Irises

Irises by Francisco X. Stork, 2012
Arthur A. Levine/Scholastic

Rating: 3/5

IQ "Mary smiled. She always smiled when people said living family. It meant that people didn't stop being family when they died; they just turned into your dead family" pg. 144

18 year old Kate wants to be a doctor, 16 year old Mary wants to be an artist. Both girls must put their dreams on hold when their strict father dies, leaving Kate as Mary's legal guardian since their mother is in a permanent vegetative state. Her father told Kate that family always comes first, even if that means Kate needs to hold off on Stanford. Further complicating the matter is that Simon, Kate's boyfriend, has asked her to marry him in order to provide for both her and Mary. Meanwhile Mary is drawn to Marcos, a boy with artistic talent but a violent past. The girls are struggling over the death of their father, accepting their different personalities but what may be the final wedge between them is the decision regarding their mother. They can no longer afford to pay the medical bills keeping her in her vegetative state but she is their mother....

 I love Francisco Stork's books. Long time readers of this blog know that, I adored Marcelo in the Real World and was quite fond of The Last Summer of the Death Warriors. Unfortunately I found Irises to be my last favorite Stork book thus far. Granted, this was bound to happen but the summary was so good that my hopes were quite high. All this being said, it was difficult for me to put my finger on why I did not like this book. It just didn't work for me. Part of the issue was that Stork raises juggles so many balls in the air, in a way that I did not find effective. I wish he had stuck to two or three issues (such as the issue of whether or not to pull the plug and how to cope with their new-found independence) and focused on really fleshing out the secondary characters (such as Simon and even Mary). I found the issue of life support inadequately explored, even though I had thought that was at the whole heart of the book. I did find it interesting that the girls (especially Mary since she was younger) did not go crazy or at least engage in more normal teenage acts that their father had previously forbidden. Of course most people don't immediately go party after the death of a parent, but I was surprised that very little mention was made about bigger temptations of Mary and Kate (such as going to the mall, an act their father did not allow).

 Both girls seem to be losing their way where their Christian faith is concerned and I felt that Mr. Stork did a good job of subtly addressing the questions that arise when one has a crisis of faith and whether or not you can return to your faith. I also found it really interesting that the author made the girls Protestant. This was a note of interest to me because the girls are Latino and I'm Latino, and I have grown up around mostly Catholic Latinos so I found this new world of Protestant Latinos quite intriguing (of course not all experiences are the same but the book gave me a basic idea). I thought the idea of marriage-as-an-escape was an issue well-explored, even if its a concept many people do not realize is prevalent. Kate was also a great multidimensional character as was the pastor, Andy Soto. I found their interweaving storyline to be the best in the book (it is mostly Kate's story) and very believable.

 Ultimately Irises left me indifferent, I certainly don't hate it but I did not love it or even enjoy the book all that much. However the writing is mostly strong, with a few secondary characters left underdeveloped. The book mostly suffers from having too many plots and setbacks occurring. Its strength lies in the simple, effective writing and the realistic dialogue. The issue of faith was portrayed in a respectful, non-preachy manner which made the book more compelling. What did everyone else think?

Disclosure: Mr. Stork kindly sent it to me (a whole year ago I'm ashamed to say). Thank you so very much!

Cover image from Francisco Stork's website

Male Monday: What You Wish For

What You Wish For: Your favorite authors write to honor Darfur 2011
Edited by Stacey Barney, Foreword by Mia Farrow, stories & poems by Alexander McCall Smith, Meg Cabot, Jeanne DuPrau,  Cornelia Funke, Nikki Giovanni, John Green, Karen Hesse, Ann M. Martin, Marilyn Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joyce Carol Oates, Nate Powell, Sofia Quintero, R. L. Stine, Gary Soto, Francisco X. Stork, Cynthia Voight & Jane Yolen

Ratings: 3/5

IQ "Do you think wishes just happen?" she demanded. "Stars are busy. They can't sit around all day, making every single one of our wishes come true all by themselves. They need a little help from us. I know if I really want a pony, I need to be like you and go out and earn the money to buy one, like you did with your bike." Jenny to her brother, Dave pgs. 55-56

 This is an anthology of short stories about wishes, the proceeds go to the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR.

 I liked Jane Yolen's poem "Wishes" and the stories "Reasons" by John Green and "The Rules For Wishing" by Francisco Stork are the best. "Reasons" contains lists after lists and its about Micah, who happens to be in love with Aisha Hussain. Aisha lives in the disputed region of Kashmir, Micah's mother is sponsoring her through For the Children. Its a slightly amusing but really sweet story. There are also photographs throughout the book that may serve as an introduction to the lives of refugee children.

But none of these stories truly stuck with me, I read this anthology awhile ago sometime in the summer and remember few of the stories. I wish there had been a few stories about actual Darfur refugees and the people who work to assist the refugees. Most of the characters in the stories were two-dimensional and very plot-driven. Its perfectly fine for a book to be plot driven but only when the characters are strongly represented and I did not find that to be the case in all the stories.

 What You Wish For is worth buying because a few of the stories are excellent and the proceeds go to a worthy charity. Younger readers especially may enjoy these stories.

Another one of my favorite quotes comes from one of my favorites stories, "Reasons"
"I cannot be held responsible for the fact that Aisha Hussain has truly asserting eyes,, and it's important when sitting at my desk doing homework occasionally to be reminded that there are people for whom going to school is not an unbearable burden, but instead an exciting opportunity." Micah, pg. 115

Male Monday: The Last Summer of the Death Warriors

The Last Summer of the Death Warriors by Francisco X. Stork ARC
Scholastic

Release Date: March 1, 2010

Rating: 5/5!!!!

IQ "He [D.Q.] wrote that the reason God created the world was because He was lonely. He wanted others to love Him, but He didn't want to force them into it. So in order to make sure that there were souls chose to love Him, he made the world such that He was kind of hidden. Then he put people on earth and gave them some clues about how to find Him. That way, some could choose to look for Him and some could ignore Him. And He could be sure that those who persisted in looking for Him truly loved Him." Helen pg. 114

*Deep breath* I'm trying to keep from totally raving about this book because that review would not be particularly helpful. Warning: This post may have random moments of gushing. First of all, this books is by the same author of Marcelo in the Real World. I love The Last Summer of the Death Warriors but I LOVE Marcelo in the Real World more (but I love them both let's be clear, Marcelo is just my first favorite). Anyway, The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is about Pancho and D.Q. Pancho's life is filled with death, his mother died when he was five, his father died in a work-related accident and his sister was murdered. Pancho has to go live at St. Anthony's (an orphanage), where he meets D.Q. who is dying of cancer. They are the same age (17), but view life vastly different but both in a very mature way. All Pancho wants his revenge, he wants to find his sister's murderer and kill him (or her) since the police refuse to do anything (citing a lack of evidence indicating foul play). D.Q. is writing the Death Warrior Manifesto, a guide for him on how to live life to the fullest, full of love and faith. He has very little time left. Finally, D.Q. wants to profess his love for Marisol to her, but Pancho is falling in love with her as well.

I don't want to compare Mr. Stork's two books, but I will say this, the main characters are WAY different. Not just for the obvious of Pancho not having Asperger's. Marcelo is brilliant and innocent, Pancho is smart in his own way and he has lost his innocence. Pancho has to repeat his junior year (who can blame him with all the family tragedy that has occurred) of high school and he doesn't always understand the conversations D.Q. has or the words he uses (along with other people in his life). He doesn't speak Spanish either, his father wanted his kids to speak English since they grew up in America. Pancho can read people really well though and that's a valuable skill. The romance was different too, because it was an interesting love triangle. You want Marisol (a teen who volunteers at Casa Eperanza, an outpatient home) to choose D.Q. AND Pancho, I hated that she had to choose because I grew to love both boys and see their good and bad qualities. Also, Pancho describes Marisol as "nothing to write home about" but she has an inner beauty and she's a wonderful person and I really felt for her and her struggle over which guy to choose. D.Q.'s relationship with his mother, Helen is messed up, its's been seen before but it's different too, because Helen really feels bad and wants to help D.Q. as much as she can, she just doesn't realize that her way might not be the best way.

Another thing I really like about Mr. Stork's work is that he writes about people with mental disabilities, a group of people that is all too often ignored in YA literature. Pancho's sister, Rosa has the mind of a ten year old, but she's twenty. She knows how to read, write and do basic arithmetic and she has a job, but she doesn't fully understand the ways of the world. I was so touched by the relationship between Pancho and Rosa because it was so genuine, he loved her, but he was also ashamed of her and how he treated her when he felt ashamed. Pancho would get angry at his sister over things she couldn't control or what she didn't/couldn't understand. He feels remorse for all this and it's part of the reason as to why he must find his sister's murderer and impart his own form of justice, he feels that he needs to show his sister how much he loves her. Her story broke my heart, it is told through her diary entries and Pancho's own memories, good and bad.

This book is memorable and utterly quotable, especially the Death Warrior Manifesto. D.Q. has immense faith, but it's not particularly religious (i.e. Jesus is not mentioned a lot, God is but mostly it's just about having faith in a higher being and a better life ahead of us). One of my favorite parts of the Death Warrior Manifesto is the no whining rule because it re-defines whining in a way I never really thought about "You know what whining is? Whining is that little voice inside of us that always complains about whatever happens. The voice doesn't have to be heard by others for it to be whining." D.Q. pg. 39 I've never considered that internal complaining is whining, I intend on trying to incorporate all parts of the Death Warrior Manifesto (living a life of gratitude and love) in my own life because they are valuable lessons and can enrich all lives. This story never becomes too depressing or cliche in the whole angry-teen-who-only-grunts or brave-boy-dying of cancer. I don't mean this in an offensive way, but it was nice to see a more original depiction of someone suffering from cancer, D.Q. is a great character and very brave, but he's also human, a saint with flaws. And Mr. Stork is one of the few authors that can make you feel slightly bad for a murderer.

The ending was unexpected. I was expecting something a little more dramatic, but I liked the ending. In retrospect, I think it fit well with the book. I was on edge the whole time, wondering if Pancho would follow through with tracking down his sister's murderer (D.Q. and Marisol are desperately working to change his mind), if D.Q. would be healed, and who Marisol would choose. Francisco Stork is an amazing author, his work will never cease to amaze me and I am in awe of his talent for bringing genuine, lovably flawed characters to life and writing stories that cause your heart to break and mend all on its own. The Last Summer of the Death Warriors is a reaffirmation of what is important in life and also provides a fresh perspective on the importance of never taking each day for granted. Alright, this review is long enough. But this is a MUST READ and is another book you will want to revisit. High school and up.

Disclosure: Received from Lyn and it's autographed!!!!! I was so ecstatic when I opened the mail and found this, I walked around with a grin on my face for the rest of the day. I just wish I hadn't waited so long to read this book. And no, I did not give this book a good review because it was autographed because truest me, I've reviewed some decent/just ok books that have been autographed (I just choose not to mention that).

Male Monday: Marcelo in the Real World (aka One of the Most AMAZING Books ever!)

Male Monday is my weekly meme where books are reviewed with male main characters.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork 2009

Rating: 5!/5!

IQ “Boy you really break things down, don’t you?” Jonah

“Some say it is an illness.” Marcelo

“We should all be so ill.” Jonah

There’s so much you can say about this amazing, wonderful, beautiful, tremendous, stupendous novel, but at the same time I don’t feel that I can adequately express how much impact this novel had on me. It blew me away. It’s so powerful. It’s ultimately about the loss of innocence and how we can fight injustice. It also made me think about why God allows suffering?

Marcelo in the Real World is about a 17 year old guy whose father forces him to work at his law firm. Marcelo’s father believes there is nothing wrong with him and he wants Marcelo to learn how to interact with people and work in the “real world”. Marcelo works in the mailroom with his beautiful boss, Jasmine whose not much older than him. He also meets Wendell, the son of another partner at the law firm (Marcelo’s father and Wendell’s father are the two partners). In the law firm, Marcelo learns a lot about the real world. He learns about social dos and don’ts, competition, lust and anger. He also learns about suffering, injustice and compassion.

Marcelo is the perfect example of a lovable, innocent character. I didn’t know anything about Asperger’s syndrome (a disorder he has, it’s a form of autism where people have difficulties with social interaction and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests. According to Wikipedia), but most of the time I forgot he had a type of autism and just thought he was a brilliant, but awkward kid. Learning about Asperger’s was interesting. Marcelo refers to himself in third-person and calls his parents by their first names (Aurora and Arturo). He hears music in his head, internal music. “How do I describe it? It is like listening to very loud music with headphones. Only the music seems to be coming from inside the brain. It is actually a very neat sensation.”

One of Marcelo’s main interests besides music is religion. He is friends with a rabbi, Rabbi Heschel, and they discuss religion regularly. He reads Scripture quotes it and reads various books about various religions. These conversations between the rabbi and Marcelo were very interesting and enlightening to me. I’m currently struggling with my own faith and these conversations gave me something to think about. “You’re worried about upgrading your Mercedes or about whether so-and-so is sitting closer to the Tabernacle and all along God is dying for help. It’s urgent! He’s urging you. The urges that you feel are to do His work-you’re getting the signals all mixed up. You think He’s asking you to be a big success in whatever it is that you’re ambitious about, and that’s not what He wants from you at all….But His urges are always toward life and more life and forgiveness and more forgiveness.” Pg. 277-278

I also think this book deals with sex, lust and desire in a different and interesting way. I feel that it explains it differently; Marcelo doesn’t really understand lust or love. Several characters try to teach him about the difference and their perspective, as well as his was refreshing.

My favorite character was Jasmine. She is sarcastic, lovable, kind and a good teacher to Marcelo about life in the real world. I wanted to smack Wendell every other page he was mentioned.

Marcelo in the Real World is one of those books you just have to re-read. It sits on your bedside table, waiting to be read whether you are happy, sad, confused, lost, or angry.

Read this book regardless of your religious beliefs, gender, background, etc. This is the ultimate MUST READ. High school and up.

Thanks so much for this book Edi!