Your Own, Sylvia: a verse portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephen Hemphill

Of course I have heard of Sylvia Plath, but that's about as far as my knowledge went-that and the fact that she had a tragic life and death. I've never been much of a poetry fan. I read what I had to in school and that was about it. To me, all poets are really old and from the 1800s. I know that's silly, but that's where my mind goes when I think poetry. So, this biography of Sylvia Plath was an eye-opener for me. It wasn't that long ago that she was writing her poetry.

The author chose to write this biography in poems that reflect Plath's own style. Her life from birth to her death is told through the voices of her family, friends and acquaintances. Additional biographical information is written as footnotes at the bottom of each page. I would never have picked up a biography on Plath. I would have never been aware of her poetry. This book changed my view and I'm all ready looking up Plath's own work.

Repossessed by A.M. Jenkins

I wasn't looking forward to reading this book. I had had my fill of depressing stories about drugs, suicide, death and deviance. I reluctantly cracked the book and began to read. I was pleasantly surprised. It was the opposite of what I expected. The book was hopeful. The main message I picked up was we should appreciate our lives while we have them and take advantage of the wonderful creation that we are and that is around us.

This story of hope is told through the eyes of a disgruntled peon from Hell who decides to take a break and experience what life is like as a human. He hijacks a teenage body to do this. The body had belonged to a boy named Shaun, but Shaun had been hit by a truck and killed while crossing the road. Kiriel, the demon, takes over his body before anyone can notice Shaun has died. Living as Shaun, Kiriel begins to appreciate Earth, humanity and all God created; something he was never able to do before.

There is so much going on in this book: criticism of the education system, a study of human emotions (guilt, shame), a discussion of the Seven Deadly Sins, sex, our insecurities in relationships with others, and the question most humans have at one point or another, does anyone care? Does God care? I can definitely see this book spurring some great discussion in a psychology/sociology class in high school. Of course, if this book would even be "allowed" in most schools...