Author: A and L Magazine
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Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head (song review)
Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head is a hopeful song by BJ Thomas. He sings about the rain falling, but instead of sitting there doing nothing, he goes to fix it and doesn’t let it bring him down. This sends a message of hope, which is especially important in times like these. As he sings,…
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The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise (book review)
Coyote Sunrise hasn’t been home in five whole years, ever since her mom and sisters died in a car crash and she and her dad have been living cross country on an old school bus. When Coyote hears that they plan to demolish the park where her mom, two sisters and her buried their memory…
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Why Wake County should change the name of this library branch again
by Leeya My local public library was an essential part of my childhood, as it is now in my teenage years. I spent countless summer days there, seeking relief from humid North Carolina summers. I was amazed at the shelves of colorful books, all of which I could check out. It was my comfort place,…
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The War That Saved My Life (book review)
Ada has never been able to be social because her mother is ashamed of Ada’s twisted foot, which makes it a struggle for Ada to even walk. Jamie, Ada’s little brother is sent away from London to escape the looming war and Ada takes the opportunity to join him. The two find a kind woman…
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El Deafo (book review)
Cece used to go to a school for the deaf, other kids like her, but now…now she is going to a school where her hearing aids set her apart from everyone else. What Cece really wants is a friend, but who wants to be friends with someone who wears a giant hearing aid strapped to…
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The Queen of Katwe: A Story of Life, Chess, and One Extraordinary Girl’s Dream of Becoming a Grandmaster (book review)
Phiona Mutesi was following her brother, while searching for food one day, when she met Robert Katende. Her brother was sneaking away to play a game on a checkered board. Phiona was intrigued and would end up joining her brother to see what Robert had to teach about chess. Phiona and the others would travel…
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The Lorraine Motel
by Leeya Welcome to the Civil Rights Museum, formerly the Lorraine Motel. The vibrant colors of the sign that read “Lorraine Motel” greeted us. My brother exclaims “Look! That sign looks like the one from the play.” A few months back, we had watched Mountaintop, a play about Martin Luther King’s last night alive. The…
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#OberlinVillageRegionalLibrary (Episode 5, part 1)
As you may know, for the past year, we have been working on a petition, #OberlinVillageRegionalLibrary. The goal: to change Village Regional Library’s name to Oberlin Village Regional Library. On September 13th Leeya talked to the Wake County Commissioners who unanimously agreed with the idea. After many communications with Regency Properties, the decision remains in…
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Who was Dr. King? (documentary and play review)
by Leeya King in the Wilderness I used to see documentaries as a two-hour lecture on a subject, like a factual narration of a subject rather than a medium able to give the big picture through beautiful and tragic anecdotes. However, when watching King in the Wilderness, I realized documentaries are not always boring or…
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A Global History of Blacks in the 19th Century (book review)
It Began with a Revolution “…to reach the glorious heights of the past, history must be faced. Everything that is faced cannot be changed, but nothing can be changed unless it is faced.” -Mr. Keni Hines, “A Global History of Blacks in the 19th Century: Detailed Chronologically from 1800 to 1899” Mr. Kennith “Keni” Hines…