A letter to Veronica Rossi

*Write a letter to the author about your thoughts/opinions on the book*

Dear Veronica Rossi,
     I'm a huge fan of your Under the Never Sky trilogy. I feel like you took the idea of the newly-made-"classic" "teen-dystopia-romance" novel and truly made it your own. I have read the first two books already; I tore through them so fast and then I was depressed because I had to wait for Into the Still Blue to come out.

     As far as the first book goes, I love the way you introduced your trilogy's protagonists, Aria and Perry. I love how in the beginning of their stories you showcased how they were  polar opposites and how each of them felt that way about the other. Progressively throughout the book they began to see what the other possessed (dictionary definition of "opposites-attract", am I right?) that could help them with the task at hand.

     Leading into the second book, there was a lot of time for character development, as for the majority of the time Aria and Perry spent time apart. I have to say that I realize the overall reasoning behind this, however I along with probably the rest of your readers had a period where I was slightly annoyed that they were still apart, and in reading what they were thinking about how both of them missed the other, you wanted to scream and say "Why can't one of you just go after the other already!?"... I'm sorry, I'm rambling.

     I have yet to finish Into the Still Blue, however I am at a very critical turning point for Perry and Aria regarding their passage into the Still Blue, and the possible ramifications of their means of getting through the Aether wall (you're the author, so for the benefit of readers I won't include any more possible spoilers;) ).\

     I'll need to finish the book soon and see how it ends! (no, like I REALLY need to finish this book because I think the library probably already hates me because it's a 14 day borrow and I may be just a smidge over... oops...)

Into the Still Blue: (What does the work tell us about how people behave?)

(Ok, this is the third book in a trilogy, so I am warning you now that I will not be typing *SPOILER ALERT* before every sentence. With that, enjoy and please post comments:)!)

What does the work tell us about how people behave?

     Veronica Rossi creates a special emphasis on "behavior" within her books. In particular, she discusses a fictitious mental disorder that some of her characters develop known as DLS (Degenerative Limbic Syndrome). This syndrome causes those who live in the guarded civilizations of the Pods (Pod: think literally a giant bubble separating the citizens from the outside world) to lose control of themselves and enter a state of madness in which they can't be reasoned with.

     One of the characters, Soren, was someone who suffered from DLS when he was exposed to the Outside for the first time. He still shows signs of mental-instability now that he is being forced to live on the Outside after the fall of Reverie.

     "'You heard her!' Soren screamed at the top of his lungs. 'She said put your weapons down!'
...They drew together, back to back, their guns raised...'I told you, weapons down!'
A single pop broke into the air... Soren had fired" (Rossi 98-99)

     In this situation Soren and the others are being confronted by Guardians with weapons and he is going into a state of DLS panic. He fired upon them because they did not respond quickly enough.

     I think that this speaks to how humans in general have very impatient and also impulsive behavioral traits as a whole. When Soren was "backed-into-a-corner" he reacted on a whim and was so terrified that he completely disregarded other human life and placed himself above them. This showcases an unfortunately realistic representation of the less-desirable side of our human nature. Our instincts of self preservation, while rational to ourselves in a life-or-death situation, are a pathetic example of our blatant disregard for others when we fear the safety of our own skin.

     I hope that Soren can eventually overcome his DLS and really become a part of the team. Unfortunately, I have to say that he is not looking too good at the moment.

Veronica Rossi

     While I will continue to read The Great Gatsby, I'm taking a small break so that I can finish Veronica Rossi's third book in her Under the Never Sky Trilogy, Into the Still Blue.

 

Veronica Rossi

Veronica Rossi completed undergraduate studies at UCLA and then went on to study fine art at the California College of the Arts in San Francisco. Veronica along with her husband and two sons live in Northern California. The Under the Never Sky Trilogy is her first debut set of work.

Check out this video of Veronica Rossi discussing when she was writing Under the Never Sky...


                     

"...that slender riotous island..."

     F. Scott Fitzgerald does a tremendous job of capturing and describing the setting of The Great Gatsby. The book takes place in 1920s Long Island, New York. More specifically the main setting is  in the fictitious areas so dubbed "West Egg" and "East Egg". As a side note, I like how Fitzgerald uses a real-fake place for his book's setting. Everyone knows New York City, but by manifesting East Egg and West Egg it gave him a little more room for creativity.

     "...on that slender riotous island which extends itself due east of New York-- and where there are, among other natural curiosities, two unusual formations of land. Twenty miles from the city a pair of enormous eggs, identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay..."(Fitzgerald 4-5)

     In particular, Fitzgerald's character Nick Carraway "fills in" the reader by describing not only the time and place of the book, but also elaborates on just how extravagant some of the houses located there are. He discusses Gatsby's Mansion., he discusses The Buchanans' and he discusses his own home.

Gatsby's Mansion:
     "...a colossal affair by any standard-- it was a factual imitation of some Hôtel de Ville in Normandy, with a tower on one side, spanking new under a thin bead of raw ivy, and a marble swimming pool, and more than forty acres of lawn and garden," (Fitzgerald 5)

 

(This.looks.like. a. resort... I can't believe this is someone's actual house (mansion, castle, whatever)!)

The Buchanan's:
     "a cheerful red-and-white Georgian Colonial mansion, overlooking the bay. The lawn started at the beach and ran toward the front door for a quarter of a mile, jumping over sun-dials and brick walls and burning gardens-- finally when it reached the house drifting up the side in bright vines as though from the momentum of its run. The front was broken by a line of French windows..." (Fitzgerald 6)

(To me, this looks like someone copied the White House, slapped on some red bricks, maybe did some more extravagent landscaping...)

    
     In contrast he describes his own more "humble" abode by simply saying

     "My own house was an eyesore, but it was a small eyesore, and it had been overlooked," (Fitzgerald 5)

(Well, I think poor Nick could cut his place some slack; it isn't the house's fault it's next to the Hôtel de Ville and the wannabe Red-Brick White House!)

 

     I find the descriptions that Nick gives of these houses really give the reader a great idea of how these people must have lived, seeing as their houses were that crazy extravagant (I mean seriously, these people had to have had more house than they knew what to do with!!). I think they add interest and value to not only the understanding of the story, but also your own personal enjoyment. I also think it's really cool that the story itself is being told by Nick, where it is like someone on the "outside-looking-in", but he is still a part of the story himself.

 

Here is the trailer for the most recent Great Gatsby movie. (I still need to see this...)

 

 

Well, I Decided...

     For my next book that I plan to read, I have decided to try out The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald. I know, I know, you're probably thinking :"WHY? Why read it now, when you'll have to read it again later on in school?" and in all honesty, the answer is very simple. I tend to not like books when they are read as a class and dissected to the point where it feels like the author themselves probably didn't even realize all the little things we as students have to pick out of the writing. Besides, I never ended up seeing the movie because I wanted to read the book first: now I'm just finlly getting around to actually reading it...

     Also, I have to admit I do have a bit of an ulterior motive for wanting to read Gatsby. At the end of my Best Sellers class 2nd Trimester, we all had to chose a book that we wanted to read "next" (as you well know, this isn't exactly "next" but hey at least I'm still going to read it!) and that after we finished reading it, we were supposed to go back to our teacher (I had Mr. Coates) and tell how we felt about the book.

     *AS A SIDE NOTE*
     Even if you don't read my previous post all the way through, please give me a book recommendation under that post (entitled Your Thoughts??) just a quick, "hey, read this because...yadayadayada" Let me know what you like, that maybe I will too:)

Your Thoughts??

     Now that I have finished reading the latest book out of  three series different series (Cassandra Clare's Mortal Instruments, Veronica Rossi's Under the Never Sky series, Kiera Cass' Selection series) I'm aggravated that EVERY one of these author's new books aren't going to be available until about May. I also just finished Lois Lowry's series that stemmed from The Giver, with the book Son. So, there's another dead end...

     I have a few ideas for what to read next, but I'm stuck! I guess I could tell you, but I don't think so.

                                               No, I don't think I will.

     Instead, how about anyone who reads this post, give me at least one book recommendation that you think I should read. Give me a title, author and let me know what you thought of the book. I don't need a perfect, five sentence+ paragraph summarization. Just a quick insight that goes beyond just "omigosh, was the BEST" or "it was good".

     Let me know what you think I should test out. I just want to know your thoughts; I'm open to all options and ideas:)

Update... A little behind...

     Ok, I realize that I am going to sound like the BIGGEST nerd ever because on top of my Fahrenheit 451 reading that I had to do over break, I finished not one, not two not THREE, but FOUR books with the fourth being Under the Never Sky. and I started that book's sequel (that I just recently finished... last night), entitled Through the Ever Night (ok, now you're all caught up;) ).

                                                                                                                        

 

     I started reading this book series because it was recommended to me by a friend on Goodreads. From just the summary on Goodreads I could tell that this was going to be another dystopian novel.

"...unforgettable dystopian masterpiece..." (Examiner.com).\

 

I rest my case.

 

     And I realize that everyone is reading dystopia stories and it's definitely a trend right now, but I'm here to say that I was ahead of the bandwagon because I was into dystopia way before it was mainstream. I read books like The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger.

.....OH! I almost forgot to say that now I'm reading the fourth and final installment of The Giver: Son (ok, so I lied; NOW you're all caught up!)......

   

     I haven't gotten very far into it yet, but I'm going to admit RIGHT now, and put it out there that this book is probably a little easy, and below my reading level (seeing as I read The Giver and Gathering Blue in 5th grade, and Messenger in 6th), but I just recently found out about this book even being out there, so now I really want to read it and finish the collection. Hey, we've all done it... at least I'm not just copping out for an easy read.

    I know that there are some people who have had to read The Giver as a class assigned book, and some who have read it for pleasure ("oh my gosh, like, it's possible!?). ;)  I'd love to know what you thought about it. Did you like Lowry's writing style? Were there parts where you were like, "WHOAH, what just happened?...." and then re-read a line(paragraph, page...) or two over again? I know I did, so don't feel embarrassed:) Or maybe you have never read the book and plan on just waiting for the movie to come out instead. No judgment on my part.

.....Well, a little, but only because I love the book!:) Let me know what your personal thoughts are.

 

 

Suspense (and FOREWARNING)

FOREWARNIG...

     ...Hey Everyone! I'm coming to you live from my couch, post-surgery from getting my wisdom teeth out! Let's see how this goes, as I am on painkillers and every time I stare at the computer screen I REALLY want to go to sleep. (NOTE: this is my third attempt to log in and finish my post today and I keep dozing off, but I am bound determined to get this post completed!)...

     Dan Brown exemplifies suspense in and of itself within his Robert Langdon Series. No one would want to read these books without suspense, and I honestly don't see how one possibly could write books like Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol and my latest and greatest (also current) read Inferno. He ties together SO many different styles and underlying tones throughout his books that they appeal to a widespread audience. MY particular preference that shines through is the conspiracy element. I wouldn't go so far as to necessarily call it a "conspiracy-novel", but it's those elements within the book that really excels it suspense factors and thus the plot.

 

..........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........

     ...Sorry! Dozed off...Ok, more like crashed. That's an hour and a half I'll never get back... oh well, I'm back and ready to finish! But there's another round of painkiller meds in 7 minutes, so it's not looking very promising)...

     One of Dan Brown's signature moves in his books is the ever famous "to be continued..." ending of a chapter or scene and then you as the reader hurry up and turn to the next page and it isn't talking about anything related to what you were just reading about. Then, he gets you hooked on another big seemingly storyline twist and then he'll sometimes end up switching back to that first "to be continued..." ending, which you're happy to have finally found out, but then you're mad because you want to know what's going on now. It's a seemingly vicious, irritating cycle, but it definitely holds readers' attention.

     "'I can't get a signal,' Sienna said, climbing down from the light well and coming toward him.

'You don't need one,' Langdon managed. 'The gilded *mouseion of holy wisdom ...' He took a deep breath. 'I ... made a mistake.'

Sienna went pale. 'Don't tell me we're in the wrong museum.'

'Sienna,' Langdon whispered, feeling ill. 'We're in the wrong country.'" (Inferno 72%)

     This is obviously a very "suspenseful" ending to CHAPTER 75. However, the opening line to CHAPTER 76 is

"Out in St. Mark's Square, the Gypsy woman selling Venetian masks was taking a break, leaning against the outer wall of the basilica to rest..." (Inferno 73%).

     This particular entrance does in fact end up relating to the previous events, just set up through a bystander's point of view, however Brown doesn't at first make it appear that way. This is another of his strategies, where he changes the character point of views who often aren't even named, yet sometimes it's often humorous to hear the crazy events surrounding Langdon and his companions' adventures through just an ordinary bystander because it is often very "WHAT in the WORLD!? Those people are crazy! Should I call the police, or act like I don't see them... Crazy Americans..."
or something to that effect.

     I hope that you find this intriguing and plan to try out one of Dan Brown's books now. On a side note, you do not necessarily need to read them in order, but if you do, you will sometimes understand witty commentary throughout the books that are technically "sequels". The Robert Langdon series is as follows:

 

 Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code, The Lost Symbol and Inferno

     Well folks, we survived this round of pain meds! Now if you'll excuse me, I.....

..........ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ..........

Check out this interview with Dan Brown on Inferno, his writing style/quirks, etc.

*NOTE: I realize this is a really weird looking word and my spell-check thinks I'm crazy, but that is how it's written in the book, and it's some kind of archaic art history something or other that over time transformed into the modern day "museum".

Sienna Brooks' Character Development

    

     Sienna Brooks is first introduced in Inferno as a young doctor who was one of the first people that Robert Langdon (the main character) saw when he woke up in a hospital in Italy.

     "'I'm Doctor Sienna Brooks,' she said, giving Langdon a smile as she entered,"(Inferno 3%)

     "...Langdon knew the medieval structure well.
    
     It was unique in the world.

     Unfortunately, it was also located four-thousand miles from Massachusetts," (Inferno 4%)

     Throughout the book she helps Langdon by alluding the SRS team, along with their drone, AND a presumed assassin named Vayentha. Her motives appear rock-solid as it appears she is working in Italy illegally while using false papers. She also has quite a mysterious past, as Langdon finds out while observing her apartment. He finds that she was a child prodigy with an off the charts IQ, who was a Shakespearean actor at a young age.

     They eventually through a turn of events (yeah, I know that that is a really descriptive summary of events, but if you have ever read any Dan Brown books, you would know that there are way too many plot twists to try and explain everything!) discover that Robert was in Italy attempting to unravel the clues left by the late Bertrand Zobrist who was convinced that the word would reach its apocalypse due to overpopulation within the upcoming years. Sienna provides insight on Zobrist and his work by attributing to how he contributed much of his life to advancing modern medicine. However, we come to find out that her relationship with Bertrand Zobrist far exceeds that of a doctor following up with the latest medical journals.

     "According to the provist, Sienna Brooks and Bertrand Zobrist had been longtime lovers. They were active together in some kind of underground Transhumanist movement," (Inferno 77%)

It goes to show how deceptive our first impressions of characters can be...

Favorite Book of 2nd Trimester

     Hands down, my favorite book that I read this past trimester was Divergent by Veronica Roth. I know, I was a little behind on jumping on the bandwagon with this series, but I made up for it with how fast I read the book. I tore through it in only 2 days because I just couldn't put it down! I definitely recommend this to any of my fellow dystopia fanatics or just anyone wanting to give it a try. I felt like this book was a very good balance of action, romance, etc. so that no one element over powered any other, so that way this book is tailored to a very broad audience.

     My one highlight that I will share is how Roth immortalized the "coming-of-age" story of Tris Prior, and why I loved it so much. I loved how she (Roth) showed the main character, Beatrice Prior's development and transformation throughout the book. This was both cleverly interwoven throughout the book as Roth exhibits a mental shift within Beatrice, but also to exhibit these changes, Roth pays special attention to how Beatrice (now "Tris")'s physical changes showcase  her new personality and inner strength. An example of where her "physical alterations" reflect both her past, and yet also her progression towards her "new-self" is when she got her bird tattoos on her collarbone. She was inked with three black birds to remember her parents and her brother that she left behind when she switched factions and joined *Dauntless.

Here is the Divergent movie trailer... I can't wait!



*Special note to those who are unfamiliar with the series' premise~ the society is split into what are called factions and this is like these people's own individual "families" (think the districts in The Hunger Games) When citizens turn 16 they take a test to determine what faction they belong in, and they can either go to that faction, or stay in their birth faction (parents' faction).

Reading Wishlist

The books that I want to continue to read consist mostly of what you might call "classics" or at least books that seem to be very highly regarded. I want to be able to understand what the heck certain allusions in other books/poems/etc. are referring to at times, so I felt like this was a good place to start:) 1. The Great Gatsby 2. Great Expectations 3. A Tale of Two Cities 4. Les Misérables 5. Gone with the Wind That's only the top 5: Here is the rest of my Goodreads list: • The Odyssey • The City of Ember (series) • Clockwork Angel (The Infernal Devices, #1) • The Help • The Memory Keeper's Daughter • The Five People You Meet in Heaven • The Fault in Our Stars • Son (Giver, #4) • Fyre (Septimus Heap, #7) • Darke (Septimus Heap, #6) • City of Heavenly Fire (The Mortal Instruments, #6) • Clockwork Prince (The Infernal Devices, #2) • Clockwork Princess (The Infernal Devices, #3) • Sarah's Key • Meant to Be • To Kill a Mockingbird

Book Talk

Book #3: Book Review

Allegiant by Veronica Roth is the third book within her Divergent Trilogy. This final installment deals with the ultimate “end” of the tyrannical rule over the characters’ society, and how characters learn more about themselves and their true nature, and the relationships they have forged with one another. The story is told through the points of view of Tris and Tobias, who are taking part in an effort to escape their city and receive aid from whatever lies beyond to help them in regaining the city from Tobias’ mother, Evelyn.

Not unlike the book City of Lost Souls by Cassandra Clare, which is the fifth installment of her Mortal Instruments series (book #6 City of Heavenly Fire coming soon). In this book, Jace is Clary’s love interest and he is also being held captive by her demonic (and I DO mean demonic; he literally has demon blood) older brother Sebastian. Sebastian has bound Jace so, that he is unable to be injured or killed without Jace also being injured or killed. This connection has also clouded Jace’s mind so that he no longer has his trademark attitude and cannot exercise his own free will.

Within another “mainstream” series, the book addresses many of the same topics and contains similar elements, such as, but not limited to:

·         The idea of taking the normal everyday world, and altering it to make it anything but,

·         Teen love (DID say mainstream),

·         A strong female protagonist,

·         A really big fight scene,

·         A few botched plans,

&

·         At least ONE crazy relative that is viewed as the antagonist

 

However, according to Google (which is without a doubt, completely and absolutely always 100% right) these books fall into these general genre categories:

 

These books are not what most would ever compare as similar or complementary, however they do possess some key underlying theme/plot elements that bind them more closely than many would piece together without having read them and better understanding them.

One thing that ties these books together is the dialogue and language chosen by each respective writer to portray the characters and their world around them. Both books were told through the points of view of teenagers, so the characters spoke in very casual tones, occasionally swore, and were often very sarcastic with their speech.

Allegiant:

“'…Is this Prior?'

'In the flesh.'

'Why’s he bleeding?'

'Because he’s an idiot.'

Zeke offers me a black jacket with a factionless symbol stitched into the collar. 'I didn't know that idiocy caused people to just start spontaneously bleeding from the nose.'

I wrap the jacket around Caleb's shoulders and fasten one of the buttons over his chest. He avoids my eyes. 'I think it’s a new phenomenon,'” (Allegiant, 79)

City of Lost Souls:

“'I stabbed you. With a massive sword. You caught on fire.'

His lips twitched, almost imperceptibly. 'Okay,' he said. 'So maybe our problems aren't like other couples,'” (City of Lost Souls, 522)

 
It makes sense that the authors would chose to write about their characters speaking with this type of language because it makes them more relateable to the target audiences of the books, and it adds to the tone of the book altogether. If these books were written without this modernized/casual tone, they would likely not carry the same weight that they do amongst their targeted young adult audiences.

 

Another element that rings true in both books is that they both feature a very strong female protagonist that not only through her actions advances the plot, but she also before the book’s end has to make whatever the “ultimate” sacrifice is to her for the greater good. Though it may seem corny and overplayed these books’ writers both played up these endings to end in a way you were NOT expecting, and definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat.

DO NOT CONTINUE IF YOU PLAN TO READ EITHER OF THESE BOOKS! ENDINGS ARE GIVEN AWAY!



 For Allegiant, Veronica Roth made a very bold move in her ending. The ending was spot on with Tris’ underlying character and personality and ultimately her ex-faction of Abnegation (everyone is “selfless”). In order to complete their mission of overthrowing the outside government, their team has assigned her brother Caleb with the suicide mission of entering the Weapons Lab and obtaining the necessary serum to wipe the compound workers’ minds. She ends up not being able to let him go, because she knows the only reason he is doing so voluntarily is because he feels he can never be forgiven by her. In the end, he is.

“Tris went into the Weapons Lab instead of Caleb,” Cara says. “She survived the death serum, and set off the memory serum, but she… she was shot. And she didn’t survive…” (Allegiant, 489)

In City of Lost Souls Cassandra Clare writes in an equally moving finale, exemplifying the hardship that the protagonist, Clary faces in choosing what is right, even though she doesn’t know how she will live with the decision. For her ultimate sacrifice, instead of her life, it is Jace’s life that she must end, so that her brother can be stopped.

Both books were written with an underlying theme of self-discovery, and the message as Roth clearly states in her acknowledgements is to “Be brave.” This message was demonstrated through two very different pieces of fiction; however they both hit close to home in some or many aspects depending on their readers. Allegiant was very well written, however there were some points where the book’s pace would jump from painstakingly slow too so fast you sometimes had to reread a section. However, its strength in an absolutely killer twist ending overshadows Roth’s minor writing flaws.

                As for City of Lost Souls, Clare gives an ominous ending where a single phrase sets up for the perfect introduction of her upcoming book City of Heavenly Fire:

“Erchomai, it said.

I am coming,” (City of Lost Souls 534)

                As far a rating goes, both books deserve a solid A. Both writers demonstrated amazing character development, used outstanding voice throughout the pieces and both left completely different yet equally clenching twist endings.  

Blog Post #9 ~ Likability

     In Veronica Roth's third book in the Divergent Trilogy, Allegiant, the story is told from the perspective of both Tris Prior and Tobias "Four" Eaton. I feel like these characters are very likable, and that Roth's audience can relate to them very well. Keep in mind that they are both questionably suicidal, have tempers that terrify even themselves at times, and both come from a less than "perfect" family situation...

     But THAT I think is why they are so likable; it's because they are RELATABLE. They are not the stereotypical "heroes" that are held on high pedestals and always do whats right. It is often that their own fears and selfishness that is the cause of issue within their lives, thus what advances the book's plot. Throughout the entire series they have both struggled with personal self-inflicted pain and doubts right alongside their crumbling dystopian society.

     I wouldn't go so far as to call either of them the next Oedipus or Humbert Humbert, for these I feel are somewhat extreme cases of characters that make for good books, however I don't really agree that either of them would likely be all that "likable". But I do acknowledge that there are SIGNIFICANT flaws pertaining to both Tris and Tobias, because they acknowledge them THEMSELVES. This inadvertently ends up being almost just as bad a flaw, particularly for Tris as this leads her into a time in her life of obsession with her self-pity and depression.

     I don't think the term "likable" when pertaining to a character needs to imply "perfection" or larger than life morals. I honestly think such things almost add an air of arrogance to the character and definitely annoyance for me as I sit trying to read about how they are perfect. I think that for a character to be likeable, some readers (though most would never admit it) sometimes enjoy some who is "just as bad", or sometimes "worse" than they feel they themselves are, but arestill the protagonist and somehow come out on top in the end...

And are liked.

Blog #8

I personally believe that it depends on what you are attempting to market the book as. For example, I feel that it’s ok to change, embellish, or omit certain details in a story… if its title has the tagline “Based on a True Story”.  If it doesn’t, then I feel that while the author does have “creative license” to the degree of how their memory serves them, or how they felt during an event, that they should stick to the facts and the reality of what happened.

Laila Lalami stated how “fact is different than fiction, and the two are not the same”

She argues that there is room for differentiation based on the author’s memory and their individual interpretation of an event. However, there is no room for entirely “made-up” events created by the author in order to only “liven” the publication. She feels that there is a sort o9f unspoken “contract” between a reader and a writer based on whether or not the publication is fiction or nonfiction. As readers, we often feel hurt or cheated to know that our emotions we experienced while reading a supposedly “true account” were toyed with when we learn that these events we opened up to and experienced things about, were in reality, not REAL.

Paul Mandelbaum stated that if the author owns up to the fact that sections of their book are indeed fictitious, that that is ok and doesn’t violate their contract with the readers. I must say that I agree to a degree: so long as it is made clear EARLY ON of the semi-fictitious-ness of the work, then by all means, go ahead. You have established what needs to be, and that is fine as long as you whole heartedly admit this ahead of time. That was not the case in the instance of A Million Little Pieces and Frey’s “apology/acknowledgement” that was hastily added to soothe the dwindling fan base.

Blog #6: Readicide

I fell like Readicide is definitely an issue in schools. I fell like sometimes by not including the types of things that the students are likely to take any interest in whatsoever. Jennifer Weiner said “I think if the NYT cares about its darlings finding a wider audience, the smartest thing it can do is be a little more respectful toward the books readers are actually reading.  Students are thrown into that “readers” category, and are therefore more likely to read some of the things that Weiner is referring to: genre fiction.

 

 I won’t say that I absolutely have hated EVERY book that I ever had to read for school, but I won’t say I enjoyed them all either. And what is sad is that I DID really like some of the material that was mandatory for a class, I just hated the process of “reading” it within the classroom. For example, when we read Romeo and Juliet, I loved finally getting to hear Shakespeare’s writing. I’ll admit that it was not an easy text and definitely needed to be further analyzed for SOME parts, but that doesn’t mean we all have to stop reading every fourth line to discuss his word choice and if he had an underlying meaning to every word.

I also feel like there IS definitely a line between “the classics” that have (at least it seems) always been taught, and the new “hot items” that are circulating the market right now. We have to keep in mind, the classics present their values and do in fact hold similar themes and ideas that DO still exist today (contrary to popular belief). I don’t think that we should entirely disband the idea of teaching the classics, but schools could include a few Dan Brown novels, or have a class that looks at the sort of “in-betweens” like what some junior-high curriculum covers: The Giver, The Outsiders, etc.           

Just remember to not forget to actually put down the highlighter, and the sticky notes and, God forbid, the SPARKNOTES and just enjoy and READ books!!!

 

Post #7: The Book Thief Trailer

The Book Thief

Post #5: Film Adaptations

Certain scenes and elements of the book thief are without doubt essential to the reader’s (or in this case viewer’s) understanding of the story. There are a lot of “interjections” made by the narrator (Death) and lots of “flashbacks” that give background knowledge that pertain to a certain character, relationship between characters, or in general the historic setting (Nazi Germany).

One scene in particular that could not be removed is the scene where Liesel’s brother is buried after he dies on the train. This is a key turning point in Liesel’s life, and is the beginning of the book. This scene is also where Liesel commits her first act of thievery in stealing The Grave Digger’s Handbook after one of the boys who bury her brother dropped it in the snow. This book is what sparks her interest in books and is basically the whole point of the title…J
 

                Another key scene would have to be the Kristallnacht scene where it is described how bad off the Jews really were, and is the basis for why Max Vandenburg comes to Hans for assistance and shelter. I almost think that this is a scene where you could go into even more detail than in the book itself. It is a majorly significant historical event and could be easily extrapolated upon further.

Finally I feel like a scene that would have to be included (and was in the movie, and yes, I know I’m horrible for seeing then reading… oh well) is the “flashback” of “the Jesse Owens incident”. This “incident” is where Liesel’s friend Rudy Steiner covers himself with coal dust so he appears to be black, and runs around the track pretending to be Jesse Owens from the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin. This shows how Rudy is different from many other Hitler Youth and has yet to be entirely brainwashed into thinking that anyone “different” from what he is, is therefore his inferior. Besides, I think that it would just make kind of a funny scene in general…J

However, for the sake of time and money there are definitely some scenes that could easily be removed and viewers would not miss out on the essence of the book.

One such “part” could be the whole background of Max being a fist fighter growing up; although in the book you learn that he made friends with Walter Kugler (the man who helped him escape to Hans) because he was a previous opponent, you don’t need that background to understand the point of the book.

Another part of the book that WAS cut from the movie was the entire sort of “sub-story” of the “apple thieves”. I think that it would have definitely been a good thing to keep in the film adaptation, however it is not essential, and I speak from experience it felt like a very long movie as it was.