ferrereads

[ferrereads]

“Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe” by Fannie Flagg

On-book Summary: “It’s first the story of two women in the 1980′s, of gray-haired Mrs. Threadgood telling her life story to Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age. the tale she tells is also of two women-of the irrepressibly dare-devilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth, who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, a Southern Cafe Wobegon offering good barbecue and good coffee and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder.

Who should read it? I’d say anyone 15 and older. There are some swears and some slurs. This book is pretty daring for 1987. It tackled racism, homophobia, feminism, exploring your sexuality, and a few others. Flagg did an amazing job of touching on all of these topics and tying it into the plot without the whole book being doom and gloom. 

Why I read it: In my freshman year of high school, I was in a Drama and Film class taught by an older man- Mr. Martel- who also taught the Creative Writing class (which I also took). He wanted to show us the movie adaptation because “it’s incredibly brave that the author would write about lesbians when she did.” I read this book in my sophomore year, a few months after I came out as lesbian. 

Possible Spoilers Through Favorite Passages

“Imagine those boys: They’re terrified to sit next to a n***** and have a meal, but they’ll eat eggs that came right out of a chicken’s ass.”

“Oh, Idgie!”

Idgie laughed. “I’m sorry, but it just makes me mad sometimes.”

“I know, honey, but you shouldn’t get yourself so upset. That’s just the way people are and there’s nothing in the world you can do to change them. That’s just how it is.”

Idgie smiled at her and wondered what would happen if she didn’t have Ruth to let off steam with. Ruth smiled back. 

...After that day, the only thing that changed was on the menu that hung on the back door; everything was a nickle or dime cheaper. 

“I was already married with two children when I found out that I didn’t have to get married. I thought you had to. What did I know?... I’m too young to be old and I’m too old to be young.” 

Saturday, Ruth and Idgie had a birthday for their little boy.

“But there was something wild about Idgie that was like a wild animal. She wouldn’t let anybody get too close to her. When she thought that somebody liked her too much, she’d just take off in the woods.”

...Then, pretty soon she took to showing off; hanging upside down [from the chinaberry tree], throwing the football in the yard, and coming home with a huge string of fish over her shoulder at the same time that Ruth would be coming across the street from church. 

“Mama looked at us and whispered, ‘Now, children, your sister has a crush, and I don’t want one person to laugh at her. Is that understood?”

...They just took to each other, and you could hear them sittin’ on the swing on the porch, gigglin’ all night. Even Sipsey razzed her. She’s see Idgie by herself and say, “that ol’ love bug done bit Idgie.”

“I’d rather kill for love that kill for hate.”

“Look, I don’t want to bother you. I know you’re probably very happy and all... I mean, I’m sure you are, but I just wanted you to know that I don’t hate you and I never did. I still want you to come back and I’m not a kid anymore, so I’m not gonna change. I still love you and I always will and I still don’t care what anybody thinks-”

...There had not been a day when Ruth had not thought about her.

“...I want you both to know that I’ll never leave again. I should never have left her four years ago, I know that now. But I’m going to try and make it up to her and never hurt her again. You have my word on that.”

...”Well, I hope you’re aware of what in you’re in for. Idgie’s a handful, you know.”

Momma shushed him. “Oh Poppa, Ruth knows that. Don’t you, dear? It’s just that she has a wild streak...”

She had stayed a virgin so she wouldn’t be called a tramp or a slut; had married so she wouldn’t be called an old maid; faked orgasms so she wouldn’t be called frigid; had children so she wouldn’t be called barren; had not been a feminist because she didn’t want to be called queer and a man hater; never nagged or raised her voice so she wouldn’t be called a bitch...

Evelyn wondered; why always sexual names? And why, when men wanted to degrade other men, did they call them pussies? As if that was the worst thing in the world. What have we done to be thought of that way? To be called cunt? People didn’t call blacks names anymore, at least not to their faces. Italians weren’t wops or dagos, and there were no more kikes, Japs, chinks, or spics in polite conversation. Everybody had a group to protest and stick up for them. But women were still being called names by men. Why? Where was our group? 

“Oh honey, it does no good to hate. It’ll do nothing but turn your heart into a bitter root. People cain’t help being what they are anymore than a skunk can help being a skunk. Don’t you think if they had their choice they would rather be something else?”

#ferre reads #fried green tomatoes #fried green tomatoes at the whistle stop cafe #fannie flagg #idgie threadgoode #idgie and ruth #ruth jamison

[ferrereads]

The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer

On-book Summary: “When the twins’ grandmother gives them a treasured fairy-tale book, they have no idea they’re about to enter a land beyond all imagining: the Land of Stories, where fairy tales are real.”

Who should read it? Young readers, those who want a lighter fantasy read between Witcher books. People who need a bit of encouraging and/or a bit of an escape. The perfect balance between modern and fantasy worlds. 

Why I read it: I found out about the book series over the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school because I was binging Glee. I loved the character development. The two main characters, Alex and Connor Bailey, are highly relatable and easy to love. The side-characters bring great comic relief and the best “moral lessons” tend to come from them.  

 Possible Spoilers Through Favorite Passages

“One the world has made a decision, there is little anyone can do to change its mind.”

“The solution to almost every problem imaginable can be found in the outcome of a fairy tale. Fairy tales are life lessons disguised with colourful characters and situations.”

“I’ve never met a person I didn’t learn something from!” Grandma said. “Even the most monotonous people will surprise you. Remember that.” 

“But sometimes life hands us certain responsibilities--not because we want them, but because we were meant to have them--and it’s our duty to see to them.” 

“I’ve learned that the more people embrace their disadvantages, the less disadvantaged they become.” 

“...it doesn’t matter what life you’re living, life never has a solution. No matter how hard the struggles are that you leave behind, new struggles always take their place.” 

“A flame may love a snowflake, but they can never be together without each harming the other.”

“Then let me melt,” Jack said.  

“Looks to me like you busy yourselves with stupid little things so you feel like you’re doing something when in reality you can’t handle what’s really going on out there!” 

“There are many things that are out of my control,” Sleeping Beauty said, and her smile faded again. “So I like to help as much as I can, where I can.”

“Courage is the one thing that no one can ever take away from you.” 

“People tend to be creative when they’re condemning others.”

“...villains are mostly just people villainized by circumstance.”

“It doesn’t matter how greatly you’ve been hurt or how much you’re hurting, it’s what you do with the pan that counts,” he said. “You could cry for years, and rightfully so, or you could choose to learn and grow from it.” 

#ferre reads #the land of stories #the wishing spell #chris colfer #glee #fairy tales #cinderella #sleeping beauty #little red riding hood #snow white #evil queen #what to read #what to read next