Ms. Anderson's ATM
- Ms. Anderson
- Dec 7, 2020
- 2 min read
Updated: Dec 15, 2020

Let's be honest. Sometimes the book we choose isn't terribly written but it's just the worst. I read two books last week (both graphic novels) that I just didn't like. Not at all! In fact, if either one was my first graphic novel I'm sure that it would have influenced how I feel about the format forever.

The first book, Six Days in Cincinnati, is about the 2001 race riots in Cincinnati. A topic I knew little about and was compelled to investigate. But that's pretty much the beginning of the end of my relationship with this title. I didn't like the art and the narration of the events was very hard to follow. It didn't have a person that I could follow through the events and things seems to bound around wildly. I was left feeling relieved it was short and that I got it over with quickly. I am happy I finished but I was underwhelmed.

Little did I know the next book I would grab from my stack, Alamo All-Stars by Nathan Hale, would be even more frustrating. I have been meaning to read one of the Hazardous Tales series for a while but something else always seemed to catch my attention first. I think in part because when I flip through the print always feels too tiny. But this weekend I was determined to give it a go. What a mess. I cannot for the life of me figure out what the appeal is. The topic, The Alamo, is relatively interesting to me but so far I haven't liked anything about this. I don't like the art, the humor, or the writing style. I am clearly not the target audience because on Good Reads it has a 4.2 rating out of 5! Basically now I'm struggling to decide whether to just abandon it entirely. I am really going to have to dig deep on this one. Wish me luck!

On the up side...I've started two other books that I am really enjoying. Closer to Nowhere by Ellen Hopkins has started out strong. Like all of the books by Hopkins her story is in verse. I've always liked her writing style. She typically writes edgier YA fiction but this is her first tween novel. I'm very hopeful!

And finally, Howard Zinn is an icon among historians and I'm so excited to read the graphic novel adaptation of The People's History. I'm just beginning but it is great so far! I can't help but compare it to The Hazardous Tales and I'll be honest--it doesn't make me like The Alamo any better. But I'll try to be open minded and finish them both so that I can make a true comparison.
Enjoy your week.
Happy reading everyone!
Ms. Anderson
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