TANGLED BY CAROLYN MACKLER!

A must mention event...Carolyn Mackler has a new book coming out! I just got Guyaholic in the mail from books.com.tw today and it's amazingly great (no surprise there)!
And I was just randomly wondering when Carolyn Mackler's next book was coming, so I went on her website and found out!

Book: Tangled
Author: Carolyn Mackler
Sale: December 29, 2009
For More Information: www.carolynmackler.com

I cannot contain my excitement!!
Ever since I randomly picked up The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things in 7th grade I have never ceased to be amazed by Mackler's writing abilities. Her characters are so intricately thought out and amazingly crafted as coming of age stories (I remember my English teacher telling us the German word for "coming of age". It was something funky and I remember first thing I thought of was The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things). At first I felt that they were a little...promiscuous in detail? But it's what makes it all the more fun ;D. Truly though, Carolyn Mackler is an amazing writer and I cherish her novels like I cherish Godiva Chocolate--but even more because I know I can buy more Godiva. And I have reread The Earth, My Butt and other Big, Round Things six times (this winter to be at least eight!) and Vegan, Virgin, Valentine for the third time (just last week!). I've read Love, and Other Four Letter Words twice and it was as usual really good, but even after Vegan, Virgin, Valentine and Guyaholic I still canNOT get over how amazing amazing amazing The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things is (even though I am not overweight, never have been..and..yeah. I relate to Mara a lot lot more). (Including my A-cup and A-average ;)) (Not Yale though).

But just the whole intricacy of Mackler's characters and the events they go through are amazing and what's most important and the most amazing thing of all time of human history (yes in Chinese, we'd be saying I'm going very 深澳, a poor excuse for English translation is profound, but these things can't be translated properly) is that it empowers me. I know it's kind of sad that I need dependency on external support and why can't I just find it within me but that's way too idealistic. None of us are like that. That' is why we need literature. That is why we need authors like Mackler. "Life is short and art is long" (Chinua Achebe). How many things do we get to experience in literature that we don't experience in life? Literature allows us to experience things without having to actually undergo the physical experience. But by all means the emotional experience takes us farther than we would be able to as human beings.

And as I wrote in my thesis early this year in English for Achebe:

The great, vast variety of possibilites in life motivates humans to create and read literature, which is essential in an individual's education because it allows society to progress when the people can all mutually understand one another, allows individuals to envision possibilities without directly experiencing the possibilities, and enlightens individuals to help influence society in a positive way.

Okay, I was talking about the importance of language too, but this is my definition of art (because I do art/music) and of course, literature as Achebe stresses.

If my thesis doesn't make sense to you, after you read Carolyn Mackler's books, it will.

Truly, writers like this should come around more often, though I'm happy to cherish as much Mackler as I can. I also find Claudia Mills to be one of my very cherished authors, as there are many similarities and brilliances (Claudia Mills is a lot more G-rated though ;)), but as this post is deliberately for Tangled, I will leave it there.

And I love Chinua Achebe for making me love literature and cherish it.

I hope you read this Carolyn Mackler, and understand that it is out of my deepest, truest feelings and I am constantly propaganda-ing that your books are the most amazing books ever even before I saw your contest--no joke ask all my friends. And being honest I seriously love Claudia Mills too :)

I read your books as if you were my Lois Lowry, and The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big, Round Things is my Summer to Die.

I wish Carolyn Mackler best of success with this new book. Congratulations!

Love,
Blaize :)

Edit: Favorite quote from Chinua Achebe:

"Art is a man's constant effort to create for himself a different order of reality from that which is given to him; an aspiration to provide himself with a second handle on existence through his imagination" (Hopes 139)