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Goddess in the Stacks (553 KP) rated It's Not Like It's a Secret in Books

Jun 4, 2019  
It's Not Like It's a Secret
It's Not Like It's a Secret
Misa Sugiura | 2017 | Fiction & Poetry, Young Adult (YA)
8
7.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Sana is a California transplant from Wisconsin; both her parents are immigrants from Japan, so despite feeling like she's a midwesterner, none of her friends think of her as one. There's a cringe-y scene early in the book where she cheers with her friends about being "midwestern farmer's daughters" and they tell her she's cute for thinking that, but she's Japanese, obv. I felt really bad for her. When her family moves to California, suddenly she's not the only Asian girl in a sea of whiteness. It's an interesting mix of having a place with your own people but also fighting the stereotypes of sticking with your own ethnicity. It's assumed she'll be friends with the other Asian kids, which annoys her, but she also finds to be true; having not had the opportunity to have friends like her before, she finds she really likes it. But she also tries to break that mold and be friends with people she's not assumed to like - like Jamie Ramirez and her Hispanic friends, and Caleb and his white goth friends.

The book also explores the way racism hits races differently; the Hispanic kids get hassled by cops while the Asian kids don't - though they also have things expected of them that the Hispanic kids don't. The book gets into cultural expectations as well - PDAs are not really a thing in Sana's world, so she's reluctant to be public about her affections at school, which drives misunderstandings.

It's only in the last few chapters that all the secrets come out, and Sana struggles to put things right.

One thing I really liked about the book is the narrative structure. At the beginning of the school year, Sana's English teacher gives them a project, which is to keep a journal to transcribe poems into and talk about what they mean to you. Chapters from Sana's poetry journal are interspersed with chapters of the narrative, and give some nice insight to how she's feeling. Her love interest, Jamie, also loves poetry, and it plays a large part in their relationship.

I quite enjoyed this book.You can find all my reviews plus more at http://goddessinthestacks.com
  
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Gareth von Kallenbach (971 KP) rated The Tourist (2010) in Movies

Aug 8, 2019  
The Tourist (2010)
The Tourist (2010)
2010 | Action, Mystery, Romance
8
5.7 (10 Ratings)
Movie Rating
Frank Tupelo, played by Johnny Depp, is a math teacher from Wisconsin who decides to take a vacation in Italy, in hopes of mending his broken heart. While traveling on a train bound for Venice, he befriends an interesting and mysterious woman who sits next to him. Elise Clifton-Ward, played by Angelina Jolie, has been on the run from the mob and the British police for the past couple of years because her lover, Alexander Pearce, embezzled over $2 billion from a mobster. The British police want their cut for taxes owed, but without really knowing what Alexander looks like, the police are essentially just waiting for Elise to make contact with him.

Elise picks Frank to play a part in her plans of steering the mob and the British police in a different direction. After arriving in Venice, they both go their separate ways, but still end up finding each other later while Frank is sightseeing. Elise invites him on her boat and then takes him back to her hotel. They share a few passionate moments as Elise attempts to make the police who are spying on them believe that Frank is really Alexander. When Frank awakens the next day, he realizes that Elise is gone. This is where the action begins. Not only are the police after Frank, so are the mobsters from whom Alexander stole, making for a messy situationi for Frank. With a lot of great twists and turns in this movie as well as smart dialogue, The Tourist succeeds in putting a smile on your face while keeping you on the edge of your seat.

Angelina Jolie’s Elise Ward knows the power of her beauty and uses it to her great advantage. The strong supporting cast includes the likes of Paul Bettany, Timothy Dalton and Steven Berkoff. Unlike most of Johnny Depp’s other movies where he exudes confidence, he is like a lost puppy being chased for something he is unaware of doing. I do have to say that I am always able to see some of Depp’s most famous character, Captain Jack Sparrow, shine through in his current roles. If you watch closely during a chase scene, he starts to run away from the mob exactly as Captain Jack would. Or maybe that’s just how Johnny Depp runs.

Directed by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, who makes great use of spectacular views and locales, The Tourist is a great action-adventure with storyline that keeps you interested. Sharp, witty dialog and two of the hottest stars playing the leads make The Tourist a movie worth watching.