Notes from the Reading Specialist
Learning to read is an evolving journey in which the research and some strategies for becoming a proficient life long reader are still changing. There is so much to learn about the art of reading, so many layers to peel back and to assimilate into and I am ready to experience it all. I've decided to remixed my platform here so you can experience it too. So what can you expect from me on this page? Well, I will be posting highly recommended books that you should read by yourself, with a friend, with a group or a young person; along with strategies and resources that will support you throughout the reading journey. Remember support will be found if you seek it. If you need reading intervention services for yourself or for someone else, please fill out the contact form below and I will follow up with you asap.
Hot Reads!!!
Looking for a book that you won't want to put down until the end? This book is it!!! And the ending will leave you in a state of unbelief!!!
Mary B. Addison killed a baby.
Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?
There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?
Mary B. Addison killed a baby.
Allegedly. She didn’t say much in that first interview with detectives, and the media filled in the only blanks that mattered: a white baby had died while under the care of a churchgoing black woman and her nine-year-old daughter. The public convicted Mary and the jury made it official. But did she do it?
There wasn’t a point to setting the record straight before, but now she’s got Ted—and their unborn child—to think about. When the state threatens to take her baby, Mary’s fate now lies in the hands of the one person she distrusts the most: her Momma. No one knows the real Momma. But does anyone know the real Mary?
I used this book as my read aloud for my English class during our Struggle For Freedom Unit. It was captivating from the first to last page. Nic Stone tackles American race relations in this stunning debut and gives us a lot to reflect as we contemplate our own struggle for freedom.
Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.
Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can't escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it's Justyce who is under attack.
“We must be the masters of our own destinies. I did not learn that until it was too late. You have to fight to take back control of your life. Sometimes you will hurt the ones you love the most. But in the end, it will always have to be your choice.”
― Sabina Khan, The Love and Lies of Rukhsana Ali
the love & lies of rukhsana ali by @sabina_writer
Heartwrenching to the last page!!!
Must read!!!
Bold and riveting...
Reading specialist's seal of approval 💙
#deespassionfilledexperience
#deepassionate1_trinigirl
#mustread
#booksforus
#booklovers
#riveting
#sabrinakhan
#yalit
#muslimteens
#straddling
#differentworlds
#loveconquersall
#love
#fightforlove
#readingspecialist
"Set in a horrifying near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her parents are forced into an internment camp for Muslim American citizens. With the help of newly made friends also trapped within the internment camp, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected alliance, Layla begins a journey to fight for freedom, leading a revolution against the internment camp's Director and his guards." |
When you are reading a book and you realize that your fear and anger are waging a war inside of you too. - Dee sam_aye_ahm❤️❤️ I felt the same while writing it! |
Best Selling Author Angie Thomas is at it again. On The Come Up is another page turner that will keep you engaged every step of the way. "Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it."
Sometimes you need some divine silence and a great book to get you realigned with the purpose of God for your life!!!
Fearless FAITH & HUSTLE is a tool for women entrepreneurs, it will activate the hidden power of God that is needed for them to grow and glow!!! |
Page turner
Mind Blower Rules Followed Leave Others Broken Looking for ways to be made whole again. |
Ready, set, Ghost...
I'm super excited to read Ghost by Jason Reynolds for the month of February. After hearing him talk on February 7, 2019, a fire for reading his books was lit. I will be back in this space after reading this book to give you my after reading reflection and to share with you why I think this book should be added to your must read list. Until then... Keep reading
I'm super excited to read Ghost by Jason Reynolds for the month of February. After hearing him talk on February 7, 2019, a fire for reading his books was lit. I will be back in this space after reading this book to give you my after reading reflection and to share with you why I think this book should be added to your must read list. Until then... Keep reading
Nadia Lopez
The Bridge to Brilliance
How One Principal In a Tough Community Is Inspiring The World
I just finished my first book for 2019 and it was truly inspirational. There are days when I question God about my life purpose and this book validated and reinforced the fact that I am an ordained educator created by God to inspire our youth to choose a path that is worth taking and to live a life that is worth living. Tomorrow isn't promised so I going to keep pouring out my passion every day that I am blessed to see.
Books that will feed your mind, body and spirit.
Deepassionate1's After Reading Release
I want to lose myself on my blank pages
Letting go of all that I hate about me
Someone said sometimes "the best way to love someone is to let them go"
So today I'm releasing Dee
I breathe in faith and watch my words commit suicide after breakfast
I follow self doubt down a new path of consciousness
Spitting the truth into the atmosphere
Words connecting
Making a line
Daring me to cross
Following the voices that cry out from the wilderness
Butterflies seeking light from within
The search continues for freedom continues
as the pages in my notebook swell like a pregnant's woman's belly.
Deepassionate1's After Reading Release
Piecing Me Together opened wounds that I thought were healed, it exposed the brokenness that is inside of me, but most importantly it gave me an invitation to knit myself back together again.
This book also introduced me to artists and a poet that I never heard of.
My body is sacred
Washed anew by Holy water
My body is holy
A temple reconstructed by the hands of God
My body was created to smile, to laugh, to dance while producing miracles from within
My body is a miracle whose fruits will not be aborted
My body is a roadmap
Leading broken hearts back to the king
My body creates stepping stones out of life's valleys
My body is rising
My body is free
My body is protected
My body is respected
My body is healed
My body belongs to me.
This book also introduced me to artists and a poet that I never heard of.
My body is sacred
Washed anew by Holy water
My body is holy
A temple reconstructed by the hands of God
My body was created to smile, to laugh, to dance while producing miracles from within
My body is a miracle whose fruits will not be aborted
My body is a roadmap
Leading broken hearts back to the king
My body creates stepping stones out of life's valleys
My body is rising
My body is free
My body is protected
My body is respected
My body is healed
My body belongs to me.
A Journey Towards Healing
This book is speaking truth back into my life.
it is a reminder that God will never forget me or the purpose I was created to complete.
You have to power to read and heal yourself.
The Journey towards healing of my mind, body and spirt continues with Jekalyn Carr's new book You Will Win! This book is a profound look into the will of God for our lives. God wants us to know that we are winners and that the time has come for us to walk in the fullness of our harvest season. It is our time to defy all odds while transforming our trials and tribulations into testimonies of triumph.
For the past months, I've been battling with myself, wanting more out of my life, but not really knowing where my level next is going to take me. When I get this way, I find myself writing letters to God, asking for some insight and redirection. God's redirections come in many shapes and forms, this time it came in the form of a book by Lisa Nichols called No Matter What! This book isn't the Bible, but it is speaking life back into me. I am so moved by this book, that I am going to be crafting a series of my daily doses using the insight that I've received from this book. I would like to invite you on this healing journey with me; you can pick up a copy of this book for yourself too. I guarantee that it will motivate you to change how you move and are moved in your life. We all have many obstacles that we have to overcome in this life and today is a great day to begin the work.
Reading for Healing
I began this New Year with an intention to heal myself emotionally, making the choice to be happy in spite of my circumstances. I started this work by seeking the help of a psychologist, but now the self- work begins. These two books have become guides of truth and reflection and I must say that I am excited about the journey ahead of me. If you are looking for ways to liberate yourself from negative emotions, situations and people; I highly recommend these books.
I started reading this book at the end of September with the hope of finishing it much sooner. Once I started reading it, I realized that I couldn't rush this process. Laila Ali shared her life in such a way in this book that I was emotionally rocked, it was like I was in the ring with her. She has truly inspired me to keep reaching for my goals in life. My process, like her own, is very unique. The way God chooses to deal with us all is unique. Your process is your process, people may support you along the way, but only you can learn the life lessons that are being taught to you. You get to decide what you allow in your life, you get to decide how hard you fight and how long you hold on to things and to people. This book gave me the strength that I needed to reconnect with my personal power and the great news is this, we all have personal power inside of us waiting for us to tap into it.
I am a
Brilliant
Attentive
Dedicated
Accomplished
Successful
Sister
I am a BADASS!!!
What are you reading today?
Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.
But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.
Here she comes with her small mind and her quickness
She judges others while reinventing herself
Her melanin is washed daily with bleaching cream
Her nakedness steps forward as her blackness fades
Offering her new self to strangers
Nakedness tattoos her body
Eyes ignite with electricity
Hands plunder her body
Finding her jewels between her legs
They are fed and contented
Her body produces food and water
A lifelong supply of oxygen embedded in her thighs
She squeezes tight from within
Her sex provides refuge for her seekers
Inside her deepness, she hides
And releases her orgasm
It possesses her body, cradling her mind
Like a newborn baby
She lays there arrested by the silence
As her sweat sparkles like glitter.
#deepassionate1_trinigirl
She judges others while reinventing herself
Her melanin is washed daily with bleaching cream
Her nakedness steps forward as her blackness fades
Offering her new self to strangers
Nakedness tattoos her body
Eyes ignite with electricity
Hands plunder her body
Finding her jewels between her legs
They are fed and contented
Her body produces food and water
A lifelong supply of oxygen embedded in her thighs
She squeezes tight from within
Her sex provides refuge for her seekers
Inside her deepness, she hides
And releases her orgasm
It possesses her body, cradling her mind
Like a newborn baby
She lays there arrested by the silence
As her sweat sparkles like glitter.
#deepassionate1_trinigirl
"Black girls are likened more to adults than to children and are treated as if they are willfully engaging in behaviors typically expected of Black women—sexual involvement, parenting or primary caregiving, workforce participation, and other adult behaviors and responsibilities. This compression is both a reflection of deeply entrenched biases that have stripped Black girls of their childhood freedoms and a function of an opportunity-starved social landscape that makes Black girlhood interchangeable with Black womanhood. It gives credence to a widely held perception and a message that there is little difference between the two.”
"My mind would focus on negativity or strange behavior and within seconds I was filled with negativity. Once I made a conscious decision, however to spend a moment each morning thinking of someone to love, my attention was redirected toward the positive." Richard Carlson
Inspiration For Writing: "It is my belief that God sends the solution first and the problem later."
Author: G Neri
Three moves is all it takes to change the outcome of the game.
In Marcus's world, battles are fought everyday on the street, at home, and in school. Angered by his sister's death and his father's absence, and pushed to the brink by a bullying classmate, Marcus fights back with his fists.
One punch away from being kicked out of school and his home, Marcus encounters CM, an unlikely chess master who challenges him to fight his battles on the chess board. Guarded and distrusting, Marcus must endure more hard lessons before he can accept CM's help to regain control of his life.
Inspired by inner-city school chess enrichment programs, Chess Rumble explores the ways this strategic game empowers young people with the skills they need to anticipate and calculate their moves through life."
Three moves is all it takes to change the outcome of the game.
In Marcus's world, battles are fought everyday on the street, at home, and in school. Angered by his sister's death and his father's absence, and pushed to the brink by a bullying classmate, Marcus fights back with his fists.
One punch away from being kicked out of school and his home, Marcus encounters CM, an unlikely chess master who challenges him to fight his battles on the chess board. Guarded and distrusting, Marcus must endure more hard lessons before he can accept CM's help to regain control of his life.
Inspired by inner-city school chess enrichment programs, Chess Rumble explores the ways this strategic game empowers young people with the skills they need to anticipate and calculate their moves through life."
In August of 1994, 11-year-old Robert “Yummy” Sandifer—nicknamed for his love of sweets—fired a gun at a group of rival gangmembers, accidentally killing a neighborhood girl, Shavon Dean. Police searched Chicago’s southside for three days before finding Yummy dead in a railway tunnel, killed by members of the drug gang he’d sought to impress. The story made such an impact that Yummy appeared on the cover of TIME magazine, drawing national attention to the problems of inner city youth in America.
Books that uplifted my spirit!!!
Click on the books to order your copy!
Click on the books to order your copy!
Your greatest regret at the end of your life will be the lions you didn’t chase. You will look back longingly on risks not taken, opportunities not seized, and dreams not pursued. Stop running away from what scares you most and start chasing the God-ordained opportunities that cross your path. In a Pit with a Lion on a Snowy Day is inspired by one of the most obscure yet courageous acts recorded in Scripture, a blessed and audacious act that left no regrets: “Benaiah chased a lion down into a pit. Then, despite the snow and slippery ground, he caught the lion and killed it” (2 Samuel 23:20 -21). Unleash the lion chaser within!
What if the life you really want, and the future God wants for you, is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure…your greatest fear?
Story Behind the Book
“Our best days often start out as our worst days. And our greatest opportunities are often disguised as our biggest problems. You can land in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, and it will seem like the end of the road. But God is in the recycling business. He recycles past experiences and uses them to prepare us for future opportunities. That is the story of my life. And that is the story of your life. Look in the rearview mirror long enough and you’ll see that God has purposely positioned you everywhere you’ve been—even when it seemed you’d taken a wrong turn.”
What if the life you really want, and the future God wants for you, is hiding right now in your biggest problem, your worst failure…your greatest fear?
Story Behind the Book
“Our best days often start out as our worst days. And our greatest opportunities are often disguised as our biggest problems. You can land in a pit with a lion on a snowy day, and it will seem like the end of the road. But God is in the recycling business. He recycles past experiences and uses them to prepare us for future opportunities. That is the story of my life. And that is the story of your life. Look in the rearview mirror long enough and you’ll see that God has purposely positioned you everywhere you’ve been—even when it seemed you’d taken a wrong turn.”
The Gospel costs nothing. You can’t earn it or buy it. It can only be received as a free gift compliments of God’s grace. It doesn’t cost anything, but it demands everything. It demands that we go ‘all in,’ a term that simply means placing all that you have into God’s hands. Pushing it all in. And that’s where we get stuck—spiritual no man’s land. We’re afraid that if we go all in that we might miss out on what this life has to offer. It’s not true. The only thing you’ll miss out on is everything God has to offer. And the good news is this: if you don’t hold out on God, God won’t hold out on you. Readers will find Batterson’s writing filled with his customary vivid, contemporary illustrations as well as biblical characters like Shamgar and Elisha and Jonathan and . . . Judas.
No one has ever sacrificed anything for God. If you always get back more than you gave up, have you sacrificed anything at all? The eternal reward always outweighs the temporal sacrifice. At the end of the day, our greatest regret will be whatever we didn’t give back to God. What we didn’t push back across the table to Him. Eternity will reveal that holding out is losing out.
The message of All In is simple: if Jesus is not Lord of all then Jesus is not Lord at all. It’s all or nothing. It’s now or never. Kneeling at the foot of the cross of Christ and surrendering to His Lordship is a radical act of dethroning yourself and enthroning Christ as King. It’s also an act of disowning yourself. Nothing belongs to you. Not even you.
Batterson writes, ‘for many years, I thought I was following Jesus. I wasn’t. I had invited Jesus to follow me. I call it inverted Christianity. And it’s a subtle form of selfishness that masquerades as spirituality. That’s when I sold out and bought in. When did we start believing that the gospel is an insurance plan? It’s a daring plan. Jesus did not die just to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous.’
No one has ever sacrificed anything for God. If you always get back more than you gave up, have you sacrificed anything at all? The eternal reward always outweighs the temporal sacrifice. At the end of the day, our greatest regret will be whatever we didn’t give back to God. What we didn’t push back across the table to Him. Eternity will reveal that holding out is losing out.
The message of All In is simple: if Jesus is not Lord of all then Jesus is not Lord at all. It’s all or nothing. It’s now or never. Kneeling at the foot of the cross of Christ and surrendering to His Lordship is a radical act of dethroning yourself and enthroning Christ as King. It’s also an act of disowning yourself. Nothing belongs to you. Not even you.
Batterson writes, ‘for many years, I thought I was following Jesus. I wasn’t. I had invited Jesus to follow me. I call it inverted Christianity. And it’s a subtle form of selfishness that masquerades as spirituality. That’s when I sold out and bought in. When did we start believing that the gospel is an insurance plan? It’s a daring plan. Jesus did not die just to keep us safe. He died to make us dangerous.’
Do you pray as often and as boldly as you want to? There is a way to experience a deeper, more passionate, persistent, and intimate prayer life. Drawing from forty days of true stories, Mark Batterson applies the principles of his New York Times bestselling book The Circle Maker to teach us a new way to pray. As thousands of readers quickly became many tens of thousands, true stories of miraculous and inspiring answers to prayer began to pour in, and as those stories were shared, others were bolstered in their faith to pray with even more boldness. In Draw the Circle, through forty true, faith-building stories of God’s answers to prayer, daily scriptures and prayer prompts, Batterson inspires you to pray and keep praying like never before. Begin a lifetime of watching God work. Believe in the God who can do all things. Experience the power of bold prayer and even bolder faith in Draw the Circle
Even at twelve years old Deborah Jiang Stein, the adopted daughter of a progressive Jewish couple in Seattle, felt like an outsider. Her multiracial features set her apart from her well-intentioned white parents, who evaded questions about her past. But when Deborah discovered a letter revealing the truth--that she was born in prison to a heroin-addicted mother and spent the first year of her life there--she spiraled into emotional lockdown. For years she turned to drugs, violence, and crime as a way to cope with her grief. Ultimately, Deborah overcame the stigma, shame, and secrecy of her birth and found peace by helping others--proving that redemption and acceptance is possible, even from the darkest corners
In this brave memoir, Phelps spares no detail of her loveless, troubled childhood. In the second grade, her stepfather throws her out the door in front of the school bus as her mother watches. One of 11 children in a rundown house in Coalinga, Calif., Phelps skips classes and curses her teacher in the first days of junior high. By 12, she drops out and rarely comes home. When she does, her mother drives her to a juvenile hall and leaves. The state sends her to group homes, but she always runs away, preferring the freedom of the streets, where she meets crack-addicted Natara, a prostitute, and Icey, a pimp, a pair who promise to take care of her. Despite the unspeakable atrocities done to her along the way, Phelps is too young and naïve to escape their dark web. After Icey is arrested for other crimes, Phelps is raped by older men who subsequently discard her. Finally, after stealing a car, she lands in the Youth Authority detention center. There, she meets her first mentor, counselor Ron Jenkins. Slowly and with setbacks, Phelps rebuilds her life and graduates from high school thanks to the perseverance of a teacher. She finds love and acceptance through the kindness of strangers who see her potential. Later, while earning a law degree and M.B.A. from UCLA, the author, as she explains, takes great strides to reach out to troubled kids, and creates a documentary, Carissa, about her life.
–Publishers Weekly
–Publishers Weekly
The power of reading has changed my life! Reading has taught me that I have the power to transform my pain into passion and find inspiration for living from someone else. I truly believe that we owe it to ourselves to have a love affair with reading. Out of the many genres of literature, I find my heart being consumed with Memoirs. There is something life changing about reading other people's life transforming stories. Below is a list of my favorite books that added to the passion of my life.
I finished reading No Disrespect today and I must say that I was swimming in my emotions of frustration and admiration for African American women who live today. I believe that we have a lot of work to do when it comes to loving ourselves. The truth of the matter is that we can't love anyone else before conquering self love.
I highly recommend this book!
I highly recommend this book!
DeePassionate1's Author Spotlight
Author: Ni-Ni Simone
True story: I’m Gem, G-E-M, like a precious jewel, and my life has been nothing like my name. I’ve been on my own since I was nine and now I’m sixteen. But so what. I’m good, and so is my little brother. So why the state won’t let us do our own thing is beyond me. Instead, we’ve been forced to live with a foster family who wants to love us, but I’m not beat—I’m just trying to do me.
To make matters worse, I’ve been checking for this guy, Ny’eem. But my new clique has an unbreakable rule—no boyz allowed to come between our friendship—which is forcing me to keep my relationship with Ny’eem a secret. Though not for long. . .because in high school secrets are always exposed, scandals always rewrite the rules, and friendships are never what they seem. . .
Burned Alive
Author: SOUAD
Summary:
When Souad was seventeen she fell in love. In her West Bank village, as in so many others, sex before marriage is considered a grave dishonor to one's family and is punishable by death. This was her crime. Her brother-in-law was given the task of meting out her punishment. One morning while Souad was washing the family's clothes, he poured gasoline over her and set her on fire. Miraculously, she survived, rescued by women of her village, who put out the flames and took her to a local hospital. Horribly burned over seventy percent of her body and still denounced by her family, Souad was able to receive the care she needed only after the intervention of a European aid worker. Now in permanent exile from her homeland, she has decided to tell her story and reveal the barbarity of a practice that continues to this day. Burned Alive ...is the first true account ever published by a victim of an "honor crime." Souad's inspiring testimony is a shocking, moving, and harrowing story of cruelty and incomparable courage...and an inspiring call to action to end a heinous tradition.
Retaliation
Author: Yasmin Shiraz
When a popular high school girl is badly beaten in a fight borne from jealousy, the girl, her family, and her DC community must choose whether to stay in the violent, dangerous status quo or rise above the violence and its deadly consequences that permeates every crevice of their community.
When a popular high school girl is badly beaten in a fight borne from jealousy, the girl, her family, and her DC community must choose whether to stay in the violent, dangerous status quo or rise above the violence and its deadly consequences that permeates every crevice of their community.
