Dad of Divas' Reviews: December 2022

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Book Review - Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World

Better Than We Found It: Conversations to Help Save the World



About the Book
In Better Than We Found It Conversations to Help Save the World, from the New York Times best-selling author of The Black Friend and a seasoned activist comes an indispensable guide to social and political progressivism for young people and anyone wanting to get more involved.

Every generation inherits the problems created by the ones before them, but no generation will inherit as many problems—as many crises—as the current generation of young people. From the devastations of climate change to the horrors of gun violence, from rampant transphobia to the widening wealth gap, from the lack of health care to the lack of housing, the challenges facing the next generation can feel insurmountable. But change, even revolution, is possible; you just have to know where to start. In Better Than We Found It, best-selling author Frederick Joseph and debut author Porsche Joseph make the case for addressing some of the biggest issues of our day. Featuring more than two dozen interviews with prominent activists, authors, actors, and politicians, this is the essential resource for those who want to make the world better than we found it.

Featuring interviews with:
Mehcad Brooks
Keah Brown
Julián Castro
Sonja Cherry-Paul
Chelsea Clinton
Charlotte Clymer
Mari Copeny, aka Little Miss Flint
Greg D’Amato
Jesse Katz
Amed Khan
Daniel Alejandro Leon-Davis
Willy and Jo Lorenz
Ben O’Keefe
Brittany Packnett Cunningham
Anna Paquin
Robert Reich
Brandon T. Snider
Nic Stone
Anton Treuer
Andrea Tulee
David Villalpando
Elizabeth Warren
Shannon Watts
Natalie Weaver
Brandon Wolf


My Take on the Book
This was an important book that covers so many topics that need to be discussed. In reading this book I found that I learned so much and I left the end of the book with a better understanding of things that I can do to help change the world in my own way. The conversations are written in a way that allows young people to be drawn into these conversations and really helps them to become activists in their own way. 


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Saturday, December 17, 2022

Book Review - Trespassers

Trespassers



About the Book
In Trespassers fate never meant for Dylan and Tristan to live. Can true love transcend destiny? The internationally best-selling trilogy that began with Ferryman continues with this riveting sequel.

Tristan and Dylan have escaped the afterlife, defying fate: Dylan should have been killed in a horrific train crash, while Tristan should still be an immortal ferryman. Now, living in bodies they have no right to inhabit, they discover they’re connected by something stronger than love—their souls are bound together. Alone, they’ll die, but being together has its own difficulties. As they try to adjust to life in the real world, with Dylan slowly healing from her injuries and Tristan attending school for the first time, they realize that when they broke through the boundary between the worlds of the living and the dead, they showed the way for others to escape. Now they must face the consequences. Dylan and Tristan’s beautifully told and richly imagined story—in development to be a major motion picture—continues in this sequel full of suspense, action, and intense emotion.


My Take on the Book
This was the sequel of Ferryman and it is a great new addition to the series. The characters are wonderful and you get to continue the adventure that Dylan and Tristian started in the first book after they escape the afterlife. The book was well written and in this book you are in the real world which is different then in the first book. The two of the main characters find in crossing over that they need to be in close proximity to one another or they feel pain. Tristian moves into Dylan's home as they pretend to be cousins. They also find that coming back from the afterlife has opened a hole between the real world and afterlife and they find out that they have to close this if they want to stay in the real world. This was a great story that moves fast, but it is a great story that made me keep coming back for more!

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Book Review - The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person

The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person



About the Book
In The Black Friend - The Black Friend: On Being a Better White Person, writing from the perspective of a friend, Frederick Joseph offers candid reflections on his own experiences with racism and conversations with prominent artists and activists about theirs—creating an essential read for white people who are committed anti-racists and those newly come to the cause of racial justice.

“We don’t see color.” “I didn’t know Black people liked Star Wars!” “What hood are you from?” For Frederick Joseph, life as a transfer student in a largely white high school was full of wince-worthy moments that he often simply let go. As he grew older, however, he saw these as missed opportunities not only to stand up for himself, but to spread awareness to those white people who didn’t see the negative impact they were having.

Speaking directly to the reader, The Black Friend calls up race-related anecdotes from the author’s past, weaving in his thoughts on why they were hurtful and how he might handle things differently now. Each chapter features the voice of at least one artist or activist, including Angie Thomas, author of The Hate U Give; April Reign, creator of #OscarsSoWhite; Jemele Hill, sports journalist and podcast host; and eleven others. Touching on everything from cultural appropriation to power dynamics, “reverse racism” to white privilege, microaggressions to the tragic results of overt racism, this book serves as conversation starter, tool kit, and invaluable window into the life of a former “token Black kid” who now presents himself as the friend many readers need. Backmatter includes an encyclopedia of racism, providing details on relevant historical events, terminology, and more.

My Take on the Book
This was a great book that opened my eyes to the world around me. As a white male in the world I know that I can be unaware of the racism that people of African descent have to deal with racism. This book shares this clearly and really opened my eyes to the things that I have taken for granted in my own life. The author challenges every reader to step into a anti-racism role, speaking out and standing up for everyone. I know that for me, this book has pushed me to be more vocal as I know now what I did not before and I also know that staying silent only empowers those perpetuating racism. I highly recommend this book to all! 

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