Cannonball Read 17

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

Slip the bonds of earth

We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens

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When a young girl sees a young bird, she starts to get a strange feeling. And though she thinks she cannot fly, her mother tells her there is a way. As this young girl is like her Granny Liza, who would not stay rooted to the ground and would “slip the bonds of earth” and continue the journey of  their ancestors. Poetic prose accompanies a two part story in We Could Fly by Rhiannon Giddens. The first is the surface story of literally flying from […]

This Is What It Sounds Like

This Is What It Sounds Like: What the Music You Love Says About You by Susan Rogers & Ogi Ogas

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First things first, I impulse grabbed this at the library because of this astounding cover. Absolutely gorgeous. And what a lucky discovery for me, because this book was so dang good! I never finish non-fiction, so the fact that I actually got to the end and enjoyed it all the way through is truly impressive. I think something interesting is happening in science & nature writing – it’s gotten more and more interesting and the quality of the writing has significantly improved. It’s just much […]

Be all you can be

I Can Be All Three by  Salima Alikhan

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This is a simple, but powerful story of how one child has many parts to her. Three in fact (which is why the title is I Can Be All Three). The first part is her father and his Indian heritage, the second her mother’s German heritage and finally the third is her school and growing up American parts. But when her classroom assignment is to pick something that represents you and your culture for the Multicultural Day celebration, she is unsure how to choose. After […]

Images chosen can be disturbing

After the Rain by John Jennings

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This is one messed up book.   Yet, After the Rain based on the Nnedi Okorafor short story, is powerful and probably something we need to read. Violence, graphic image of torture and even rape imagery could be triggers. I would not recommend for under age 14 and I still think that might be too young. KNOW your reader. This is not for sensitive readers as even adults could be disturbed. And no, this should not be read at 11:30 at night because you couldn’t […]

The Importance of Talking About Our Feelings

Fat, Crazy, and Tired: Tales from the Trenches of Transformation by Van Lathan Jr.

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I’d never heard of Van Lathan Jr. before faintingviolet asked me to return his memoir to the library for her. As I’m wont to do, I read the first few chapters the night before I returned it, and was hooked and had to take it out for myself. The title (and first few chapters) lead one to believe this book is about diets and food and all the usual struggles people face in trying to get healthy. And part of this memoir is about Lathan […]

down to the wire (as always) – BOOK CLUB TIME!

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas

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Why did I wait so long to read these two? This isn’t just a question of Book Club procrastination; this is a “what was I thinking?” moment! I had heard good things about both, I was enraged as ever when they (and others) showed up on lists of challenged and banned books, and they were both available on scribd! Also- why did I treat these books like homework? “oh man, I have to read these before I can move on to other things”- at the […]



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