms by the Rakshana. The Rakshana are the ancient male protecters of the Order who have none of their own magic. In the third book he is no longer a part of Rakshana for helping Gemma but now he is leaving her. I hope he comes back at the end because you can totally tell she likes him.

The Gemma Doyle Series

I have read two out of the three books in this series. A Great and Terrible Beauty and Rebel Angels are about a sixteen year old girl,(Gemma Doyle), who discovers her late mother was a part of a group of sorceresses called the Order and Gemma has inherited much power. I like this series because it has an intriguing plot. It is mainly about 4 girls who become friends at a London boarding school. It is historcal ficion set in the late 1800's. Not only is it about learning how to fit into society and make way in life, but how the girls discover a world where they are free to want and dream and feel power through magic.
One of the characters, Ann Bradshaw, is a scholarship student at Spence School. Her cousins are helping her become well educated because they want her to be a qualified governess for their two young daughters. When no one is looking she puts artificial cuts in her wrists and arms with her sewing scissors. I have had a friend who cuts herself. It is hard to help someone when they feel like they arent adequate enough. I can relate to Gemma for feeling annoyed with Ann for never standing up for herself and also wanting to help her. She is still your friend and it makes you feel helpless also when someone is hurting themself because they want to feel something. It doesnt matter what other people think about you but what you think of yourself. Nothing can change if you accept that it won't. I just think that if you are more confident about yourself then other people won't have a valid excuse to make fun of you. The magic in this book is a way for the girls to change their fates, considering none are that promising of bringing happiness.

Book: Copper Sun by Sharon M Draper

Slave or servant? I learned in Sunday school that the words slave and servant are interchangeable in Hebrew. To follow someone generally means to be their slave; to sacrifice your own life goals and dreams in order to believe in someone else’s; to be their servant and weave your destiny along with theirs. In history when the war is ended, the victors take slaves from the losing tribes. These people are captors, yet they are integrated into the tribe as servants and become family eventually.
I read the entire book of Copper Sun this weekend. It is written about slavery in the United States colonies during the 18th century. It shows how people were taken from their homeland by people not at war against them, but those who felt themselves superior over others race and culture.
I never knew before I read this book exactly how people were taken from Africa. They were betrayed by some of their own sister tribes sometimes because of great unknown rewards that were never received in the end. Tribes were attacked and the strong living were forced to walk in chains until they reached the ocean. They were held in dungeons and branded and then packed in ships like animals. People were horribly abused. I never thought about how horrible it was and how it affected so many individuals.
The main character Amari survived the journey of being taken from everything she had known and sold to a man who owned a rice plantation in Carolina colony. Amari is stripped of everything – her family, her independence, her home, her future. In life we have to follow before we can lead; serve others before we should be shown true respect. In this story people were taken without choice to serve more powerful people. They weren’t considered completely human. Amari sees that her people’s souls have been taken also and she must give up everything she ever dreamed. Yet she holds on to some hope. She still holds her memories from her past. In the end, Amari, Polly, a white indentured girl, and a little slave boy escape to Spanish territory where slavery is not upheld as right. The concept of actually being able to own another person has been abolished. The concept of thinking one is above another because of race, colour, religion, or status is still present, though not as distinct.
As an indentured servant, the second character, Polly, owed her service to her employer because of debt. Just like a slave, she belonged to whoever bought her contract of service or employment, yet at the end of the contract she was free to continue her own life. An African slave did not leave his/her master because there was no contract or place to leave to – only force. I like how the author created the relationship between Amari and Polly. They hated each other at first but they learned that they had both lost so much they had nothing left to lose except their growing friendship.
Copper Sun is written by the granddaughter of a slave. She wrote this story because all the main character had left of her own was the memories from her past and her underlying spirit that held hope for the future. Someone like Amari may not have found their freedom, but she protected her history and passed it on to the next generations to embrace as they freely could.

book 2

Leonardo's Shadow is a story of Giacomo. It starts with him running from a mob because they believe him to be a theif. He is carrying a small bag that contains a silver medallion, a plain wooden cross, and a solid red-jeweled ring. He doesnt know who he is or where he got the bag of objects from. His memory is taken by the fever. I wonder what illness caused the fever, it being Italian Renaissance time in Europe. Leonardo Di Caprio saves the boy from death and jail or hanging and keeps Giacomo as his servant. I think the objects he kept are what he has left of his family and he'lll discover who he really is and where he came from later on in the book. I think he was born a person more than a servant.
The timing of the book is before The Last Supper is finished. Da Vinci is slow to working on it. He chose to paint on dry plaster which led to its early decay. Giacomo is more worried than his master about the Duke kicking them out of Milan for not finishing the painting in enough time. I sometimes worry for others when they seem so calm. Others lives impact our own. Leonardo's life is Giacomo's pretty much because he works so hard to please his master. I am two thirds through the book now and Giacomo has discovered what the symbol on his medallion means. It has to do with a Brotherhood of alchemists that are supposed to be banned from the city but have suddenly appeared. Alchemy seems very mysterious and is kind of like its own separate religion especially if it has its own Brotherhood or sect. I always thought alchemy and astronomy were th same, but now I know that alchemy is about trying to discover immortality and mixing compounds that can be dangerous against others instead of just studying the stars. Back to the book, there is also a woman coming who has had a relationship with Leonardo and Giacome wonders if they might be related now. I think at the end he will discover his family and that he might be related to Leonardo da Vinci.
Sometimes we are mistaken in our predictions and I like books that are not so predictable because it keeps the read more enjoyable and unexpected. I was mistaken about the symbols of those objects that the main character kept. He had forgotten and wanted to believe so badly that he belonged to some normal family who loved and missed him. He found his own way in life through Leonardo da Vinci. Usually I dont like when the story ends withou much explanation, but this boook showed how he had grown up and gave an idea of what he would become. It is refreshing to be able to imagine my own continuation of the story, so I think it was written very well.

book 1

Yesterday, we went to the city library and picked out our books. One of the books I borrowed is called The Apprentice’s Masterpiece. I chose to read this book first because it had such a nice cover and positive reviews. It is a story about the Spanish Inquisition in poetic format. I have read a book about this subject in grade nine that I enjoyed told from a girl’s perspective. The Apprentice’s Masterpiece is told by two boys. The writing is not about facts but about how the characters interpret what is happening. I have read part one and and I am not quite through part two. Part one is told from Ramon’s perspective. His family and he are known as conversos because they are of Jewish blood but have converted to Christianity in order to save their family line from extinction. Part two is about Ramon’s slave friend Amir, who is a Muslim without a family. The history of the time, the only part part of the book not made into a poem, is in the prologue. The king and queen of Spain were Catholic Christians and wanted all the lands of Spain to Be Christian. They sought to convert people to Christianity, but then the people who had converted were still persecuted for not being of pure blood. It is a sad story.