Offsides by Erik Esckilsen

To Coach Dempsey, the Warriors teams and their Indian mascot symbolize the honor and glory of the Southwind High School athletic tradition. But soccer star Tom Gray sees little more than a denigrating cultural stereotype in the team’s mascot and the stern, war-painted Indian-head profile. As a Mohawk, Tom knows only too well the hardships Native Americans face in their struggle for respect. So when his father’s tragic death forces him and his mother to move to Southwind, Tom must make the decision of a lifetime: betray his family and heritage, or boycott Dempsey’s team and abandon the sport he loves.

(From Goodreads)

Genre: sports, contemporary

Rating: 4.5/5

Delightfully affective for such a short book, Offsides chronicles the struggle of Tom Gray, a teenage Mohawk dealing with the recent death of his father, his mother having to move with him to a new area and the biggest issue of all, having to decide how to handle the coach at his new school who fails to understand the offensiveness of the Native American mascot the team uses. This is harsh reality for Tom considering he's a star soccer player and loves the sport. Sticking with his beliefs rather than his love for being a soccer star, he makes an enemy of Coach Dempsey and soon finds himself the leader of a rag tag group of homeschool soccer players. The "geeks" are surprisingly non-stereotypical, as they're pretty good athletes and stick up for themselves. Tom finds a place in the group and finds himself drawn to Katya, a Russian girl who translates for their new "coach", the Russian owner of the novelty shop they gather at. 

The book very honestly deals with the issues that plague Native American reservations, from crime to poverty and you understand why the fight for taking down the mascot is such a personal issue about dignity for Tom and his mother. While Dempsey isn't trying to be disrespectful on purpose (and even proves to have a legitimate reason for wanting to keep the mascot), the mascot itself disrespects a people already hurting in many ways and fighting for respect. The book hints at, but doesn't address completely the fascinating aspect of Mohawk steel workers who have for generations worked fearlessly on highrise buildings and the author also shows a tantalizing, but unexplained understanding of the Russian football. The ending is a bit convenient with everything working out fairly well for Tom ultimately, but in using a sports novel to address bigger issues this book works wonderfully and doesn't fail to show a deep understanding of the game itself.

Footfree and Fancyloose by Elizabeth Craft and Sarah Fain

Sophie, Becca, Harper and Kate have all graduated high school and are looking to fulfill their Year of Dreams as they all head off into the real world. Sophie dreams of becoming a famous actress and heads to California. Kate finds herself digging wells in Africa and butting heads with one of the group leaders who assumes she's a spoiled rich girl. Becca finds her relationship with her boyfriend on rocky ground as her home life is turned upside down. Harper is trying to write the Great American novel, but finds herself still dwelling on her almost relationship with her English teacher. The girls all suddenly realize maybe their dreams weren't quite what they thought they were and maybe things they thought they wanted aren't what they need.

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 2/5

This book frustrated me. It was highly readable and I wanted to know what happened to the characters, mainly because I HATED them all so much. They progressively made stupider and stupider choices, acted ridiculous, acted bitchy, used guys and allowed themselves to be used by guys and ultimately didn't seem to learn much. Sophie is vain and shallow and only earns a slight pass as a character as she begins to realize that her behavior IS shallow. She makes assumptions about her fairly nice roommate Sam and refuses to admit she likes him. Harper gets into a messy "friends with benefits" situation with one of her friends and realizes too late that she actually doesn't have the feelings she thought she did about her English teacher. The very fact that this relationship is even presented as acceptable is baffling to me. There is no "this is wrong" presented about her relationship with him. She's presented as being dishonest with her feelings about her best guy friend and goes into a family tailspin when her father breaks some bones. For the way the family acts about her father's situation I thought it would be MUCH more traumatic than someone falling off a roof and being in traction for a while. Then there's Becca, the most annoying of the characters. She ditches her friends in favor of her boyfriend and becomes one of those obnoxious characters who has no identity outside of him, calling him constantly and talking about nothing but him. She eventually freaks out and does something that majorly hurts him a SECOND time as she had hurt him before and is generally just irrational when it comes to him. Kate is the only character I actually really liked and she was made intolerable by choosing a guy who was so vile I kept hoping he'd get killed off. Darby is arrogant, makes assumptions about Kate, treats her like she can't do anything, insults her, yet she still finds herself attracted to him and ends up kissing him because they're angry at each other. No girl with any sense would be attracted to someone as unpleasant as Darby. This was one of the first books I've ever finished reading because I wanted all the worst for some of the characters.

The Poker Diaries by Liza Conrad

Lulu has the best of both worlds. Her mother is uptown New York society and her father is a downtown gambler. Lulu is a poker prodigy herself and despite both her parents' reservations, she enjoys back room games at her grandfathers. Things only get really complicated when one of her uptown friends loses to some shady poker players and Lulu is forced to become involved in a high stakes poker game. Not only does her lying threaten her relationship with her parents and her downtown boyfriend, but being involved with illegal poker puts her at risk of ruining the campaign of her mother's new boyfriend, the mayor of New York.

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 4/5

Fast, cute little read about the world of poker. Lulu is a tough, no nonsense New York girl who doesn't understand why her parents have a problem with her choices of enjoying the less fancy side of her life. She particularly takes offense that they judge her sweet, but rough around the edges boyfriend as someone not good for her. This would be a good book for reluctant readers as the action is fast paced and the book very short. It was nice to see a blended family where everyone got along and a feisty girl who tries to solve her own problems.

The Lonely Hearts Club by Elizabeth Eulberg

Penny has had it with high school guys. After having her heart broken by the guy she thought was her ideal, she decides to swear off dating in high school. Soon she's joined by a few friends who have also had their bad experiences with guys and the form The Lonely Hearts Club, a group that feels like they don't need boys in high school. Before Penny knows it, the club is making a splash at school and having some unexpected results and unexpected consequences. Faced with an increasingly annoyed male population and Penny fighting a crush of her own, Penny and her friends join together to support each other and maybe approve of a boy now and then anyway.

Genre: romance, contemporary

Rating: 4/5

I liked this book. It was cute and Penny intelligent and laid back. I enjoyed the fact that one of her friends initially started out in the "annoying perfect girl" stereotype, but turned out to be a major character who is actually genuinely sweet and apologetic about ditching Penny back when she originally got a boyfriend. Girls are portrayed in a mostly positive light (with the exception of a few stereotypical mean girls) and girl friendships are celebrated. The book only gets marked down on two counts: first off, Penny's parents' obsession with the Beatles seemed a bit fake and like it was a gimmick to use in the book more than anything else. The second issue was one where Penny finding happiness with a boy sort of undermined some of the message to me. Yes the group is still supportive and refuses to allow members to become girlfriends who are consumed by their boyfriends to the point of having no life, but the main character spending most of the book stressing about whether she should be with a guy or not (granted a nice guy) sort of derails the message that girls shouldn't worry about boys. It just sort of seemed like it was at cross purposes. The book is charming though and works as a nice little romance too, and definitely has a positive message of girls being themselves whether they have boyfriends or not. So, girl power with a slightly mixed message.

Airhead by Meg Cabot

Emerson is a typical teenage girl who crushes on her best guy friend who doesn't seem to know she's a breathing female and love video games. She has no time for fashion or girly things, which proves to be a problem when a terrible accident ends up with her brain being placed into a teenager super model's body. Now she suddenly has to care about fashion and celebrity and her former best friend doesn't know she still exists. Emerson starts to gain a new respect for how hard being famous is, but she also is baffled by the superficialness of everything she has to do now.

Genre: contemporary; fantasy

Rating: 4/5

I honestly like Meg Cabot. She's a good author and I've never read something from her that I didn't at least enjoy. This round is the same trope of a normal girl being thrown into a fantastic situation that Cabot tends to use a lot, this time with a girl suddenly being a super model. Emerson is a feisty independent girl, so being jammed into a body that is just worshipped basically for being a body is very unsettling for her. She realizes that some parts of fame are very nice and having guys fall all over her is fun, but not being taken seriously and having everyone try to run her life is not. There's also Christopher, the boy she was in love with when she was just Emerson and who has no interest in her new body.

It's a fairly smart book for dealing with a fish out of water scenario. Emerson is believably upset that no one told her she was in a new body and she's slowly starting to appreciate some of Nikki's old friends who are actually nice, if shallow. The most annoying part is the bevy of boys that Emerson now has to choose from, which makes her love for Christopher sometimes seem a little flippant.

Thwonk by Joan Bauer

AJ is an aspiring photographer with love issues. She always tends to pick unsuitable boys and Peter is no different as he already has a girlfriend and AJ's friend keeps warning her is completely vain. Then AJ runs into a cupid ready to grant her every wish. Of course AJ wishes for Peter to love her and suddenly he is completely and embarrassingly in love with AJ. Sometimes what you think you want is not necessarily what you need, as AJ begins to learn the hard way.

Genre: humor; contemporary

Rating: 4/5

This was a cute book, short and fairly funny. The actuallity of having a boyfriend who is sickeningly in love with you with no real basis is amusing, yet you feel like AJ gets what she deserves. Everyone warns her that she repeatedly falls head over heels for boys who have no substance, yet she disregards every single person and careens down the path of heartbreak. It's hard to sympathize with her too much when she repeatedly crashes and burns.

The major issue I had with the book is that AJ seemed too young in her flighty mindset to be a senior in high school who had gone through several boyfriends. She seems smart enough, but we're asked to believe that she's literally gone through about 10 guys without pinpointing her problem of being all concerned with looks. AJ is just unbelievably stupid about some things, and that was sort of jarring. The book is funny though and the speaking voices are entertaining and almost Gilmore Girl- like. It's worth overlooking a few character flaws.

Nice and Mean by Jessica Leader

Marina is a catty 8th grader who likes to be number one among her friends and hates dealing with the less cool people at her school. Sachi is a well behaved student who never gets in trouble and always follows all the rules. The two are forced to work together on a video project with disastrous results as Marina tries to take over the project and gets into big trouble when she decides to make fun of some of her friends in it. Suddenly the video project becomes a catalyst for Marina to make herself kinder and Sachi to start standing up for herself.

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 4/5

This was actually a tween book, which I had never really read before. This one wasn't bad. A little sacchriney, but Marina really is rather a brat and her issues with her frienemies isn't really resolved completely at the end, much like in real life. The girl she gets into trouble with is no angel and is probably as bad as Marina in her own way, but it's Marina who learns her lesson.

Sachi is possibly too nice for a middle schooler, but her feelings of unfairness about how controlling her parents are of her is accessible to younger readers. Both girls learn a few things about how to treat friends and what is involved in being a trendsetter.

City of the Beasts by Isabel Allende

Shipped off to join his grandmother on a trip to the heart of the Amazon, Alexander is out of his depth and worried about his cancer stricken mother. But after meeting Nadia, a girl who can talk with animals, he begins to experience more and more unexplainable things and becomes fascinated by the People of the Mist, a legendary group of Indians. As the group looks for a mythical creature known as the Beast, Nadia and Alexander begin to suspect someone is trying to harm the Indians. When they are kidnapped, the two begin a mystical quest to come of age.

Genre: contemporary, supernatural

Rating: 4/5

While this book isn't exactly action packed, it is very enjoyable. Allende weaves the plausible with the mystical and addresses real issues of coming of age. Perhaps the biggest flaw is some of the situations are unbelievable (a teenager being allowed in a delicate mission into the Amazon?), but then there was also a good deal of the supernatural and existential in the book, which makes the areas fuzzy. The characterizations are alternately charming and over the top. The anthropologist on the mission is severely one dimensional and only exists to spout backwards and misinformed statements. This seems at odds with anthropologists I've known. Yet Indians are fierce and calm personalities that are alternately dangerous and fascinating. Alexander grows from a timid boy into a man in the jungle and he and Nadia effectively use their brains to thwart the wiping out of the Indians.

There's a lot going on in this novel, and for it trying to blend so many things and in such a sort of mythical way, it succeeds.

The Lipstick Laws by Amy Holder

After accidentally attracting the attention of Britney Taylor, who rules the social scene at school with an iron fist, April Bower is at first flattered. What can going along with some of Britney's more ridiculous social quirks hurt? But the more April is involved with the high school queen, the more she's uncomfortable with Britney's vicious social maneuvering. After accidentally getting on the wrong side of her former friend, April finds herself the target of cruel bullying by Britney and her entourage. Rather than let Britney win, April starts a counter attack, leading to battle lines being drawn at school and April needing to decide whether she wants to be known as a nice girl, or get even.

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 4/5

Not a bad book mainly on the strength of the main character. April is a likable girl. She's no saint, but she's not so blindly stupid that she's sucked in to Britney's superficiality without questioning what's going on. She enjoys the popularity, but is bothered by Britney's meanness. And rather than this turning into a book about a girl cruelly bullied, April gets even. She's smart and tough enough to organize her own group of friends and actually ends up finding girls like her who are also loyal and unique. Not only does April end up getting the greater revenge, but she also comes out being the bigger person, but it's not without being honestly tempted to humiliate Britney. In other words, this book was light and cute and had a likable heroine who may have been sucked in by a high school piranha, but who is smart enough to stand up for herself.

Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

Ashley's life is normal. She's struggling to graduate, has a boyfriend who may or may not be a loser, has great friends and goes to an inner city school that has its normal share of problems. But the problems become extreme when a math teacher absconds with the funds for prom and Ashley is sucked into helping pull off a new prom with no money. As Ashley tries to help patch together a prom, she begins to take a look at her own life. She has no plans, no goals, and it might be time for her to make something happen with herself, just like she's made something happen with prom.

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 4/5

A less serious book from Anderson, this one deals with a girl who is in almost every way a normal girl. She's not a good student, she's moderately popular, she makes really stupid decisions in the men department. Her parents aren't rich and they aren't dysfunctional, but she doesn't want to live at home. Her school is full of metal detectors and normal teenage chatter, rather than the small town or peaceful high schools sometimes written into YA novels. Ashley is likable, but she's no overachiever. She is slowly coming to the realization that if she doesn't figure out what she's going to do with her life, she's going to end up knocked up and living in a rut with her blue collar, lack luster boyfriend. It was an interesting take on high school life. Ashley is smart enough and nice enough, but it just takes her a while to get motivated to do anything. This is possibly a good book for readers who aren't straight A students and who don't know what they want to do with life, as Ashley thoughtfully realizes she might want something more in life than what she has.

Girl on the Other Side by Deborah Kerbel

Tabby Freeman and Lora Froggett go to the same school, but they live in totally opposite worlds. Tabby is rich, pretty, and the most popular girl in her class. But behind closed doors, her “perfect” life is rapidly coming apart at the seams.

On the other side, Lora is smart, timid, and the constant target of bullies. While struggling to survive the piranha-infested halls of her school, she becomes increasingly nervous that somebody might discover the unbearable truth about what’s been happening to her family.

Despite their differences, Tabby and Lora have something in common — they’re both harbouring dark secrets and a lot of pain. Although they’ve never been friends, a series of strange events causes their lives to crash together in ways neither could have ever imagined. And when the dust finally settles and all their secrets are forced out into the light, will the girls be saved … or destroyed?

(Amazon.com)

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 4/5

This is an extremely short book that while heavy handed at some parts, is also a good look at the struggles of teenage life from both the side of a popular girl and one who is mercilessly picked on. Both of them come to the realization that they're lives aren't the only ones in turmoil. It's a bit cliche that Tabby's parents are suddenly loving, just like the students in the school seemed a sort of mean that generally isn't tolerated in a school (the physical restraining of Lora at one point in a public place would have been caught and punished in any school I've worked at). While Tabby is neglected, Lora is not only abused at school, but is under the stress of trying to take care of her family at home. She is by far the more sympathetic of the girls, which makes Tabby's sudden transformation into a nice girl anti-climatic.

It was a likable book and very short for reluctant readers.

Does My Head Look Big In This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah

Sixteen-year-old Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full-time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else.

Can she handle the taunts of "towel head," the prejudice of her classmates, and still attract the cutest boy in school?

(Amazon.com)

Genre: contemporary

Rating: 5/5

Two 5 ratings in a row? Have I suddenly become nice in my reviews? No, I just happened upon two really good books. For someone who has taught students who wear the hijab, this book was eye opening about a religion that is often misunderstood in our country.

Amal is a brilliant girl and probably more liberated than most girls and certainly stands up for herself no matter how difficult that is. She runs into prejudice at school, but that isn't nearly as important as how she learns to deal with a crush on a boy she knows shy can't be physical with, befriends a cranky neighbor who makes Amal realize she had some preconceived notions of her own, and her frustration over her friend's culturally backwards mother. No matter what the situation, Amal makes sense of it in relation to her religion and Abdel-Fattah makes Islam accessible to people who may not understand it. Being a conservative Christian, I recognized and respect the similarities between the two religions. Some of the characterization is a little heavy handed, but the charm of the book makes that irrelevant. Everyone should read this book to get a look at a culture that is often misunderstood.

Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi

Two sisters--as different as the sun and the rain. For one, getting into the Blood Coven is to die for. But for the other, getting out could be lethal...When Sunny McDonald gets dragged to Club Fang by her twin sister Rayne, she doesn't expect to find anything besides a bunch of Goth kids playing at being vampires. But when some guy mistakes Sunny for her dark-side-loving sister and bites her on the neck, she finds out that his fangs are real--and deadly.

Now, Sunny has less than a week to figure out how to reverse the bite, or else she's going to end up as the perpetually undead. And not only will she be a vampire, she'll also be bonded to Magnus--the bloodsucker who bit her--forever. And forever is a really long time...

(Amazon.com)

Genre: fantasy; contemporary

Rating: 2.5/5

Note: #6 for the YA Series Challenge (Blood Coven Vampire Series)

I'll say one thing for this book, it read really fast. Unfortunately that was an indicator that it was on the shallow side. It reminded me of those Vampire Kisses novels in that way. Except these weren't as well written. There was some decent humor at parts, such as the vampire slayer who had hygiene issues and Sunny getting distracted reading fanfiction, things that a fan of Buffy would have picked up on and thought was funny, but the book really had no depth. More importantly, I didn't really find either Sunny or Rayne likable at all. And not in the "they have character flaws" sort of way either. Sunny whines throughout the entire novel about becoming a vampire in such a way that it's hard to have any sympathy for her. Rayne is only moderately better as her concerns basically boil down to sex and bemoaning the fact that she's not a vampire. Magnus is a one dimensional character who really gives no explanation as to why he's attracted to a high school teenager when he's hundreds of years old and she's given him no real reason to like her. It was in all, a shallow book. It didn't waste much of my time, but it was also forgettable.

Devoured by Amanda Marrone

Ever since the car accident nine years ago, life for 16-year-old Megan has never been the same. Her father lies in a coma at the nursing home; her twin sister, Remy, who died in the accident, continues to haunt her; and her mom only seems to care about winning dog competitions with their purebred Fergus. Events become even more complicated when Megan decides to take a job working at the Land of Enchantment in order to keep an eye on her boyfriend, Ryan, and his "best friend," Samantha. There she meets Luke, who is psychic and, to Megan's relief, can also see and communicate with Remy. Megan is concerned because Remy's behavior is becoming violent. The natural attraction between Megan and Luke quickly becomes a problem for Ari Roy, whose family owns the Land of Enchantment. Ari feels that Luke is hers, and she will stop at nothing to get what she wants.

(Amazon.com)

Genre: fantasy; supernatural; contemporary

Rating: 4/5

Note: #4 of Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (Snow White)

Not a traditional retelling, but one that takes some of the elements of the original story and puts them into modern context. There is no one to one correlation of dwarfs to humans or evil stepmothers to villains, but there is a magic mirror and a healthy dose of jealousy, which is what the original story is based on. There is someone not awake but not dead (Megan's father), but there isn't any waking up for him. Megan is trapped in a life with a mother who won't face the tragedy around her and seeing the ghost of her twin sister. Luke, who can also see ghosts, seems like a knight in shining armor, but even he gets wrong what is the basis for Remy's reasons for not leaving Megan alone. Megan is a believable character struggling with several tragedies in her life and whether to dump her boyfriend or not. Luke is a very one dimensional character who is the "right guy for Megan" mainly because he can also see ghosts.

The book was a good mystery and there was real peril as several characters didn't make it out alive. There were a couple issues though. First, the description of the amusement park goes out of its way to get across how run down and cheesy the place is, yet there seems to be plenty of money rolling in to employ the various park workers. Then there's Megan's mother, who goes from trying to ship Megan off to the loony bin every time she brings up Remy to suddenly believing her. There's also the fact that Megan just seems to spontaneously hop in bed with Luke, something that seems out of character and also unnecessary for the story line. Also, the cover misleadingly makes it seem like there is a serious love triangle. There isn't. Megan has a boyfriend who is clearly only interested in her for sex. There is no real competition for Luke no matter what the cover implies.

Avalon High by Meg Cabot

Elaine's parents are on sabbatical and she has to spend her junior year in Annapolis, MD, far from her Minnesota home. While running in the park, she meets Will, and she finds her life intertwined with a familiar story. Too many coincidences, like being named after the Lady of Shalott, and Will's complicated family life make her feel as though she is living in modern-day Camelot. Even her teacher believes that King Arthur will be reincarnated.

(Amazon.com)

Genre: romance; contemporary; fantasy

Rating: 4/5

Note: #2 of the Modern Retellings of Classics Challenge (Le Morte d'Arthur)

Cabot is more known for her humor, something that this book is actually fairly devoid of surprisingly. That's not to say this isn't a good read. Cabot makes a good attempt at trying to blend Arthurian legend with modern high school life and Elaine isn't unlikable as a heroine. She's feisty and basically the hero, in spite of Will being the Arthur figure. The main feeling you take away is that this book is a nice, fluffy, fast read that isn't anything earth shattering, but at least tries to be creative. My main issue was with Mr. Morton and the Order of the Bear going to all the trouble to hunt down possible Arthur reincarnations, only to have him try to give up and run the minute he thinks Will is in danger. It seems like an ancient order who had apparently been trying to defeat the "forces of darkness" for centuries would have come up with some sort of game plan at some point.

So, the book succeeds in being a pleasant enough summer read, but nothing that will go down in the annals of great YA literature.

Into the Wild Nerd Yonder by Julie Halpern

Jess loves audiobooks, sewing skirts, and the first day of school. She even gets along with her family, including Barrett, her rock-god older brother. She is, in short, a nerd, and feels immediate dread when she starts to grow apart from her two best friends, Bizza and Char, who underwent a punk makeover to fit in with Barrett’s band. After Bizza goes after Jess’ longtime crush and winds up with an STD, Jess ends the friendship. Karma, like Bizza, can be a bitch. With no clique to hang out with, Jess is lulled into the clutches of the Dungeons & Dragons crowd—and finds herself falling for one of them!

(Amazon.com)

Genre: contemporary; humor

Rating: 4.5/5

Note: 2 of Read-a-Thon

Let me get this out of the way. I'm using the cover art from the hardcover version of the book because the paperback cover is hideous. If I hadn't seen the hardcover version first I never would have picked up the book, even with the cute title. I think it's the hideous mustard green background and the fact that they picked tacky clothing to focus on rather than what the book is really about. This cover is perfect. The D&D die with the peasant dress. Dorky and cute at the same time, exactly what the book is aiming for. Go to Amazon to see the paperback cover in all of what I consider its hideous glory.

I liked Jessie. She's a nice girl who was content to trail after her more popular friends. She's smart and funny and gets along with people in her school, just doesn't stand out. The only thing you really wonder about is how she put up with Bizza as long as she did. Yet even that part is done believably. We've all had friends that we were close to then just drifted from when our lives changed. This leaves Jessie trying to figure out what her place in the social scene is. Halpern does a great job of introducing a character that seems like a walking cliche, who then suddenly changes or shows different facets. Dottie, who Jessie initially considers weird, is a great example as she's revealed to be smart, confident, funny, and has a boyfriend. Bizza and Char, the two girls who Jessie initally considered superior to her growing up, are shown to be posers, shallow, and are left without boyfriends by the end. And even there is a twist as there may be more to Bizza than Jessie's anger gives her credit for. And Jessie is no angel either. When she finally has enough of her user best friend, she has all the cattiness that teenage girls have when hurt. Jessie also is guilty of judging social groups, something she eventually gets over.

Jessie and Barrett's sibling relationship is also cute as they get along without it being sappy and you understand Jessie's struggle with her brother leaving for college and morphing into an adult. There is plenty of swearing and questionable subject matter discussed, but it's the same talk I hear in the hallways at any high school. The book more focused on how people are often judged by their social standing, when in reality with a few changes anyone could belong to any group.