The Urban Intelligensia

This Writer's Life - Book Review - "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown

Hello writers!

I'm very excited about today's post.  Today, I will be writing a book review on the memoir "A Piece of Cake" by Cupcake Brown. This is a can't-put-down, page-turner of a story. This tale will make you laugh, cry, mad and happy - and that was just the first chapter!

The memoir begins in 1976. Cupcake La'Vette Brown was eleven years old. She was living in California with her mother and older brother, Larry. She also had a close relationship with her "daddy" (who turns out not to be her biological father) and her Uncle, her mother's brother, Jr. Despite the teasing of ignorant schoolmates about her "ugly" appearance and her often "fight-to-the-death" battles with her brother, Cupcake (or Cup) has a pretty good life. That is, until her mother's untimely death.

When her mother dies, so does Cup's childhood. She and Larry are forcibly (despite legally) taken from her daddy and Uncle Jr. to seemingly live with their biological father, Mr. Burns. Mr. Burns, as it turns out, has no interest in raising his children and promptly turns the kids over to the maniacal Diane Dobson and her equally sinister daughter, Connie. Diane runs a foster home and takes Cup and Larry there to become her tormented, tortured servants. Their lives, especially Cup's, go from bad to worse to HELL.

After physical and mental abuse, Cup runs away.  She does this many times over the years and meets a cast of characters in her travels. From Candy, who introduces Cup to prostitution to Brett, the love of her life, Cup's experiences change her in ways most people cannot imagine or survive. Cup has seen and done it all -  from prostitution to drug use and gangbanging to alcoholism - Cup's life is a roller coaster of ups and many downs.

When Cup reaches adulthood, things don't get better - they get much worse.  There is her constant drug use and drinking, fighting while drunk, getting kicked out of clubs, endangering her life on many occassions. Cup runs scams, incurs debt, lies, cheats and steals. For many years, while under the influence, she has no remorse over her actions. She doesn't care about others and especially herself (her abortion scenes are proof of this).

Finally, Cup hits rock bottom and she lands hard. One day, after seeing her disheveled appearance in a mirror, Cup decides that she has had enough. Her reflection scares her into making a change. It's a slow process that takes many years, but Cup's determination to rebuild herself pays off - big time. Cup goes from working at a prestigious law firm as a legal secretary to interning for a prestigious judge to graduating with honors and becoming a lawyer. It is literally a miraculous transformation.

I highly recommend this book to anyone and everyone who is looking for inspiration in their lives. This is the comeback story to end all comeback stories. As a writer, I was mesmerized by the language and the power of the author's showing. Her words created an immediate visual in my mind. As a teacher, I would love to share this book with my students and discuss the many issues that it addresses. This book is a masterpiece.

Today's Tip - If you're interested in memoir writing, buy this book!

Ciao for now! Start writing (and reading)!

Educational News - Book Review - "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X"

Good evening readers, writers and educators! Today's entry is a review of an action-packed book that I've recently finished entitled "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge.  Patterson has already established himself as the author of adult fiction and in recent years he has devoted his writing towards the young adult (YA) market.  His Maximum Ride series was a popular bestseller.  In"The Dangerous Days...."  Patterson once again demonstrates his ability to capture younger readers and hold them for an incredible journey.

If "The Dangerous Days of Daniel X" were a movie, I'd give it 4 stars.  If it were a television show, I'd definitely place it in the category of "must-see tv".  That's my assessment of this adrenaline-filled tome that reads like a fast-paced show or movie.  The chapters are short and every sentence is filled with movement.  I couldn't put the book down!  And when I did put it down, I couldn't stay away from it for long - I had to read it.

"The Dangerous Days..." introduces us to Daniel, a 15-year old boy who has the power to create. Daniel's parents were brutally murdered when he was 3 and with the help of the List, Daniel has been searching for the killer ever since.  Daniel has been systematically crossing off alien vermin from the List who populate Earth and commit fiendish crimes. Daniel is making great progress until he clashes with an alien who becomes Daniel's greatest challenge to date. The battle takes us from Earth to Daniel's homeworld with many twists and turns along the way.

Daniel X is a character that immediately endears himself to the reader.  He is smart, funny and despite his extraordinary gifts - the typical teen.  Throughout the story, there are many moments of hilarity mixed with scary moments.  For example, Daniel has ticks doing backfips, fights off overagressive cats and has a heartwarming reunion with some elephants.  Daniel X is the new Hary Potter. I would definitely recommend this story as a must-read for students (ages 10 - 16). Patterson's gal is to get more boys reading. I think he's definitely going to make that hapen.  I can't wait to read the next story.  Stay tuned!

Visit www,jamespatterson.com to review the author's work.  Also, go to www.daniel-x.com for more info on the book and a video clip of the Daniel X in action.

Wikipedia Entry:

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X

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Dangerous Days of Daniel X
Author	James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
Country	United States
Language	English
Genre(s)	Science fiction novel
Publisher	Little, Brown
Publication date	July 21, 2008
Media type	Print (Hardcover)
Pages	224 pp (first edition, hardback)

The Dangerous Days of Daniel X is a novel by the bestselling author, James Patterson and co-author Michael Ledwidge. From its plot outline, it appears to be Patterson's first science fiction novel. It released on July 21, 2008.

[edit] Premise

Daniel X works alone. Having watched from the shadows as the brutal murder of his own parents unfolded before him, he has been forced to make his own way in a dark and unforgiving world with a heavy task handed to him. Daniel's parents were alien hunters, working his way through a fearsome 'wanted' list of aliens intent on seeking control and wreaking devastationwith his four best friends who he has"created with his mind and powers. But as he planned his next target, his own time was running out. Following his parents' sudden deaths, Daniel faced an uncertain future: he knew little about his family nor where he came from but a few things were clear, he had inherited the list from his parents and a unique ability to create anything that he needs including some very devoted friends to help him along the way. His life has become dedicated to the mission. Every day has been transformed into a terrifying hunt, watching each step he takes for danger awaits around every corner and lurks within the shadows. His ultimate aim is to exact revenge against number 1 on his list: his parents' murderer. But first he must target the others: each more sinister and gruesome than the last.

[edit] Release details

• 2008, USA, Little,Brown ISBN 0-316-00292-5, 21 July 2008, Hardback
• 2008, Australia, Random House Australia ISBN 9780385613774, 01 July 2008 Trade Paperback

Soon enough he finds himself battling the most dangerous foe so far, Ergent Seth, a horse-headed villain who will stop at nothing to recolonize planet Earth. When all hopes seem to be lost, he meets a new girl at school, Phoebe Cook, who becomes a very close friend and his only human friend. But soon he will realize Phoebe isn't as she seems, she has a terrifyingly dark secret, and this very secret might put an end to Daniel's life.

Additional websites:

http://www.hachettebookgroupusa.com/books_9781600242007.htm

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/excerpts/2008-05-14-The-Dangerous-Days-of-Daniel-X_N.htm

Educational News - Book Review

Good evening, educators, readers and writers!  As promised, I'm making another entry and this time it's with a book review.  The book, "Where Am I Sleeping Tonight? A Story of Divorce" by Carol Gordon Ekster and illustrated by Sue Rama, is the featured story.  Here's my review:

Mark and Evan are two young brothers dealing with the very grown-up issue of divorce.  Their parents are leading and living separate lives.  Mom has re-married and the boys have a stepfather.  Dad lives in another part of town.  Mark, who is in the 4th grade has a better understanding of the situation than does his brother, Evan who is in the 1st grade.  And Mark seems to be having a harder time with his family's situation.

"Where Am I Sleeping Tonight" deals with real-life situations such as living arrangemets, custody, rules and family dynamics.  Mark is struggling in school due to his lack of organization.  He's also dealing with his feelings about his parents living arrangements and rules (Pizza and computer time at Dad's, rules and less free time at Mom's).  Mrs. DeMott, Mark's teacher, stresses organization and getting his homework done.  Mark is trying to figure it all out and help his little brother along the way.

I liked this story and would recommend families, teachers and counselors read this book.  Children will relate to Mark's homework antics and his family's life.  The illustrations were spot on and created the appropriate visual with the words. I especially liked how Mark wanted to use his teacher's reminder board at each of his parent's homes.  That was a nice connection.  It demonstrates that school can help children solve real problems.

As a writer and fellow teacher, I give high marks to "Where Am I Sleeping tonight?".  Well done! 

Educational News - Children's Book Week

Hello again.  This post is about some info I received this evening that I didn't kow about, so I'm spreading the knowledge.  This week is National Children's Book Week.  For those who aren't familiar with that, here is a little blurb about it:

The History of Children's Book Week

"A great nation is a reading nation."

In a small library on a November afternoon in 1921, a stiff-lipped lady was busy with her scissors, shearing off the bottom third of Jessie Willcox Smith's poster for Children's Book Week. A poster showing books scattered in joyous abandon on the floor was more than she could bear to display!

Our attitude toward children and their enjoyment of books has undergone considerable change since that day. The creation and growth of Children's Book Week has both resulted from and influenced this transformation.

Since 1919, Children's Book Week has been celebrated nationally in schools, libraries, bookstores, clubs, private homes-any place where there are children and books. Educators, librarians, booksellers, and families have celebrated children's books and the love of reading with storytelling, parties, author and illustrator appearances, and other book related events.

It all began with the idea that children's books can change lives. In 1913, Franklin K. Matthiews, the librarian of the Boy Scouts of America, began touring the country to promote higher standards in children's books. He proposed creating a Children's Book Week, which would be supported by all interested groups: publishers, booksellers, and librarians.

Mathiews enlisted two important allies: Frederic G. Melcher, the visionary editor of Publishers Weekly (the publishing industry trade journal), and Anne Carroll Moore, the Superintendent of Children's Works at the New York Public Library and a major figure in the library world. With the help of Melcher and Moore, in 1916 the American Booksellers Association and the American Library Association cooperated with the Boy Scouts in sponsoring a Good Book Week.

At the 1919 ABA convention, the Association committed to the organization of an annual Children's Book Week. A few months later, the official approval of the American Library Association was also secured during its first Children's Librarians session.

In 1944, the newly-established Children's Book Council assumed responsibility for administering Children's Book Week. The CBC has developed materials and promoted and encouraged local celebrations of Book Week ever since. In addition, the CBC serves as a year-round promotion and information center about children's books and children's book publishing.

The need for Children's Book Week today is as essential as it was in 1919, and the task remains the realization of Frederic Melcher's fundamental declaration: "A great nation is a reading nation."

For a more complete history of Children's Book Week, please click here.

I think that this is great!  I learned something new today.  While I'm not a children's book author, I am a teacher that supports children reading.  Many of my high school students don't read and it's a shame.  The knowledge that they're missing out on is tremendous and they don't even realize it.  To today's tech-driven teens, reading is for "old folks" or "nerds".  Why read when you can be texting your friends on the latest cell phone gadget or playing video games?  Don't forget watching TV and sitting around doing nothing as the world passes you by. How cool is that!

But, I digress....reading is and always will be fundamental.  If you're not reading, you'e not learning.  How can you evolve as a person if you don't read?  How can you progress as an individual if you don't expand your mind?  I know a lot of my students don't read because of reading difficulties.  Those can be solved given enough time and reading practice.  Those students who do read are often reading urban lit - which is often filled with grammatically and structural errors, not to mention plots that are too focised on sex and violence.  I refer to those books as "grown folks" books.  A young teen (14-16) shouldn't be consuming that kind of literature on a regular basis.  It's like junk food for the mind - it'll mess it up.

So as this week winds down, grab a book and read it to your children or students. Reading is fun and with a little time and patience we can show students how fun it can be.