"Half of a yellow sun" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Review

The newly acquired independence of Nigeria from the Commonwealth involves new problems. The population is split over how the country should be governed. Many intellectuals still see a strong bond to the former colonial ruler Great Britain, and between the different tribes is discord as well, because when you speak of Nigerians you don’t speak of a homogenous people but a loose affiliation of different peoples whose only common ground is that between the borders of their nation.

Now that the Nigerians are supposed to govern themselves, each of those tribes is afraid of being overlooked, and Nigeria turns into a powder keg. History is made quickly, a military putsch is pulled through mainly by Igbo, one of the three biggest tribes in Nigeria. That results in the persecution of the Igbo who get murdered in masses by people of the other tribes. 1967 at last, in the South-East of the country, the republic Biafra is declared, a nation supposed to protect the Igbo and make them independent from Nigeria. What follows is a bloody war between both countries and a blockade that coins the image of the biafran malnourished child with a bloated belly forever before Biafra is reincorporated after the capitulation in 1970.

In “Half of a yellow sun”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie bluntly and impressively tells the story of three people during the rise and fall of Biafra. The link between those people is the university docent Odenigbo who fights for Biafra passionately. We witness the story from the point of view of his wife Olanna who falls from the life of a privileged daughter of a rich family into a life in poverty in a refugee camp during the war, the point of view of the houseboy Ugwu who is intellectually fostered but also influenced by his master and yet always keeps a little jungle in his heart, and from the point of view of the British journalist Richard who, after living as a stranger in Nigeria, finally feels home in Biafra – and still isn’t, due to his skin colour and origin and the privileges coming with that.

With “Half of a yellow sun”, Adichie, who is an Igbo herself, makes a part of history visible that ususally is overlooked by the Eurocentric world view and the habit to let the winners write history and yet manages to not force a onesided view upon the reader by being fully aware of both the flaws of Biafra as well as the injustices that were committed by Nigeria and the rest of the world. Additionally, with the social entanglements between Olanna, Odenigbo and Richard and their families, she makes up a thrilling and captivating family story.

 “Half of a yellow sun” makes this part of history understandable especially to those who never heard the word Biafra. Helping with that is a glossary at the end of the book.

"My heart and other black holes" by Jasmine Warga - Review

Aysel is 16, depressive and plans to kill herself. Some may think that this is the typical melodramatic behaviour of a teenager. But Aysels problems are pretty atypical: She is the daughter of a convicted murderer, and no one in Langston, a small town in Kentucky, fails to remind her of that, not even her family who she feels left out of, and she herself. She fears that she might have inherited the „gene for evil“, for the rage and aggression of her father, and one thing is clear – waiting and seeing what happens? Not an option.

But Aysel is also scared that she might not follow through, that she might back down in the last second. A partner is needed, and she finds that partner online at „Smooth Passages“.

This partners name is Roman, respectively FrozenRobot, is 17 and lives in the nearby town Willis, even though „living“, in his case, means „existing“. Roman has to live with a whole different problem: He didn't watch his younger sister carefully enough and she drowned. He feels responsible for that. He, too, fears he might not actually do it, and thus he advertises at Smooth Passages and is found by Aysel.

Except for the shared wish for death, Aysel and Roman are quite different. While Aysel is more of a weirdo with her interest in classical music and science plus her Turkish heritage which is pretty uncommon in conserative Kentucky, Roman is popular, athletic, normal and somewhat fitting in. What they share is April 7^th, the day they chose to jump off a cliff into Ohio River together. But can you plan a suicide with someone you don't even know? Even if you just want to die instead of live together?

„My heart and other black holes“ is Jasmine Wargas well-made first novel. You don't wish upon her that she got inspired by her own life, yet, she started writing after a good friend of her died in 2013. Thematically, this young adult book is incredibly important. In a world where the rates of teenagers in therapy rise steadily it is a great approach to offer a reflection in the character of Aysel that touches the reader, may it be the reader that is affected themself or the happiest person in the world. And we follow this reflection, we understand Aysels emotions, her grief, her fear, her suspicion, and we witness her developement, see a possible progress of an illness that is hidden and ignored so easily. Still, „My heart and other black holes“ isn't meant to scare people. It's meant to help feeling understood, and this intention is met with bravour.

I'd recommend „My heart and other black holes“ to fans of John Greens „The fault in our stars“, to readers who like to sympathise, and of course to everyone who wants to feel understood in their sorrows just once.

Reverse Q&A

A few months ago, I subscribed to SuperSamStuff on YouTube. To be honest, I think I am growing apart with YouTube in general. I've been there for 10 years now, watching a shitload of videos, I think there has been a phase in my teenage years where I literally did nothing else in my freetime, but now, I found other stuff to do and thus only watch rarely and not everything the channels I subscribed to create. That's why I am especially glad I found Sams video „Let's get personal“ in which he answers a few questions. Those questions originate from a video by Sammy Paul. The overall idea is to have a reverse Q&A, Sammy asking the questions, people answering.
People who know me for some time may have realized by now that I quite enjoy answering questions about myself. Yes, that might be a bit self-centered, but that may be because I am in general really bad at asking questions. I prefer the conversation just coming up as you go. Start by asking me a question, listen to my answer, then tell me yours and we'll have follow-up questions, anecdotes that spring to mind because of our answers and so on, that's how I like to talk.
Anyways, I really liked the questions Sammy asked the world, and I'd like to answer them. Since the days when I tried to make YouTube videos myself are long, long gone and I don't fancy giving it the millionth try, I decided to use this little blog here to do so – also because I am way better at writing than talking in front of a camera to keep my thoughts in order and easy to follow. Trust me, I'm doing you a favor by not talking to the camera again!

There we go:

1 - In this moment, what are you most excited for?

Next year, I will finish my apprenticeship. I'll have my written exam in April, my oral exam in June or July, and then I will be a fully trained bookseller. That also means that I'll officially start applying for a new job in January – and I'll move back to my home town. I'll live with my grandma for a couple of months before my boyfriend is finished studying and we can move in together. This whole 'future' thing is really exciting if a bit scary, but mostly, I am really looking forward to living closer to my family again, getting a new place to work at (disclaimer: I love my current work place, but I am a fan of change, of new things, so bear with me), and of course to go apartment hunting and (YAY!) furnish a whole new place to fit both my boyfriend and me, especially since our financial possibilities will be something entirely else than what we have now. No, I cannot stop thinking of that future – and I am looking forward to it!

2 - What do you risk regretting about your current lifestyle in five years time?

Smoking of course. I will stop at some point in the next 3 years. Hear me out: I know I should do it now, and I keep telling that myself as well (literally every time I am about to finish a pack of cigarettes), but on the other hand, since (I hinted it above) my financial situation is everything but safe right now, that's a thing I get upset about a lot and what I really need when I am upset (I repeat: A LOT) is to calm down. Cigarettes help with that. I'd prefer my life in general to be more stable when I quit because I am actually scared I'll be a complete asshole when I do that. Correction: I KNOW that I will be a complete asshole, and I'd like to keep collatoral damage as small as possible. So yeah, give me time. It will happen eventually. Just not yet.

3 - If you had to raise a child with one other person in your life, who you are not romantically engaged with, who would it be and why?

Propably my best friend. We'd raise the most woke child in the history of wokeness.
On the other hand, my mum would be a great candidate as well. My mum is awesome at raising children, my amazing sister and I are proof for that.

4 - If I were to say "home", what's the first image that comes to mind?

I cannot answer that clearly. On one hand, it's the place I grew up at, where I sit in the yard with my parents and drink and talk. The whole neighbourhood I grew up in, actually.
On the other hand, it's the future place I imagine having next year with my boyfriend. More details on that will follow at some point, but this is not the post for that. Propably when things get serious next year.
And on the third hand (is that something people say?), in a future a bit further away, Devon. Ever since I spent a month living and working in Exeter, I keep missing it like hell. I have rarely ever felt so welcome somewhere, and the overall atmosphere of Exeter and Exmouth clicks with me. I discovered an empty shop in Exmouth that looked perfect to open up what I have in mind for my own bookshop at some point in my life, and I keep dreaming of that, of the whole month I spent there. I miss that place and especially the people there just as much as I kept missing my family for the past 2 years living in a different place, so I guess that means a lot.

5 - What doesn't scare you that should?

To be honest, the very few things that do pop up are either things that actually should not scare me or that I am actually scared of and just pretend not to be. I am a general a very scared person, even if I don't show it too often. The question would be easier to answer if it was „What scares you that shouldn't“. I guess I have to spare this one.

6 - What's the angriest you've ever been?

I am also a very angry person in general. I can't really decide on a moment. Because that's my secret, I am always angry. No, actually, moment a) was when I realized that my phone company fucked up my contract which is why I have to pay 10 bucks more each month on an already expensive contract – and I can't even cancel it because of that. At least, not before the minimum contract duration of 2 years is met.

b) would be last year, when a guy comissioned me for 100 bucks, I delivered including sending him several „work in progress“ asking if he likes it or if I should change something, and he just downright refused to pay me. And blocked me everywhere. Via a friend I got told he didn't like the artwork. Fuck that guy. That's when I started working with a contract only.

7 - What are the three most justifiable reasons someone might dislike you?

1. I do discuss a lot. I am a feminist, anti-racist, LGBT-supporting – well, let's face it, I am a social justice warrior. Even if we actually agree on those topics, I tend to be pretty obsessed with issues quickly, and that's exhausting for people – for me as well, to be honest. I understand if people prefer to not get to close to me because of that.
2. Actually, I just talk a lot in general – that can be exhausting too, even if it is about a topic that's completely harmless. I get that this is not something everybody likes.
3. I do swear a lot and am pretty casual in my everyday language. And very open. Sometimes a bit tmi. Not everyones thing.

8 - Select a random aqcuaintence in your life. What's the biggest favour that person could do for you?

My boyfriend could come over and cuddle me while I fall asleep. That would be nice. Does he count as an aquaintance? I don't know, but I know him, so I guess yes.

9 - In contrast, what's the biggest favour you could do for that person?

Cuddle back. (Can you tell I miss having him here every day when he had his break from uni?)

10 - What compliment has meant the most to you?

Even though I don't talk to that person anymore for different reasons, someone once told me that when I discuss topics, I put my arguments very well and they usually started to overthink and question their own views because of me. That was an awesome compliment and it made me smile for a few days straight.

Well, now y'all do know a bit more about me. I'd really enjoy to read some of your answers in the comments – let's make it a conversation!

"Masterminds" by Gordon Korman - Review

Imagine growing up in a small town in New Mexico. There is no crime, no one is unemployed, no poverty, everyone is peaceful, share everything justly and are completely honest with each other.

Sounds good, right? Almost too good.

Serenity is such a paradise. Although a bit boring. Except for the plastic factory that no one can enter without working there and the Serenity trophy, a gift from Roosevelt himself, there’s not much to see. Eli Baris still feels pretty good about living there, and most of his classmates agree with him. That’s why hardly anyone of them ever crossed the city borders, not even for a vacation with their parents. Why should they? Serenity holds everything you need, and out there you only get violence and hate.

And an old car that Eli and his best friend Randy want to explore, somewhere in the forest just beyond the city limits. But Eli never gets there because when reaching the border he suddenly collapses with pain and nausea. What fist seems to be a coincidence turns out to be a complex plan to keep Eli and ten other kids inside the city. But why them? And why does it seem as if in this peaceful idyll so much is a lie or even life-threatening?

“Masterminds” by Gordon Korman is an exceptional novel for young readers 12 years or older. In about 330 pages happens so much that would actually be part of a dystopian novel like “Hunger Games” or “Divergent”, and yet while reading you realize quickly that what’s happening in this book could happen just as well in real life. To be honest it is not easy to review this book without spoilers – and there’s much to spoil given the loads of revelations and plot twists “Masterminds” has to offer. Thus, there’s not much more to do than simply express a clear recommendation: For everyone who likes mystery, for everyone who’s flirting with the thought of reading “Divergent” but would prefer less death – and for everyone who likes to question right and wrong.

"Americanah" by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie - Review

 One thing has to be clear from the very beginning: Yes, this book is about race. And about racism. No ifs, no buts. And yet without dividing the world into good and evil based on race and without a wagging finger. It’s evaluating the situation and it’s honest.

“Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie (a name you’ll have to learn merely because you’ll be delighted by her work) is about two young Nigerian lovers. Ifemelu and Obinze meet in school and quickly become a couple. They are intelligent, determined and plan to leave Africa already while still at university. Ifemelu seems to be successful with that plan, but she has to learn that in the USA, her skin colour suddenly becomes a huge factor and that it’s not easy to establish herself, let alone earn money when you’re a black foreigner. After one especially bad incident the contact to her boyfriend Obinze breaks off completely. Later, she starts writing a blog about her observations about the topic race in America.

However, Obinze doesn’t get visa for the USA because he is a young man of colour and those are viewed with even more suspicion by the American authorities. Instead he manages to overrun a visa in London for a few years without being discovered. Shortly before he can get married for convenience he gets caught and deported.

Years later, Ifemelu decides to go back to Nigeria and she and Obinze meet again.

With “Americanah”, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie managed to write a classic right from the start. The young Nigerian writer tells her story in a style very comparable to literature Nobel prize winners. Her sober portrayal of an existence as a black person opens the readers’ eyes quickly for things you usually don’t realize as a person not affected by racism – and those are not even necessarily negative things.

I truly think everyone should read Adichie, literally anything she has written – but take care, she can get you addicted pretty quickly.

"The Rain" by Virginia Bergin - Review

We look for it on other planets, consist of it approximately two thirds, and the prognosis is that in a future not too far away we may have to fight wars about it: Water is THE premise to sustain life, from the smallest organism to the biggest. But what happens if such an important substance suddenly turns into the most dangerous thing in the world?

In Virginia Bergins Thriller „The Rain“ the teenager Ruby Morris has to make just that experience. So far, living well-protected in sleepy Darthbridge in south-west England, her only worries are her stepfather she often fights with, her crush Casper and iffy Saskia who tries to take him away right in front of her. Puberty. The fact that a few years ago a giant meteorite was bombed right before hitting Earth atmosphere isn't exactly bothering her either. But this exact meteorite brought a diabolic bacterium when it rained down in tiny pieces all over the planet. It is hyperresistent, it links with water, it multiplies rapidly, and it kills its victims within just a few hours.

Ruby has to realize quickly that this tiny thing from outer space is able to turn her whole world around. Friends? Dead. Family? Propably also dead. Energy? Blackout. Showering? Forget it. And the biggest problem, of course, is thirst. The supplies of safe drinks are drained quickly, and other, stronger, armed people are not going to share anything.

Virginia Bergin describes this extreme situation, this postapocalyptic chaos vividly and realisticly. With great care she considers every consequence of such a plague and does't fear partly unsavoury scenes. That the protagonist is a 15-years-old girl is a well-made effect (because in no phase of life the own problems seem to be so much more important than others), but sometimes a bit exhausting (same reason). But that doesn't disturb the appeal of the story as a whole at all – I won't leave my home without a umbrella for some time.

Fourteen years

 TW SEXUAL VIOLENCE

This is a text that is not easy to write down, but simultaneously too important to not do it. It is personal, very personal. That is why I have to write it down, both because it explains a lot about me as a person and because, more importantly, it is something that concerns so many people everywhere.
When I was 7 years old, I was sexually abused. I'll spare you the details and graphic descriptions. The things important about it are that a) it happened in the first place, b) it was not someone I knew, and c) I was lucky enough to survive. I also had the luck to be raised by a mother that made me feel safe enough with her that I told her rightaway, and we went to report it to the police the next day.
And then, a long time, nothing happened, and eventually, the case got closed.
I learned to live with what had happened to me. I never kept it a secret, but I didn't tell it without a reason either. I told it to everyone I dated a bit longer, and to close friends, because I always felt like that might be important to understand me better as a person, to understand why I was quite pessimistic when it came to police and reporting crimes, to understand why I had problems mentally and so on. With every time I told my story again, it became easier. I am now at a point where I can tell it without crying, just like the fact that it is. I also came to terms with that man not being caught. I had to.
Fourteen years later, when I was away in Exeter for my internship abroad, I got a call from the police in my home town, and first I thought I was in trouble - the most criminal thing I might have done in my life would be underage drinking by the way.
The officer told me an eight-years-old girl had been sexually abused, and apparently the cases were so similar that they dug out mine again. I was asked to tell my story once again and answer a few questions, and while the police officer handled me with great care on the phone and while another child had to experience what I experienced for this to happen, I was weirdly happy. After all this time, I had an actual chance to get justice.
I went to testify and answer the questions they had. While after fourteen years I had forgotten details, or remembered them wrong, I still was able to find better words for things and apparently that helped. A few months later, I got a call again.
They got him. For days, I couldn't stop grinning like an idiot. They got him. Yet, I was sceptical until I read in the newspaper that he testified to be my abuser as well. And they got him.
And now I got a letter informing me about my rights as a victim. The letter included his name. I know his name. To be honest, I don't really know why this is so important to me, but it is, even if I can't really explain it. Maybe because it makes it more real. It's hard to believe that this is not a dream, having your case solved after such a long time.
My family and friends keep asking me if I was okay. They think all of this might reopen old wounds. Weirdly, it doesn't. At least nothing more than a scratch. Mostly, I am happy and relieved. Of course, there's no way to undo what has been done to me and that poor other girl. But at least, he won't be able to hurt anyone else. And that's all I could ask for.
This is my story, and it's important to me to write it down for the world to see. First of all because silence doesn't help anyone. Secondly, because I hope that it might give hope to others who experience sexual abuse. Hope that they may get justice, and hope that they can heal.
People often claim that children who experienced sexual violence will never be able to live a normal life with that horrible memory. Now of course I can't speak for everyone, but for me, that's wrong.
I do live a normal life - and a good one. I have a job that I love, a wonderful family, my amazing boyfriend, awesome friends, and I am happy. Sure, I will never be able to forget what happened, but I rarely think about it. Not even once a week. Almost never. I have so many other things to think about. I live a good life. He did not destroy it. And that might be the best thing about all of this.

The POC pet friend

On the app Jodel, an app for students to share thoughts anonymously, I had the strangest discussion the other day: It started out with the question if you could be in a relationship with a very right-wing person if you were a very liberal person. Aka: Could you share a bed with a racist in a long term romantic relationship if you were anti-racist.
For me, the answer was a clear no. No, I could not be in a committed relationship with a racist, and for that matter neither a convinced sexist, homophobe, transphobe or xenophobe or literally anyone that was against basic human rights and basic respect for a certain group of people. Yes, that also includes people who'd want to see Drumpf dead. You just don't do that shit.
As it happens so very often in online discussions, of course this one as well turned to a pretty different topic soon: A person who described themselves as Mediterranean explained how they went to homepartys quite a lot and they tended to be the only non-white person there - in an anti-racist group of friends.
Quickly, a new discussion started, between those who were convinced that most anti-racist people had no POC friends even though they were against racism, and those including me who thought that was rubbish and that you can just as well be against racism if your group of friends was 100% white.
Now let me be clear: I do have POC friends. Yet, I didn't pick those friendships because those people fit into my plan for diversity amongst the people I deal with. Instead, I just met them somewhere at some point somehow and got to know them and started liking them. Because they are awesome people. And so are my white friends. I mean, why would I deal with anyone who wasn't awesome? Because their race matched my personal anti-racism agenda?
What I am saying is: Friendships need to develope naturally. And by that, I mean that you meet people in your day to day life, that could be in class or at work or in your sports club or because you have a friend in common who introduces you or because you start chatting about your favourite TV show online or because you start talking on a train ride or - the possibilities are endless. And then step two is getting to know each other, which is maintained through keeping in touch. Then, you have to click a certain way to actually like each other. This is how friendship works. You see how none of these steps is "check which skincolour that person has"? You know why? Because it doesn't matter when it comes to being open for new people.
The other way around, if I don't click with someone, I don't click with someone. If I have a problem with someone as a person, I don't care how POC they are. Or white, for that matter.
However, I'll still fight for their rights. I'll fight for the guy at the train station who called me racist because I was too broke to give him any change so he isn't deported back to where he came from just because he isn't born here. I'll fight for the refugee mom who didn't show up for any meetings we set up to help her get furniture. I'll fight for the dudes who sexually assaulted women at the main station in Cologne on last new years eve to get the same process and treatment as any German person who sexually assaults people. Because this is what my moral compass tells me. That every person deserves the same basic human rights.
There are so many reasons why someone may not have any POC friends. The only one that is not okay is if you refuse to get to know POC because you have stereotypes and prejudice stuck in your head and refuse to learn better.
Thing is, if you have a very diverse group of friends only for the sake of diversity, are you any better than the ones who refuse to have diverse friends? Wouldn't it be exactly the same as having the alibi black friend so you are allowed to say racist things because you "can't be racist because you have a black friend!"? Wouldn't it be like having an accesoire to make you look more liberal?
I think what truly matters is who you're actively fighting for even if you don't know them personally. Or if you disike them as a person. I'd rather have a person whose friends are 100% white who'd actively fight racism where they find it than a person who has the most POC friends and settles down at that.
So from this point, I'll go on and accept friendship where I find it. Might be in my super-white class. Might be at the multi-cultural festival. I don't care, if we click, we click. Because when if comes to friendship, that might be the only point where I dare to say: I don't see colour. I see friends.

Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them - Review

As a die-hard Harry Potter fan who has read every single book about the wizard world at least once, from the very first "Mr and Mrs Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much" to the last "So do I" (yes, the last line of Cursed Child is a bit unspectacular), of course I was thrilled when I heard there would be a new movie series about J. K. rowlings magical world. Harry Potter was the book series that got me into binge-reading little libraries worth of books, starting a long line of things happening in my life that ends with me now doing a job I couldn't be happier with. To me, as to so many of us, Harry Potter means the world.

Now, 5 years after the last movie closed this world to us, we got Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them. Now when I say I read everything there is to read about Harry Potter, of course that includes Fantastic Beasts, a tiny book by J. K. Rowling published with Comic Relief in 2001. That book was made as the text book by Newt Scamander Harry, Ron and Hermoine used at Hogwarts to learn about magical creatures, so it was more of an encyclopedia, non-fiction, nothing with a story. Accordingly, while I was thrilled, I was also sceptical (yes, I tend to be), how were they going to make a movie from a text book? Let alone five movies?
I was fearing this to be just a way to get more money out of us loving Harry Potter fans who (let's face it) would pay for everything allowing us to live in this world a little longer.

Boy was I wrong.

It's easy to say that seing the Warner Bros. logo on the big theater screen plus hearing the oh-so-well-known melody equals one trip back down fan feeling lane, but actually, it is the story and the characters that fully convinced me.
We got young Newt Scamander (Eddie Redmayne), a British wizard, arriving in the USA by ship with a suitcase that wiggles around oddly. On his way through New York, he comes across a gathering of muggles, sorry, no-majs, in front of a bank listening to a woman trying to convince them about wizards and witches existing amongst them and that they should be hunted down and be killed. While he listens to her, a creature escapes from his suitcase: A niffler, a small, rodent-like creature with a long snout, black fur, and a kangaroo-like pouch to collect shiny things in. That's why it escaped, there are a lot of shiny things in banks, and Newt chases after it to get it back in the suitcase.
In the bank, he meets no-maj Jacob Kowalski (Dan Fogler). Kowalski wants to apply for a credit to open up his own bakery, and he has a suitcase very simmilar to Newts. Sadly, since he has no security he could offer to the bank, his apply gets rejected. On his way out, he stumbles over Newt again and in a quick turn of events they are inside a bank safe surrounded by security guards and Kowalski knows a bit more about magic than he should. They escape, and Newt tries to obliterate him, but Kowalski defends himself and escapes yet again - with the wrong suitcase. This is where Newt meets Tina Goldstein (Katherine Waterston), a witch who arrest him immediately and takes him to the MACUSA (the American Ministry of Magic), where we find out that she is actually an ex-auror. When they find out that the suitcases got mixed up, they go find Kowalski, who has already been bitten by one of Newts creatures. Tina and her sister Queenie (Alison Sudol), a legilimens (mind-reader), take them in and the four of them start searching for the creatures that Kowalski let escape the suitcase.

Meanwhile, New York has another magical problem, one even wizards can't really explain, let alone no-majs: A giant dark shadow destroys streets and buildings and even kills. Maybe Newt with his expertise of magical creatures may be able to help?

While in the Harry Potter movies, we had the joy of watching a young wizard learn to control his power and learn what can be done with it, now we see this power put to daily use. The awkward tries of the pupils were funny to watch, but seeing fully trained wizards and witches apparate through the town is a lot more fascinating - expecially since it seems to be no big deal, everyone can do it. Everything else would feel wrong in my opinion, so I am glad they actually did it like this.
A lovely detail is the menagerie Newt has in the depths of his suitcase: He has creatures of every size and type down there, from tiny bowtruckles to majestic thunderbirds, and he does his best to give them an appropriate home down there. His love for his creatures is contageous!
And last but not least: romance! While Tina and Newt really take it cool and develope more of a friendship rather than an actual romance right-away, Queenie and Jacob have their love at the first sight story and it actually works! Admittedly, it is very cheesy, but it doesn't seem a tad unrealistic and is explained very well.

When I left the cinema, I was crying tears of joy. As many as I cried when I got my job two years ago, to put it in comparison. And I didn't stop crying for the whole night, because I felt so at home, so welcome back to J. K. Rowlings magical world. So, in conclusion, I do not at all regret seeing Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them on the big screen and I'll take the next four ones with open arms. Hell, I'd take dozens of them if they are half as good as this one! So I reccomend watching it, may it be because you love Harry Potter or because you love one of the already well-known actors in the movie or because you love animals, just please watch it!

Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children - Review

Writing a review about a movie adaption of a book is never easy. There will always be people who compare the movie to the book and most of the time, they hate the movie, and there will always be people who prefer to see the movie as an individual piece of media and judge it based in that. Thus, I could write for one of those groups now, either comparing or just completely ignoring that there is a book to start with. I decided to do both, sort of.

First of all, I really enjoyed the book. It is one of the best pieces of fantasy I have read in quite some time, and that truly means something given that I've come to realize due to my job as a bookseller that the genre of fantasy is overall pretty uncreative. There's a good guy, there's a bad guy, the good guy fights the bad guy and gets the girl, you know, because he's the good guy. Genders may vary, even though usually still heteronormative.

Compared to that, Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs was a refreshing bliss. Yes, there are still the good guys and the bad guys. And the main good guy (called protagonist by some people) gets the girl. But the overall idea is fairly innovative.
The good guys are the Peculiars. Peculiars are people with special abilities like being free from gravity or being invisible or being able to manipulate time. The latter are called ymbrynes, and they're always women and also able to transform into birds, which is pretty neat. The ymbrynes have taken the task to look after young peculiars and keep them save in time loops.
The bad guys are the Hollows and Wights. Hollows are corrupted peculiars who wanted to use the ymbrynes to make themselves immortal but like everything, immortality comes with a price and thus now they are deformed monsters who are invisible to most people (and Peculiars). In order to gain a human form again, they have to eat Peculiars. Then, they become Wights, basically human, but easily recognizable by their eyes which are completely white.
When he was younger, the protagonist Jake heard about the peculiars in stories his grandfather told him. When Jake grew up, he started to believe that none of that would be true and propably a metaphor for his grandfathers life back in World War II, being a jewish refugee from Poland saved by Miss Peregrine and her home for children.
When his grandfather dies under mysterious circumstances he gives Jake a few strange clues. No one believes in what Jake saw that night, everyone thinks he is traumatized by what happened and very fragile. Yet, he manages to convince his parents to go visit Cairnholm, the tiny island in Wales where Miss Peregrines Home for Children is located. There, he gets into the time loop Miss Peregrine made for September 3rd 1940, the day Wales got bombed, and meets all the people he thought were fairy tale characters, and his life changes forever - because he can see the hollows.

Ransom Riggs wrote his story around old photos he started collecting as a hobby, odd pictures of people long dead. All the photos and handwritten letters and drawings that illustrate the book make it a masterpiece and I recommend that everyone who is interested in history and likes to read slightly scary fantasy novels - please, please go read it!

So much for the book (yes, this is where things are going south).
When I finished the book, I went to see the movie. Since I read a movie-tie-in version (don't judge me, that was the one available right away), I already noticed from the movie pictures in the back that there were quite a few changes: Characters switched whole roles (two of them only kept their names but switched powers and personality), characters were made younger, and Eva Green looked quite different than the Miss Peregrine described in the books. Yet, I thought I'd give it a chance since I don't mind minor changes from the book too much.
I feel like the story was rushed very much in the movie. The book takes a lot of time for Jake to try and figure out wether or not what he's seen is real or imagination, and given that he IS in fact traumatized (of course he is) I would have wished for a bit more mental health care for him in the movie as well since dealing with trauma is an important topic of the book and for actual real life people who might be in the audience. Another thing that was rushed was Jakes relationship with Emma (a pyrokinese girl in the book, a airbending girl in the movie). The book took a lot of time for this relationship to grow naturally, Emma being sceptical at first of Jake, Jake being reluctant to date a girl who used to date his grandfather (remember, we're in a time loop), both being shy around each other and so on. That was something I really enjoyed while reading. In the movie, no one is sceptical, and basically, they kiss because they are a girl and a boy so they naturally have to (insert looooong moan here). The characters in general seem very much set in their personalities and thus, the movie is lacking some serious character developement. Dear hollywood, this is the fun part of a story!
Overall, everything seems a little over the top, especially Miss Peregrine who talks like a puppet and keeps staring at everyone like she is about to eat them.
The end was propably designed in case there was no second movie made, thus, we get an admittedly funny final fight between the Peculiars and the Wights and Hollows, yet, it seems a bit like Kevin from Home Alone dealing with the Wet Bandits: Nice booby traps, but given their enemies are supposed to be actually dangerous and deadly, I'd expected a more epic show-down.

Briefly, I'd say: The movie on it's own is okay, as a movie adaption it's a shame. Please, do yourself a favour and either read the book before seeing the movie or do not let the movie stop you from reading the book. It is actually A LOT better.

So what do we do now? - Thoughts about the presidential election

No, this is not a review, even though, if I had to review the presidential election, that'd be a 2/5 stars from me, the two stars being for the enthusiasm and the awareness for the situation I have seen around the internet so much in the last few months, be it amongst my friends or complete strangers: Dear people who care - thank you. I am proud of you. Also, for Hillary Clinton, simply for not punching Donald Trump in the face for the way he spoke about her right to her face during the debates and instead just smiling and being polite and professional - I respect that so much, because I propably would have beaten up Trump a long time ago, or at least yelled quite a few not so nice things.

Now that we made clear what I think of the winner of the election, let me explain from what point of view I am writing all of this and make my opinions: A pretty privileged one. I am a young white woman, so that's 1/2 privilege points so far, I have a job that pays me enough to live on my own (2/3), I am pansexual (2/4, we're going down a bit), and I am living in Germany (and the privilege counter goes through the roof). Yes, I am not American. I have never been to the United States so far. Yet, I do care a lot about your election. Why is that?

First of all: I care about people. I care about basic human rights for everone. And when I say everyone, I mean it. I don't need you to be my friend or relative to acknowledge your rights as a human, and it doesn't have to affect me in any way, as long as a problem affects you, whereever you are on this planet, I'll care. Given this, yes, I do care a lot about the presidential election in America. Period.

Secondly: That kind of negates my first point - it will affect me. It will affect the whole world. The USA are still one of the most powerful countries in the world. And, speaking from a German point of view, since we have a lot of trading going on with the USA, it is quite important for us what happens to their economy - because if America hits a new recession, we're going down with them.

So far, so (not) good.
I don't think I have to repeat all the PSAs, friendly or not so friendly reminders etc. that explained very well the effect it could have, will have, and already does have on minorities in America having Trump elected. We all (should) know that by now, and I am really not down for too much repetition, especially since those arguments didn't really seem to change anyones mind before the election already. Instead, let's talk about what happens to the ones privileged, the ones that are not minorities - because that's what some people seem to care about exclusively.

Trump stated that in the first hundred days in office, he will "cancel every unconstitutional executive action, memorandum and order issued by President Obama" (You can find the full "Contract with the American voter" here). This does include rights for LGBTQ+ folks, like trans* people using the bathroom that fits their gender or same-sex couples taking extend family-leave, it includes the ban on deportation for children that came to the US illegally, this includes the order to the CIA to ban certain interrogation techniques. All, in my opinion, things that simply push human rights, and thus good things. But things that do not effect non-minorities and people outside of the US. What's in for us?

First big point is health care. The Affordable Care Act is essential for a lot of people, white people as well, since it makes health care a lot more doable for non-wealthy people. It is controverse though due to the tax increase that comes with it. I HAVE to comment on this from a German point of view: it is beyond me how it can be controversial to pay a bit more in taxes so you and everyone else around you can go to the hospital if you need to without worrying to be in debt for the next few years. If I had a heartattack right now, here in Germany, I could call an ambulance, get to the hospital, have a stand operation, stay in the hospital while it's healing, stay at home for a while after that until I am good to go again - and it would all have been taken care of financially. I'd not have the second heartattack when I got the bill because I don't get one. If I was in the United States, I would absolutely think twice if I'd call an ambulance. Or even a taxi to the hospital. I'd have second thoughts if my being alive was worth thousands of dollars. Seriously. How does it work here? Overall, 15,5% of what the person makes in a month is paid to the health insurance company, 8,2% is taken away directly from your wage, 7,3% is paid by your employer on top of the wage they're paying you. Means, if I'd work 40 hours a week for minimum wage (8.50 € an hour in Germany right now), I'd have an overall wage of roughly 1457 € a month and would pay 119.50 € of that for the insurance per month, that's 130 $. Means, if I just put that money away every month and saved it for bad times, I could afford a 15-minute ambulance ride once a year - but just the trip, not actually getting treated at the hospital. So now, every person here has to pay those 8,3% regardless of their health status. Obviously, if you make more money, you're paying more. Now here's the point: Even if you don't have a job, or have only a part-time contract, or are a child and so on - if you only have a check-up at the doctors or have to go to the hospital because a car hit you, it will be taken care of. The sentiment is solidarity, because accidents and illness can happen to anyone. No one is safe from getting injured or ill. But we are safe from the debt that would come with it otherwise. We don't have to pay shitloads for not dying. And I really, really don't get why this isn't a universal thing.
So, back to the point: Americans don't have this universal health insurance, but with the Affordable Care Act, they have a realistic chance to have a pretty similar outcome - that is, not having to chose if you want to die or if you want to be in debt forever. And this might get taken away from you when Trump starts his presidency.

I already mentioned trades. This is where it get's really tricky. Trump stated that he wanted to boost the American economy inside the country, create jobs etc., which is, to be fair here, actually a very good thought. Jobs are needed. However, to accomplish that, he plans on either renegotiating or completely withdrawing from NAFTA (Northamerican Free Trade Agreement). That would most likely increase prices in America - and it is not a definite thing that it will, in fact, bring jobs back to America. So, tl;dr: Chances to have things become (even) more expensive - pretty damn high, guarantee to have more jobs available in America - ...eh.
He also plans on labeling China a currency manipulator (which, to be fair again, is true, but not necessarily a bad thing) and wants a 45% tariff for goods imported from China. The thing is, while China does, in fact, manipulate their currency (it's called Renminbi by the way) and keeps it low artificially, because of this goods from China are very cheap from an American point of view. So when Chinese goods get imported from the US, they are actually cheaper than American products. Thus, more affordable for the consumer. The same principle goes for the economical factor "work capacity", as in: people working for a company. This is why so many non-Chinese companies have their products produced in China - it's cheap. Plus what you have to pay your employees in America plus the profit for everyone involved and you have your price you sell the item for. Thing is: The wage for the employees in America will not change, nor will the taxes etc. and everything that a company will have to pay to bring their goods to the market. And, since we live in a capitalist society, the wanted profit that is part of the price sure as hell won't change as well. That means: If, instead of having factories in China and having Chinese workers produce their goods, companies had their factories in America and had American citizens work for them on every step of producing their goods, prices would increase. If. Because China is not the only country in this world where workers are cheap. So, again, you have no guarantee that the jobs would come back to America.
So far, this is mainly a problem for the poor people, the ones working minimum wage and more than one job to keep themselves alive. However, there's another problem to this, and that is the possible trade war Trump would start by this tariff policy. A trade war could lead to an American recession. And this is where it hits everyone, because this could lead to the next Great Depression.

And now, after those two big points, of course the environment is at risk as well, since Donald Trump believes climate change to be a hoax, following the idea of "I saw snow today so climate change is a hoax. I also just ate a hotdog, hunger is a lie."
Thing is, to tackle that idea right away: Climate change doesn't necessarily mean that it gets hotter overall. The term "Global warming" is misleading here. The change, for now, mostly lies within, well, the changes of season. Just two weeks ago, we had temperatures between 10 and 15°C where I live. Today, it was 1°C. The changes are quicker. More aprupt. That is what climate change is like right now.
He would like to cancel the Paris Agreement. The easier way to do that would be just not complying to commitment of the United States to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, since it is not legally binding. No, this would not be the end of the world and not the absolute huge catastrophe, but it would take a big step back from the worlds try to safe planet earth.

At this point, I would like to state that I am well aware that Hillary Clinton is not perfect. She is far from perfect. But while not only stating to plan on supporting minorities instead of making their lifes even worse, she simply is a lot less agressive in her politics, she thinks things through, she simply is a professional after working in politics for 30 years and she knows what to do and how to do it.

So what do we do now?

As a German and thus mainly committed to the politics that affect me and my fellow citizens directly, and the things I can actually do something about, I am worried about our election next year. With the AfD (Alternative for Germany), we have our own Trump kinda political party. So what do we do to keep them from winning? First of all, of course, actually go out and vote. Since we have our election on a Sunday and shops are closed on Sundays so most of us don't have to work then, we have much better chances to actually make it. If you are allowed to vote and are not working on that sunday from 8 to 6, you have no excuse. For the love of God please vote!
Secondly, please take no unneccesary risks. Choose the big party that makes you want to throw up least. For the love of god please don't vote for those small parties that have no chance of actually getting enough votes to at least form a coalition. The outcome will inevitably not make you 100% happy, so you can just as well make it not the worst. The most bearable.
And thirdly: Please inform. Knowledge is key. Read the AfDs programm (you can do that here) to know what you are about and be able to make solid, waterproof arguments. Especially take notice of stuff that is not just bad for people who hate minorities, because that kinda arguments don't help, they won't change their minds. Try to proof to them that they are at risk to lose as well if the AfD wins.

Now what about the USA... well, I am, in fact, not in the perfect position to give orders now, and that is definitely not what I want to do. I want to make suggestions. Not even that, I want to tell you what I would do if I was American and what I will do regardless of not being American.
The big point that actually made me write this post is an article I read about the Electoral College here, the thing that Trump was elected as president not by the people (popular vote) but will be by other people that somehow get a bigger say in this than everyone else. The fact that your vote counts more or less depending on where you live is absolutely un-democratic. This is a system failing it's people (and yes, I would have said that as well if Hillary Clinton won, even though I admit that I propably wouldn't know as much about the system then and wouldn't be as angry and definitely would have made this post half as long. I am just a human, okay?). So, if I were you, I'd protest against this. Not against Trump in particular (even though I support that as well), but against this system that made him president-elect even though more people voted for Clinton. It may be too late now. We somehow have to deal with it. But we can fight for an outcome like this not happening again. Because then, at least, the people would have spoken. Not a tiny part of the people. If there is anything I can do to help this cause, let me know! I promise to sign every petition and what not I come across, I'll participate in every demonstration in my area to change this, I will do what I can given that I am not geographically with you.
I will not tell you to go vote next time or not vote third party next time because I don't feel like the ones completely bummed out right now are the people who did this. I trust that everyone who read this did go vote and propably voted Hillary Clinton (except the ones writing an angry-ass comment telling me to kill myself right now below that, yes, I see you).
And besides having better chances next time: Please take care of each other. And with each other, I mean ALL each other. Yes, the main focus will be on POC, muslims, Mexicans, women and LGBTQ+, but don't leave out the ones who are hurting as well right now even though they may not be affected as badly as the minorities are. Try to comfort them as well. And, most importantly, don't let this election turn you into what Trump and his supporters see in you. Don't beat up Trump supporters, don't be mean to privileged people without reason (= just because they are privileged), try to stay kind - I know it is hard. Don't forget your morals.

This will be some shit 4 years and I pray to god that Trump can't do half the things he wants to do. I pray that it won't be as bad as it could be, because I feel like that's the only thing I can do now. I pray that the congress will hold him and Pence as well back from being their full potential of awefulness.
Remember, you are not worthless, you are loved, you matter, and you will get through this.

PS: If you feel like you can't make it, here is a site for suicide hotlines in every state and internationally.