This book caught my eye because it seemed to be very lighthearted. I chose the book because I thought it would make me laugh, or maybe just enjoy a slightly whimsical story. While it was lighthearted and I believe intended to make me laugh, it really wasn't intriguing as a story I wanted to finish. So because of this, I did not finish the whole book. I would be grateful if all my opinions would be taken with a grain of salt because I haven't read the whole piece. The story begins with a rebellious girl taking her chance to leave school.
This book is set in a very unlikely situation in which a girl’s mother is in a coma, never to wake up again, but her unborn baby brother is still alive, barely. Extreme measures are taken at the slight chance that the child will live and the mother’s organs are kept running with machines. As you might imagine, this whole premise is full with raging emotions and misplaced anger. The daughter, Emma, cannot get over that her stepfather did not regard her existence as he was deciding on her mother’s and brother’s lives.
This book is a two pronged punch at phobias. First, it's a know-it-all about phobias so you can impress your friends about your knowlege of big words. Second, it gives practical advice on how to overcome anxiety attacks and distress over 50 phobias. It goes from rare to some of the most common: from fear of zombies to the fear of being judged and public speaking.
Know that I did not complete this book, so I haven't read the entirety of it. This book had a poetic feel to it. It didn't come out in rhymes, but it did come out in a very metaphysical tone and made you wonder what was actually going on. This book took you on a roller coaster and left you wondering what was real and what was storytelling.
This book follows a boy named Arlo and his experiences. The tragedy of his parents' death years before, the heartbreak of his grandfather's ailing state and failing memory, and the courage it takes Arlo to seek out his grandmother and break family barriers that were forged long ago. It's a story of one boy coming forward to help heal, be healed, and suffering through the trials that courage brings.
The book went through various situations in which people had to say "no" to the current system, or way of living, for the good of themselves, the people around them, and the world as a whole. These stories are able to bring you right back to a specific story and make you care about the people who shaped your "today" because they said no. No to things that were wrong, and no to themselves, when that meant doing nothing.
