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Book Reviews

To Kill a Mockingbird, Reviewed by Grace, 13

One of the most classic Southern Gothic novels, To Kill a Mockingbird, written by Harper Lee from a little girl Scout’s perspective, tells the story of the struggles for justice in an Alabama town during the Great Depression. Scout’s dad, Atticus, defends a black man against a white girl’s accusation of sexual assault and faces disapproval from the whole town. Through Scout’s perspective, we see, in a sense, how everyone around her are “mockingbirds”—all innocent but affected by the deep-rooted injustices in society. On the surface level, Tom Robinson, as a black man, is a definite “mockingbird” who is incarcerated and eventually shot due to societal prejudices. Robinson gets accused of raping a white girl, Mayella Ewell, and is sent to trial. However, during the trial, it is discovered that Mayella’s bruise was on her right eye so the person who attacked her must have used their left hand, yet Tom’s left hand is useless. All Tom ever did was slightly push Mayella to stop her from kissing him. It was clear to all that Tom had nothing to do with Mayella’s bruises during the trial but Tom is still sent to prison, and shot. Despite Atticus’s clear evidence and reasoning that Tom was innocent, the community still chooses to believe the white man Bob Ewell. Although white, Scout and her family are all “mockingbirds” who are judged by the community due to their unpopular belief in racial equality. At school, Scout’s classmate, Cecil Jacobs, yells, “My folks said your daddy was a disgrace an’ that n****** oughta hang from the water-tank!” (131). Scout’s dad, Atticus, simply wants to defend an innocent Black man; there is nothing wrong about defending an innocent man, but the whole of Maycomb County goes against them, purely because Tom is Black. Atticus even receives several death threats and attacks from white men disapproving of his choices. While Scout and Jem could have been enjoying their childhood innocence, they have to confront attacks from the community for their father’s choices. Digging deeper, in a sense the whole white community is also a “mockingbird” due to their lack of knowledge of what is right and wrong, leading them to follow the evils of power dynamics. Nearly the whole community supports Bob instead of Tom despite clear evidence suggesting otherwise. However, the white community is still innocent in a sense as the issue of racism is not in their hands to control. They were born, taught, and raised to tout white supremacy; this has been going on for generations and generations. Throughout the book, Scout narrates all the events surrounding Tom Robinson’s unfortunate death, which shows the entrenched racial prejudices in society, thereby implying the difficulty of going against racial norms. Everyone in this book were “mockingbirds” in some ways, either by being who they are, supporting equality, or following the habits of their ancestors. What To Kill a Mockingbird reveals is a need for education on justice and a change in society so that one day nobody will be judged purely by their identity.   To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Harper Perennial, 2005. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!

How to Find What You’re Not Looking for, Reviewed by Anushka, 11

Veera Hiranandani’s How to Find What You’re Not Looking for is a book that stays with you long after you have read it. The book explores difficult questions concerning religious and cultural differences that divide our society. This book also questions the meaning of religion and culture and their significance in everyday life. Is religion so important that you could sacrifice your family for it? The book is set in 1977 when young Ariel is about to start middle school. Ariel’s older sister, Leah, falls in love with an Indian man whose name is Raj. Ariel and Leah’s parents do not approve of this relationship because Raj is not Jewish. They are adamant about preserving their Jewish culture and heritage and forbid Leah’s relationship with Raj. The Supreme Court had recently banned state laws that forbid inter-racial marriages. Leah is so upset and disappointed at her parents stunning narrow-mindedness that she elopes with Raj. Ariel’s family pretends not to care and seem to go on with their lives as if Leah was not a part of their family any more. Ariel, who has a close and loving relationship with her sister, struggles to understand Leah’s decision to run away from home and her parents’ intolerance toward non-Jewish people. That is not the only problem Ariel has to deal with. Ariel’s family owns a bakery that will have to be sold and her family will have to move away from their home. During these difficult times, Ariel turns to poetry for support. She finds a new teacher who can advocate for her and help her with writing, which has always been hard for her  because of a learning disability. Writing poetry helps Ariel cope with her feelings of loss, anti-semitism that she experiences, family tensions, and her confusion and disappointment over the intolerance of the adults around her. This book is a revelation on multiple levels. Much like Ariel, I was stunned at how the Ariel and Leah’s parents could be so stone-hearted. In discussing the plot of the book with my family and researching inter-faith marriages in India, my own heritage, I was surprised to learn that while the majority of Indian people think it is important to respect all religions, a staggering proportion of people oppose inter-faith marriages and think it is important to stop inter-faith marriages. The same research finds that many Indians would prefer keeping people who practice a different faith away from their neighborhoods. While people in America may be more open to inter-faith marriages today, most Americans still marry within their faith. At the same time, political, ideological, racial and ethnic polarization is a defining feature of contemporary American life. My family does not practice religion so I was intrigued at the impact religion could have on people’s decisions and their lives. Frankly, I never really understood how religion could be so important to some people that it could control your whole life, make you sacrifice your relationships, and not let you be with whom you love. It seems to me that some people are scared of letting go of their culture. It is hard for them to accept that culture changes and grows over time. They want their culture to stay the same. Another revelation was learning how healing poetry can be. I JUST LOVED Ariel’s poems in this book. They reveal Ariel’s state of mind and her feelings incisively. In fact, Veera Hiranandani writes from a second-person point of view, which puts you (the reader) in Ariel’s shoes. This second person perspective immersed me in Ariel’s feelings, made me imagine the vivid scenery, feel close to Ariel, and helped me engage with story, rather than read it passively. This approach, in combination with poetry written from Ariel’s perspective and unique abilities, highlights the author’s extraordinary talent, creativity, and empathy. This approach makes the characters and setting extremely well drawn, making the reader a part of the story (as opposed to a passive viewer). I believe that there could not have been a better way to approach such a difficult and complex topic and make it accessible for children and youth, all without making it simplistic. How to Find What You’re Not Looking for is an intriguing title. I have concluded that the title is just like poetry. It can be interpreted in different ways and its meaning can change depending on the person’s experiences. For me, this title and the book is about how to deal with change and how to learn from those changes — joyous and sorrowful, expected and unexpected. The unexpected and sad events in Ariel’s life help her cultivate her own thoughts, talents, and independence. I was so inspired by the first Veera Hiranandani book I read and reviewed for the Stone Soup blog, The Night Diary. This book is equally inspiring and thought provoking. I am convinced after reading this book that we should do more to encourage meaningful interactions and friendships with people from different religious, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds at an early age. Exposure to books like How to Find What You’re Not Looking for is one such meaningful interaction. I strongly recommend it for readers of all ages for this very reason.   How to Find What You’re Not Looking for by Veera Hiranandani. Kokila, 2021. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!

Medusa, Reviewed by Nova, 10

Medusa, written by Jessie Burton and illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill, at only 207 pages, is a quick and stimulating read for lovers of Greek mythology seeking a contemporary twist on a classic and well-known tale. With beautiful and wonderfully detailed drawings, Medusa is also ideal for readers who enjoy artwork similar to the paintings you might see in a gallery. Get ready to dive into a world chock-full of excitement, wonder, love, loneliness, betrayal, and the feeling of no longer having to hide. Medusa has lived on an island for four years, hidden from prying eyes, with the sole company of her sisters Stheno and Euryale, her dog Argenthus, and the infamous snakes with which Athena cursed her. One day, a young man and his dog arrive in a boat. Medusa is intrigued and filled with a burning longing for human company other than her sisters’. She engages the young man in conversation while concealing herself behind a boulder, and she finds that his name is Perseus. They bond over the wrongs done to them, and soon become friends with what they think is an unbreakable union. Perseus reveals he has fallen in love with Medusa, and Medusa finds she is in love with Perseus, too. But they are both keeping secrets that may tear them apart. Will Perseus and Medusa fix their friendship? Will they rip each other to shreds? Will one half of this iconic duo hunt down and kill the other half? Or will a strange, unprecedented ending for this story expose the true nature of this timeless myth, and leave one of its protagonists at peace and finally satisfied? Read Medusa by Jessie Burton to find out! This book includes some difficult themes, including the nature of freedom and consent and the objectification of girls. As I am 10 years old, I would recommend Medusa for ten-year-olds and up. Disclaimer: Medusa came out on January 11, 2022. My review is from an Advanced Reader Copy, which only contains a couple of fully colored illustrations as examples. Still, the black and white drawings in my copy are amazing, so I plan to buy the published version as soon as I can so that I can marvel at Olivia Lomenech Gill’s art in all its colorful glory.   Medusa by Jessie Burton and illustrated by Olivia Lomenech Gill. Bloomsbury YA, 2022. Buy the book here and help support Stone Soup in the process!