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Annotation 1. a critical or explanatory note or body of notes added to a text. Annotate 1. to supply with critical or explanatory notes; comment upon in notes; to annotate the works of Shakespeare (Webster's, p. 84).

Title: I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Original copyright: 1969

Number of pages: 246

Readability: I recommend this book because Maya Angelou uses great description, and it is written about an interesting time period.

Recommend or not, why?: It is fairly easy to read, and very easy to get into.

Topic: The story, I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings, follows the life of a young black girl into womanhood, as she faces many hardships and prejudices.

Reader's name: Maggie Andrew

Title: The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Original copyright: 1997

Number of pages: 132

Readability: It is very easy to read. Not a lot of writing on each page.

Recommend or not, why?: This book did not keep my interest but it has a good story line, it really makes you think about what you would do if you were in the same situation as the characters in the story.

Topic: Inspiration. A man telling about his life before and after his stroke which left him with "locked-in syndrome"

Reader's name: Jerrica Baker

Title: Gather Together In My Name

Original copyright: 1974

Number of pages: 181

Readability: Pretty readable

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, I recommend this book. It is very descriptive, and conveys feelings that I can relate to.

Topic: It's about Maya's journey into life from about age 17 on.

Reader's name: Megan Brydges

Title: Intensive Care

Original copyright: 1987

Number of pages: 387

Readability: Need a quite space, but an easy page turner

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, I really enjoyed the look into nursing.

Topic: Nursing

Reader's name: Jessica Trilby Bubeck

Title: Unafraid of the Dark

Original copyright: 1998

Number of pages: 280

Readability: It has a really good flow

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, I enjoyed reading it; it was really emotional

Topic: Growing up poor and becoming one of the first black women at Yale.

Reader's name: Abigail Caliguiran

Title: Angela's Ashes

Original copyright: 1996 Time period: 30s

Number of pages: 364

Readability: The words are basic and simple so the readability is easy, however, the dialogue is sometimes written like they talk in Ireland and the author does not use quotation marks. That is tricky to get used to at first.

Recommend or not, why?: Recommend, a heart-wrencher with extreme connection with the characters. A sad and depressing but very effective book

Topic: Frank McCourt growing up in Brooklyn during the depression and then he and his family return to Ireland

Reader's name: Mike Cornell

Title: In Cold Blood

Original copyright: 1965

Number of pages: 343

Readability: Its very easily read for a 7th grade education and the ideas presented are minimally complex.

Recommend or not, why? Topic: Definitely recommended. One of the best books ever written. It's a very entertaining and true account of a gruesome murder in Holcomb. I like how the background of the characters are explained in full detail by using things of true account: letters written to them by friends or relatives, and objects of evidence combined with the spoken word from people who knew them. It's also an investigation into criminal psychology.

Reader's name: Dillon Culp

Title: Round Ireland with a Fridge

Original copyright: 1998

Number of pages: 248

Readability: It's a very easy read.

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, The book is hilarious!!!

Topic: Englishman made a bet for a hundred pounds to travel around Ireland with a fridge in a calendar month

Reader's name: Katie De Lagrave

Title: Gather Together In My Name

Original copyright: 1974

Number of pages: 181

Readability: It is pretty much reader friendly, as long as you make sure you take the time to read it.

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, I would recommend it.

Topic: It is about Maya moving away from her mother's house, where she had been living, and out to California to start a life of her own.

Reader's name: Mark Dewey

Title: Daughters and Mothers/Mothers and Daughters

Original copyright: 1975

Number of pages: 166

Readability: Needs a lot of quiet time to be able to concentrate

Recommend or not, why?: NO, somewhat interesting but not enough to grab your attention

Topic: mothers' and daughters' relationships

Reader's name: Melissa Escobedo

Title: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Original copyright: 1969

Number of pages: 246

Readability: You need to be in a creative mood

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, read this book it's very descriptive, and very imaginative.

Topic: A young black woman describes her life after being shipped out to her grandparent's house as a child, and learns the about the struggle of black people, and life.

Reader's name: Elizabeth Fredlund

Title: A Child Called "It"

Original copyright: 1995

Number of pages: 180

Readability: I couldn't put it down when I started reading it. It keeps the reader interested.

Recommend or not, why?: I recommend this book to anyone that is interested in true life stories and abused children. I also don't recommend this book, because it is very detailed and graphic.

Topic: This book is about a child that was abused since the age 5 through the age 12, and how he lived through the abuse.

Reader's name: Esther Fitelson

Title: Night

Original copyright: 1969 Time period: Last three years of World War Two

Number of pages:

Readability: It is a very quick-to-read book that is exciting to the end.

Recommend or not, why?: I would definitely recommend this novel to any other student or teacher.

Topic: Elie Wiesel's memoir about his time in Germany, as a Jewish child during the second world war. The story took place in two concentration camps inside of Germany. His life was awful, and he definitely makes you feel the pain and anguish he once felt.

Reader's name: Chris Giglio

You can see an old photo of him at http://www.eliewieselfoundation.org/ and at http://xroads.virginia.edu/~CAP/HOLO/ELIEBIO.HTM.

He mentions that he is his parent's only son in his book, "Night", and the majority book refers to the time he spent with his father in male barracks of the concentration camps. Additional annotation courtesy of Nina Amato.

Title: Angela's Ashes

Original copyright: 1996

Number of pages: 363

Readability: It's hard to get through because the story is pretty depressing.

Recommend or not, why?: I would recommend this book because it shows the difficulty that so many people have to deal with through their lives.

Topic: This is the story of a family of poverty-stricken Irish immigrants living in Brooklyn.

Reader's name: Kimberly Gillem

Title: Go Ask Alice

Original copyright: 1967

Number of pages: 189

Readability: Easy

Recommend or not, why?: Recommended, because it is about a teenager who is going through real struggles.

Topic: A young girl fighting to get back on the right path after going astray to the road of sex and drugs.

Reader's name: Logan Hakes

Title: All over but the Shoutin'

Original copyright: 1997

Number of pages: 328

Readability: Fair. Very dense and hard to follow

Recommend or not, why?: I do not recommend this book it was to wordy and to dense to keep my interest and want to never put it down.

Topic: The life of Rick Bragg (a Pulitzer-winning reporter) growing up dirt-poor in northeastern Alabama.

Reader's name: Lexey Hansen

Title: After the Madness, A Judge's Own Prison Memoir

Original copyright: 1997

Number of pages:

Readability: ; At times it may be hard to fallow because Sol will jump from flash back to flash back but all in all it's readable.

Recommend or not, why?: ? No, I'm sure there are better one's out there. The author is a bit too much of a victim for me.

Topic: A judge is sent to jail, because of stocking his x-wife, and if you can imagine one who sends people to jail in a jail, well you can figure it

Reader's name: Tyler Huff

Title: A river runs through it

Original copyright: 1976

Number of pages: 217

Readability:

Recommend or not, why?: I liked it, but it felt that it left out a lot of detail. But I would recommend it.

Topic: It's the story of two brothers whom are fly-fishers, and just about everything they experience in life is interpreted by their love for fishing. Overall, it was very entertaining!

Reader's name: Trevor Lincoln

Title: Brothers

Original copyright: Virgin Books 1996 Time period: 1967-1996

Number of pages: 267

Readability: Flows well, lots of British slang, might be hard to understand.

Recommend or not, why?: Reccomended if you like Oasis or Britpop

Topic: This book is the story of three brothers with an abusive father and a hard life amongst drugs and poverty. Two of those brothers rose to fame and fortune and the other, well....didn't.

Reader's name: Gareth Lloyd

Title: On the Road

Original copyright: 1955

Number of pages: 310

Readability: quick reading

Recommend or not, why?: I would recommend it, it's kind of long but it reads quickly

Topic: Sal Paradise hitchhikes around the U.S with friends in search of excitement.

Reader's name: John McCauley

Title: Night

Original copyright: 1969 Time period: Last three years of World War Two

Number of pages: 127

Readability: A very fast read that draws you into the story.

Recommend or not, why?: Yes! This story covers what happened to people in concentration camps. Through one boy's eyes you see the physical and emotional torment the prisoners went through.

Topic: A Jewish boy is sent to a concentration camp during World War II.

Reader's name: Meghan McGuire

Title: The making of "the African Queen" or how Iwent to Africa with Bogart, Bacall and Huston and almost lost my mind

Original copyright: 1987

Number of pages: 129

Readability: Very easy to read, its just like she's speaking

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, but only if you like Katharine Hepburn and are interested by lots of little old-hollywood type facts/tidbits and only if you've seen the movie ("the African Queen")

Topic:

Reader's name: Alison Mollenhauer

Title: Hanna and Walter

Original copyright: 1984

Number of pages: 207

Readability: Quick and comprehensive although really emotional in some parts

Recommend or not, why?: I recomend this because it is a great blend of romance, tragedy, and adventure

Topic: Love story of Jewish lovers seperated by the Nazi invasion of Czechoslovakia

Reader's name: Sara Morton

Title: Go Ask Alice

Original copyright: 1971

Number of pages: 159

Readability: Easy

Recommend or not, why?: Yes very much so. It really makes you think twice about life.

Topic: Teenager involved with drugs and other problems

Reader's name: Dawn Moy

Title: The Color of Water

Time period: 1950s

Number of pages: 230

Readability: The language was hard to comprehend.

Recommend or not, why?: I do not recommend it because, it was hard to get into and it did not hold my interest.

Topic: It is about a black man growing up with a white mother.

Reader's name: Kyle O'Brien

Title: Paris was yesterday

Time period: 1925-1939

Number of pages: 224

Readability: Slow, references to odd Parisian figure of the 20s and 30s

Recommend or not, why?: Would recommend if you like quick, non-specific snap shots

Topic: Series of articles published in the NY Times, her 14 years living in Paris, social observations

Reader's name: Katie Orr

Title: Moon Struck

Original copyright: 1979

Number of pages: 189

Readability: Easy read

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, because it was interesting to learn what happens in a cult

Topic: A life in a Cult

Reader's name: Michelle Portillo

Title: Design For Dying

Original copyright: 1997

Number of pages: 239

Readability: A little difficult due to big words, but it's nothing that a dictionary couldn't take care of.

Recommend or not, why?: Yes, it's a very interesting, a slightly spiritual journey that has helped me find a little bit of myself. Dr. Leary uses many smart words, for he is a very smart man. But anyway it's a great book and if you're a weirdo I definitely recommend it.

Topic: Making your death the most important part of your life. Only of course if you know you're going to die, due to illness, nothing twisted or suicidal.

Reader's name: Chris Prieto

Title: The Will Of Heaven

Original copyright: 1982

Number of pages: 341

My Personal Thoughts: I am really enjoying this exhilarating memoir so far. It is lengthy but extremely interesting. I think I may like it more than others because my mother is Vietnamese. My mother, Xuan (Sue-Ann), can relate in such ways with Nguyen's stories because it was an era which she lived through, too. A time of hate, blood, death, and fear. The time of the Vietnam War. I heard many similar stories from my mom and this book about hiding in deep covered holes, about being terrified each and everyday, and about tempting to escape and trying to procure a plane to the States. It is a tragedy how many innocent Vietnamese and American people were involved, disturbed, and agitated by this devastating war.

This book is made up of many chapters and is similar to the structure of a diary. However, there is dialogue and fillings of detailed description. I would say it is like the diary of Anne Frank in such ways, although, Nguyen writes about his experiences through many years. I would recommend this book because of the great descriptions it brings and because it involves a great importance in history. You can feel Nguyen and my mother's pain when you read through the lines. It isn't boring and keeps me at a good "reading beat" making me turn the page rather than stop and yawn. It may be hard or difficult to read and conceive because you have to understand some facts that occurred during the war. You also have to understand a little about the background of Vietnam. There are also many Vietnamese names that may be difficult to articulate or pronounce. Other than that it is an impressive and splendid story.

Reader's name: Jennifer Robbins

Title: Last Years of a Rebel: a Memoir of Edith Sitwell

Original copyright: 1967

Number of pages: 208

Readability: Medium

Recommend or not, why?: I don't recommend it because it was not very interesting and the writing was not very descriptive. She didn't have a very eventful life.

Topic: She was a very developed writer and a poet. The book was about the later years of her life and her accomplishments according to her secretary.

Reader's name: Mandy Sarich