Dreams and Ambitions

Peter Nguyen

The Alchemist

By Paulo Coelho

      

Dreams and Ambitions

In a modern world, we are too busy constantly juggling many things such as school, work, friends, etc. We no longer wonder the meaning of life and its purpose as our lives are too shallow and fast paced to wonder such deep questions. Paulo Coelho manages to spark those questions in us with his adventure story.

The Alchemist follows the story of a young shepherd boy named Santiago who spends his life tending to a flock of sheep and traveling to many towns in Spain selling wool. He originates from a family of farmers and becomes a shepherd for a simple reason; he wants to travel to new places and meet new people, which is something farming never allowed him to do. He plans to head to a town where he met a beautiful girl the previous year and plans to be with her. On his way there, he meets a gypsy who reads his recurring dream if finding a treasure near the Pyramids in Egypt. The gypsy tells him that he needs to travel to the Pyramids and promise her 1/10 of the treasure. He then meets a man named Melchizedek who claims he is a king and is able to tell him impossible things that a stranger wouldn’t know and do impossible acts, which makes sense as magic is an established standard in The Alchemist. This man tells him about Personal Legends in which he has to follow his omens, much like the Gypsy told him. He follows their advice and leaves his life as a shepherd to find the treasure. He sells his sheep and heads off to Tangier, where he begins his journey to the treasure.

The first few chapters came off as overrated and fairly dull, as nothing much happened and the insight on Santiago was boring and uninspiring. However, as I read on, I became much more interested in the plot and saw The Alchemist not just as a book but as a philosophy lesson. The main overall message of the book and Santiago’s actions is to ‘follow your dreams.’ There's nothing wrong with this and I can appreciate what Coelho does, but I just find his themes and messages generic. There's no doubt that the book is very well written as I found myself constantly wanting to find out what happens next. I haven’t finished the book yet but I already feel that the book’s ending is very predictable. The whole premise of the book is that ‘it’s not about the destination, it's about the journey’, which is pretty cliche and standard in adventure books. Other than that, Coelho clearly and effectively integrates themes into his book such as dreams.

Despite finding the novel’s themes bland, I enjoyed the fact that Coelho doesn’t just give Santiago an obstacle or a few to overcome like a stereotypical adventure book, but gives him things a normal person could relate to. For instance, Santiago is tempted to give up many times such as before he meets Melchizedek and when he gets all of his earnings stolen at the market in Tangier. In addition, he’s also tempted to do other things such as staying comfortable and living a normal life as a shepherd. Even with these small drawbacks, Santiago is undeterred and pushes on to pursue his dream. While talking to the gypsy, he thinks “...for a moment that it would be better to pay her fee and leave without learning a thing, that he was giving too much importance to his recurrent dream.” (Coelho 47) At this moment, he is about to give it up and stay in his comfort zone, but he decides to take a risk instead.

One pretty obvious major theme is dreams and desires. From the beginning, we can see that the protagonist is a dreamer, as he is a shepherd that comes come a poor family of farmers. He spends his days and nights thinking about the people he met on his journey and the places he's been to. When talking to the gypsy, “He thought for a moment that it would be better to pay her fee and leave without learning a thing, that he was giving too much importance to his recurrent dream.” (Coelho 47), which shows that he gets discouraged after talking to her because her interpretation of him having to go to the pyramids was so literal. However, he later regains his belief in dreams when he meets Melchizedek, who tells him about Personal Legends. Personal Legends are a main contributing factor to the theme of dreams in the book as Melchizedek states “it's the desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on Earth.”(Coelho 22) Personal Legends are people’s dreams and desires that are destined to be fulfilled and through Santiago’s desires and journey, Coelho uses this to relay the message that you should follow your dreams.

Even though I find his messages generic, I still think the book is very well written and all of the messages are smoothly integrated into the story. I only read about the first half of the book but from what I read, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone that enjoys philosophy, enjoys adventure, or has many ambitions. Personally, I didn’t like the book that much just because of the basic messages and themes but I feel like this book can be inspiring to people with dreams and things they want to accomplish because it's the story of a boy who dreams big and works hard to achieve that goal despite all of his setbacks and situation.

The Girl Who Fell From The Sky

Hailey Amaro
The Girl Who Fell From The Sky by Heidi W. Durrow

Ever watched a mother commit suicide while holding two of her three children? Ever had to start a new life? Welcome to Rachel’s world. Rachel Morse is the only survivor of a tragic accident that killed off her immediate family and because of this she becomes this “new girl” (Durrow 52). With her father stationed on a military base in Germany, Rachel is sent to live with her paternal grandmother who believes that a girl’s only hope is to “catch a lizard” (Durrow 8). Rachel often finds herself looking up to her Aunt Loretta who does the opposite of everything her mom tells her to.
The novel revolves around tragedy, racism, and social hierarchy differences seeing as though Rachel is the only biracial in her entire town. Personally, I would recommend this novel in a heartbeat. It’s mysterious, and it talks about real world issues such as class differences and the racism that is deeply embedded in America. The people that would thoroughly enjoy this book are people who enjoy books incorporate political issues into the storyline.

The Marilyn book of Marilyn books

Riley Buchanan

The Many Live of Marilyn Monroe by Sarah Churchwell

         Just as the title states this is truly the biography to end all biographies! I found this book to be absolutely fascinating. It's a hard thing to do to write about a woman that has been written about probably thousands of times but Churchwell did it fabulously. This may be because, as she states, “nearly every book begins with the same question: who was the woman that became Marilyn Monroe? But this book asks a different question: who was the woman Marilyn Monroe became?” (10). The book after all is titled “The Many Lives of Marilyn Monroe” so I was hoping - and this hope did become true - that the book was going to be a little more philosophical than the average Marilyn Monroe biography.

         I'm only finished with about one fourth of the book but so far it chronicles how Norma Jean became Marilyn Monroe; why it was perfect timing in society for her and her sexuality to take the spotlight; if that sexuality came to her naturally or if she had to constantly work to create this persona; how this persona turned her into more of a brand than a human being; and even a discussion about the worthwhile debate over if she was ever even a good actress in the first place. This is a massive amount of information for a book to cover within only 25% of its pages and I think it's amazing for a biography to dive more into the “why” than just the “who”, which is why I've enjoyed this book so much. A typical biography on the most sexed-up, glamourous, desired, rich, famous, and yet tragic woman would include lists of her movies and boyfriends or husbands and hobbies and public appearances and cultural phenomenons and conspiracies but this was so different. Instead of just being provided with facts or ideas or theories about Marilyn to piece together her life, Churchwell provides analysis that she's made on her own and kind of leaves you to finish the puzzle and draw your own conclusions yourself.

          For example, when discussing Marilyn Monroe’s brand she says “her trademarks are her sexual body, and particularly her half-closed eyes and half-opened mouth” (34), she goes on to say “narcissism (and exhibitionism) make the performance of sexuality natural - to her” (35). She lays out the facts with the first quote and interprets them in the second, I could have taken the facts and interpreted them myself or ran with her interpretation, which I did. I agreed that Marilyn was very naturally sexy but that she played that part up so much on screen and in any photograph that she couldn't just shake it off when she wanted to. I think she associated sex and even glamour so closely to herself that it's all viewers thought of when they saw her, which meant it was all Hollywood would ever want from her. Even if it wasn't all she had to offer, it may as well have been because it was all anyone - audience or production company - would ever want from her again. Isn't that an interesting thought? It's nothing I would ever thought of had Churchwell's ideas not prompted me to do so.

         Drawing these conclusions on my own have been a part of every single theme that Churchwell wrote about in her book so far (which are listed above in the first sentence of the second paragraph) and I've been able to connect all of those conclusions and decide that a kind of “perfect storm” was responsible for turning Marilyn into who - or what - she has become. Some factors of that storm were out of her favor and control and some factors were completely in it if you ask me. I’d dive into more detail on that theory but if I pushed what I believe the real life of Marilyn Monroe to be on you, then I would be ruining the whole purpose of this book.

          I believe this wonderfully written book was created by Churchwell for people who want to read a biography that they have to think about, not just one that tells them the most important dates in a person's life, so that's exactly who I'd recommend it to. If you're the type of person that loves biographies, pop culture, and connecting the dots then you'll love this piece. It doesn't tell you simply who Marilyn Monroe was, because there's hardly a correct answer to that, but it helps you decide who you think she was then, is today, and why that's the case. You don't have to love Marilyn Monroe alone to enjoy this book because although it is obviously all about her, it connects her story to sociology, psychology, sexuality, exploitation and corruption in Hollywood, 1950s American culture, feminism, acting, and obviously fame, both the price people are willing to pay for it and all the baggage it truly comes with (which has never failed to be an interesting thought to ponder).

A Hidden End

A Hidden End

Loren Salguero

Sanctum by Madeleine Roux

“How was he supposed to forget that he had been strapped down to a gurney and almost killed?” (35). What would you do if you lived your life with your destiny in someone else’s hands? This, is how Daniel Crawford and his two friends, Abby and Jordan, live their lives after being attacked and haunted by demons and people at an asylum. Sanctum by Madeleine Roux talks about the aftermath of three teenagers attending a college program over the summer. While they are there, they visit an asylum that was ran by a very cruel man many years ago that happened to be a relative of Daniel’s -- “Dan felt this was a hole in his personal history, a mystery that he very much needed to solve” (13). There is not much said about what happens to Daniel and his friends but throughout the book, they do reveal mini events. After that summer, they start their senior year but continue to have nightmares about what had happened.

Daniel, Abby, and Jordan recieve a picture either through mail or in person by a psychotic and most likely possessed old roommate that almost murdered them all. Haunting them all, the three pictures would not let them escape their shivering past: “You’re not finished” (36). They join a program at the same school they went to during the summer so they can return to the asylum and find out why they are not finished yet.

This book definitely grabbed my attention the first time I began to read it. Immediately, there was suspense and mystery. This was my first time reading a book like this so I believe that is why I was so interested right away. After continuing to read more of the book, I began getting a bit tired of all the suspense. For example, “He was almost the one doing the killing” (24). At this part, no other follow up questions were answered; Why would he do the killing? Who was he about to kill? How? I just wanted to know what happened at the asylum so badly. All the suspense would make a normal person want to read more; however, It just got me really bored after being halfway through the book and still not having an idea of what went on. I definitely recommend this book to lovers of mystery; this book was full of suspense with all its clues and uncertainty. I do not recommend this book to people who are impatient, like me. There is always a big surprise ending in each book but when it comes to these scary ones I just like to know right away. For example, the characters in this book are trying to figure the why of what already happened. But, when it is a story being told and events are clear, I am more satisfied.

History Comes to Life

Michelle Correia

Author: Ken Follett

Title: The Pillars of the Earth

Have you ever noticed how your life has little connections to everyone else’s? In the book, The Pillars of the Earth, this is a very common theme. The story is told in multiple points of view and each main character has an interaction with every other main character. The story starts with a thief being hanged for stealing a jeweled goblet. The story then turns to Tom and Agnes, two peasants trying to find work for the winter. However, Tom is determined to work on a cathedral which raises some problems for the family when there is no work to be found. The first part of the book is based around this family and their struggles as they all deal with hunger and poverty, especially after someone steals the pig they were planning to sell. They must join together and deal with their struggles, specifically when Agnes dies, “she lay flat on the ground. Her face was ghastly white” (70). Thankfully, they receive some help from an outlaw who lives in the woods named Ellen. Every part ends on a cliffhanger which is something that compels me as a reader because I want to know how things get resolved for the characters I’ve grown to love. I haven’t finished the second part quite yet but it’s about a monk and the stories slightly intertwine when he comes across Tom and Ellen in the forest, noting that, “This builder was definitely the penniless kind, although his wife looked well enough” (111). One thing that slightly bothered me was when I got to the second part, and immediately it was about all new characters and was a completely different story. However, I didn’t mind it once I got used to the new characters and storyline, and realized I would be seeing more of Tom and Ellen in the future.

I really like this book because the characters have many difficult decisions regarding money, but specifically morals. Each character has their own personal dilemma and backstory. These are all dilemmas that occur and are solved in ways that one might not expect, and even the backstories all seem to connect somehow. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and I’m excited to read the rest of this series. I recommend this book to anyone who’s interested in movies like Valentine’s Day because the characters are all connected like they are in that movie. I also recommend this book to anyone that enjoys history, specifically European history because this book talks about everything from royal families, to peasants, to the corruptness of the Church, specifically when an old monk has to, “suffer pain and cold for the sake of a farthing or two a day” (123). This book covers a broad range of topics, and connects a lot to what we’re learning in AP European History. Reading about something that I’m learning and being forced to think about what the people in this time thought about the events going on makes me really eager to read more.

Empathizing with Androids

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

By Philip K. Dick

Michelle Wong

Are you able to distinguish between a real life animal and a robotic one? Apparently John Isidore can’t because he accidentally  let one die by bringing a real cat to a mechanic instead of a vet. His employer was extremely frustrated with him, but one of Isidore’s coworkers asked his boss to cut him some slack because in their world, the difference between a real animal and fake animal is virtually impossible. As a punishment, Isidore had to call the owners and inform them that their cat died and ask if they would like to purchase an electric cat as a replacement. Luckily, when Isidore reluctantly called the owners, Mrs. Pilsen picks up. Isidore forced himself to lie and say the cat died of pneumonitis and she should consider buying a replacement cat from the Sidney’s catalog:  “What about an exact electric duplicate of your cat?”(80), asks Isidore. If I was Mrs.Pilsen, I would definitely purchase an electric cat, but it obviously wouldn’t be the same. You could program the perfect cat replica of the cat that died with all the memories intact, but something would still feel uncanny about owning an electric cat like a real one. Mr. Pilsen purposely didn’t get to close to his cat when it was alive, but I still think he would notice that the fake cat isn’t his cat. Once you get close with someone, the thought of losing them can break you. Novels like these help me remember and appreciate the people I love. Mr. Pilsen shouldn’t be mad that his cat died. He should be happy that he was able to become so close with someone and become so sad and frustrated by them being gone. It says something really. To be able to love, care, and be so close to someone and be happy with them just tells how happy you were with them around. All these emotions are human and something that an android could never feel. Which leads to Rick Deckard’s bounty hunt for androids.

First on the list is Polokov. He is an android posing as an important figure for a trash collecting company. Once he finds him they battle it out and Rick is able to successfully “retire” , or kill and android. Next, Rick takes a break at an opera house. He sees someone, Luba Luft. He notices something odd about her and makes it his job to perform the Voigt-Kampff test on her, which leads into one of the most annoying, yet entertaining character interactions in this novel next to Isidore and Pris’ interaction. Ms.Luft is a character you love to hate, but nevertheless, her interaction with Rick is priceless. So the test runs smoothly until the Voigt-Kampff test starts asking some...frisky questions. Ms.Luft calls a patrolman over and oddly enough, Rick nor the patrolman recognize each other.  So to solve this problem they pack up to go to the police station. Unfortunately for Rick, he is brought to an unfamiliar police station which Rick assumes is a fake, android-run police station.

The novel is getting really exciting right now yet still able to bring up all these questions of a real and fake world. I can’t wait to finish the novel and if I could, I would write another blog post on it, but since I can’t next time you’ll see me taking a 360 and reading a romance novel. See you next time and I hope you enjoyed.

Atypical Teenage Life

Mirna Marroquin
It’s Kind of a Funny Story - Ned Vizzini

The transition from childhood to adulthood, otherwise known as “adolescence”, can possibly be one of the roughest ventures anyone has to go through. During a time where your sense of self starts to truly develop, a creeping feeling of vulnerability can sink in, and unfortunately, that happens to the main character in “It’s Kind of a Funny Story” by Ned Vizzini. Teenager Craig Gilner is known to have an especially innovative mind and he is close to graduating middle school, he sets a monumental goal to be accepted into an extremely prestigious school - Manhattan Executive Pre-Professional High School.

Known to be an institution where future lawyers, doctors and other white collar professionals are made, this school is no easy feat for Craig. The entrance exam - known as the Bernard Lutz Philanthropic Exam - is insanely difficult, thus making Craig dedicate an entire year to studying for it. Prior to this, Craig wasn’t a very social person, so the friends he once had are soon gone, until during his year of studying he befriends Aaron, another teenager studying for the exam as well.  They start to hang out quite often and even though the friendship is something unfamiliar to Craig, he gladly accepts it as he thinks “We kept doing it. It became a regular thing. We never formalized it, never named it but on Fridays Aaron would call and ask me to watch movies” (59).

As the deadline gets closer, Craig soon starts to have certain dark yet fleeting thoughts; however, he never truly dwells on them and thinks nothing of it, however he does label them, describing them as "tentacles", the bad thoughts and "anchors", the positive thoughts. Craig says " It was about this time that I started labeling things Tentacles. I had a lot of Tentacles. I needed to cut some of them. But I couldn't: they were too strong.." (95).

As the results come back, both Craig and Aaron get accepted in, and to celebrate, Aaron decides to throw a party. Not used to doing so, Craig goes and for the the first time ever, gets drunk - which is very normal for teenagers to do so during this transitional period. Towards the end of the party however, Craig and Aaron go out for a walk and as they near the Brooklyn Bridge, Craig has the insane urge to get close to the edge, and doing so, he claims that it was the closest to feeling alive than he has in weeks.

The school year then starts, and it hits Craig hard. The crazy amount of work and projects and internships that are expected of him encourage the number of dark thoughts to increase, even driving Craig to lose his appetite and any motivation to do any school work. Compared to the student he was once was, Craig's easy submission to procrastination is noticed by his parents and his teachers, and it ruins Craig's mental health, forcing him to realize that he has been dealing with depression the entire time.

As for what I have read of this novel, I consider it to be an eye opening one. So far, the struggle of being a high school is close to what I have personally experienced but not the same extent as Craig, as I have never dealt with suicidal thoughts like his, for example "It's so hard to talk when you want to kill yourself...it's a physical thing, like it's physically hard to open your mouth and make the words come out...you stumble on them as they gather behind your lower lip. So you just keep quiet" (3). This allows adolescents like met to realize that at such a developmental age, a teenage mindset truly differs from every individual.
Ned Vizzini has done an accurate job of telling the story in the voice of a teenager, as there's no sense of formality and the typical teenage mindset shines through. Not every author can nail that down, as it's evident when it seems forced and unnatural, but Vizzini has remained consistent with doing a great job. As for the argument that is presented in the novel, it presents an issue that gets overlooked in a new light.

The stereotype that teenagers are moody and grumpy all the time is such a cliche, but there is truth in stereotypes yet the constant generalization of them is what waters down that speck of truth. Starting from the year you grow past childhood up until you are considered an adult, teenagers have to face ever changing standards. On one hand, we are too young to be taken seriously and our input is easily brushed to the side but on the other hand, any error we make is clearly emphasized on and we are expected to make the right choice every time, as we now too old to have our blunders be forgotten.
This book so far seems perfect for an audience that has faced similar struggles like Craig's, as any source of relativity can be a comfort. This outlet of familiarity can show that they are not alone in facing their issues. Mental health issues have the ability to isolate people, but with books like these, it can help break down those barriers.

None For All, All For None

Aaron Lam

The Enemy

By Charlie Higson

Imagine yourself back at the age of 9 again. Everything was simpler, where people around you supported you and helped you. Now imagine everything you knew and love just vanished. There is nothing and will forever be nothing for as long as you go forward. The Enemy by Charlie Higson not only shows how society has fallen, but also how it struggles to regain what it had lost. The story takes place in London after a national disaster had struck it. The main cast of characters are a group of children that are living in a post-apocalyptic setting. Due to a virus that affects people over a certain age, the group consists entirely of children, ranging from elementary age to adolescence. The story reminds the reader of the perspective of the children where a dying child says, “‘I love you, Mom,’” (Pg 161) as his final words. Most adults had become zombies, while a small amount remained normal at the cost of turning to cannibalism to prevent being turned.

The use of children in the story creates both a different atmosphere as well as more tension. Children tend to be more irrational than an adult in terms of important decisions. Often in the book, the kids would put themselves over the benefit of the entire group. Some of the cast, such as Arran, had many qualities that proved he was suitable to be a leader but this ended when he has his untimely death. Arran’s death was not a noble one as he died both delirious and extremely agitated. “He couldn’t have shot himself. He tried to laugh, but it hurt too much. What was going on?” (Pg 143) Arran was in a fit of rage and was confused due to a previously untreated injury. His replacement was his second in command Maxie who lacked the same leadership like qualities Arran had due to her emotions taking charge rather than her head. “Maxie gave a bitter, slightly hysterical laugh” (pg 165).  Maxie shows traits of mistrust within her own group, which will create a weak leadership. Her downfall was continuously holding grudges against the people who accidentally killed Arran. The second half of the book begins to get tedious as the amount of tension begins to dwindle down. The book sets up a solid interpretation of a post apocalyptic scenario with a twist of having only children as survivors.

This book fills a niche quality within the post apocalyptic genre, basically creating a “what if” scenario. There are details that go into detail that appear more unsettling than those in a normal story about children. The pacing of the story is odd due to the constant change in perspective that the book does. One chapter would be with the main character, the next chapter would be going back to a minor character that hasn’t been seen since the beginning of the book. This pacing would break the immersion as well as being a cheap trick for suspense.

All is Fair...

All is Fair...

Jessica Conrad

Letters from Skye

Jessica Brockmole

    Imagine the worst feelings you can. Pain, confusion and depression probably come up.  In this story of love in war, those feelings are all the characters seem to experience, and the most tragic part is that two people’s love is the root of it all. Elspeth- a married woman from the Island of Skye- and David, an American fighting in World War One, have a huge impact on not only each other’s lives, but many others’ as well. As mentioned in my previous blog post (Two Worlds), Elspeth and David’s romance intensifies during the war, and as it does other relationships crumble.

    Elspeth continues to write back and forth to David, and grows increasingly guilty about it when Iain (her husband) is declared missing in action and eventually dead. Seeing their relationship, confirming she is cheating on Iain, sends her brother over the edge, causing him to disappear from his family until Margaret reached out.

    Elspeth returns home and finds out she is pregnant with Margaret- David’s child. At the same time, David tells her he may want to reenlist in the army for another year. She is adamant that he does not, and then word from him seems to stop. Elspeth’s whole world then also stops when she hears from one of his friends that David has died. As if by miracle, David writes to Elspeth saying that he is not dead, but he has been captured as prisoner of war. He also met Iain at the prison camp. David creates a fairytale story about him and Elspeth, writing “he knew hat no gift could draw Lucida away from her home. But, by sending the fisherman back to it, he’d found the only gift that mattered”, and gives it to Iain after he helps him escape to go home to his wife (Brockmole 260). His selfless gesture goes to waste though, as Iain’s relationship with Elspeth is not the same, and he eventually dies.

    Margaret continues on her journey to discover the “second volume” of her mother’s life, and meets her grandparents and uncles for the first time. She then locates her mother in a hospital in Edinburgh, and Finlay also comes to take her home. Margaret continues her search, and is able to contact David and bring him home to their family.

    The story is very interesting, and is not your generic love story. Although the ending may be a bit predictable, the course of the story up until the ending is not. This read is full of unexpected twists and turns, and thats what makes it so enjoyable. It’s a classic type of love story, with a non traditional take and unexpected events.

The author does a particularly good job with the emotion of the characters, which makes it much more vivid and easy to read. Feelings of pain and sadness are shown through Harry, David’s best friend’s letter to Elspeth with his line “to satisfy the last wish of the best friend I could ever hope to have…”, referring to the letter and story David wished to send to her when he was presumably dead  (Brockmole 231). Elspeth reveals how long she has desperately waited for David at the cathedral saying,“nine thousand days is a lot, but ten thousand is excessive", simultaneously exposing multiple emotions of years of blind hopefulness and dedication, but also tragedy and hopelessness.  (Brockmole 285). The author’s ability to pull so much out of only 11 words is pretty extraordinary. This skill of Brockmole’s contributes to why I like this book so much- because there isn’t a plain, unpacked sentence. Everything she writes has so much meaning, which derails it from ever getting boring.

For sure there is a distinct audience for this novel. Readers who can appreciate the romance and historical context of the story, as well as feel curious for the outcome will find Letters from Skye an enjoyable read. Feminists and others who thirst for a strong female lead can also find that in this book, since Elspeth is certainly not a “sit still, look pretty” kind of woman. She is strong and makes her wants and opinions very obvious. This story is by no means in a modern setting or in modern language, but the story and its theme of love persisting is clear and timeless.

A Collie, A Spaniel, and A Lot of Discontent

A Collie, A Spaniel, and A Lot of Discontent

Nora Haggerty

Jonathan Unleashed

By Meg Rosoff

When Jonathan Trefoil accepted his brother’s request, he had no idea what an impact Sissy and Dante would have on his life. Jonathan Unleashed by Meg Rosoff is about a young man named Jonathan who lives an uncharacteristically boring life in New York with a girlfriend who does not suit him and a job where he cannot reach his full potential. He has an eclectic personality and a tendency to greatly over analyze and occasionally space out while doing so, and is clearly not as happy as he could be. Things begin to change when his brother has to leave the country for six months and leaves Jonathan with his two dogs, a Cocker Spaniel named Sissy, and a Border Collie named Dante. The dogs bring some sense of stability to Jonathan’s life, and though he did not think he would like them at first, his love for them is shown even in the first few chapters. He cares for their happiness and mental state enough to bring them to a vet when he thinks they are discontented in his small Manhattan apartment. These dogs allow Jonathan to reach out beyond his normal network of people, and change the way he thinks about his own life.

Though Rosoff’s writing is entertaining and at times comical, I found the plot and story itself somewhat boring. I found myself waiting and waiting for a conflict to occur or problem to arise, for something substantial to happen and to no avail. I did not finish this book, so I cannot speak for the ending, but it was uneventful enough for me to resist continuing past the twenty-third chapter. My main emotions while reading the novel were sympathy for Jonathan because of how stuck he seemed, and frustration because he did not try to actively do anything about it. For example, at one point, his girlfriend Julie, in the midst of planning their (spoiler alert) marriage, replies very romantically when Jonathan asks her why she wants to marry him: “I’m used to you” (147). Their entire wedding is only happening because it is convenient for Julie as it will be paid for by her employer. Julie herself is not an interesting character and hard to understand -- and not the kind of character that a reader wants to take time to understand - she doesn’t even like the dogs!

It seems like no one really understands Jonathan very well except for his best friend Max, who was one of my favorite characters because of his blunt personality. Max is disapproving of Julie and tries to give Jonathan a reality check but Jonathan is too consumed with trying to change his life and feel more like a real adult. Max’s character is likable because he is honest and it is evident how much he cares about Jonathan’s wellbeing. After Jonathan had a breakdown in front of important businessmen during an advertising pitch, Max visited him in the hospital to talk about how things were going at work and reiterate how he felt about Jonathan’s relationship. He jokes around saying, “We’re not happy you're here, obviously, but drama-wise it's fantastic… I'm not suggesting you die to satisfy an office pool, but if you did, I promise I'd throw you a slap-up wake” (168). Their friendship is important because it helps keep Jonathan a little more sane than he may otherwise be, and Max wants Jonathan to not be restricted by an unsatisfying relationship.

Something I liked about Jonathan Unleashed was how Rosoff’s writing style fit the personalities of the characters she created. There was a lot of dry humor and I did find myself laughing every so often. Her writing is casual yet detailed and the reader can really understand how people are feeling throughout the book, and maybe even relate to them, based on their dialogue and actions. An example of this was in Rosoff’s description of Jonathan’s boss’s work strategies, “Eduardo’s strategy was to hire good-natured, fun-loving, intelligent, young people at entry-level salaries to exploit and betray until they lost the will to live” (56). Not only does the contrast in tones help the reader understand Eduardo’s character, but it is humorous and shows what Jonathan thinks about his boss. Further, this may be something that readers can connect to because I imagine Rosoff’s audience is mainly adults that are on the younger side who are possibly in similar situations, just starting out in the real world.

I would say this book is for people who want something light hearted and simple. There was not anything particularly engaging about the two thirds of the book I read, and at times it seemed a little disjointed, as events would come and go very quickly. Not much about this book was exceptionally powerful, though it did minimally touch upon the love that a dog owner can have for their canines. I did not become attached to any of the characters or really invested in the storyline, but readers that enjoy occasional comedy and want to feel badly for characters may find this book to their liking.

The Answer to The Meaning of Life, Finally Solved...

Brandon Zuniga

Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy

By Douglas Adams

Forty-two. The answer to the great question of Life, the Universe, and Everything. If you have no clue what I mean, well, neither do the characters in Douglas Adams’ novel, The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy. This review is a continuation of my “first look” of the novel. If you would like to see my initial thoughts on the novel, check it out here.

The latter half of the novel takes place in a planet known as Magrathea. This planet was thought to have been a legend that was passed down, and a place where the industry inside the planet boomed by creating and selling planets to the richest species in the world. Zaphod’s mission was to see if the planet was real or not. After almost being obliterated by the planet’s weapon defense system, the crew found out that the planet was dormant due to the universal economy not being able to afford buying planets. After meeting a mysterious being named Slartibartfast, Arthur finds out that earth was created by hyper-intelligent mice to figure out the meaning of the question, “What is the meaning of life?”. The mice wanted to know the full extent of the question due to their dissatisfaction of the answer “forty-two”, and thus the Earth was created.
It is meant to serve as a book you can pick up and enjoy with ease, as it throws one-liners and goofy scenarios at you such as two cops arguing with Ford, one of the main characters: ”I don’t go around gratuitously shooting people and then bragging about it... like some cops I could mention... I agonize about it afterward... to my girlfriend!”(207). Additionally, in the novel, the answer to the meaning of life is the number forty-two; It is not meant to mean anything more than that. The total absurdity and non-conventional writing makes it humorous. After an intense scene for Dent, he mutters, “I seem to be having tremendous difficulty with my lifestyle” (196). His words drifted into a wormhole to a different galaxy, and started a war. It is unimportant to the main story, but adds quick comic relief . Adams throws a lot at you very quickly, and, for the most part, it can be taken at face value. “It is an important and popular fact that things are not always what they seem”(156), but with this novel, rest assured that you get exactly what you pay for-a fun and fantastical novel .

This short novel is not meant to be taken too seriously, and can be used as a way to escape reality for a while. This book will fit perfectly for readers ages twelve through seventeen. The reason I enjoyed this novel was simply because it was simple and and enjoyable! I was able to take a break from reality and just enjoy a comedic book for a few hours. If this still intrigues you, what are you waiting for? Go out and grab your Hitchhiker’s Guide and enjoy!

Something to Think About

Gerard Jelloe

Hole in My Life
By Jack Gantos
 
It was astonishing to read about all the events that happened throughout Jack Gantos’s young adult life. Jack Gantos did not grow up in a stable environment as he lived a sort of nomad life. Gantos went trough tough times when he moved from Fort Lauderdale to Puerto Rico in the middle of his junior year, then back to Florida and later to the Virgin Islands where racial tension started to build up. Gantos wanted to get away from the tension any way he could and because of his desperation, he ends up getting into a drug smuggling operation and then gets caught by federal agents. It is the drastic changes in plot throughout the book that make you turn the page to learn more. We all experience in life the situation where we can choose what we want to do or choose what we should do; Gantos, “ was nineteen, still stuck in high school, and …...had unlimited freedom,”(19) to choose what he wanted and did not forsee a bad outcome from that. All while you are reading, these quick changes piece together to really tell his story about his restless final year of high school, his short-lived career as a criminal, his time in prison and how he became the award winning author that he is today.

Although you think to yourself that this is an easy read consisting of just a bunch of crazed stories with simple diction, behind the crazed stories is the story of how Gantos changed from wishing to be a writer to living his dream writing. He read voraciously, kept journals full of ideas, yet didn't feel he had anything worth writing about. Chasing his dream to evolve himself as a mature adult and a proper writer, he believed -with influence of admirable authors- that, he needed to “let go”. As time goes on, his criminal life continued until he got caught for drug trafficking and was sentenced to 6 years in prison. Although he wasn't allowed to keep a journal, his lifeline was a battered copy of The Brothers Karamazov , in which he scratched his thoughts, fears, and all the “getting caught stories”(110) in the tiny spaces between the lines. Time alone helped him to re-evaluate this and other beliefs. It also allowed him to become what he'd always wanted to be, because he found the focus and dedication needed to write seriously. I guess you could say prison was good for him; it helped him endure and ultimately overcome the worst experience of his life through writing.

I would recommend this book to all teenagers looking for a simple biography telling the story of a young person who has been through a lot and what that person did to deal with it and overcome it. I feel that Gantos was really able to connect with teens on a more personable level because it revolves his life as a teen and what he got out of. For teens that might be going through a rough patch, writing like Gantos, whether it be serious or random, could really help get through life. In terms of the writing style, it is nothing formal but still well written. Gantos describes things through slang words and expressions to give a sense of the culture but also provides meaning to the at the bottom of the page for people who might not understand it. For example, he says “access your genetic library all the way back to cellular experience”(55) which he says at the bottom of the page just means “recover memories from the beginning of mankind”.  Little things like this make a book more enjoyable for a reader and did make it more enjoyable for me. The book can be tiresome, as it goes off on a tangent at times, but it brings up many ideas to think about and topics for debate. It will leave you emotionally attached and have you thinking about life a little differently.

Ball Is Life

Ball Is Life

Iraklis Pagounes

Hoops

By: Walter Dean Myers

Have you ever had a dream that you wanted to chase? Well Lonnie Jackson the 17 year old is in that same position. The dream that he clings on to is one that most young kids have; and that is to become a professional athlete. Loonie wants to play in the NBA! As being a senior in high school, he feels nervous about his next steps in life. He feels that his basketball talents can take him out of Harlem, and he can pursue his dream. Being one of the best players in Harlem he believes that his goal is actually attainable.

Loonie rarely stays home with his mother because they do not have good relationship. He bonds with his basketball coach who has helped him find a place to stay in a hotel called the--Grant. Family is not a really big picture in Loonie’s life as his dad is not mentioned much and he chooses to focus more on basketball. “When his father came in, you could tell there wasn't any lost love between them”(151). Family is clearly not Loonies number one priority.

Overall, I would rate this book an A. I enjoyed reading this book and it made me feel like I was apart of the story. At first I thought it was going to be an action packed sports novel; but is soon revealed as a moral tale about choices and integrity. This was a good book to read because it has a meaning and a lesson to it, it’s more than just a story.

In this novel, Myers makes the game of basketball symbolize the game of life. With all of the frustrations that come with it, Myers used basketball as a way for Loonie to calm down and relax.“ I was playing ball for all these scouts”(95). He took basketball seriously and didn't want anything to get in the way of it. Everyone has that one thing that you do when you're not feeling themselves; and for Loonie that was to play basketball. “I couldn’t hear anybody after me, but I put the ball on the backboard”(50).  He was focused and determined. This is where the main character connects to me. I too share the passion and love for the sport of basketball and use it as a stress reliever. Also coincidentally, Loonie is a High school senior. After reading this book, it felt as if Loonie and I were somehow related.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers that want more than just a story. And if you like basketball--you will fall in love with it. Readers that enjoyed books like “More than a game” by Brian Billick will like this. Teenagers that love sports will like this book and hopefully will take away the same life lessons that that I did.

The Dead Flowers

Nina Cristofori

The Cellar

By Natasha Preston

In my last blog posted on December 31, 2017, I revealed how a girl named Summer was kidnapped and imprisoned in her kidnapper's cellar. Her name was changed to Lily and she became a new member of the kidnapper, Clover's family.

Three months have passed since Lily was thrown in the cellar with Rose and Poppy. Slap, after punch, after kick, after scream, the girls trapped in the cellar continue to be abused by the deranged man. Clover bought the girls their own flowers specific to their flower names, whether it be Poppy, Rose, or Lily. When the flowers began to wilt in the enclosed cellar, the girls payed for it. Clover would scream, “ You didn’t look after them...you let them die” (95), and he slapped the girls across the face while they were begging for forgiveness. Lily got it the worst when he punched her in the face, leaving her with a bruised eye and bloody mouth. To make matters worse, Lily was raped by Clover. She had prayed that she would never be touched sexually by him, and would be saved before then, but her wishes did not come true. Lily and the other girls were living a nightmare, not a fairytale. Lily asked herself, “ Why didn’t I fight him? I didn’t want it, but I didn’t do anything to even attempt to stop it. Would it have been worth my life? Yes. Knowing I had done nothing made me feel sick, dirty, and worthless” (176). Lily would continue to persevere on, keeping her family and boyfriend Lewis in her mind. A new Violet was brought into the “family” and she was as rebellious as the old Violet. She tried attacking Clover, and ended up with broken ribs. If it had not been for Rose convincing Clover that Violet was scared and just trying to protect the rest of the flowers, he would have killed her. The new Violet may have gotten off, but one of Clover’s co-workers wouldn’t. Christy was her name, and she was sleeping with their boss, who had a wife and kids. Clover was disgusted by this, and it brought memories of him and his mom walking in on his dad in bed with another woman. Clover broke into Christy’s house and stabbed her repeatedly indicating, “death is your punishment” (214), and disposed of her in the nearby canal.

Clover’s progression as a character has gotten more insane by the second. He has this ideology that all cheaters, prostitutes, and “whores” as he would say, need to be disposed off so he contributes to this cause by killing them. He believes they have done so much wrong but fails to acknowledge what he is doing is catastrophically worse. His idea of love is trapping girls in his basement, and raping them--he is “saving” them. What Clover really needs to be doing is saving the girls from himself.

This book is a thriller for sure, and you will never be able to predict what happens next because it gets more shocking and sickening by the page! If you enjoy suspenseful books, this is the book for you! Natasha Preston does not fail to keep readers intrigued and on their toes. Her use of flashbacks, gives more insight to readers of why things happened, and her use of perspectives allows readers to understand the character’s feelings and lives more. I cannot relate to anything in this book on a personal level, but in society today we see the horrible occurrences of domestic violence, kidnapping, and murders almost everyday. We also have psychotic people like Clover roaming the streets, and they must be stopped and persecuted for their crimes! Clover works for the legal system, which is all the more demented, but it conveys that even in our society today, not all people working for the legal system are “good guys”. It’s sad but true that you never really know the intentions of someone; people can be so deceiving.

I love this book in it’s entirety. I look forward to reading it, and although I may get frustrated with outcomes in the book, it makes me more active in the reading of it. I don’t know how the girls in the book keep sitting at dinner and conversing with this monster despite him abusing them physically and mentally. I know their lives are on the line, but are they really living, trapped in that cellar anyways? The girls are too reliant on their loved ones finding them and not planning together how they are going to get out. As I continue to read on, I will keep you posted on what happens next!

Polar Opposites

Brett DiStasio                                                                                                             December 10, 2017

Brady Vs. Manning

By: Gary Myers

Polar opposites

            Who knew that two men who came from totally different backgrounds and ways of life could end up being intertwined forever and build a relationship where they are best of friends and worst of enemies on the field. Peyton Manning and Tom Brady were polar opposites when they were growing up and in the NFL. Peyton had grownup as a former pro football player’s son and was in a family in which he and his two other brothers were expected to go pro. Every college in the country wanted him and, “Peyton had to set two hours aside after dinner to talk to all the colleges awaiting his decision”(47). Tom Brady was the exact opposite, he grew up in a blue-collar middle class family, and he didn't start playing football until his freshman year in high school. “Tom wouldn't of had the chance to see the field if it wasn't for the fact that schools quarterback quit because the team had not won a game the previous year.” (56) When Brady and Manning arrived in the NFL it was more of the same as Manning was the first overall pick and Tom Brady was taken as a compensatory selection 199th overall. Although Manning was considered much better than Brady, both quarterbacks led the best teams of the past decade and have been constantly compared and battled on the field in order to get their team to the Super Bowl.

Gary Myers provides a unique perspective on a rivalry that has been covered over and over through the years. He talks about the similarities and differences in Peyton and Tom’s life, providing previous unseen insight on conversations and moments shared between the two men behind closed doors. Unlike other books Myers often shifts the point of view chapter by chapter in order to go into exquisite detail. This allows him provide his own thoughts and ideas on the rivalry.

            My stance on the book has changed overtime as at first I thought it was just another account of the rivalry with the same information and perspective, but as the book progressed my view changed as Myers began to share exclusive interviews with the two athletes and provided more of his own position on the matter.

Myers also shows how he is a unique author as he uses transitions and change of perspective to move the novel along. Such as when Manning got drafted, he quickly shifts the next chapter to the same year when Brady was trying to play at the university of Michigan. When most authors are writing novels similar to this one, they usually focus on one side of the story, but Myers uses his first hand experience to separate himself from other writers. I would recommend this book to not only football fans, but also the common reader as Myers has a unique writing style and provides a fresh take on a worn out subject. Although I have not finished it, this is truly an interesting novel and a breath of fresh air when it comes to sports documentaries.