Liar

Liar by Justine Larbalestier 2009

Rating: 5/5

IQ "Yet that's not the worst danger of being a liar. Oh no. Much worse than discovery, than their sense of betrayal, is when you start to believe your own lies, When it all blurs together. You lose track of what's real and what's not. You start to feel as if you make the world with your words. Your lies get stranger and weirder and denser, get bigger than words, turn into worlds, become real. You feel powerful, invincible." pg. 217

It took me a while to finish this book (I got it on my birthday back in September, but I finished it in October). However, the lateness of this review is not at all related to the quality of this book. Liar was amazing and I'm not lying ;) (cheesy I know). I just wasn't sure if I could do this book justice. I don't think I can, but I will do my best as always to write the best review I can. Don't get me wrong, I'm certainly not implying that I don't write my best reviews always, it's just that this book is written in a very different style of writing with a way different plot. Also, I can't write too lengthy or in-depth of a review without spoiling something.


Micah is a liar. This entire book is a lie. Or is it? You will finish this book and draw your own conclusions. It's written brilliantly. I read at Teenreads that Justine wrote Liar out of order. That makes sense for this type of novel. The novel doesn't have chapters, but it has sections titled Before, After, History of Me and Family History. The Before refers to life before Zach Rubin's (Micah's boyfriend) murder. After refers to life after the murder and Family History explains about Micah's past and family (obviously, very self-explanatory). History of Me is about Micah's past. The book has three parts, each claiming to be the absolute truth. The pages are almost poetic and you will be on the edge of your seat. I cursed school for keeping me from finishing this book. Readers will become completely absorbed in Liar.

Towards the middle, Micah shares some shocking information. You will not see it coming (or maybe I'm just a bit slower at piecing together clues). Micah is a compelling character. I started off liking her, then she started to annoy me with the lies, but in the end I loved her all over again, flaws and all. I loved all the characters because they were so three-dimensional. Tayshawn, Sarah, and Jordan. I really learned about their personalities and their own secrets. Micah can be very perceptive, but at the same time I was never sure if she was perceptive or simply making up events. And Jordan! Grr. I think I've reached my own conclusion about the story (SPOILER highlight to read: I want to believe that she really is a werewolf, and that she didn't kill Zach. I think she and Zach did have sex but I don't think anything happened between Micah, Sarah and Tayshawn. )except I'm still not sure about the Jordan aspect. Also, I'm positive Justine is not a liar, but she does an impeccable job of allowing us inside the head of a constant liar. Micah's own twisted-up logic for lying makes sense, in an odd sort of way. It gives you something different to think about. Finally, I know absolutely nothing about biology (although I start learning next semester), but I think Justine did a great job of writing about biology. It seems very factual and it was really interesting reading about biology (genes, DNA and all this other stuff I knew nothing about).

I adored the ending. I almost wish there was a follow-up to Liar but at the same time I think it's very crafty and smart to leave the book as a stand-alone. You will think about this book for days.
I want to share one last amazing quote (same page as the IQ): "The brain cracks, can't accept the truth, and makes its own. Invents a bigger and better world that explains the bad thing, makes it possible to keep living. When the world you're seeing doesn't line up with the world that is-you can wind up doing things-terrible things-without knowing it. " I highly recommend this book. I don't want to go into much detail on the cover. All I have to say is that it's definitely a good thing that they changed the cover and I love how the girl's mouth is covered. And also I love the back cover which simply states over and over "I will not tell a lie." Liar is one of my favorite books to look at (along with Ash which I haven't even read yet).

Sidenote: I'm going away for Thanksgiving, but I should have computer access. If for some reason I don't, I'm wishing everyone prematurely a Happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for my family, friends, health, a home, education, freedom, the sacrifices of soldiers, books and all my followers :D

Disclosure: I received a copy of Liar from the publisher (Bloomsbury USA). Thanks Melanie!

The More Truthful Liar Cover

If you haven't heard by now, the cover of Liar has been changed. Justine actually had a part in designing it, read about that here. And for all you who wrote emails to Bloomsbury, blogged and commented. Thank you! You were a huge part in this victory. Bask in this cover!



FinalLiar cover

It comes out in October and I'm buying two copies. One for me and one to give away in a future contest! I highly encourage everyone to BUY a copy of this book. Let's get some amazingly high book sales, it will make victory even sweeter :)

I hope that everyone continues to try and diversify their reading. I'm so glad that Justine started this conversation, by blogging about it. She gave me the opportunity to guest-blog for her and I gave suggestions of YA books about poc as well as reasons as to why it's important to diversify your reading habits. The response and feedback was great. I met new people, discovered new blogs and got some more suggestions. Thanks so much for that opportunity Justine!

When the Black Girl Sings Review/Liar/Black Man on the Titanic!

I'm still trying to calm down and just breathe about the whole Liar issue. I encourage everyone to email Bloomsbury's PR person Deb.Shapiro@bloomsburyusa.com Although I agree with Colleen at Chasing Ray, I too want to email Cecka and give her a piece of my mind. Please everyone email! This is so not unacceptable.

I almost feel naive, because before when I was younger, there was always (at least for me) lots of children's books with poc main characters. My father bought us books in Spanish (*BTW I'm half black, half Latina) and my mother bought my siblings and I books with AA main characters, especially the fairy tales. But honestly, when I was younger I didn't always want to read books with AA characters, it didn't bother me seeing books with people on the cover who didn't look like me. I wanted to be white when I was kid *hangs head in shame*. But, as I got older, I grew out of that (with the help of "Black is Beautiful" talks by my parents) and wanted to read more books with people who looked like me. Then I began to notice the lack of diversity on covers, but I never thought it was because the publishing companies didn't think they would sell. I just thought it meant the black authors just weren't being published because their books weren't good enough or they were trying hard enough. Or that there wasn't that many authors writing books about toc. I'm ashamed/happy to admit I was wrong. Ashamed that I could ever think that black authors weren't good enough, happy to know that people are writing YA books about poc, they just aren't being published or reviewed, or prominently displayed.

Also, apparently you can find some YA books with poc (specifically AAs) main characters in the African American or Urban Fiction sections in bookstores. Honestly, I always thought the AA section and Urban Fiction sections were just for adults (often it's Zane and other romantic novels being displayed with poc on the covers in the section). There's nothing wrong with that,we deserve romantic fiction as well with people who like us. However, if there books about teenagers in those sections it should say so or be prominently displayed! Just my opinion.

Totally random but so cool: There was a black man on the Titanic! He was Haitian. That is so cool!! well I don't know if cool is the right word because he died, but his family made it out safely. What I want to is: why isn't this more common knowledge? Read about it here please. I agree with the author of this article, I would have at least wanted to see a black man on the Titanic in the movie Titanic. I only just heard about this today because my mom emailed me about it, because she didn't know about it and wanted to know if I did. She heard about it from her fellow Jack & Jill members (you know they know this stuff!)

When the Black Girl Sings by Bill Wright

There are two covers
I have the 2nd one (with just the butterflies). Which one do you like better? Personally I like the 1st one better, I hope everyone buys the book, but especially if it has the first cover on it. As a big "Take that!" to Bloomsbury publishing, to show that books with black girls on them sell just as well (if not better if given the chance) than books with white girls on the cover.

Rating: 4/5

Lahni Schuler is the only black student at her private school (and only one of the few girls of color there, there is also an Asian girl). Not only that, but she's adopted. By white parents. Who are getting a divorce. That's tough. All Lahni really has is her best friend Katie (who is white) and her lovely singing voice. Her best friend nominates her to be in a singing competition (and is seconded by Lahni's music teacher) in front of the whole school. Lahni is not expected to win, neither is the Asian girl in the competition. Everyone is betting on the white girl to win it.

I.Q. "And if Jesus, or even God, was always watching me, then they had to know nothing was going particularly well. So what good was their watching doing if all they were seeing was disaster?" -Lahni. I've thought the same thing so many times!

First of all, I can't imagine going to a school and being the only black person in the whole school (I don't even know if I could handle it if I was the only black person in my grade) and I think Lahni generally handled it the way I would have. I saw myself in her. Although, quite honestly, I couldn't believe some of the racist comments people made, mainly because the book is set in the present and I couldn't fathom how people could still say/believe these things. I would have either said something really biting and sarcastic or maybe even gotten in a fight. Which is where Lahni and I differ and it frustrated me. She just kind of took it, she was too shy to really say anything a lot of the time.


I also really liked the gospel choir aspect of the book. The imagery described. I could see (and honestly I felt like I could hear) the gospel choir, see the church, Lahni, her parents. Nicely detailed. Onyx 1 was scarily creepy (gotta read to find out who that is!) and sometimes I wanted to smack Donna or just laugh at her.

This novel was sweet and just plain wonderful. I don't have any complaints except about a character and that's so minor. My sister (who got the singing gift, it skipped me) is three years younger and she read it. She loved it (she is one of two black girls in her grade so I think she related even more. except my sister has a ton of white friends, but like me she gets tired of the 'why don't you wash your hair everyday?', 'can you tan?' questions. Even if they are innocent and being asked by friends. It's annoying and hard to be patient when you get asked the same thing so many times.) I'm really surprised that there aren't more reviews of this book, the one other review I found said that the book was 'too negative'. Could that analysis have to do with the book being reviewed by a white person?. I dont mean to be rude, but a lot of 'negative' things in that book are reality for poc, and I don't think that reviewer was able to fully understand and appreciate the book. I especially recommend the book to middle schoolers (Lahni is 14), but also high school students, adults, and singers of all ages (well older than 11)! Check out the author's website here I want to read Sunday You Learn How to Box by him as well.

Have a great weekend!

The Lie was the Cover

I'm so upset about the whole Liar controversy. The book Liar by Justine Larbalestier is about a multiracial teen so then tell me why the cover has a white girl is on the cover? This is in no way the author's fault. I've read/heard repeatedly that authors have little say in the final cover choice. See the author's response to all the controversy here. I'm not upset in any way with the author. I love her post. What upsets me is the publisher's response “The entire premise of this book is about a compulsive liar,” said Melanie Cecka, publishing director of Bloomsbury Children’s Books USA and Walker Books for Young Readers, who worked on Liar. “Of all the things you’re going to choose to believe of her, you’re going to choose to believe she was telling the truth about race?”

My response: Weak! I'm sorry, wait no I'm not. That excuse was lame. Why wouldn't you put an image similar to the way the main character describes herself on the cover of the book? I realize covers are important, I sometimes judge books by their covers, but most important is the actual summary of the book. I'm insulted that the publishing company (Bloomsbury) thought that a book with a black girl on it wouldn't sell as well as one with a white girl on it. Later on, Cecka talks about how "clearly, our striving for ambiguity with this cover, and for it to be interpreted as a ‘lie’ itself didn’t work for everyone. But again, if this jacket proves a catalyst for a bigger discussion about how the industry is dealing with its books on race, that’s a very large good to come of this current whirlwind.” I agree with the latter part of this. I hope all the discussion and outrage about this cover, result in a larger conversation about race and lack of books/reviews about YA people of color. I really hope my fellow teen book bloggers express their opinions about this issue, because I want to know what they think.

Other articles: Taste Life Twice wants to specifically know white reader's thoughts See the original post here
Color Online
Chasing Ray
I've never read any of Ms. Larbalestier's books, but all the discussion has made me curious and eager to read her books. So some good will come of this hopefully; a discussion about the lack of poc in YA books, and more people will read Ms. Larbalestier's books.
What do you think?