BOOK CLUB
This month’s Book Club pick is Paper Towns by John Green. The novel explores how we as humans perceive and ultimately develop our own image of one another. I’ve never been one to frequent the YA section of my local book store because it’s exceedingly rare to find a novel that isn’t drenched in pubescent melodrama with characters as interesting as dry-wall. What’s intriguing about this novel is that it applies the questions about the human condition, our capacity to love, to hate and, most importantly, to empathize with one another, to young adults. The novel follows an average, if not the slightest bit straight laced, Quentin ( Q for short) as he prepares for his final weeks of high school. The bulk of the novel is focused on Q’s relationship with the anomaly of a girl next door, Margo Roth Spiegelman. One unpredictable night and a seemingly arbitrary slew of clues leads him to a revelation about Margo, his friends and himself.
This book may cause you to take a second glance at the quiet kid weeding through the mystery section of your library or the extroverted alpha holding court at school; you may second guess your judgments of the characters in your life. But, one thing is for sure, you will bond with the characters as they discover the humanity of one another, one clue at a time.
~Katie Speller, Brewster High School, NY
Long distance runners are often praised for their lean bodies, immense discipline, and immeasurable stamina. Unlike the occasional gym-goer, runners tend to eat, sleep, and breathe this sport. A focused mind and years of training take place before a person can run a 7 minute mile.
Maye Musk, MS RD is a registered dietitian in New York City. In the past forty years, she has lived and worked in South Africa, Canada, and now the United States.
We’ve watched enough of MTV’s hit show 16 and Pregnant to know what happens when a teenage couple take care of an unplanned baby – it’s the most challenging obstacle when you're still a kid yourself.
