Feminist Ryan Gosling: Feminist Theory (as Imagined) from Your Favorite Sensitive Movie Dude
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What started as a silly way for blogger Danielle Henderson and her classmates to keep track of the...
Systems Thinking in Museums: Theory and Practice
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Systems Thinking in Museums explores systems thinking and the practical implication of it using...
iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide
Christian Keur and Aaron Hillegass
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iOS Programming: The Big Nerd Ranch Guide leads you through the essential concepts, tools, and...
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated About a Boy (2002) in Movies
Feb 16, 2019
An altogether lovely and wonderful British film that may be over 16 years old now, but definitely stands the test of time and is worth a watch.
Suswatibasu (1703 KP) rated Unravelling Oliver in Books
Mar 9, 2018
In this case, we look at Oliver, who is a sociopath, and feels very little remorse for the terrible crimes he has committed but instead feels aggrieved at his lack of entitlement.
While half of the book is written from his perspective looking back at his past, the rest is written by people around him who believe they could sense his immoral behaviour. Hence it is a case of whether it is nature of nurture that has forced him to behave in such way, and if society truly did think that he was a monster. Interesting concept, but as expected, you'll hate the main character.
Paper Dandy's Horrorgami: 20 Gruesome Scenes to Cut and Fold
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Paper Dandy's Horrorgami features 20 kirigami (cut-and-fold) designs based around haunted houses and...
Business-State Relations in Brazil: Challenges of the Port Reform Lobby
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In recent years, the spotlight of international attention on Brazil has often been in the area of...
Rosen's Diagnosis of Breast Pathology by Needle Core Biopsy
Syed A. Hoda, Edi Brogi, Frederick C. Koerner and Paul Peter Rosen
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Accurately identify the full range of clinical and pathological entities with Rosen's Diagnosis of...
Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated Among the Red Stars in Books
Dec 21, 2018
I though the plot and world building were excellent! The story for Among the Red Stars is mostly told through letters written by Valka, the main character, and her childhood friend, Pasha. Set in Russia during World War II, Pasha was drafted and had no choice but to join, and Valka voluntarily joined because she had been wanting to be a pilot since she was young. The all female bomber regiment isn't taken seriously at first since they are all young and female, but soon enough, it because apparent that these female pilots are the real deal and just as good as their male counterparts. Among the Red Stars is also based in some fact too which made the book that much more interesting. My emotions were all over the place reading this book. I kept on hoping the outcome of the story would be a good one. Among the Red Stars answered all the questions I had, and I would suggest reading the Author's Note at the end of the book because it will give you more insight into the all female Russian bomber regiment. I found it very interesting. The only thing that bothered me was that Valka's parents weren't really mentioned throughout the book. I would have thought that Valka's parents would have written to their daughter during the war. If they didn't want to, it would have been nice to have an explanation as to why they didn't want to write to their daughter. I just found it a bit strange that Valka's parents weren't mentioned at all during the book except for briefly towards the end.
The characters were written very well in Among the Red Stars. It was interesting to learn that many of the characters mentioned in Among the Red Stars were based on actual people who served in World War II. As I've said before, a lot of the story is based on fact which made this book that much more enjoyable. I loved seeing Pasha and Valka grow throughout their letters. I was always hoping they'd be reunited soon because it was obvious how much they really cared about each other. I also loved the relationship between Valka and her cousin Iskra. It was refreshing to read about the love between them. I admired Galya's and Lilya's spirit throughout the war, and I loved how awesome Vera and Tanya were. All the females in Among the Red Stars were amazing, and I admired each and every one of them. I loved the camaraderie between all the girls. I will admit that sometimes it was hard to keep up with who was who during the book due to the Russian names, but I still thoroughly enjoyed every character. If you read the Author's Note at the end of the book, you can learn more about each character that was actually a real person. I loved that Gwen C. Katz added all that information.
The pacing for Among the Red Stars grabs you by the hand and never lets go! Never once did I grow bored of the story. The story never got too fast paced for me where I was confused with what was happening. The pacing was fantastic!
Trigger warnings for Among the Red Stars include violence, death, injuries, war, and sexism.
All in all, Among the Red Stars was a fantastic, thrilling read. I never wanted to put it down. This book had everything from a great group of characters to a fantastic plot. I would definitely recommend Among the Red Stars by Gwen C. Katz to everyone aged 14+. It's such an interesting book as well as an interesting way to learn about a piece of important history.
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(A special thank you to the author for providing me with a paperback of Among the Red Stars in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)



