Book in the Spotlight: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Book in the Spotlight: I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

July's Book in the Spotlight's blog post is by a guest writer who wishes to remain anonymous. Here is what she has to say about this book.

This month’s book review is of an inspiring young girl that faced all odds to try and push her culture to believing the need for all girls to have an education. She took great risks and stood up against the Taliban and spoke openly of her views of the importance of good education and the important role women play in the future of their country. In doing so, she paid a heavy price of being shot by the Taliban. But she was not one to be silenced and after her recovery she went on to win The Nobel Peace Prize at the age of 17.

Reading this book made me wonder if us, women and young girls in particular, realize how fortunate we are to live in a civilized world - to be able to freely go about our lives, take part in everything around us, have a good education, career, and to be able to speak our minds freely without the fear of being persecuted or killed.

"One child, one teacher, one book, and one pen, can change the world." --From a speech given to the UN Youth Assembly, just nine months after her attempted assassination.

She shows much forgiveness in her struggles after being assassinated. We could all learn from such a brave and courageous young girl.

"If he [the Talib] comes, what would you do Malala? …If you hit a Talib with your shoe, then there will be no difference between you and the Talib. You must not treat others…with cruelty...you must fight others but through peace, through dialogue and through education…then I'll tell him [the Talib] how important education is and that I even want education for your children as well… that's what I want to tell you, now do what you want." --In a Daily Show interview.

This book took some time to get into because I found the writing to be a bit “scrambled” at times – events going from place to place. But eventually it began to flow and it actually became a good read. I am very impressed by this young girl and if ever there was a chance to meet her, I would not hesitate. Every young girl should read this book and thank God that they live in such a free world and to never, ever take anything for granted – especially their education.

I would give this book a 3.5 for the format and written structure, but I would definitely give it a 4.5 for the story.  

It's Okay to Say No...

Just like the title of this post says, it's okay to say "no." Sometimes it's for the better if we say "no" than to worry and wonder what could have happened if we didn't say "yes" to something we didn't want to do.

I'm the type of person, like many "stereotypical" shy writer types, that although we have a big voice in the literary world when it comes to our writing and the products we write for the world to see, in our real lives, we're quiet, shy, passive. It's hard for us to turn down an opportunity, or better yet, we feel that we need to say "yes" to any and all opportunities because we feel we have to. 

Maybe you're not a writer, maybe you're just like anyone else and also feel it hard to say "no" to someone. Has this ever happened to you, even when you didn't want to do something, you felt like you absolutely had to say "yes?"

This was my dilemma when I was going through cancer treatments. As you know, or maybe you don't know, which if that's the case - hi. I had Stage III High-Risk Neuroblastoma, which is a cancer that occurs in children (I must be a giant baby). It usually occurs on the adrenal gland or in the abdomen, etc. Basically, my nerve cells that were supposed to mature and form functioning things in my body, didn't - they stayed immature and formed tumors. Ta-da! Neuroblastoma!

I went through the standard chemotherapy, stem cell transplant, surgeries and radiation that Neuroblastoma patients get but then I was threw for a loop. There was a clinical trial available to patients that qualified called immunotherapy. At the time, I was just happy to have chemo over with, I didn't even bother to look up what this new clinical trial was, but when I did, the results scared me. Immunotherapy, for the short version, is when you are injected with drugs that find cancer cells and destroy them, using your own immune system. It teaches your immune system to fight and destroy these cancer cells. Cool, right?! I thought so too. 

I learned pretty fast while going through treatment that I should look up the side effects to any and all drugs that were put in my body, instead of listening to what others had to say. I had already suffered extreme tinnitus (constant ringing in the ears, which also is quite painful!) from one of the chemo drugs, which also resulted in me not being able to take certain antibiotics for the rest of my life. So I learned to watch for dangerous side effects. When I was handed a huge booklet of the potential side effects of immunotherapy, my answer went from "yes" to "no." I knew right then and there that there was no way I was going to go through with the rest of my treatment. Some of the side effects were simple, like dry skin and lips. Okay, I could deal with those, but when I read blindness and that it could stop your heart (AKA, you're dead), my mind did a 360! Yes, this therapy could save my life, but what's a life if you're suffering for the rest of it? Why would I want to go through with it if I already had one problem (cancer) to make more (blindness, lung problems, kidney failure, heart failure, etc.)?! It was out of the question. I didn't want to be a vegetable hooked up to a ventilator or life support.

It was a tough blow for some people that I had come so far in my treatments and I actually surprised myself that I stood up for what I thought was right for myself, after all, I believed everyone else knew what was best for me. But I was just too sick and my body could not handle any more than what it had already endured.

There was no guarantee that this clinical trial would work on me at all. It was a study - a study for babies. I was 20-something at the time.

I guess what I'm trying to say is it's okay to say "no" sometimes when you feel it's best for you, even if it's not what everyone else thinks is best for you. Only you know what you want. 

Just some food for thought, so to say. :)

Book in the Spotlight: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

Book in the Spotlight: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

For this month's book review, I decided to pick one that is near and dear to my heart - The Princess Bride. I am pretty biased about this book as it is my favorite novel (which is why I've read it seven or so times).

To start, here is the Goodreads summary:

"What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything."

If you're into adventure and fantasy, this book is for you. It's the one book I could never put down no matter how many times I have read it. It has the ability to intrigue readers of any age.

It is about a girl named Buttercup and her journey to be with her true love, Westley. She is pretty much forced to marry Prince Humperdinck though (she finally gives into it) but when she hears that Westley may be dead, she claims she will never love again.

Buttercup is kidnapped by a trio of bad guys and eventually Westley comes to her rescue and they embark on their journey to escape all the trouble they encounter. 

Undoubtedly, I give this novel a 5 out of 5. It is by far my favorite book. 

Now go get yourself a copy and read! I promise you, you won't be disappointed.