Category: Young Adult

Book Review: Indianapolis: The True Story of the Worst Sea Disaster in U.S. Naval History and the Fifty-Year Fight to Exonerate an Innocent Man

Age Range: Teen, Adult
Author:  Lynn Vincent and Sara Vladic
Simon & Schuster
New York
2019
ISBN: 978-1501135958
List Price: $12.39

I had of course heard of the USS Indianapolis.  And like many, I’ve always had a strong sense of respect and gratefulness for the “greatest generation” and the sacrifices made by many in World War II.  But honestly, I knew embarrassingly little about the USS Indianapolis.  I basically knew what I recalled from a classmate’s middle school speech on the topic. Which is even worse given my hometown.  It was with this in mind that I decided to read Indianapolis.

This was my “car book” (the one I keep in the car to have something to read during school pickup).  I didn’t expect a thick, non-fiction book to be that enthralling.  But I was wrong; I found I kept wanting to read it even on short trips when my husband was driving.  It got to the point he innocently suggested I bring it inside to continue reading (Never! Then I wouldn’t have a car book…).

The book starts several months before the sinking of the USS Indianapolis and ends fifty years later.  It effectively gives both a big picture view of where this ship and her sailors fit into the War, as well as the specifics down to individual men and what they experienced.  The authors developed relationships with many of the survivors, and it shows in the book. Reading it feels like a movie, and as noted above, it became hard to put it down.

I strongly recommend this one to anyone who may even faintly be interested in a historical book (and probably even if you are not).

Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here. 

Book Review: Tiger Queen

Age Range: 16+
Author: Annie Sullivan
Blink
Michigan
2019
ISBN: 978-0310768777
List Price: $17.99 (amazon.com)

I personally know this author, but that doesn’t change the fact that I loved this book!

Princess Kateri is strong, determined, and rather angry when the story opens.  She has a goal, to prove herself the rightful monarch of Achra to be able to save her people from a terrible drought (and to dispatch those who are to blame for it). But when things don’t go as planned, she’s forced to consider help from an unlikely source.

This book was a captivating, fun, yet insightful read.  I particularly liked the way Princess Kateri showed growth over the course of the story.  The importance of the sand and dessert and the imagery related to these really drew me into the story and captivated my imagination.  It has just the right mix of action, conversation, and introspection.  The narration is perfectly descriptive – enough to help the reader paint a very clear picture in the mind without being dull in the least. 

The idea that preconceived notions and biases may change when challenged (or perhaps, more accurately when we allow them to be challenged) is particularly worth noting in our world.  Perhaps one of my favorite things about this book is that Princess Kateri is a strong, and believable, female hero without going overboard.  As I wrapped up the book, I wished there were 100 more pages; not because it didn’t give a satisfactory story and ending, but simply because I wanted to keep reading it.

There is one intense kiss and several instances of violence of which parents should be aware, but overall no major concerns for the YA/adult reader.
Buy it on Amazon here. 

Buy it on Barnes and Noble here.