Martin Espada

In class we have recently read the poems "The New Bathroom Policy at English High School," "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," and "Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877," by Martin Espada. They all share a central theme—discrimination, prejudice, and ignorance towards another culture.

In "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," a principal overhears a group of boys conversing in Spanish. He doesn't understand the language but recognizes his own name. He shows prejudice by making the assumption that the boys were speaking negatively about him, and banning Spanish in the bathrooms. He didn't bother to talk to the boys about what they had said. This is discriminatory towards all Spanish-speakers in the school, not just the boys in the bathroom, as he generalized the entire Latino/Hispanic population in the building instead of focusing on the boys. He assumed that all Spanish-speakers were in the wrong when it was only a few boys who may not have been speaking negatively about him in the first place. The discriminatory connotation of the principal's actions are central to the text.

In  "Revolutionary Spanish Lesson," The narrator says "whenever my name is mispronounced" implying that it is mispronounced often. While it is understandable that a name, especially if it is uncommon to the person saying it, will be mispronounced, continuing to mispronounce it after being corrected a number of times shows disrespect and flippancy towards the culture of that person. this is an example of discrimination, because it shows the unjust and prejudicial actions of not bothering to pronounce the name of an individual of a foreign culture. My name, Selena-Alicia Martínez, is often pronounced 'Sah-lee-na Ah-lee-sha Mart-in-ez' rather than 'Sah-lay-na Ah-lee-see-a Mart-een-ez.' While I know that usually it is purely accidental, I can understand the feelings of exasperation in Espada's poem. Continued mispronunciation is a form of disrespect, which is a form of discrimination, which can inspire the angry emotions present in this particular poem. The common mispronunciation of the narrator's name is a major theme in the poem.

The poem "Two Mexicanos Lynched in Santa Cruz, California, May 3, 1877," is about a group of men who lynched two people for the 'crime' of being native to another country. The "gringo vigilantes cheered the rope that snapped [the necks of] two Mexicanos," states the poem. This is a huge example of discrimination because it shows people judging others by ethnicity, something that no one can control about themselves and no one should be persecuted for, to an extent where they go so far as to kill them for their race. The abhorrence towards a person based on their origin is a huge main idea in this poem.

In conclusion, unjust and prejudicial treatment of people based on their ethnicity is a theme in all of the Martin Espada poems we read in class. Whether clearly stated or underlying, it is always evident.

The Vanishing Violin

I recently finished the second installment of The Red Blazer Girls Series, by Michael D. Beil. If I was pleasantly surprised by the first one I was astounded by the second. The plot was much more interesting, with richer and more believable character development, a wider variety of settings, and a plot filled with surprises and intrigue. An added bonus was the codes the girls had to decipher; they were extremely fascinating, and it was fun to try to decode them before the characters did. The writer also has a great sense of humor—the main character, Sophie St. Pierre, is hilariously honest in her narrations, and is such a funny, relatable character that more than once did I have to make an effort to not start laughing in the middle of a crowded subway car. I also love the books portrayal of the city, with its diverse and odd variety of people and places, from the small, musty violin shop run by a kind, aged Polish-man and and ex-convict who's favorite companion is the shiny button he carries everywhere to a small coffee shop who's one floor is partially submerged below street level, hosting a mixture of dilapidated couches and banged-up tables, arranged artfully on a sticky floor, commonly frequented by schoolgirls in vermillion blazers, who are served by baristas with oversize glasses or pink-streaked hair.

The case the girls are working on involves a twice-stolen missing violin, estimated to be worth tens—maybe hundreds—of thousands dollars. They are left a string of clues, each disguised in a different code, that will eventually lead them to the valuable instrument. I cannot WAIT for the next book—I'm excited to see how the story continues. I recommend it to everyone!

Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters

I was completely blown away by Cornelia and the Audacious Escapades of the Somerset Sisters, by Lesley M. M. Blume. It tells the story of Cornelia S. Engleheart, the lonely and, music-wise, untalented daughter of two world famous pianists. She lives in a beautiful apartment in Greenwich, and sees more of her French maid and cook than her mother. Having no interests in common with her classmates, Cornelia spends her time sleeping, eating, going to school, and—of course—reading. Her room is filled with shelves overflowing with an over abundance of books, arming her with a vocabulary she uses as a weapon—large words, she finds, generally ensure that people leave her alone.

That is until Virginia Somerset elderly and vivacious, accompanied by Patel, her friend and caretaker and tiny black French Bulldog, moves into the apartment next door, a masterpiece in itself with rooms themed after places she has visited–a silk hammock piled with elaborate pillows next to a large fountain placed between two palm trees rooted into the white marble floor serves as her Moroccan front hall. She invites Cornelia for tea. During this meeting Virginia tells her first story about her adventures traveling the world with her four audacious sisters when they were young. This visit kindles the spark of what grows to be a close friendship, involving daily visits where tales and tea are shared, between a isolated girl starving for affection and desperate for a friend, and a lively woman pleased by the companionship of the lonely intelligent girl who lives in the apartment next door. It was beautifully written and portrayed how friendship can transcend age and *Spoiler Alert* death.

Masterpiece

Earlier this year I read Shakespeare's Secret, by Elise Broach. I really enjoyed it, so a few days ago I chose to read Masterpiece, by the same author. Masterpiece tells the story of Marvin. Marvin is a beetle, living with his family in a hollowed out corner of the cupboard in the kitchen of James, son of Mrs. Pompaday and step-son of Mr. Pompaday. When James, who is constantly ignored and under-appreciated by his family, receives a fountain pen and ink from his artist father, he is exasperated. Marvin finds the art set and, by dipping his front legs into the ink, discovers that he can draw. The result is a breath-taking two-dimensional version of the outside view. Mrs. Pompaday sees the drawing and thinks her son is the artist. Soon James finds himself being compared to Albrecht Durer, the famous Renaissance artist, and becomes involved in a plot to help the Metropolitan Museum of Art recover several Durer masterpieces that have been stolen.

I didn't love the book as much as I did Shakespeare's Secret, as it wasn't as thematically or linguistically advanced, but it was a light, fun, easy to read story. I also happen to be a huge fan of books relating to museums and art heists, so I did especially enjoy those aspects of the book. I think people looking for a break between heavier, more advanced reads would particularly enjoy this.

The Red Blazer Girls

The book was refreshing—it had a unique plot and a host of engaging, interesting characters for whom the reader immediately is empathetic to. The characters were diverse, and the book showed many of the wonders of the city. Overall, it's perfect for a bit of light reading. I can't wait to get the next one in the series, and look forward to seeing how things develop for this team of intelligent, vivacious students.The Red Blazer Girls, by Michael Beil, is the kick-off to a series that has so far pleasantly surprised. It features a group of scarlet-clad thirteen year olds (Sophie, Margaret, Becca, and Leigh Ann), who stumble upon their first case while in the vast, drafty old church directly next to their school—St. Veronica's. they meet and elderly lady living alone in an apartment next to the church. She recently found, tucked inside a dusty, leather-book, a note. From her late father to her estranged daughter, Caroline, the note contained the first clue to a treasure hunt meant for Caroline when she turned thirteen. The woman enlists the girls' help in following the clues. Their chase will lead them to a prize grander than they ever imagined—the only problem is, they're not the only ones searching for it.

The Lucky Ones

I initially picked out The Lucky Ones because it is by the same author who wrote The Luxe series (which I read earlier this year), Anna Godbersen. This book is similar to her other series, in the way that it focuses on the rich, beautiful, and important people and their numerous scandals, and is set in an earlier time period. In her first series it was the 1890s—in this book, it is the 1920s. They seemed to me renditions of Gossip Girl, the difference being the time period. They are well written, fast-paced, dramatic, and full of detail, so I was very much entertained. Upon finishing the book, I realized that it was not, as I believed, the first in Godbersen's second series, but the the third. Which in retrospect explained why they talked of huge plot developments that had happened before the beginning of the book. Though this disappointed me, I still enjoyed the book, and have a feeling that the first two should be at least as good as the first.

The books are told in third person, buts the events alternately relate to three best friends—Astrid, Cordelia, and Letty. The book is set in the time period of prohibition—and  alcohol being banned hasn't stopped people from drinking it. Cordelia Grey is the daughter of a deceased bootlegger (an illegal alcohol salesman and owner of various contraband clubs and bars). She and her brother Charlie have been left in charge of the illicit business. Charlie has recently married Astrid, who is quickly realizing that her husband is not who she thought he was, and is spending more and more time with her bodyguard, an employee of Charlie's, than her husband. Letty has recently moved to New York City to become an actress, and is being generously taken under the wing of Valentine and Sophia, two famous movie stars. But Letty finds herself developing feelings for Valenine, she moves into the dangerous field of pursuing a married man.

The Heist Society

I just read The Heist Society, by Ally Carter. The protagonist, Katarina Bishop (Kat),  is the fifteen year old daughter of Robert Bishop, a world-renowned thief. The Bishops and their extended family have all worked together to pull off some of the biggest heists in history. Their life is crime. In Kat's family, children knew how to pickpocket someone before they learned to tie their shoes. She was no exception. But she realized it wasn't the life she wanted. Three months previously, she managed to con her way into the best boarding school in the world. Once admitted, she left the world of thievery behind. But when Hale, a rich (and gorgeous) sixteen-year-old friend of the family, pulls Kat out of boarding school to tell her that her father is being blamed for stealing five priceless paintings residing in the private collocation of Arturo Taccone, a very wealthy, very dangerous man, she has to leave to save her father. The deadline to return Taccone's paintings to him is in two weeks. If Kat  doesn't succeed, not only does her father die, but so does Hale, as well as other members of her family. The problem is, she doesn't have the paintings. Neither does her father. She knows, however, that the reside on the opposite side of five paintings in the Henley—possibly the greatest and best protected museum in the world.

I expected this too be an okay book at best. By the time I finished it, it had pretty much risen to my Top Ten list, which most books don't even get close too. The writing was dramatic and descriptive, and kept me entertained the whole time. I also loved the wide variety of locations—the book was organized so that after each section was a page that stated the number of days until the deadline and the particular place they were in. It made the book more exciting, and allowed for a glimpse into the world of an elite class of thieves. Despite this, the story was still relatable. Kat is struggling between loyalty to her family, and doing what she wants. And all while the main plot is developing, characters and their relationships are developing, common issues are arising. The relationships are also very realistic; in other words, complicated. The author also shows the desirability of this glamorous, high-risk, high reward, and frankly unimaginable world. It is a world where normal rules and expectations don't apply, where you visit four countries in a day, unaccompanied by anyone over eighteen She also shows a world where you must be completely dependent on yourself, where you spend about ten days a year with parents bust blinds potting cameras and forging masterpieces. I loved this book; it was amazing, and unlike any I've ever seen. I highly recommend it.