Summary: Okay, so I am on a Disney trip. If you would like to know more about the tidbits and trivia of Disneyland, then this is the book for you. The book is divided by lands, so it makes it easier for the reader to imagine where these items are located. Remember, Tigger started TTFN, so Ta Ta For Now!
Author: David Koenig
Title: Mouse Under Glass
LINK+
Rating: 5
Summary: Information on Disney animation is provided in this book. It was interesting to read the original plot lines, and what Disney did by adding his touch of magic to them.
Author: David Koenig
Title: More Mouse Tales
LINK+
Rating: 5
Summary: A good book on the nit–and–gritty on Disneyland. I love Disneyland, but I found this book pretty entertaining.
Author: Julia Alvarez
Title: Once upon a Quinceanera
LINK+
Rating: 5
Summary: An excellent book about quinceaneras, the cultural meanings, and the connotations of this moment of a girl’s life.
Author: Judy Robertson
Title: Out of Mormonism
LINK+
Rating: 3
Summary: Judy Robertson and her family had been converted and “trapped” for seven years in the Morman faith. They were Christians at first, but loved what Mormonism had to offer them. Judy was baffled during this entire time as to the teachings of her new faith, when she realized what was not in the center of this faith. God!
Judy and her husband left this faith, and returned to Christianity. The majority of the book tells the reader of how Judy and her husband (along with others) started the ministry, Concerned Christians. They have helped people who are former Mormons, newly converted, and even those have loved ones who are Mormons. They help others to become witnesses to Mormons.
Author: Elizabeth Edwards
Title: Resilince
LSU
Rating: 4
Summary: It was an interesting book to read, but I thought there would have been more about her breast cancer and her unfaithful husband. It focused more on the death of her son.
Author: Tori Spelling
Title: Mommywood
LSU
Rating: 3
Summary: This would have been a good book on how Tori Spelling raises her children in Hollywood. Unfortunately, all I read was her constant whining about how she was raised, and that she will not repeat the cycle.
Author: Judy Blume
Title: Are you there God? It's me, Margaret.
LSU
Rating: 5
Summary: I read this in elementary school, and it felt great to revisit this old friend. One can think of this book as a bible for pre–teens.
Margaret and her family have moved to Fallbrook, NJ from New York. She is also in her akward stage in life. She knows her body will be changing, and she so desparetly wants this to happen right away. In the middle of all this, she is struggling with the idea of finding God. Her mother is Christian and her father is Jewish, but they have allowed to choose what religion she wants to practice when she is older. She believes in God, and peppered throughout the book, one can read her prayers to Him. All these prayers are in regards reaching puberty. Margaret is in this akward stage of who is she, and where does she belong.
Author: Fran Drescher
Title: Cancer Schmancer
LINK+
Rating: 5
Summary: I guess since I am going through a similar situation at home, I wanted to read from a cancer survivor’s perspective. I think it might help me understand what my mom went through.
Drescher went to seven doctors to help diagnose what her problems. After a two year search and an eighth doctor, it turns out she had uterine cancer. One simple test could have diagnosed her problem sooner. She was too young (in her 40s) to have cancer, so the doctors dismissed this possibility. Drescher writes about how her life turned upside down after she was told she had cancer. She also tells about her experience after the radical hysterectomy.
I can’t even begin to imagine what my mom and many others have gone through in terms of cancer. What I have learned from reading this book and my own experience is to listen, and most importantly, just to be there.
Summary: Another story of a woman who felt trapped within the Mormon community, but this time it was the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints (FLDS). This is the group who believe in polygamy. Elissa Wall wrote about her struggles within and outside the FDLS. She was forced into marriage at the age of 14 to her first cousin by the prophet’s son, Warren Jeffs. She despised this man with so much passion, and tried to be release from him. It was not until three years later when she was “granted” this reprieve.
It was interesting to see how Warren Jeffs could hurt so many people of which are God–fearing people. Unfortunately, this will not be the last time we hear of this happening within a group of people.
Author: Martha Beck
Title: Leaving the Saints
LINK+
Rating: 4
Summary: Martha Beck left the Latter–Day Saints because of a few reasons. She did not believe many of the teachings of the LDS. She was a professor at Brigham Young University, and she, along with many, did not have the academic freedom to teach. Often times they were spied upon, and in some cases were excommunicated.
The main reason was the fact her father molested her when she was young. She repressed these memories, and they did not resurfaced until her late twenties. Unfortunately, her father was legendary in the LDS faith. Her mother knew what happened, but she soon dismissed everthing she said. She was told not to let any one know about it, but her mom began to tell others not to believe Beck since she is not in the right frame of mind. It was sad to see that many people of her faith choose to ignore, and even threatened her life, for speaking up to what she believes in.It turns out many women had been molested, or their daughters are the victims, but yet are told to keep quiet. Beck and her husband could no longer stand the hypocrisy, and left their church.
Beck wrote this book not to attack the LDS community, but to tell her story. This was a change since the few I have read for this subject tore their community apart. Beck saw both good and bad sides to her faith.
Author: Advaita Kala
Title: Almost Single
LINK+
Rating: 3
Summary: A very predictable book. The protaganist has a nice job working in a 5 star hotel in India. She falls for one of the guest, and it just goes on from there.
Author: Kavita Daswani
Title: The Village Bride of Beverly Hills
LINK+
Rating: 4
Summary: A cute story about an Indian bride from an arranged marriage, who flys to the U.S. with her new husband. Priya now lives with her husband’s family. After a short period of time, she must now find a job, and she does not have any job experience. She lands a job as a receptionist at Hollywood Insider, and after three months, she becomes a reporter. She is now living a double life since her in–laws would not approve of her as a reporter. Also, her views of marriage has changed as well.
This book was a quick and easy read, and prefect for those days when you do not want a serious book.
Summary: The author wanted to investigate how life is like inside the Hasidic life. The author finds out some Hasidic are struggling to live this life. Often times they feel trapped, and want to leave their community. When he or she actually leaves, then there is a new struggle to find themselves in this new world.
Author: Rupa Bajwa
Title: The Sari Shop
LINK+
Rating: 5
Summary: A beautiful written story about Ramchand, an employee at a sari shop. The author uses Ramchand to allow the reader to see life unfold in front of his eyes. There are the upper and lower classes that intermingle with each other because of the shop, and even then, one can see how one is treated within the same class. The reader also shares the emotions when Ramchand sees hope, despair, pain, and many others that he experiences.
Author: Shobhaa De
Title: Bollywood Nights
LINK+
Rating: 4
Summary: Aahsa Rani has been pushed by her mother into becoming a Bollywood heroine. When she finally achieves success, Aasha becomes to big for sari. Fame goes to her head, and eventually, it starts to destroy families and lives.
All I can say is the fact reading this book is like riding a roller coaster, and I don’t mean in a good way. The protagonist is one that you love to hate her, but she does have some redeeming qualities. The book itself has too many areas that it could have ended, but the author has tacked on too many plot changes. Then it seems the quick ending feels as if the author just tacked it on, as if to say, “Ok, it’s finished...I think.”
Author: Shobhan Bantwal
Title: The Dowry Bride
LINK+
Rating: 3
Summary: The author provides an interesting glimpse onto the subject of dowry brides by writing a novel. Megha finds out her evil mother-in-law, Amma, and husband, Suresh, are plotting to kill her because her father has not yet given the dowry as he was supposed to a year later. The only reason Megha married her husband was the fact the dowry was cheap. Her in–laws accepted her because she is beautiful and her genes will help to improve their family’s genes. She runs away and finds Kiran, her cousin-in-law, and asks for help. He helps her by allowing her allowing her to stay with him. Problem...he loves her. Can he keep her hidden from the vengeful Amma?
Summary: This book is a collection of stories of people who were in some way were part of a quinceanera. There were even stories from those who wished they had one. For those who do not know what is a quinceanera, or quince, it is a special day is a latina girl’s life when she turns 15. Back in the days, this event showed to others she is an adult and and is of marriage age. Nowadays, it a expensive and lavish party preceded by a church service. Her parents can often times end up in the poor house because of this event.
Anyways, most of the book’s stories were annoying. A few of the stories involved relationships that begin during the rehearsals, and then ended soon after the big day. There was only one interesting story that stood out. She is a Cuban–American, who at 14, knew she did not need a quince. She came from a long line of strong women in her family. She did not need to prove to the world she was a woman now. This was the only story I had a connection with the author. I did not have one because I did not see a need to have a quince. The other authors had their pieces sound like mini soap operas, and were horrendous to read.
Author: Deborah Laake
Title: Secret Ceremonies: A Mormon woman’s intimate diary of marriage and beyond
LSU
Rating: 5
Summary: I looked through the B section of our library for a book for this week’s theme, and I found this title and the topic to be intriguing. I decided to plow into this book.
This is Deborah’s account of her experience as a Mormon beginning at BYU. She had been all her life to marry a good Mormon man and become a mother. This was supposed to be her goal in life, and this is all she knew. All around her at BYU during her sophomore year, women were becoming engaged and she wondered when it would be her turn to feel that ring on her finger.
When she married Monty, her first husband, she did not love him, but felt she was doing what was expected of her. She tells her readers about her marriage in the temple, but she just went through the motions. She felt closed in by not only her husband, but by her church as well. A few years later, she attempted suicide and was able to finally leave Monty.
After two more marriages and a couple more suicide attempts, Deborah still struggled with the idea of what is Mormonism and what it had done to her life. I decided to find out more about Deborah, but only to find out her fourth attempt at suicide proved to be unfortunately successful. The entire book one could she was depressed. It seemed as she was not happy about many things in her life, and what made her happy were few.