Book Bouncer Review - 'Roots: The Saga of An American Family' by Alex Haley

'Roots: The Saga of An American Family' by Alex Haley

Synopsis:

"When he was a boy in Henning, Tennessee, Alex Haley's grandmother used to tell him stories about their family—stories that went back to her grandparents, and their grandparents, down through the generations all the way to a man she called "the African." She said he had lived across the ocean near what he called the "Kamby Bolongo" and had been out in the forest one day chopping wood to make a drum when he was set upon by four men, beaten, chained and dragged aboard a slave ship bound for Colonial America.

Still vividly remembering the stories after he grew up and became a writer, Haley began to search for documentation that might authenticate the narrative. It took ten years and a half a million miles of travel across three continents to find it, but finally, in an astonishing feat of genealogical detective work, he discovered not only the name of "the African"--Kunta Kinte—but the precise location of Juffure, the very village in The Gambia, West Africa, from which he was abducted in 1767 at the age of sixteen and taken on the Lord Ligonier to Maryland and sold to a Virginia planter.

Haley has talked in Juffure with his own African sixth cousins. On September 29, 1967, he stood on the dock in Annapolis where his great-great-great-great-grandfather was taken ashore on September 29, 1767. Now he has written the monumental two-century drama of Kunta Kinte and the six generations who came after him—slaves and freedmen, farmers and blacksmiths, lumber mill workers and Pullman porters, lawyers and architects—and one author.

But Haley has done more than recapture the history of his own family. As the first black American writer to trace his origins back to their roots, he has told the story of 25,000,000 Americans of African descent. He has rediscovered for an entire people a rich cultural heritage that slavery took away from them, along with their names and their identities. But Roots speaks, finally, not just to blacks, or to whites, but to all people and all races everywhere, for the story it tells is one of the most eloquent testimonials ever written to the indomitability of the human spirit."

- Goodreads summary

So Roots happened, guys... And let me tell you, it was one hell of a ride! I'll admit it was much different from the books that I normally read, but I decided that I needed to take a break from high fantasy and all that stuff... plus, this was right at the top of my extremely long TBR pile, and we all know that this particular list never gets shorter, but instead lengthens. So it was time for a change.

I'm pretty psyched to be writing up a review for this specific book, because while I am usually familiar with current issues like violence against women and crime, slavery is a completely alien topic for me. I'm aware that child slavery still happens in this day and age, but colonization has come and gone, and with it the despicable horrors that Africans had to go through when they were imported into America, England and the many colonies that were being established in the 1700s. So let's get started.

The Basic Outline of Roots: The Saga of An American Family

We start off in Juffure, the home of Haley's ancestor Kunta Kinte, and are introduced to the traditional ways of the Mandinka people (Kunta's tribal group). We learn about the festivals, traditions and rules that Kunta and his people have. In a way, they are civilized among themselves. but the people they call toubobs don't think so. From the very beginning of the novel, we are introduced to these toubobs (the colonists) as thieves that bring devastation to the Africans, and are vile and feared.

The real action, however, takes place when Kunta is captured and thrown onto a ship that sails for Annapolis, America. He is in bad shape and violated in cruel ways, beaten and broken so that he cannot resist against his captors when they haul him and other natives of Africa to a slave auction. From there on, Kunta is sold to John Waller, the owner of a plantation that houses slaves that are nothing like the Africans Kunta is used to, These slaves are submissive, and turn against him when he runs away. After running away for the forth time, slave hunters catch him and cut his foot, leaving him for dead. He ends up on the farm owned by John's brother.

Renamed Toby, Kunta lives the remainder of his life on the new farm, making friends and marrying a headstrong woman by the name of Bell. Throughout Kunta's point of view in the book, we are aware of his opposition against the religion that every African American follows. This leads him to have problems with his wife when they have a daughter - Kizzy - and he cannot openly protest against the fact that Kizzy will have to be Christian if she can live comfortably among the other slaves. Eventually, coming to terms with this, and instead tells his daughter about his life before he became a slave. Ater on in the novel, these stories are passed on by every descendant of his onto their children.

Kunta encounters many hardships, the worst being when Kizzy is sold off to another slaver because of an innocent action she did that betrayed Master Waller. The novel's point of view switches to Kizzy's, and so we leave Kunta behind and move a generation closer to Alex Haley. Upon Kizzy being purchased by Tom Lea, she is raped by him, and thus becomes pregnant with George 'Chicken George' Lea. From the very beginning, he is outgoing, ambitious and different because of his skin colour. He cares for his mother deeply, and when he finds out who his father is, George hopes to at least be acknowledged as a son. Things don't go as planned, but George discovers he has a talent in chicken-fighting, and aims to eventually free his family of eight children, his wife Matilda, his mother, and three fellow slaves from their slaver by means of earning money through bets and winnings and chicken-fighting matches.

Through a certain series of events, he is sent to England to be a chicken-fighting trainer for Tom Lea's creditor, while Lea, in debt, has to sell off George's family to the Murray's, a couple who are willing to accept a family of slaves. However, Kizzy is not fortunate enough to be part of the package, and she dies a little later, while George's family moves to the new farm. There, one of George's sons - Tom - who is a blacksmith, finds his love, Irene, while doing his job at a nearby plantation. They marry, and have eight children. By that time, slaves have been declared free in America, and Chicken George has returned as a free man. The families leave for a better future, and Tom begins a successful blacksmith trailer that travels the town they live in, in search for customers.

From there on, Tom's daughter Cynthia, marries Will Palmer, and gives birth to their daughter Bertha, who marries Simon Alexander Haley, the father of the author of Roots. Then we reach present time, and Alex Haley writes about his life and his journey to discover more about his family and the stories his Grandmother Cynthia spoke about, and get in touch with his roots.

Overall Feedback

All in all, Alex Haley was absolutely brilliant with his determination to tie all the strings of his family's past together and write Roots: the story of how his family came to live in America, and all the struggles that came along with the change of scenery. It wasn't just a story of how his family came to reside in America; it was how traditions - despite the many religious obstacles - were passed down until Haley decided to look deeper.

The writing style of the book was so simple for such a complex novel, that I breezed through a 700+ paged book in less than a week! I was most impressed with how vivid the events in Roots were. I have to say that my favourite scenes were where the descendants of Kunta's line found their partners, because those romances were more funny than romantic and lovey-dovey. However, the most gruesome and heart-wrenching part of the book had to be when Kunta was captured and sailed off to America. When he hurt, I hurt; and his pain was so tangible that I had to take a break from the book several times just because it was too much.

I think what was worse was how extremely true these scenes were: Human beings could reach such a low where they treated their kind like animals (e.g, Hitler), and felt good when exploiting another person (the failed attempt at Communism). My heart broke, and I can swear there were a few tears here and there when I read about Kunta's will to escape slowly diminish as he came to terms with the fact that he couldn't run away from his life, and instead had to come to terms with the fact that he needed to find someone to spend the rest of his days with.

I think my favourite characters were Kunta (because the book kicked off with him and most of the book was from his point of view) and Tom (he was calm and hardworking, and his love story was just awkward and cute). While this book started off slow, I tip my hat to Alex Haley for keeping me utterly invested in Roots and biting my nails in anticipation for what happened next every single time. It's good to know that those 12 years he spent unearthing his family's ancestry paid off, and the outcome was a book that promoted the preservation of one's traditions, culture and hardships.

I think that Roots is not for everyone, as some of the contents in this novel were not just harsh, but also required a mature audience. Additionally, some of the issues in Roots (slavery, colonization etc.) are better understood by people that are older than 14 (just my personal opinion). I do hope that if any of you do pick it up, that your heart is touched by this book and the crazy journey it takes you on is one to remember, because this gem of a book is so rare and hard to come by, it should always be cherished.

Apart from the book, there is a show on Roots that is scarcely available as it was made in the 70s, but is quite phenomenal.

Quote of the Month #1

"No one is ever the villain of their own story."

- Christina Rosales, Lady Midnight, by Cassandra Clare

So I decided to change Quote of the Week to Quote of the Month so that I don't run out of super awesome quotes to share with you guys! Let me know any of your favorite quotes and favorite books!

Book Bouncer Review: 'A Monster Calls' by Patrick Ness

'A Monster Calls' by Patrick Ness

"The monster showed up after midnight. As they do.

But it isn’t the monster Conor’s been expecting. He’s been expecting the one from his nightmare, the one he’s had nearly every night since his mother started her treatments, the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming…

This monster is something different, though. Something ancient, something wild. And it wants the most dangerous thing of all from Conor.

It wants the truth."

- Goodreads summary

Plagued by the same nightmare every night after hearing the news about his mother's health, Conor is taken by surprise when a new nightmare materializes. This one, however, only comes at 12:07. Why? What could it possibly want with Conor, when this monster claims to be the very Earth itself? Doesn't it have anything better to do? But it's not just any monster... It's Conor's very own painful truth given form. Can he escape his new nightmare without succumbing to the first one - the truth he simply cannot bring himself to acknowledge without hating himself.

A Monster Calls was originally Siobhan Dowd's idea. Unfortunately, Dowd fell victim to cancer, and her idea remained an idea, until Patrick Ness was offered an opportunity to put Dowd's idea to paper,. He certainly did a phenomenal job, and Dowd would have probably been satisfied with the outcome of her idea and Ness's touches to it. Jim Kay was also involved in the process of making A Monster Calls a book, as the novel made use of his illustrations (for more of Kay's work, check out the illustrated version of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone).

A Monster Calls was a quick read - one that I fled through within 2 hours! The issues the novel discussed made it insightful. There were many comparisons, and many life lessons that were both displayed in plain sight and in between the lines. Being the first novel of his that I've read, I was impressed by Patrick Ness's writing style. It was simple and descriptive, making it very easy to visualize the novel's setting; yet the lines were compacted with emotions that helped the reader feel and understand what the main character was going through.

Basically, A Monster Calls tells of a boy whose mother has been suffering from cancer for a long while. Slowly, her presence in his daily life lessens, and unknowingly, Conor tries to find ways to escape his pain, but every night the same nightmare forces Conor to face his worst fear. He cannot say the words that his nightmare is trying to tell him, afraid that these words will make every struggle he's facing in life that much more real and torturous. So he doesn't accept that his mother's health isn't improving, and that his behavior is being affected.

Until one night, a new monster arrives at 12:07 (which becomes quite a symbolic detail toward the end of the story) every morning, and forces Conor to listen to the stories he has to tell. Three stories, in exchange for Conor's one unbearable truth. Supposedly, this monster has come to heal Conor, but the little boy doesn't believe so. The monster is bad in Conor's eyes, even though the monster says otherwise.

Nevertheless, the monster tells his three tales to Conor, who grows angrier with each one, because they are so similar to his miserable reality and result in solutions that are cruel and - according to Conor - unfair. Each story is forcing Conor to embrace the truth, until he is left to face the last truth that he visits every night in the form of a nightmare. Once he accepts what can't be avoided, Conor can finally be free. This is his fear to face... To tell... To overcome.

Ultimately, this novel was beautifully written, describing a boy's journey from being ignorant to coming to terms with his mother's illness by accepting the inevitable.

A Monster Calls made me realize that not every situation has a happy resolution, and that the truth is much better to accept than a lie. The novel conveyed the message that some problems have a cruel but justified solution; and that every human is neither entirely good nor evil, but harbors a monster that should be accepted, even if not brought to the surface.

I recommend this to any and everyone, because I found this story touching and incredibly true in all its metaphors and comparisons. We might as well read about the monster we all turn to when we are faced with a life-changing dilemma, and try so hard to neglect once said dilemma is overcome.

In October 2016, the film adaptation is scheduled to be released. As for other books written by Patrick, be sure to check out his 'Chaos Walking' trilogy. I sure will!

Book Bouncer Review - 'Wolf by Wolf' by Ryan Graudin

'Wolf By Wolf' by Ryan Graudin

Synopsis:

"The year is 1956, and the Axis powers of the Third Reich and Imperial Japan rule the world. To commemorate their Great Victory over Britain and Russia, Hitler and Emperor Hirohito host the Axis Tour: an annual motorcycle race across their conjoined continents. The victor is awarded an audience with the highly reclusive Adolf Hitler at the Victor's ball.

Yael, who escaped from a death camp, has one goal: Win the race and kill Hitler. A survivor of painful human experimentation, Yael has the power to skinshift and must complete her mission by impersonating last year's only female victor, Adele Wolfe. This deception becomes more difficult when Felix, Adele twin's brother, and Luka, her former love interest, enter the race and watch Yael's every move. But as Yael begins to get closer to the other competitors, can she bring herself to be as ruthless as she needs to be to avoid discovery and complete her mission?"

- Goodreads

So, as mentioned above, the Allies have lost World War II. Hitler, along with Emperor Hirohito, has control of most of the world and they rule mercilessly, advancing with bloodshed in their wake and a morbid future looming up ahead.

As a reminder of who is in power, and to test the best of Hitler Youth and Japan's prized motorcyclists, an annual race is held. The victor is awarded a medal, and a chance to meet Hitler.

Yael, a Jewish girl who was the unfortunate victim of her concentration camp's scientific experiments, seeks revenge for all the pain and suffering Hitler has inflicted upon her and those she loved, even though the horrid man is completely unaware of the terror he inflicts, believing that what he is doing is simply due to his role as the Führer of Germany. But there's always a hidden agenda for the one that possesses power over others.

As part of the resistance and possessing the power to skin shift, Yael sees it as an opportunity to compete in the race to win and assassinate Hitler. But how? Pretty simple. Yael can change her appearance into the victor of 1955's race, and participate in 1956's race. But plans don't go accordingly when the victor she is impersonating - Adele Wolfe - has hectic competition in the race and a brother who joins just to keep an eye on her after she refuses to return home with him. Not to mention that a fellow victor shares a past with Adele - one that even the papers hadn't covered, and so Yael cannot even begin to guess why the relationship went downhill. She struggles with her decisions to either avoid or mend these ties Adele shares with the victor and her brother, while managing to be ahead of everyone in such a dangerous race. Will Yael succeed in her mission and help bring about a new, more effective resistance against Hitler? Could this resistance succeed unlike all the other failed attempts?

Or will the Axis powers win this round too?

Yael, our protagonist, had the worst childhood imaginable. The book switches between events in her past and those that take place in the present (and how they are linked), and we experience the conflicting feelings and identities that Yael deals with. She's a strong heroine with the awesome ability to shape shift (that's just SO BADASS!). In the book, the way shape shifting is so magnificently described ties in with the plot of the story flawlessly and seems equivalent to invincibility, but we are acutely aware of all the problems that are associated with such an ability that Yael considers a gift and a curse.

The origin of Yael's ability is purely scientific, contradicting neither the story line nor the truths of the experiments that were actually performed in real-life concentration camps - this was done to alter appearances in the hopes that a formula could be created that changed one's features to resemble that of an Aryan. (Theory: Perhaps this formula could then be used on Germans that did not have blue eyes or blonde hair, and they would be contributing to the 'perfect' human population once their features were changed).

Yael goes through new feelings, emotions and situations that left me short of breath, and wishing I could reach into the book and comfort her, maybe even guide her so that she isn't so dumbstruck by the possibility of new, better things in a terrible reality. Her past is gruesome and incredible sad and her search for her identity is not like a modern-day teenager's. She has many different issues she has to worry about, and needless to say, the burdens she carries on her shoulders are extremely pressurizing for an seventeen/eighteen year old. A lot depends on her, and failure is the only thing she can't afford in such drastic times.

This book, as a whole, discusses an alternate path that World War II could have followed. And it makes us wonder: What would have resulted from Hitler ending up winning in 1945? What would have become of the rest of the world? Would we have ended up victims to Hitler's unquenchable thirst for victory or would someone else have brought an end to Hitler's reign before he could conquer the world? Would it have been torturous and painful, or quick and painless? The road that this alternate ending follows in Wolf by Wolf isn't happy, folks. Life is cruel in this what-if reality. There are parts in this book that Graudin writes that make me feel hollow inside. Simply imagining that the reality this book took place in could have been our reality too - had the Allies not won - is extremely unpleasant and feels like a black hole opening in my stomach and sucking out all the hopes, dreams, freedom and joy that my body is composed of.

Every nice thing that Yael experiences amidst the bad is like an everyday thing for me, and that makes me sympathize for her. She never had a normal, fun childhood like I did, and that difference simply enhances the feelings that this book - this protagonist's pain - evokes within me. Nothing's black and white for Yael. Nothing's just good or just bad, and almost everything has more cons than pros. Eventually, whatever she does will consequently make her lose a piece of herself, due to her circumstances. Every aspect of her life - and countless others' - is overshadowed by Hitler's tyranny, and nothing seems to bring joy to this reality.

But even though this book is pretty dark and cold, there are some parts that just make me feel all warm and giddy within, and sometimes bittersweet. There's a part where Graudin describe's color through the eyes of Yael, and it's so real and so emotional to know that such a simple thing brings happiness to the protagonist, highlighting how blank her life must have been with no hope, and fear controlling her every action, as well as pain. Her happiness is like a rose amidst ashes - an array of hues in a black-and-white movie. And honestly, that specific point in the book made me so unbearably happy - as if I was beside Yael (or even her, perhaps) and experiencing this starburst of colors for the first time. Graudin gave joy and similar emotions color in that moment, as compared to the everyday reality and scenery that I pegged as a grey landscape in which happiness had been completely sucked out along with the color. If I went more into depth with that scene, and a few others, the next few paragraphs would be full of spoilers and so many more soppy feelings that even words can't justify.

This book was very interesting, and one of my favorites of the year 2015. It was so unique and full of deceit, heartache and suspense. So obviously, Wolf by Wolf had to be an amazing read. This book was a breeze when I read it, and I couldn't put it down unless absolutely necessary. You would think the book was stuck to my hand by superglue!

The story was never too slow, and at times it was so fast that I had to close the book for a few moments and recollect my thoughts... and my feelings (OH MY GOD, THE FEELS THIS BOOK GAVE ME!). The writing was extraordinary, and an exhilarating new style to what I'm usually familiar with. The emotions that were laced within each sentence were so tangible; it was quite hard to believe that I wasn't actually in this story (that's how real it felt),

Even though the reader can't possibly relate with the events of World War II as they weren't part of that time period, let alone an alternate past, Ryan Graudin makes this possible. Every author strives to make her characters connect with the readers, or even make some events of the book heart-touching, breath-catching and absolutely memorable. Hands down, Graudin achieved this. She described the protagonist's painful past and the horrors of WWII so vividly. The truth about the concentration camps was grotesque; the hopes of so many crushed was absolutely heart-wrenching; and the pain that the main character felt throughout the book was so awful.

In the end, Wolf by Wolf left the biggest of cliffhangers possible (insert angry emoticon here) and left me feeling so incomplete. This book is a must, and its sequel, no doubt, will be just as action-packed and refreshing to read as the first, because really - who doesn't like a story about what-could've-happened and then proceed onto torturing themselves by pondering over the various outcomes that could result from one simple tweak in a long list of small events that lead up to the big SHABANG!?

Butterfly effect, people. Don't take it lightly - it's a serious issue! So if time travel is ever perfected, keep that in mind...

(You tell them, Yael! #Rebel)

History Lesson!

For anyone who is new to the events of World War II, here's what went down between the years 1939 and 1945:

Basically, there was a war between the Allies (America, Britain and the Soviet Union) and the Axis powers (Germany, Italy and Japan). This war took place due to the violation of the Treaty of Versailles - a peace treaty that was drawn up after the events of World War I (1914 - 1918) to take into account the damages and casualties of WWI, and to come up with a punishment for Germany and Austria-Hungary, who had declared the first war. World War II resulted in many important historical events, of which some were:

1. The Holocaust - the mass murder of Jews and others that were thought off as undesirables by Adolf Hitler
2. Battle of Pearl Harbor - the Imperial Japanese Navy launched a surprised military strike against the United States naval base, stationed at Pearl Harbor
3. The bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima - America's solution to the problem of a future retaliation from Japan, and a forceful blow to Emperor Hirohito, who - until the bombings - was not willing to stop attacking America. Due to the radioactivity of the bombs, future generations of the survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki were born with deformities (mentally and physically, dude to the parents being exposed to such an extensive amount of radiation), while the survivors suffered from severed burns and other injuries, while those closest to the site of the bomb were instantly vaporized and simply ashes in the end.

Adolf Hitler, a former soldier of the World War I German army and the political leader of the Nazi party, rose to power through the years 1933 to the beginning of World War II, and from there on he was one of the leaders of the Axis powers. As he clawed his way up to power, he targeted those who were potential threats to his campaign when he was running for Chancellor, and this resulted in the Reichstag fire; and the SA, SS and the Gestapo (police forces that eventually evolved into Hitler's personal bodyguard party).

After several events (for more information, watch Hitler: The Rise of Evil), Hitler gave himself the title Führer ('leader' in German), and assigned Joseph Goebbels as head of propaganda, hence promoting his ideas and opinions to everyone, The propaganda was always in Hitler's favour, making him appear as Germany's savior who could free them from the punishment they were carrying out due to the Treaty of Versailles (even after so many years after WWI, the effects of the treaty were still in effect). The propaganda also spread the idea that Germans deserved Lebensraum (additional living space for Germans), and that the perfect human specimen was found within the Aryan race (people with blonde hair and blue eyes). Aggravated by the Treaty of Versailles, once Hitler was in power he passed out the Enabling Act and began violating the Treaty by giving out orders to proceed with the Luftwaffe and the creation of war weapons.

Eventually war was declared, and the second world war resulted in global devastation. Under Hitler's reign, Jews were collected and sent to concentration camps where they were gassed to death, handed over to camp scientists for lab experimentation, or forced to do labor until their bodies gave out. If they weren't sent to the concentration camps, it was because they were in hiding or resisting actively and passively. This usually ended in the Jews being shot on sight. Of course, this targeting on Jews was not immediate but took effect in three stages. First, the Jews were prohibited from partaking in activities Germans were allowed to do. Then they were isolated from society until ultimately, the Holocaust came into effect and millions of Jews were slaughtered.

Along with the Jews, blacks, the old, the disabled, Slavs and many more imperfections in the perfect society Hitler dreamt up were sent off to concentration camps. These 'imperfections' were crowded in trains and trailers like cattle, with only a communal bucket to relieve themselves, and dirty water to stay alive. There was no sitting space and the trips to the concentration camps were usually long (ranging from hours to even days), At the concentration camps, the young were either sent to scientists with pregnant women (Hitler was obsessed with twins and ways to alter DNA so that one would possess the traits of the Aryan race, and so the scientists tried to change the babies before they were born), or they were assigned labor, Possessions were stripped and hair was shaved off. After that, the elderly were sent with other individuals into a closed chamber that was filled with a gas that killed off all that were within the chamber resulting in mountains of lifeless bodies that were then burnt,

Although majority of the Germans followed Hitler's ideology of a pure German race with no Jews or outsiders, a few aided the Jews in their escape from a totalitarian fascist Germany, and any territory under Hitler's control. (A film related to the aiding of Jews, and based on a true event: Schindler's List), In 1945, Hitler and his wife of two days, Eva Braun, committed suicide once the defeat of the Axis powers was inevitable and Hitler was bound to meet his end by the Allies. The couple's bodies were burnt shortly after.

In the end, World War II was a devastatingly dark part of the world's history that amounted to 50 - 85 million fatalities and therefore was considered the deadliest conflict in human history, lasting from 1 September 1939 to 2 September 1945 (6 years and 1 day). It's definitely a part of our history that was so bloody, horrific, and such a nightmare that it need not repeat itself in the future.

(On a lighter note... Could this be my longest post yet??? Woah!)

Quote Of The Week #10

"So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."

The Great Gatsby, by F, Scott Fitzgerald 

Book Bouncer Author Summary: Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins, age 53 (born August 10, 1962), is best known for her highly acclaimed young adult dystopian trilogy, The Hunger Games, her middle grade series, The Underland Chronicles, and for three other books: Fire Proof: Shelby Woo #11 (1999), When Charlie McButton Lost Power (2005), and Year of The Jungle (2013). She is also an American television writer.

Suzanne Collins is a very thought-provoking author, whose characters are driven by their emotions, and teach the readers valuable lessons. Katniss Everdeen, the protagonist of The Hunger Games, displays multiple survival skills, teaches how to sacrifice, show unconditional love and determination. She's a complex character whose actions are done to save others, and there's seldom a time when she isn't selfless.

The mannerisms of the protagonists in her young adult trilogy are accountable for; they come from poor backgrounds, are breadwinners for their families, and due to one problem or another, have to take on their roles as the glue of the family, until the plot of the book kicks in. Suzanne Collins doesn't fail to make each and every character unique and still be able to connect with each other.

Collins is absolutely exceptional when it comes to describing scenes that make the reader's heart skip and sometimes stop in anticipation for what is to come. She is an expert at writing scenes that are filled to the brim with suspense and tension... not to mention that she's incredibly skilled at writing up awkward situations that arise between the three main characters due to their love lives.

Movie Adaptations

The Hunger Games, ranked #2 in NPR's poll of the top 100 teen novels, has sold more than 65 million copies in the U.S. alone and has been sold in 51 languages till date. The Hunger Games trilogy has been adapted into a blockbuster film franchise that grossed over $2,9 billion! The first movie, The Hunger Games, was released in 2012; the sequel, The Hunger Games: Catching Fire, was released in 2013; and the last book, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay, was split into two movies, part 1 released in 2014, and the second part in 2015.

Katniss Everdeen - the main character of The Hunger Games - was portrayed by Jennifer Lawrence; Peeta Mellark by Josh Hutcherson, and Gale Hawthorne by Liam Hemsworth.

Achievements

Through The Hunger Games's success, Suzanne Collins was named one of Time magazine's most influential people of 2010. Of the many achievements she has received, Collins was awarded the 2008 CYBIL Award - Fantasy and Science Fiction, and KIRKUS Best young Adult Book of 2008.

Let's Leave A Mark Behind...

It's not a secret that every word in a book holds a tiny truth, and also harbors the author's thoughts, opinions, ideas, skills, knowledge, morals and values. This is truly evident in Suzanne Collins's books. Additionally, her characters are inspirational, brave and true role models that any reader would want to idolize. her mark is left behind through her books, and more so by her memorable protagonists - and dare I say, her antagonist? (You gotta admit, President Snow has got STYLE!)

So, to conclude, Suzanne Collins's writing is phenomenal, and so are her skills which are portrayed through the characters of her books, and the characters themselves. And this is primarily how Suzanne Collins has left her mark behind.

Book Bouncer Movie Release: Insurgent

MOVIE RELEASE: Insurgent (Divergent #2)

Based on the second book of the bestselling series by Veronica Roth:

Synopsis: 'Insurgent is a 2012 science fiction young adult novel by American novelist Veronica Roth, the second book in the Divergent trilogy. As the sequel to the 2011 bestseller Divergent, it continues the story of Tris Prior and the dystopian post-apocalyptic version of Chicago. Following the events of the previous novel, a war now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. While trying to save the people that she loves, Tris faces questions of grief, forgiveness, identity, loyalty, politics, and love.

The book was first published on May 1, 2012 by the HarperCollins imprints Katherine Tegen books in the U.S. and HarperCollins Children's books in the U.K, a "Collector's Edition" was published on October 30 in the United States. Insurgent received mostly positive reviews from critics, with reviewers praising Roth's writing.'

- Goodreads, Rating: 4,14/5, Goodreads Choice Winner 2012

Book Covers

Beatrice Prior must confront her inner demons and continue her fight against a powerful alliance which threatens to tear her society apart with the help from others on her side.

Starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James and Ansel Elgort, and directed by Robert Schwentke.

(Pretty wicked movie poster)

Initial Release Date: 20 March 2015

IMDB Rating: 7.0/10

(Personally, even though the movie trailer is spectacular, it's also really upsetting knowing that the plot of the movie is so drastically changed to the original story. But every individual is entitled to their own opinion. I'm hoping that even though the movie's plot is different, it will be just as interesting as the book.)