Reviews

Suggested Reading by Dave Connis

juliterario's review against another edition

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3.0

¡Hace rato que quería leer La Biblioteca Prohibida! ¿Una novela sobre censura y libros prohibidos? ¿Un juego sobre nuestra moral, el amor a los libros, sin romance y 100% para lxs amantes de la lectura? ¡Si! Le tenía muchas ganas a esta novela. Aunque no ha sido lo que esperaba, de seguro lo he disfrutado.

“Books are a light. A light that melts ignorance and hate.”

La Biblioteca Prohibida es una novela sobre la literatura y sobre la censura literaria. La política al censurar novelas, las razones que nos dan lxs adultxs al hacer esto y sus procesos psicológicos de razonamiento que lxs llevan a esconder libros detrás de el telón. Es una novela sobre por qué es peligroso prohibir libros, y trata temáticas sumamente importantes. Aunque yo no viví políticas así de duras en mi colegio y obviamente no había tal cosa como libros PROHIBIDOS, sí hubieron novelas que no nos dejaron leer. Por distintos motivos, esos libros fueron considerados dentro del programa educativo para que leyéramos, pero luego la decisión cambió. De pronto. Misteriosamente. Y leíamos un cierto tipo de contenido todo el tiempo. Y esto pasa en todas las escuelas, de maneras diferentes y por diversas razones... Novelas que misteriosamente desaparecen de la realidad escolar por decisiones mayores... Sin duda es un tema que ofrece mucho para debatir. El trabajo de Dave Connis, escrito de una manera bellísima, profunda y lírica, aborda esta temática de una brillante, y te da mucho en qué pensar. Realmente conecta con la audiencia. Y vale la pena leerlo. Creo que es un libro que todxs deberían probar simplemente porque no abunda y porque debemos informarnos al respecto. Y se los recomiendo a mares.

“Each book built me. Each page assembled me piece by piece.”

¿Por qué las 3 estrellas? Aunque me fascine la temática de esta novela y crea que deberían leer La Biblioteca Prohibida, tengo mis quejas. Los personajes me resultaron poco realistas, varios párrafos, fragmentos o capítulos enteros me parecieron de relleno, sin punto alguno en el avance de la trama. Y aunque el libro sea tan crudo y real en cuanto a la censura, no lo es respecto a todo lo demás. La situación particular de la protagonista me pareció tan lejana a la realidad... como algo que podría pasar cotidianamente pero nunca de esta forma. Fue más un Middle Grade que un libro juvenil, en mi opinión, y esa confusión enredó mucho en la novela. Como si Connis no supiera cómo ordenar su historia. No sé, siento que todo fue demasiado al azar y caótico, y la novela en sí no me encantó. Me gustó su mensaje, su poder y su temática, pero tengo numerosas quejas respecto a todo lo demás.

“The problem is we bring ourselves to the pages. Our whole selves. Every single darkness. Every single light.Every single passion.Every single hurt. We read with all the layers that make us who we are acting as filters. We read with all that our eyes have seen and all that our hearts have felt since birth.”

marissamrkt's review against another edition

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inspiring slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

fairyhill's review

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3.0

This was a short, charming book that had pretty low stakes plotwise - something nice to read in between heavier books. But, despite that, Suggested Reading gives a lot to think about; not just about censorship, but what books mean to different people, and whether it's worth giving things up for a cause.

destinysreads's review against another edition

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4.0

This book took me a while to finish reading, but I love reading books about books. I've done multiple projects and speeches about the unfairness of banning books, so I had to read it when I saw the title. I wasn't a huge fan of the main character in the beginning, but I adored seeing the character development and the messages this book brings. It's a reminder that people have flaws and make mistakes. It's a reminder of the beauty of everyone. "I found bravery here."

zombiezami's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful medium-paced

3.0

The author's care and concern for the issue of banned books comes through clearly. He obviously has deep reverence for the specific titles referenced and quoted throughout the novel. However, the book overall lacks subtlety, and I find it hard to believe that a real high school senior would be so "wow gee whiz" over the concept of people wanting to ban books. The plot was pretty predictable, and some characters were obviously used as mouthpieces for the author's point of view. I found myself wishing that the in-world Don't Tread on Me was real and that I was reading that instead because it sounded so good. Still, for someone who is younger (I'm not the target audience), this might be really meaningful.

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henvika's review

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5.0

people told me this book was good and that was the understatement of the year. the amount of quotes i highlighted - my copy looks like those kids from elementary school dressed in fluorescent yellow Nike march. clara isn’t perfect, she’s just trying her best which is what i love about her. liqui, jack, ashton, they’re all such good characters. suggested reading? how about i suggest some reading for you- this book

chelsbells1994's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

teawiththefates's review against another edition

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5.0

"Books are wild things. You can't tame them. People are wild things. You can't tame them, either. Put those two together and you can't know what's going to happen..."

This is a book about loving books and loving people and I love that it exists.

rosiekorzie's review against another edition

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5.0

"I found bravery here."
And beauty. And humor. And wisdom.

This is an ode to bookworms, a love letter book for booklovers. And I absolutely loved it.

goldyyy's review against another edition

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challenging inspiring reflective fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0