Wednesday, May 4, 2016

The Way I Am, by Eminem

The Way I Am, by Eminem, is a book written by Eminem all about his life. He starts from the roots and talks about how he became a rapper. We think that people just become rich and famous but that is not always the case. Eminem details how much he worked on his craft to master it and eventually get noticed by big name labels and producers. The book starts off from childbirth, to teens and leads in to adult years. Eminem talks about each and everyone one of his albums and the reactions that he got from them. This book is very personal and everything that Eminem went through and felt is in the inside of this book.

I really loved this book and I wish it was longer. It's very interesting because Eminem tells you stories and details about his rap career that you wouldn't know unless you read this book. I picked this up because I am a hardcore fan and wanted to know more about him. It made me realize that fame and wealth ultimately comes with a price and its not as amazing as people think it is. I recommend this book to fans and people that want to know who Eminem is. You will begin to understand him and why he is the way he is. I feel like if you listen to a certain artist, you should read about how they came to be a success. This book also has a lot of pictures to go with it and I thought they were really cool and added to the overall context of the book.

Reviewed by Arthur A., Grade 11
Glendale Central Library

Monday, May 2, 2016

Wintergirls, by Laurie Halse Anderson

Wintergirls ,by Laurie Halse Anderson, follows Lia as she suffers from anorexia and has a very distorted view of her body. Her best friend Cassie has just died from bulimia after calling Lia 33 times and she refused to answer. Lia now deals with the guilt from possibly being the cause of death and the pressure of her entire family telling her she is sick when she doesn't see it. Lia can't be helped until she wants to help herself but her time is running out.

I thought Wintergirls was a very realistic in how it captured the mindset and life of someone suffering from distorted body images. I feel like every teenage girl has at one point been very unhappy with their body image and this book does a very good job of warning of the potential dangerous ways some deal with solving that problem. I like how Wintergirls promotes a healthier lifestyle by showing what the unhealthy lifestyle can lead to. I would recommend this to people who enjoyed Anderson's other work such as Speak.

Reviewed by Nayri T., Grade 12
Casa Verdugo Library