Malala Yousafzai is now using her influence to tell the stories of other girls who have been displaced (the word she prefers rather than refugees, because not all people who have to flee for their lives are necessarily refugees or meet refugee status, meaning, life is much harder for them) to illuminate the need for education for girls and to the many crises that are happening all over the world.

One of the most effective things in this book is that Malala chose stories did not end up "neat". These stories were told "in medias res" because that's the reality of displacement. They talked about leaving behind everything they knew, losing family members, fleeing in the night for their lives...and this is just their normal. None of them thought that this could happen to them. This book had me in tears at work (uh, maybe don't bring this book to work to read) and made me sad, but this is a sadness that I need to be carrying daily. I need to learn to be thankful for the peace that I live in and not take it for granted.

I'm so thankful for Malala and the light that she is bringing into this world. I hope I never forget the women I encountered in this book.

A lump of coal who wants to be an artist goes on a miraculous artistic journey, with some Korean BBQ thrown in.

Perfect, amazing holiday book for the creative person in your life!

Bri aspires to be a rapper like her dad, who was killed just before his own rap career took off. Now, juggling harassment at school by guards, the stress of Bri's mom getting laid off and her brother helping to pay the bills, Bri knows that if she jumps on this one chance - a chance in the ring to rap battle - it could be her family's ticket out of the Garden.

I fell in love with this book as soon as I started reading. The characters are all believable and lovable and Thomas really nails Bri's character development, especially in the relationships with her family members. We all get to root for Bri together, and we're sad when she's sad and angry when she's angry. I loved the way Thomas unfolded Bri's full story, as well as her Mom and brother's full story - it was so well done. I haven't read the first book (The Hate U Give) yet, but I really love Thomas' writing style, and she seems like a person I'd love to sit and chat with! <3 I can't wait to read more by her!

Desmond and Mpho write about the four step process of forgiveness - telling the story, naming the hurt, granting forgiveness and renewing or releasing the relationship. They remind us by sharing their own experiences with Apartheid and others' experience with tragic losses and wrongdoings that no one is beyond forgiveness, and that radical forgiveness can happen in healthy, sustainable ways.

Desmond and Mpho cover forgiving others, asking for forgiveness, and forgiveness of self. The material covered in this book is accessible and powerful - it's not overly complicated, and it's clear from their experiences that they have done this work as well, along with assisting countless numbers of others in the walk to forgiveness. The meditations in this book are absolutely stellar - I'm usually not a fan of these, but they are so well thought out.

If you are looking for a book on forgiveness, this is it. Desmond and Mpho are Christians, but the Christian language is very mild in this book - it is accessible to anyone looking to understand forgiveness. This probably a book I'll come back to several times.

This is a helpful, condensed look at grammar.

Good's expository writing is geared towards the business world. It's great for someone who is looking for "just the facts," but not for someone who enjoys grammar. I'll stick to "Eats, Shoots & Leaves."

I loved everything about this book - the authenticity, the unreliability, the scandals, and the way Kaysen thinks. She makes me feel less alone. This was one of my favourite movies, so now it's also one of my favourite books.

I started this book previously and couldn't finish it. I have no idea why. It's so fantastic.

Shadow begins our story as a convict and before we know it, he's a pawn of the gods. The gods have come from everywhere to America, and the storm is coming. Wednesday, the man he is working for, is beckoning the older gods to join him in battle for who will finally win.

This story had so many delightful twists and turns, and it's definitely Gaiman at his finest. I can't imagine the amount of research he did, and now I want to go to all of these places. I love the way he captured the essence of the gods, and I loved the way his writing almost seemed apocalyptic at times. Really, I just loved everything about this book. It's definitely on my top ten or twenty favourites!

I've been wanting to read this book for awhile, and I was a bit disappointed. I personally didn't like the organization of the book, 9I would have preferred it to be chronological) and I found the writing thorough, but didn't keep me engaged. I read the first maybe 1/3, then skimmed the rest.

I don't know how to explain my dislike except this book just wasn't what I was expecting. While the information is all there, the organization doesn't *quite* make sense to me, and the writing is dry. I was expecting more of a pictorial biography, and that's not really what this was.

I'd recommend other books on Seuss before this one.

If you are curious about what is happening post 2000s in Evangelicalism from these perspectives, read this book.

Lee's journalism is incredible as she records the strides and setbacks of women, POC, and queer Christians. She is straightforward, clear, and kind while not withholding any truth. This will be an important book for the future of Evangelicalism.