I just reread Pearl Cleage's What Looks Like Crazy on an Ordinary Day. I've read this title at least 5 times, but it never ceases to make me laugh, cry, and think about my life views. I don't read a lot of happy books. I never seem to get the humor in them. This one, however, is a great comfort read that does cheer the soul. I need to use it more as a central text in my literature classes.
The second book I read yesterday, however, had very little cheer in it. In fact, it has been a very long time since I have read something that made me so angry. I made the mistake of forcing myself to finish it before I turned in for the night. It brought on a lot of tossing and turning. Patricia McCormick's Sold, a young adult novel about Himalayan poverty and a young girl's imprisonment within a brutal prostitution system, will certainly make you question your sense of cultural and economic entitlement, your views of male ethics (yes, male), and your views of women who support sexual slavery. Its lyrical, hard-hitting vignettes will keep you riveted to the narrative voice until the final page is turned. And then, you will want to learn more and take action. You will wonder at how resilient the human spirit can be. The story will haunt you.
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