The Young Adult Readers of Lopez Island (YARLI) meet the first Tuesday of the month to discuss a tween or teen book. The October read is Eventown by Corey Ann Haydu about the dangers of living in a “perfect” town. At present, our membership is all adult, but tweens and teens are most welcome. Please contact beth@lopezlibrary.org for more information.
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On September 1st, five members met outside the library to discuss Anat Deracine’s young adult novel, Driving By Starlight. Readers were shocked at the many, often conflicting, laws and rules that both women and men must live with in Saudi Arabia: religious rules, civil laws, rules for men and women. It is an often frightening place to live, yet hopeful in that many young people are standing up to change the rules.
The complexity and newness of the culture and the multiple themes makes this a novel worth re-reading. The story contains many well-developed and believable characters, a wealth of cultural information, themes of friendship, family, activism, fear, hope, and love. We were deeply moved by the parable that Leena’s mother told her when she was very distraught. In the story of “The Girl in the Well” Leena’s mother attempts to teach her daughter something about her father’s actions without revealing the family’s activism and risking arrest. The ending – “Marry the man who teaches you how to swim” is profound. (The story begins on page 227 in the hardcover edition.) As is evident, Driving By Starlight is highly recommended!
