Cannonball Read 18

Sticking It to Cancer One Book at a Time

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A really long review that has spoilers

Becoming Beatriz by Tami Charles

September 9, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

This review is long as this book brought out a lot of feelings. Feelings of remembering books I read as a kid and didn’t get “the point” of. Feelings of current events. Feelings of not liking characters. And a lot more.  This is a book you experience and YMMV. Becoming Beatriz is the companion novel to Like Vanessa. It starts on the day Beatriz turns 15 and the night her brother is murdered by a rival gang. Like this incident was a sidebar in the […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Young Adult Tagged With: family, gangs, new jersey, Social Themes, Tami Charles

BlackRaven's CBR12 Review No:279 · Genres: Fiction, History, Young Adult · Tags: family, gangs, new jersey, Social Themes, Tami Charles ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments

A semi-autobiographical debut novel that opens up a world

Like Vanessa by Tami Charles

September 9, 2020 by BlackRaven Leave a Comment

Like Vanessa is a sweet and realistic story of liking yourself, while finding your home, family and who you truly are. Tami Charles bases her character Vanessa on some of her own experiences making this an interesting combination of fact, fiction, history and contemporary issues. In 1983 Vanessa is a dark-skinned girl living in the inner city. Vanessa, her cousin, her beloved grandfather Pop-Pop and her father live in a small apartment. But they could not be farther apart if they live in a mansion. […]

Filed Under: Fiction, History, Young Adult Tagged With: family, gangs, glbtq, Miss America, new jersey, parents, race issues, self-esteem, social issues, Tami Charles, Vanessa Williams

BlackRaven's CBR12 Review No:278 · Genres: Fiction, History, Young Adult · Tags: family, gangs, glbtq, Miss America, new jersey, parents, race issues, self-esteem, social issues, Tami Charles, Vanessa Williams ·
Rating:
· 0 Comments


Recent Comments

  • Emmalita
    on A family can be two sisters, one of those sister’s descendants, two other sisters, a magic whale, a sentient island, an omnipotent museum, and academic papers
    You had me at the cover, and then everything else you said.
  • katie71483
    on Dog Days Are Over, Bitches
    definitely some healing from religious trauma! And, Saved! is one of my favorite movies of all time.
  • jomidi
    on Library Week! Show us Your Library Joy
    I meant to visit museums using library passes (so $5 admission for one museum and $15 admission to another museum)...
  • jomidi
    on Library Week! Show us Your Library Joy
    Speaking of other stuff at libraries, in the past couple of months I used library museum passes to pay only...
  • jomidi
    on Library Week! Show us Your Library Joy
    Long Hill Township (NJ) library was my local library when I lived in NJ. I still attend their author events...
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