Tag: fiction

The Farm

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Golden Oaks is a pregnancy oasis. The surrogates who reside there are given access to organic meals, regular massages, fitness classes, and the latest information on having a healthy pregnancy. The Farm is told from multiple perspectives. We meet Jane and Reagan, two surrogates at Golden Oaks; Jane’s cousin, Ate; and Mae, who runs the Golden Oaks facility. Beyond that, I don’t want to tell you much more, to avoid giving away the story. This a slower paced novel, but it’s one of those multilayered books that will provide so much discussion material for book clubs. PSA: Going into The Farm, I was expecting it to be a dystopia, or at least science fiction-y, because of the shelves people selected on Goodreads. However, I’d describe it as more of a speculative contemporary novel. Still worth a read!

Favorite Passage:

“At the macro level, economics is less science than philosophy. One of its core ideas is that free trade — voluntary trade — is mutually beneficial. The exchange has to be a good deal for both sides, or one party would walk.”
“Yes, but it could be that one party has no other options. I mean, the ‘exchange’ for that one party might not be a ‘good deal,’ but only the best choice among a bunch of choices that are all total… well, crap.”
— Page 48

What I Loved Most:

The Farm examines the way that class impacts not only the options available to someone, but also the consequences of choosing a given option. Reagan is a surrogate from an affluent background, and she questions the ethics of Golden Oaks using mainly surrogates from lower-class backgrounds. In the quote I shared in the Favorite Passage section, Mae (who runs Golden Oaks) reminds Reagan that all of the surrogates are there by choice. Reagan points out that while that may be true, it doesn’t remove the fact that some women may have been under pressure in making their choices. Ramos doesn’t push you to think one way or the other when it comes to class and the privilege of choice, but she brings up some valuable points for consideration.

Read this book if you like:

Examining class, book clubs, pregnancy-related fiction, books that bring up ethical quandaries by discussing both sides of the issue

Book Details:

  • Author: Joanne Ramos
  • Publisher: Random House
  • Date of Publication: May 7, 2019
  • Age Recommendation: Adult
  • Check out The Farm on Worldcat to find it at a library near you!

The Whisper Network

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

All women are familiar with it. That low-key, “Hey, probably stay away from that guy” remark you hear from another woman. Because we’ve all been there, and we appreciate the heads up.

The Whisper Network focuses in on the experiences of three women who work at the same law firm. The man who is in line to be their new CEO is one of those guys that women talk about in hushed terms – but no one wants to be the one to speak up, get harassed by people who say they’re doing it for attention, and ruin their own careers. And when these women do decide to say something… they never imagined it ending up like it did.

This is one of those books where I finished reading it, and immediately grabbed my phone to text two friends to say “THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD YOU NEED TO READ IT.” I was hooked from the prologue, and devoured the book to the end. This is a highly recommended read.

Favorite Passage:

“So when we said that we would prefer not to have to be asked to smile on top of working, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs. When we said that we would like not to hear a comment about the length of our skirt, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs, please. When we said that we would like not to have someone try to touch us in our office, we meant that: we would like to do our jobs. Please.”
— Chapter Thirty

What I Loved Most:

The Whisper Network both whispers and shouts about the fine line women have to walk in the workplace. We need to be pleasant, but not overly nice so he doesn’t think we’re flirting, but we have to be warm enough not to be perceived as rude, but we want to make sure we’re not giving off the wrong signals… on an infinite repeat, day in and day out. It clearly addresses both the reasons why some women don’t say anything when they are harassed/assaulted/raped, and the reasons why some women do.

Read this book if you like:

Feminism, low-grade mysteries, #MeToo, Pretty Guilty Women by Gina LaManna

Book Details:

King of the Mole People

~ rachelbenzine ~ Leave a comment

Review:

Doug is trying super hard to be a normal kid. He moved to a new school for seventh grade, and he’s trying to join clubs and make friends and eat normal things for lunch and wear non-muddy clothes and not have grubs or mushrooms all over him. But as hard as he tries to be normal, weirdness seems to be attracted to him… which is probably why he was crowned King of the Mole People a couple of weeks ago. So now in addition to trying to fit in with the other kids in his grade, he has to figure out how to rule the Mole Kingdom, and maybe save the world from being destroyed by Mega Worms.

Honestly, I saw the cover of this book and decided I needed to read it before I even found out what the plot was. Paul Gilligan both wrote and illustrated King of the Mole People, and his illustrations were so hilariously on point. It’s perfect for kids in late elementary school, and will hit shelves just in time for back-to-school. Look for it on August 27th!

Favorite Passage:

20190810_083119“‘The crown must be worn at all times while in the Mole world,’ said Ploogoo.
‘But look at it, it’s ridiculous! Why is it so tall when you all live in low-ceilinged tunnels? It keeps getting knocked off my head by stalactites!'”
– 3 : Underground
[This passage was quoted from an ARC; as such, it may change before final publication.]

What I Loved Most:

This book was funny enough to make me laugh out loud more than once, but it also addresses serious issues. Doug is trying to figure out his identity. He wants so badly to fit in, but can’t quite seem to achieve the level of normality that he wants. King of the Mole People is a great book exploring the social-emotional learning pillar of self-awareness, but does so in a way that doesn’t hit kids over the head with the message of accepting who you are. It’s funny enough to keep kids interested, while also low-key encouraging them to embrace their own brand of weirdness.

Read this book if you like:

Heavily-illustrated books, super weird storylines, being okay with who you truly are

Book Details: