Post Grad Book #16

Through No Fault of My Own by Clotilde "Coco" Irvine
Why I read it: I read about it in the Star Tribune and it sounded like a fun read

Book description:

On Christmas Day, 1926, twelve-year-old Clotilde “Coco” Irvine received a blank diary as a present. Coco loved to write—and to get into scrapes—and her new diary gave her the opportunity to explain her side of the messes she created: “I’m in deep trouble through no fault of my own,” her entries frequently began. The daughter of a lumber baron, Coco grew up in a twenty-room mansion on fashionable Summit Avenue at the peak of the Jazz Age, a time when music, art, and women’s social status were all in a state of flux and the economy was still flying high.

Coco’s diary carefully records her adventures, problems, and romances, written with a lively wit and a droll sense of humor. Whether sneaking out to a dance hall in her mother’s clothes or getting in trouble for telling an off-color joke, Coco and her escapades will captivate and delight preteen readers as well as their mothers and grandmothers.

Peg Meier’s introduction describes St. Paul life in the 1920s and provides context for the privileged world that Coco inhabits, while an afterword tells what happens to Coco as an adult—and reveals surprises about some of the other characters in the diary.

What I thought:
This book was adorable.  It was such a fast book to read- it was very short and sweet.  It is a diary of a 13-year-old girl with quite an attitude and a very specific idea of the world around her.  It is a time in St. Paul before the Great Depression where she is young and carefree and writes about shenanigans she gets herself into at school and a boy she likes.  This is a nice view into the life of a well-to-do child in our community in history.  I love reading about things that relate to Minneapolis and St. Paul back in the day and I love the 1920s so this was a perfect little book to read.  Now I'm going to read some F. Scott Fitzgerald.  

Post Grad Book #15

Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope by Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly
Why I read it: I was intrigued by her story and thought it would be a great book

Book description:AS INDIVIDUALS, CONGRESSWOMAN GABRIELLE GIFFORDS and her husband, astronaut Mark Kelly, showed Americans how optimism, an adventurous spirit, and a call to service can help change the world. As a couple, they became a national example of the healing power to be found in deeply shared love and courage. Their arrival in the world spotlight came under the worst of circumstances. On January 8, 2011, while meeting with her constituents in Tucson, Arizona, Gabby was the victim of an assassination attempt that left six people dead and thirteen wounded. Gabby was shot in the head; doctors called her survival “miraculous.”

As the nation grieved and sought to understand the attack, Gabby remained in private, focused on her against-all-odds recovery. Mark spent every possible moment by her side, as he also prepared for his final mission as commander of space shuttle Endeavour.

Now, as Gabby’s health continues to improve, the couple is sharing their remarkable untold story. Intimate, inspiring, and unforgettably moving, Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope provides an unflinching look at the overwhelming challenges of brain injury, the painstaking process of learning to communicate again, and the responsibilities that fall to a loving spouse who wants the best possible treatment for his wife. Told in Mark’s voice and from Gabby’s heart, the book also chronicles the lives that brought these two extraordinary people together—their humor, their ambitions, their sense of duty, their long-distance marriage, and their desire for family.

Gabby and Mark made a pledge to tell their account as honestly as possible, and they have done so in riveting detail. Both Gabby and Mark have lived large public lives, but this book takes readers behind many closed doors—from the flight deck of the space shuttle to the cloakrooms of Congress to the hospital wards where Gabby struggled to reclaim herself with the help of formidable medical teams and devoted family and friends.

Questions are answered with unvarnished candor. How do Gabby and Mark feel about the angry political discourse that was swirling in America at the time of the shooting, and that remains prevalent today? How do they see government living up to the highest possible ideals? And how do they understand and mourn the loss of the people who did not survive that day? Gabby: A Story of Courage and Hope is a reminder of the power of true grit, the patience needed to overcome unimaginable obstacles, and the transcendence of love. In the story of Gabrielle Giffords and Mark Kelly, we all can see the best in ourselves. As Mark and Gabby’s friends have said: “The two of them are America as we dream it can be."

What I thought:
This book was amazing.  It was written in such a way that kept me interested and for that reason, it was hard to put down.  Instead of it being in chronological order, the book jumped from memory to memory, laying out Gabby and Mark's back story while explaining her recovery after the shooting.  Gabrielle Giffords is a truly amazing and courageous woman and there are not enough good things I could say about this book.  Not only did I learn about Gabrielle as a congresswoman but I learned a lot about NASA since Mark is an astronaut and was in space for two weeks during Gabby's rehab.  This book and Gabby's story inspired me to think about a career in politics, or at least a job on Capitol Hill working for one of my congress people.  I am just in awe of Gabrielle Giffords.

Post Grad Book #14

The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez
Why I read it: I saw they made a Lifetime movie about it so I decided to read the book instead.

Book description:
Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider’s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn’t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she “lived down” to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby’s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.


In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.

What I thought:
It was an interesting read.  I wish I had thought of more interesting things to do when I was in high school.  This girl really made an impact in her community and I would like to do the same someday, in my own way.  She was very brave for doing what she did and I think she was lucky to come out of it on a high note- things could have gone a lot worse than what she described in the book with people judging her and saying mean things.  I'm pleased with the faculty members involved in letting her do this project because they believed in her and obviously wanted to see some change as well.  It was a quick read on my iPhone and I thought it was pretty good.  Better than watching the movie, I'm sure.