Chasing Lincoln's Killer by James L. Swanson

From Goodreads,

"Based on rare archival material, obscure trial manuscripts, and interviews with relatives of the conspirators and the manhunters, CHASING LINCOLN'S KILLER is a fast-paced thriller about the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth: a wild twelve-day chase through the streets of Washington, D.C., across the swamps of Maryland, and into the forests of Virginia.

"This story is true. All the characters are real and were alive during the great manhunt of April 1865. Their words are authentic and come from original sources: letters, manuscripts, trial transcripts, newspapers, government reports, pamphlets, books and other documents. What happened in Washington, D.C., that spring, and in the swamps and rivers, forests and fields of Maryland and Virginia during the next twelve days, is far too incredible to have been made up."

So begins this fast-paced thriller that tells the story of the pursuit and capture of John Wilkes Booth and gives a day-by-day account of the wild chase to find this killer and his accomplices. Based on James Swanson's bestselling adult book MANHUNT: THE 12-DAY CHASE FOR LINCOLN'S KILLER, this young people's version is an accessible look at the assassination of a president, and shows readers Abraham Lincoln the man, the father, the husband, the friend, and how his death impacted those closest to him."

Goodreads - Chasing Lincoln's Killer

I have always despised history.  There are so many dates and people to keep up with.  I didn't enjoy it and school and college weren't much better.  However, the older I get the more I find myself watching documentaries and willing to read historical books.  I've read "The President Has Been Shot!": The Assassination of John F. Kennedy (which I plan to reread), and I expected I would enjoy this book too.

This book gives the true story of the night Lincoln was shot by Booth.  The details tell of what led up to the assassination and the chase that followed after to apprehend the assassin.

I enjoyed this book, but not nearly as much as the book about JFK.  I know the basic details of the assassination of Lincoln.  He was shot in Ford's Theater by John Wilkes Booth.  I've always heard/been told that Booth ran to a warehouse after the shooting.  This book definitely had the true details and facts.  The entire time I was reading I was waiting for Booth to reach a warehouse, but it never happened.  I soon found out that he was on the run for days and ended up in a final standoff in a barn.  I love that this book gives the details and information to correct a lie that has been told for who knows how long.  I like that this book is packed with details.  It is a great historical book packed with facts.

One thing that I don't like about this book is that the chapters jump around from person to person frequently.  One paragraph they are telling of Lincoln's status and the next they are talking about Booth on the run.  The chapters jump like this frequently and it is just frustrating.  I would prefer to have shorter chapters that focus on one part at a time instead of cramming multiple pieces in one chapter.

This book is perfect for a history buff.  If you enjoy anything presidential or related to Lincoln then this book is for you.  I give it 4 stars.

Riding Freedom by Pam Munoz Ryan

From Goodreads,

"Charlotte Parkhurst is raised in an orphanage for boys, which suits her just fine. She doesn’t like playing with dolls, she can hold her own in a fight, and she loves to work in the stables. Charlotte has a way with horses and wants to spend her life training and riding them on a ranch of her own. 

The problem is, as a girl in the mid-1800s, Charlotte is expected to live a much different life – one without freedom. But Charlotte is smart and determined, and she figures out a way to live her dreams with a plan so clever and so secret – almost no one figures it out."

Goodreads - Riding Freedom

Awards and Nominations:

• Grand Canyon Reader Award for Immediate Book (2000)
• California Young Readers Medal for Intermediate (2000)
• Charlie May Simon Children's Book Award Nominee (2001)

In today's world, you can be anything and you can do anything you want.  Unfortunately, that was not always the case.  This book tells the story of a young girl named Charlotte who wanted to be adopted and to spend her time with horses.  When her best friend at the orphanage was adopted she decided it was time to take matters into her own hands.  She ran away, cut her hair, and dressed as a boy.  As time went on she was able to spend time with the horses living her life the way she intended it to be - free.

This was an exceptional book.  I loved that this was based on a true story and that many of the events in the book happened.  In the 1800s women were expected to cook, clean, and care for the children.  Charlotte knew that wanted a life spent with the horses that she had a special connection to.  Charlotte knew what would make her happy and she took matters into her own hands.  I think everyone can take this lesson and apply it to their own happiness in life.  I know that I would love to be a librarian and that to do that I will have to take matters into my own hands by going back to college and putting in the time and effort to get my masters.  No one is going to hand it to me and no one cares if I do or do not get my degree.  It is up to me to ensure that I find my happiness.  Charlotte knew this and she did what she had to do to make sure she was free of the expectations of women and that she was happy.

My only complaint with this book was that it was too short.  It is absolutely the perfect length for children, but as an adult, I wanted more.  I would love to read a book about her life.  I did a little research and found that she had apparently given birth at some point and that a baby's dress was found at her house.  I completely understand why details were omitted, but I would love to read an adult version of Charlotte's story.

Overall, I was very impressed with this book.  It had a strong female character in it who was determined to do whatever necessary to ensure happiness.  I give this 4 stars and think it would be a perfect read for students in 4th to 5th grade.

Shout by Laurie Halse Anderson

From Goodreads,

"A searing poetic memoir and call to action from the bestselling and award-winning author of Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson!

Bestselling author Laurie Halse Anderson is known for the unflinching way she writes about, and advocates for, survivors of sexual assault. Now, inspired by her fans and enraged by how little in our culture has changed since her groundbreaking novel Speak was first published twenty years ago, she has written a poetry memoir that is as vulnerable as it is rallying, as timely as it is timeless. In free verse, Anderson shares reflections, rants, and calls to action woven between deeply personal stories from her life that she's never written about before. Searing and soul-searching, this important memoir is a denouncement of our society's failures and a love letter to all the people with the courage to say #metoo and #timesup, whether aloud, online, or only in their own hearts. Shout speaks truth to power in a loud, clear voice-- and once you hear it, it is impossible to ignore."

Goodreads - Shout

Last week I reviewed Anderson's book Speak.  The book focuses on the fictional story of Melinda who was raped by an older boy from her school.  Throughout the book, she struggles with finding her voice to tell what happened.  Shout is the moving and true story of survivors written in moving prose.

Shout is Laurie Halse Anderson's story.  It tells of her childhood and upbringing as she dealt with being raped when she was just thirteen.  The second part of the book is focused on telling the stories and interactions she has had with other survivors.  The last part is a conclusion telling of her family when she was an adult.

I absolutely loved this book.  And I mean LOVED this book.  This book was so raw and powerful.  Anderson didn't try to sugarcoat or hide anything.  She was open and honest about her own rape at the age of thirteen and how it affected her life.  As I was reading there were so many connections I noticed between Shout and Speak.  Speak felt more "real" because so many of the events in that book really happened.  I hate that Anderson had to go through the trauma she went through, but I'm glad that she was able to openly write about her experiences in both Speak and in Shout.  Anderson has helped so many people speak about their own experiences, all because she was able to open up about hers.  I honestly think that this newest book will encourage more people to step forward and tell their story.

The entire focus of this book was rape and sharing your story, but I want to focus on censorship.  There were multiple poems about teachers or administrators afraid of having Anderson's book in their schools or afraid of Anderson speaking in schools about sex, rape, and consent.  Reading about the fear that schools had, made me think of two things.  One was that I was very fortunate I went to a high school where any and all books were made readily available.  The second thing is that as a current teacher I have had coworkers who have encouraged me to not put books in my classroom library because of content.  I had a book about a boy who knows he is really a girl.  One of my coworkers told me that it was not appropriate for children and that I shouldn't put it in my classroom library because we live in a small town where being transgender isn't acceptable.  As a new teacher, I nodded my head and agreed.  Now that I think back on it, I really should have put the book in my library.  While it may offend people, it may resonate with just one kid who needed that book.  I feel like that is what Anderson's books are about.  They aren't for everyone, but they resonate with people who find themselves in the book, people who make a connection to a character.  Shout really pushed me to a point where I felt that we shouldn't be censoring books and content.  I think it is good for kids and young adults to be exposed to lots of different books with lots of different topics and content.  Kids and young adults alike have to learn to find a book that is appropriate for them.  If they find it offensive or it bothers them, then they need to find another book that is appropriate for them.

This book was moving and heartbreaking all at the same time.  I pretty much read straight through this book.  It was a quick read about a difficult topic.  I give this 5 stars.  If you have read ANY of Anderson's books then you need to read Shout.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

From Goodreads,

"The first ten lies they tell you in high school.

"Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." 

From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a big fat lie, part of the nonsense of high school. She is friendless, outcast, because she busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, so now nobody will talk to her, let alone listen to her. As time passes, she becomes increasingly isolated and practically stops talking altogether. Only her art class offers any solace, and it is through her work on an art project that she is finally able to face what really happened at that terrible party: she was raped by an upperclassman, a guy who still attends Merryweather and is still a threat to her. Her healing process has just begun when she has another violent encounter with him. But this time Melinda fights back, refuses to be silent, and thereby achieves a measure of vindication. 

In Laurie Halse Anderson's powerful novel, an utterly believable heroine with a bitterly ironic voice delivers a blow to the hypocritical world of high school. She speaks for many a disenfranchised teenager while demonstrating the importance of speaking up for oneself.

Speak was a 1999 National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature."

Goodreads - Speak

Awards and Nominations:

• SCBWI Golden Kite Award for Fiction (1999)
• National Book Award Finalist for Young People's Literature (1999)
• Edgar Award Nominee for Best Young Adult (2000)
• Michael L. Printz Award Nominee (2000)
• Boston Globe-Horn Book Award (2000)
• Rhode Island Teen Book Award Nominee (2001)
• Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2001)
• Evergreen Teen Book Award (2002)
• South Caroline Book Award for Young Adult Book Award (2002)
• Oklahoma Sequoyah Award for YA (2002)
• California Young Readers Medal Nominee for Young Adult (2003)
• Lincoln Award Nominee (2005)

I faintly recall reading this book in junior high or high school.  I remember it was one of those moving books that everyone wanted to read and it was a pain to get your hands on a copy from the library.  I decided to reread this book since Anderson just released her newest book Shout.  I'm excited to get to review this book so that I can jump into her next book.  

This book is told from the teenage perspective of Melinda.  Melinda just wanted to be a normal high school freshman, but being at a party the summer before changed everything.  Melinda was raped at the party and she called the cops as a result but ran before they arrived.  Melinda walks around everyday living with what happened.  Her grades plummet and her social life sinks.  Melinda gets to a point where she stops speaking.  But she must decide if she has a voice or not because the monster who raped her walks the same halls as her. 

This book is honestly about rape and having the voice to stand up and tell what happened.  Melinda was terrified to say what happened.  She wanted to forget the whole thing, but every day she was struggling.  When she told one of her former friends what happened the friend told her she was just jealous and that she was a liar.  I feel like this book is more relevant now than it was years ago, especially with the #metoo movement.  More and more women are coming forward, sharing their stories of sexual harassment or rape.  Girls and women alike need to learn and understand that they have a voice and they need to use it if something happens.  I do feel like a shift is happening where it is becoming more normal to report and share what happened.  I honestly feel that books like this are what will make people speak up and report.

I have two complaints about this book.  One was that it felt so disoriented and scattered.  I understand that it was written this way so that the book was truly from the perspective of a teenager.  I, however, found it annoying and it kind of took away from the book.  My other complaint was that there wasn't any real healing after everyone found out what happened.  The book just kind of ended.  I would have loved to have read about her healing and how her parents handled the news.  I just felt like there was more story to be told, and it just wasn't told.

Overall, the book was good.  I give it 4 stars and recommend that teenagers read this, both boys and girls.  I think that everyone can learn something from this book.  I will say that this book has a rape trigger in it and warn people to take caution before reading.