What did you read over holiday break for personal pleasure and edification? In my sickness and delirium I managed to read a little: I read several chapters of a new book, Words Like Loaded Pistols, about the history of rhetoric; I finished a book about the cultural references and human archetypes in the weirdest book in the English language, Finnegans Wake by James Joyce; I read Boundary Loop, a new book of poems by a new friend, Edgar Garcia; and I read several essays in this online magazine. (I have an essay in the magazine, which I wrote the essay two-and-a-half years ago, so I reread my own essay too.)
I'm curious about what you read and what you thought about it. In your response in the comment box below please provide a summary of the work along with your reaction to how it was written (the writer's style, choices, strategies, techniques) and what it was saying (the theme(s), the point, the meaning, the argument). Conclude with an evaluation of the work. Is it worth reading? For whom? Why? (Note: if you already wrote your response what you have written will suffice, as long as it's 300+ words. If you have not written your response please address the loose prompt I've concocted.
This is an optional assignment. It's due Thursday, January 3. If you complete it and it's on time, I will drop your lowest homework grade.
Kelly F.
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Over Christmas vacation, I did manage to start and complete one book throughout the week. The book I read was “The Fault in Our Stars” by John Green. I choose this book after seeing it on the New York Times bestsellers in Young Adult Fiction, and I had recalled hearing about it from some peers. After the first chapter of the book, I knew it was a good choice. I am usually not into such serious books as this, but John Green changed my mind. It is about a sixteen year old girl who, at age thirteen, was diagnosed with stage IV thyroid cancer. Her name is Hazel Grace Lancaster, and she lives hooked up to an oxygen tank for air. At the beginning of the book, in her cancer support group, she meets a cancer-survivor boy named Agustus Waters who is not only interested in her, but she is attracted to him as well. All throughout the book, we hear of Hazel’s interest in the book “An Imperial Affliction”, which prompts many of the two’s actions. Thanks to Agustus, himelf, Hazel, and Hazel’s mother got to do the one thing Hazel has always fantasized; travel to Amsterdam to meet the author of “An Imperial Affliction”. After a disappointing trip, and what seems like a tragedy, the novel takes a turn into the relationship between Hazel and Agustus. We follow them throughout some time, and see the love they have for one another. When a devastating revelation occurs about Agustus, the John Green uses the sensitive topic to engage the reader, and leave the book with a very well thought out ending that, although isn’t the happy ending I am used to reading, does not disappoint. John Green was able to turn such a depressing theme of cancer and survival into a novel that young adults, and even adults, would want to read. He used different techniques to intrigue readers of all types, including myself, who normally would not read a book of this subject, and leave a significant impression. The balance of tragedy, humor, and romance is something that keeps me turning the pages. It is not a sad novel about two teenagers who have cancer, but Green uses the presence of the cancer to develop the relationship between the two. “The Fault in Our Stars” makes the reader consider their own life with a new perspective. This book touches every emotion, leaving me, and probably many other readers wanting to read more about Agustus and Hazel.
Kacie Q.
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The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides
Over this vacation, I read “The Virgin Suicides” by Jeffrey Eugenides. The book is about a neighborhood towards the middle of the 20th century and five sisters, the Lisbons. At some point in the book (and I'm not spoiling anything; it's on the synopsis on the back and blatantly stated in the first chapter), all five girls commit suicide. The premise of the book seemed very dark, and I was surprised by how lighthearted it was for the most part. The fact that it was told in the neighborhood boys' perspective contributed to this lighthearted tone. To me, it seemed as if there was a single person as the narrator, speaking on behalf of the rest of the boys. The narrator always used “we” as a reference to the boys, never “I,” which contributed to his trustworthiness, as if an entire group of people agreed on something, and it wasn't just a single person's account. Throughout the book, the narrator would reference “Exhibits,” as if giving readers a walk through a museum. I felt like I was being taken on a tour throughout the entire book. This contributed to the way that the people in the neighborhood romanticized and idolized the Lisbon girls, before and after their deaths. Many times, the girls appeared very mysterious. Other times, they seemed just like normal teenage girls. It made me wonder how far the narrator's bias leaked into the story. The book was also full with small details about the neighborhood that made me believe, even though I knew it was fiction, that the story actually happened. For example, there was the gravedigger boycott that lasted for a year, ending only when the final Lisbon daughter died. Finally, there was the mystery surrounding the girls' suicides. None of them ever left a note, or gave an explanation, and while the neighborhood speculated, no answer was ever found. The narrator seemed to believe that the girls committed suicide because the world did not live up to their expectation, but, for me at least, this explanation didn't seem quite accurate. It made me think and speculate about the book even after I finished. Also, there was one scene at the end that I don't really want to spoil, but was extremely dark and vivid, and, although the book wasn't a horror story by any means, made me not want to go to sleep after finishing it. Overall, I loved this book and am looking forward to rereading it sometime in the future to see if I've missed anything. I'd recommend “The Virgin Suicides” to anyone who likes beautiful prose and complex characters.