A Long Walk to Freedom

Final Blog Post

After reading the incredible novel by David peltzer, The Child Called “It”, I decided I wanted to take a look at an international role model and freedom-fighter, Nelson Mandela. The novel takes place in Southern Africa during the age of apartheid. Apartheid was the segregation of people due to race. It allowed the white people to receive several opportunities that the blacks would never have in their entire lifetime. They were constantly segregated; the blacks even had to use their own restrooms. Everything the blacks had was significantly worse in quality when compared to what the whites had. What angered the native South Africans most, was that they were being degraded and deprived of rights in their own land. This was their country, and yet they weren’t allowed to vote for their own leader.

In his novel, A Long Walk to Freedom, Madiba (meaning “leader” as the people of South Africa call him) explains the struggles he faced as he stayed in the Robben Island prison for 27 years. The Robben Island prison was the most secured prison in all of South Africa and the nature of it was very similar to Alcatraz in that it was completely isolated from continental South Africa.  Mandela was put into this prison because of apparent treason to South Africa when he only desired to improve relations between the blacks and whites and end apartheid.

Madiba describes the challenges he faced and the living hell that he was put through in his time in the Robben Island prison. After he had been released from prison, he had felt furious. His entire life as a young man had been wasted as he rotted in a prison for trying to fix the evil that had been prevalent in southern Africa. Mandela had spent about four years after his time in prison isolated, as he was so angered. He had been looked up to by most of the native South Africans, as he was fighting for their rights. So, when he was released from prison, he was continuously asked to take over the position as president of South Africa. He describes how he would wait until his time was over, and how he would attempt to instill in the prisoners an idea that peace takes precedence over violence and reason takes precedence over impulse. This idea was extremely odd to many of the black prisoners as they feel that they should have revenge on the individuals who had done them so much harm. They felt that violence and rage was the only way to deal with the injustice that they faced on a day to day basis simply because of the color of skin they were born with. Mandela instituted the ANC(African National Conference) after his release from the Robben Island prison which was composed of black men who desired freedom from discrimination. He became President of South Africa in 1994, at the age of 76.

Madiba’s incredible story can inspire a generation. His death was a loss to all but that does not mean his legacy will not live on.

A sign segregating the whites and blacks by assigning them specific lavatories.

A Child Called "It"

A Child Called "It"

      This week I decided to pick up the nonfiction autobiography, A Child Called "It" by David Pelzer. It was actually a fantastic novel, as I was able to finish the book over the course of this week. It is quite a short novel, yet it is equally as heartbreaking as a lengthy text like Romeo and Juliet (lol). The novel stars David Pelzer himself, and shows readers his childhood life. It takes place in California, and young David has two incredibly unstable parents. His mother was an abusive drunk who treated her son cruelly. She physically and emotionally abused him, she starved him, and she did unspeakable and horrifying things that a young child should never have to go through. She didn't think of him as her son, she thought of him as her slave. She was unpredictable and cruel, and the only thing that kept him alive was his unfaltering hope for someone to love him.

     He was never able to tell anyone about his problem at home, as it required an enormous amount of courage and strength to do so. So when he was able to announce his unfortunate story to an officer, it was a major event. He had spent his entire childhood being hit and starved and burnt and yet he still loved his mother with all of his heart. At one point, he was staying with his aunt, and he ran away from her home because he missed his mother. He truly loved her, although she practically put her own son's arm in an oven. Thinking about this child's treatment is excruciating, it's so horrible that such an innocent young boy was forced to live his life as a boy who wanted nothing more than to be loved.

     In general, the novel was quite inspiring yet very heartbreaking. The fact that a pure young child like David was forced to be afraid of his mothers voice, proves that we should all be so grateful for what we have. We constantly ask for new clothes, or electronics, or whatever it is that has momentarily caught our attention, when there are kids who want nothing more than a warm meal every now and then. It shows that humanity becomes greedy; the more we are given, the more we want. However, we shouldn't be materialistic and obsessed over something as simple as a new pair of shoes. We should all think the way David thinks, that very little is required to make one happy. Love induces happiness, and we should always remember that.

Abuse can be both physical and emotional. It's quite horrifying what someone can do to a young child.

      

The Kite Runner

The Kite Runner

          This week I thought I would pick up the well known novel, The Kite Runner. I read the first five chapters this week, and I was able to pick up a lot of context from these thirty pages. This novel, written by Khaled Hosseini, takes place in December of 2001 in Los Angeles, with a middle-aged man looking back on his past as a young boy, peeking through the abandoned allies of his community. He begins with talking in almost a dark tone or manner. I expect the narrator to be the author, Khaled, as it the novel is in first person. Khaled believes that one is able to block out the worst moments of their past, and bury it. However, it takes time and effort, "because the past claws its way out". The novel introduces three characters, just on the first page. Rahim Khan, who seems to be an old friend of Khaled's, who lives in Pakistan. Rahim seems to induce the resurfacing of many of Khaled's old memories, and throughout the novel, Khaled is reflecting on his past.

         One thing I definitely enjoyed about the start of this novel is the diction. The author has a wonderful way of portraying his past. It took me two pages to want to read more, as the novel seems to be very mysterious. Khaled seems to have a very intriguing past, and he withholds the information from the reader, which is what makes me want to read more. It is a compelling and interesting book and it's definitely not your typical love story or science fiction novel. :)

          Something I didn't like about the novel so far was that it's slightly confusing. I love how the author makes the novel mysterious, however the phrases he uses and characters he refers to required me to make a lot of inferences that may or may not be correct. The only way to ensure who is who is by reading carefully and remembering small details. For example, the author might repeat a quote of someone he used to know more than once at different occasions in the novel, so you must be able to connect all of those events so that you are able to form a clear picture in your mind.

          In general, I enjoyed these first few chapters. Khaled talks about his childhood a lot and I expect this novel to be very well-written and attention-grabbing. As of now, I would recommend the novel to others. :)

Pakistan is located in Asia and at one point was connected with India, until a major war/dispute tore their relationship apart. They are now separate countries

Speak

Speak

This week I decided to pick up a book that I had heard a lot about. Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson. The book starts out with the introduction of main character, Melinda Sordino, a freshman with an enormous secret weighing on her shoulders. Taking place at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York, Melinda is constantly feeling guilty and in constant pain. She resorts to ditching school and hiding in an abandoned janitors closet. Self-harming is the least of her problems.

    She attended a party in the summer before she had begun high school, and it was quite intense. There were several upperclassmen along with readily available alcohol and drugs. She was having an amazing time at the party, until she met a boy. It may sound like your typical love story, but it's the complete opposite. Wildly desired Andy Evans, had approached her at the party. Feeling excited and intoxicated, the two went into the woods to speak together, and that led into Andy showing his true colors. Melinda had been raped by him, and she was too drunk to understand what was happening to her.

    Melinda finally realized what was happening in the woods, and was barely able to get away from him. So it wasn't a surprise when Melinda called the police. The authorities shut down the party, and everyone knew that Melinda was to blame.

    Melinda had lost a significant amount of friends due to the incident at the party, although nobody knew that she had been raped there. Her only friend is a new student named Heather, and she is constantly trying to get Melinda back into the loop, so that she gains some popularity. Melinda doesn't want this, and constantly tries to get out of seeing her old friends and Andy. So, she skips school.

    Her guidance counselor is quite worried about her and persists in asking Melinda what had caused her grades to drop so much. After awhile, she finally admits to herself that she was actually raped. It took her so long to realize it, but now it would be easier. She started to open up to several more people about her experience at the party. She speaks up (the title made sense at this point) about everything, and fights for herself, along with several other girls that Andy had played with as well.

    I think what I really enjoyed about this novel was that it was extremely modern. Thousands, possibly millions, of women all over the world are sexually abused and raped. It was a truly impactful novel, and quite relevant in today's times. I believe that if the novel gains popularity, it will be read by more, which means that more scared women will gain the inspiration to speak up about their situations and realize that by opening up to someone, they are not weak at all. They are actually significantly stronger. It was quite an interesting novel and I would definitely recommend it to young adults.

Above you are able to see the statistics of rape in each country. It is quite horrific to see that America is one of the darkest shaded countries, meaning people are more likely to be raped in America than almost any other country.

The Grapes of Wrath

The Grapes of Wrath

     As usual, I decided to begin another novel today. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck. I haven't heard much of this book, however I remember my sister read it when she was around my age so we had the book at home and I just picked it up :) To begin the novel, you are introduced to main character Tom Joad, a man convicted for manslaughter. He spent four years in prison and has just been released. He is on is way home to see his family in Oklahoma once more. Tom hitches a ride from a truck driver named Jim Casey. Jim and Tom go driving together, in order to seek out Tom's long-lost family. However, when they arrive to what should've been Tom's home, they are quite surprised.

    The two young men are shocked to hear that Tom's family has moved to California, in order to look for jobs. So Jim, being the kind soul he is, continues on with Tom on his journey. They head for Tom's Uncle John's home, where they find Tom's mother, father, and grandpa packing up the last of their family's possessions. They continue towards California at that point. Shortly after their departure, Tom's grandpa passes away :(

    So far, I have found the book to be slightly complex. The language used throughout the novel is spelt slightly different, as every piece of dialogue is spoken in a somewhat southern accent, so it can be slightly confusing when trying to read through. You have to slightly alter your mindset when reading through. However, overall, the beginning of the story is very well developed and I can't wait to read more!

Above you can see an image from the actual film made. It was clearly in a different age, where people spoke and acted quite different than they do in todays time.

Looking for Alaska/The Help

Looking for Alaska/The Help

     This week I finished the novel I was previously reading, The Help. I would say it was quite an amazing book, and I liked it even more than the movie. It was really interesting to be able to read about such cruel conditions back then. There were several slave revolts throughout the book, as it was during the time period of apartheid. in the end, quite a few black slaves ended up rebelling against their masters, and although several had received severe punishments, they had gained their well-deserved freedom.
     I also decided to pick up the well-known novel, Looking for Alaska by John Green. I was actually quite concerned when I picked up the book, as Green is notorious for killing off important characters in his books. I have my tissue-box ready anyways, just in case. The book looks quite interesting (I apologize for judging the book by its cover) and from what I've heard, it's a great read!

     In the beginning of this novel, I was introduced to the character Miles Halter, a junior in Culver Creek High School. I was also introduced to Chip, who is nicknamed The Colonel. The Colonel is a natural leader who is very confident and intelligent. The Colonel starts to take a character named Pudge somewhere, and I look forward to reading on and seeing where he decides to take Pudge. All of the characters are very unique and interesting and I can't wait to read on! :)

A quote found in Looking For Alaska that truly impacted my thinking of the novel.

The Help

The Help Book Review

         This week I began the novel The Help by Kathryn Stockett. This novel was based on a true story, therefore it is nonfiction. I have just begun the book and I am already quite interested. This novel occurred in the year 1960, therefore it took place in the past and several slaves could be found in almost every household. In the first and second chapter, several characters were introduced. First is a woman named Aibleen. She is a black slave who cares for the child of her master, Elizabeth Leefolt. Mae is the name of the young daughter who Aibleen is the main caretaker of. I believe that Aibleen is extremely hard working, as well as caring. I believe that she is a good person and truly cares for and loves Mae. However, she is treated horribly by Elizabeth, as she is a slave.
           One thing I did not like about the first few chapters i have read so far is the segregation. It is sad to see that men and women were treated so horribly just because of their race. In Ms. Leefolt's home, there were separate bathrooms for blacks and whites. This is how it was during the era of slavery and it is very unfortunate. They were considered to be animals. However, it was well-written and realistic.
              Something I like about the novel so far is how realistic it is. It portrays the way the society worked very well and it was really interesting. I enjoyed getting to know all of the characters. So far, I enjoy the book and I definitely plan on reading on. The author is able to recreate the scenes in a very impressive way. As I have seen the film, it is easy for me to remember what happened and compare it to the novel. The novel is much more vivid and detailed however and I would recommend it.

image of slavery

The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner Summary

Sanjana Nath

        This week I finished the book I was reading. In general, I thought The Maze Runner was an intriguing book. It left me very suspicious of certain characters and kept me interested throughout the book. I rarely ever found myself bored with the book and I always wanted to read more. I won't give out any spoilers because I hate them myself, but as a whole, I really enjoyed the book :)

       One thing I didn't really like about the book was how suddenly it ended. It was like the rest of the book- left me wanting to read more. However, I didn't like how the book ended like that. It didn't give very much closure at all. Although that was a very minor thing. For the most part, the book was amazing.

       I plan on reading the next book of the series next because I really want to know what happens to Thomas and his friends! Throughout the book, the author made me feel as if I was there with the characters, experiencing the same adventures they were. It was very well-written. There was so much suspense, as I have said several times before, and the way The Glades is portrayed is very unique.

Above you can see an image of Thomas, the main character of the novel. This is how he portrayed in the film. I actually really appreciated the actor choice (Dylan O'Brien) because I believe that he is a talented actor and would be able to play Thomas well.

      

The Maze Runner Review

The Maze Runner Review

             This week I decided to continue with the same book as last week, The Maze Runner. I was astonished at how gripping the book was, and I just couldn't put it down. This novel is filled with several twists and turns, and everything is unexpected. There is so much drama and the author makes you feel as if you are there with the characters. As a reader, I felt desperate for Thomas, hoping he would find a way out of the maze.
              Thomas is still in The Glade, trapped. He is slowly getting used to the feeling of having no way out, but his persistence only grows. He is anxious to find a way out of The Maze, and he wants answers, quick. Ever since he was brought into The Glade, things had changed. Disease started spreading, The Maze started changing, and there were many more fatalities and injuries. People start becoming very accusing towards Thomas; they believe that he is the reason for all of the trouble in The Maze.
             Several problems are introduced in this part of the book. Every month, a terrified boy arrives into The Glade through the mysterious elevator. However, after Thomas arrived, it had only been a couple weeks until there was another one dropped into The Glade. It was a girl. This had been the first girl to arrive in The Glade, and when she arrived, the was clutching a note that informed the rest of the boys that she would be the last person to be sent into The Glade, ever. This meant that nobody would have any resources and no way to survive, because every time a person was sent into The Glade, supplies were sent with it. This made everyone feel frantic- they needed to find a way out of The Maze, and fast, otherwise they would be left to die.
          I really have been enjoying the book so far, The Maze is very intriguing, as it seems to change its course every night. I enjoy how perplexed everyone is; the reader knows how they feel clueless and as the boys learn more about The Maze, the reader learns with them. It's interesting to see this new society, how they survive and work together.
         What I didn't like about this book was the fact that nobody would tell Thomas anything. They kept restricting him from vital information. He deserved to know about The Maze, or how their society worked together. He shouldn't be considered an outcast, because they all need to be working together to find their way out of The Maze. Being deprived of that knowledge made me feel slightly confused as to what was occurring.
        All in all, I am enjoying this novel quite a bit. It has kept me on edge and I would definitely recommend this book :)



The Maze Runner Review

The Maze Runner Review

         This week I decided to pick up a new book. For the past few weeks I have been reading City of Bones by Cassandra Clare, however this week, I decided to put that down for a week. I started reading The Maze Runner instead. I started reading it because the movie just came out and I wanted to read the book. 

         The main character of this novel, Thomas, shows up in an unknown territory, completely clueless. He arrives in The Glades, without the knowledge of who he is, where he came from, or how he got to be where he is. I really liked the beginning of the book, I haven't read too much yet, but Thomas seems to be a very interesting character. He arrives in The Glades, welcomed by several other boys. They had all arrived the same exact way he did.

           Throughout the portion of the novel I have read so far, Thomas starts gaining back his memory in pieces, and he isn't sure what's real and what's a dream. He is slowly welcomed by the others into their society in the maze. He sees that he is trapped in the maze with no way out. He is forced to live with complete strangers unless they find a way out of the maze that is constantly changing.

            I am really interested so far, and I believe there is going to be a lot of drama and sudden twists in the book. I haven't yet gotten too far into the book just yet, however I am looking forward to doing so. :)

I really appreciated this image that I found online, as it really puts the whole idea of a maze into perspective.



City of Bones Review

                               City of Bones Review

     In the past week, I have continued my independent reading novel, City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. Last week I had mentioned how the book truly was very interesting. I still follow through with that statement, the book is amazing! There is a lot to learn about the new world that Clary has just been introduced to, and it is starting to be uncovered. There still are many questions raised throughout my reading however.

    Last week I had talked about how Clary saw Jace and his friends at Pandemonium. This week I read about how Clary crosses paths with Jace yet again. He is asked to take Clary, whether she was willing or not, to go to a mysterious place called The Institute. Jace is explaining this all to her, when she gets several missed calls from her mother. Her mother tells her that she is in danger and she should go to her friends home, and that she shouldn't go home. Feeling worried, Clary rushes home only to find her apartment in ruins. She walks into a room to find a demonic creature that seemed to be a mix between a dog and a lizard, who readily attacks her. She somehow manages to kill her, however she was injured badly.

     Clary wakes up a few days later in the infirmary of The Institute. She is informed of what had happened to her. Many of my questions throughout the story were answered here, as the author explained who and what Jace was and why he killed someone in Pandemonium. It turns out that it wasn't a someone that Jace killed- it was a creature, similar to a vampire. In this part of the story, there is a lot of science fictional characters introduced, and it is very gripping. I am still enjoying the novel vigorously and I would definitely recommend reading it. So far, I'm unable to put the book down :)



City of Bones Synopsis and Quick Review

City of Bones Synopsis and Quick Review

Sanjana Nath

            This week I began to read the novel City of Bones by Cassandra Clare. I'm not very far into the book just yet, as I have only just started it. So far, I have read five chapters, and they were all extremely well-written, and left me wanting to read more. I didn't want to put the book down, and the story only just began. 

           The main character is a young teenager named Clary Fray, and she and her best friend Simon, decide to go to an all-ages club called Pandemonium one night. While at Pandemonium, Clary saw a group of teenagers who seemed extremely odd. She saw one of them holding a knife, following a young boy into a storage closet. Feeling worried, she followed them and spied on the group of teens and stood hiding behind a shelf, watching as one of the boys spoke strangely, then killed the other boy. The group of teens discovered Clary spying and started to explain that what they killed was a shapeshifter, not an actual human being. This was the beginning of Clary's life spiraling out of control. She figures out that nobody else is able to see the teenagers except for her, they're practically invisible. A few days later, Clary's mother goes missing and Clary is sent to a place called The Institution by one of the teenagers from Pandemonium; Jace.

          So far the book has been gripping and I have only wanted to read more. I hope to be able to read more, and I only expect the book to get better from here. I wonder what is going to happen in the book, and I'm looking forward to finding out! So far the book is very enjoyable, however I do have a lot of unanswered questions. However, I haven't read too much just yet so I expect a lot of my questions to get answer somewhere later on in the book. I think it will be a great read and so far I am recommending it :)



Summer Reading Project

         One theme that can be found in Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan, is that technology is powerful. For example, when Clay was able to solve the Founder's Puzzle, he used the technology of his laptop to aid him in his research. He created a program for the bookstore and was able to solve the puzzle just by creating this program. The Founder's Puzzle has taken most people many years filled with endless decoding and reading, however Clay was able to solve it in a matter of a few days with the help of his computer. Without his computer, Clay may never have even figured out what the Founder's Puzzle was, so his laptop was definitely an essential component towards the plot of the story.

         I really enjoyed the humor throughout the novel. The book was very peculiar and unexpected and that was very enjoyable to me. There were a lot of random twists and turns, new barriers and conflicts that must be solved throughout the story. It was like an obstacle course, a new problem arising every time you solve one. I liked how the book was on a topic that's very unique. I have never read another book that had a similar plot to that of this one. This involved an old bookstore combining with the latest technologies of Google itself. I also enjoyed how the author was able to make me laugh at a characters silly remarks throughout the story.

        However, there were a few negative qualities about the story. Some of the time, the book felt like there was no purpose. Every time a conflict was discovered, the solution would be very simple and not too exciting. I was reading and the author would mention a secret organization of bibliophiles, however that didn't seem very significant. These book lovers were searching for the key to immortality, however the main character, Clay Jannon, says that he knows there really isn't any chance of immortality. It was slightly contradicting and when the conflict was finally solved, the solution was very minor. It was something simple, and led the reader to believe that there was going to be a grand finale or major solution in the end. It was not really as exciting as it could've been.

My article is a book review and summary of the novel Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore. It describes the book thoroughly without giving away any spoilers. I would say it is very well-written.

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore Article

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