Male Monday (Off Color): The Lighter Side of Life and Death

The Lighter Side of Life and Death by C.K. Kelly Martin 2010
Random House Children's Books

Rating: 4/5


IQ "I don't want to obsess on what Kat said about staying away from each other but how exactly do you cut yourself off from someone that you've thought of/seen/spoken to every day for the past three years? I understand that she's confused but her cure hurts worse than the disease." Mason pg. 94


Mason Rice is loving life as a sixteen-year old. He just came off a performance high for a play that he had a starring role in. Then, that same night, there was a party and he lost his virginity to his gorgeous best friend, Kat Medina. he thought it was an amazing. Until he learns that Kat didn't see as such a great experience. She regrets crossing the friendship line and she wants to forget it ever happens, even if she has to forget Mason. Mason is confused by Kat's reaction and hurt so when he meets the attractive Colette, he decides he wants to get involved with her. Thing is, she's twenty three. Mason's not sure his feelings are reciprocated until Colette invites him to her apartment and from there a good times relationship ensues.

I saw the cover of this book and for some odd reason I thought it was about two poc. I now realize Mason is white and the brown-skin belongs to Kat. Who knows what I was thinking. I also didn't know the story took place in Canada. I was completely confused when Mason said he only had a year and a half till he left home since y'know, in the U.S. it would be two years. Not that this bothered me, the story was a great one. I do wish that Kat had been better developed. I guess since Kat was trying to stay away from Mason, it's harder to show her personality. I wanted to understand why Mason was so enamored with her but since his contact with her was limited in this book, I never got a grasp as to why he thought she was so special. She didn't handle the situation well, but that made the book more realistic. I could understand why she felt so flustered after she lost her virginity to Mason. That's a bit awkward, especially since they weren't dating. I didn't understand Brianna's deal either. Brianna is Mason's new stepsister and I wasn't sure if she just hated life in general or if she was mad that her mom married Mason's dad? I needed some more glimpses into her life. I also would have liked more about Mason's friends. He seemed to keep them all at a distance which was interesting.

I love that it's about a guy who's living a fantasy, getting involved with a sexy older woman. I love that Colette knows Mason's 'living the dream' and she doesn't mind. well I don't love it per se, I love that it's being addressed. I like that the author is so unflinching in writing about it. There's no moral undertone to this story, everything is just reported. This is how Mason feels, this is what Colette says, etc. There's no grand explosion in the end and I appreciated that. The consequences of the relationship aren't ignored, there are consequences but nothing drastic happens. I was worried that this book would be very high-drama but it was low-key, much like Mason and Colette's relationship. There are no graphic sex scenes but they are portrayed. After all, would anyone really expect Mason and Colette not to have sex? Their relationship starts off as being focused on the good times, but it does get complex. There are significant others in both their lives and what they are doing, while not illegal, is frowned upon. I like the added situation of Mason having to adjust his home situation. Mason's parents are divorced and for years it's been just him and his dad. Now he has to accept that his father is getting re-married to a woman with a pre-teen and a young kid. It's a big adjustment and on the surface Mason seems to take it in stride. On the surface only.

The Lighter Side of Life and Death is indeed about situations that are a lot easier to deal with than life and death (drugs, death of family members, etc). The author doesn't mock the issues teenagers face or try to show that there are simple solutions to our problems. it's complicated, but in this story at least, teens can handle it. There's a great distinction between love and lust and the author makes that clear. Mason has to find that out for himself though. The 'i-love-yous' aren't traded until the very end, as it should be. The book could use further secondary character development but the book mostly focuses on Mason and Colette, and those two are at their fullest potential. Their relationship is one of fun and doubt. The reader (like Mason) knows it won't work out, but that doesn't make this any less of a notable tale and I got caught up in it all. Plus there's an added bonus of the story being set in Canada, a country that was quite foreign to me.

Disclosure: Overdue from the library. Yay late fees!

Between Sisters

Between Sisters by Adwoa Badoe 2010 ARC
Groundwood Books

Rating: 2.5/5

IQ "'English is important. [...]As stupid as it sounds, this language makes all the difference in Ghanaian life-who you'll associate with, which kind of person you're likely to marry, where you can travel, what kind of opportunities your kids will have. It's amazing what reading and writing somebody's language can do for you in this strange world.' [Christine]
English was the difference between the Somebodies who lived in the suburbs of the cities and the Nobodies of the many villages between Accra and Kumasi. [Gloria]" (pg. 99)

Gloria Bampo is sixteen years old and she has just failed thirteen out of fifteen subjects on her final exams. These exams would have allowed her to get a higher education, if she had done well. Now she faces a hard life in Accra, Ghana. Her father is unemployed, her mother has a mysterious illness and Gloria's older sister (Effie) is too busy with boyfriends and catering school to pay attention to Gloria. Gloria wanted to be a singer or a fashion designer, but that does not seam likely. However, a distant relative shows up and offers to pay for dressmaking school for Gloria. In return Gloria must cook and clean for Christine and babysit her son. Christine lives in Kumasi which is a big city. Gloria soon faces the temptation of being in a new and big city. She isn't so sure she can handle it all.

I didn't like that this novel didn't explore the relationship between Gloria and her sister, Effie. It's called Between Sisters but it rarely addressed the blood sister relationship. Instead it focuses on the relationship between Gloria and her so-close-they-could-be-sisters, employer, Christine. Effie is basically regulated to the background, we meet her in the beginning and she briefly re-appears in the end. Most of the minor characters are treated the same way, they make brief appearances to move the story along and then disappear. Many storylines are left unresolved or are solved in a hurry towards the end. Also the writing is fairly simplistic and although the story moves quickly, it couldn't hold my attention. This may be due to my lack of patience with people who are more naive when it comes to cities and all the dangers that come with them. It seemed like the book was written solely to educate people about modern-day Ghana.

That being said, I really enjoyed reading about present day life in Ghana. I expected life in the country to be different form life in America, but even the city life was different (although more similar to life in America). The difference between life in Accra (the country) and Kumasi (the city) is striking and most be even more startling than making that transition in America. I also liked how ambitious Gloria was. I also appreciated that she at first, she doesn't seem very smart. People looked down on her for failing her exams, but she is smart. She just doesn't always use her head. However, she knows what she wants and when she receives the opportunity to get closer to her dream, she is happy to seize the chance. The character of Christine is fleshed out well, but Christine is more of a main character anyway. She's a doctor and she's trying very hard to guide Gloria. She encourages her to get an education, work hard and fall her dreams. She's also funny (although it might have been unintentional). "Abroad, they give girls like you condoms to carry in their purses against pregnancy and AIDS. This is Ghana. We don't do such things. Your condom is your mind. Use it when your boyfriends are making suggestions" (pg. 57). I laughed out loud at that line, it makes sense, although I don't think it's the best piece of advice. I do wish we learned more about Christine and the situation with her husband. I didn't understand it because Gloria didn't understand it so the situation is never explained in concise terms.

In all honesty the only reason I liked Between Sisters was because of it's setting. I liked that it took place in modern Ghana and chronicled the transition from small town to city through the eyes of a teenage girl. Gloria is a character that I could relate to on some levels, but not on all. However, this might be due to our different situations and my impatience at her naivety towards frenemies, boys/men, money, etc. I hope to see more books for teenagers set in countries all the world. It is very cool to read about the similar experiences and different perspectives teens in other countries hold. It's a small step towards globalization :)

Disclosure: Traded with Lyn. Reviewed for Multicultural Review. Thanks Lyn!