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Book Reviews
When Dave comes upon a near fatal accident, involving a girl that he had always considered "out of his league," he has the opportunity to become Stephanie's knight in shining armor. However, this opportunity is not as simple and straightforward as it initially seems. There are unintentional consequences to Dave's actions that he could never have anticipated. For example, others misconstrue Dave's being in the right place at the right time as opportunism and perhaps even criminality!
Another door opened is the one to the popular crowd. Upon Dave's admission to the upper echelon of High School cliques, his life begins to go into a tailspin. The simple, humble and moral plan that Dave had drawn up for his life is challenged to the core by the pitfalls of his newfound popularity.
Though BLIND LOVE is written from Dave's perspective, I believe that girls will generally enjoy reading this story more than guys will. Girls will be drawn in by the surprising complexity of Dave's mind. Most stories of teenage love don't provide girls with the depth of insight into the male mind that BLIND LOVE does. For this reason alone, I believe that this book could be quite popular...
Carolina Summers Book Reviews, December 2009
Blind Love was a single-sitting read, and my interest never flagged. At a mere 114 pages, it was perfect for a lazy afternoon. I think that the best quality of Blind Love is that it is written from the perspective of a teenage boy that is genuinely trying to find his place in the world. I could relate to the main character's desire to stick with a simple plan. I could also sympathize with this character's drift into uncharted territory. In this case, the unexpected opportunity of helping to save a beautiful girl that had been involved in a serious accident sent the protagonist into a new world. Because the girl he saved was uberpopular, he became part of the popular crowd. This was not part of his simple plan. And it is confusing and exposes him to questions of right and wrong that he never anticipated. What does a person who always consider himself a "regular guy" do when he suddenly is "Mr. Popular"? BTW, there is romance in Blind Love. Not sappy romance. There are some mature themes in this book too. Of course, the book wouldn't work without the main character struggling with these things, so they are not gratuitous, they are essential to the plot. Yes, I would recommend this book to teens, ages 16-19. Guys will relate to Blind Love. And I think girls will like this story because it allows them to sneak a peak at the mind of the good guys. It makes you believe that the good guys are really out there.
--Gina C. from Las Vegas, Nevada
You'll Root for Robert Hartley
With so much trash out there for young readers to pick up it was so refreshing to read MY ELUSIVE DREAM. There isn’t any doubt that Fred Good’s book was written with the young and adventurous in mind. After all, the story is told through the eyes of Robert Hartley, a teenage boy who becomes a man. For this reason MY ELUSIVE DREAM will have a special appeal to boys, ten to nineteen years of age. However, I’m a woman in my early forties and I couldn’t put the book down. So, if you love a great adventure novel, it really doesn’t matter how old you are. There’s something pure, simple and completely endearing about this tale.
Let me explain.
As billed, “MY ELUSIVE DREAM is a Depression-era story of tragedy and triumph...” Robert Hartley is a farm boy from Lincoln County, Arkansas. Just as Robert is coming into his own as a hard working, fun loving teen, the Great Depression hits Lincoln County and the family farm is lost to creditors. The Hartleys, like so many other small farm families of the time, are forced to move to the big city; they move to Chicago to live with relatives. The plan, of course, is to recover financially and then move back to Arkansas. Unfortunately, in Chicago, Mr. Hartley is killed and young Robert is forced to grow up fast. Robert comes face to face with responsibilities that today’s teens can hardly imagine. Yet, these responsibilities only seem to steel Robert’s determination to make a success of himself and to save his family.
It is at this point that Robert starts down the path of life’s essential questions. What is success? What are my talents? What is love? How do I fit in? Can I preserve my values and still be asuccess?
It is at this point that you too will begin to root for Robert.
Without any money to invest in his own education or betterment, Robert sets out to do the best he can do in whatever he does and to give his all in even the most menial tasks. This attitude opens doors for Robert and soon enough he sets out on a wide-open adventure, filled with action and rife with moral dilemmas.
In the end, Robert is able to overcome class prejudice, reclaim the family farm in Lincoln County, retain his core values and come to understand the difference between boyish infatuation and true love.
Anyone that reads Fred Good’s story will be encouraged to never give up on their dreams.
Carolina Summers Book Reviews, June 30, 2008.
Did I say that I had started reading "Wild Strawberries"? Well, probably not because I was entirely absorbed by it. I'm smitten with Edie's character, I'm smitten with your description of County Graham and sooooo surprised to find out who it was... Are you working on Edie's next case? I think she's got a great talent. Well, and you as well, of course:-) Thank you for sharing it with us!!! - Barbara Eschbach
Mae, Your book was a constant companion for me during recent travels, and I finished it last weekend. I enjoyed it very much! Please tell me you are going to do another one! - Thomas Carpenter of Prince Frederick, Maryland
Loved the book, Mae. -Geneva Rose Bush
This book caught my interest from page 1. I love a good mystery and this is a terrific one. The setting being in the beautiful mountains of NC is a bonus! Pick this book up! You will not regret it! A great and fast read! - Elaina Salvo Buchanan
I am waiting for Blackberry Winter, I loved Wild Strawberries, when can we expect it Mae? -Karen Cable
Maria just made me realize that YOU are the Mae Hensley that lives over here by me that wrote the book!!!! I am fixing to read it when my mama is done with it! She is loving it! :) -Stacey Rogers Cable
Mae, just finished your book. LOVED IT!!!!!! I am really looking forward to #2! -Page Wilder
The first you get from reading this book is that the author is smart. You can tell right from the get go because of the amount of detail that goes into the book. Between the political knowledge, the rich detail of the various settings that make it almost too easy to picture it in your head, to knowing that the author probably did immense research to put this book together. I will say that all of the detail was a little overwhelming in some areas and it doesn't necessarily make it a quick read.
But I encourage you to keep reading because under all of that detail is a story that people can relate to. You know when life gets a bit overwhelming and you think it would just be nice to start all over? Go somewhere nobody knows you, you have no history, and start all over. This is exactly what Michael toys with in the beginning of the book and how a trip overseas puts this into action after meeting, and falling in love with, Maria.
Without getting into detail, because it would absolutely ruin it for you, I will tell you that this book is an ambitious read that you'll enjoy. If you are interested in politics, international travel, or starting all over- this book is for you.
-by Sara Strand
What makes this book so good, for me, was that you are immediately hooked. It's a short book of only 77 pages so I got this done in about an hour. I really had a hard time putting it down so I could switch over laundry and feed the cats, it was that good.
Raise your hand if you ever had a crush, particularly in high school. Yeah, that would be pretty much all of us who aren't embarrassed to admit it. Now, raise your hand if it was a crush on a "popular" person and you weren't popular? At least half of you are still raising your hands. This story is so easy to relate to because most of you have been there, you like a person but you don't have the confidence to really say anything to them, so maybe you start with little notes. The harsh reality is that kids are cruel and unpopular kids just know to do their best to not give anyone fuel to ridicule them.
Unfortunately for Ashley, he was "discovered" and a couple of mean kids blew it out of proportion. It also highlights that high school kids don't have the natural logic required to really understand what consequences could come with harmless pranks. In this case, Ashley loses his life, much to the upset of Mary Ellen Gerhard. She is a fellow student who has turned her senior project into an investigative look at Ashley's death and the events leading up to it.
Particularly interesting is that the entire story is written as a series of interviews she conducted in her investigation. I don't want to talk about what happens, but I will say that the different personality types of the students completely fit for what you'd expect happens. It's a short read, it's well worth it, and if you are one to read books on bullying- add this to your list.
Raise your hand if you ever had a crush, particularly in high school. Yeah, that would be pretty much all of us who aren't embarrassed to admit it. Now, raise your hand if it was a crush on a "popular" person and you weren't popular? At least half of you are still raising your hands. This story is so easy to relate to because most of you have been there, you like a person but you don't have the confidence to really say anything to them, so maybe you start with little notes. The harsh reality is that kids are cruel and unpopular kids just know to do their best to not give anyone fuel to ridicule them.
Unfortunately for Ashley, he was "discovered" and a couple of mean kids blew it out of proportion. It also highlights that high school kids don't have the natural logic required to really understand what consequences could come with harmless pranks. In this case, Ashley loses his life, much to the upset of Mary Ellen Gerhard. She is a fellow student who has turned her senior project into an investigative look at Ashley's death and the events leading up to it.
Particularly interesting is that the entire story is written as a series of interviews she conducted in her investigation. I don't want to talk about what happens, but I will say that the different personality types of the students completely fit for what you'd expect happens. It's a short read, it's well worth it, and if you are one to read books on bullying- add this to your list.
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