I Am Malala: The Girl Who Stood Up for Education and Was Shot by the Taliban by Malala Yousafzai, Christina Lamb

I Am Malala was part history lesson, part memoir.

Reading Malala's words you get a picture of her home and how much she loves it. You also get an understanding for what was going on leading up to the shooting that made her a household name all over the world. What you may not know, as I didn't until reading this was that she was already becoming quite famous before her shooting.

There are some who say her father used her as his mouth piece and it is his fault she got hurt. Reading her words and having heard her speak I think that she is a young girl who wanted to go to school and was raised by a man who knew the value of speaking up and she learned from her father but was not used by him.

I was struck by her courage and love her desire to see education become a right for all children. And when she was most worried about leaving her books behind I knew I loved her.

What a courageous and wonderful young woman!

(Finished December 30, 2013)

Double Down: Game Change 2012 by Mark Halperin, John Heilemann

This was a spicy tell all. Lots of behind the scenes peeks into what could have been a boring subject, the 2012 presidential election.

But between Chris Christie's diva antics, binders full of women, 47%, the beating President Obama took in the Denver debate, the fish names the Romney team had for the VP short list (Fishconsin won the spot on the ticket) and a butt load of other campaign antics this book read like a reality show. 

I know Abbey Huntsman was not happy with some of the authors portrayal of her fathers part in in the Republican Primary section, but I didn't read anything in here that made me think ill of him so I think it may just be a case of feeling protective of her father. I don't recall much more news coverage rebutting anything between the covers of Double Down.

Overall I enjoyed the peek behind the curtain and it only reinforced my thoughts about politics, it's like sausage, once you see how it's made it changes it for you forever. Not that it has changed my passion for the topic, it is my major at MHC.

(Finished December 27, 2013)

The Prey (Predator Trilogy, #1) by Allison Brennan

After a rough ending to my first semester at my new school and a new major which involved a very long paper and a lot of heavy, often dry reading I was ready for something that didn't require as much of me.

This was a good way to dive into my for fun reading over my break. The story was filled with mystery, sex, tension and well written characters.

The who-done it portion wasn't too obvious, the sex scenes were well written and not at all of the cheesy romance novel sort, but more real and a bit dirty, and the female lead character was flawed and hurting but strong and not all whiny.

Even for its page count it was a pretty quick read. I have the other two in the Predator Trilogy and am looking forward to reading them.  

(finished December 15, 2013)

Dawn by Elie Wiesel

This was a difficult book to read. It made me uncomfortable. That isn't a bad thing, in fact I think it was the point.

Elisha is a young Holocaust survivor who gets recruited into a Zionist terrorist organization at war with the English. When the English capture and say they are going to hang a Jewish man named David Elisha gets tasked with killing a captured Englishman named John.

The book tells Elisha's back story including how he ended up part of this group. But the real story is how he works himself up to his task and what he finds out about himself as he contemplates what he is about to do.

Is there ever a just side in a conflict of this nature? Is acting out in violence ever justified? While an older book this story still feels relevant. I was left wondering about the actions of one group against another and how often times people create their own enemies.

(finished December 15, 2013)