Block 1 Senior Humanities with Ms. Robinson discussion

This is the spot to post the book blurb you wrote! Enter it here. *Remember to click "add book/author" above this box to link to a picture of the book (click the circle for "cover") you recommend so we can all check it out!

I'll kick off this discussion with a favorite book of mine. It's a collection of poems called The Essential Rumi.
Rumi’s poetry opens doors. When I read these poems I am somewhere completely fresh and new….and yet I’m always having the feeling he has just put words to something I’ve known all along. I find it mind bending that Rumi was born in 1207. While Europe was in the Dark Ages, this Persian genius, born in either Tajikistan or Afghanistan, was a student of light.

Rumi, was a philosopher and mystic of Islam. His doctrine advocates unlimited tolerance, goodness, charity and awareness through love. To him and to his disciples all religions are more or less truth. Rumi believed passionately in the use of music, poetry and dance as a path for reaching God.

Poets, philosophers, and seekers will love his poetry. Check it out!

Vanishing Acts...

Jodi Picoult develops multi-dimensional stories through her use of multiple character perspectives. In the story, Vanishing Acts, the plot is centralized around Delia Hopkins, a mother and fiance working within the search and rescue unit of the local police department. As a daughter of a widowed man, Delia grew up in rural New Hampshire with the parental supervision of only her father. However, Delia begins contemplating the meaning of reoccurring dreams that feel as though they are memories she cannot recollect. Soon police arrive at her door to take her father into custody on the account of kidnapping twenty-eight years ago. Delia is forced into accepting a truth that threatens the life she believed for the entirety of her childhood and early adult years. Picoult questions the power of truth and the moral conflict between right and wrong.

I have thoroughly enjoyed every single book I've read by her and each of them are so different from one another. Jodi Picoult is really skilled in incorporating facts and research that supports the life of her characters. Personally, the viewpoint shifts allows a better understanding of the plot for the reader. I highly recommend any of her books!!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

"The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" by Mark Haddon is a short novel about an autistic 15 year old boy named Christoper whose neighbor's dog is killed, causing him to begin an investigation to find the killer. Christopher generally hates interacting with others in social situations, specifically strangers, but loves math problems and warm strawberry smoothies and the color red. He eventually solves the mystery, but at the expense of his family life.

I loved this novel...Haddon has a very unique writing style, sometimes using the help of visuals throughout, and narrates Christopher's character in a very creative way. Anyone who enjoys unique approaches to novels and stylized writing would love this book. It goes by quickly, even for a slow reader like myself, and is very enjoyable to read!

I selected "City of Thieves" because I wanted to read a novel about Russia while I was there, and I loved it! It is a story that takes place during WWII, when Leningrad was under siege by the German forces. The author's grandfather (who the story is about) is 19, living in Leningrad without his family (His father was a poet killed by the Russian gov't, and his mother and sibling have fled the city). He steals from a dead german paratrooper and is caught by Russian police, and thrown in jail. There he meets Kolya, who is a handsome, charismatic former literature student, and instead of being executed they are sent on a mission to find a dozen eggs in the starving city. It's shocking, sometimes graphic, and often very funny and very sad. Its historical fiction, but you don't have to like history to enjoy the fast-moving plot, suspense, and dark humor! And it teaches you a bit about WWII Russia, the complicated politics of war, and the universal struggles of a 19 year old boy coming of age. I rate it 5 stars!! Also its not too long and it goes very fast!

The Martian
One book I read this summer was The Martian by Andy Weir. This book is about an astronaut, Mark Watney, who is left alone on mars after a sandstorm accident. Watney struggles to remain alive and find a way to contact earth and NASA. He was the Botanist and Engineer on the Mars mission and he uses his own skills to create a livable environment for himself. He encounters many issues and does not fail to solve one after another, no matter how crude the solutions may have been. I enjoyed this book even though I read it under educational terms. I learned a lot from this book and it was honestly very interesting to read. I would recommend this book to fellow students who don't mind the sciences. It was a rather quick read that would occasionally switch POV between earth and mars which spiced it up. If you don't like science especially chemistry, don't read this, but otherwise YES!!

Everything Matters!
"Everything Matters" by Ron Currie JR. is a book that I picked up this summer at the suggestion of my mother. The story follows the life of a boy from the day that he his born until the day that he dies. It is told through a series of narrators from the boy himself, to his families members, friends, and the voice inside of his head. You get to see how he grapples with the reality that world will end exactly 36 years after his birth (don't worry this isn't a spoiler it's literally on the book jacket and revealed the first chapter) and how he comes to terms with this reality. I usually hate anything and everything that is even remotely sci-fi but this was an exception, I actually enjoyed it! If you like a book that has a face paced compelling story line this is a good choice for you!

"Go Ask Alice" by Anonymous Is an inaccurate representation of the life of not only a teenage girl, but a drug addict as well. The book is about an anonymous author's diaries documenting her experiences with drug addiction and homelessness. The author runs away from her home, struggles, and dies of an overdose at the end of the book. The author gets involved in drugs in an unlikely way, even for the time period, the 1970's. The author was also gang raped and suffered very little emotional effects from this experience, which is grossly inaccurate compared to how the majority of women are affected by rape. The book is a bit of a dated view on what it's like to become addicted to drugs, and I believe it should not be used to teach kids and teens of the dangers anymore, and should be replaced by a more current book in our education system. Alice does not overcome her addiction, she succumbs to it. It is not an empowering book, or an insightful one, and evokes nothing but fear, and does not seek to educate on anything but the dangers, which wasn't even accurately portrayed anyway.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid is an extremely interesting and fairly quick read, mainly because it is one of those books "you cannot put down." This novel, told in first person (or a dramatic monologue), is about a Pakistani man who moves to America to attend college and gets a job immediately at a renowned consulting firm. However, shortly after he begins work the 9/11 attacks occur. The rest of the story focuses on how this event affects Hamid and his relationship with the people around him in the city. Later on, during a bit of an identity crisis, he realizes what is most important to him and makes his way back home to Pakistan.

I find the narration to be especially intriguing because the narrator is telling his story to an American traveling in Pakistan. He uses the word "you" when talking to the American which makes the reader feel as if he is talking to them as well. However, there is quite a bit of tension between the traveler and the narrater considering there are many times Hamid criticizes American concepts and ideals.

I think people who enjoy learning about Middle Eastern countries and/or their relationship with American during the time of 9/11 would find this book very interesting. There are two side to every story, and this book is for those who want to experience 9/11 from a non-American point of view.

The title itself is very telling considering Hamid is living the American dream and then after the attacks he becomes persecuted by the American people. He then realizes that the "American Dream" may not be all what it is cut out to be when you suddenly become the "enemy."

(******this book has been used as text for incoming freshman at many different colleges: davidson, georgetown, tulane, etc.******)

Are you what you millennials might call "woke"? Might you consider yourself a pessimist? If so, I strongly encourage enduldging in Kurt Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions". This is the story of how a once locally-renowned car salesman, Dwight Hoover, decends into insanity, his bout of violence converging with an arts festival. Vonnegut's beloved alter-ego, Kilgore Trout, is an obscure novelist who's work is published in pornagraphic magazines and nothing more. Luckily for him, a philanthropist residing in the city hosting the arts festival discovers his work and invites him to speak at the function. Unluckily, Pontiac dealer, Dwane Hoover is infatuated with one of Trout's works, convincing himself that it is the truth. This work is a letter from the creator of the univers to the reader, the only being with free will. This causes Hoover to run amok rampantly and violently. As Dwayne Hoover loses his mind and Kilgore Trout hitchhikes across several states, Vonnegut goes on comically existential and thought provoking tangents highlighting mental illness, cruelty, and existence as a whole. This was an enticing read, with credit towards Vonnegut's use of wit, dark humor, and incomparable imagination. Kurt Vonnegut

“They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys of Sudan,” is a vivid, heart-wrenching autobiographical story of two brothers named Benson and Alpheo Deng along with their cousin, Benjamin Ajak, who are caught in the chaos of Second Sudanese Civil War. Torn from their families and each other, they embark on the same 1000+ mile journey to a refugee camp in Kenya through the unforgiving environments of Eastern Africa with minimal water, food, and rest. Surviving on hope and determination, they are able to reunite and further continue together to the US.

Personally, I liked this book a lot. Although I could never truly imagine the experiences people like the Lost Boys have and are going through, I appreciate the what the story has taught me. I recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest bit of interest because it is well worth the read. Don’t be discouraged by the fact that it is a memoir because it is super compelling and every page is a cliffhanger.

The account of a learner seeking out the knowledge of his lifetime, Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn is sure to be an eye-opening story of the way we perceive and treat the world around us. You’ll be sure to find yourself on an intellectual, spiritual, and philosophical journey throughout the book thanks to the author’s metaphysical writing style and narrative structure. I would highly recommend it for anyone remotely interested in developing a better understanding of how humans are affecting the natural world or simply wants to have their paradigm of the world and human experience changed.

Follow the story of a seventeenth century sheep herder in southern Spain, who one day dreams of a treasure in a distant place with pyramids. based off the advise of a gypsy he sells all his sheep and decides to find this treasure in Egypt. the book follows his journey full of failure and success and follows his train of thought.The text is super easy and flowing, once you start reading it you cant put it down. I like how the author went deep and challenging traditional perspectives and cultures regarding religion and history and what not. Very mind changing book.

The Best American Short Stories 2015
"The Best American Short Stories of 2015", is a great, diverse collection of short stories by American authors. There are stories you will love, and some you will probably hate. The style of writing ranges from Salinger-esque to Austen-esque. This book is perfect for someone with a short attention span, a love of good fiction, and a genuine interest in a variety of topics and writers. The subject matter ranges from goats, to murder, to a family's pediatrician. If you are like me, and have trouble committing to one book at a time, this is a perfect read to pick up and put down throughout the year. It's a really fun read and you don't have to fully commit to the whole thing.

Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit This summer, I read a book called Ishmael. This book offers a view of humanity destroying our planet from the perspective of a gorilla. Although it is hard to get past at first, the fact that the narrator is a gorilla becomes essential to the plot and adds many new ideas and alternative views to the novel that would not be possible without the gorilla. Once you are used to the writing style, it is very easy to understand and follow. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in environmental preservation and philosophy.

Little Bee
Little Bee is about an girl who tries to escape the Nigerian oil war that is going on in her city. As she escapes she meets a couple in the beach that would help her in a time of need. The book travels back in forth in the present and in the past to capture her story. She talk about her life back in Nigeria when she is caught by immigration and is put in a detention center. This book is recommended for those who are interested in learning what the life of an immigrant is and how they learn to adapt, how the think once they are caught. Its also for those who are interested in book where you think you know what might happen but you actually don't.

Ultraviolet, by: R.J. Anderson: "Once upon a time there was a girl who was special. This is not her story. Unless you count the part where I killed her.” Sixteen year-old Allison is thrown into a mental institution on the charges of killing Tori Beaugrand, the prettiest and most popular girl in school. However, Tori's body was never found. Furthermore, Allison has been struggling with her abnormal, seemingly dangerous, sensory abilities deeming her an outcast. Soon a scientist begins to show Allison that the world that isolated—and labeled her a freak—was wrong. They will grow to learn that her power's capabilities are endless. Allison can't quite piece the events of Tori's death together. Tori just disappeared. How you ask? You'll have to read and find out.

I thoroughly enjoyed this psychological mystery through and through. The descriptions of her sensory abilities was vivid, and painted quite the intriguing picture for the reader. Not to mention that the protagonist is really developed, not to mention the plot will keep you on your toes. I'd recommend this book to those who like more of a fantastical selections of fiction, but don't be afraid to try and read it if you're more down to earth.

Rating: 8.5

I Crawl Through It This book followed the lives of four high school seniors who narrate alternating chapters, each with a different style of narration. While the main characters were high school students, it didn't follow the typical formula of a high school novel. The book didn't really have one main plot point, as the style of narration was stream-of-consciousness, and often it was hard to tell what was real and what was not. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes magical realism.

When Mark Watney, a crew member of the Ares 3 mission to Mars, is presumed dead and left behind, he must fight for his life until he can finally be rescued. This text is filled with adventure and action as Watney conjures up new ways to stay alive. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes survival/space books