Ties that Bind, Ties that Break

Ties that Bind, Ties that Break by Lensey Namioka is a story about traditions being questioned.  The main tradition in this case is the practice of foot binding in China.  At a very young age, women in China were required to bind their feet by bending their toes down and wrapping them in bandages. As their feet tried to grow, the bones would be pressed together in order to create tiny, dainty looking feet that would fit into tiny, dainty shoes. This process cripples the young girls for life as they must learn how to hobble around on mutilated toes and feet. Ailin is a young girl who refuses to have her feet bound. As her father obeys her wishes, Ailin faces consequences that she could not have predicted. Her choice changes her life forever. Read this book if you're interested in historical fiction, if you like stories about traditions being questioned, or if you just want a quick, easy read to keep you occupied for a few hours. I give it an 8 out of 10.

Freakonomics

Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner attempts to bring to light the answers to several strange questions in society. They define economics as the study of reality, and take several factors into consideration when answering questions such as "Why do crack dealers still live with their moms?" The answers to these questions are quite shocking considering the information, and the book is interesting to read because of this information. Read this book if you like the study of society, if you're interested in getting to know more about the way our society works, or if you like books that attempt to answer the strange questions in life. I give it an 7 out of 10.

Sold

Sold by Patricia McCormick is the story of Lakshmi, a thirteen-year-old Nepalese girl. Thinking that she is going to work in the city as a maid, Lakshmi is excited at the prospect of helping her poor family by sending home her income. She soon realizes, however, that she has been sold as a sex slave by her own stepfather, and the prospect of ever returning home is very dim. Lakshmi must undergo the terrible humiliation of becoming a prostitute at a young age which means learning how to become a different person. The book is written in a series of short verse rather than prose which makes the book easy and fast to read. Read this book if you want to learn about a terrible tragedy happening right now in our world, if you are interested in a short, easy to read book, or if you want to keep up on the current young adult fiction. I give it an 8.5 out of 10.