This book tells the story of Joe Rantz. It serves as an account of his youth in the middle of the Great Depression, especially when he was rowing at the University of Washington. In the book, we learn about the hardships he endured and the challenges he had to overcome in order to row with his teammates, and, more importantly, trust his teammates, at the Olympics of 1936 in Hitler's Germany. It follows Joe through 3 years of hard collegiate rowing, of being discriminated because of how poor he was, and of him bonding with the members of the crew that would eventually row together at the Olympics. The focus, however, is not really on the Nazis; Joe and his teammates are blissfuly unaware of the persecution of races deemed 'inferior' by the Nazis, although the book does delve into the attempts of Leni Riefanstahl, maker of propaganda films highlighting the Aryan race at the Olympics. The focus is on Joe's story, how he was abandoned as a child and rose through hard work and perseverance to become whole again through rowing. It paints a picture of a time long gone, of men and women who have since passed on: their struggles, their triumphs, their journeys. It tells of the boys rowing. It had a melancholy, reflective epilogue. It had funny descriptions of events that happened, in a tongue in cheek, wry way. It drew me in. Through the 500 or so pages, I was never bored: the descriptions of the various regattas were especially suspenseful. And above all, it gave me a deeper appreciation of hard work and teamwork and trust. I recommend it to fans of narrative nonfiction or sports stories.

This book tells the story of Joe Rantz. It serves as an account of his youth in the middle of the Great Depression, especially when he was rowing at the University of Washington. In the book, we learn about the hardships he endured and the challenges he had to overcome in order to row with his teammates, and, more importantly, trust his teammates, at the Olympics of 1936 in Hitler's Germany. It follows Joe through 3 years of hard collegiate rowing, of being discriminated because of how poor he was, and of him bonding with the members of the crew that would eventually row together at the Olympics. The focus, however, is not really on the Nazis; Joe and his teammates are blissfuly unaware of the persecution of races deemed 'inferior' by the Nazis, although the book does delve into the attempts of Leni Riefanstahl, maker of propaganda films highlighting the Aryan race at the Olympics. The focus is on Joe's story, how he was abandoned as a child and rose through hard work and perseverance to become whole again through rowing. It paints a picture of a time long gone, of men and women who have since passed on: their struggles, their triumphs, their journeys. It tells of the boys rowing. It had a melancholy, reflective epilogue. It had funny descriptions of events that happened, in a tongue in cheek, wry way. It drew me in. Through the 500 or so pages, I was never bored: the descriptions of the various regattas were especially suspenseful. And above all, it gave me a deeper appreciation of hard work and teamwork and trust. I recommend it to fans of narrative nonfiction or sports stories.

After the bleak and repressive society of the Giver, here is a society that is too wild, where one must fight to survive, and those who can claw their way to the top are the victors. Kira was born crippled, so they wanted to toss her into certain death via mauling by Beasts in The Field, but her mother was strong and fought them off. Now her mother is dead, dead of a mysterious illness, and they want her in The Field. They take her to the Council Edifice, where the powerful Council of Guardians decide whether she lives or dies. A powerful figure comes to her aid: it is Jamison, assigned by the Council to be her Protector. He defends her, saying that her incredible talent in weaving more than makes up for her crippled leg. Kira is tasked by the Guardians with an important task: she must repair the robe of the Singer, who retells her village's history annually. She goes with her friend, the scruffy Matt, to her new quarters in the Council Edifice, where she meets the Carver, a boy around her age who carves the Singer's staff. She learns the art of dyeing from Annabella, a wise elder. However, something's not right. She and Thomas soon meet a tyke named Jo, who is gifted with Singing. Unlike them, though, she is not allowed to leave, she is locked in her room. IS there something the Council's not telling them? I found this novel to be good, but not that good. Warning: it ends on a not really cliffhanger per se, but it certainly urges you, practically forces you to read the next book. It was a real pleasure reading about Kira getting saved and trying to protect herself against her enemies, at the beginning. But the book sort of died out in the middle, with unease being introduced slowly, bit by bit, until the semi-explosive resolution. All in all, it would have been much better if the pacing was a little quicker. It was a companion, not a sequel: you won't be seeing Jonas or the others in this book. All in all, I liked how it had a bigger emphasis on teamwork, friendship, etc., especially between Kira and that little boy named Matt, who has a very interesting way of speaking and an optimistic outlook on life. By the end, you will realize that though the societies from this book and The Giver are outwardly different, they have a similar warning: choose who you trust, for they may be lying. A final note: I don't think this book was all that dystopia as The Giver (now that was a masterpiece dystopian novel): it reads more of a novel about overcoming your defects, both physical and mental, by relying on your friends. If you liked The Giver, you really NEED to read this book (and the rest of the books in the series.)

After the bleak and repressive society of the Giver, here is a society that is too wild, where one must fight to survive, and those who can claw their way to the top are the victors. Kira was born crippled, so they wanted to toss her into certain death via mauling by Beasts in The Field, but her mother was strong and fought them off. Now her mother is dead, dead of a mysterious illness, and they want her in The Field. They take her to the Council Edifice, where the powerful Council of Guardians decide whether she lives or dies. A powerful figure comes to her aid: it is Jamison, assigned by the Council to be her Protector. He defends her, saying that her incredible talent in weaving more than makes up for her crippled leg. Kira is tasked by the Guardians with an important task: she must repair the robe of the Singer, who retells her village's history annually. She goes with her friend, the scruffy Matt, to her new quarters in the Council Edifice, where she meets the Carver, a boy around her age who carves the Singer's staff. She learns the art of dyeing from Annabella, a wise elder. However, something's not right. She and Thomas soon meet a tyke named Jo, who is gifted with Singing. Unlike them, though, she is not allowed to leave, she is locked in her room. IS there something the Council's not telling them? I found this novel to be good, but not that good. Warning: it ends on a not really cliffhanger per se, but it certainly urges you, practically forces you to read the next book. It was a real pleasure reading about Kira getting saved and trying to protect herself against her enemies, at the beginning. But the book sort of died out in the middle, with unease being introduced slowly, bit by bit, until the semi-explosive resolution. All in all, it would have been much better if the pacing was a little quicker. It was a companion, not a sequel: you won't be seeing Jonas or the others in this book. All in all, I liked how it had a bigger emphasis on teamwork, friendship, etc., especially between Kira and that little boy named Matt, who has a very interesting way of speaking and an optimistic outlook on life. By the end, you will realize that though the societies from this book and The Giver are outwardly different, they have a similar warning: choose who you trust, for they may be lying. A final note: I don't think this book was all that dystopia as The Giver (now that was a masterpiece dystopian novel): it reads more of a novel about overcoming your defects, both physical and mental, by relying on your friends. If you liked The Giver, you really NEED to read this book (and the rest of the books in the series.)

Grenade tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa by the Americans towards the end of World War Two. The book is mainly about Hideki, a native of Okinawa, burdened by the knowledge of his ancestor, who chose to surrender rather than fight against the Japanese invaders. As a member of the Blood and Iron Student Corps, he is given only two grenades and is expected to kill as many Americans as possible, then blow himself up. But the students' attempt at attacking the Americans does not go well, and Hideki is forced to flee. Then there's Ray, a fresh recruit just out of high school, who has landed in Okinawa. As he clears out Japanese encampments with his platoon, he is faced with the harsh realities of war. Chapters switch between Ray and Hideki: first with Hideki running through Okinawa, trying to find his sister, last seen at a field hospital on the other side of the island; then Ray, who is growing accustomed to army life. I loved the thought-provoking ness, especially how it brought in traditional Okinawan beliefs. Additionally, it lacked a boring moment and kept me hooked till the end. I admired how it depicted the war correctly, with cruelty on both the Japanese and American sides. One of the best books I've read, I would recommend it for people who like fast-paced books about war

Grenade tells the story of the invasion of Okinawa by the Americans towards the end of World War Two. The book is mainly about Hideki, a native of Okinawa, burdened by the knowledge of his ancestor, who chose to surrender rather than fight against the Japanese invaders. As a member of the Blood and Iron Student Corps, he is given only two grenades and is expected to kill as many Americans as possible, then blow himself up. But the students' attempt at attacking the Americans does not go well, and Hideki is forced to flee. Then there's Ray, a fresh recruit just out of high school, who has landed in Okinawa. As he clears out Japanese encampments with his platoon, he is faced with the harsh realities of war. Chapters switch between Ray and Hideki: first with Hideki running through Okinawa, trying to find his sister, last seen at a field hospital on the other side of the island; then Ray, who is growing accustomed to army life. I loved the thought-provoking ness, especially how it brought in traditional Okinawan beliefs. Additionally, it lacked a boring moment and kept me hooked till the end. I admired how it depicted the war correctly, with cruelty on both the Japanese and American sides. One of the best books I've read, I would recommend it for people who like fast-paced books about war

The characters in this book set during the 60's were amazingly memorable. We first hear about the main one, Julian Twerski, a Jewish-American kid living in New York. An interesting fact about him: he is a good sprinter. Another fact: he writes well. This is evidenced by the book you are reading about, which, we are told, was originally put in 9 composition books. As he informs us early on, he's been forced to write something long, on account of the mysterious deed he did over winter break(hint: it involves eggs); so every week or so, he adds 20 pages or so to his diary/book thing, and soon we are left with more than 2-and-a-half hundred pages. So, what exactly does he do during half a year? Mostly, he hangs out with his friends, whose names, as he tells us, are Lonnie, Quentin, Shlomo Shlomo, Eric The Red, and Howie Wartnose. He encounters a major dilemma, however, when his closest friend, Lonnie, tells him to not only WRITE a love letter for him but also to DELIVER the love letter. This amorous message goes to a girl named Jillian Rifkin, who has moved in from "somewhere like Ohio." The problems start when Jillian gets the idea that it was Julian's love note(I mean, he wrote and delivered it, after all.) Then she starts getting interested in him, and stuff happens between him and Lonnie. Sure, other things happen as well, but that's the main one. What stood out to me, at first, was "Twerp"'s casual tone, which was simple and informal, with all the 60's slang in it. The next thing that stood out to me was how the 1960s atmosphere was subtly brought in, through the use of slang words such as "razz" and "yakking it up." Even some of the characters' attitudes towards girls and African Americans. Not only did it have a straightforward style and such, "Twerp" also drew me in because of the relatability of Julian. He's always trying to impress his friends, keep his promises, and is (understandably) concerned about not being the fastest kid at school. However, the book has its minor flaws. For instance, at the end everything goes wrong, then gets right again, and also Julian gets really sentimental: it's sort of cliche. Also, as the whole reason for writing this was the Egg Incident, it was disappointing how it only really got mentioned in detail at the end. It's supposed to be the dark cloud of guilt overshadowing everything, but aside from very brief mentions near the beginning, it just seems like an excuse for Julian to begin talking about other stuff that happens to him. Still, it's an interesting premise, it just could have been done better. It's still a memorable book, and that's why I would recommend it to those connoisseurs of historical fiction set in modern times, especially for those who've read "The Wednesday Wars" by Gary D. Schmidt (it's very similar).