Wednesday, December 2, 2020

Haley Reading (Group A) -- American Spy, reflections

[Haley Reading groups Fall 2020]


We've read about two dozen books over the years as part of our Haley Reading group. But lately, we have not read much fiction. 

This semester, however, we read the novel American Spy by Lauren Wilkinson. 

What did you enjoy or find most rewarding about reading the book? And, what did you view as a challenge concerning the reading experience?

24 comments:

Tiffany E. said...

I think that what I enjoyed the most about reading this book was being able to get caught up in the story so easily. Always wanting to see what happens next. Sometimes non-fiction can do the same thing but I feel like when reading fiction it just helps you escape reality if only for a minute. So i think that's what I enjoyed the most about reading this book which was honestly the thrill of it all.

-Tiffany E.

K Carter said...

I enjoyed reading the fiction book. The most rewarding part is that it was a mix of facts and made-up information which made the story more interesting. I enjoyed the suspense and excitement that the fiction brought to the real story.

Kiya R. said...

The thing I enjoyed the most about "American Spy" is the representation of Black women. Due to the oppressive controlling images that were created to justify the discrimination that Black Women face, we often are represented by these controlling images and usually aren't able to see actual representations of us in the media or in literature. I enjoyed reading about a Black woman who was a spy and had her own strengths and weaknesses, which is something that I do not see very often.

The most difficult part of this reading experience was trying to properly fit it in my schedule. Personally, I believed the book was easy to read and analyze, but it was hard to find the time to read it throughout the week due to my coursework and tasks I have to do for the organizations I am in.

Lesley S. said...

I enjoyed reading this book a lot. I never thought I would be interested in a story about spies, but this book was more than that. American Spy was full of suspense so it made every single chapter more and more interesting and worth the read. I was never bored and was always on the edge of my seat with what will happen next.

Mya Jackson said...

I enjoyed reading American Spy because I found it relatively easy to read. By reading a fiction book, I find it easier to be more interested because the plot and events are usually more action packed with less facts. American Spy was filled with a lot of suspense and intriguing events that made it worth reading. I also enjoyed the point of view that the book was written in. Overall, American Spy was a very interesting and easy read.

The most difficult part was just fitting the book into my schedule on top of classes. However, because this story was not very lengthy it was easy to read a few chapters a week. If it was any longer, it would have been very stressful.

Paris S. said...

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. The most rewarding part of the book was how it showcased the strength and intelligence of a Black woman by telling the stories of her experiences throughout the book. Also, the book was very suspenseful which made me want to continue reading it more.

Brighten B. said...

I enjoyed the story line the most while reading this story. I was excited to read each chapter because there was so much going on. I like reading a story that has a lot going on because it makes me more interested and makes it more enjoyable for me. This book represented each character really well and that made me enjoy it more. Overall, I really liked reading this book and I am glad I got the chance to read it. I did not have a challenging experience reading this book.

Unknown said...

Like Kiya said, I absolutely loved the representation of Black women in this book. I also loved the plot and overall storyline itself. There was so much going on that I wanted to keeping reading! I was eager about this book and it paid off. I am glad that this was this semester's selection. As for challenges, I'd agree that it was hard to find time to read the book, but I had no challenges reading it and when I did finally get the chance each week, it was hard to put it down!
-Kylie Jackson

Nyah Crockett said...

What I enjoyed most about reading this book is how it wasn't all fiction. It had aspects of real-life events in it, so that made the story even more believable. Something else I enjoyed was the fact that our point-of-view as readers was being her sons reading this journal from her. Even though what we're reading is her recounting of the events that happened, it still feels like we are with her in the midst of everything described.

The most challenging part of reading this book is that it was kind of slow to me and didn't have as much action as I thought it would. When I think about spies, I think about Hollywood's interpretation, so I went into reading this expecting something other than what I got.

Kendall Fry said...

Through the course of American Spy I found that the connection I felt to Marie was the most rewarding experience. Being that she is a fictional character it is easy to fill in the missing aspects of her personality with more traits that are relatable to my own, it is easy to see parts of myself within both the constraints of her written personality as well as her implied personality. I utterly enjoyed this experience, the greatest challenge regarding this reading experience would have to be resisting the urge to read ahead.

Janielle F. said...

The thing that I found the most enjoyable about the book was the plot. I've never read a story like this before and the plot was very interesting and constantly kept me on my toes with all of its twists and turns.

The most challenging part of the reading experience for me was some of the terminology that was used. I found myself searching Google for the meaning of a word or acronym quite a few times as I was reading. However, this did little to deter me from enjoying the story and, instead, allowed me to broaden my vocabulary.

Tatiana D. said...

The most rewarding part of reading this book was that it was a great representation of African American women and the many challenges we may face in our daily lives that may be otherwise overlooked. I enjoyed reading this book because I felt it was a nice amount of suspense and the majority of the story was unpredictable. The main challenge I faced while reading this book was keeping up with the different relationships each character shared with one another, but once those became clear to me I gained an even stronger like for the book.

Paige G. said...

I loved how addictive this book was. It is a very different novel from my usual preference for sci-fi or fantasy. I enjoyed the plot and how it switched time between sections, which I very rarely see done well, and how relatable the character felt while still making her interesting and just enough of ridiculous to imagine story points that made it interesting and exciting.

Unknown said...

This book was very interesting. I enjoyed the format and lessons meant to be learn from each of her life experiences. However, I wished she supplied more answers to many curiosities such as her sister's death, her mother's disappearance and more about her life with the twins.

Jania Garrison said...

The most rewarding part of this book for me was the representation of African American women. I was very glad to see this representation because I do not usually feel myself represented in different types of media so it was very fulfilling to see this representation. I also enjoyed the plot of the story and how it kept me on my toes the whole time. The only challenges I had was trying to fit the reading in my schedule.

Tymia Sleet said...

I love how different this book was. It was unlike any other book I have ever read before and that was the best part. It was very easy to engage yourself in. The most challenging part was most likely just finding time in between all my other school work to read the chapters.

Anonymous said...

I enjoyed reading this book because it wasn’t what i expected at all.It left you shocked each chapter. The most pleasurable part is that it was made up of true and false fiction information. I enjoyed this book mostly because of the suspense and excitement that was brought while reading it.

Ashanti Young 12/5/20

Anonymous said...

Aalita Cole said...
I found the storyline to the most rewarding part about reading this book, while it was a fictional novel the way that it was narrated gave off a very realistic vibe. I found that the most challenging thing during my experience was to wait a week to read the next chapter.

December 4, 2020 at 5:09 PM

Anonymous said...

Something I found rewarding was the representation of African American women. this was very i’m portent to me because I typically do not see myself represented in media, so it was nice to see the representation. One challenge I found was fitting time to read in my schedule.

Jania Garrison 12/7/20

Tymia Sleet said...

I loved the entire book and the kind of "behind the scenes" it gave it into the life of spies. I prefer fiction more than nonfiction and thoroughly enjoyed this book. The most challenging part of reading this book was something that did not have to do with the book itself but finding the time between all my other work to read it. It was worth the read though!

Anonymous said...

Overall, the book was very interesting and depicted a different representation of black women. It showed the strength and sacrifices black women make even while being successful and independent. However, I wish I understood more about Helene and her death, Helen's relationship with Slater, why Marie's mom left, and the conclusion of Marie's disappearance. However, the ambiguity and lack of explanation supports the theme of the book which is hiding and suppressing emotions and thought.

Victoria Richardson 12/8/20

Marianne Huck said...

I thought this book was so cool. It was an unexpected representation of a black woman in a role that isn't seen in the media often. One of the challenges with the book was understanding some of the underlying backstory. Theres a lot that's left up to the reader to decipher.

Marianne Huck

Chantay Peoples said...

I particularly don't like spy books, hence my late responses. They just don't interest me and I can't seem to get my mind to focus on them and imagining the scene within my own brain is slightly difficult. I did enjoy the change in main character. Seeing as most books have a white lead this was refreshing and nice to say the least.

C.P

Anonymous said...

What I found most challenging about the book was reading it from the POV. I haven't really read a book where the narrator is describing events to me as if I were also a character in the story. That made it difficult for me to follow in the beginnings. What interested me was when the trouble started of Marie being involved with Ross. This isn't generally a genre I read, so I found it odd that I enjoyed it.

Grace Briggs, 12/21/20