Charity's Reading Log

She Said Yes: The Unlikely Martyrdom of Cassie Bernall by Misty Bernall - The tragedy of the Columbine shootings on April 20, 1999, is brought to life through the story of Cassie Bernall. Cassie was in the library studying on that fateful spring day when two young men, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold, opened fire and killed 13 classmates. The is the inspiring story of a young woman who stood up for her beliefs in the face of danger, and ultimately paid the highest price by sacrificing her life because "she said yes," when asked if she believed in God.

--many of my junior high girls have read this book and loved it, too!


Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich - I love non-fiction of all sorts, and this book was no exception. I remembered hearing about all the welfare reform in the 90s, but never really thought about what happened to all those people who "got up off the couch and went to work." Well, this is a pretty acurate account of what happened to those people. The author was inspired by all the rhetoric surrounding welfare reform and decided to see if these low-wage, poverty-level workers are able to survive, let alone prosper, on these paltry wages. Ehrenreich took jobs in Florida, Maine, and Minnesotra, working as a waitress, a nursing home aide, a house-cleaner, and a Wal-Mart employee in hopes of affording the bare minimum in accomodations, food, and health care. During this harrowing social experiement, she soon discovered that these "bottom-of-the-ladder" jobs require exhausting mental and physical efforts. This book reveals how today's working poor get by, or don't, and really caused me to contemplate the way our country handles the issues they face.

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham - Did you know that Christmas with the Kranks was actually based on a book? And that it was written by award winning novelist John Grisham of all people? Well, it is, and the book is even funnier! The book pretty much outlines the movie as far as characters (Luther and Nora Krank) are concerned, but if you're like me, a funny book beats a funny movie any day. I know it's not December, but this book will still put you in the Christmas spirit. Read it now :)