Daybreak by Joan Baez

May 13, 2010 at 3:21 pm (Memoir, Non-Fiction)


~By Annie Trask, Blue Team

I have been though a lot in my life. Jail. Poverty. Fear. Music has changed me. I believe it has gotten through me and touched my soul.

I, Joan Baez, believe that music has touched many, including me. It has helped me climb that bridge so very steep. The bridge of life. Whenever I step onto the cold, gray, bleak stage, it feels warm and serene. Millions of fans screaming my name. My life has had and still will have many challenges; you just have to figure them out.
In this wonderful biography, Joan explains her life in a collection of vignettes which have very different topics. Daybreak is a beautiful book about fighting for what you believe in and being strong about it. Joan Baez is a very strong, daring woman. She has fought for peace, no war, and even chained herself to a recycling bin to prove that recycling makes a difference. If you are interested in music, political rebels, or just great life stories you should give this one a try.

Leave a Comment

Trouble in My Head by Mathilde Monaque

November 11, 2009 at 6:06 pm (Memoir, Ms. Ryan's Reviews)

troubeheadThis memoir, about a teenage girl and her battle with depression, won’t appeal to everyone. Some readers may find it too heavy, too real, and maybe even too scary. But for anyone interested in adolescent psychology and the long journey from desperation to hope, the author’s story will captivate.

Mathilde Monaque, a young French woman born in 1989, was hospitalized at the age of 14 for severe depression and a possible eating disorder. She had no idea why she felt so bad; she felt totally unconnected to the other teenage patients around her; she saw herself as a burden on her family; she denied herself food and nutrition; she considered herself altogether unworthy of happiness.

The plot and action of the memoir take place almost entirely inside Monaque’s “troubled head.” We learn of her pain, her affections, her insecurities, and most of all, finally, her love. The lessons she learns, after much fighting and suffering, are ones that all of us should embrace: our place in this world is unquestionable and others will benefit from our unique presence, even if we are far from perfect.

2 Comments

Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.