Tolog Review: A Girl's Life Online

A Girl's Life Online
by Katherine Tarbox
reviewed by Skylar Bowyer

A Girl’s Life Online by Katherine Tarbox is an autobiographical narrative that follows a young Katie Tarbox through a very emotional and difficult time in her life. Katie Tarbox, a thirteen year old girl, does not fit in with people her age in her small suburban town. Katie finds her sister’s laptop and eventually logs onto an online chatroom that she begins to visit frequently. She talks to a few random people until she finds Mark, a twenty-three year old man who lives outside of Los Angeles. After only months of knowing Mark, Katie says, “When we were together, Mark wasn’t twenty-something. I wasn’t a thirteen-year-old. We were equals who didn’t really have ages” (Tarbox 50). When Mark and Katie are talking, there is no age barrier, they are just two people communicating. Mark is someone Katie relates to, he doesn’t judge her by her looks, but is more interested in what she has to say, he listens to her, understands her and in Katie’s eyes, is perfect. 

Mark and Katie begin to talk more and more and eventually exchange personal information. They then begin to send emails and talk on the phone with each other. Katie, who is an avid swimmer, goes to Texas for a swim meet and Mark offers to meet her there at the hotel. Although Katie is a bit nervous to meet Mark face-to-face for the first time after only talking to him through email and the phone, she is excited to finally meet the man who she has fallen in love with. “I was now about to meet the man I loved. He knew so much about me, but also very little” (Tarbox 91). However, when Katie and Mark meet, Mark is not the man young Katie imagined the love of her life to be, then things take a turn for the worst. 

This book was extremely interesting to read and I could not put it down. Throughout the book, the author, Katherine Tarbox, uses first person, giving the readers insight into her perspective of the events that took place, making it easier to relate to the author and understand the actions that she decided to make. The book was separated very interestingly as well. Each chapter was named by one word, for example “together” or “victim”, each corresponding with a time during her relationship with Mark. The naming of the chapters made it very easily to follow and gave each chapter a very dramatic effect. I also felt that this book was extremely relatable, especially to teenagers who are living in a world where technology and social media has become so prevalent in everyday life. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who wants an interesting story that people everyday can relate to. 

Tolog Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
reviewed by Jinan Al-Marayati

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou is an invigorating novel and takes place in the 1940s. The author wrote this story with the exact events that occurred in her own life. Maya Angelou began her life in the little town of St. Louis, Missouri with an older brother and two happily married parents. Little did she know that by the age of three, her parents would be divorced and she and her brother would be shipped off to live with their grandmother. Maya Angelou does an excellent job of reliving her story through beautiful words and intriguing events. Overall, Angelou explains her transformation from awkward, uncomfortable, and shy to outspoken, intelligent, and confident through this entertaining novel. 

The story begins with Maya as a child reciting a poem in front of the entire church. All of a sudden, she completely forgets the rest of the poem and is standing silent in front of a crowd of many people. As any other child would do, she ran back home filled with a mixture of emotions: peeing, laughing, and crying. She also had to get through a child tripping her and many malicious children laughing and making fun of her. This particular chapter and scene foreshadows much of the book. It shows that through her childhood and teenage years, she has always felt unwanted and uneasy. Eventually, she becomes mute because of a traumatic experience and does not speak for a very long period. Finally, she finds her voice through an independent high-class black woman. Not only does she look at this woman as a positive figure, she continuously visits her and starts to read aloud multiple poems and books. Maya goes through many interesting, complex, and terribly tough times throughout her life, but eventually she overcomes almost every obstacle she is faced with.

Throughout the novel Maya incorporates eye-opening stories that were extremely racist and sexist. It thoroughly goes through the discrimination against black people and women. Not only does the book exemplify acceptance, but it shows how strong one person can be with support from the community of diversity. She shows that all races have been through at least one difficult time, therefore if all work together and support each other there might be a millisecond of peace. She explains the hardships that she faced, but always with the community or family beside her.

I heard of the book through my mother. She had first suggested that I read it during the summer, but I did not feel that I would be up for the boring read, or so I thought. I finally decided to take the chance and read the novel, to find out that it was quite interesting and thought provoking. I enjoyed reading about Maya’s experiences and how she overcame her problems. In a way, the novel gave me confidence and determination; that eventually all ends well.

The novel goes through depressing times, happy times, and overbearing obstacles. This book is great for readers that enjoy a strong lead female character. Additionally, the book goes through the mind of Maya, giving the reader her entire aspect. This story pulls readers in from the beginning, always curious what would occur next in the life of Maya Angelou. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings is a great story for any one with the desire to read. 

Tolog Review: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
by Maya Angelou
reviewed by Catherine Condit

“To whom it may concern,” is what the tags on the wrists of three-year old Marguerite and four-year old Bailey said in the true story, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou. Marguerite and Bailey’s parents sent them off to the town of Stamps, Arkansas deep in the South to live with their independent grandmother. As they grew up in the South in a primarily black neighborhood, the concept of white people was almost foreign to them. Marguerite was a top student with perfect manners but she had to go through her own hard times. She struggled with being raped and the idea that her parents did not want her anymore. Bailey was an adventurous boy who lived by his own rules, but had seen things he should not have to see at a young age. 

The strong relationship between Marguerite and Bailey saved each other when times were difficult. Together, they had been through so much that they trusted each other more than most siblings. The bond they shared was very heartwarming in contrast to the struggles they endured. Maya Angelou wrote an honest recollection of her childhood, and she looked back on her life in such a way that was wise while keeping in the elements of a story told by a young girl. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was an excellent memoir for readers over the age of thirteen. Some very mature concepts are addressed, and someone younger might not understand or be mature enough to hear. Reading this, I was left speechless after some portions or laughing in others. The life of Maya Angelou is a success story that shows that not only will it get better, but also your life as a child does not determine what you will do in the future. I thoroughly recommend I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings for a read that will not only cause the reader to deeply think, but also provide he or she to evaluate their personal lives. 

Tolog Review: Colors of the Mountain

Colors of the Mountain
by Da Chen
reviewed by Chelsea Cheung

The Colors of the Mountain tells a story of a child who did not grown up from a poor family in China. Due to the social class that the Chen family was in, the government and the people in his community did not respect them at all. The marginalization of their family did not change the way how the parents educate their children; they were well education in the way of treating other with respect than the others who were richer than the Chen’s. When one of the children from the Chen’s family first went to school, he was accused and punish by a teacher for something that he did not do. That child was then forced to write a reflection paper to apologize to the teacher. He then went home and told his father about what has happened in school, but his father told him not to write it and not to apologize to anyone when he has not done anything wrong. In this novel, I can see the poor were treated awfully by government and other people as well as everything they do were seen as a sin back in the days in China. However, the poor has more integrity than the others think. Similarly to Black Boy by Richard Wright, Richard was poor and black therefore people look down him, but he does have more faith and integrity in himself than others do. Da Chen, the author of Colors of the Mountain tells us that being poor does not mean anything; integrity and diligence is what makes someone successful. If you like books that are realistic and books that tells a story of someone's life, you would love this book !