Poverty and wealth, the two opposing worlds have fascinated me since I was nine. I was born to a 1970’s motorcycle gang pimp and a fifteen-year-old girl he had raped. I know poverty well. And then when I was nine, my mother was a maid for an upper-class family who owned an oil services company and she ended up marrying their son and suddenly I was introduced to a whole new world where people didn't lack life choices due to limited resources. The rich were like aliens to me. So ever since my childhood, I have been captivated by the two worlds and it tends to bleed into my stories.
I wrote...
Land of Tornadoes
By
Melanie S. Wolfe
What is my book about?
They were supposed to be the next Kennedys, each adopted Wilson teen prepared for a specific political office, but when their father, CTO of Colossal Oil is falsely accused of stealing from the company after he publicly voices his concerns about the recent return of the dustbowl and fracking chemicals leaking into the drinking water and its correlation to the current outbreak of Frackheads (people who drink tainted water and become psychopaths and roam the roads with one mission, to kill for fun) the family’s focus goes from the future to a hacking revenge operation. After their night off in OKC, and a series of unfortunate events, the once unified Wilson clan struggle to keep themselves alive and their beautiful, unique family together.
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The Books I Picked & Why
The Hunger Games
By
Suzanne Collins
Why this book?
Sometimes we think of a rebel as an out-of-control, crazy hooligan when most of the time it is a normal, humble person who has been pushed to their limits due to unfair circumstances. Katniss, the main character, was very relatable to me. I’m protective of my little sisters, and I know what it’s like to live in harsh conditions. What I loved about Katness though is that she went from protecting her sister to fighting for all the districts, later in the series. She was selfless and had a true service to humanity mentality which is rare.
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The Grapes of Wrath
By
John Steinbeck
Why this book?
Coming from poverty, I mean, we were so poor I watched my mother shoplift a package of meat and a can of green beans one time so that we could eat that night, I really appreciated the struggles. I am a sucker for ‘big family’ dramas too and add that I lived in Oklahoma and most of my books were set in Oklahoma, this story had a huge impact on me and my novel. What I didn’t like though was the family’s inability to fight the system. I love a good David and Goliath story!
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The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
By
Stieg Larsson
Why this book?
No, this story wasn’t so much about poor vs. rich, other than Lisbeth Salander being poor and the bad guy being an elitist prick. I love a good hacker story and what better rebel to throw into the hacking world than Lisbeth Salander? Closed off, tough, and wickedly smart. I love that the author gave her skills to hold her own. Lisbeth, is the kind of rebel who we all desperately hope will 1. find the bad guy and 2. get some serious therapy.
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The Outsiders
By
S.E. Hinton
Why this book?
If you grow up in Oklahoma The Outsiders is required reading in school. It was one of the few required novels I didn’t hate reading. I could relate to their struggles and feeling like second-class citizens compared to the Socs. It’s still one of my top ten favorite books to this day. I wish that the author gave them some ammo to fight the system and rise above their circumstances.
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Little Fires Everywhere
By
Celeste Ng
Why this book?
I loved the dynamics of the two families and how the mothers are kind of thrown together and forced into a relationship neither wants. Both families have their secrets, dysfunctions, and hurdles to overcome. And that’s the exact dynamic I had in mind when I wrote my book; the Wilsons, being broke, surviving off the land, and dealing with their goodhearted, kind father who pushes them all to take up his fight and hack his former employer (Colossal Oil) and the Carters, the rich family that owns the oil company and yet are deeply tied to the Wilsons. Give me a good messy relationship and then make them from two different social classes, like in Little Fires Everywhere, and it's reading time! Pop some popcorn, give me a blanket and lock me in a room.
