I grew up loving to read. I haven't had the desire to read in such a long time that sometimes I think that I've forgotten how to read for myself. Becoming so consumed in the world of
academic readings for the purpose of grades and classroom conversations.
There was a time that I actually sat down for long periods of time, and immersed myself in worlds of revolutions, forlorn princesses calling for their loves and furtheristic worlds of robot tyrants. I haven't read something that kept me in my spot and throughly enthralled by the book itself. A week ago I was browsing my local Barnes and Nobles when I came across the book Call Me Athena. Written by Author Colby Cedar Smith
Admittedly I'm not finished, I'm not even at the halfway mark. But, I'm loving it so far, feeling a fond love for it already starting to form. Written in short verse,, like poetry, it's not a hard to follow. Because it's written this way, you'll be turning pages quickly, but you won't get lost in doing so. Being consumed with how the book takes you in and keeps you is the charm of the short verse. Rarely taking up two pages, we the readers are given little scenes of each day. Our main character that we follow is Mary, who has a sister Marguerite, and two brothers Gus and Johh, and a mother and a father whose names we learn through old letters are Giorgos and Jeanne. Although I don't think our main character Mary really knows the letters are from her parents quite yet. I had an inkling and then kinda spoiled it for myself by reading an article online. Don't do that.
The children are half Greek and half French, the Greek side from their father and French side from their mother. Although all are American born, living in 1930s Detriot and going to school. Normal teenager things. The book and characters being about Mary and her life as a 1st Generation American reminds me so much of my father and his siblings. My father who was the first to go to college and make a career for himself that wasn't farming on the family farm. He lived an American life, lived in both New Jersey and New York. Was born an American and yet his first language was the Sicilian dialect, his parents speaking broken English on the streets and Sicilian inside the house. Eating meals that were native to Southern Italy, and still having a massive family back home in Sicily. The book although not relates to my father whatsoever, feels like my fathers early life.
As I continue to read, I stay captivated, and immersed in the world. I can't wait to see what else I'm to read and what circumstances I and Mary find ourselves in. When I'm done with the book, I'll write a proper book review and write in detail about how I feel about it.
All the love,
Cat:)
You can follow Cat on her instagram at https://www.instagram.com/catcalabro/?hl=en This is where she posts lil tid bits of her life and a few kitty pics of her adorable two cats.