Book Review: 'Enter Title Here' by Rahul Kanakia

Let me just start by saying that Enter Title Here is like no other YA book I've read before. This has both good and bad implications.

This book follows Reshma Kapoor, a teenage girl described as "any college counselor's dream". She's the top of her class, and she believes that perfection is something that is easily obtainable and achieved if only you set out to get there. Essentially, she is so aware of what it takes to succeed and get good grades in the current North American high school system that she pretty much has it rigged. This is why it's appalling to her when she an English teacher fails her for a poem she wrote that showed no originality or genuineness; because it doesn't. This is where the downfall of Reshma's perfection comes into play; she's so obsessed with knowing what it takes to get good grades that she has absolutely no sense of what it means to be genuine.

Enter Title Here provides a really fresh and original perspective in that it shows what it's like for an Indian-American student who's been shown the harsh differences between the schooling her parents received in India, which gives new definition to the word overachieving, and the schooling she's receiving in America. That's why Reshma has herself convinced that she is better than everyone in her school. And her marks clearly reflect this. But the downside? Reshma has no friends, no one who likes her (with good reason, but I'll get to that later), and no real "high school experiences". She's also addicted to Adderall, despite the fact that she tells the reader that she stops taking it from time to time just to prove she's not addicted. And because she has none of this, she's convinced that she has no "hook" that will secure her a top spot at Stanford. So what does she do? She gets herself a literary agent after writing a well-received article in the Huffington Post so she can publish a novel and get herself noticed. But now, in order to have something to write about for this novel, Reshma needs some friends, a boyfriend and some of those "experiences" she's had no time to have because she's been too busy popping behavioral meds and scoring nothing under an 87 in any class for years. She even calls reading for pleasure and listening to music a waste of time.

You're probably realizing now that Enter Title Here not only has a unique premise, but a completely unrealistic premise. And I think that's the point, because its unrealistic elements become quickly apparent to the reader. To me, it read more like a satirical, comedy of manners, all while maintaining a pretty typical YA style. I mean, what teenage girl just gets an email out of the blue from a literary agent telling her she wants her to write a book? In my dreams.

The main problem with this book? Reshma Kapoor is an extremely unlikable protagonist. She's cruel, vindictive, and the way she's willing to screw anyone over just to maintain her own academic standing borders on the sociopathic. Not only that, she sued her high school when they didn't name her valedictorian, claiming racial prejudice. When that English teacher failed her poem? She immediately threatens to sue her ass off. Yet, even with all these very appalling character traits that completely turned me away from liking the character, I can't say that I disliked this character's perspective completely. While she is downright unlikable and off-putting, I can't deny that it was interesting to read about a character who doesn't take shit from anyone regarding her schooling and academics, because she has the American school system twisted around her little finger. While it wasn't enjoyable in the slightest most of the time, it was still a pretty refreshing perspective.

Even with these original and refreshing attributes, Enter Title Here is pretty much a mess. The book's structure is all over the place, as are its supporting characters, and the author seems to change his mind by the chapter on who exactly he wants Reshma to be. She changes her mind like she changes her shirt, despite repeated claims that she's not your typical teenage girl. I think this is why this book has received such largely mixed reviews; it's a very refreshing portrait of what it's like to be an overachiever in American high school culture, but the protagonist is so cruel and unlikable that it completely crushes the mood, flat like a pancake. I'm not saying that all protagonists have to be likable, but if you continually make the list of her negative attributes longer (like this author does for the entire book), then it's kind of hard to find a sense of enjoyment whatsoever. 3/5 stars.

Book Reviews: 'Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking' by Susan Cain and 'The Virgin Suicides' by Jeffrey Eugenides

1. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking, by Susan Cain:
This book was really interesting to read. As an introvert and a sensitive person, it's nice to read a book pointing out the power that people like us have in a world and a culture that is built for extroverts. I don't usually read non-fiction books (other than memoirs or real-life stories), but I was really intrigued by Cain's work on introversion. If you aren't an introvert, you will probably never know what we go through to behave in a way that is socially acceptable and desired by employers. If you know what I'm talking about, I definitely recommend reading Quiet. It brings about many insights surrounding introversion and how we're put down and ultimately undervalued in Western culture. She also shines light on the connection between sensitive people and introversion (70% of sensitive people are introverts, and Cain believes that the other 30% aren't complete extroverts), as well as the link between introversion/extroversion and nature vs. nurture, something I'd always wondered about before reading this book. My only complaint was that there were times where Cain went into a little too much detail. There were chapters where she conducted extensive research on what she calls the "Extrovert Ideal" (which is her term for the idealism in our society that extroversion is the more desirable personality/temperament), and it started to bore me after awhile. Not that those chapters weren't interesting, but after awhile they really dragged on and I felt myself thinking, "Okay, we get it. We don't need anymore examples. Next topic, please." But, other than those moments, Quiet is a really important read for anyone, whether you're an introvert or an extrovert. 4/5 stars.

2. The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides:
This book was both confusing and disappointing. The Virgin Suicides came highly recommended by several people, as well as receiving a great deal of acclaim over the years. What drew me to it was not only the recommendations but the fact that the concept sounded really original and interesting. The book follows the story of the teenage Lisbon sisters, who each commit suicide within a short time of each other. The concept remains interesting and original, but the writing style is what kills it all. The story is told from the perspective of the grown boys who lived in the same neighborhood as the infamous Lisbon girls, all of whom were enthralled by their mysterious ways. It just reads like an extended magazine article or something and it's SO TEDIOUS. It also limits the extent to which we can know details about the characters. I feel like I could have gotten into this story so much more if it was told a different way. If I had heard the perspective from these annoying (and often ignorant) neighborhood boys as well as the perspective of the Lisbon girls or even their parents (who are very interesting yet extremely underdeveloped characters), I know I could have enjoyed this book more. I get that it's supposed to be some extended literary metaphor for the harsh reality that is American suburban life (especially in the 1970s, when the story is set), but that didn't really do anything for me. The Virgin Suicides also has conflicting views of the morality surrounding suicide; it starts off with an intriguing catalyst surrounding one taking their own life, but the fact that the story is told from the perspective of people who weren't the ones who chose to end their life, how can we really trust what they say? They weren't the ones who chose to take such measures, so does what they say really count for much? This is why it would have been a much more interesting story if it was told, at least in part, from the perspective of the Lisbon girls themselves. But it's just so tedious to read the way it's told and leaves so much unsaid, unknown and untold. 2/5 stars.

Book Reviews: 'Love Letters to the Dead' by Ava Dellaira and 'My Heart and Other Black Holes' by Jasmine Warga

1. Love Letters to the Dead, by Ava Dellaira:
I felt like this book punched me in the heart. Love Letters to the Dead follows a series of letters written by Laurel, a teenage girl just starting high school, having lost her older sister May in an accident. It starts as an assignment for her English class; write a letter to a dead person, but soon Laurel turns the assignment into journal entries of her own. As someone who has dealt with a fair amount of grief, I feel this book really hits the mark on what its like to lose someone so close to you. A lot of people on the Internet called it weak, immature and often a copycat of Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. While it is very similar to Perks, I think that was kind of the point; to tell a story like that one but with a different scenario. I also think Ava Dellaira and Stephen Chbosky are friends, because she thanks him in the acknowledgements (and he has a quote as a critic on the front cover). So, yes, Love Letters to the Dead does have moments that some could consider weak and perhaps unoriginal, but I think the general point of the story transcends those parts, especially while accurately portraying Laurel's struggle with losing her sister all while adjusting to the world of high school. This book also reminds me of Leila Sales' This Song Will Save Your Life, which a lot of people loved, but I found was seriously lacking in parts and unrealistic in others. The same people who loved that book seemed to have those opinions about Love Letters to the Dead, so this leads me to realize that we all like different books for different reasons. I couldn't relate as strongly to the protagonist in This Song Will Save Your Life, but I know others definitely did, just as they might not relate to Laurel in the way I do. All this to say that this is one of those rare YA books that touches upon subjects that some, but not everyone, can deeply relate to, and I'm one of them. You might not be, and for that you might not like Love Letters to the Dead, but I definitely think it's worth reading and I recommend it if you've ever dealt with losing someone close to you. Plus, all the dead people Laurel wrote letters to are pretty much all idols of mine, so it made me feel close to the character as well as renewing my love for the deceased celebrities she wrote to. 5/5 stars.

2. My Heart and Other Black Holes, by Jasmine Warga:

I avoided this book for a long time, because something about the premise sounded just a little too dark for me; two teens who become each other's suicide partner. Then, upon a trip to the library a few weeks ago to find something to read, I decided it was finally time to see if in fact My Heart and Other Black Holes is too dark for me. First off, let me just say that for a book with a premise as dark as this one, it deals with depression in a very real and honest way without completely bumming out the reader (not that I think depression shouldn't bum people out, but this book managed to explore both the comic and un-comic sides of depression in an original way). I was sure there would be parts where I would find that Aysel, the female protagonist, wasn't thinking her decisions through for wanting to kill herself because maybe her life wasn't worth throwing away. But no; Jasmine Warga does a fairly good job at creating the realm of depression and how, for some people, it's a hole you fall into and may never be able to climb out of. When Aysel decides she needs a suicide partner to finally put an end to her misery, she meets up with Roman. Both of them are very different and very realistic. Aysel might be a really smart physics nerd, but her "voice" feels like that of a real person; a real human struggling with something big. And Roman is proof that not all depression sufferers are nerdy outsiders and emos. I also enjoyed the conversation between them, both the serious talk and the darkly comic aspects. My only really big issue with My Heart and Other Black Holes comes into play towards the last 50 pages or so. Warga had spent all this time building up this book with dark but very likable characters, and then Aysel sort of recovers from her depression. I don't want to spoil anything major, but somehow she goes from hating her life and and deciding she's ready to end it all to having one person prove to her that it's all "worth it" or whatever. Life is worth it, and Aysel is worth it, so I don't believe she should have killed herself, but it was basically as if she turned a switch in her brain that made her not be depressed anymore and it was as if Roman made her find this switch. It was kind of a lazy climax and an insulting message (depression is by no means a switch you can turn on and off) to an otherwise really likable read with really likable characters, considering its very dark premise. 4/5 stars.