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.