The с word book review

Title: The S-Word

Author: Chelsea Pitcher

Rating: ★ ★ ★  ½

Genre: Young-Adult, Contemporary, High-School-Drama

Publication Date: 7 May 2013 by Gallery Books

Synopsis: “First it was SLUT scribbled all over Lizzie Hart’s locker.

But one week after Lizzie kills herself, SUICIDE SLUT replaces it—in Lizzie’s looping scrawl.

Lizzie’s reputation is destroyed when she’s caught in bed with her best friend’s boyfriend on prom night. With the whole school turned against her, and Angie not speaking to her, Lizzie takes her own life. But someone isn’t letting her go quietly. As graffiti and photocopies of Lizzie’s diary plaster the school, Angie begins a relentless investigation into who, exactly, made Lizzie feel she didn’t deserve to keep living. And while she claims she simply wants to punish Lizzie’s tormentors, Angie’s own anguish over abandoning her best friend will drive her deep into the dark, twisted side of Verity High—and she might not be able to pull herself back out.

Debut author Chelsea Pitcher daringly depicts the harsh reality of modern high schools, where one bad decision can ruin a reputation, and one cruel word can ruin a life. Angie’s quest for the truth behind Lizzie’s suicide is addictive and thrilling, and her razor-sharp wit and fierce sleuthing skills makes her impossible not to root for—even when it becomes clear that both avenging Lizzie and avoiding self-destruction might not be possible.” (Taken from Goodreads)

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The S-Word was overall a wonderful debut novel from Pitcher. The concept and execution of the novel was well done, interesting enough that I enjoyed it as a novel in its entirety. The issues the book brings up are not easy topics to talk about, especially for teenagers in high school. The death of a fellow classmate could very well shatter a person – and we see this happening through the main protagonist, Angie, whose best friend threw herself off the school’s clock tower following a series of bullying incidents.

The novel follows some cliche plots but breaks through the mould as well. It’s characters are more human than first expected with a story set in a high school environment. At first glimpse, when seeing ‘the s-word’, I thought, “Oh no, here we go again. A story about the popular people tormenting a girl into suicide…”, but this story was so much more than that. It is a story about survival, secrets and seclusion … well much high school. It is also a story about blame, revenge and forgiveness and about moving on from a tragedy.

We follow Angie as she tries to solve the mystery behind Lizzie’s suicide, laying blame on those that took part and most of all on herself. She spends the majority of the novel trying to figure out who exactly is responsible for pushing Lizzie to the edge and letting her fall to her death. I’ve noticed some reviews portray Angie as hypocritical in the sense that she herself played a major role in Lizzie’s death. This is definitely true, but Angie knows that – the person she blames the most is herself, for ignoring and abandoning her best friend when she needed her most, even when she believed Lizzie had betrayed her and broke her heart. I’m not sure how those reviewers could miss the many pages showing Angie’s torment, and blame on herself – so much so that she had carved ‘killer’ into her own skin for the part she believed she played towards her best friend’s suicide.

I found Angie to be a strong-willed and strong-hearted character. We watch with sadness as she falls deeper into the dark pit of loss and  holds our breath as we wait for her to finally snap and possibly self-destruct herself. If it wasn’t for the eccentric Jesse, she would probably have done so. His friendship and support played a major part in helping Angie get back on her feet. However, I thought the need for Jesse to become a romantic interest was unnecessary. I liked him the way he was in the beginning – free and individualistic. His friendship would have been enough to stabilise Angie’s state of mind, so the little twist of romance was unneeded in my opinion. But he was definitely my favourite character in the novel and it was nice to see a little glimpse of his backstory as well.

Another character that I liked was Kennedy. Portrayed as the most popular girl in school, her motives and actions depict a person that is completely different to the cliched queen bee. What we usually forget about the queen bees are the fact that they’re also people – with a past and their own memories. Readers usually jump to the conclusion that they’re the root of all evil in high school, but Kennedy breaks through this mould. That was refreshing to read about, even though her past was nothing short of horrific.

I think the one thing that kept me from giving this book a higher rating was the psych of its main character, Angie. Her need and thirst for revenge in bringing down everyone that played a role in Lizzie’s suicide was a little psychotic, to put it bluntly. I was surprised no one even suggested to her that maybe she should consider seeing a counsellor, especially when everyone knew she was Lizzie’s best friend. You would think that the school would at least hold a session for all of Lizzie’s friends, just to help them through this traumatic situation. But instead, we watch as Angie spirals downwards as all signs point to her going a little cray cray. And her parents, my god! I understand that she’s a neglected only-child, but jeez, there is bad-parenting and then there is what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you parenting. Her mum seemed like she didn’t even know her daughter’s best friend had died. And her dad seemed like he was even worse off in stability of the mind than Angie did. With family that this, it was no wonder the girl was going a little cray cray.

/SPOILER/ I couldn’t help but wonder whether it was necessary to ruin someone’s life completely by ousting them as a rapist at their own graduation ceremony. While I know Drake deserved to be caught, I just can’t help but think the way Angie went about it was totally unfair and a little over the top. Everyone she went after for revenge was portrayed by her as evil-incarnate, but in reality they were just people who made a mistake, know they’re guilty and now have the live with the consequences. But with Angie, she was extreme enough to want to ruin their lives for it. I’m glad she kind of redeemed herself by not ruining everyone’s lives (just Drakes), but even so, it leaves a bitter taste in my mouth knowing that no one even bothers to think that what she’d been doing was wrong – especially the little twist revealed that she was the one behind the diary drop-offs and writing suicide slut in Lizzie’s handwriting. /SPOILER/

The S-Word is an overall very enjoyable read. It raises many issues for discussion and reveals a human side to many cliched characters that you wouldn’t expect in normal high school novels. I think Pitcher did a wonderful job in her debut novel and I look forward to her future work.

THANKS TO: Gallery Books on Netgalley for providing an eARC for me to read and review honestly.

The «S» Word: A Short History of An American Tradition…Socialism
by John Nichols
New York, Verso, 2011

 In The «S» Word, John Nichols has written an imaginative history of socialism as an idea and a movement in and throughout U.S. history. Nichols, a political correspondent for The Nation (a journal initially founded by pro-abolitionist Radical Republicans at the end of the Civil War), writes from  a perspective that favors and (privileges) the Socialist Party of Eugene Debs and Norman Thomas and the Democratic Socialists of America of Michael Harrington.

In often clever ways Nichols connects the radical and 20th century American liberal traditions and movements with the Socialist movement, portraying such figures as American Revolutionary hero Tom Paine and Emma Lazurus, whose poem graces the Statue of Liberty, as part of the larger socialist tradition. He also, and this is in my opinion a weakness of the book, spends way too much time suffering fools, in the early chapters of the work quoting Glenn Beck and other partisans of what came to be called «McCarthyism» in the U.S. in the 1950s (or the anti-socialist anti-Communist rhetoric based on screaming, name calling, guilt by assertion and association which verged on hysteria) to give readers more and more evidence of a political climate which they are too well aware of us.

 While one might take issue with some of Nichols’ characterizations of Tom Paine and Abraham Lincoln in regard to their relationship to socialist traditions, Nichols nevertheless presents important sides of them which are usually omitted in traditional accounts – in the case of Paine, an almost total omission, except for a few quotes from Common Sense and sometimes from the American Prospect.

 Readers can learn much from Nichols’ work. The contributions of A. Philip Randolph, post World War II Milwaukee Mayor Frank Zeidler and DSA leader Michael Harrington are highlighted, as are the post World War II struggles for social justice and against poverty when Cold War conventional wisdom preached the doctrine of the «end of ideology» and the complete disappearance of all movements for socialism in U.S. society and life.

 But there is one crucial flaw in Nichols’ study, beyond differences in interpretation and the occasional factual error. The Communist Party is portrayed as peripheral, even during the period in which the CPUSA, as I see it, became the most effective and significant political movement to advance practically socialist policies in U.S.  history. Nichols is no red-baiter and speaks positively about Harry Bridges, Jack O’Dell and other CPUSA members and supporters when he does deal with them. But he doesn’t really address the anti-communist outlook of a number of the socialists whom he portrays positively, e.g., Norman Thomas, A. Philip Randolph Randolph, and Michael Harrington. The anti-communist views of these leading figures limited what they did and could do. For example, Thomas’ involvement in the CIA funded Cultural Freedom Committee, Randolph’s and former communist Bayard Rustin’s support for the Vietnam War, or Michael Harrington’s support in the early 1960s for the maintenance of the anti-communist clause in the Students for a Democratic Society (SDS) constitution.

But more importantly, William Z. Foster, who was to the Communist Party what Eugene Debs was to the Socialist Party, is not here. I would say that without Foster you really can’t understand Debs and vice versa. Both men were radical labor leaders who came to the socialist movement through their experiences; both represented center-left positions in their parties, and both faced state repression – Debs for his opposition to U.S. entry into World War I, Foster for his opposition to the Cold War.

The leading role of CPUSA activists in the building of the CIO is not here, without which you cannot understand labor’s victories and the New Deal social legislation of the 1930s. The socialists as a party had advocated industrial unions also and individual Socialist Party members played a significant role in these struggles, but it was the CPUSA, its activists and its theory of organization and political coordination which made the victories possible, giving the Communist Party an influence far beyond its numbers, as both friends and foes realized

 James W. Ford, William Patterson, and many other African American communists who played a central role in planting the seeds for the postwar civil rights movement are not here. They deserve to be, along with E.D. Nixon, the Durrs, and others who came from socialist backgrounds who are here. In the civil rights movement especially, socialists and communists at the grassroots often worked together in spite of the rivalry between their two parties to advance common goals. In the segregationist South, where Blacks had no civil rights, this took place at a higher level. The overwhelming majority of African Americans who came to support socialism did so through the communist movement in this period.

Also, while Nichols rejects anti-communism, he doesn’t deal with the anti-communist attitudes of socialists like Thomas, Randolph, Rustin and Harrington. For Thomas, this meant working with the CIA supported World Congress for Cultural Freedom (even asking CIA director Allen Dulles for direct aid in the 1950s) and joining with Sidney Hook and others to oust Elizabeth Gurley Flynn from the leadership of the ACLU in 1940. For Randolph and Rustin especially (an active member of the War Resisters League) it meant supporting the Johnson administration’s war in Vietnam, a war that sought to extend the U.S.’s imperial reach and negated much of Lyndon Johnson’s domestic Great Society program.

There is much that is very valuable in John Nichols work. He writes with intelligence and often eloquence about the broad American left, where socialism cannot be simply separated from what was called progressivism in the late 19th and early 20th century and later came to be called liberalism in the New Deal period.

The socialist movement is like a river which diverges throughout the world with the socialist revolution in Russia into a social democratic tributary and a communist tributary, winding their respective ways, sometimes crashing into one another to create disasters, sometimes merging cooperatively to advance social progress. You cannot really understand one without the other, since each are the products of both the development of Marxist theory and the effects of working peoples’ economic and political struggles.

There are some minor factual errors – for example, Francis Bellamy, Edward Bellamy’s Christian socialist brother wrote the original pledge of allegiance – but they are largely unimportant. Even with its limitations, John Nichols’ The «S» Word deserves to be widely read.

В этой статье я расскажу, как писать рецензию на книгу на английском языке (how to write a book review), а именно каков план написания рецензии и какие полезные фразы и выражения рекомендуется использовать в ней. Данный вид письменной работы относится к повышенному уровню сложности в отличие от отзыва о прочитанном произведении — An opinion about a book in English.

В качестве примера рецензии предлагается рецензия на английскую книгу писательницы Донны Тартт «Тайная история» (Secret History by Donna Tartt). Если вы еще не читали эту книгу, то ее можно приобрести в интернет-магазине.

Содержание:

1. План написания рецензии
2. Фразы и выражения для рецензии
3. Образец рецензии на книгу на английском языке

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How to Write a Book Review (in details)

1. План написания рецензии на произведение (The Plan of a Book Review)

A book rewiew is written according to the following plan:

1. Introduction (an author, a title, a setting, a plot in short) — Введение (автор, название, местодействия, краткий сюжет)
2. The main part (the plot in details, main characters) — Основная часть (сюжет частично, главные герои)
3. Conclusion  (opinion about the book, reservations, recomendations) — Заключение (личное мнение, недостатки, рекомендации)

* * *

2. Фразы и выражения для рецензии на английском языке (Useful Words for a Book Review)

Общая оценка произведения:

1. a splendid book — великолепная книга
2. a powerful novel — производящий сильное впечатление роман
3. a gripping narrative — захватывающее повествование

О сюжете:

1. be meticulously (intricately) constructed — тщательно продуман
2. be richly detailed (is rich and detailed in plot) — сюжет богат деталями
3. be set in — происходит в
4. be told by — (повествование) ведется от …
5. hold the attention right up to the final page — удерживать внимание читателя до последней страницы
6. The contrast between ….be done most skillfully — Контраст между … выполнен мастерски.

Мнение о произведении:

1. The only reservation of the book… — Единственный недостаток книги…
2. It is difficult to put the book down… — Трудно отложить книгу …
3. I highly recommend the book to … — Я очень рекомендую эту книгу…
   

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3. An Example of a Review on the Book «The Secret History» by Donna Tratt

The Secret History is a powerful novel written by the American writer Donna Tartt. The story is set in New England and shows the life of students in some prestigious college. It is told by the fellow Richard Popen, who recently moved to the area from Calofornia. He happened to be aware of a terrible secret, which changed his life forever.

The Secret History is rich and detailed in plot and provide many layers for the reader to explore. The intricately constructed murder will hold your attention right up to the final page. The book is moving at times and amusing at others. The background of the book contains references to Ancient Greece, which you are sure to enjoy if you are interested in history.

As for the characters, Donna Tratt has managed to create different personalities from indulgent parents to light-hearted hippies. She is very convincing and depicted her characters very true to life. The contrast between the sophisticated ideas of the elite group of students and their contemporaries is done most skilfully.

In conclusion, I would like to note that the only reservation of the book is its length. It has more over 500 pages, so it is rather long. However, it’s difficult to put the book down. I highly recommend The Secret History  to everyone as the greatest achievement of this young novelist.

Writing a book review is easy if you plan ahead and follow a clear guide. With complete instructions, you will be able to write a perfect book review on any genre, even if you are writing for the first time.As you know, examples are one of the best ways to learn how to do something. Luckily, the internet is full of interesting book review examples for you to review and get help from.In this blog, we also have compiled academic book review examples for you to figure out how to write a perfect book review.

Good Book Review Examples for Students

You might be a professional writer, or you may not have any experience in writing book reviews. We’ll show you how to do it with these examples.

Book Review Examples for Middle School Students

Traditionally, book reviews are the evaluation of books. Usually, between the 500-700 words limit, book reviews offer a brief description of the overall text.

Published book reviews can appear in academic journals, newspapers, and magazines. They provide an overview of the book and indicate whether the reviewer recommends the book to the reader or not.

Reading reviews written by others can help you get a feel and flavor of good book reviews. Learning how to write a perfect book review can help students to;

• Critically analyze a text
• Give a personal opinion on the text
• Improve analyzing and critical thinking skills

If you are a middle school student and wondering how to write a book review — examples are a good source to start with.

Here are some interesting children’s book review examples pdf for your help.

Book Review Examples For High School Students

While writing a book review seems like an easy task, not everyone is familiar with what it takes to write a good book review.

A well-written book review is one that must highlight what you praised about the book and how readers will benefit from reading that book.

Teachers assign book review writing assignments to students to learn how to evaluate a book critically.

Below you can also find some good book review examples for kids. These real-life examples can help you get a clear understanding of the standard book review format you can follow.

Book Review Examples for College Students

Book reviews are frequently written by editors, publishers, and journal reviewers as a part of the publicity process after publishing a book.

Book reviews are also written by experts, journalists, academics, and students to develop an understanding of a book within a broader context of its subject and genre.

A great book review writing requires both subject area and genre knowledge. As a college student, you are required to demonstrate that you have examined the book from different angles.

The points you raise in your book review need to be supported with clear evidence for other forms of academic writing.

The following are some interesting critical book review examples for college students to learn how to write a perfect review.

Short Book Review Examples for Fiction Books

If you are assigned to write a review on a fiction book, then you should know how to approach it.

Fiction book reviews follow the same basic formula as writing book reviews of any other genre.

For your help, we have also compiled interesting examples of fiction book reviews that you can go through.

The following book review examples will help you understand how expert book reviewers demonstrate the plot summary and their opinion on the book to produce a clear and concise review.

Easy Book Review Examples for Non-Fiction Books

At some point in your academic years, you may be asked to write a review on a non-fiction book. Non-fiction books tell you facts and information about the real world around you.

Non-fiction book review writing is demanding because you are required to demonstrate and evaluate the author’s contribution to a subject that you may know very little or nothing about.

For writing a review on a non-fiction book, you are required to describe the book, summarize major points of interest, and evaluate it.

Below find some helpful book review writing examples and learn how to come up with a critical perspective on a text.

Hopefully, with the help of the above examples, you get a better idea of how to write a perfect book review.

Writing a great book review is tricky and demanding no matter if you are a high school, college, or university student. Book review writing might seem a simple task but it requires good analyzing and critical thinking skills.

A book review requires students to analyze a book and provide a personal opinion on it. A book review is a more detailed and complicated assignment as compared to a book report. A book review provides a detailed analysis of the text, plot, characters, and critical evaluation and importance of the literature.

Of course, not all students are able to crack this task easily. And they might sometimes need additional help from expert book review writers. That’s why our paper writing service offers professional book review writing help whenever you need it.

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Before you use these materials, why not check out our new podcast for learners and teachers alike? It’s called 2Ts in a Pod, have a listen here:

This is a lesson plan to set up students for the review writing task in part 2 of the CAE writing paper.

To begin with go through the following conversation questions either as a class or split into small groups.

Did you enjoy reading when you were growing up?

Which book made the biggest impression on you when you were younger?

Where / When did the events of the book take place?

Describe the plot.

Describe the characters.

Why did you enjoy the book so much?

Have you reread the book now that you are older? What did you think?

Will people still be reading books in 50 years?

How do you think reading culture will change?

Ask students for the titles of some of their favourite books, put them on the board and brainstorm the plot, characters etc.

Tell students that for home work this week they are going to write a review of a book which had a profound affect on them when they were growing up. It could be a children’s book or a book they read when they were a teenager. A review is always in part 2 of the writing paper so the word limit is 220 – 260 words. Their review should include:

• a brief description of the story / plot
• the reasons why they enjoyed it / why it had such an impact on them
• who they would recommend it to

Here is a link to my prezi which will talk the students through how to go about it.

http://prezi.com/tvjva9mynbsj/?utm_campaign=share&utm_medium=copy&rc=ex0share

Here is a link to the handout that goes with the prezi:

https://skydrive.live.com/redir?resid=79CFF252BEEA0A7D!423&authkey=!AAw6I4WaWW6ghR0

The prezi contains references to the text book I am using with my students: Spotlight on CAE.