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Review:
Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai is a story about understanding. Understanding a world completely different from your own. Once you understand what it's like to live in that world, you can find a home.
The main character Mai never wanted to visit Vietnam for the summer. She would rather hang out with her popular friend Montana and play at Laguna Beach than reconnect with her roots. As she meets the sweaty, mosquito-infected world of her grandmother's village, Mai counts down the days until she can go home.
Then Mai meets Ut. Ut is a strong girl just like Mai. They argue at first about why American girls find bikinis fashionable and why American girls like to show their bottoms. Eventually, the two girls connect, bringing Mai deeper into the world of Vietnam.
I enjoyed watching Mai and Ut's friendship. They come from different worlds, but are still able to become friends in just one second. I found their relationship to be very inspirational. We often think of our friends only having to come from our homes. We meet people when we travel, but we never consider each other to be true friends. Mai and Ut prove that statement wrong. Anybody, residing anywhere, can become our best of friends.
Listen, Slowly also reveals a culture different to my own and to Mai's. Mai at first fights the differences. She complains about them and doesn't allow her body to adjust to the change. After becoming Ut's friend, she relaxes and realizes the beauty of the world.
She stops her hair from collecting lice, travels to Hanoi to see a guard, catches frogs in the water with Ut, and does many other things she wouldn't have been able to do in California. As the book goes on, Mai mentions Montana and Laguna Beach less and talks about her new, exciting home even more.
I find this book to fit right in with the theme of July. Mandela Day is about helping other people from a different culture than your own. To do that, you have to understand the culture you're helping. To understand, you must experience. Mai does all three of those actions. She understands what it's like to live in Vietnam by experiencing the culture with Ut. Although she didn't appreciate it at first, she eventually learned to accept it. By accepting the Vietnamese way of life, she is helping their culture live on.
Thanhha Lai's novel Listen, Slowly is a beautiful tale about understanding. Understanding a world different from our own through friendship. This book taught me to see beyond the places I know and recognize the whole world waiting to be explored. I recommend this book to anyone. Listen, Slowly will not disappoint.
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Review:
Pain can heal pain. That's what Fried Rice by thelovesociety speaks against and speaks for in her story. We all deal with pain in different ways. Some bury it. Others use it. Even so, we all still have pain.
The main character Sia struggles with a broken family and a school bully. On the outside, you wouldn't be able to see the pain. If anything, you would only see an angry girl.
Sia's bully, Reeve Christian, also suffers from a broken family and a school bully. To Reeve, Sia acts like a bully. She stalks him and badgers him constantly about why he bullies her.
I found this story to be very unique. The characters were both suffering with pain and used it to hurt others. They used pain to heal their own pain. I don't believe in this method, but this book taught me why people hurt others. Since we all have pain, the only way to get rid of it is to give it to someone else.
Fried Rice teaches readers other ways to heal pain. Instead of taking it out on others, you can use it to help each other.
Sia and Reeve have similar pains, both having to do with family. Sia feels ignored and scared by hers, while Reeve is wounded and bullied by his.
Sia eventually bonds Reeve's family back together. This is the type of pain healing I like. We all are so similar and different. We can use those similarities to help share moments that lift others out of danger. We can use our differences to solve problems that others could not.
Fried Rice really showed the power of pain. Pain can hurt others as well as heal. After reading this book, I now understand why people hurt others. I also understand how pain connects completely different people.
I recommend thelovesociety's Fried Rice to anyone who deals with pain. So, pretty much everyone. This book will help you learn to use your pain for good.
