Nikki Giovanni

I'm currently reading a collection of poetry by Nikki Giovanni.



Right now I'm reading a section about black power. I really like a lot of it, and it's very powerful. Giovanni writes poetry that is the very opposite of formal. It's all over the place, which, if not done well can be really bad, but Giovanni makes it feel like a punch in the gut (the good kind). She makes you feel what she was feeling, she makes you think what she was thinking, and she makes you take a long hard look at yourself.

Like I said, I've only read the black power section so far, which is mostly very angry. I don't mind the anger, though, because I think that there should be anger. We should be angry. We should be appalled, we should be furious that racism even exists today. Yes, Obama being elected was a huge step forward, but racism hasn't been eliminated or even substantially reduced. Giovanni was writing in a period of time where black people were realizing that discrimination and being treated as an inferior person is not OK, so while her poetry may be angry and may be for a mature audience, she has every right in the world to be angry.

I would recomend Nikki Giovanni's poetry only to people who enjoy poetry and are ready to read something pretty heavy. Also, while the school found a nice quote of her's about libraries to hang in the IMC, she does cover some explicit, sometimes violent topics. That's my disclaimer.


One last thing: while we were reading Romeo and Juliet, I heard the line "Peace? I hate the word, as I hate hell, all Montagues," and I realized that that is the first line of a song called "Whatever (I Had a Dream)" by: The Butthole Surfers. They don't have a music video for it, but here's the link to a video I found on Youtube of the song with random footage two teenage girls shot. **note: there are swear words (among other non-school-appropriate things)**
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dckuzv-NcOY
Here's a link to the lyrics:
http://www.plyrics.com/lyrics/buttholesurfers/whateverihadadream.html

The Burn Journals By: Brent Runyon

I am currently reading The Burn Journals by: Brent Runyon.



This book is the nonfiction story of a 7th grade Runyon who tries to kill himself by dousing his bathrobe in gasoline and lighting it on fire while wearing it. Now, you may be thinking that this book is about one of those wierd emo kids who's always wearing black and being over dramatic, but that's not how this book is. Runyon writes in a very matter-of-fact and logical way that is somehow so endearing.

While you may not agree with his logic, and while you may not ever feel that same logic, you do come to understand his logic. This book is actually not dark and twisty, which some of you may expect. There is, obviously, suicide, so I would only recomend this book to people who are looking for a very serious read. I'm only about 1/4 of the way done, so I don't know the ending yet, but I will let you know as soon as I finish.

Update: I'm on number 13 of Fruits Basket now. Another thing I wanted to say about the series, but forgot to mention last time, is that Takaya weaves in these "moral of the story"s that, if not properly written could be really, really cheesy. There were a few that I had to cringe at, but most were actually really inspiring. It seems like the main theme is to be thankful for what you have, and even when things are looking down, you should try your best.

Fruits Bastket By: Natsuki Takaya

I have started reading the manga series Fruits Basket. I've read 1-8 and am currently reading 9 (there are 23, by the way).



I don't know if I'd really consider it well-written or intelligent, but it sure is addicting. Maybe I'm just becoming a manga nerd. Anyway, the books were hard to read at first because it will randomly flashback and it can be hard to tell who's saying what, but once you get used to reading it, it's very easy and quick. There are about 20 characters, and they are all very unique and funny.

Right now I'm at a point where the main character has two very cute (is it bad that I think manga characters are cute?) guys that she could date and has to choose. The guys hate each other, but live together, and she lives with them, which is very strange, I guess. Other than the living sitaution, though, the Yuki vs. Kyo arangement is very similar to the Edward vs. Jacob, and the debates are as heated between Fruits Basket fans. I personally like Yuki, because he's smarter and calmer. Kyo gets into rages too easily. Either way, I think it's time for Tohru to choose already (Extra special blah blah blah (as Takaya would say): team Jacob for me).

I also think Yuki and Kyo's pasts need to be revealed already! I mean, she told us about Arisa and Saki (which I did not expect), so now It's time to hear about the boys. Anyway, I'm excited to keep reading, and would recomend this to anyone interested in manga.