Culture+in+America

By Laura Fitzgerald.** Jan. 2007. 309 p. Bantam Dell, $12.00 (9780553383881) Tamila Soroush lived in a world where the government kept her in the dark, she lived under the Islamic Republic of Iran. In Iran, women can’t follow their dreams, they are considered a lower class of society and are forced to cover their heads with hijabs. On Tami’s twenty-seventh birthday, her parents give her a passport and plane ticket out of Iran to America, the land of freedom and opportunity. Her parents had once lived in America, but came home to visit family. Unfortunately, they weren’t able to get permission to leave Iran again. Tami is to live with her sister, but the catch is, if she doesn’t find an American/Muslim man to marry within 3 months, she will be sent back to Iran. During her time in America, she joins an English as a second language class where she befriends Eva, Nadia, Agata, and Josef. They guide her and form her into an American woman by buying her new lingerie, taking her to western theme clubs, introducing her to Starbucks, and showing her the life that every woman should have a chance to live. As the fun times tick by, it is getting harder and harder to find a suitable fiancé for Tami. One suitor is too neurotic, another doesn’t want to get married, and one man is too feminine… To make matters worse, Tami has been sneaking around with a man named Ike that is not Muslim, so he doesn‘t have the approval of her sister. As the final days of Tami’s visa have arrived, will she have to go back to Iran, where she must mask herself from the world, or will she earn a second chance at life and stay in America? __A Veil Of Roses__ is a story that explains the hardships of Islamic women, and helps us see that a happy ending is possible. When Tami arrives in America you can tell she is excited because she takes pictures of everything that would be illegal back home. Girls and boys playing together, a woman running in only a sports bra, and even a picture of a teenage boy with three nose piercings. The pictures are supposed to represent the everyday acts of freedom that us Americans take for granted. Laura Fitzgerald did a remarkable job capturing the point of view of an Islamic women’s first time in America. From start to finish it flowed, and there was a great amount of background information of the Islam religion. The suspense builds at the end when Fitzgerald is saying whether or not Tami will become a citizen of the United States of America. Although it doesn’t have an enhanced vocabulary, it gives the reader an education on the Middle East while entertaining them. I enjoyed reading this book and would recommend it to girls of all age groups who want to see what life is like in someone else’s shoes. __A Veil of Roses__ is a book that can be enjoyed for years to come. //~Ally W.//
 * A Veil of Roses.

**//A Veil of Roses//** **//By Laura Fitzgerald//** //January 2007. 320 pg. Bantam. $ 12.00.// //978-0553383881//   // Love is something we all take for granted. The freedom that people of our culture are given to find true love is a rare but powerful quality. Tamila Soroush (Tammy) has only a few months to find the man of her dreams and marry him, or else she must go back to Iran and be forced to live there forever. __A Veil of Roses__ is a moving book about a Persian girl who is given the chance to visit America. She is used to arranged marriages and engages most of her time experiencing the interesting concept of love. She explores the freedom and excitement that America brings to her. The theme of __A Veil of Roses__ is that freedom is something we take for granted. The structure of this book is extremely well done. Fitzgerald gives the perfect amount of background of the Iranian culture, to understand the concept of the book. __A Veil of Roses__ is a hilarious book and it is very realistic. One would say that what happens to Tammy could happen to anyone! It is full of basic American life but allows you to see America from an outsider’s perspective. It also has many plots that are happening at one time and that keeps it exciting. One bad thing about the book would have to be its naiveté of Tammy. She acts as if she does not know anything about the American culture, where she must have learned something about it in her lifetime. I would recommend this book, mostly for women and teenagers. I have recommended this book to just about every single person I know. I am a strict reader when it comes to the quality of book but I must say that __A Veil of Roses__ was extremely well done. There are a few adult themes that may not be suitable for kids under the age of 12. There is also some knowledge required of Iran and its culture, but most of it is explained. __A Veil of Roses__ is a love story so I would recommend it for women or men looking for a feminine read. Although it’s main concept is love, there are also a few other factors in this read. There is the obvious clash between cultures. It shows the truth about Iranian culture and the limitations it brings to women. It also shows America and how different it is compared to most societies. This novel would be an excellent addition to one's reading list. It’s filled with love, excitement, culture, humor and that’s just that start of it. // //- Julie C //

One Thousand White Women By Jim Fergus 1998. 302 pg. St. Martin's Press. $14.95. 0-312-19943-0 Journal Entry of May Dodd, 1875-1876 A girl named May Dodd is put into a mental asylum by her own lunatic family for her so-called promicious behavior. Days pass at the asylum and her mind becomes dull. Her life is deprived from the real world. When an opportunity comes to her to slip out of her lunatic lifestyle, she takes it even if she must suffer the consequences of living amongst the savages, Native Americans. These savages are thought to be wild, dirty animals that are unhuman. Fergus illustrates the theme of things are not always as they seem on the outside throughout the story where May discovers the truth about the savages. After an exceptionally long time of living amongst the savages, May discovers that the savages are not as they seem on the outside; they are humans with a different style of living. __One Thousand White Women__ also illustrates the consequences of a decision. At one point, May is stuck between a decision for her savages and white people. She knows the truth about both people but reality also takes its toll. She takes into account the consequences of the future and makes a thorough decision. I would recommend __One Thousand White Women__ to mature girls from ages 14 and up. Many scenes include sexual activities. As a reader, I enjoyed this book overall. It's storyline is interesting because there is a clash between savage and white culture. I also liked that the author gave May Dodd a promicious personability. It gave the story a twist. In addition, I liked the author's style of writing where the story was in journal increments. All of the journal entries added up to the plot and storyline. One of the things that I disliked was that it was written in broken British English and I found it hard to understand what was happening at times. Also, I disliked how the storyline went slowly because the author included unnecessary detail. This book is set in the late 1800s and it would the advantage of the reader to know general facts about this time period. __One Thousand White Women__ shows the clash between savages and white people during the late 1800s. I recommend __One Thosand White Women__ to any readers that would like a better understanding of the late 1800s and the cultural clash. ~Krishna D

2007. 294 Pages. HarperCollins Publisher. $14.95. 978-0-06-125273-0 David Russo spent his early years growing up in the Italian ghettos of Brooklyn and Staten Island. He clawed his way to become the first person in his family to attend an elite college. He attended Williams, from there he managed to get a partial scholarship to Oxford; then he went to Harvard Business School, where he graduated near the top of his class. Now, David has to escape from all of clichés of his background as he becomes Anthony Giovanni's new “kid” at the New York Mercantile Exchange; a place where billions of dollars in oil money trade hands every week, and where fights commonly break out. As David soon finds out, his college education means nothing, and if he wants to get anywhere, he first has to learn how to fight. David uses his background to allow the tough, multi-millionaire executives of the "Merc" to begin to respect him. Just a few months later, David is living a great life on the sandy shores of Dubai. As he is taken under the wing of another oil enthusiast, he sets off on a dangerous mission to change the world of oil. __Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, From Wall Street to Dubai__ is masterfully written and is a true story. Each page is more gripping than the last. I liked the action of the book the most. I did not think that the book was anything like what I expected it to be: it was better. I disliked a few situations in which I felt the author stretched certain events, which began to get a little bit boring to read. Although the book is very good, it consistently uses profane language and there are some moments in which offensive language, graphic violence, and explicit sexual situations are used. Also, it used some vocabulary that I was not aware of, so it was slightly annoying having to guess what certain words meant. I would recommend this book for teens and adults, specifically those who have an interest in learning something new. In order to read this book, you have to realize that this is reality, and sometimes reality is not as sweet and nice as people want it to be or think of it being. This story is true, and thus, there are moments in which language is used that people may think is not necessary, but it is accurate. Also, I think that this book is much better for men than women. The book involves lots of fighting, and verbal attacks that women may not be as fond of. This book is a great one to read, and can teach you a ton about the world of oil, and also general life lessons in a realistic yet feel-good story. - Andrew C.
 * Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, From Wall Street to Dubai**
 * By Ben Mezrich**

**By Laura Esquivel** //1989. 256p. Doubleday, $13.95 ( 0-385-49747-4) // Tita lives in Mexico, and is 100% Mexican. Her family follows the tradition where the youngest daughter is not allowed to marry because she must care for the mother when she grows old and cannot take care of herself. Tita is that youngest daughter of Mama Elena, and the younger sister of Rosaura. Tita and Pedro fall in love, but Pedro must marry Rosaura, even though he still has feelings for Tita. Nacha, Tita’s nurse, dies all of a sudden after the wedding, and Tita grieves of her death. Mama Elena has the sly eye, and notices ongoing romance between Tita and Pedro and tells Pedro’s family to move to San Antonio. He moves Rosaura and their infant son, Roberto. When separated, Tita is depressed and after hearing of her new born nephew’s death, she is hysterical. She blames the death on Mama Elena for separating Roberto, the nephew, from her, because Tita was the one that provided milk. After hearing this, Mama Elena sends her to an asylum. This is where she meets John, her doctor, an American, and her soon-to-be fiancé. At the asylum, Chencha comes to stabilize Tita. After eating her ox-tail soup, Tita regains her healthy mind and returns home, yet again, to cause another stir in her love life with Pedro. Pedro and Tita meet up again and something happens that stalls her plans of being engaged. What happens to the love triangle between Tita, Pedro, and John? What does Rosaura have to say about everything going on? To find out details and the answer to the questions, engage in __Like Water for Chocolate__. In this book, it teaches people that love, as long as it’s strong enough, always prevails. Love carries on until death, and maybe even after death. It keeps people alive and happy, but also brings them sadness and death. The book takes course over a year. Each chapter portrays a month in a year in chronological order. Organizing the chapters like this is a very clever and unique idea. Because the book is set in a year’s time, and a chapter being one month, the book is slightly choppy, near the end and beginning of a new month. It is only choppy because of the time gap sometimes in between, but the story flows very well. The author uses and phrases words well, making the reader feel like the story comes to life. Many would like this book, but it is recommended for high school girls. High school boys may read it as well, but it is a romance story followed by tragedy, and most boys do not go for books in this genre. The reason why it is not recommended to middle school girls is because it has some sexual content that is not suitable for them. The story of Tita’s love life is incredible, surprising, and unbelievable. Readers will not be disappointed. -Angela H.
 * Like Water for Chocolate**

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We take for granted the luxury’s that we have just like the four Garcia girls, Yolanda, Carla, Sandra, and Sofia. The Garcia girls grew up in the Dominican Republic living like pampered princesses with maids and a very big house. Being forced out of their pampered lives they move to America and, although it is hard at first, they find more opportunities than they could have ever imagined. They start new lives in America and they try to forget their old home, language, and culture. When they come back for their father’s birthday and see their “little” island, they are torn between moving back or continuing their lives in America. They seek their parent’s approval knowing that their parents want them to move back to the island. It is a decision that will change their lives forever and all four girls know that there will always be a piece of them on the island. __How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents__ shows the struggles of an old and new world. The girls want to be independent and experience new things but they fear that their parents won’t approve. They are torn between making themselves happy or listening to their parent’s wishes. This is like the struggles that every young person goes through when they move out of their homes and begin life on their own. The Garcia girls are scared to go against their parents wishes because they do not know how they will react. __How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents__ was very choppy and hard to follow. It is a novel series so it would probably be easier to understand if the other novels are read. The events were not in order which made it very hard to understand. The book was written backwards, so the last event was when the girls came to the island. This book was very poorly written and it was not a wonderful book, although it was not a terrible book either. The Garcia girls had many relatives so it was hard to remember who everyone was. It was for a more serious person than the average high school girl. This book is for female high school students who are very serious and like drama. Although __How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents__ was hard to understand at times, it had a very relatable message that is important for everyone to know. Although we may seek others approval, in the end we must do what is right for ourselves.=====

~ Jillian P.
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(0395927218). Gr. 9-12.** Cursed with a name that he has little understanding of, Gogol Ganguli has no ties to his American life but a growing resentment for his parent's strange Bengali traditions. Gogol’s name comes from a tragic train wreck where his father’s life was spared by standing near a window, out of the place of impact, for light while attempting to read from his favorite book, __The Overcoat__. He contributes his life saving miracle to the Russian author, Nikolai Gogol. When trying to name their first born son, Gogol’s parents grant the honor to his great-grandmother. But the letter containing his name was lost in the mail and the mystery of the unknown name perished along with her. Unable to come up with a good Indian name, his father chooses Gogol, looking back at the event for the first time without bitterness. Gogol, who was never told of his father’s accident, felt as if the name suffocated him. In an attempt to rid himself of his past, Gogol changes his name to Nikhil, completely unaware of his father’s connection to the name. With the rejection of his parent's foreign ways, Gogol tries to pursue a completely American life full of drugs, sex, and money. With a new name, Gogol goes through a complete transformation. He goes to college to become an architect against the warnings from his parents. Alone, he gets caught up in the confusion that surrounds falling in and out of love, for his parents had an arranged marriage and the concept of falling in love is completely foreign to them. Gogol must also learn how to cope with death when mysterious heart attacks plague his family. But through it all, Gogol must realize that all of these things had to happen for him to find out “that any other name was quite out of the question.”
 * The Namesake**
 * By Jhumpa Lahiri**
 * 2003. 291p. First Mariner Books, $13.99

With Jhumpa Lahiri’s unique writing style, the writing flows together nicely over the course of Gogol’s journey into adulthood, until the very end of the book where Gogol’s trials seem to have taken a toll on him and his now incoherent mind. This is a book written for those who have grown up in a different country as their parents and, therefore, struggle with cultural differences. Though anyone can easily find a piece of Gogol in themselves especially those who have ever struggled with generation gaps. But, due to some sexual and graphic scenes, this book is for mature readers at least over high school age. As a reader, I thought that this was a very thought provoking book on the cultural differences between generations and I thoroughly enjoyed it. __The Namesake__ will make you laugh and will make you cry and is an overall enjoyable book to read. It causes you to think about the meaning behind your very own name and challenges the famous quote from __Romeo and Juliet__, “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.” ~Chris F **//--//

A Veil of Roses** **By Laura Fitzgerald** January 2007. 320 pg. Bantam. $ 12.00. 978-0553383881

Imagine living a life without choices and freedom. All Tamilia Soroush has known is a restricted life full of the rules and regulations of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Tami is fed up with the life she lives now: hopeless, dreamless, joyless, and depressing. A ray of hope comes for Tami on her twenty-seventh birthday, when she is given an opportunity to go to America. Tami leaves Iran anxious and hopeful—and in search of love. She has three months before her visa expires to find a husband, or return to Iran for good. America gives Tami hundreds of different possibilities. She finds friends, freedom, love, and so much more. Through twists and turns Tamilia grows, learns and experiences the small liberties and joys of America—but will she find a way to stay there for good? __Veil of Roses,__ by Laura Fitzgerald, is intriguing, enjoyable, and exceptionally well written. The theme of this book is people often take small everyday freedoms for granted. So many times people go through life complaining about little things. This book presents the fact that someone in a completely different culture could be much worse off than the person who is complaining. __Veil of Roses__ portrays the theme nicely from the viewpoint of Tami just entering into America, where there are endless freedoms, as apposed to Iran, were there are not nearly as many. The organization is set up nicely and it flows very well. There is not a lot of difficult vocabulary in the book, and it is a fairly easy read. The story has its ups and downs and keeps you interested the whole time. This culturally rich book, with an intertwined love story, is hard to put down once the reader picks it up. It is really neat learning new things about a completely different culture than mine. Reading __Veil of Roses__ exposed me to what girls and women around the world in different cultures go through everyday. It made me analyze how I live on a daily basis. It brought me to realize how lucky I am to live in America and have all the freedoms that I take for granted. The book captured the importance of not taking things for granted nicely. I recommend this book for mainly teen girls. __Veil of Roses__ is primarily a love story, but it is a book rich in culture as well. It compares cultures and societies and shows how different they are. __Veil of Roses__ is a wonderful, enjoyable love story that teaches life lessons and enriches knowledge about a different culture. -Amy E