Apples and Oranges: My Brother and Me, Lost and Found by Marie Brenner

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I could have given this another star but I was bored reading some parts of the book. The story about his grandfather's and aunts should have written on the first part of the book because it looks like it was jumbled entirely to the flow of the story. The author also should have included some excerpts from his brother's diaries so the readers could have a glimpse of what his brother really like.

Disaster Preparedness: A Memoir by Heather Havrilesky

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Actual rating: 3.5

I enjoyed the author's narration of her and her family's life story. Although there are some parts that I doze off especially on the part where she tells her story about one of her exes. But some of her stories are quite comic like when she and her dad rode the plane and there was a turbulence. There are also some noteworthy subtle pieces of advice usually on every end of the chapters. If you are looking for a witty, quirky and light read novel this coming weekend; then this book definitely suits you.

Wallace: The Underdog Who Conquered a Sport, Saved a Marriage, and Championed Pit Bulls-- One Flying Disc at a Time

MY RATING: 5 of 5 stars

For my 1000th read, I've chosen something special that talks about one of the things, or in this case a living thing, that I love. I bought a copy of this last year and I almost forgot that it was just lying on my boxes of books. I thought that my 1000th read is a momentous event for me, hence I search on my pile and found this. Also, it's apparent from my profile picture here in Goodreads that I love dogs, so I've decided that I will read any novel that is about them.



The story of the dog Wallace is really amazing because, despite people's prejudice about his breed, he was still able to overcome this through the unending love and support of his owners. I commend the couple Roo and Clara, and the other people who shared the sentiment because they never gave up on him. They tried to work incessantly to give Wallace a chance to show the world that it's not about the dog's breed, but it's up to how he was raised and trained.

Probably everyone knew about the horrible stories about pit bulls as vicious and dangerous. This is because of the fact that some evil people use these innocent creatures to gamble their lives on dog fights. I love how Roo worked Wallace's energetic and playful personality to its own advantage — making him the first and prominent famous pit bull to joined disk/frisbee competitions. Through Wallace, it paved the way for other pit bull owners to trained and compete them in these tournaments.



How I wish that this book will come across those who have the preconception about pit bulls, especially in those places that still have the BSL or the Breed-Specific Legislation. This novel will enlighten them that whatever breed the dog is, it will behave according to what it was taught. If you nurtured it with love and respect, it will grow up kindly; if you showed it to act violently, it will be aggressive. Rescued dogs from dogfights are not a lost cause because there's always hope that they will change, just as Roo and Clara's optimism to change the mindset of people about dogs like Wallace that was born as a pit bull.



To end my review of this remarkable book by Jim Gorant, please check out and be amazed of how Wallace's life was on this tribute video. You may also visit Wallace The Pit Bull Foundation if you want to support their mission.

Photographic: The Life of Graciela Iturbide by Isabel Quintero

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Photographic is a splendid graphic novel that narrates the life story of one of the brilliant and prominent photographers in Mexico. Through this, readers will finally get to know who Graciela Iturbide is behind her famous works.

I was able to read about her and see some of her photographs in a National Geographic magazine when I was still young. When I saw the photo of her "Our Lady of the Iguanas" in this graphic novel, that's when it hit me that I have seen it before. The photos that Iturbide captures really stands out and will make people become curious about what's the story behind the subject(s).

A great photo book/graphic novel will enthrall readers on who is Graciela Iturbide and that showcase some of her well-known works.

Review: Second Generation - The Things I Didn't Tell My Father

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Second Generation is a graphic novel written and illustrated by Michel Kichka. It tells about not only the story of his dad, Henri, but also how the author and his siblings grew up with a parent who was a Holocaust survivor. The recollections of what happened to Michel's dad in this book are less vivid and haunting compared to the other books I've read before that tackles the same topic.
However, I found the ending a little bit odd and abrupt. Nonetheless, it's an entertaining graphic novel that will like by readers.

JJ's Journey: A Story of Heroes and Heart by Tracy Calhoun

AUTHOR: Tracy Calhoun
PUBLISHER: Diversion Publishing
PUBLICATION DATE: October 3, 2017
PAGES: 331
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:
It was 2014 at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House in Washington State, and a 90 year old woman in her final stage of a coma had been totally unresponsive for several days. The woman had no family or friends, and the staff expected she would pass very soon. Tracy, one of the nurses, went in to sit by her side during these final hours. While she was there, her dog, JJ, a staff -therapist- came to join her and hopped up on the bed. JJ snuggled up next to the elderly woman and nuzzled the woman's hand with her snout. And, the woman began stroking JJ's face. Somehow, JJ had reached her, wherever the woman was. Tracy was touched and quickly recorded it on her phone. In August 2015, that video went viral and has been seen tens of millions of times.
Helping Humans is a heartwarming memoir of a nurse and her dog and their combined efforts to bring peace and consolation to humans in times of crisis and grief. We learn about the work done at the hospice house, the different kinds of work a therapy dog does both inside and outside of hospitals at crisis centers, shelters for domestic violence victims, and after major disasters where they comfort first responders and victims. Rich with informative detail, we also learn the intricacies of training animals for this work, the complexities of recognizing whether the dog has the right personality and how to engage their supportive spirit.

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MY RATING: JJ's Journey: The Unbelievable Life of JJ, The Therapy Dog is a must-read for dog-lovers like me. Undeniably, the canine's compassionate personality and truly being the man's best-friend is shown here through JJ's story. JJ has also retired from being a therapy dog and she was undergoing chemotherapy. It is really heartbreaking whenever our canine pals/family are sick and we always try to ease their pain by giving back the comfort they've given us. The lives of dogs usually span from 10-15 years and even though their life expectancy is short, they devote their whole life spreading love and empathy; and that's what we should learn from them. It's not how long we live, but on how we spend/use it to help others.

If you are interested in this book, you may buy it from Amazon:

7 Athlètes (Conquistador)

AUTHOR: Kris Galic, Bertrand Galic
ILLUSTRATOR: David Morancho
PUBLISHER: Delcourt
PUBLICATION DATE: May 7, 2017
PAGES: 66
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Barcelona, ​​July 1936. To counter the Berlin Olympics and the planned Nazi propaganda, athletes from around the world are investing in the Catalan capital and organizing their own ceremony. But, on the eve of the inauguration, Franco seizes power. The Spanish War begins ... Among the athletes trapped, seven men and women choose weapons. Of diverse origins but of common ideals, they will unite with life, with death ... and with love too.

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MY RATING: 7 athletes from France should be joining an international competition that was held in Barcelona, Spain. But due to the Germans and fascists invasion that started on late 1930's, these athletes need to fight for their lives and for the lives of other people. I thought that the story would be boring to read but I admit that I was wrong judging this one-shot comics issue. If you are into history or like to read stories related to the WWII, you will like this as well.

If you are interested in this book, you may buy it from Amazon:









 

Conquering Everest: The Lives of Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay

AUTHOR:  Lewis Hefland
ILLUSTRATOR: Amit Tayal
PUBLISHER: Campfire
PUBLICATION DATE: August 16, 2011
PAGES: 96
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

Tenzing Norgay was the son of poor Tibetan immigrants living in Nepal. He longed to see the world but was told he could aspire to be little more than a servant. Edmund Hillary was a humble beekeeper from New Zealand, who spent his youth dreaming of adventures he could never hope to experience.

And Everest was the ultimate adventure. The mountain's peak is the highest point on Earth, stretching beyond the clouds. So dangerous and challenging, Everest had never been successfully climbed and many had died trying. In 1953, Tenzing Norgay and Edmund Hillary joined a team of explorers determined to reach its top.

Alone at the top of the world with their oxygen running low, they faced brutal elements and new dangers at every turn. And they were armed with little more than their courage, determination, and a belief in each other. But would that be enough to achieve the impossible, what no man had done before?

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MY RATING: I'm not an adventurous neither an athletic person but, I really enjoyed reading the biographies of the first two people who get to reach the peak of Chomolungma or famously known as Mt. Everest. The amazing life story of Edmund and Tenzing is not all fame and glory but they have to endure a lot just to be able to achieve their goal. Quite an inspirational read this comic book is and I highly recommend this to anyone who wants to motivate them to pursue their lifelong dream.

If you are interested in this book, you may buy it from Amazon:

Ink in Water: An Illustrated Memoir (Or, How I Kicked Anorexia’s Ass and Embraced Body Positivity)

AUTHOR:  Lacy J. Davis
ILLUSTRATOR: Jim Kettner
PUBLISHER: New Harbinger Publications
PUBLICATION DATE: October 1, 2017
PAGES: 272
SYNOPSIS FROM GOODREADS:

At once punk rock and poignant, Ink in Water is the visceral and groundbreaking graphic memoir of a young woman’s devastating struggle with negative body image and eating disorders, and how she rose above her own destructive behaviors and feelings of inadequacy to live a life of strength and empowerment.

As a young artist living in Portland, Lacy Davis’ eating disorder began with the germ of an idea: a seed of a thought that told her she just wasn’t good enough. And like ink in water, that idea spread until it reached every corner of her being. This is the true story of Lacy’s journey into the self-destructive world of multiple eating disorders. It starts with a young and positive Lacy, trying to grapple with our culture’s body-image obsession and stay true to her riot grrrl roots. And while she initially succeeds in overcoming a nagging rumination about her body, a break up with a recovering addict starts her on a collision course with anorexia, health food obsession, and compulsive exercise addiction. At the request of her last real friend, she starts going to a twelve-step Overeaters Anonymous course, only to find that it conflicts with her punk feminist ideology.

Blending bold humor, a healthy dose of self-deprecation, vulnerability, literary storytelling, and dynamic and provocative artwork by illustrator Jim Kettner, Ink in Water is an unflinching, brutally honest look into the author’s mind: how she learned to take control of her damaging thoughts, redirect her perfectionism from self-destructive behaviors into writing and art, and how she committed herself to a life of health, strength, and nourishment.

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MY RATING: When I saw the synopsis for this graphic novel, I thought I would be reading something boring an uninteresting. But my first impression isn't right because I finished reading this in just a few hours. Not to mention that this is also very helpful and inspiring especially those who are having eating disorder. Hopefully the release of this would motivate people to love whatever their shape or size they have.

If you are interested in this book, you may buy it from Amazon:

Lisbeth Kaiser: Rosa Parks

		Synopsis: New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the incredible life of Rosa Parks, ' The Mother of the Freedom Movement', in this inspiring story. In this true story of an inspiring civil rights activist, Rosa Parks grew up during segregation in Alabama, but she was taught to respect herself and stand up for her rights. In 1955, Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her decision had a huge impact on civil rights, eventually leading to the end of segregation on public transport.
With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world. From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!

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My Rating: ★★★★★ The life story of Rosa Parks is a very good way on teaching kids to treat everyone with equality. This children's book should be promoted so that a lot of young readers will be inform of the absurdity of racism. We may not be aware of it, but racism still do exist even at present. It always up to the parents, teachers, or guardians of children to teach them that whatever color or from wherever you came from, we are all coequal. Lastly, Rosa Parks' bravery and standing up for what is right also set as an example and inspiration not only to children but also to adults.

If you are interested in this book, you may buy it from Amazon:

Rosa Parks by Lisbeth Kaiser

SYNOPSIS:
 New in the Little People, Big Dreams series, discover the incredible life of Rosa Parks, ' The Mother of the Freedom Movement', in this inspiring story. In this true story of an inspiring civil rights activist, Rosa Parks grew up during segregation in Alabama, but she was taught to respect herself and stand up for her rights.

In 1955, Rosa refused to give up her seat to a white man on a segregated bus, sparking the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Her decision had a huge impact on civil rights, eventually leading to the end of segregation on public transport. With stylish and quirky illustrations and extra facts at the back, this empowering series celebrates the important life stories of wonderful women of the world.

From designers and artists to scientists, all of them went on to achieve incredible things, yet all of them began life as a little child with a dream. These books make the lives of these role models accessible for children, providing a powerful message to inspire the next generation of outstanding people who will change the world!

 

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MY RATING: ★★★★★ The life story of Rosa Parks is a very good way on teaching kids to treat everyone with equality. This children's book should be promoted so that a lot of young readers will be inform of the absurdity of racism. We may not be aware of it, but racism still do exist even at present. It always up to the parents, teachers, or guardians of children to teach them that whatever color or from wherever you came from, we are all coequal. Lastly, Rosa Parks' bravery and standing up for what is right also set as an example and inspiration not only to children but also to adults.

If you are interested in this book, you may buy it from Amazon: