I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys

     Another wonderful, intense historical fiction book by one of my favorite authors, Ruta Sepetys. Her books are very well researched, very well written, and very heavy in their subject matter...but SO worth it!

     I Must Betray You is a story about the country of Romania, an eastern European country that for many years was under the control of a communist despot. Her book centers around main character Cristian, who lives in the capital city of Bucharest and is trying to survive terrible living conditions. The story takes place in 1989 - not very long ago! - and during this era people in many parts of Eastern Europe lived in fear; of each other, of the government, of the police. No one knew who they could trust, food was difficult to find, which also added to the tension of life. Electricity was inconsistent, which means many people lived in the dark and cold a lot of the time. People waited in food lines for hours for the most basic food supplies. Meanwhile, the country's leaders lived in wealth and abundance and pretended to the rest of the world that the entire country was living the same way. Many other countries were fooled for a long time, including the United States. It was very dark time for the people of Romania.  It happened only a generation ago.

    Anyone who is fan of historical fiction should read any of Sepetys's books. I have read three or four, and they are always excellent. Along with non-fiction writer Steve Sheinkin, she is one of the authors I always watch for when she releases something new, and try to read her new book when I can. They are pretty involved (well researched), and she chooses topics which usually involve people living in less-than-perfect situations. If that sounds at all interesting, give this book - or any of her titles! - a try. You won't be disappointed, but they will likely change you. 5 paws!

    

The Science of Being Angry, by Nicole Melleby

     The Science of Being Angry is one of several book by author Nicole Melleby, but I haven't read any of them before this. I discovered this book only recently, and was a little surprised to see that it initially came out in 2022. The paperback version was released less than a year ago, which is why it probably crossed my radar this school year.

    The title of this book is based on main character Joey, an 11-year-old who has anger issues that go beyond what most people experience when something happens that makes them mad, like stubbing a toe, for example. But for most people, that anger fades, usually as the frustration of the situation subsides. But Joey gets angry easily, and she acts on her anger, in as much as she doesn't have a single friend at school (outside of her two brothers). Her anger gets her family kicked out of their apartment complex, gets her suspended from school, physically harms one of her moms...and on it goes. Because of a science project at school based on genetics, Joey decides to find her biological father to see if he, too, has anger issues. Joey is desperate to discover where this anger comes from, why she can't seem to control it, and how to live without hurting everyone, especially the people she loves.

    The first third of this book was pretty...meh. It reminded me of one of those books you get at the book fair that you haven't heard of before but that costs only a couple of dollars - less than the books you have heard of - so you buy it, read it, and...forget about it. Thankfully, Melleby gathered some steam from that point and I started feeling more a part of Joey's life and her spiderweb of emotions and troubles.  In all, her story is really relatable as she tries to navigate something she has little control over, and has no idea why she is this way. She fears she is hurting the people she really loves, so one strategy she explores is creating distance from them, which doesn't make anything better, as you might imagine.

    The book received starred reviews from two of the publications that I look to when I'm looking for my next good book, which surprised me a bit. Being Angry isn't bad - in fact it's pretty good! - but it's not a 5 paw book, as the starred reviews would suggest. Hmm, maybe you will like it more than I did. It is a good story, and worth a read, but I can only offer 3 paws and a wag.

    I will watch for new releases from Melleby in the future, as I feel like the strengths she shows in this story will carry forward into perhaps a "fuller" book, start to finish. In the meantime, I'll keep watching for my realistic fiction superstars; Kate DiCamillo, Kwame Alexander, Jason Reynolds, A.S. King...