Heaven Is Here By Stephanie Nielson

(warning! There may be a few spoilers...!)

  Heaven is Here is a book about incredible true story of faith, hope, and love. This entire book was so incredible, and sometimes (although I tried to fake it) I even caught myself crying while reading it in class! The book is about a woman named Stephanie Nielson, a strong Mormon woman with four children who was currently living in Mesa, Arizona. In 2005, she started a blog known at the NieNie Dialogues, which became widely popular with many readers. She begins the story when she was young teen, telling her fairy tale romance story of her and her husband and him learning to fly planes. She tells a beautiful story of marriage and starting a family and her life seems absolutely perfect. 

  People envy Stephanie until she begins the next part of her story. Her accident. On August 16th, 2008, Stephanie was in a horrifying plane crash with her husband that burned forty percent of his body and hers eighty percent, sending her into a coma for three months. When she wakes up, she is horrifyingly depressed and unsure of herself. She couldn't walk, but that wasn't the worst. Stephanie's face had changed drastically. The change was so awful in fact, her daughter Jane, would not even look at her and her son whom was still a baby during the accident, thinks her sister is "Mommy".

  While I read this book I couldn't believe how incredible this woman is. She faced an unspeakable tragedy and still built back her happiness. Her relationships grew stronger, her hope grew more, and her faith was changed dramatically. I absolutely LOVED this book and recommend it to anyone who needs a lift up and good spirit. Easy A. 

Behind the beautiful forever's, An amazing story

 Behind the beautiful forever's is about a poor community in India living in between all of the economic growth. One will start off with a young trash collector named Abdul as his family and him start to become successful in the unforgiving slums of Annawadi. As you get deeper into the book it will take you through many different families and their hardships. One being the life of Sunil, an aspiring trash collector like Abdul. Because he does not have enough money for sufficient food his growth has been stunted which makes him depressed so he tries as hard as he can to get taller. After this you meet a woman with one leg named Fatima who has hated Abdul and his family, ever sense they started getting a little bit successful. So Fatima kills herself and blames her death on Abdul and his family. As they fight the corrupted court system in India more and more people are drawn into the fight. Which hurts many and in the end horrible things happen but they pull through.

I thought this book was extremely informative and enlightening. It made me feel the pain that these poor Indians suffered and made me feel like we can all make a difference. The book really changed the way I think about the world around me. It also made me grateful for what I have. It made me feel everything these Indians were feeling from happiness to discontent this book is one of the greatest books of the century so I would recommend this book to anyone who likes non-fiction books and I give this book an A+

     

     

   The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins takes place in, Panem, built in the ruins of future America ruled by a controlling government. Every year each district of Panem (12 districts) sends two tributes to participate in the hunger games (one boy and one girl) to fight to the death in an arena. These tributes are chosen by a big bowl of names of all between the ages of twelve and eighteen and as you get older the more times your name is entered.  

     The book begins when Katniss Everdeen volunteers for the games when her younger sister, Prim, was chosen as a tribute. Katniss and baker's son, Peeta are the two tributes chosen from district 12 to compete in the 74th annual Hunger Games. As soon as they are chosen they have just a short amount of time before they begin their journey to the Capitol where the games will be held. The two are coached by Haymitch (a previous winner of the Hunger Games) and assistant Effie. Katniss also meets her designer Cinna and his team of stylists. Haymitch helps prepare the two tributes for the games and creates a strategy that Katniss and Peeta have to use in the arena to impress people and get extra sponsorship.  After weeks of hard training, Katniss and Peeta were ready to fight in the games. 

     In the arena there are of all sorts of challenges that these tributes are faced with created by the game makers who oversee the whole game. The lack of food, survival supplies,  knowledge of their surroundings, and who they can trust are just a few problems that the tributes face.

     I really enjoyed how the book was constantly able to hold on to my attention. I loved how detailed Collins described everything including what future America might be like. I also enjoyed how the districts were all different and each had their own characteristics. It was interesting how the environment between each district was just like how our country has separate social classes. For example rich, high class capitol people and the poor people of district 12. It was also interesting how severe the conditions were that they had to fight to the death in order to survive.

     Although, I do need to warn the reader that there is a lot of violence and should be something considered before reading the book. I would also like to suggest watching the movie to see how the story was presented differently.

Jimmer Mania

     The Contract by Pat Forde is a very good biography of the star basketball player Jimmer Fredette. Pat Forde does an excellent job of explaining Jimmer's life from when he was a kid all the way up to the day he got drafted into the NBA. He brings you through all of the good and bad times in Jimmer's life, and goes through how much work it took for Jimmer to reach his ultimate goal of playing in the NBA.
     First of all, I love Jimmer Fredette and I very much enjoyed reading about how he made his way to the NBA. If you aren't a big fan of basketball or Jimmer you probably won't enjoy this book as much as I did, but one thing that I really liked about this book is that it isn't just all about basketball and what he had to do to get really good. It starts off explaining the mental disabilities and struggles that his brother has what a struggle it was for Jimmer and his family. It also tells how much of an influence Jimmer's  brother T.J. is on him and his basketball career. Forde helps bring you through all of the key things in their relationship and he explains all of the many things that helped Jimmer as he was growing up to aid him in reaching his goal of playing in the NBA. Also, Forde explains in detail every step of the way that Jimmer endured throughout his life up to the day he was drafted, even his home life.
     Forde really focuses on the training and the other things that Jimmer did physically to get very good at basketball. The thing that I didn't like about this is that I wished he would of gone into a little more detail about Jimmer as a kid and what kinds of things he would do in his childhood besides just playing basketball. Forde did have multiple items focused on Jimmer's home, but I felt they were still focused on just the basketball aspect of it. As well as that, Forde is sometimes a little bit too vague and doesn't go into as much detail as he should when talking about certain things in Jimmer's life. I just found myself wanting to know a little bit more when I would read a certain part. Other than those things this book was very enjoyable and filled with interesting facts and information that actually helped me learn a lot (especially some new basketball drills I can try out).
     All in all, I felt this was a very interesting book that isn't just for people who are into basketball. I would advise anyone who wants to read this to first get to know a little about Jimmer before reading, only because I know that if you already know a little about him, it makes it that much more interesting to learn more. Other than being a little bit vague and boring at a few times, Pat Forde did an excellent job of informing everyone about the life of Jimmer Fredette, and I would definitely  recommend this book to anyone wanting to learn more about his interesting life.

SR-71 Blackbird Stories, Tales, and Legends

 

Following the shoot down of Gary Powers in his U-2 "spy plane", the USAF needed a new type of aircraft to fly over "sensitive areas" and gather information on rival countries. With a top speed of 2,346 mph and a maximum altitude of 18 miles straight up, Lockheed Martin had designed the SR-71 Blackbird. Author and former SR-71 pilot, Rich Graham captures the stories of this secretive era of the 1960's to the 1980's. From test pilots of the first "Blackbird" models to world record breaking flights and the incredible maintenance personnel of this plane, Rich Graham captures all of it. Stories range from in-flight disasters to crashes and successful landings. This book is made up of the words of the actual pilots of the SR-71 program, asked to give their words and stories of their time in this amazing program.


With 18 chapters and advanced concepts, there was more than enough reading to take up my free time. Rich Graham does a great job of making this book readable for everyone, even without prior knowledge of the Blackbird. He does this by placing his input and descriptions of concepts in boxes. This book also includes pictures of crewmembers and introductions to each one before they tell you their stories. This book was easy to like and a great read. I recommend it to all aircraft fans. A+.

"Night" By Elie Wiesel

     "Night" - By Elie Wiesel, is a depressing and inspirational auto-biography about his time with his father spent in Nazi German concentration camps; Auschwitz and Buchenwald. Though it is only a 100-page book, it holds terrifying opinions and history - he talks about the death of god and how much he is sickened by humanity. The original book was an 865- page book written in Yiddish, and 50 years later, it had been translated in to more than 30 languages. 

     The book starts off by telling the reader of Elie's hometown - Sighet, Romania, and of a strange man, hollering about the horrible things "they" have done to him. The man goes all around the town, telling people that he had been abducted and brutally tortured. Nobody listened, at least, nobody but Elie. He would spend almost every afternoon with the man and listening to his stories of going to Hell and coming back to tell the tale. 

     In Spring of 1944, the Nazi's begin shipping carloads of Jews to Auschwitz, and Elie's family is sent in the last car, a few days after the rest. A woman on their car was hysterical, screaming visions of flames and furnaces. 

     Finally, on the third day of their car-trip with only minimal amounts of food and water, they arrive at a concentration camp and see a large furnace with black smoke flowing out the top. Elie and his father go with the "healthy" group to work, while his mother and sisters are sent the Birkenau to be killed.

     Wiesel has won a Nobel Peace prize for his literature, and has gone on to write two other books about his thoughts after the Holocaust. If you haven't already read this book, you'd better find a copy and read it to yourself because it is definately a "must-read." With all it's gruesome detail and horror stories about his time spent in Auschwitz, it can make someone go from a happy-go-lucky American into a starving and dying Jew in Auschwitz.

The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster, Kristine Brennan

Are you curious? About disaster? About a human error that ended in the death of hundreds and counting? That is exactly what this book is about, The Chernobyl Nuclear Disaster of 1986. It is really a reality check. It is so interesting to hear about how the stupidity of a few people who break the rules can cause a mass plague of sorts. A plague of radiation. I couldn't put it down. Period. It was fascinating. I myself was turned on to this book by the upcoming movie Chernobyl Diaries. The movie doesn't come out until the 25th so I thought to myself, "Hmm I wish I knew more about what happened at Chernobyl." So I made it my mission to find a book that would satisfy my ever growing thirst for that nuclear knowledge. Off to the library I went and I stumbled upon Kristine Brennan's little slice of nonfictional genius.  And yes, it did quench my undying need to know. This book deservingly gets a B+.

It's starts with April 26, 1986. We are thrown into the small town of Pripyat in the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant as Reactor 4 blows its top. We are riding with the first response team as they arrive and die. Kristine also goes on to explain how fission, the splitting of atoms, works. We go on to learn what the health effects of the Chernobyl disaster were and how generations are still being affected today.

This book made me really think about how dangerous nuclear power is. With that big of a risk is it really worth it? I mean look what happened at Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and what almost happened at Three Mile Island! And that was in Pennsylvania. The closest nuclear power plant to Utah is in Arizona, Palo Verde 1. If something like Chernobyl were to happen there we would die. So I ask you is Nuclear Power really worth it?

Palo Verde is the closest Nuclear Power Plant to us.
It's only about 700 miles away. Not far at all.

a long way gone

"A long way gone, memoirs of a boy soldier" by Ishmael Beah, was by far the most humbling book I have ever read. With everything that happened recently with Kony, I wanted to learn some real facts about what is actually going on over in Africa. I never expected to learn some of the things I read in this book.
This book was told by Ishmael, about his experiences being a boy soldier. He was actually lucky and escaped before it was too late. But, there are millions of children out there who aren't as lucky as him. At the age of 11, Ishmael was separated from his family and forced to live on his own. For almost a year, he ran from village to village, barely escaping the Rebels. Eventually he became part of the army, which is supposed to fight against the Rebels and protect the citizens. The army is supposed to be the good guy, but they're not. That is one of the main problems with this country--evil fighting against evil.
After reading this book, I realize how ungrateful and selfish I can be at times. I am so grateful for this free country we live in and all the rights we get. At many times while reading this book I had to stop and remind myself that what I was reading was someone's true story, not fiction. Many parts of this book were almost incomprehensible. They took my breath away, and not in a good way. For example, Ishmael recalls a time when him and some of his soldier buddies took over a village. They found a pregnant lady in her house and cut her belly open. They removed her baby, chopped the head off of it and made the mother watch. And then they left the mom there to bleed to death. Gruesome right? This is only half as bad as some of the things written in this book. The really sad part is all of the boys are so high off of so many drugs that they don't even realize what they are doing. They have lost all sense of feeling; only years later do they realize what they have done.
Ishmael ended up being one of the luckier ones. He was removed from the war and put into a rehabilitation center with hundreds of other boys. For months, the boys would have horrible nightmares of incidents that happened while they fought in the war. I cannot imagine living life with the knowledge that you had killed so many people. Ishmael now lives in New York City, working as a motivational speaker. He graduated from college and lives his life to inspires others.
If you like to believe that we live in a perfect world, then this is not the book for you. If you want to know what is actually happening in other countries, then I hope you will read this book and appreciate it as much as I did!

I Am Number Four By:Pittacus Lore

     I Am Number Four was a great book. Although I am not an alien type of girl, or one to really ponder if there are aliens I still found this book enjoyable. It kept me fascinated and wondering about what was going to happen next  even when I wasn't reading the book. This book has suspense, friendship, bravery, and even a little romance.
    
     This book is about aliens if you haven't guessed that yet. The main character ( Four) and his guardian ( Henri ) along with 16 others have come from the planet Lorien to protect their race and also earth from being destroyed form another evil race called the Mogadorians. The Mogdorians have already sucked four's planet clean of its resources and now need more power so they are coming to earth to do the same.

     Four and Henri have been on earth for 10 years now making four fifteen and Henri mid fifties. Ever since they have arrived on earth the have moved every couple of months so that the mogdorians will not be able to catch them and kill them. Every time that they move Four has to get a new identity and start at a new school with a new life story to go with it. For the main part of the story you are with Four and Henri in Paradise, Ohio, a tiny little town. In Paradise for the first time ever Four actually makes a couple of friends. He meets Sam, a total nerd who is always thinking about aliens, and he also meets  Sarah who soon becomes much more than a friend. Four has never made attachments anywhere else so this place feels special to him.

      I don't want to give to much away but, I think that the author was trying to say was, protect those you love and what you stand for no matter the cost. And that is because, many of times Four has put his life on the line to save Sarah, Henri, and his friend Sam. He also has to  protect himself from getting caught by the Mogadorians.

     Over all I thought that it was a really good book and I definitely recommend it to anyone especially if you are a sci-fi lover. There was actually a movie made on the book last year here is a link to the trailer, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5djHG3hPu0. All in all it was a really good book and you should go check it out. 

How I Got This Way by Patrick McManus

The saying "Don't judge a book by its cover" is definitely not true for this gem of a book. Just look at the cover. You can tell right off that the book will be funny. How I Got This Way and all the other Patrick McManus books that I've read have all been the same; hilarious. This book starts out slow (for Patrick McManus) but there are certain stories that got me laughing so hard that I thought for sure I would get kicked out of the cafeteria during Patriot Time. Seriously.

 This book is a compilation of awesome stories that all talk about past adventures of the one and only Patrick McManus. He loves the outdoors so that is what he primarily writes about. Pat loved to fish, hunt, and do other crazy things in his childhood and even when he was an adult. Unlike most stories, these stories do not go in chronological order. They jump around from his childhood enterprises with Rancid Crabtree, Retch Sweeney and Crazy Eddie Muldoon to his adult mishaps (many) and his triumphs (few). But with Patrick McManus writing, he can turn a plain old, everyday story into an awesome tale that will bring many a tear to your eye from laughter. In this book, Pat writes about many things from what happens when you combine a powerful, homemade slingshot named Whopper with Rancid Crabtree and Gram's giant pumpkin, to how he became an outdoor humorist, all the way to telling the reader about his successes of creating a one mile radius between he and the deer he is hunting. The stories are all completely different but they all relate to outdoor adventures, his main form of fun.

This book is simply hilarious. Although it doesn't quite compare to the likes of some of his other books, I still really liked this book. If you haven't read any of Patrick McManus's other books, you will probably think this is one of the funniest books that you have ever read. It was entertaining and I got lots of weird looks from different people as I just laughed my head off. Surprisingly, Pat isn't just a funny guy. He is an extremely talented writer because he paints a vivid picture of what he talks about in his books. The whole book was like watching a movie. It was cool how much you could visualize the story.

If the author is trying to pass along an opinion or bring up issues, they are as follows: enjoy yourself, have a little fun here or there, take risks (as in take dangerous roads in the woods), go on plenty of camping trips, go hunting and fishing often, and do crazy stuff as a kid. I agree with his philosophies, especially the fishing part but I'm still not all the way there on the dangerous, mountainous roads. You should probably live life with a more serious outlook than Patrick McManus or his pal Rancid Crabtree, but some people live life too seriously so this is a good reminder not to make life too stressful. I totally agree. Just reading this book helped me to have a little fun, relax and laugh my cares away. This collection of tales clearly had a purpose and that was to make people laugh. I laughed. If you read this book you will also laugh. Patrick McManus shows the world the importance of laughter. He shows how sad life is without laughter by making you laugh. Sounds kind of weird but trust me, it works.

Overall, I thought How I Got This Way by Patrick McManus was really good. It doesn't have the action or suspense that most books these days have but it sure has the right amount of humor.  I would recommend this book to all, but some of Patrick McManus's other books were much better. If you would like to know some of his better books, just ask.

The Sinking of the Titanic

When you hear about the Titanic, you probably think of the romance movie. Well, this book had zero mushy, gross stuff in it. It was full of first hand accounts from the survivors. It had the heart breaking stories of children torn from their parents, newly-wed wives being wrenched from their new spouses. This book was absolutely amazing. Usually, you hear the Titanic's story from teachers. You don't really get how awful the event was until you read from the point of view of people that were actually on the boat.

I loved this book. It's outstanding. If you have a weak heart or stomach, I would not recommend this book. To everyone else, you should definitely read it. It may have a little romance in it, if you consider wives clutching to their husbands who refused to get on a lifeboat before the women and children do romance. I give this book an A+.

90 Minutes in Heaven

90 Minutes in Heaven is the story of a man named Don Piper who died in a car crash with a semi truck agianst the barricades on the side of the road and came back to life 90 minutes later. While he was dead he witnessed heaven. He said he saw a lot of his grandparents and friends that had passed away. He heard the singing of angels and is was the most beautiful music he's ever heard. He said they were perfectly in tune. He also said everything around him was white as it could be. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Right before he thought he was about to see God, something brought him back to reality. He came back to life with Dick Onerecker, a baptist priest, behind him singing. Dick hurried and got the medics they rushed him to the hospital. It was a miracle that Don survived. Four inches of his femur bone was missing and his left arm was barely attatched to his body. He was in the hospital for more than a year and a half. He live because he never gave up and never did lose his positive attitude and never wanted to die. He could have given up and told the doctors to pull the plug but he wanted to live for his family. He helped others throughout the rest of his life. whether it was inspiration or service, Don continued to be the best person he couuld. He knew it would be hard to live the rest of his life with his inruries but he endured a ton of pain to help others.

This book is very inspiring and you can learn a lot from Don's story. He must have loved his family a ton because he was willing to come back to earth after he witnessed heaven. He could have chosen to give up when he was in the hospital. Instead he chose to endure a huge amount of pain so he could live and spend more time with his family.

I loved this book. It was a cool story and i just couldn't stop reading. Believe it or not it had tons of cliff hangers and experiences that kept you on the edge of your seat. It was a book that you could learn a lot from it and have a good time reading it at the same time. I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.

Cinderella Man

This is a great book. Not only is it a great story, but it actually happened, it wasn't just some fantasy story some guy made up. All the impossible events actually happened. I love this book, everyone should read it.

This book mainly follows the life of James J. Braddock, since is birth in June 7th 1905, weighing 17 lbs! He boxed his most of his life and started his professional debut int 1926. He was rich, popular, and an amazing boxer. Then the Great Depression hit. He lost a lot of money, but still kept his job as a boxer. He made much less than he did before the Great Depression. In October of 1931, he fought Maxie Rosenbloom. Midway through the fight, he broke his hand, but still went on to finish. The fight was a no contest. His manager was mad and pulled his license. He lost his job and became extremely desperate for money, begging on the streets at times.

James Braddock got the opportunity to fight Corn Griffin. It was just a one time deal, he wouldn't get his license back. Corn Griffin was in third place for the heavyweight champion of the world. His opponent got sick before the game, and no one would fight such a great fighter like Corn Griffin without preparation, except James Braddock. It wasn't even a question who would win, the odds were 5:1 in favor of Corn Griffin. Braddock hadn't boxed in years and Corn was going to destroy him. Huge upset, Braddock mauled him and Corn Griffin was KOed in the 3rd round. Braddock got his licence back, and, out of no where, when on to fight Max Baer for the World Heavyweight Championship.

This is one of the greatest comebacks in sports history. This inspiring story truly shows that nothing is impossible. James Braddock overcame all odds during the Great Depression, to become a boxer again, and put food on his family's table. Braddock was fighting for money to survive, while Corn Griffin was fighting for pride. That is how one of the greatest upsets ever took place. James Braddock had 2 days to prepare for the fight, and he won, which is a god given miracle. This also shows that if you want something bad enough, more so than your competition, then your going to get it. I love how inspiring this story, and would recommend it to anyone because it shows that impossible is nothing.

Specials By: Scott Westerfeild

SPOILER ALERT!!!!!!!!!

Specials is the third of the four books in the Uglies series.Overall I did enjoy this book. It did keep me very interested. There were many twists and turns that I was not expecting. Also it was a good way to end this part of the series.

The only thing that I didn't enjoy about this book is that it restated the entire two books that were previous to it. Its was kind of an overkill. It made me feel as though the author thought I did not have the slightest hint of a memory. Also when he would try to recap the previous books it was so obvious it was almost painful to read.

The story still takes place in the future in a society that is very much a dystopia. While you look from the outside every one is the same, a drop dead gorgeous person that lives in a perfect world. When you take a closer look the entire world/ the city you follow, is falling apart.

You definitely need to read the other two books before you read this one. If you have read the other two books this one starts the same way. You start kind of in the middle of the story, and have to fill in the blanks as you go along.

In this book Tally Youngblood (the main character) has joined special circumstances as a Special ( her enemies, the people she has been fighting in book one and two). But not of her own choice, but because of the Lady who has been leading her city has made her a special. Also once she has been made into a Special, the surgery that they did change her mind. They literally went in and changed her brain to think differently. This lady who runs the city is named Dr. Cable. Dr. Cable has sent Tally to go Capture people who have been running away from the city.

As Tally follows a group of run aways to their secret hide out in the wild, she rediscovers herself and changes who she is on the inside. She "rewires'' her brain. Tally saves many people as she rediscovers who she really is.

There are two main themes that I got from this book. The First one being that not to be fooled by a dystopia in real life. And the second one being that no matter what you can make yourself into who ever you want to be. No matter what other people do to you, you can still let your inner person shine through.

In conclusion I really enjoyed this book. It kept me in suspense. if you have not read the Uglies series yet, for sure go and read it. And if you have read the other two books and not this one, read this one!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Brian Selznick

I read the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret By Brian Selznick. This book is a really good book if you like adventure and non-fiction types of books. I would consider the main idea of this book is that if you put your heart to something, that great things may occur.
This book takes place in the early to mid 1900's. Hugo is a 10-year old boy who's mom dies during child birth and his father dies in a fire. After his father dies, he has to go live with his uncle in a clock tower and has to help his uncle run the clocks and help him around at the station.


Hugo's uncle has to leave one day and said he would be back soon. But, the uncle ends up leaving Hugo all on his own to feed himself and take care of the clocks. When his father had died he left Hugo an auto human, which is a mechanical doll. Hugo had tried to fix it many times with the notebook that his father had left with it. One day he was trying to steal gears and toys from the toy store. When Papa Georges, the owner to the toy store, steals Hugo's notebook.


Through out the whole book he is trying to get his notebook back. On his adventure, he meets Papa Georges grand daughter, Isabelle. Isabelle helps him find his notebook and they become really good friends. They can not find the notebook anywhere. But they do find something that has been there all along. Isabelle's key. Her key is made to fit Hugo's auto human.


They get the auto human to work and they are both really surprised at what it draws. It draws one of the famous pictures drawn by Papa Georges, and it is signed by him to. They both wonder how that is possible. Hugo's dads auto human, but it draws something that Papa Georges drew. In the end they figure out what a great artist and magician Papa Georges was. He had just been hiding it for many, many years.


This book shows a lot of friendship and commitment. It shows that if you make a promise than you better stick to that promise and follow through with what you do. Many people break promises and don't do what they say they are going to do. As for, this book is a good way of showing a good example of friendship and commitment.

I really enjoyed reading this book and hope that you will read it too! It is a fun book and shows many interesting qualities. It is a really fun book and has really interesting parts that I didn't want to put the book down for! A-




Hugo movie Trailer:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bcdEXHIuTxw

Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow

The first thing you should know about this book is that it is amazing. It is an autobiography, in which Tim Tebow, professional quarterback for the Denver Broncos tells his story. You find out that he actually has an amazing background. You usually look at people like his and assume that they are just rich and spoiled. Considering his circumstances, Tebow is very different. It really surprises you, some of the things he tells about himself. But it definately kept me intrigued.

Now, like any other autobiography or biography, it didn't necessarily keep me flipping pages in suspense, but I kept reading it because it was very inspirational, and only motivated me even more to commit to things I have a passion for, because that's exactly what he did. Surprisingly, I found out that up until high school, Tebow played baseball. And not only played it, he had a gift for it, and likely could've found himself earning a career in the sport. However, as I mentioned before, he had a passion for football, so he went the direction he wanted to, and look where it got him today.

Another thing that I personally found interesting was that he is a hard core Christian. He grew up in the shadow of his father who was a pastor and a very good man in Christ. His family went on mission trips to the Philippines, where they helped kids who were struggling, and Tim, along with his two brothers would speak to them, and help them better understand and grow closer to the Lord. Thus, throughout the book he gives full credit of his success and his blessings to the Lord, which is one of the reasons I admire him as a person. From reading this book, you can really tell that he is such a good guy, and is one who is able to handle the fame without making bad choices.

Lastly, throughout the book, you learn several important life lessons that he, and many others have been through. It shows a lot of insight, which is good because we all get insight from people we know. However it is good to get it from someone in a different position as well, and it teaches you a lot about staying committed, and believing in yourself and giving the credit to Christ. That was the best piece of information I got out of this book. But there us much for us all to learn from Tebow as a person and a player.

All in all, I give this book an A for its purpose and theme. Tebow also showed that NFL players aren't always retarded, and he can write a successful book. He definitely succeeded. Ultimately, this book is mainly inspirational, but also a little bit informational, and I would recommend it to anyone with a passion because it gives you a lot of inspiration. I know it inspired me to do my best. And even if its not a sport, there's still so much to learn from reading this book.

The Dynamic Path

The Dynamic Path is very inspiring book written by James M. Citrin. It isn't a story or a fairytale. It is more like a book on the path to success. It is a great book and was very inspiring and insightful on how to become a great leader and champion. I loved this book. Not because it was exciting or something that leaves you on the edge of your seat. But because it was almost a lesson on how to succeed. It kept me reading because I wanted to learn more on the topic and how others achieved such a high level of greatness.

This book has a lot of graphs to show the level of greatness in multiple categories. Some of those categories are how great of a leader one is, how great of a champion one is, and how big a change one left on others they touched.n It also gives experiences of people that had been successful in what they wanted to do like Emmit Smith and Lance Armstrong. It also tells stories of business leaders like Ronald Reagan and Colin Powell. It tells their experience, how they handled it, and what they become because of their hard work and dedication. It tells their level of greatness after their success. Many of these great leaders often carry on after they retire and try to give back to the people that got them to where they are.

The most important part of the book to me is when he tells how each of the great leaders and substantial legacies got to where they are today. This book was very inspirational and was the bottom line to the path of greatness. It was basically a lesson on how to be a better person and leader. You learn more than that from the book though and I'll leave that opportunity up to you.

The Blind Side

My new favorite book! This is a great book not only because of the story itself, but because of the author. Read the book even if you have already seen the movie. The book goes into a lot more detail and is more interesting. I also like this book because it is true, and actually happened. Even if you don't like football, or any sports at all, this is still a great book.

This book follows the life of Michael Oher. Until he became famous for his phenomenal athletic ability in high school, he was a no body. He almost never went to school. His GPA started with a 0, it was 0.6 at the beginning of his freshman year in high school. He lived in the worst part of Memphis Tennessee, in a place called "Hurt Village," along with various other practically homeless people trying to survive. To make things worse, his mom was a drug addict, and spent what money she could get on drugs and alcohol. He had the most hopeless childhood imaginable. But now he is making millions as a star player in the NFL. This is the story of how that all happened.

One of the strong themes, or lessons that I got from this book is that miracles can happen. Anything is possible. But you also need to put forth effort if you want something to happen. Michael started with a 0.6 GPA and finished with a 2.58 GPA. He had a personal tutor and studied everyday for at least 4 hours, then went to football practice. It is a miracle that he even got good enough grades to make it to college. When he was about 15, he probably had no hope of a decent career, or future. Although he overcame all odds to play in the NFL, it would have been almost impossible without help, which leads us to the next theme.

"Give someone a hand, and you both climb higher." This is a great quote, and it is what my next theme is about. If it weren't for the Tuohy family (The family that adopted Michael) Michael would probably still be hopelessly living on the streets without a home, and no one would have even known about him or his ability. Everyone has a gift, and sometimes we need others to help us share it, or use it, or find it if we haven't already. Michael played basketball, but never even thought about playing football. The Tuohy's helped him find and utilize his football skills. He was also extremely talented in the discus throw and shot put, without even really practicing. Michael Oher was a talented athlete who needed help, and when he got it, he grew upon his talents, and now he is in the NFL.

Michael Oher's story gives hope to all of us. It is one of the greatest sports stories ever put down on paper. I hope you read this inspiring book, I would recommend it to anyone and everyone.

The Boy Who Dared By Susan Campbell Bartoletti

Helmuth Hubener was a boy who lived at the time when Hitler first came to power. If you want to know what courage is about, reading about Helmuth Hubener is a great way to start. This is one of the best books I've ever read. I was only going to read the first two pages but when I looked up, I was almost a third of the way through the book. It is a fast read and you'll never want to put it down.

The story begins with Helmuth as a young boy. He started out being very loyal to Germany but his feelings of loyalty gradually diminished until he was convinced that something wasn't right and maybe Hitler wasn't the leader Germany needed. So late at night, Helmuth got an illegal radio out of his brother's closet and listened to it despite his brother's warning before leaving for war. He was immediately hooked and listened intently every night while his parents were asleep. He found out that Hitler was lying to all the German citizens and that the Germans were actually losing the war. Helmuth decided he needed to make a change and let the German citizens know the truth about the war. Helmuth decided to bring his friends in with him. He and his two friends, Karl-Heinz Schnibbe and Rudi Wobbe decided to make anti-Hitler fliers that told what was really happening in the war. Then, Helmuth made the risky move of bringing a coworker into the "secret society" that he and his friends had started. Each night, the fliers became more numerous and more dangerous because they put them in very risky places, like in public phone booths. Helmuth certainly became The Boy Who Dared.

This book was extremely intriguing and interesting. If I would have had time, I would have read through this book in a day or a couple hours. Just the storyline is enough to keep anyone captivated and the suspense makes this really interesting. Many books have down parts. Not here! I never wanted to drop the book and I wouldn't have if it wasn't for a basketball game. This book has a much better story line than a lot of fiction books and this story actually happened!

The author has hardly any voice in this book except for the author's note because she is telling someone else's story. So since it's Helmuth's story, his opinions are being expressed. I'm not sure if I completely agree with his ideas. It should have been obvious that a little flier wouldn't cause the downfall of Hitler but a little flier could sentence someone to prison or even worse. I'm not completely convinced that it was the right or even a wise decision for Helmuth and his friends to make and distribute the illegal fliers and pamphlets. However, I go back and forth because I really admire Helmuth's courage and bravery and it serves everybody a very, very important life lesson. This book has made me think more than any other book I have ever read.

This book could teach a very wide range of subjects in school. It shows that every choice or decision has a consequence whether it is good or bad. Helmuth knows all the bad consequences that could happen while making fliers, but he has faith that everything will work. Faith is another subject The Boy Who Dared briefly touches on. Finally, I learned a great deal about trust and the importance of good friends through this book. Helmuth learned a lot about those subjects throughout his life because he had to know if he could trust his friends enough to bring them into his little flier making clan. He found a lot out about who his true friends were during his little escapade.

All things considered, this book was absolutely fantastic. The thought of boredom never entered my mind while I was reading. I really don't know how a book could leave you hanging more and the fact that it was history makes it that much more amazing. I would highly recommend this book to anyone. This is one of the best if not the best books I have ever read. Period.

Inheritance By: Christopher Paolini

Inheritance is an extremely good fiction novel. Being the last book in the Inheritance book series, you need to read the books that follow up to this amazing conclusion of the series to really understand what's going on. The first book in the series is Eragon. This is followed by Eldest and Brisingr. Inheritance is filled with action, adventure, a little romance and all that other good stuff. Parts in the book may be dull or boring at parts but it always pays up for it later in the book. Allow myself to explain more about what the book is about.

Eragon is a dragon rider. They are pretty much the most beast people to ever live. A dragon rider is when a person (human or elf) bonds with a dragon. The dragon will only hatch for a certain person and then they share a special connection with each other. Dragon riders are often taught magic and help defend truth and righteousness. Back in the old days there were many dragon riders but now Eragon is the only good one. There are two others; Murtagh and Galbatorix. Although they are dragon riders they are trying to destroy the empire and it's Eragon's job to stop them.


Eragon is getting ready to face Galbatorix and hopefully bring peace back to the empire. The Varden a group that rebels against Galbatorix, is helping Eragon with other helpful allies. Although Eragon dreads it, he is the only one who will be able to face Galbatorix and live. But his chances are pretty slim. With the help of the elves, dwarves and the Varden, Eragon is willing to risk his neck for the good of the world.

In Inheritance, it has many themes. But I believe that there are two that present themselves most openly. I feel like the main one is doing what needs to be done even though it is hard. Eragon has to make many difficult choices that will affect him but will be best for the rest of the empire. He always does them though, knowing that he is doing the right thing even though it may cause him his life. Another possible theme is trust/love. Not love like kissing and mushy gushy stuff but like with your family. Eragon is always looking out for Saphira and she is doing the same for him. They have been through a lot together and always have each others backs. The whole book is kind of encouraging you to do these things.

The end of the book I did not particularly like. If I were the author I definitely would have done it differently. But again! The reason you do not like it is because Eragon makes a choice to help everybody else but he gets the lower end of the deal. So I guess the end can be ok.

All in all, I thought this was a spectacular book. It kept me in suspense the whole time and fed just the right amount of action and adventure. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes fantasy, adventure, Studly heroes who save the day or just to anybody. This book is undoubtedly an A+