Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...

Book Review: Modern Love (Video High, #1) by Marilyn Kaye

modern love video high marilyn kaye

Modern Love (Video High, #1) by Marilyn Kaye is a young adult book where a high school receives a grant to start a teen television show. The students decide to discuss controversial topics and current events related to them and their peers.

This is a book that I first read as a teenager, and I remembered loving it, so I decided to reread it as an adult to see if it held up the test of time. I enjoyed it just as much as I did as a teen even though it was a little juvenile for me as an adult.

What I loved about Modern Love (Video High, #1) is that it deals with subject matters that should be important to teenagers and shows two sides to the controversy. In this book, the big controversy is providing condoms for free at high school clinics, which segues into whether or not teens are having sex. The thing I find most interesting is this is a topic that is still relevant for teens and parents today, and there is still a huge divide between the two camps of whether or not teenagers should be given protection and whether they should be sexually active.

The only negative thing I have to say about this book is that the characters are stereotyped and a bit pigeonholed in the way they act (i.e. the cheerleader, the nerd, etc.). With that being said, they are written very well as are the situations they get into.

I gave Modern Love (Video High, #1) by Marilyn Kaye five out five stars, and it's appropriate for kids aged thirteen through seventeen. If you liked this book, I recommend The Wind Blows Backward by Mary Downing Hahn.

 

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