Wilmington High School English 10H discussion

For those taking Mrs. Estrada and Ms. Parviainen's English 10H classes, this is the place to post your reviews for your World Independent Reading Projects.

Don't forget to also post your review on the page for your book as well.

I read Agnes Grey by Anne Brontё because I wanted to compare Anne’s writing to her sisters, Charlotte and Emily. Overall, Agnes Grey was a good read, and I recommend reading it. I liked the book because the title character was independent, and the book has a happy ending involving a wedding. I liked Agnes Grey better than Wuthering Heights, but it was not quite as good as Jane Eyre.
I enjoyed reading Agnes Grey because the title character is independent and resilient. Ever since she is born, Agnes is constantly spoiled and told that she cannot help her mother and older sister Mary with chores. When the family runs into some money troubles due to a failed investment, Agnes suggests that she could become a governess. Her family laughs at the idea at first but eventually lets her go. Agnes becomes independent, only visiting her family twice a year on vacations. She learns to take care of herself and take charge of her new pupils. Agnes is also resilient. The situations at both houses that she goes to, the Bloomfields and the Murrays are not favorable. The children she has been hired to teach are difficult and badly behaved. They are rude, cruel, and do horrible things like kill innocent birds for entertainment. The children resist Agnes’ attempts at discipline and run around the classroom. Agnes never gives up on the children though; she is committed to trying her best to tame and teach them every day. She does everything in her power to get the children to do what they are told: “I had got Tom pinned up in a corner, whence, I told him, he should not escape till he had done his appointed task” (Brontё, Chapter 4). Agnes gets agitated with the children now and then but they are not able to break her spirit. Agnes is also resilient when her father dies; she goes on to open up a school with her mother instead of breaking down. Agnes is determined to pull through, no matter what is thrown at her.
Another reason why I liked Agnes Grey is because it has a happy ending. Agnes marries a curate named Mr. Weston at the very end of the book. Mr. Weston is a gentleman, and likes Agnes for who she is. Mr. Weston’s proposal is not as thrilling as all of the drama in Jane Eyre, but it is better than everyone dying at the end, like Wuthering Heights. I do not like books with sad endings; I like to see everything turn out well at the end.
After reading all three books, Jane Eyre is my favorite, Agnes Grey is my second favorite, and Wuthering Heights is my least favorite. Agnes Grey is not nearly as dramatic as Jane Eyre with two proposals and an insane woman living in the attic, but the main characters are honest and strong. Agnes refuses to be intimidated by her pupils, and her mother keeps herself busy after her husband’s death instead of lamenting over the loss. Most of the characters in Wuthering Heights are narcissistic and hurt each other to get what they want, which is irritating.
Overall, I would give the book four stars and I encourage others to read it. It was easy to follow and the main characters like Agnes and her mother were admirable.

Boy: Tales of Childhood by Roald Dahl

Years ago, I recall being read an excerpt from Boy; it was the story about young Dahl putting a dead mouse into the gobstoppers jar and I have remembered it ever since. That story got me into reading more of his works and when I saw he had an autobiography I knew I had to read it, especially if it contained the mouse story.

At first Boy started off a bit slow, the majority of the first chapter was about his family before he was born and it seemed a tad lack-luster. Then, as soon as the second chapter came around I fell in love with the writing of Dahl that I remembered from his other works, such as Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and James and the Giant Peach.

Boy is a vivid childhood memoir that is both refreshing and whimsical; it is like no other autobiography I have ever read. Known for his wondering storytelling, Dahl does not disappoint with Boy. I love that when I read this, it didn’t feel like I was reading an autobiography, it felt as if Dahl was an old family member recalling the days of his youth, his writing style is that real and personal. Immediately, Dahl dismisses the idea that this book is an autobiography; he says “This is not an autobiography. I would never write a history of myself.” Boy is a quick read and Dahl writes this book as a collection of memories he recalls more than a whole life history, event for event, and it only covers his life up to about age 20. I praise him for doing so because instead of being told a bunch of boring normal events, he tells only the most interesting stories that impacted his life. For all those curious on the rest of his life, Dahl leaves readers with a cliffhanger to the rest of his autobiography that was eventually made into the second installment of Boy.

I truly appreciate Dahl’s choice to write about some obviously difficult experiences in such a lighthearted, optimistic way; it keeps the memoir light, funny, and fun. I also love Dahl’s honesty in his writing; he remains completely honest on his feelings of certain situations and he is truthful in the gruesome details of some of his memories. Boy is very witty and whimsical, it is written simply, but with rich and quirky vocabulary that would make it a great read for all ages. He uses terms such as “ancient sister” when referring to his eldest sister and he compares his school matron to a “female ogre”, the two being only a few of the many comical lines in the memoir. His stories are filled with hilarious lines such as “The great man reeled back in his chair as though I had slapped him in the face with a plate of poached eggs." (pg.157) I admit his humor is not for everyone, but it captures the youthful spirit of both him and his writing. Similar to his other works, the amount of detail Dahl uses brings both the characters and events in his stories to life. It even has old photos and lovely illustrations by the amazing Quentin Blake (illustrator of Dahl’s many works).

Anyone looking for information on Dahl for research should look elsewhere, but I would recommend this to any Dahl fans regardless of age because it’s fun to make connections between events and people in his life that obviously inspired plots and characters in his later writing. Not only did Boy remind me of how much I loved Dahl’s writing, but it also made me appreciate him as a person as well. He seemed like a lovely person who loved opening the imagination of anyone willing to let him do so.

For my World Independent Reading Book, I read the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by the Swedish journalist and author, Stieg Larsson. Wow - This was an amazing, yet terrifying novel. I had wanted to read the series because of its popularity, five star ratings, and its intriguing title, but I was never sure about the content.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is a thriller/crime novel which contains sexual scenes and brutal violence, including rapes and murders. I did have to censor some parts because the vivid descriptions were too much to handle at times.

For the most part, the novel was a page-turner and I could not put it down, but the beginning of the book dragged on. Larsson introduced the big corporations and talked about the financial systems, which was kind of a bore. After that, the plot really developed. Over forty years ago, Harriet Vanger, a descendant of one of Sweden’s wealthiest families, disappeared. Her elderly uncles hires Mikael Blomkvist, a journalist, to find out what happened to her. Mikael is aided by the tattooed and pierced, Lisbeth Salander and they try to solve the mystery. One of the strengths of this book was the plot because it was very detailed and interesting.

The book addresses the issues of sexual assaults, rapes, murders, family problems, serial killers, animal abuse, and so on. Unfortunately, these horrible acts are committed daily and there is no way to stop it, but there is a way to try to prevent it from happening. I believe that, in some way, Stieg Larsson was trying to warn people of the brutalities in the world and to be extra aware of them.

Overall, I would recommend this book to others, but just be aware that it can be really dark and extremely graphic. Besides that, the plot is very interesting and eye-opening and the characters are well-thought out. It is a good read for anyone who is interested in reading dark thrillers and twisted lives.

In J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic conclusion to his Lord of the Rings series, The Return of the King, Frodo’s journey is completed with the One Ring being destroyed in the fires of Mt. Doom and Aragorn attaining his rightful place as king of Gondor. This was an incredible book filled with fierce battles, intense standoffs, and scenes of immense bravery. This book is an absolute must read and is a fantastic end to an epic trilogy.
Tolkien creates a book with an intense and exciting plot, keeping you wanting to read more. There are no loose ends left at the end of the book and the book combines battles with passionate dialogue to create a book with no dry moments. Tolkien describes everything with beautiful detail, really making you feel as if you were with Frodo and Sam, crawling and staggering up Mt. Doom. No details are spared and even the smallest of items are described in depth with precision. Creating characters that you care for and become interested in is a talent of Tolkien. Tolkien makes you feel sympathy toward characters that have even done evil deeds such as Gollum. Throughout the book, Tolkien builds up your sympathy toward Gollum despite the fact that he tries to take the Ring from Frodo. Gollum was consumed by the Ring and the complete state of slavery he is in toward its power pulls at your heart. Through his masterful language detailed descriptions of characters, Tolkien makes you feel for the characters of his book.
The biggest issue addressed in The Return of the King is the triumph of good over evil. Although the evil of Sauron reaches far, good conquers evil and all is restored in middle earth. The treachery even extends into the Shire and lasts after Sauron is defeated, but good conquers evil and Saruman is also defeated. Another theme throughout the book is redemption. Aragorn redeems himself and ascends to the throne he was meant for after living as a simple ranger for part of his life. Gandalf attempts to offer many people redemption throughout the book. Rather than stop the Witch King and his Nazgûl, he tries to give Denethor a second chance to calm down before he burns himself and Farimir. Gandalf also offers Saruman a chance at redemption when they meet along the road back to the Shire. Saruman is a beggar, and Gandalf instructs to give him mercy because there is a chance for him to change his ways. Frodo also gives Gollum chances at redemption and continually chooses to show mercy to hope Gollum will be changed. Another key theme is the importance of friendship and the bonds that hold people together. Sam has the ultimate friendship with Frodo and sacrifices his own well-being by taking less food and water and giving more to Frodo. Throughout the novel, friendships are built and made strong. Tolkien shows that friendship is important and after the events of the war, friendships created an important connection between the Fellowship. These themes are a great reason why The Return of the King is still relevant today. The argument of good against evil is still alive to today, and the themes of friendship and redemption will always be relevant.
This is an absolute must read regardless of whether you are a fan of fantasy or not. There is a perfect blend of action and dialogue and is absolutely amazing. Tolkien’s skillful descriptions and fantastic story will make this book relevant and loved for years to come. This book is incredible and everyone should read it.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel is truly an emotional, comical, and absurd work of literature all in one. Once I finished reading it, I didn’t want it to end. Not only was it an amazing book, but it made me think about it after I finished reading. This book is the definition of a page-turner. I recommend this book to anyone who wants a simple and enjoyable read.

I would like to commend Martel’s outrageous plot. I mean, who would ever think of a sixteen-year-old son of a zookeeper to be trapped on a lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific Ocean with his only companion being a Bengal tiger? The plot is extremely unusual, but that’s what makes it so unique and intriguing. Piscine “Pi” Molitor Patel’s adventure sailing on the Pacific Ocean is full of details on how he survived with the tiger, mistakenly named Richard Parker. The story had just the right amount of gruesomeness, from Richard Parker killing multiple animals (and even a human!), to humor, when a tiger had been accidentally named by the ranger who had found him in the forest.

I appreciated how Martel decided on writing this novel in first person. The way that he wrote the story made me feel part of Pi’s agony and distress. It really made me tear up, especially when Pi told Richard Parker, “I love you, Richard Parker. If I didn’t have you now, I don’t know what I would do. … Don’t give up Richard Parker… I’ll get you to land, I promise, I promise!” (236; Ch. 86). Because I was able to read from Pi’s perspective, it impacted me more than if it had been from second or third perspective… I sympathized with him.

I applaud Martel for not only using symbolism, but making it so that it would provoke the reader to choose which version of Pi’s story he or she preferred. All along while I was reading, I took Pi’s word for it… that he was actually stuck on the lifeboat with a hyena, orangutan, zebra, and tiger. It wasn’t until the very end when he told a different version of his story to two Japanese officials, when things began to click. When the animals in his first story (the majority of the book) symbolized actual people in his second version, I was dumbstruck. It’s not that I was supposed to expect that, but I was just so into the animal story that the human story caught me off guard.Now that I was presented with Pi’s two versions of his story, I saw what Martel was trying to do to his readers: provoke them to choose their personal preference. I think that Martel is a genius for doing this. It’s just so out there and not many writers do that. It’s wonderfully different.

Personal preference is a large theme of this book. After all, preference is what it winds down to in the end. Does the reader prefer the animal version or the human version? The answer lies within the reader and depends on readers’ backgrounds and imagination. Personal preference is relevant to the world today because isn’t that what molds each person into who he or she is? It can define whether a person is more logical, believing the human version, or more imaginative, preferring the animal version. The interpretation of the story is subjective and the question serves as personal reflection upon the reader. Does the reader want to believe in what is reasonable and logical, or does the reader prefer to believe in miracles and the imaginary?

I seriously recommend this book to anyone because everyone will enjoy it. It is not one of those torturous books that make you want to claw your eyes out. Before you know it, you’ll be done reading and wish you weren’t. There are 100 chapters and not one of them lacks engrossment… Okay, except maybe chapter 97, which only has two words, “The story” (291; Ch. 97). Based on my *personal preference* I would give this book 5 stars, rightfully deserved. There is not one weak link in any aspect of this novel. This novel is one of my favorites, beyond just its storyline. I enjoyed it so much because it made me think and reflect. That’s when you know a book is really a good read.
Life of Pi

Girl, Missing by Sophie McKenzie

Imagine being adopted at the age of three by a family living in London and being told that your real mother didn't want you. And when you asked more about your past, no one answered your questions. Until one day, on a missing children's website, you see a little girl from America who you think may be you. What would you do?

This is exactly the dilemma Lauren is faced with. She is keen to find out about her past, but when she discovers she may have been snatched from an American family as a baby, her life suddenly feels fake. She becomes frustrated that no one will answer her questions so she runs away from her family to find out the truth. With the help of her friend Jam she goes to America to find her biological parents, discover who she really is, and whether the people she had known as her parents all these years were involved. Their journey takes them into more and more danger as she discovers that the people who abducted her are prepared to do anything to keep her silent.

I have mixed emotions about this book. I liked it because I felt really involved in the story and could not wait to see what would happen next. I read this book in about two days because it was such a page-turner. The writing was very easy to understand although it lacked a bit of detail in some parts. Why did I dislike this book? Everything just occurred a bit too quickly and, to be honest, it was a little predictable. The characters were not realistic. Lauren was whiny and selfish, especially towards her friend Jam, which I don't understand because he had been by her side the entire time. Somehow they managed to run away to a foreign country which I thought was very unrealistic. I mean who has the guts to travel across the world by themselves as a fourteen year old? I know I would never dare do that, probably because I would be grounded for life. I was also surprised at how Lauren's adopted parents handled her running away. They were obviously really mad and disappointed in her, but while reading I thought they would show a bit more concern for that matter. The only character I really liked was Lauren's sister, Madison, as she was the only character who seemed realistic. I thought it was adorable how even though they had just met, they became so close as sisters; Madison looked up to Lauren as a role model.

The ending was a bit predictable and I wish it had ended differently. **Spoiler**(The ending of the book is where Lauren is given the choice of who she wants to live with: 1) her adopted parents or 2) her biological parents. Lauren chooses to live with both families. They decide that she will live with her adopted parents throughout the school year and with her biological parents during the summertime, and visits will be made during holidays.) Even though this book had a happy ending (which I always seem to enjoy) I wish it had ended differently only because it would have made the story more interesting. I would have loved to see Lauren choose to be with only one family because then the rest of the book would be filled with drama.

Overall this book isn't all bad! Once you get past Lauren's immaturity, you might find yourself enjoying the mystery. With confusing diaries, memories, and secrets with a few small twists thrown in for good measure, McKenzie has set up a good back story for the sequel, Sister, Missing, which I probably will read at one point. I think the book's themes and concerns are relevant in today's world because kidnapping is still a big thing that people worry about. Girl, Missing deals with the issues of not knowing where you quite belong and not appreciating what you have until you've lost it. Interesting but flawed! I would recommend this book because it is an easy read and the plot is interesting, but it's not one of those must read books.

WARNING: This book review contains spoilers.

I would not recommend the book Confessions of Felix Krull by Thomas Mann to anyone. I can honestly say it was one of the worst books I have ever read.

The book is basically about a pretty boy who gets everything he wants in life. I did enjoy the book at first, but as the story progressed it became less believable and more annoying. Felix Krull, the main character and narrator, grew up in Germany. As a child, when Felix didn’t want to go to school he would pretend to be sick so his parents wouldn’t make him go. Apparently, he was so good at pretending to be sick that he actually gave himself legitimate symptoms such as a fever. I admit that seemed like it was testing the limits of reality, but I believed it for the sake of the story. Felix’s father owned a wine shop, and Felix was a young adult his father’s business went bankrupt. Felix’s family was evicted from their house, so his father committed suicide. This is where the book peaked for me. Felix was distraught when his father died, but his father’s death did not seem to have much of a long-term effect on Felix. If my father killed himself, I would never be the same. Felix just continued to go about his life and hardly mentioned his father after his death. A more realistic situation would be if the tragic story of his father was his motivation for the rest of his life. I was interested to see where Felix’s life would take him at that point in the story. The book had a lot of potential so far, but Mann let me down.

After the death of Felix’s father, Felix’s life continually and quickly took positive turns. Felix’s godfather Schimmelpreester got Felix a job as an elevator boy at a hotel in Paris, and the manager of the restaurant at the hotel, noticing how amicable Felix was with the guests, gave Felix a job as a waiter. As a waiter, Felix continued to charm the guests with his intelligence and extraordinarily good looks. He even befriended a wealthy guest named Louis Venosta. Venosta’s parents thought that Venosta’s romantic interest in a girl named Zaza was too distracting for him, so they decided to send him on a trip around the world to rid him of this distraction. Venosta asked Felix to take the trip for him using his identity so that Venosta could stay in France with Zaza, and Felix agreed.

Now Felix was assuming the identity of a man traveling the world who had more money than he could possibly spend. The first stop on the trip was Portugal. Felix meets and falls in love with a young woman about his age named Zouzou. (Apparently Mann was horrible at coming up with original names.) Zouzou did not want to engage Felix romantically, claiming that all men had a warped perception of what love really was. I was very pleased at this point because Felix finally wasn’t getting everything he wanted. Unfortunately for me, the book ends with Zouzou giving in and kissing Felix. Of course. The whole book is about how Felix EASILY went from being broke when his father died to living luxuriously in Portugal as Louis Venosta.

Other than the atrocious plot, I was not satisfied with Confessions of Felix Krull because it was very wordy. At times, there would be many pages where there was no dialogue. In these wide gaps, Felix would use pretentious vocabulary to describe events in his life that had little connection to the plot. I often found myself wondering what I was reading and why I was reading it.

Please do not read this book. It may make you angry.

The Fellowship of the Ring is the novel that I selected for this project. This book contains the first two parts of J.R.R. Tolkien’s six-part novel, The Lord of the Rings. I recently took up an interest in the series after watching The Lord of the Rings film adaptations, but I had not gotten a chance to read the book. Therefore, I am very glad that this project gave me the opportunity to get started.
The story begins in the Shire, a peaceful land in Middle Earth inhabited primarily by hobbits; short, human-like creatures with hairy feet. A hobbit named Frodo Baggins is adopted by his wealthy older cousin Bilbo following the death of the younger hobbit’s parents, and lives with him at Bag End in Hobbiton. Bilbo is considered strange by the other hobbits because, even at the age of one-hundred and eleven, the old adventurer barely looks older than fifty. The reason for this is that Bilbo holds in his possession a magic ring that slows his aging and renders him invisible when he wears it, a secret that only he and his dear friend, the wizard Gandalf the Grey, are aware of. However, Bilbo becomes bored of his life at Bag End and hatches a scheme to disappear during his “eleventy-first” birthday party, leaving all his possessions to Frodo. With great effort, Gandalf, who is visiting at the time, convinces him to leave the ring behind as well. The wizard had grown suspicious of the ring and leaves the Shire in order to research its origin. Frodo is greatly saddened by Bilbo’s departure, but finds comfort in his friends Merry and Pippin. Years later Gandalf returns to Bag End and discovers, to his horror, that the ring is none other than the powerful One Ring, forged by the dark lord Sauron. With danger close at hand, Frodo is told he must leave the Shire and bring the Ring to the Elven city of Rivendell. He delays too long however, and the nine Ring Wraiths, servants of Sauron, gain a considerable amount of ground. Frodo finally flees to the city of Bree with Merry, Pippin, and Frodo’s gardener Sam; a few of the Nine in pursuit. They look for Gandalf at the Prancing Pony Inn, where he said they would meet, but he is not there. A mysterious stranger known as Strider watches over them, to their great suspicion. The hobbits do not learn until later that he is really Aragorn, a friend of Gandalf’s. The group departs from Bree, accompanied by Strider, and makes their way to Rivendell, having to fight off the Ring Wraiths on several occasions. At Rivendell, the group is reunited with Gandalf and an alliance is formed to accompany Frodo on his journey to destroy the Ring in Mordor, the only way to prevent the ring of power from falling back into Sauron’s hands. This company, known as the Fellowship of the Ring, includes the four hobbits, Strider, Gandalf, Legolas the elf, Gimli the Dwarf, and Boromir, a man from Gondor. The Fellowship then sets off on the long and perilous journey to destroy the Ring and save Middle Earth.
I am absolutely amazed by how much effort must have been put into creating Middle Earth. Tolkien has created a whole world with all kinds of different species and lands. But what really amazes me are the cultures and languages that he came up with. The folklore, songs, and stories that he created are incredibly detailed. It simply blows me away that he not only thought up several different languages, but even separate dialects. I absolutely applaud how in depth the description of this world is.
I also love the characters in Fellowship of the Ring and the interactions between them. I like how every character has their strengths, but they also have weaknesses. I feel that having imperfect characters really makes the story more interesting, especially when it involves very wise and powerful characters, such as Gandalf. The interactions between the characters are very interesting. I think that the exchanges between Gandalf and Pippin are really funny, and I enjoyed watching the friendship form between Legolas and Gimli. The personalities of each of the characters are very well developed and intriguing.
Overall, I thought that this book was fantastic. The plot was engaging and exciting, the characters were excellent, and the settings were masterfully described. I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a great fantasy novel. Tolkien has woven a breathtaking story in a world of his own creation. I absolutely cannot wait to read the remainder of the series!

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien is a mystical escape from the real world, pulling the reader into a deadly and exciting adventure. The story’s twists and turns keep the reader engaged and interested in the plot, all leading to it’s climax during which an unexpected hero must fight a dangerous dragon. The character Bilbo Baggins is the story’s main protagonist. In the beginning, Bilbo is not interested in any journey or life changing experience. One day he is pulled into a hoist of lost treasure, and is taken on a journey he did not anticipate. This becomes relatable to the reader, and as he or she picks up a book they are taken on the journey of a lifetime. Any person looking for a good adventure story is sure to fall in love with this book. Of course, for the story to take place in such a mystical land, there are some plot gaps that may be frustrating to the reader. When in times of trouble, some far fetched solutions take place. For example, the travelers use giant eagles to escape out of a certain predicament. I, as a reader, asked “Why did the travelers not use these eagles to get to their destination?”. This may bother some readers, but for me I took it as a creative escape in a time of danger. The character development is well done, bringing the hero from a normal hobbit to a not-so-normal hobbit. The reader can see Bilbo’s inner struggle of what he is comfortable doing and what he dreams of doing. Although he doubts himself at points, Bilbo emerges as the hero of the story in a satisfying and feel good way. The timeless themes of heroism and adventure brings a whimsical feeling to the story, pulling out the inner child in any grown reader. This book is a must read for anyone that wants to experience an addictive, amusing story.

The Trial by Franz Kafka is a plot-driven story about the terrifying experience of a man who is arrested for no rhyme or reason. Before reading the novel, I was told that it would mess with my mind and make me think about our world in a different way. After reading the book, I couldn't agree more with this statement.

The story commences with the spontaneous arrest of the main character, Joseph K., on his thirtieth birthday. Kafka does an excellent job grabbing the reader's attention by presenting the primary conflict in the first paragraphs of the book. The entirety of the novel revolves around the question of why K. is arrested and his trial. Since he is given no explanation as to why he is being arrested and cannot recollect having done anything wrong, K. believes that he is being pranked by his co-workers from the bank. By the end of the first two chapters, it is quite clear that this is not the case. The first couple of chapters stir curiosity in the reader by producing suspense. As a result, the reader is compelled to keep reading in order to find out why an innocent man is charged with arrest. This novel reveals the truths about government in some countries because people as ill-fated as K. exist even today. The book touches upon this issue and essentially raises awareness for the innocent people who are unnecessarily persecuted by the law everyday.

Good qualities about the book include being relatable because it incorporates many themes and ideologies from how the real world could be perceived. An interesting aspect involving the theme of corruption in the book is that it was influenced by Austro-Hungarian Empire of the 1920's. I found it neat that the author strongly voiced his opinions about government fraud and disorder through different characters. Another theme that was derived from reality was the unfairness of the judiciary systems in Europe. In the early twentieth century, Europeans were often charged unfairly without proper trials in court. This is reflected upon in the novel because many innocent individuals suffer the same fate as K. I thought it was really cool to see the channeling of the author's views in this way. The twisted bureaucracy in the novel can be used to criticize the modern world and point out the faults in government systems around the globe. Kafka made me realize how grateful I am to be living in the United States because in some parts of the world, "it is often safer to be in chains than to be free" (ch. 8).

Although the author was successful in grabbing the reader's attention at first, he lost this touch after the first chapter. Since Kafka received a degree in law before becoming a writer, it is understandable that he incorporated much of his deep findings within the study into his book. In fact, I think it was a little too much of details. Kafka's passion for law detracts from the plot-line at many points throughout the story. It can get overwhelming along the way for people like myself who do not have interests in how the court systems work and the regulations they abide by. When Kafka gets carried away, the story can become a bit dull. As a result, I became detached to the book especially during K.'s inquiry in the second and third chapters. Another thing that really bothered me was that the reader never actually learns the reason for K.'s arrest. The beginning of the book sets up a false sense of hope in the reader that he or she will eventually learn why K. is falsely charged but it fails to answer this question at the end. Throughout the book, there are many cases of foreshadowing and frankly, it is too cliché. For instance, when K. sees the warders who informed him about his arrest being whipped in a room due to complaints, Kafka gives the event too much significance. He basically gives away the ending of the book by underestimating the inference skills of the reader.

Overall, I liked the concepts that the book was trying to hint at and the way it got inside of my head. On the other side, it was fairly difficult to read and lengthy, making it hard to stay focused on the text. I would recommend it to people who have an interest in studying law because the whole story was based off of a court system. I give it 2.5 out of 5 stars because I personally was not very attached to the book since it did not appeal to my interests. With this said, the novel also made me thankful for the luxuries I have available to me in the United States.

I thought that Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was an exceptional book that showed every aspect of Louie Zamperini’s life. Louie Zamperini was an Olympic runner who became a prisoner of war during World War II. The book chronicles Louie’s life from his Olympic days, to his adventures during World War II, to his time as a prisoner of war, and to his life after the war. All of these aspects were beautifully described and allowed me to fully visualize everything that happened in Louie’s life.
The thing that I liked the most about the book was how the author described everything in great detail. These descriptions helped me to get invested in the story and keep me interested. The descriptions helped me to get to know Louie and make it seem like I knew him. Also, I liked how this book could be enjoyable for people who are not all that interested in war. I do not like reading about war all that much but this book still kept my attention. This might be because of how beautifully written the book is. Another thing that I liked about this book was how there were pictures of Louie and the places that he went in some parts of the book. These pictures helped me to fully visualize many parts of the biography. A final thing that I enjoyed about Unbroken was how the author showed the hardships that Louie went through even after he returned home. The author shows how Louie suffered from post traumatic stress disorder after being released from the prisoner of war camps. I like how the author kept this in because it shows how Louie still had hardships after he returned home, which might not have been expected by the reader.
One thing that I did not like about this book was how it was a little bit dull in the middle. The parts where Louie is at the prisoner of war camps were at some points boring. I kept hoping that Louie would just get rescued already. But that was the only aspect of the biography that I did not absolutely love.
This book shows how never giving up will eventually lead someone to achieve his or her goals. When Louie is in the prisoner of war camps he is always telling himself that he is going to survive and make it back home. This mind set allows Louie to not be diminished by the horrible officers in the prison camps and to keep his hope alive. Because Louie refuses to give up, he eventually finds his way back home. This never giving up theme is present throughout the book and is a good massage to the reader.
I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good and heartwarming story to read. When I first picked up this book I was not sure that I would like it because I do not find war that relatable or interesting, but I ended up loving it. The book tells a story of a man who has a lot of hardship in his life but he is able to somehow overcome them all. This made the story very motivational for me and leads me to recommend this book to everyone.

In His Own Write
A Spaniard in the Works

John Lennon is not famously known for his writings or drawings. However, while I was reading In His Own Write & A Spaniard In The Works, I was mesmerized by his talent. The book is full of short stories and poems. There are drawings to accompany the stories and poems. If you think too highly of yourself, you probably wouldn't enjoy this book. The whole idea of the book is for fun and spontaneous thoughts. The words are misspelled on purpose and it adds to the wonder of the book. Sometimes you have to reread a page or so to understand. However, not everything is meant to be understood. So if you read this book, just go along with it and enjoy the weird Lennon style.
The book, in my opinion has no flaws. If you read this book and you question the point of it, then you are thinking too hard. There are time when it is hard to figure out what is being said, but that is ok. That is what the book is for. Occasionally, Lennon will change a character's name in a short story. In his story playing on Sherlock Holms, he changes Watson's name multiple times. He changes "Jack The Ripper" to "JACK THE NIPPLE." He refers to Holmes as "Wolmbs." Instead of "Elementary, my dear Watson," Lennon writes "Ellifizgerrald my dear Whopper." Another time he writes, "Harrybellafonte, my dear Whopper." He will fluctuate between certain names, simply because he can. I wouldn't say that is a weakness or a flaw in the book though, because it's funny. I think that the strongest part of the book as a whole is the feeling you get from reading it. The book takes you to a far away land of dogs that must perish, and people with goofy names, and of course parodies on culture of the 60's. The book isn't always meant to be comical, and there are some stories of Lennon's thoughts. One page is an ad space for a man that Lennon invented. It's amazing that Lennon could come up with these stories out of thin air.
The book doesn't connect to any issues or concerns to the modern world. However, many of the stories can be associated with kids. Children can really connect with some of the stories. Others, will not connect with kids. There is a poem about a little dog named Nigel. The owner calls his dog a "goo boy." (This is an example of Lennon's writing style.) The dog is shown to be nice and friendly. Then, rather abruptly, Lennon tells us that the dog is being put to sleep. The book definitely brings joy to the reader, but also can make the reader feel upset. The stories and poems really take you away.
I would recommend this book to anyone. You have to read this book open mindedly, however. If you begin to judge the book, then you should put it down because it has gone over your head. Sit down in the sun with this book and let it take you back to a more wonderful time. The 1960's. Read and enjoy this masterpiece.

World War II is perhaps the most remembered war in the United States. This war is recalled by images of white men crawling in trenches and storming at Normandy while their wives and children at home grew their own gardens to support the troops and collected every scrap of useful metal to build airplanes. Takaki’s book reminds readers that there was much, much more happening at home and on the frontlines during World War II.
World War II was fought by the United States in an effort to bring democracy and rights to all. At the same time, each minority group in the United States was being denied basic rights and American hospitality. Takaki brings this to life with personal accounts of events. One account is of an African American veteran who was not allowed to sit down on a bus in the south until his white comrades backed him up. The experiences of African American men and women are brought to life with quotes like “my sister always said that Hitler was the one that got us out of the white folk’s kitchen,” which is a quote by an African American woman commenting on her new opportunity to work outside of domestic service due to vacant factory positions (Takaki 46). This novel is full of specific, telling quotes such as these that depict the unwillingness of America to truly accept other nationalities. Takaki also includes the memories of American born Chinese descendants that had to prove they are not Japanese in order to ensure their safety. He includes accounts from Navajo Indians whose language was used to pass military information. By including personal stories and quotes Takaki has created characters that can be connected to and understood by the reader.
Though this book does not have a “plot” per-se, it clearly follows and explains the hardships of each minority group. Because of the fluency of Takaki’s writing, I did not miss having a plot or feel deprived of a storyline.
The themes in this book are directly related to what is happening in the world today. I think that the gay marriage and gay acceptance debate that is happening now is like the Civil Rights movement, so this book parallels exactly what is going on today. In addition to comparing the book to what is happening today, students are still learning about World War II. This book directly connects to the curriculum in schools all over the country and the world. One cannot truly understand an event or a time period without learning about how the general population felt. This book provides the feelings of the minority population and the general population in relation to minority groups.
Even though the characters in this book are real and have interesting stories, I would only recommend this book to a history enthusiast or a history student looking for more insight into the people behind World War II. This book would be a wonderful accompaniment to classroom lessons on World War II as a mandatory or suggested reading. The personal stories and opinions in this novel are the perfect material to spark a class discussion or help students connect to the time period outside of factual information. This book would also be great for anybody who studies human nature, as it is the account of a pivotal time in history from the perspective of those who lived the events.

I chose to read Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay because the book is centered on the Holocaust, a topic I find interesting to learn about. I found for the most part that Sarah’s Key was a very fascinating book to read. The book had a little bit of everything: suspense, intrigue, and an underlying message of sadness.
I liked how Sarah’s Key was written in a style of writing that linked the past and present. The book contained a story within a story. It takes place in two different time periods, both in Paris, and one in the summer of 1942 and one sixty years later in 2002. The story starts off in 1942 Paris, during World War II, with a Jewish family being arrested during the little- known Velodrome d’Hiver roundup. A girl, who does not have a name during the first part of the book, locks her little brother in a cupboard to protect him from the police officers, thinking that she will return in a few hours. The girl and her parents are taken to an arena where they are held with other Jews in terrible conditions where many people die. Days later, the Jewish children are separated from their parents and taken to concentration camps. The girl is the only one in her family who survives and when she returns to save her brother she finds that she is too late.
The present day portion of the story is based around a reporter, Julia Jarmond, who is told to write a story about the Velodrome d’Hiver roundup. At first it is unclear how the two storylines connect but it is later revealed that the family of Julia’s husband lived in the same house that the girl, later identified as Sarah, lived with her family before the roundup. The discovery makes Julia feel many different emotions as she starts to feel a strong connection to Sarah and their lives become intertwined when Sarah’s story starts affecting Julia’s life.
The significance of the lack of identity of the girl in the beginning proves the point that she was one of many thousands of people who were affected by the tragedy. By not giving her a name, the author represents her as the face of all Jews caught in this situation. The key that Sarah uses to lock her brother in the cupboard is a major symbol in the story. It represents hope and motivation for Sarah because every time she feels the key in her pocket she remembers her brother and how she has to survive to save him.
Overall, I really enjoyed the authors writing style. Although Sarah is just a fictional character, it was interesting to be able to read about the Holocaust through the eyes of someone who experienced it. The only thing I did not like about the writing style was that the two storylines were difficult to follow at times. The idea of writing the story in two different time periods was a very creative approach but I believe the style at times confused the reader.
The subject of the Holocaust is one that never loses its impact, even in today’s world. The atrocity is one that forever be etched in time. I would recommend the book to all readers but especially to those interested in the Holocaust, as the book gives a firsthand account of those times.

Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt is a memoir describing McCourt’s early childhood in New York and then Ireland. It is a powerful retelling of his family’s struggles during the 1940’s. From an alcoholic, uninspired father, to a sickly mother, McCourt dealt with many hardships in his younger years. This book really brings an inside look at the heartbreak and tragedy of a destitute family with no one to turn to.

One of the strong points of this book is McCourt’s ability to convey his family members’ personalities. The diction of his parents really gives insight into his father’s excuses about always meaning well when trying to keep a job and his mother’s caustic and sarcastic remarks when she blamed him for their empty stomachs. This was also apparent when a character talked with an Irish brogue. This was a way to identify class. A low class character would say, for example, “Ye are to keep yeer paws out of that trunk” (McCourt 252). The way McCourt would spell out these words phonetically would really help to transport the reader to Ireland. One could not imagine this book in any other place with this type of vernacular.

The way McCourt never uses apostrophes in dialogue confused me. This was definitely a negative of the book. In some situations the speaker would be ambiguous. It would never be clearly identified who said what. Sometimes it would be even hard to tell if this was McCourt’s thoughts or actual dialogue! This style was confusing, but in its own way contributed to the fact that he was recalling all of this stuff from this childhood. In the end, I reread many sentiences in order to fully understand them. This was the only negative aspect of the book for me. Overall, I highly enjoyed it.

Alcoholism and its devastating effects is a large theme in the book. McCourt’s father hardly ever missed a night at the tavern. When he was there, he was not known to be a ‘light drinker’. Even on the day of his daughter’s death, his favorite child, he visited the pub to “ease the pain”. Malachy McCourt’s drinking problem not only affected himself but also affected the family as a whole. Malachy could never keep a job for more than three weeks at the most. The first week, he would bring home his wages to his family. Things were happy then and the family could have a real dinner with potatoes and eggs. The second week, Malachy would take his wages straight to the pub and spend them all. Then by the third week, he was fired. The cycle would start over and over again with job after job. These jobs would be spaced out over months. The family never had a steady income and it was hard to stay afloat. Frank had to resort to theft many times and his mother turned into a street beggar. Their family was so desperate because Malachy couldn’t hold on to a job. Beer was always more important to him. With every new job, his family thought this time would be different, that this time they would have
money for food or to pay the rent. But it never was.

Another theme would be the resilience of humans, no matter how tough their situation is. With an unreliable father, Frank and his mother tried their best to feed the family. As Frank grew older he took whatever odd jobs he could. Whether it was delivering papers, writing letters, reading to the elderly, or delivering telegrams, Frank would make money when he could. His mother did her best to get whatever help she could. She applied to multiple charity societies to receive loans and food stamps. But no matter what, neither of them gave up. Frank and his mother would always think of the three other little boys at home; Malachy Jr., Michael, and Alphie. These boys would starve without their family’s help. No situation was so hopeless that Frank and his mother would stop trying. Their resilience was truly inspiring as they faced many challenges in their lifetime.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. These stories have similar cores: a poor family desperately trying to make ends meet. This book would also be a good read for people who do not truly appreciate how fortunate they are to have the things they do. Reading this book makes the reader see how he or she should be grateful for having a roof on their head and a meal on the table. It opens the reader’s eyes to how fortunate he or she is.

I read The Kite Runner, a renown novel by Khaled Hosseini. I was first introduced to this book by my friend, Caroline, who fell completely in love with it. When I first started reading, I was immediately drawn to the riveting plot line and mesmerizing characters that gave this novel a unique aura. Set in early Afghanistan, two boys with different ethnicities grow up together in a city called Kabul. Hosseini’s unique style of writing allows the reader to experience what life was like in the Middle East during the mid-1900’s. Fatality and heroism are among the several themes in this captivating novel.

At the beginning, Amir and Hassan, the two small boys, are inseparable. They are close friends, confidants, and playmates. However, since Amir is a Pashtun and Hassan is a Hazara, Amir always seems to radiate an unspoken power over his partner. Amir and his Baba, or father, live in a large house, while Hassan and his father Ali reside as servants in a small hut located in the backyard. However, their differing social hierarchies do not stop the two families from loving and caring for each other, an aspect of the novel that I truly enjoyed from the start. Reading more into the book, I soon found out that Baba and Ali have always been close friends for all their lives. (view spoiler)[ When their two sons were born, the fathers were left to care for their sons alone, for Amir’s mother died and Hassan’s mother left him. (hide spoiler)] What was truly inspirational at this point in the novel, was that Baba treated his servants as family and normal human beings, something that was very rare in Afghanistan during this time.

As the book progresses, the dynamic between Amir and Hassan changes. Amir, who at the start was the character I truly admired, soon becomes an antagonist in my eyes. For instance, this small boy takes advantage of Hassan’s illiteracy and teaches him false definitions of words. This series of defiant behavior advances throughout the text, and I soon felt pity for Hassan. As winter falls over the city of Kabul, one notorious kite tournament changes the whole book. Every year as the snow falls, residents of Kabul fill the streets with their blue and red kites. Amir, a well established kite runner, hopes to win the tournament with the help of Hassan. (view spoiler)[ At the end of the tournament, Amir and Hassan win. (hide spoiler)] However, when the kite starts to fly away, Amir asks if Hassan will retrieve the kite, to which the young servant replies, “For you a thousand times over!” (67). (view spoiler)[ While running for the kite, Hassan crosses paths with Assef, a cruel bully. Trapped with nowhere to go, Assef rapes Hassan. Little does anyone know, Amir is watching but does nothing to help his friend. (hide spoiler)]

What happened on that winter day had such an intense impact on me. Not only did I feel anger towards Amir, but I truly felt sorry for Hassan and what he went through. This feeling of animosity towards Amir lingers throughout the whole book. As the story goes on, Afghanistan starts falling apart. The two boys go off and live their lives on different paths, one goes to America, while the other stays in the Middle East. Fatality and revenge thicken the plot line, while Hosseini keeps the reader on the edge of their seat. As I was reading this novel, I was on an incredible ride. The narrator, Amir, goes through a harrowing journey from adolescence to adulthood. He must learn to forgive himself of his mistakes and let go of the past. This novel is definitely one of the best books I have ever read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Afghanistan, or even someone who wants to read about a riveting tale about two young boys. I give The Kite Runner five stars without-a-doubt.

Escape from Camp 14 by Blaine Harden is an eye-opening experience that allows us to peer inside the walls of North Korea and the heart-wrenching life story of Shin Dong-hyuk, who was born and raised inside one of North Korea’s mysterious political prison camps. The only person known to have ever been born and escaped from one of these camps, Shin’s telling of his story gives us information and insight about what life is like inside these camps.

Shin was brainwashed from the day he was born and instructed in the ten laws of the camp, which stated that anyone caught escaping, conspiring to escape, stealing, disobeying a guard, or not fulfilling their work quota would be shot immediately. However, these rules were not just there to intimidate prisoners; they were strictly followed by prisoner and guard alike, and Shin witnessed the public executions of those who disobeyed the laws. Hearing Shin talk about how watching these executions barely fazed him, even when he watched his mother and brother die, were discomforting and difficult to read, since it made it incredibly apparent how the camp’s philosophies and laws had twisted and manipulated his mind.

One of the most disturbing themes of the book is the resilience of the human spirit- or rather, the absence of it. While many stories that depict escapes from a horrible place describe the heroism, bravery, and unbreakable spirit of the escapee, Shin’s tale includes none of these traits. Even when he did escape, he only did so at the death of another prisoner, and his only reason for escaping was primitive and basic: food. The totalitarian environment he grew up in had such a huge impact on him that he still struggles with emotions today; he never knew the word love until after he escaped. Shin describes himself laughing and crying with others, trying to feel what they felt, what he says is ‘becoming human’. This idea is so foreign to us because it usually happens when we’re only toddlers: developing relationships, interpreting and feeling emotions, and working to understand others. For Shin, this was not a reality.

Reading about the extreme hardships that Shin has faced and the effects that living in Camp 14 had on him forces us to reflect on how easy we have life, and how lucky we are to be the ones reading the story from a page rather than being the main character. Camp 14 is also a cold reminder of the true horrors that happen inside North Korea’s borders, horrors that we usually forget due to the flamboyant media reports and mocking memes of Kim-Jong Un. I would recommend this book to anyone, because it paints an accurate picture of what life is for some people, and shows us how much we really have to be thankful for.

I chose to read The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett because I remembered watching it as a cartoon movie back in when I was in elementary school on a VCR. I of course didn't remember much of the story line, or even understood it at that age, but I remembered liking it a lot. After reading it I remembered why I liked it at that age, but not as much now.
It first starts out in India where Mary Lennox is a spoiled, little English girl whose rich, snobby parents want nothing to do with her. She lives in a mansion and is cruel and hateful to everyone who tends to her. Then in the village, there is a cholera break out killing everyone, but Mary. She is then sent to her distant uncle’s house in Yorkshire, England to be taken care of. When she arrives, she becomes interested her dead aunt’s secret garden that is locked up with a hidden key. The adventure and friends she makes in the manor cures her of the bitter, selfish, servant dependant child she was back in India, and shows her how to love and open up.
Also along in the book that we meet half way through is Colin Craven who lives a parallel life to his cousin, Mary Lennox. Miserably bedridden and believing he will die before he becomes an adult, until Mary discovers him one day, and teaches him how to live a happy life and connect with nature through his dead mother’s secret garden. Through the garden they both feel their mother and aunt’s presence as the abandoned garden blooms with roses, her favorite flower.
At times I enjoyed the story line and writing style of Burnett. His innocence he portrays in the children is spot on. When Mary and Colin are in the garden and start feeling happiness for the first time, they believe it is “magic force” making them happier and more loving, but Mrs. Sowerby takes it as God blessing them along with Mrs. Craven watching over. I also enjoyed how Burnett had the local maids/workers in the manor speak in Yorkshire dialect, which is just English words missing usually the last letter or sometimes first.
The only thing I did not like about the story was that nothing dramatic happened. No major characters had something drastically horrible happen to change the story line. I mean, Mary’s parents died, but she didn’t even care about that because they hated each other. Mary and Colin as soon as they meet each other have only positive things happen for the rest of the book. I’m more of a tragic story reader. It just keeps my attention more. Over all the book was good and I would recommend it to readers who love happy endings. Given that is ended happily is probably why it was later made into a cartoon children’s movie, something I should have saw coming.

(Possible spoilers in this review)

I have always found that a book worth reading is one that challenges the reader to think differently than he or she normally would. Invisible Cities was one of those books. Not only did I find myself engaged in the book’s philosophy but I was amazed by how well each piece of the book fit into the story. The story itself is not a very easy one to explain, as I found it a little tough, at first, to understand what was truly going on. Once I got past that initial phase, however, I began to really appreciate the book. Italo Calvino was remarkably descriptive in his writing and I enjoyed his style for he was able to capture so many ideas through words.

This fictional book is not structured the way that I am used to, which made it very interesting. The chapters, which conventionally enhance the plotline or move it forward, focused solely on cities (one city for each chapter). There was a prologue at the beginning, which gave insight into the two main characters, Kublai Khan and Marco Polo. Polo was a Venetian merchant while Khan ruled Yuan Empire (both of which were based on the actual people). I found the dynamic between the two to be great. Polo was fairly young and yet he seemed to have a maturity and poise similar to that of the Emperor himself. Emperor Kublai Khan ruled as a Chinese emperor and sent out envoys to check on the cities of his vast empire. Then he met Polo. The Venetian merchant did not speak Khan’s language but Polo developed a way to express his travels through a multitude of signs, symbols, and gestures. Out of everyone else, Marco Polo was the only one that the Emperor found the most interest in. Kublai Khan did not, however, fully trust everything that the young man described. There was a sense of mistrust between the two as noted in the quote; “The other ambassadors warn me of famines, extortions, conspiracies, or else they inform me of newly discovered turquoise mines, advantageous prices in marten furs, suggestions for supplying damascened blades. And you? …you return from lands equally distant and you can tell me only the thoughts that come to a man who sits on his doorstep at evening to enjoy the cool air. What is the use, then, of all your travelling?” (p.27)

Life was an important topic of the book and Calvino handled it in a way that I had never seen before. The cities that Polo explained were the embodiment of humanity because each city, no matter how ideal or perfect, were not. I immediately thought of how true Calvino’s view was. (Possible Spoiler) This brought up a much deeper thought: Were the cities real? I believed so, at first, until I read further. Whether or not this is true, there was something about the way the cities were portrayed that almost didn’t seem real, for example, he described a city as one that never, “touches the earth except those long flamingo legs on which it rests…” (p.77) (End of spoiler) Polo, in short, was a dreamer, as he described each city through his own perspective. He looked at cities and saw them in so many unimaginable ways, for some technological advances did not exist at the time. Kublai Khan, on the other hand, was a man who was focused on the future of his empire. He strived for perfection and hoped to one day shape the empire into a utopia. Khan learned, however, that his empire was not an invisible force and could eventually crumble from the inside.

To say that Invisible Cities was a story inside a story would be an understatement because this was heavily layered with different perspectives. One of the only weaknesses of the book that I found was some of the context. This wasn’t the easiest book to read and I had to read certain sections over to fully understand them. Whether that was Calvino’s intention or not, I felt that this may have taken away from the book a bit. I was amazed, however, by the relevance that the book had about humanity. I could see bits our modern day society in each of the cities and unfortunately not all of what I found was positive. Calvino took a realist approach when dealing with that theme and I admire him for being true to life in that sense. I would recommend this book to young adults and older because of the complex and multi-dimensional story.

*There are spoilers in this review*

I read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. I loved both of the books and found myself unable to put either of them down. When I found out he wrote another book, I could not wait to read it. I had high expectations for And the Mountains Echoed because Hosseini is easily one of my favorite authors.

This book was different than his first two and never really followed a plot of one character. Instead, it followed a path of families over generations; brothers, sisters, parents, children, and cousins. I found it difficult at times to read especially with the change in narration. However his unique tale was certainly captivating and left me wanting to read more like his previous books had.

And the Mountains Echoed begins with the unyielding bond between brother Abdullah and his younger sister Pari. Wrongfully, the two are torn apart when Pari is sold by her father to a husband and wife Pari’s stepuncle works for. The tale then follows Pari’s life with her new parents. When Pari is sold, she is merely a toddler and quickly forgets her old life which was once her home.

The story then follows many different characters each with ties to another character in the book. Each character experiences sorrow, joy, betrayal, forgiveness, and love. The book goes through multiple generations, spanning over half a century in Afghanistan, Paris, California, and a small Greek island. (SPOILER) Remarkably, Pari is able to find out her true identity and with the help of many others, discovers her brother after 58 years. She has no clear memory of him other than the beginning of a lullaby he used to sing to her, “I found a sad little fairy/ Beneath the shade of a paper tree.” When she sees him she remembers the rest of it, “I know a saw little fairy/ Who was blown away by the wind one night.” Abdullah in his old age has alzheimers and does not remember Pari. His daughter, who he named Pari after his sister, gives Abdullah’s sister a box of something she finds cleaning one day. Inside are feathers and a note addressed for his sister. Before they parted years and years earlier, Abdullah would give his younger sister feathers. Although all these years later she does not remember the significance of feathers, she is brought to tears that her brother never forgot about her.

I would absolutely recommend this book! Hosseini has an incredible gift of telling stories and has proved this yet again with And the Mountains Echoed. The most incredible thing that he is able to do with this book is express the sacrifices and power of families. I give it 4.5 stars

SPOILERS ALERT

I truly enjoyed reading Fasting, Feasting, by Anita Desai. In terms of plot, I liked how I was kept on the edge of my seat for the duration of the story. I was constantly wondering what was going to become of Uma, one of the main characters. Uma lives in India, continuously trying to make something of her life yet struggles for so many different reasons. I never knew when the next obstacle was going to present itself, nor did I know what that obstacle was going to be. For example, I was shocked to see her two potential marriages fail. As Uma's siblings go on to live happy lives, she is left in the dust with nowhere to go. The plot only becomes more interesting when the story turns to the direction of Uma's brother, Arun. This change in plot is exciting because this part of the story takes place in the United States instead of India. I enjoyed learning about the Indian culture in the first part of the story, but the part that is focused on Arun is very interestingly in Massachusetts. Because Arun comes from India to go to school, I was intrigued by the culture shock that he experiences. I was interested in the adjustments that he has to make to adapt to this totally different lifestyle.

I also like the writing style that Desai utilizes. Having the story narrated in third person allowed me to experience the story without the sole opinion of one character. I also like how Desai got through the setting in India before moving on to the setting in the United States. This avoided any confusion that would have occurred if the two story lines were told simultaneously. In addition, the very descriptive language allowed for a vivid picture to be painted inside my head.

Not only are the physical appearances of the characters in this story described with detail, but there personalities are even better described. I really got a sense of standing right next to these characters as their lives unfolded.

The main issue addressed in this book is the dramatic difference between life in India compared to life in America. Food is a huge difference between these two countries. For one, as a lot of Americans enjoy meat, a lot of Indians are vegetarians. When Arun is staying at the Patton's house over the summer, Mr. Patton is cooking up steak on the barbecue when Arun has to nervously explain, “I—I don't eat meat” (Anita Desai, Chapter 18). It is also addressed how a lot of Americans are very wasteful and take food for granted. For example, as Arun is helping Mrs. Patton unpack a massive amount of groceries, he becomes, “worried that they would never make their way through so much food but this did not seem to be the object of her purchases” (Anita Desai, Chapter 19). These concerns are very relevant in today's world. As a lot of Americans enjoy large feasts and then throw extra food away, around the world there are staring people. This a huge problem that must eventually be remedied and this book perfectly depicted the drastic difference between American culture and other cultures around the world.

It would definitely recommend this book to others. By reading this book the reader is offered the unique experience of not only learning about the culture of India but also seeing the American culture compared side-by-side to this.

This second installment in J.R.R. Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” trilogy is a book filled with much excitement and adventure. Right from the book’s beginning it took hold of me as the reader and I was unable to put it down until its end. The book’s main focus is on the hobbit Frodo Baggins who, along with Samwise Gamgee, are traveling to Mordor to destroy the ring of power. Along the way there are other minor conflicts that include, run-ins with Orcs, people attempting to take the ring, and the ring overcoming Frodo. Throughout the story Tolkien does a great job of character development as we learn more about mysterious characters such as Aragorn and Legolas. He also does a good job of portraying the tension between Frodo and Sam as their time together grows; at the same time he shows the dependency both have on each other. The detailed battle scenes come to life through his words, imagining the terrifying Orcs and the misfit Fellowship comes with ease. For me it seemed as though the plot moved a bit too slow, it was all a little dragged out. The chase of the Orcs by Aragorn, Gimli, and Legolas seemed endless through the first part of the book. Tolkien also reminds me a bit of Charles Dickens in the way that he feels as though he needs to describe every last piece of plot and setting there is in his head. I feel like some of this takes away from the story as a whole, it can be distracting. I think this book relates to today’s world very well, the concepts and themes within it are eternal. The struggle between good and evil and how they try to conquer one and other is something that’s relevant in everyone’s life. Even if it’s only choosing the right thing versus doing something bad, the theme still overlies. There is also a theme of friendship and loyalty within the book seen when Samwise and Frodo get into fights but overcome them because of the love they share for one and other. Neither would leave the other alone because they know the quest is something they need to accomplish together. I think everyone has people like this in their life whom they know they couldn’t survive without. Even with some of the slow pace and other negative factors this is a must read for anyone who is a fan of fantasy fiction. Even if you have already seen the film the book holds much more detail and you will enjoy it nonetheless.

This was orignially posted in the wrong discussion group. Sorry for the confusion.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien cannot be described with just a few words; in fact, it can be described in one word: confusing. I spent almost the entire book reading a name and thinking “who is that?” In fact, I read this book on my kindle fire and I decided to X-Ray the whole book to see how many characters there are. The number that came up is 134! Good luck with that. In fact, most characters have numerous names such as Melkor who is also regarded as Morgoth, making it even more confusing. To add to that, everyone’s name is somewhat elfish due to the world of Middle Earth being created with the first type of being living on earth, other than these gargantuan god-like beings created by Ilúvatar, are elves. Now, all of this stuff I said is true, and it may sound as if I disliked or even hated this book with all of the hate boiling inside of me, but that is not the case.
The whole world that Tolkien created was so vastly complex that everyone wanted to know what happened before the third age. That is why Tolkien wrote The Silmarillion. The part that I love the most (this may come as a surprise as I was angered by it throughout the book) is the fact that Tolkien conjured up this whole new, complex language. The reason why I was so confused during this book is because Tolkien practically wrote this whole book in elfish (not really though, but you get the point). Tolkien wrote it this way probably for his own benefit, as he wanted to be able to live the world he created once again. The fact that Tolkien made up the names and then even said what the name meant probably means that he is fluent in this made up language, which is completely incredible. If you do not like confusing books with weird made up languages then do not read this book. In fact, if you already know you hate made up languages then why the hell are you reading reviews for this book? You should already know the LOTR trilogy was conjured up with new vocabulary, so stop reading this review now if you feel this way.Anyways, the book starts off with this all powerful being called Ilúvatar living in this place full of void (space, in case you are not familiar with the term). He, like all of us would, started to get bored with being by himself so he created the Ainur who would sing to him whenever he felt like telling someone what to do. There was only one logical person in the group of the Ainur who decided that singing the way Ilúvatar wanted was not fun so he started screaming during the songs and made his own music. Ilúvatar got quite angry, and thus we have our villain of the story. Once Ilúvatar decides to make Eä, also known as earth, Melkor is regarded as a castaway from the original Ainur and he begins to scheme about evil plots (muahahahaha.) Ilúvatar makes the elves, and one of the Ainur, named Aulë, makes the dwarves. Then man comes into play and the elves regard them as the weaker life form, partly because man was mortal, and the fact that Ilúvatar made them after the elves. Melkor then created the orcs because he is all evil and stuff. He then also created the Balrogs, yes the thing that almost killed Gandalf, and a giant spider named Ungoliant.
So you may be wondering why the book is titled the way it is? Well, there are these stones called the Silmarills that were created with the light of the Two Trees before the trees were sucked up by Ungoliant, that big evil spider. I will not spoil what happens to the Silmarills but they were created so that no mortal or evil being could touch them. If a mortal or evil being touched the stones, they will feel a painful burn on wherever they touched them. The Silmarills become a huge symbol in the book, which you can figure out yourself.
And the reason why everyone reads this, including me, is because they want to know how the rings were created. That is discussed in the last chapter and it was really cool to just live the whole experience of that final chapter.
This book is overall a fantastic read. The plot line is a bit shaky at times due to some random points at the beginning, but once everything is straightened out, it becomes easier to read. The language is also very confusing, as you already know, and you probably will not get used to the idea of remembering all of the characters because I did not. Those are only two little things that I have a problem with in this book, but without those effects, it just would not be the same; it would probably be worse. I totally recommend this book to anyone with a mind willing to explore the depth of the J.R.R. Tolkien experience. Enjoy!

In the book, I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak, an average man’s life is changed forever. The main character, Ed Kennedy, is your average 19 year old, taxi cab driver in Australia. He has his own house and a smelly dog, The Doorman. Ed wasn’t very motivated or driven in life until he received a playing card, an ace of diamonds. This card, and the ones that followed, would change his life, forever.

I thought that I am the Messenger was a great book! It was both funny, serious, and at times, heart-warming. Zusak did a very good job of keeping the book going; there was never a dull moment. At some points I found myself not wanting to put the book down to see what would happen to Ed next. I feel like many people can relate to Ed. He lives an average life, doesn’t go to college and has a simple job. He hangs out with his friends a lot, most of the time they play cards, and Ed is in love with one of his best friends, Audrey. This is a very realistic situation that many people might find them selves in.

The book is written from Ed’s perspective. Ed is a very soft-spoken individual, which makes the book easy to follow and understand. This perspective is also good because the rich language and description made you feel like you where there with Ed and you were able to feel his thoughts. At some points in the book, Zusak, includes thoughts from The Doorman. I thought that this really made The Doorman come to life as a character. Some times I even forgot that he was a dog. This shows how much Ed values the Doorman and how he relies on The Doorman for company.

From reading I am the Messenger, I feel like I have a new out look on life. Towards the end of the book one of the characters say, “You are the epitome of ordinariness, Ed … if a guy like you can stand up and do what you did for all those people, well, maybe everyone can. Maybe everyone can live beyond what they are capable of” (Zusak 353). The lesson here is to go beyond what is expected of you. Ed did what is probably hard for a lot of people, he went out of his way to help strangers. After finishing this book, I realized that just a simple gesture can make someone’s day. Showing you care is the best gift you can give anyone.

I would certainly recommend this book. It was not as good as The Book Thief, but it was still very good. Zusak has a great writing style and I think if you enjoyed any of his other books, you would like I am the Messenger. It is a story about helping others and about being different. It is facetious, suspenseful, and could capture the interests of any reader.

H. G. Wells’ novel The War of the Worlds is a science fiction novel filled with action and adventure. This novel was engaging and I found it interesting to read, although it can be a little difficult to understand at times.

This novel begins by explaining how earth never expected and alien invasion. Later in the first chapter, we learn that the war the narrator is talking about happened six years ago. Years earlier, a cylinder fell from the planet Mars and landed in Woking, England. When the cylinder opened, several alien creatures, greyish and about the size of a bear, emerged and began building machines in the crater caused by the falling cylinder. When a group of people approached the cylinder, holding a white flag, the aliens from Mars, or “Martians”, shoot the group and some surrounding people with a heat ray, killing them instantly. Then people no longer believe that the Martians are friendly, and will not go near the pit. Soon more cylinders begin falling throughout England and in other parts of the world. The narrator takes his wife to live with her relatives, but he does not make it back there. He becomes trapped in Woking, and the Martians begin destroying many cities. He meets many people while trying to escape the Martians, but many of them end up getting captured. At one point, he discovers that the reason the Martians are hunting people is because they drink their blood to survive. He eventually makes his way back to London, which is in ruins. He then discovers that all the Martians have died from an infection that humans are immune to, since there is no bacteria on Mars. He is later reunited with his wife and thinks about how the Martian invasion has changed all the people of Earth.

I found this book to be engaging, although the language can be a bit hard to understand at times. The book mainly focuses on the action, and is told as if it a factual account of what happened during the Martian invasion. There is little to no characterization, and most of the characters do not even have names. Although some people may find this a turn-off, I thought that it made it easier to focus on the plot and not on the characters personal struggles. This novel, although interesting, could get slow at times. When there was no action and the narrator what just describing what was happening it was hard to follow and did not hold my interest. However, I thought that this novel was interesting because, unlike many other novels I have read, it kept focused on one main theme and not small conflicts with each of the characters. Overall, I thought this book was enjoyable and would recommend it to anyone who is curious about extraterrestrial beings.

“Then Belichick Said to Brady” is a book comprised of the story of the strong and developing franchise of the New England Patriots, the team of New England. When the franchise was established in 1960, the team certainly did not have the popularity it does today. The book examines the struggles of the team early on, from trying to establish a home field to trying to find the right manager. The contributions of classic Patriot superstars such as Bucko Kilroy, John Hannah, Darryl Stingley, and Gino Cappeletti are an important part of the team’s history. Many of the current players such as Tom Brady, as well as Wes Welker, and Randy Moss, who are no longer members of the Patriots, look up to these superstars and hall of famers for inspiration.

The author, Jim Donaldson does a great job of bringing the reader into the history of the New England Patriots. By providing commentary in the book from past players like Mike Vrabel and Junior Seau, who take pride in the game of football and strive to improve, the reader gets the chance to take in these influential experiences they experienced. A strength I noticed throughout the book was the portrayal of the history of the New England Patriots. Donaldson chose to focus on the history of the management of the franchise and not just the stats of the players and scores of all the games, which made the book interesting. A weakness that caught my attention early in the novel was that the events were not in chronological order. For me, this made it difficult to follow the story line at times. For example, the first chapter starts out with an AFC Divisional Playoff Game on January 19, 2002 and the very next chapter jumps right to the beginning of the franchise.

As a strong and supportive Patriots fan, I really enjoyed ready about the history of the team. Any passionate Patriots fan or Boston sports fan would find this book interesting. This book would be a good read for really anyone else interested in sports in general.

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, a book written by John Boyne, tells the story of a young boy named Bruno in his travels to Out-With. Bruno’s father is a Nazi Commandant and is ordered by the Fury to move away from Berlin. While living at Out-With, Bruno discovers a place far from his bedroom window where there are many people dressed in striped pajamas. Curious, Bruno decides to visit the bizarre camp one day. Bruno knows that his parents would disapprove of his travels there, yet he is daring enough to go anyways. I think that it was a good choice for Boyne to give Bruno’s character a rebellious trait. This proves that he is willing to disobey his parents, and become his own person. I also appreciated Boyne’s descriptions of the characters and places. His vivid imagery paints a picture for the reader of the horrid conditions of World War II and the Holocaust. His descriptive language makes the reader feel as if he or she is viewing the world through Bruno’s eyes.

Bruno meets a young Jewish boy named Shmuel. He visits him at the fence every day and forms a strong bond with him. The boys understand that their friendship will be disapproved of, and are smart enough not to tell of it. It was interesting how John Boyne created titles for his chapters because most books I have read this year do not have chapter titles. For example, “The Dot That Became a Speck That Became a Blob That Became a Figure That Became a Boy” is the title of the chapter when Shmuel is introduced. Boyne’s titles represent foreshadowing and provide a main idea of the chapter. Though, I did not like how the book was told by the author. I think that it would have been written better if it was told from Bruno’s point of view to give the reader a sense of what was going through Bruno’s mind during this confusing and tragic time period for a nine year old boy.

The issues of inequality and forbidden friendship are expressed in this novel. Bruno learns that his people and Shmuel’s people are a lot different from one another. He unintentionally commits the ultimate betrayal to his parents when he sees what life is like on the other side of the fence. The novel takes a dark, unexpected turn when Bruno is never seen or heard of again. Boyne’s explanation of the tragic event can lead the reader to believe that both Bruno and Shmuel had died in the gas chamber. The novel ends with a quote from the author, “Of course all this happened a long time ago and nothing like that could ever happen again. Not in this day and age” (Boyne, 216). Boyne’s quote has some sarcasm to it, because there always is the possibility of something like that happening again. I think that Boyne is trying to send a message to get the reader thinking and to keep events like that from ever happening again.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. It really provided a broader understanding of life during the Holocaust. Not only did it express the views of a Jewish person, but it also expresses the views of a Nazi’s relative. I think that the book was well-written and provided descriptive details that allowed the reader to create their own images of the characters and places in the novel. I give this book a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini is a powerful book that deals with betrayals, tested friendships, and restoration. Set in Kabul in the 1970s, Hosseini writes about the friendship of Amir and Hassan. Amir, who is the narrator of the story, is the son of a wealthy businessman. Hassan is Amir’s father’s servant’s son. The two are inseparable, since Amir’s father is always preoccupied and he has no mother. The two have grown up together and spend a lot of time together, despite their opposite social classes. One of their favorite past times is flying kites, which is an honored activity in Kabul. Their friendship is tested when Hassan is chasing after a kite after they won the kite running competition. As Amir shows compassion as he searches for Hassan, he shows his betrayal when he does not rescue Hassan when he needs Amir the most. As Amir and his father, Baba, flee to America because of the rise of the Taliban, Hassan and his father must fend for themselves. Amir is haunted by his mistake and lives a good life with a good marriage, but he also lives a life full of regret.

When Amir goes back to search for Hassan, he tries to restore their relationship; the best relationship Amir has ever had with anyone in his life. This book is full of plot twists and it plays with the reader’s emotions, going from joy to tears in the matter of a chapter. This book would be best suited for young adults because of the rich political view and the vivid descriptions of mature scenarios. Hosseini creates an engaging story that reminds us about the challenges average Afghans face back then, and even today.

Author Simon Weisenthal plays a Jewish inmate in a concentration camp during the Holocaust. Simon and a group of inmates are brought into town to clean debris in the hospital where he spots a Nazi soldier cemetery. On each stone lays an engraving of a sunflower. Knowing Simon will never receive a sunflower on his grave he weeps, “Each had a sunflower to connect him with the living world, and butterflies to visit his grave.” At the hospital, a nurse asks Simon if he is a Jew, when he responds yes, he is invited in to a patient’s room. She introduces Karl, a Nazi soldier; his whole body is wounded and his head is covered in bandages. The Nazi soldier is on his death bed and wants to confess his wrongdoings before his life concludes. Karl begins to tell Simon the gruesome acts he did to the Jewish inmates, as he begs for forgiveness. When Karl stops talking he expects a response from Simon, however he quickly exits the room as he feels queasy. That evening he ponders his moral character whether to forgive the soldier. The next day when the group arrives back at the hospital the nurse requests Simon back to his room again. To his surprise, Karl is not in his room. The nurse returns with his remaining possessions: Karl has passed away that evening. For months Simon struggles with his choice not to answer the soldier. When the camp is freed, Simon visits Karl’s mother hoping for some closure on his decision. However he is overcome with guilt and is unable to confess her son’s actions. The novel is ended abruptly without conclusion. Simon Wiesnthal opens the novel up to readers at this point and asks them, “You are a prisoner in a concentration camp. A dying Nazi soldier asks for your forgiveness. What would you do?” “Fifty-three distinguished men and women gave their response” in Simon Wiesnthal’s The Sunflower.

Simon Weisenthal writes a powerful and engaging book that is relevant to many readers’ history and family. I thought The Sunflower contained both strong and weak points in terms of the plot. It has a creative plot that forces a reader to think for themselves while having the one important question haunting them over their head. However, it was weak because there was no solution specifically from the author, despite the numerous readers’ responses. At the beginning of the novel, Simon is portrayed as a naïve Jewish inmate who is well aware of his fate. Although, throughout his writing we see him develop into an inmate that understands people make mistakes, and more frequently than not, do things they don’t necessarily believe in. The Sunflower particularly addresses the constant reminder that the Holocaust was real, and unfortunately could possibly still happen today. It also confirms the moral conscious of a person, including Nazi soldiers. I would recommend this book to someone who is willing to test their moral character. Some with close ties to the Holocaust may find it gruesome and uneasy to read when Karl is describing his actions towards the inmates. Asking for forgiveness after terrorizing innocent Jews is a lot. Would you forgive the Nazi soldier?

The Sunflower: On the Possibilities and Limits of Forgiveness

A Swift Pure Cry was written Siobhan Dowd and published in March 2006. The book takes place in Coolbar Ireland and tells the story of Shell Talent who is fifteen years old. A year ago Shell’s mother died, and now Shell is living with her father, Mr. Talent, and her younger brother and sister, Jimmy and Trix. Ever since Shell’s mother died, Mr. Talent has become very religious, but at night he is always out drinking. Because her father is not always home to take care of the family Shell does. She acts like a mother by cooking meals for her younger siblings and by making sure they go to school.
Just like her siblings Shell attends school with her best friend Bridie and her other friend Declan. As the story goes on Shell realizes that she has feelings for Declan and they get closer. Eventually she gets pregnant with Declan’s child. Bridie gets mad at Shell because she likes Declan too and the girls stop being friends. One day Declan decides to leave Ireland and go to New York leaving the two girls behind without any warning. Shell struggles with the pregnancy, she wonders what to do and she gets nervous. Father Rose, a priest in Coolbar helps to guide Shell with her struggles.
I think the book was an enjoyable easy read for teenagers. The story itself was interesting to read and I always wanted to continue on. The characters were all relatable in some way. Shell struggles with being a teenager and knowing who her real friends are which is something most teens have a difficult time with. Shell doesn’t have a mother and she has a father who is never home, this is what some families are really like.
Some things I didn’t like about the book were the lack of detail. Dowd could have added more to make the story more interesting and longer. At the end of the book it would have been interesting if Dowd told us what the next chapter is Shell Talents life was. Overall, I would recommend this book to someone.

I am Nujood Age 10 and Divorced is an inspiring story. Written in first person, Nujood lets readers into her thoughts during some of the most dramatic events a child could go through. The story of her marriage and divorce is emotional and overwhelming. I recommend adolescent females to read this novel. I feel they could learn how there are cruel men out there and to not settle for less than what you deserve. Nujood’s courage to fight for her freedom can inspire teens to take a stand if they are ever continuously mistreated.
The novel is strong in the sense that the story is being told by Nujood herself. Readers are able to learn how she was truly feeling, and not by being given second-hand information. Also, Nujood’s struggle is not from a long time ago. Nujood’s divorce was granted in the summer of 2008. This shows how today there are still many girls, maybe not in America, but somewhere in the world, other girls are being sworn into marriage against their will. Most of these girls are then abused and taken advantage of by their spouse. The fact that this experience is so recent is an eye-opener and I think it makes the story even more amazing.
There are not many weaknesses in this tale. The only thing I would say is that since Nujood is so young, the style of writing is simple. However, her story is still told and leaves readers smiling at how she overcame her struggle and the odds. Nujood never lost hope and made way for others just like her to gain their independence. Her bravery to take a stand against the cruel treatment she was facing is a lesson everyone can learn from.

GIFTED HANDS-THE BEN CARSON STORY By: Ben Carson, M.D.

This autobiography is about Ben Carson, a pediatric neurologist at John Hopkins. He shares his stories about his childhood all the way through to his days working at the hospital. One strength of the way he wrote his book is that it is very easy to comprehend. I can visualize everything Ben is describing from his early days to performing a hemispherectomy on a little girl. Another strength is the way he decided to divide up his life story. I thought the chapters had good flow to them and it kept me wanting to read more. There were many issues addressed in the autobiography. Ben was not the brightest bulb when he was in elementary school. He had a very hard time understanding math and basically failed all the time. The worst part is, people made fun of him. As if that wasn’t enough, in high school Ben wasn’t “cool” because he didn’t have the right clothes. His family just didn’t have the money to spend on anything extra. Ben continued to be laughed at. Sonya, Ben’s mother, cannot read herself but she always encouraged Ben to keep going and he was smarter than that. The Carson family has no father. Their dad/husband was cheating on Sonya with another whole wife and children. Poor Sonya went to a mental institution because she couldn’t handle this truth anymore. However, she soon returned home back to Ben and his brother, Curtis. Ben has some emotional issues too. When he was an angry young boy, he would pray to God and Jesus to help him relax. He continued to pray throughout the book and asked God for help to reach his dreams. Another huge issue in this autobiography relates to racism. The Carson family is an African-American family. While Ben was at his internship at the hospital, doctors and nurses looked at him based off of his color, not character. Some thought they were superior to him and just demanded that things get done without any questions. At John Hopkins, Ben ran into two unusual cases where he literally saved lives. One was about a girl named Maranda who had one hundred seizures per hour. Ben recommended she get a hemispherectomy, where doctors take out half of your brain. After the operation, Maranda never had seizures again. Another case was about a pair of Siamese twins. These two boys were attached to each other at the back of their heads. Ben had to figure out how to get both boys to survive the surgery and also how to separate them. Knowing Ben, he figured out a solution and both boys survived. There were, of course, lots of risks in the two situations; but Ben didn’t allow any fatal mistakes because he was just that amazing of a doctor. Finally, the last chapter talks about how to succeed by using the acronym THINK BIG. THINK BIG stands for talent, time, hope, honesty, insight, nice, knowledge, books, in-depth learning, and god. Overall, Ben Carson lived to tell the tale of his worst and best moments in life so far, and I think he is a very inspirational man. This autobiography is very relevant to today’s world. The book is about Ben Carson, a boy trapped by poverty and discrimination who eventually becomes one of the best and well known pediatric neurologists. He has to climb over many obstacles before he could earn respect from his peers and find a job at his dream hospital. Ben is a very religious man and he and Sonya believe that God will always be there to assist them. I believe that people can and will relate to a story like Ben’s. This book exemplifies themes like always believing in yourself and to never give up, which are sayings people us every day of their lives. I highly recommend this book to others because it is inspirational. It never occurred to me that Ben Carson would become an outstanding doctor from the childhood that he had. However, I really enjoyed reading about how he persevered through and continued to follow his dream. It makes me think of the word dedication. Nothing was stopping Ben from becoming a neurologist, and that’s what I loved about this autobiography. I would definitely recommend Gifted Hands, The Ben Carson Story to everyone.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
I thought that the novel as a whole was decent. One strength of the book was the characterization of the creature. He starts out completely unaware of the way society works and then grows to hate civilization because he is treated as an outcast. The author uses the creature’s depression to criticize society and highlight that people dislike or are afraid of the creature merely because of his appearance. Although the creature is threatening and destructive, all he really wishes is to be accepted by society. He even asks his creator, Victor Frankenstein, to build him another creature to share companionship with so he won’t feel completely alone.
Two weaknesses of the book were the over emphasis of death and Victor’s characterization. Victor is a man who is intrigued by death and science. He tries to obtain absolute knowledge by doing the impossible; creating life. He builds his creature out of the remains of dead human bodies which brings in the Gothic element of the book. However, the creation of the being backfires. He ends up murdering friends and loved ones of his creator out of rage and the creature begins to rule Victor, rather than Victor controlling the being he had created himself. This, in my opinion, was taken a bit too far. I would have enjoyed the book more if there wasn’t so much death.
The major themes of the book are still relevant today. Many people today are still outcast because they are different or their appearance is unpleasant. People can somewhat relate to the creature because humans have the natural instinct to desire companionship and acceptance in society. I would possibly recommend this book to others. I enjoyed it for the most part because there have been a lot of adaptations and it was interesting to see where the story originated. However, I wouldn’t recommend the story to people who don’t like gruesome and Gothic style stories.

Khaled Hosseini's novel The Kite Runner was a very well written. Amir, the main character tells his life story, from growing up in Afghanistan, to fleeing the county to Pakistan when the Soviets invade and eventually ending up in Fremont, California. Amir grows up with his father, no mother, servant Ali and his son, Hassan. Hassan and Amir grow up and play together. Their favorite activity is kite fighting then running the kites once they get cut. However, after their last kite fight together they grow apart because of guilt and become separated by the world's event.

Overall, The Kite Runner was a very good book. At the end of most chapters, there was a small cliff hanger. I found myself wanting to continue reading. Sometimes, I did not want to put it down. When the author said something happen or something changed during a certain time at the end of a chapter I wanted to keep reading to find out. For example, when chapter 2 ended with the words, "I think the foundation for what happened in the winter of 1975...was already laid in those first words," I was interested in learning what happened that winter.

Personally, I did not like how graphic the novel was at some points. However, the plot of the novel was very well written and enjoyable. I liked how the author included Farsi (Amir's native language) words throughout the novel to capture where Amir came from and his heritage. The novel's characters were described well and there were not to many to make it confusing as to who was who.

The novel is relevant to today. It talks about some of the struggles the people of Afghanistan face under the rule of the Taliban. The novel concludes after September 11, 2001, the day the Twin Towers collapsed. Today, people know about some things going on in Afghanistan and the 9/11 attacks on the United States. Issues the book addresses are the Taliban's mistreatment of citizens, Russians invading Afghanistan and a person living with guilt. I would recommend The Kite Runner, it was a good book and I enjoyed reading it.

The Autobiography of Malcolm X - Malcolm X and Alex Haley

This is by far the best biography I have ever read. That being said, I haven't read too many biographies, so be weary of that comment. This book stands out as an all-time favorite of mine. Every part of his life is so interesting. Not only that, but Malcolm and Haley do a great job of really conveying Malcolm's thoughts and inner beliefs. The strengths would be the detailed information and incredible story telling of Malcolm X's life. A weakness would have to be that certain parts of the book just go on for too long. I found myself being captivated by certain parts and just outright bored by others. Another weakness would be the ending. He dies while Haley was still wrapping up the book. This leaves Malcolm sounding like more of a lost man at the end of the book.

The writing style was good. The author, Alex Haley, really gets you in the head of Malcolm. He also worked directly with Malcolm X while creating this book. He took a series of extended interviews with Malcolm and created this book through them. Malcolm X even edited and approved all the chapters of the book which is why I would consider it an autobiography. As for the issues addressed in this book, Malcolm X was one of the most influential black speakers during his lifetime. He was a main part of the Nation of Islam before founding his own Muslim community. This book addresses issues of segregation, racism, black power, street crime, religion, and much, much more.

This book could also be looked at as the possibility of change in one's self. Malcolm has multiple phases throughout his life. He starts the novel as a problematic child and ends as a reasonable preacher with everything in-between along the way. The issues in this book were much more relatable when it was first published. Racism still exists today but not nearly as bad as it did during the 60s. However, the theme of redemption through religion is still relevant today as is the theme of street crime and prison. I would say this book is an important piece of literature regarding the civil rights movement. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a story about an interesting man, a story about the ghetto, or a story about a man who is lost but finds himself through god. This book really has something for every kind of reader and can be appreciated by all lovers of literature.

The Novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

Robert Walton starts the novel with a letter about how his ship has become stranded along the ice near the North Pole. He describes the sight of a huge man of eight feet being chased by a smaller man on dog sled. The smaller man comes on the boat and to recoup his strength and tell the men aboard his story. This man is Victor Frankenstein he came from a well off family, a father of significance in government. As Victor is growing up he goes off to school at Ingolstadt and becomes a great scientist. During his studies he creates a potion that when placed upon something can turn it to life. With a variety of odds and end parts from a grave yard Victor constructs a body and one night he brings the monster to life, it begins to frighten Victor with its sheer looks and leads Victor to run off and leave the monster. The plot then thickens and the two chase each other throughout Europe. The novel is a great piece of literature. Starting out in the middle of nowhere and going back in time to the story of Victor and his family. Once the monster was created was the turning point for the novel. As every page succeeds this point the reader beings to see the triumphs that it faces. Once the two begin talks amongst one another for the first time a fork in the novel occurs for most readers as the reader is forced to side either with Victor’s story of the monster ruining his life or the monster’s story that he just wants to be loved and not hated by everyone in the world. The novel is written in very complex long sentences and would be a tough read for children in middle school and below, however for high school student and above it is a wonderful read that I would recommend to any of my friends. This is because the novel is very intriguing and has and ending that will not disappoint.

The Prophet:
Book Review

After reading Kahlil Gibran’s novel, The Prophet, I found myself re-thinking much of my outlook on all aspects of life, and death. His greatly influential, ponderous and deeply written work holds such wisdom in its pages; those of you who have or will read this book will soon find themselves questioning their total outlook on everything that pertains to the universe. Kahlil’s words of wisdom, and knowledge on all of life, teaches everyone important, thought-provoking lessons about nearly everything they had ever wished to know about the world or the great beyond. The Prophet is truly a masterpiece and deserves great recognition for Kahlil attains such incite on the world, and universe, making him himself like a prophet from the heavens above. As a whole, the novel far exceeds the expectations of a well-written work, making criticism in its pages very meager.
The novel proves to possess much creativity, and imaginativeness in terms of the novel’s plot. Though the majority of the novel includes dialogue of the main character’s long-lived epiphanies, and a minimum of background information on descriptive subject matter, there is still such an original, also inspired substance in the plot. The Prophet tells the tale of a man who is considered a prophet among the people of his time. Settled in the city of Orphalese for over twelve years, the prophet named Almustafa patiently awaits for the arrival of a ship that will bring him back to his homeland. In the walls of the city, the prophet spreads his wisdom and knowledge about his perception of the universe among its inhabitants. In the twelfth year and on the seventh day of Ielool or the month of reaping, his ship finally arrives at the dock of the city, and while getting ready to board, the people of the city of Orphalese pleaded with Almustafa to delay his departure; they wished to learn more about the prophet’s philosophies before a final adieu would separate their beings. Almustafa proposed a question-and-answer seminar in which the people could ask whatever they wanted to know about life, the universe, etc., and he would answer their questions with his understanding of religion. After the assembly was ended, and Almustafa boarded the ship back to his homeland, he promised that he would return to the people someday to share more of his wisdom, as well as to learn more from the people. To me the plot is incredibly eye-opening, and intriguing, making negative commentary near impossible. If I were to mention a weakness about the plot, than it would be that the novel lacked more explanatory narrative in the substance of the plot.
Some slight weaknesses in The Prophet arose due to Kahlil’s unimpressive attempts in developing characterization. In Kahlil’s decision to include only two main characters in his novel is quite unusual, and should have been fairly easy for him to transcribe some character development into the two main characters he chose, but fails to do this to the extent I hoped for. Almustafa’s background was vaguely described in relation to where he came from originally before Orphalese, and no previous experiences of this character was included in the novel as well, which in my opinion should have been at least been mentioned or touched upon. Although a woman, who was a seeress named Almitra, was deemed essential enough to be given a name, she has not been mentioned often. The nature of her relationship with Almstafa was also unclear to me as I was reading, for Gibran needed some improvements in the requirements of taking substantial efforts in characterization, and character development. Regardless of the minimum weakness on characterization and character development, readers would most certainly find Almustafa to be an ingenious, incisive, and a god-like character.
So many issues were voiced throughout the entirety of the novel such love, marriage, children, giving, the luxuries of life, justice, crime, punishment, pain, time, death, religion, etc. Almustafa upon his opinions of pain, quoted that, “Your pain is the breaking of the shell that encloses your understanding,” and that, “Your pain is self-chosen. It is the bitter potion in which the physician within you heals your sick self. Therefore trust the physician, and drink his remedy in silence and tranquility…”(Almustafa, pg. 52). By this, it is my understanding, and interpretation that everyone at some point in their lives experiences pain, and can be healed within yourself for pain is self-chosen. It is in also his opinion that “Is not religion all deeds and all reflection, and that which is neither deed nor reflection, but a wonder and a surprise ever springing in the soul, even while the hands hew the stone or tend the loom?” (Almustafa, pg. 77). My interpretation is that religion is everything that people believe in, and that religion is inhabited in the soul of all humans. There have been many lessons I have learned throughout my understanding of the novel, though some of the novel’s messages are incomprehensible to me at present time because of the level of intellectualness expressed in Kahlil Gibran’s writing.
Gibran’s style of writing can be perceived as antiquated, but is expected of him since the creation of the novel dates back to the 1920s. Although archaic, his works can still be relevant in today’s world because subjects of life and the universe will forever be contemporary, and are still being questioned in modern day. In present day, I found that the meaning of existence along with other subjects mentioned in The Prophet is not as frequently pondered, which is why people in today’s world should explore the depths of their minds by reading such a contemplative novel as The Prophet. All and all, I was really satisfied with Gibran’s work as a whole because the ideology of Almustafa, the prophet, really helped to expand my mind in becoming more aware, and comprehensive of the world around me.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

After reading this book, I understand why the author, Khaled Hosseini, has gotten so much praise as a writer. Even though the book has many aspects pertaining to Afghan and middle eastern cultures, his narrating is easy to understand and the story is brilliantly worded. The chapters flow easily into one another, some with cliffhangers, much like a Charles Dickens novel. He made it easy to picture each of the characters he described. I particularly liked his description of Hassan:
“ ....his almost perfectly round face, a face like a Chinese doll chiseled from hardwood: his flat, broad nose and slanting, narrow eyes like bamboo leaves, eyes that looked, depending on the light, gold, green, even sapphire. I can still see his low-set ears and that pointed stub of a chin, a meaty appendage that looked like it was added as a mere afterthought. And the cleft lip, just left of midline, where the Chinese doll maker's instrument may have slipped, or perhaps he had simply grown tired and careless.” (Hosseini 3)
What I disliked about the book was Amir's character. Amir reminded me of Gene Forrester from A Separate Peace by John Knowles. Like Gene, Amir is constantly picking on Hassan, his best friend. He plays pranks on him, gets him to do bad things, and then lets him take the blame. Much like Finny's character, Hassan ignores this abuse and remains loyal and protective of Hassan. Amir is meant to represent the result of severe psychological disturbance created by his father, Baba, but when he treats Hassan this way he is hard to like. Just like Gene, Amir can often be a hard character to understand and identify with. The Kite Runner is very much relevant today because of its exposure of the crisis in Afghanistan. Because I knew so little about the subject, it was hard to understand at first. In the book Hosseini shows the violent nature of powerful men in Afghanistan, that ultimately terrorize the population. The Kite Runner received great success when it was released in 2003 (in the midst of the war in Afghanistan and post-911). The book includes three generations of Amir's family, beginning with Baba and ending with Hassan's son. As Amir discovers the truth of his childhood, he draws a parallel between himself and Baba, since both betrayed their servants (Ali and Hassan). The novel ending with Sohrab, Hassan's orphaned child, living with Amir in America suggests hope for the new generation. I would recommend this book to others because although it can be hard to relate to because the characters live in a world so different from ours, it is very well written as well as an enlightening look into the struggles of Afghan families.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I would recommend reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley. The plot is very good because it revolves around Victor Frankenstein and the consequences of he faces by creating a monster. Although the style of writing can be difficult to understand Shelley uses foreshadowing very well in the novel. From the beginning, she hints that something horrible leads to Victor's demise because he describes his interest in natural philosophy as "the fatal impulse that led to my ruin". Shelly also has very good use of characterization in the novel. When the monster first appears, his appearance is described as being so awful that Victor disowns him. Victor's unwillingness to accept the monster is a key point in the novel because it later leads to all the exciting action that occurs.

There are many issues addressed in this book. One of them is women. The book portrays most of the women as being very passive. One woman, Justine, is so compliant to the rules of society that she is used as a scapegoat during a murder trial and is executed as a result. I think Shelley used this to show how ridiculous she thought women behaved in the 19th century. Because of this, feminism is a strong theme in the novel. As a foil for Justine, a character named Safie is introduced. She represents feminism because she refuses to return to Constantinople with her father because she longs for the freedom of religion that Europe offers. This still applies today because women still do not have the same rights as men, especially in the Middle East.

Another issue addressed in this book is outcasts. The monster is rejected by society because he is not beautiful. Therefore he is an outcast. Even his own master refuses to accept the monster despite his display of intelligence and good etiquette. This connects to the theme of abandonment in the novel because Victor rejects the monster because of his outward appearance. This applies to today because many people are judged by society by the way that they look. Also, children are still abandoned by their parents nowadays just like Victor abandons his "child".

The last issue addressed in this novel is tampering with nature. In many other literary works of fiction, it is proposed whether or not a human being can be created through science. However, Shelley clearly shows through this story that it is not a good idea. Because Victor is ashamed of the monster he has made, it causes a theme of secrecy throughout the book. As the monster continues to murder innocent people, Victor does not reveal that the monster is the one causing these horrible deaths. This results in him ultimately ending up in prison when falsely accused of committing one of these murders. Secrecy is still relevant today because people often keep secrets that they are ashamed of. However, as proven by this novel, keeping secrets usually does not have a positive result.

Overall, I enjoyed this book. I think people should read it because it is well-written, had an intriguing plot, and addresses many issues and themes that are still relevant today.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

I thought Frankenstein is a very well-written book does a good job of emphasizing how an obsessive thirst for knowledge can lead to your own destruction. Victor’s uncontrollable desire to learn about natural philosophy and his infatuation with alchemy eventually leads him to commit the worst regret of his life, creating life artificially. This novel is able to make use of the different points of views of characters. It uses letters, journals and so on to help showcase the attitudes of individuals throughout the plot. I like how the author is able to show the monster’s fall from innocence into separate stages. It allows the audience to see how he was forced to live up to his hideous appearance and is actually a victim.

Abandonment, selfishness and society are some of the issues addressed in the book. After his creation is brought to life, Victor is overcome with disgust due to his monstrous guise and denounces him without even thinking through his decision. His action is somewhat irresponsible, since it was his own choice to bring him into existence. He should have taken on the burden of raising the monster, instead of running out the door. His refusal to take on his responsibility of being a “parent” also reveals his selfishness. He did not even bother to think that his creation would be upset by the sight of his creator leaving him for a reason that he could not be blamed for. The cruelty of society is highlighted throughout the story with the responses of individuals such as Feliz and of course, Victor. Shelley expresses how appearance is usually what people use as a gauge for how to view someone. De Lacey is the only person who is able to view the monster for who he is, though it is ironic that he is physically blind.

Frankenstein’s theme of knowing too much can still be applied to the world today. Scientists still strive to make new discoveries and continue their research despite how advanced our technology is already. The desire to unravel all the mysteries of the world may eventually cause the downfall of humans. The harshness of society towards individuals who are branded as “outcasts” is still prevalent in the present. Some people do not know how to react to things that are unlike them with any feelings aside from contempt. Abandonment is still an issue that exists today. Some parents, either due to force or their own decision, leave their kids and push the responsibility of caring for them onto others.

I would only recommend this novel to those who enjoy reading literature with suspense and Gothic themes, since both can be found consistently throughout. Though the intensity of horror in Frankenstein is rather tolerable, there are many deaths that occur. The fact that the monster is observing Victor’s every move adds a feeling of paranoia to the book. There is a lot of action in it as well, which keeps it from getting boring. I am not the type of person who would read dark stories for pleasure, but I cannot help but be impressed by the amount of allusions the author was able to include.

Drive
By Larry Bird

Drive is a sojourn of determination through the life and mind of one of basketball’s greatest phenoms – Larry Bird.
“Truly Inspiring Life Story of One of Basketball’s Finest”
- Bob Ryan, Boston Globe
The autobiography hones in on Bird’s personal life as well as his athletic accomplishments. Celtics fans have been waiting for decades for a book of this caliber that explains “Larry Legend’s” transformation from a small town Indiana boy into one of the top 50 greatest basketball players of all-time. Bird discusses some dark memories from his past such as his father’s suicide and his failed marriage. He mentions specific, inside details about the Magic Johnson and Lakers rivalry, as well as the Isiah Thomas incident.
This chronicle is more than just basket-by-basket. Bird expresses his emotions towards all things basketball. From his patented three-point shot to his hated NBA teams to the 1992 Dream Team and even to Jack Nicholson and Spike Lee.
Drive is a mind altering and inspiring story about how to overcome adversity and harsh obstacles, and to stay focused and tenacious. This story portrays Larry Bird’s hard work ethic, dedication, and sheer will-power to outdo and out hustle his opponents. He carries his strong willingness off the court as well and can be considered a true hero.

Animal Farm
by George Orwell

** spoiler alert ** In Animal Farm, George Orwell has proven to be a great political mind, criticizing communism, both in general terms and in specific terms directly relating to the Soviet Union. Anyone who has read Orwell’s other amazing and thought-provoking work 1984 would find intriguing parallels between the novels. In both novels, Orwell suggests that people often lack the ability to challenge authority, whether that comes from the inability to think critically, ignorance, or a lack of influence. This is a reoccurring theme in Animal Farm, as the pigs secure their superior intelligence and keep the rest of the farm animals subordinate. Instead of challenging the pigs’ dominance, the rest of the animals assume that they do not have the mental capacity to read or remember facts correctly. This theme is always relevant in society, as people always have to be on the lookout for a government that might try to exploit them.
The book has a strong plot, as it was never easy to predict future events. Clearly, though, any advancement in the plot is only to expand Orwell’s political points. For example, Boxer, the unintelligent, loving, hard-working horse who represents the working class, always tries to work harder. Boxer is the easiest character to sympathize with, as his stupidity makes him an easy target for Napoleon and Squealer to exploit. When he is injured and the pigs no longer have use for him, they send him off to a glue factory to be killed. Then they lie to Boxer’s friends and say that Boxer was sent to a hospital and died. Any decently educated person (or animal) could have seen right through such lies, but the pigs already had made sure that only pigs and dogs would be educated.
Orwell also does a great job developing the pigs, introducing them as innocent Comrades but revealing them to be devious hypocrites who continuously change their original Seven Commandments to keep the rest of the farm animals obedient and unquestioning of their actions. Orwell also does well to characterize Boxer as an honest workingman and many of the other animals as relatable figures that must obey the pigs. It is crucial for Orwell to succeed in his characterizations, as Orwell was trying to depict real historical figures with his characters, such as Stalin with Napoleon.
Orwell’s writing style is enjoyable to read. He efficiently uses his words and sentences to send his message. But do not be fooled by the novel’s large font and small amount of pages; Animal Farm is heavy. Orwell’s novel will captivate historians with his twist on political history and challenge all his readers to think about hypocrisy, betrayal, corruption, and government.
One weakness the novel may have, though, is that it has so many references to history, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with from a historical standpoint. However, it is up to the readers to study their history before reading the book. And if they do not, they can still learn some from the book.
I would certainly recommend this book to anyone in high school or anyone who has a high school education, especially those with a solid grasp of world history. It has elements of a fable, as there are talking farm animals. But the book has a steady focus on criticizing totalitarianism, portrayed by humans, and communism, portrayed by the deceitful pigs who then become indistinguishable from humans. The book is for advanced readers, as it forces the reader to continuously analyze for political references. This, however, is quite enjoyable for an intellectual, so I encourage anyone interested in history, politics, philosophy, or even the virtues of honesty and trust to read the novel. I also believe that, as a society, we need someone to remind us to think for ourselves, and Orwell does just that.

War of the Worlds is a classic novel depicting an invasion of Martians with vivid imagery. Wells delineates the intense journey of survival for an unidentified protagonist along with his brother. The story moves from Surrey to London as the Martians spread, analogous to the disputed existence of Martians, which still exists today. Most of the novel takes place in small towns in the serene countryside of England, which is soon transformed into a hellish nightmare. One sympathizes with the innocent citizens dying in the streets. The dilapidated surroundings are enhanced by the first-person narration throughout. The narrator’s philosophical mentality is tested and his strong will and good judgment help him survive. His brother is another character with good sense; the insanity developed by other characters shows the mental deterioration resulting in their deaths. A mood of helplessness can sometimes be sensed as the humans can only hide from the immense creatures of destruction. A paramount theme addressed is the possible submission of men. Characters other than the narrator seem to be weakened mentally and lose their sense of self; the artilleryman ends up resorting to drinking and playing cards instead of remaining strong and alert. Wells also addresses the conflict between science and religion, which is shown by his inclusion of the religious curate and his interaction with the philosophical narrator. Today, the possibility of life on other planets is still disputed; ideas are constantly flowing and stories are constantly developing on unidentified sights. Technology has evolved substantially, but this hunt for other life may never end. This book provokes the thought of extraterrestrials and at the same time hints at historical topics, such as war, superstition, and science v. religion. The first-person narration strengthens the work; it is an intriguing piece of writing for all ages. The War of the WorldsH.G. Wells

The book that I read was the Autobiography of Jackie Robinson: I Never Had It Made. This book was quite intriguing in the sense that the reader was able to learn about Jackie's life fron his perspective. He tells theb tale of a young boy, deserted by his father, and growing up in California in a time where racism was abundant and nothing could be done about it. He was athletically inclined, and you know the story from there, at least by basbeall standards. However, his life was much more than just his professional career, as only about half the book is about his playing days. I like this becase even if you are not a sports fan, you can still enjoy this book. Jackie writes in a true and honest style, he never over-exaggerates the truth or his accomplishments, which makes the story seem more relateable. To me, the parts about him working for the NAACP and running his own all-black bank were just as interesting as learning about him winning Rookie of the Year and MVP with the Brooklyn Dodgers. Its was quite remarkabke what Jackie was able to accomplish during his lifetime, his impact on baseball as well as society itself are like no other. He is and will always be considered an American hero, and I am very pleased that I chose this book to read.

Atonement by Ian McEwan is a "truly terrific," complicated love story that takes place in London around the time of World War II. Briony, an impressionable, curious little writer, narrates this story as a grown woman reflecting on her childhood. One long summer night, Briony witnesses, or rather think she witnesses, her sister, Cecilia, being taken advantage of by the beloved gardener, Robbie. After consulting with the police, Briony watches as Robbie gets shipped off to prison and later, to fight in the war. As Briony grows up and thinks about what exactly she saw on that fateful night, she concludes that she was wrong and seeks Robbie and Cecilia out for forgiveness. With many twists and turns along the way, eventually she meets with Robbie and Cecilia in the most unlikely fashion.
Atonement is a page-turning, tear-jerking, and shocking tale about a woman's journey for forgiveness and how far she would go to rekindle the relationship between her sister and her sister's true love. I enjoyed how McEwan chose to have Briony tell her tale as a grown adult, rather than immature child. In the beginning of the story, Briony is furiously writing her own original story titled The Trials of Arabella. McEwan makes references to this story during the last few pages of the book... I enjoyed how he connected Briony's past with her present. Personally, I did not find anything about this story to be boring. It was "Lush, detailed, vibrantly colored and intense," as stated by the San Francisco Chronicle.
Throughout the tale, issues such as reason versus passion or selflessness versus selfishness come up constantly. Briony had to choose to send Robbie away for a crime he did not commit or to thoroughly think it through. As Briony grew up, she came to the conclusion that Robbie would have never loved her, but rather Cecilia only, and had to choose between bringing both Robbie and Cecilia back together or to keep the lovers apart. Atonement's themes are extremely relevant in today's world since people every day have the choice of reason verse passion. McEwan shows this by writing, “A person is, among all else, a material thing, easily torn and not easily mended.”
I would recommend this controversial, twisted, and spectacular love story to anyone. Atonement grabs the reader's attention and takes them on an emotional rollercoaster through the colossal highs and gut-wrenching lows with a surprising twist at the end that leaves all readers begging for more.

I Am the Messenger is a thrilling novel by Markus Zusak. The protagonist is Ed Kennedy, a nineteen year old cab driver who recently lost his father and his mother is a piece of work. He is lives in a shack of a house and besides driving his cab, walking his dog, who he call The Doorman, and playing cards with this friends he does not do much. He is in love with one of his beautiful friend named Audrey, but has no chance with her. Ed feels his life is going nowhere and believes he will never amount to anything until a series of strange events begin to give his life a purpose. After he is the hero of a bank robbery he begins to receive playing cards with hints on them. These hints instruct him on people he must help in some way whether it is saving a family from an abusive father or simply just giving a hard working woman an ice cream. Ed never truly learns where these anonymous cards come from. He completes seemingly impossible tasks to help people and himself. This is something he thought he never could do and he now understands that anyone can do something impossible.
This novel is empowering and uplifting. The reader will gain a brighter idea of life after reading this story and its wonderful message. The novel is written in a casual way and the narrator is personable as if he is having a conversation with the reader. The characters in the book are not only relatable but humorous as well. The many characters you meet throughout the story are interesting and have thought-provoking back stories that will keep the reader interested and entertained. However the story can be a bit repetitive at times but that is just one small flaw of this book. This novel includes themes such as friendship, family, personal struggle, love and sense of accomplishment. This story has a lesson for all times and all ages. People will always look down on themselves and believe they can’t do anything just as Ed Kennedy had. This novel’s lesson has relevance for today and anytime in the future because the ability to believe in oneself will always be a struggle among young people. I would highly recommend to this book to people of all ages and especially young people

Girl, Missing -Sophie McKenzie

This book takes us on a long, terrifying journey as Lauren Matthews struggles to discover more about herself and her past.

Lauren Matthews is characterized as an average adopted girl living in London, craving to dig into her past to reveal her true identity. She is eager to learn more about herself as she already knows slim to none. Lauren’s character is strongly represented as needy, codependent, and strong-minded.

How would you feel if you truly believed you matched a picture and description on a missing children’s website? This is exactly what Lauren had to cope with. With eleven years of living a lie, she sat down to write an essay about herself, staring at a blank screen for a long time. I could not imagine how bewildering it would be to find out that you do not know anything about yourself or where you came from. After this discovery, Lauren was determined to find out if she was indeed kidnapped, and who could be her real birth parents.

Lauren's mother is tricked into taking herself, her best friend Jam, and her brother Rory on a vacation to the United States. This requires passports, planes, long lines and throughout the midst of all this Lauren and Jam come up with a plan to escape. The two friends escape to discover many nail biting facts and find themselves in many occurrences with some interesting, yet important people. In order to find out Lauren's true life and ending to her story, you will have to grab a copy and start reading because I highly recommend it.

Throughout the whole story McKenzie does a good job of keeping readers intrigued with the plot. Once I started to read the book, I found I could not stop. The continuous plot twists and different discoveries will cause you to be reading at the edge of your seats. This thriller of a story will keep your hands flipping and your eyes glued to the pages. McKenzie takes readers along with Lauren and Jam as they help each other throughout their travels.

Although this was an easy read containing many turns of events, I sometimes found these turns obvious and expected. This was a downside to the plot in my opinion. I would have expected more of a “wow” factor while reading; instead I saw it coming before it happened. This is no reason not to read the book though. The style of writing is very relatable to a teenager and it will engage you in the text. I could understand the language easily and felt as if I was right next to Lauren in her journey to the truth.

We readers can understand how being adopted causes such a struggle with finding oneself as Lauren goes about her journey. The mystery behind the adoptive life shows how urgent Lauren is to discover herself. We can relate to how difficult it must be to live a life like that.

I recommend this book to any young teenager looking for an interesting, yet easy read. McKenzie will continue to keep you engaged throughout the whole story line as you experience Lauren's journey to find her true self.

When I first read the back of the Art of Racing in the Rain I had a feeling that it was going to be a typical, sappy dog book. After the first chapter, however; I knew this wasn’t true. The Art of Racing in the Rain has a thrilling plot, filled with insightful lessons told through the perspective of a philosophical dog named Enzo. After reading the novel there was very little weaknesses that I found. The only one that I could comment on would be the fact that I felt in some places the scenes dragged on a little too long. The detailed descriptions of the races became kind of boring to me and I found myself skimming through those sections, other then that I found the book to be an extremely good read. For me the powerful strengths of the book were the depth of the characters. The two main characters, Denny Swift and his dog Enzo, came to life through Garth Steins descriptive writing style. The reader follows Denny and Enzo from their early lives on. We see Denny go from a bachelor who wanted to be race-car driver to a loving husband and father. Enzo grows from a young puppy into a wise dog dreaming of becoming a man in his next life. The human qualities that were given to Enzo’s character made you want to get to know him better and see where his life was going.
Denny’s character was very naïve and trusting and made you root for him through his struggles. In the story, Denny’s life seemed to be moving in the right direction, he married Eve, had a beautiful daughter Zoe, life was good. Like many of us have experienced in a blink of an eye, life can change, and not always for the better. Through all of these challenges, Denny and Enzo’s connection only grew stronger. Life, in this book, is compared to racecar driving in the rain. Denny was able to overcome the challenges the rain presented during the race in the same way he overcame the challenges life threw at him. He learned that it was important to always keep his eyes on the road, he said, “Your car goes where your eyes go. The driver who cannot look away from the wall as he spins out of control will meet that wall; the driver who looks down the tracks as he feels his tires break free will regains control of his vehicle.”(Stein, 58) This is how Denny lived his life. I think that anyone looking for a good read, and who has ever loved an animal, would really enjoy reading this book. I know I did.

The novel Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley, is a timeless piece that speaks volumes about human nature. Victor Frankenstein, the protagonist of the story, creates an impressive but horrific being. It is so terrifying, that Victor becomes disturbed by his own creation and runs away, leaving his studies behind. The monster goes on to live a lonely, depressing life. He is shunned by society despite the fact that he is an intellectual and gentle human being. Shelley reveals a dark side of human nature, one that is still relevant today. The creature is judged by his appearance, not for his personality. The ignorance of society causes the monster to become vengeful, and he commits his first murder. Victors’ younger brother, William, is the victim. The monster asks Victor to make a companion for him, and promises that if he follows through he will no longer cause havoc. This leaves Victor with a moral dilemma. Should he trust the monster and risk causing even more chaos, or ignore the monster’s request? This question coincides with the theme, fear of the unknown, which is prevalent throughout the book. Fear of the unknown is first exemplified when Victor’s project becomes a reality. Not understanding what the monster will do terrifies Victor. Everywhere the monster travels, he is regarded with the same kind of fear and misunderstanding. Throughout the book, Shelley also raises questions on the most prominent theme of the novel, monstrosity. Was the monster truly evil, or was the worst just brought out of him? Some readers think it is Victor who is the true monster, for creating the beast. Personally, I think neither is truly evil. They are both, in some way, justified in their actions.
Overall, I though Frankenstein was a beautifully crafted novel. Mary Shelley conveys the messages she wants to get across in a unique manner. Her views on human nature, fear, and society in general, are made known. Published in 1818, it is one of the first horror stories, and it has ended up setting the stage for thrillers after it. Surprisingly, the book is also relatable. Although, the experience of an eighteen foot monster on the loose may not seem relatable, the struggles that the characters face with society and themselves, is. I highly recommend Frankenstein to everyone, especially those in search of a suspenseful classic
http://www.biography.com/people/mary-...