From the Bookshelf of Diversity in All Forms!…

Room

Emma Donoghue

Start date: May 1, 2017

Finish date: May 31, 2017

Discussion: Monthly Bonus Reads

Why we're reading this: May's Bonus Read for Mother's Day is Room by Emma Donoghue. …more
[close] May's Bonus Read for Mother's Day is Room by Emma Donoghue.

Find A Copy At

Group Discussions About This Book

Showing 2 of 73 topics — 889 comments total

Monthly Bonus Reads

The Autobiography of Malcolm X (February 2023)
By Mariah Roze · 2 posts · 18 views

last updated May 17, 2023 10:35AM

For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide (March 2023)
By Mariah Roze · 2 posts · 11 views

last updated Mar 06, 2023 08:42AM

showing 1 of 1 topics view all »

What Members Thought

Mar 05, 2014 Matthew rated it really liked it

Shelves: fifty-shades-of-purple-book-club, action-thriller, tear-jerkers, library

This is a book about hopelessness, the dawning of hope, ultimate terror, and rebuilding.

What happens in these pages is terrifyingly possible as can be seen in news stories that crop up from time to time about a twisted person who has someone locked in their basement/backyard for years. When I think about that, I get chills with the realization that somewhere in the world right now - even close to home - there might be someone going through exactly what is happening in this book.

Read if you like ...more

89 likes · Like · see review

Mar 25, 2014 Mariah Roze rated it it was amazing

This book was so good! I picked this up, because this book kept going through my goodreads home page. Also, this book is going to be a movie and I wanted to read it before it came out.
This book made me have to think a lot! I love books that challenge my mind and I love reading about new situations! Also, this book is from a 5 year olds point of view which is a new experience for me to read and a really cool experience :)
I highly recommend this book!

73 likes · Like · see review

Jun 02, 2016 Toni FGMAMTC rated it it was amazing

Shelves: womens-fiction, adult-fiction

This book blew me away. It's about a kidnapped woman living and her son growing up in captivity and trying to acclimate into the real world. I was not prepared for all that happens. Everything is told from the little boy's point of view, and it seems so real. I had many wow, nervous, heart, etc moments. I loved it, and I don't think I will ever forget this story. ...more

4 likes · Like · see review

Oct 21, 2013 Randi rated it it was amazing

"What's new?"
"Everything", I say.

I absolutely loved this book! I'm very much looking forward to watching the movie tonight!
I wasn't really sure what to expect from this book and I didn't 100% know what it was about. I was very confused going into it until I realized it was being read from a 5 year old's perspective. You really have to stop and think about what he's trying to explain to you but you get used to it pretty quickly. (view spoiler) ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Apr 10, 2016 Marcela rated it really liked it

Shelves: fiction

3.5 STARS
Finished reading Room by Emma Donoghue and my first thought describing this book is what an interesting concept—to tell such a harrowing story from the point of view of a five year-old boy named Jack.
The plot follows Jack and his 'Ma' living in captivity in "Room" at the mercy of 'Old Nick,' their captor. This book made me think of how -sadly- the plot is based on real events, and how there are a few cases of young women that have lived through such horrific circumstances.
Even though 3.5 STARS
Finished reading Room by Emma Donoghue and my first thought describing this book is what an interesting concept—to tell such a harrowing story from the point of view of a five year-old boy named Jack.
The plot follows Jack and his 'Ma' living in captivity in "Room" at the mercy of 'Old Nick,' their captor. This book made me think of how -sadly- the plot is based on real events, and how there are a few cases of young women that have lived through such horrific circumstances.
Even though I was quickly enthralled with the premise of this book, it took me a while to get used to Jack's voice. Being a second grade teacher of students learning English, I am constantly rephrasing my students' grammar errors. Given the fact that the whole book is told from Jack's perspective, I had to adjust to reading all of his grammar mistakes and continue reading without the need to stop and mentally correct. I think that one thing that really helped me to start overlooking the grammar errors was that Jack is a very likable character—like all five year-olds in my opinion— and one cannot help but root for him and his Ma to escape this horrendous imprisonment.
I would recommend this book with the caution of the POV and what that entitles.
These were some of the memorable quotes:
”I'd love to watch TV all the time, but it rots our brains. Before I came down from Heaven Ma left it on all day long and got turned into a zombie that's like a ghost but walks 'thump thump.' So now she always switches off after one show, then the cells multiply again in the day and we can watch another show after dinner and grow more brains in our sleep.”
”Everywhere I'm looking at kids, adults mostly don't seem to like them, not even the parents do. They call the kids gorgeous and so cute, they make the kids do the thing all over again so they can take a photo, but they don't want to actually play with them, they'd rather drink coffee talking to other adults. Sometimes there's a small kid crying and the Ma of it doesn't even hear.” ...more

1 like · Like · see review

Jan 09, 2016 Will rated it really liked it

Oh my, I have a lot of mixed feelings about this book, but after all I liked it, I was expecting a lot more at the ending , but oh well, at least it concluded in something. The main characters (Mom and Jack) were difficult I felt bad for them and felt their sorrow but sometimes they were just AHHHH!, I wanted to slap them, jack is a peculiar little boy , whom I wonder if he was really 5 years old, that boy is smart as hell (credit to her mom), but sometimes he did act like a five year old which ...more

Like · see review