Still Life with Rice by Helie Lee

Still Life With Rice is a book by Helie Lee, a Korean American teenager. The book takes place in Southeast Asia, during the Cold War, a time of great tension between the democratic allies and the communist USSR. The book is told from Lee’s grandmother’s, Hongyong’s perspective. The author is very meticulous-- she describes many events in great detail, so the reader can really understand the hindrances and impediments the family had to overcome. The story takes place during the a very hard time for the people of Korea, China, and Japan. History is not the only thing Lee incorporates into her book. She tells interesting stories from her grandmother’s childhood, stories of her aunts and other family members. The book is a great source from which the reader will be able to learn the Korean and Chinese customs and traditions, which are meticulously described. Even though the first chapter of the book is weak and boring, the rest of the book captures the reader. When reading the book, I thought about the hard times during the Cold War, and felt sorry for some of the innocent people who died. I also learned about the life in Southeast Asia, some of the people's beliefs and customs. Overall, Still Life With Rice is a great book; I recommend it to anyone who would like to learn some history, traditions, and the daily life routine in Southeast Asia. The only people I do not recommend the book to are the ones who feel uncomfortable reading sexual scenes (the book has quite a few of them). Check catalog     Korean language Reviewed by Henry G., Grade 11 Pacific Park Library

Three Cups Of Tea : One Mans Mission To Promote Peace … One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson

When you read books about changes in the world, there never as close to inspiring to this one. In this book we follow the journey of Greg Mortenson who happens to be a homeless mountaineer was inspired to build schools after an adventure that changed the way he looked at life. The day he decided to climb Pamstan treachous k2 he had an encounter with villagers from there and the conversation led him to make a promise to build them a school. Through out the decade he ended up building fifty – five schools trying to specialize in including girls. Three Cups Of Tea : One Mans Mission To Promote Peace … One School at a Time, by Greg Mortenson, made me want to get up and do something good for the world, to try to make some change to this world for the better. World peace is something that is talked about more and more often now a day we all forget that it isn’t that hard to make a small difference to the world. We might not find the cure for cancer but we able to have the power to change someone’s life. We don’t need to have a lot of money to change the world. I would recommend this book for the person who loves doing things for other people its a great motivational story. Reviewed by Marta R., Grade 12 Glendale Central Library