Poisoned Water by Candy J Cooper and Marc Aronson

5 out of 5 🌟 Fast-paced non-fiction political thriller

The modern history of Flint, Michigan isn’t an easy one. Once modern metropolis with high-profit automotive business and progressive citizens, the city was a prospering and vital part of the Midwest. The global financial crisis in 2008 struck Fling really hard — people lost their jobs and crime rates rose. Later the town received national attention due to the water pollution disaster to eventually become almost a synonym of a fallen city.

‘Poisoned Water’ is an account of Flint City people and they struggle to have normal lives during the water crisis. How they fiercely fought to make their concerns be heard even after Flint officials constantly dismissed them. The narrative starts just after the financial crisis and explains city financial troubles and the origins of that water catastrophe.

First things first: This is not a middle-grade book! Not even a Young Adult one, it’s non-fiction about greedy officials and people who suffered because of them. The narration itself was fast-paced and highly addictive — it’s a quick read, although not an easy one. ‘Poison Water’ contains a great number of records about city residents who have been hurt or traumatized by their experiences.

That book isn’t just a historical piece, it shows awful truth about people with power and why we shouldn’t trust them. The story of Flint shows people who were lied to because of greed and arrogance and it’s something we should be all afraid of.

Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the digital ARC copy in exchange for an honest review.

Comments

Call Me American (Adapted for Young Adults) by Abdi Nor Iftin

5 out of 5 🌟 Life as we don't know it 'Call Me American' made me astounded since page one. It a memoir of Abdi Nor Iftin, a Somalian man who immigrated from his home country to the USA. The story starts with Abdi's parents who were nomads living in Somalian wilderness herding camels, hunting and, occasionally, fighting with lions and hyenas. His family has settled in the city of Mogadishu where their hard-enough life was brutally interrupted by the war in 1993 and - long story short - anarchy that comes after. Abdi has been always fascinated with American culture and taught himself English watching Hollywood movies. His lifelong dream was to move to the United States and this memoir tells the story of his long and dangerous journey through war and bureaucracy. This book left me speechless and while I'm gathering my words to write this review, I know I won't be able to do it right. 'Call Me American' tells about a life that's an exact opposite of an...

Jesse Owens by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara, Illustrations by Anna Katharina Jansen

5 out of 5 🌟 Educational and nicely illustrated Little People, Big Dreams are short books for children about exceptional people who shaped our world. They're enjoyable pieces of non-fiction to enjoy by children. I love biographies of people who dared to be different, and these short books are one of my favorites. What I especially like about the series ‘ Little People, Big Dreams’ are simple and friendly illustrations to make children feel it was truly made for them. Graphics to 'Jesse Owens' were made by Anna Katharina Jensen and they're fit perfectly amid the spirit of the first half of the XXth century with their sepia warm colors. The biography is highly educational and besides Jesse Owens' history, it touches problems of segregation and racism in the United States and in the World. It should be read along with children to help them explain the struggles Jesse Owens had because of his skin color. I love the most in 'Little People, Big Dreams...

Everything Here Is under Control by Emily Adrian, Narrated by Madeleine Lambert

3 out of 5 👯‍♀️Female friendship tale 'Everything Here is Under Control' tells a story of two BFFs who's lost track of each other's lives somewhere along their way to adulthood. Carrie's got pregnant and gotten birth to a daughter while still in high school. Amanda has been helping her for the first years but right after graduation she left their small Ohio town and moved to NYC with her boyfriend. Several years later, overwhelmed with being a new mother herself, Amanda ran away from her baby father right to Carrie's house. I have mixed feelings about Madeline Lambert as narrator. While her narration with normal speed was monotonous and bland, with 1.5x speed it gave that nonchalant irony which matched perfectly with my character of Amanda. I wish I've heard more tone changing and modulating. Overall, I subtracted 0.5 points of my original score for the audio version. Reading about the struggles of a new mother reminded me of the first months (weeks? years!...

What would Ula read?

Search This Blog