When one things of February two things spring to mind. The first (for better or worse) is Valentine's Day. St. Valentine has nearly been forgotten in favor of the more amorous aspects of the holiday. In honor of that the first half of my blog post this month is dedicated to books of love :)
Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick
Nora is not looking for romance, in fact that's not even on her radar. That is until Patch came along. He's very different from the other boys and Nora is drawn to him against her better judgment. But after a series of terrifying encounters, she begins to wonder whom she can trust.Should she fall into Patch’s arms or run and hide from him? When she seeks the answer, she finds a truth more bewildering than any feeling Patch evokes.
Beastly by Alex Flinn
Kyle Kingsbury has the deck stacked-privileged, popular, and proud.He can get away with murder because of his good looks and his father's money. When Kyle goes too far and picks on a feisty witch, the witch casts a spell on him, turning him into a beast. Now he is as ugly on the outside as he is on the inside. If Kyle wants to break the curse he has to fall in love with someone who will look pas his appearance and love him in return.
Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faith by Deborah Heiligman
I love this book and I can't do better in describing it than the publication notes already have "Charles Darwin published The Origin of Species, his revolutionary tract on evolution and the fundamental ideas involved, in 1859. Nearly 150 years later, the theory of evolution continues to create tension between the scientific and religious communities. Challenges about teaching the theory of evolution in schools occur annually all over the country. This same debate raged within Darwin himself, and played an important part in his marriage: his wife, Emma, was quite religious, and her faith gave Charles a lot to think about as he worked on a theory that continues to spark intense debates."
The second thing that comes to mind when one thinks of February is Black History Month. I feel this is under celebrated in pop culture. Let's all strive to be more conscientious during February! With that mission in mind here are some books centered around Black History Month
A Sweet Smell of Roses by Angela Johnson
For this beautiful picture book I cannot summarize it better than the publication notes "There's a sweet, sweet smell in the air as two young girls sneak out of their house, down the street, and across town to where men and women are gathered, ready to march for freedom and justice. Inspired by countless children and young adults who took a stand, two Coretta Scott King honorees offer a heart-lifting glimpse of children's roles in the civil rights movement."
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Yes this fiction. Yes this book was written by a white woman. Yes this book has become very controversial. All of these things do not negate the fact that this book also tells the story of downtrodden housemaids, tired of being treated as second class citizens, standing up for themselves, their people and future generations. Heartwarming and impossible to put down, The Help, is a wonderful book to illustrated racial tension in the South in the pre-civilrights days.
Jacqueline Woodson
Okay so Ms. Woodson is an author and not a book, but I love her work so much I could not include one title to the exclusion of all others. If you have not had the privilege to read Ms. Woodson's amazing work-STOP EVERYTHING- go to your local library and check out one of her titles right now!
