Always Human Review and Cover Recreation

I. Loved. This. Book!

Always Human is a lesbian love story set in a hyper-technologic future. In a world where people can modify everything about themselves with a few lines of code and some nanobots, Sunati notices the girl who never changes. Romance ensues…and an amazing one at that!

The colors in Always Human are phenomenal. It’s one of those things about a comic that you just can’t describe with words. The pictures leap off of their pages, every emotion feels like it bleeds through into the background of each picture, and the character designs are amazing.

And the story! Ohhhh boy. The first time I read this series, it was primarily whenever I had freetime in one of my classes. I nearly cried after a math test more than once because of this book. The characters are so relatable to me and my relationship, it was so easy to get attached to them. Every twist and turn of their relationship feels so realistic, even in the sci-fy setting.

Sunati and Audrey’s developing relationship comprises most of the plot of this book. How they meet and get closer, what stresses their relationship, and learning how to deal with those hardships. It’s a classic romance setup, but not one that the LGBTQ+ community gets to see very often. I’m so glad that future lesbians and wlw will have this novel out in the open. It portrays a healthy lesbian relationship, with no huge age gaps or over-sexualization. And plenty of side characters have good rep too! The ones I can remember off of the top of my head is a beautiful and confident ace girl, and a lovely nonbinary character. I don’t want to spoil who they are though, guess you’ll just have to read it yourself!

While I wouldn’t call the actual content of Always Human revolutionary, to me it is. This was the first sweet lesbian love story I’d ever read, and I got to watch my girlfriend experience the story as well.Maybe that makes me biased in my review, but I cannot rate this book higher. It is an amazing read for anyone out there, especially if you’re in the LGBTQ+ community.

Happy reading!

My lovely partner agreed to help me do a long distance recreation of one of Always Human’s other covers:

How’d we do?

House on Mango Street Review and Analysis

Okay look, I want my brutal year of Mr. Schick’s English 9 class to pay off. This is one of the only required reading books I’ve ever enjoyed. The story follows a young girl named Esperanza Cordero. It’s non-linear, and a very quick read. Each chapter feels like some sort of freeform poem, with symbolism and metaphor hidden behind every word. You can spend hours picking apart a book like this.

And that’s what I did! (Thanks Mr. Schick)

I have loved this book since the very first time I read it, and there’s been many re-reads since then. It’s already critically acclaimed, I definitely don’t differ from the norm there, but I hope that more average people who may have missed this book in their school curriculum will pick it up.

The story covers many themes, only a few of which I will talk about here. The main themes are: Poverty, Coming of Age, Gender Oppression, and Personal Identity. All of these are brilliantly interwoven between the short chapters (also called vignettes because of their standalone qualities).

Now, I don’t want to get too deep into the novel – I’ve already done that and had it graded, thank you very much – but I think it’s important to address that people who have lived their lives full of poverty, oppression, and identity crises brought about by a country that doesn’t accept the diversity living in its borders have always known how much these themes intersect. The amazing ability of this work is to convey to those who don’t struggle that a life stuck near the bottom of society is influenced by multiple avenues. Being poor gets harder if you are also poor and POC, harder still if you are poor, POC, and a woman. It is remarkable that anyone can claw their way out of all of those awful conditions and the book shows in some pretty vivid detail just how many obstacles can get in your way to success.

The House on Mango Street doesn’t just portray suffering though. It shows the sense of community that can rise from shared oppression, and it leaves the reader with an inspirational message of rising from your station and bettering the world. But more than that, The House on Mango Street encouraged me to want to change the world.

Reading this book, learning about Esperanza, putting yourself in her shoes – it makes you want to change what you can about the world that has caused so much suffering around her. It makes you want to create a world where little girls can grow up without worrying about the men on the street corner, a world where racial equity well and truly exists. This book made me want to do something, to help people. It gives you a sense of community even if you just sit alone and read it in your bedroom. I would recommend it with all of my heart.

The House on Mango Street is an old book, found pretty much anywhere books are found. I got my copy from my teacher, I think, but I know it’s available through amazon here.

The author, Sandra Cisneros, has written many other novels, and you can read about her here. If you like this book, I would definitely recommend checking out her other works. She deserves all the praise she has received.

Happy Reading!

What’s on My Desk…Day 2

Lot less chaotic today! About 24 hours later, and I’ve already made some big differences. I’ve set aside on corkboard for notes and other important pinables. I’ve also gone through my paper pile and made space for a desk lamp to brighten my available writing area. Next stop, a lamp and something to hold my phone up for multitasking.

What’s on my desk

With the pandemic going on, I’ve spend a lot of time staring at the same cork board. My desk is part of a loft bed, and the boxy design makes it even hard to keep everything nice and organized. Right now, it’s a bit of a mess. I plan on fixing that. Follow me on my journey of making the desk a workable place for the upcoming new year!

Travel Tips

Don’t go anywhere! Seriously, this showed up as a ‘cookie cutter’ post when I started this blog. Please, for the safety of us all, avoid travel when you can. If you have to travel, wear a mask – everywhere. When you have to take it off, make sure you’re away from others. Distance helps keep those you love safe. We’ve all been trying so hard, don’t give up now. Travel will be so much sweeter when we’re all safe.  

Staying Organized

A high school student with their shit together? Not something you’ll find here! But an organization system I do have. Let me walk you through it.

The Post-It Board

This board is right above my desk. I put a lot of long-term things here. School references often ends up taking over, but I also have a place for work now, and Dungeons and Dragons Stuff. It helps me know what to do every day!

Oh The Calendars..

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2 physical calendars, plus digital work ones and the iphone’s beautiful, beautiful Reminders app. I write all my stuff down, everywhere. 30 times, if possible. This makes sure I can’t avoid whatever is there. Forget my planner? Well, all the big dates are written on the one connected to the wall. Dragons break in and steal my calender? Suckers! I work ahead in my planner. It’s time consuming, but sooo useful.

Advice

Not everyone benefits from a post-it board or a metric butt ton of planners. Organization systems should be personalized, and it’s nice to give yourself time before you need to use it. Try out a few methods the summer before school or the weeks before work, and build it up as you go. Eventually, you’ll look around and realize…. you kinda have your shit together. ; )