Because I am Furniture
May 16th, 2010 Posted in Life Style
Product DescriptionAnke’s father is abusive. But not to her. He attacks her brother and sister, but she’s just an invisible witness in a house of horrors, on the brink of disappearing altogether. Until she makes the volleyball team at school. At first just being exhausted after practice feels good, but as Anke becomes part of the team, her confidence builds. When she learns to yell “Mine!” to call a ball, she finds a voice she didn’t know existed. For the first time, Anke is. . . More >>
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Because I am Furniture
May 16th, 2010 at 8:37 pm
So, I saw this book at Barnes & Noble the other day and was intrigued by the description given on the back cover. After about 7 pages I could no longer stand it. The author’s verse style of writing is very dull and hard to read.
Rating: 4 / 5
May 16th, 2010 at 10:40 pm
This book was indeed powerful. It is indeed a different perspective to see that Anke was almost jealous of her brother and sister for the attention they received, horrific though it was. It illustrates clearly what social creatures we are, and how much we need to be visible and seen and acknowledged that we do truly exist.
I am not sure about the premise that it was playing volleyball that gave her the courage to speak out, since she didn’t speak out for her sister, just when she saw the situation with the girl outside the family.
What I am sure of is that I do NOT like the assumption, legal and otherwise, that the mother is innocent in all wrongdoing, and all she has to do is throw the bum out. Anke’s mother knew full well what he was doing to her children and did nothing. That is being complicit, and should be considered just as criminal. The ending feels false to me.
Rating: 3 / 5
May 16th, 2010 at 10:48 pm
Anke lives everyday within an abusive home dealing with her father hurting everyone in her family but her. She feels worthless, like a piece of furniture, because she does not get a speck of attention from her father, even if it might be negative. Not being able to tell anyone she just floats on through life.
Then she makes the volleyball team, where you learn to speak up and call “MINE’ for a ball and really speak up for yourself. Her confidence quickly starts building on the court and she is making herself heard. She even starts to develop close relationships with others and even starts sparking the interest of boys.
Although she is becoming less invisible at school, she still continues to be like a dining room chair at home, invisible to the eye of anyone in her family. As the abusiveness gets worse a thought sparks in her brain that maybe if she just used her volleyball voice, she might be heard for once and hopefully put an end to this tragedy.
Over the course of her story, Anke not only grows taller and older, but wiser as well and truly becomes her own person, with a commanding voice.
This book is extremely interesting and very well written. It was written through poems and it caused the story to just float by. I was most impressed with the fact that Thalia Chaltas took a common theme in young adult literature and wrote about in a completely different perspective, the side of watching the abuse and in a way wanting it. The emotion that she was able to encompass through her lyrical prose was chilling and really made you think about both sides of the situation.
The characters in the book I felt were a little underdeveloped. While you really got to know Anke, it felt like she had no variance in her life as she talked about the same things over and over again. It made it a little dull and hard to actually imagine the story. Other then that though the book was well written and interesting.
Overall this was a great debut book that fans of Lisa Schroder’s novels will really enjoy. I look forward to reading future works of Ms. Chaltas’ as they are sure to be promising.
Rating: 3 / 5
May 17th, 2010 at 12:05 am
Because I Am Furniture is a book that tackles many hard subjects such as rape, verbal and physical abuse. Thalia defiantly doesn’t shy away from the hard parts with these topics, making this a gripping and startling novel told in verse style.
Normally, I’m not a huge fan of verse, with the exception of Ellen Hopkins and Sonya Sones, because of the lack of character and plot development that they usually have. With Because I Am Furniture it worked perfectly with the story, because both were ragged and intense. Also, Thalia Chaltas created a excellent lead character in this, her name being Anke. Anke was someone that you could only hope to be in a situation like this; brave and strong. Throughout the novel, I was rooting for her and her loved ones to overcome the hate and abuse her father put on them.
(Minor spoiler alert) One of my favorite parts of this novel was when Anke finally stood up to her father, leaving her family with the feeling of hope. Hope that they would be all right. Hope that her father would never hurt or see them again. Since, with these types of novels you don’t really experience that feeling or strength. (end of spoiler)
Overall, Because I Am Furniture was defintly an incredible book with little faults. I hope that whatever Thalia comes up with next is just as great.
Grade: B+
Rating: 4 / 5
May 17th, 2010 at 12:37 am
This story might be too intense for many teens because of the subject matter if it were written like a typical novel in prose format. But the verse, or poetry format has lots of white space and therefore, breathing space. Every page is not about the abuse that goes on in the house. There is a lot of self discovery the main character goes through dealing with boys and other girls. She is often angry but finds a way to express that anger effectively and in a way that doesn’t get anyone in trouble by playing volleyball on a winning team.
The author makes you feel, touch, hear and smell everything in Anke’s life. I couldn’t put the book down. My fifteen-year-old daughter and I give it five stars! We can’t wait for the author’s next book. We found out that the author has a deal for two more books. Look for Ms. Chaltas’s next book in 2010!
If you like Sonia Sones’ books, you’ll like this one!
Rating: 5 / 5