True Believer by Nicholas Sparks

Genre: Romance/Fiction

Pages: Paper

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Reviewer: Courtney Van Dyke

JAGS: 7
 

Nicholas Sparks strikes gold yet again with True Believer. This wonderful work of fiction tells the story of a blossoming, unexpected love. Scientific Journalist, Jeremy Marsh, specializes in revealing the truth behind supernatural experiences. Following a story that could surge his career to the next level, Jeremy finds himself hunting down ghosts in Boone Creek, South Carolina.

Doris, a self-proclaimed “diviner” begs Jeremy to discover the real reason for the phenomenon before it ruins the small town she calls home. Lexie, the town librarian, assists Jeremy in finding information to debunk the ghost story. During their short time together Jeremy and Lexie find their relationship, albeit hard to describe, full of passion. Lexie, who loves her small town and doesn’t want to leave it behind, also doesn’t want Jeremy, a born and raised New Yorker, to leave behind the face paced lifestyle he loves. This leaves them trying to decide between everything they have ever known, and everything they want.

The first couple chapters of the book move slow and came close to losing my attention. However by chapter three I couldn’t put it down. This old fashioned love story is full of emotions; it draws the reader further in with every page. The characters and scenery are described in such detail that the reader is able to imagine exactly what the characters are experiencing. I personally enjoyed the way Boone Creek was depicted in this story. The stereotypical small town has all the antics you would expect from a small southern town; from the local diner with the flirty waitress, to the manipulative but good hearted mayor, to the jealousy fueled sheriff’s deputy.

This would be a wonderful read for the last few weeks of summer. True Believer will leave you feeling both excitement and joy for the characters.

America Libre by Raul Ramos Y Sanchez

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing  

Pages:  Paperback

Reviewer:  Virginia Armstrong

JAGS: 4

During a drug bust, a young Latina bystander is fatally shot, spawning nightly raids by the Hispanic community in San Antonio.  The Governor of Texas vows looters will be shot on sight to deter the violence that is escalating.  Retaliating, Octavio Perez a radical community leader, calls to arms the Mexican-American people to react to this injustice.

National Guard Lieutenant Cole and his detachment are dispatched to control the rioting and looting.  The swarming mob fires first, leaving the National Guardsmen to go on the defensive, striking down twenty-three Latinos involved in the rebellion. In Los Angeles, Manolo Suarez wakes us to rioting that has crept into his own neighborhood.  Taking a job as a Security Director for the La Defensa del Pueblo, he decides to take on the United States Military with the help of local Latino gang members. The clash between Latino Americans and the US Government begins.

In AmericaLibre, the author tells the story of the growing immigration crisis and what could possibly take place if it isn’t dealt with.  His portrayal of characters is unbalanced and bias, and as for the writing itself, it was done well enough if you separate all the stereotyping that takes place.