The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a science biography book for adults that was given to me by one of my favorite teachers. Henrietta Lacks grew up on a poor tobacco farm in Virginia, and had her first child at the age of 14 with several more over the course of her life. Her family eventually moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where she was diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins. Her doctor took samples of her cancerous cells without Henrietta's consent, and she soon died at the age of 31 in 1951. These cells are the foundation for the field of virology and human genetics fields as we know it today. No human cell line can replicate like hers or share similar immortality, because of how her HPV-induced cancer resulted in genetic mutations. Her family had no idea until over 20 years later, with her 22 descendants incredibly poor and locked out of the billions being profited off buying and selling her cells for research. Today, her family has been suing research and pharmaceutical companies for share of profit.

This is not simply a book about cellular biology, or the science of virology and cancer, nor just the ethical questions to how potentially groundbreaking research is conducted and communicated, or the treatment of black Americans by healthcare systems. This book tells the life of a woman who is "the mother of modern medicine" and her family's story, faced with significant challenges like poverty, hearing loss, abuse, and the lack of transparency in their mother's death. Readers become invested in the future of the real characters. For a nonfiction book, it sure reads like a fiction one for the amount of significant detail and imagery. This is even more impressive considering many of the people featured are no longer alive. I also enjoyed the passages in the present about Rebecca's interviews and the process of writing the story. The structure of the book flipping between the past and the present would be confusing if not for the lovely division of the each chapter stating what years it describes, and Skloot did a good job of balancing staying on topic but also including several other interesting points, like the history of Johns Hopkins and commercialization of medical research, which inevitably happened although seemingly not intentional.

I also appreciated that while the author did not shy away from scientific details of the research using her cells, Rebecca mostly condensed the information into a digestible amount for those not scientifically knowledgeable or have ever taken a biology class. As someone in this field, I found the contamination of her cells all over the world a fascinating biosecurity issue, and I would highly recommend this book to anyone who does cellular or tissue research or works in the medical field. It is a shame that this book is no longer required reading; it used to be in one of the 100 level biology courses, but not anymore and the books just sat collecting dust with all the other formerly used textbooks (which is an entirely separate issue on the impact of digital media on reading and learning).

Title: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Author: Rebecca Skloot

Publisher: Broadway Paperbacks

Pages: 382

Series: No

Rating: 5 Stars

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Project Bold Life: The Proven Formula to Take on Challenges and Achieve Happiness and Success by Edward M. Kopko

Project Bold Life is a self-help guide to living a happier, more confident, and overall bolder life through their formula (a committed goal from the Bold Life Pillars (Pi), plus a stretch specific goal (S²) and an Action Plan (Ap). PBL=Pi+S²+Ap). Written by accomplished businessman and entrepreneur, Project Bold Life aims to help one transform their doubts and challenges into boldness and success. This book was sent to me by the company.

Self-help and motivational books are tricky when trying to be relatable and differentiating between lecturing, teaching, and simply giving advice. However, Project Bold Life did find a balance between this. Project Bold Life is broad enough for the messages to be relevant for almost all, but also specific enough so that they can be followed through. I also like how the advice and steps the book offered were explained in relatable, understandable parallels with Ted Talks, events in history, and songs. 

From word clouds to cartoons, the illustrations are both helpful, cute, and relevant. The cartoon to the right is a reference to how stress can be positive; diamonds cannot form without high stress and pressure. 

I enjoyed the empowering tone behind the Fall off the Horse Plan chapters, where one envisions what types of falls and issues they could have, with steps on how to get back on and people who will help them. Often, many books strive for positivity in goal setting and mindset, but fail to address what happens if something goes wrong. 

While this is a review of the book, I did look up the website, quizzes, and worksheets that the book mentioned. The worksheets are very specific in terms of goals for each day, each month, and each year; this provides a higher likelihood of it actually working. The website, projectboldlife.com, is more helpful than the book in my opinion in terms of helpful stories and precise steps. Project Bold Life certainly has some good ideas, but not most of what is in the book is not necessarily original.

I felt that the book spent too long explaining how and why it was/will teach the Bold Life Formula/steps and not enough time actually teaching it. I also wish that the features on people who completed the Bold Life Formula were longer and more detailed. I was unrealistically expecting a style similar to Chicken Soup's books. 

I do think this book and the website can help many people.

See this video on the project and the different pillars: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlmKgeQklUY

Title: Project Bold Life
Author: Edward M. Kopko
Publisher: Edward M. Kopko
Pages: 268
Series: No
Rating: 4 Stars
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Never Fight Alone by Shelomo Solson

Never Fight Alone: 51 Inspiring Interviews to Help Teens Overcome Their Struggles & Improve Their Mental Health is a YA inspirational non-fiction book that was sent to me by the author. Solson conducted 51 interviews with teens who hit rock bottom and rose above it, finding the strength to make a difference in the world and help others. 

What separates this book from Chicken Soup and other inspirational short story reads is that Never Fight Alone is formatted in direct interviews. I can read exactly what these teens said, which makes it more personal. The author took a different, more personal approach of being a journalist who endured massive struggles in his life. Different from publishing for money, Solson genuinely wrote Never Fight Alone for the sole purpose of helping teens who struggled like he did growing up. One of my favorite parts of each interview is that each focuses on how far they have come. Each chapter leaves you feeling hopeful. If he could beat this, if she could find a way to be happy, then maybe I can, too. 

It is also amazing at how much emphasis is placed on suicidal thoughts and how to combat them. Suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among young people ages 10 to 24, and 1 out of 6 students nationwide (grades 9–12) consider suicide (The Trevor Project). This book also involves other issues such as abuse, sexuality, addiction, eating disorders, and even dwarfism.  Never Fight Alone emphasizes the "silver lining of hope" and how asking for help is nothing to be embarrassed about. When feeling when feeling depressed and isolated, thinking "why me" and feeling ashamed is common, but Never Fight Alone proves more than any other book I have read that nobody is ever hopeless or alone. 

Favorite quote: "Anytime I felt weak or vulnerable, instead of asking, 'Why me?', I thought of people who had it worse than me, and it changed my mindset to 'What can we do to make each other happy? How can we do the things that better each other?'" (67).

I highly recommend this book!

Title: Never Fight Alone: 51 Inspiring Interviews to Help Teens Overcome Their Struggles & Improve Their Mental Health 
Author: Shelomo Solson
Publisher: Shelomo Solson
Pages: 306
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir by Mary Higgins Clark

Kitchen Privileges is a memoir describing Mary Higgins Clark's life story and the factors that influenced her love of writing. From her poor beginnings with interesting tenants in her house to being an flight attendant, she always knew she wanted to write. But it wasn't until after she became a widow with five children to care for that she truly decided to follow her dreams.

I became anxious to read this book after learning of her passing on January 31. However I ended up being very disappointed. I am reluctant to criticize a dead person, but I must be honest- Kitchen Privileges felt rather boring and lacking in multiple areas, including figurative language and plot structure.

Clark has struggled in her life and gone through tremendous tragedy, however there was not an inspirational tone, but almost rather from a bragging standpoint of what she was able to overcome. Kitchen Privileges felt like a textbook, made of chronological facts. I cannot compare this to her other writing styles, however I can say that the story, if one can call it that, was very flat with a strong premise that ended up underdeveloped in a plain tone with a large lacking of figurative language. There was no "it" factor, nothing dramatic or suspenseful that Clark is known for.

I do not recommend this book. If you wish to learn Clark's story, just go to wikipedia- because that's what the book felt like.

Title: Kitchen Privileges: A Memoir
Author: Mary Higgins Clark
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Pages: 208
Series: No
Rating: 2 Stars
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Hope Nation: YA Authors Share Personal Moments of Inspiration Edited by Rose Brock

Hope Nation is a YA collection of short stories written by authors describing times when they were able to find hope in seemingly hopeless circumstances. These authors (Atia Abawi, Renée Ahdieh, Libba Bray, Howard Bryant, Ally Carter, Ally Condie, James Dashner, Christina Diaz Gonzalez, Gayle Forman, Romina Garber, I.W. Gregorio, Kate Hart, Brendan Kiely, David Levithan, Alex London, Marie Lu, Julie Murphy, Jason Reynolds, Aisha Saeed, Nic Stone, Jenny Torres Sanchez, Angie Thomas, Nicola Yoon, and Jeff Zentner) share personal stories about their life with the goal to inspire their teen readers to remain hopeful in the face of peril.

Hope Nation teaches that even in the darkest times, there are always ways to find hope and optimism. Ranging from issues of death and tragedy to racism and the current President, Hope Nation explores a variety of dark times and circumstances where those victimized still manage to find hope. Libba Bray's essay was definitely my favorite. She described how she still managed to find hope and happiness after a horrifying car accident. I also enjoyed the essays describing the foundation of our country and the importance of protesting racism and violence, as well as those discussing immigration and moving on after terrorist attacks. If you are looking for uplifting stories by some of your favorite authors, read this book!

I highly recommend you read this book!

Here are some books I've reviewed by these authors:

A Land of Permanent Goodbyes by Atia Abawi 
Warcross by Marie Lu
Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon
Goodbye Days by Jeff Zentner 

Title: Hope Nation
Editor: Rose Brock
Publisher: Philomel Books
Pages: 304
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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I Wish My Teacher Knew by Kyle Schwartz

I Wish My Teacher Knew is a nonfiction book about the movement that transpired when Mrs. Schwartz had her third-grade class answer the open-ended question on a post-it. She gets heartbreaking answers and forms connections with her students that goes viral worldwide. Mrs. Schwartz tells her story, the story of her students, and how she creates a feeling of safety and unity in her classroom.

I plan to be a teacher, and I will aspire to follow in her footsteps, learn from her mistakes, and use her strategies. In addition to just this fill-in-the-blank sentence, Schwartz goes through her own education and mistakes she's learned from. I particularly loved how she pointed out key phrases to say and others to avoid or change to promote inclusivity. Some of her tips and tricks I never would have thought of.

I Wish My Teacher Knew is not only aimed for educators, but this also has appeal for students because it teaches steps they can take to make new friends and help the classroom become safer. This book also clearly showcases how teachers are not perfect and shows how good intentions can easily backfire. I Wish My Teacher Knew helps students understand their teacher better. This book is also important for policymakers and politicians to read as Schwartz makes important points about poverty in schools and what systems should be in place to help them. I was shocked at how thorough the research was and I found the statistics startling.

I highly recommend this book and can't wait to read it again! I cannot wait to read her new book, I Wish For Change.

Title: I Wish My Teacher Knew
Author: Kyle Schwartz
Publisher: Da Capo Lifelong Books
Pages: 272
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood by Trevor Noah

Born a Crime is a truly inspiring autobiography that I read at my school at the advice of my favorite teacher. Before he became a world-famous comedian, Trevor Noah had to get through apartheid in South Africa. Born to a Swiss father and a Xhosa mother, Trevor Noah’s birth was illegal. He struggled to find his place in a world that didn't want his "kind". Noah enlightens readers with through his funny, optimistic approach to his in life poverty, oppression, abuse, and how he escaped and became molded into the man that he is today.

This is one of the best books I've ever read, and I cannot wait to read it again! Trevor Noah is a huge inspiration. Throughout his childhood, he was able to turn desolate situations into opportunity and fun. His positivity and lightheartedness is incredible, and it is obvious that he is well-suited as a comedian. I admire Noah for defying the laws of society and becoming his own person.

He had the perfect balance of intense, alarming moments and topics (like colonialism) while also being lighthearted and optimistic. Of course there were awful scenes of ridicule, but he never got mad at the bullies- just smiled and cracked a joke. This story contains major trends of people being afraid of what they don't understand, the main basis of hate crimes and segregation. However, Trevor's fearlessness and passion for being himself inspires readers- if there isn't a place for you in society, make your own, and always face an obstacle with optimism.

I highly recommend this book!

In case you have no idea who this guy is, he has his own TV show, the Daily Show With Trevor Noah on the Comedy Central television station. After reading this book I've started watching him- he's hilarious!

The Daily Show With Trevor Noah's website

His YouTube Channel

Title: Born a Crime: Stories From a South African Childhood
Author: Trevor Noah
Publisher: Doubleday Canada
Pages: 304
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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No Summit Out of Sight by Jordan Romero

No Summit Out of Sight is an inspirational YA memoir about mountain climbing. This young adult non-fiction book is perfect for teens for a required high school summer reading assignment. I used No Summit Out of Sight last year for my assignment, and it worked very well.

This story features Jordan Romero, the youngest person to climb the Seven Summits at the ages of 10-15. The Seven Summits are the tallest mountains in all seven continents of the world. When Jordan Romero was in fourth grade, he saw a mural at his school showing all of them. He thought about how cool it would be to stand on the top of all of them, seeing the world. And thus, his goal began. With the help of his parents joining along, he eventually became the youngest person to climb all seven. This book is his inspirational account of all the hard work and determination it took to succeed.

This book is great for assigned summer reading tasks because the book has a simple plot with easy to understand language and concepts. The characters are clear and easy to interpret. There's not much reading in between the lines that is needed to write a good analytical essay on No Summit Out of Sight, as tidbits of inspirational quotes are on nearly every page and the narrator writes down all of his thoughts and observations.

The book felt too good to be true. It also felt more like a timeline of events than a story and lost my interest at times. The book is not very deep, and is lacking three-dimensional characteristics. It could have been written better and contained some details that were not relevant to the main idea, but it is still a fun read on your own time.

This book is very inspirational and teaches lessons about goal setting, breaking huge goals into smaller steps, thinking positively, and celebrating small victories. These are just some of the messages gained from reading this book. Physically, this journey was exhausting and when his body wanted to give up, his mind saved him. The fierce determination he had to complete his goal proved that "mind over matter" really does exist. No Summit Out of Sight is very relatable to kids all around the world, given that he started his goal at just the age of 10.

I recommend this book!

Title: No Summit Out of Sight
Author: Jordan Romero
Publisher: Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers
Pages: 368
Series: No
Rating: 4 Stars
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My Lost Brothers: The Untold Story of the Yarnell Hill Fire's Lone Survivor by Brendan McDonough with Stephan Talty

After watching the movie Only the Brave, I was eager to read My Lost Brothers, the memoir that inspired the documentary. Brendan McDonough was on lookout duty when the rest of the Granite Mountain Hotshots were burned alive on June 30, 2013. The Yarnell Hill Fire turned 180 degrees, cutting off their escape route. Their emergency fire shelters were no use against 3,000 degrees, and they all died in minutes. This was the greatest loss of firefighters since the 9/11 attack. My Lost Brothers is an inspirational memoir of how Brendan escaped the streets and turned his life around by joining the Granite Mountain Hotshots, and the day he lost the 19 men who saved him.

Before watching Only The Brave, I immediately went on the computer and read all about it, unaware that the crew was going to die. After realizing that Brendan wrote a book, I knew I just had to read it!

The majority of the book was in perfect unison with the documentary. This inspirational story teaches how to find one's purpose in life, and shows how millions of firefighters, police officers, and other first-responders put their lives on the line to save others. My Lost Brothers also teaches strength in the face of tragedy, and displays the importance of acceptance and moving on. This is a great book for someone who has faced death or PTSD, or knows someone who has. I learned a lot about the values of family and determination. I now also know more about firefighters than I ever did, and I have a stronger admiration for them. This book is heartbreaking and dramatic, and honors the men who died saving others.

Even though this book is intended for adults, it is perfectly suitable for teenagers as well. I highly recommend that you read this book and honor the sacrifice of these 19 brave men.

Title: My Lost Brothers: The Untold Story by the Yarnell Hill Fire's Lone Survivor
Author: Brendan McDonough, Stephan Talty
Publisher: Hachette Books
Pages: 288
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World by Jack Andraka with Matthew Lysiak

Breakthrough is a YA autobiography about Jack Andraka, an innovator who created a strip of paper capable of detecting cancers 400 times more effective than the testing before. When Jack's uncle dies of pancreatic cancer due to not catching it early enough, Jack decides to invent a way to detect cancer earlier.  At 15 years old he does it. He makes a strip of paper that detects multiple types of cancer, generating media attention from all over the world. His story was not easy. He tells how he overcame the horrifying homophobic bullying, depression, and all the rejections and doubt. He urges kids to make themselves be heard and to chase after their dreams. Jack was only 18 when his book was published.

The thing I loved most about this nonfiction book was the 50 or so pages in the end. They contained 10 science experiments that are simple and fun to do, as well as tricks for math problems. He also included information on bullying, LGBTQ issues, and Open Access programs. 

I learned a lot by reading this book. I learned more about cancer and proteins just by reading the book. Breakthrough is very educational in teaching about math and science. I also learned a math trick about dividing long numbers by nine! The book is very inspirational. The message that Jack teaches is that you can do anything if you set your mind to it. The amount of bullying that Jack received was mind blowing! The teachers were even mean to him about his sexuality. This book teaches people not to judge somebody and that words and actions hurt. 

The reading level is middle grade, but due to some of the content and language, this book is more for YA readers. I highly recommend that you read this book!

Title: Breakthrough: How One Teen Innovator Is Changing the World

Author: Jack Andraka with Matthew Lysiak

Publisher: HarperCollins

Pages: 256 Pages

Series: No

Rating: 5 Stars

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We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success by Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Sharon M. Draper

I found this inspirational non-fiction book on a high school summer reading list for a school assignment about what it means to be an American. Sampson, George, and Rameck grew up in poor neighborhoods (ghettos) where many people ended up committing crimes (drugs and theft) and landed in juvenile detention. Goals there were focused on survival, not on grades.

When Sampson, George, and Rameck met in a magnet high school in Newark, New Jersey, they became friends. They all had a goal of being a doctor or dentist. They made a pact to stick together and go to college and medical school. Today, Sampson and Rameck are successful doctors, and George is a successful dentist.

At the end of each chapter, there would be a note from the doctor that was talking in that chapter. It would explain the importance of what was said and more background knowledge. I think that was a wise choice, and it was very useful. 

This book was very inspirational. The boys went through at lot of tough times and learned some valuable lessons. Sampson was my favorite character. He had the most internal conflicts, and really great lessons. Another thing that was important in this book was the environment. I loved how these three boys beat the odds, and I enjoyed watching them find other paths and other ways to do things without drugs or physical violence. 

I highly recommend this book!

Title: We Beat the Street: How a Friendship Pact Led to Success

Authors: Sampson Davis, George Jenkins, Rameck Hunt, Sharon M. Draper

Publisher: Dutton Children's Books

Pages: 128

Series: No

Rating: 5 Stars

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Nothing But the Truth by Avi

This documentary novel is a great summer reading book for eighth graders. Philip Malloy, a ninth grader, can't do track because of a failing grade in English. Convinced that the teacher has it out for him, he tries to get switched out of her class. Every morning, his school plays the national anthem. One day, Philip loudly hums along. Miss Narwin sends him out of class, since he was causing a disturbance. After a few more times, he is suspended. Philip's family reports it to the newspaper. Without long, the entire world sees the headline, "...Suspended for Being Patriotic," and it is very interesting to read about the chaos that follows.

I really like the format of the book. The true story is told through journal entries, dialogue and letters. This really helps to shorten the book, add background knowledge, and makes the plot really easy to follow. I also thought that it was very ironic how the entire time the school was obsessed with the budget. I think that switching back and forth between the two perspectives, the school and Philip, was a smart choice. At times, the book made me laugh, and I think you will enjoy reading about the experiences of this ninth grader. 

Really, the only thing I didn't like was the ending. The last sentence in the book was a huge surprise, and it will change everything you thought you knew about Philip, so whatever you do... DO NOT SKIP TO THE END! 

Title: Nothing But the Truth: A Documentary Novel

Author: Avi
Publisher: Turtleback Books
Pages: 240 pages
Series: No

Rating: 5 Stars
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