I've Read a Lot

I've read a lot in the past few days, and a lot has happened. Heres a very brief list of the main things:

• Shortly after my last post, a new character, Kyra, was introduced in the book. Kyra aka Goth-girl is an outrageous, cynical girl who shares his love of comics as well as his hatred for jocks and bullies. For some reason he finds himself comfortable telling her things that he hasn't told anybody. Ever. He tells her about his comic book that not even his best [and only] friend Cal knows about.
• Cal and Fanboy have a spat, and Fanboy loses Cal. They don't talk in the halls, and they ignore each other in class.
• Kyra and Fanboy get in a fight, and Kyra gets very angry at Fanboy. She ignores him in the hall, and even tells Cal that Fanboy is gay and has a thing for him
• Fanboy's mom tells him that she can no longer drive him to the comic book convention that he has been waiting to go to for months. Fanboy's favorite graphic novel writer will be there, and he hopes to show Bendis his graphic novel that is his ticket out of his present life. The step-fascist hears the bad news and offers to take Fanboy to the convention. From that point on, the step-fascist is referred to as 'step dad', or 'Tony'.
• At the convention, Fanboy meets Bendis and tries to show him the comic book. Bendis tells Fanboy that he doesn't have time to go over it. Fanboy is crushed. He feels that he has blown his last chance at hope for a better life. Kyra showed up unexpectedly, she was still mad at Fanboy, but she came for his graphic novel. She really liked it, and wanted to know what Bendis thought of it. Fanboy told her that he dismissed it, and she rages. She goes up to Bendis and causes a scene in front of the whole convention.

This portion of the book dealt with a lot of issues. Relationships, love, suicide, hope, and many others. For such an obscure title, this book brings up some very intricate topics, and I'm excited to read more.

All About Whats-His-Name

I figured that I should start talking about my new book, and so far there isn't much to discuss except for the main character. The book is written in first person, and his name hasn't really been mentioned yet, so I don't exactly know the protagonist's name. I'll just refer to him as 'Fanboy', since that is in the title of the book.

As I mentioned earlier, Fanboy is a comic book nerd who is constantly harassed in school by pretty much everyone. He only has one true friend, Cal, who is on the football team, but shares the same love for comics. Fanboy has accepted the fact that Cal cannot be seen with him in public, and he doesn't really mind it. He lives with his mother - parents are divorced - and the "step-fascist", the beer guzzling brute that his mother remarried.

In order to escape all of these daily frustrations, Fanboy has a secret project. He stays up late and works on his own comic book, that he hopes one day will be his ticket out of the little hick town. Fanboy's dream is to become a famous comic book writer.

I enjoy the narration by Fanboy, mainly because of his witty and sarcastic side comments...they add a comic element to the novel. It also provides a window to the lives of those outside of our little Edinian bubble.

Almost there...

Only four more blogs left until I meet the necessary 14! Not that I don't like it, but I always get behind on my blogs, and then I worry about it until they're done, but by the time I have the ones I was behind on completed, I have two more to post. Its not that bad, really...it could be something worse.

So I started my new book that I got for Christmas, and surprisingly I'm not completely bored or weirded out. So far, its about this total nerd who really likes comic books and hes bullied by kids in high school, etc. Pretty typical so far, but its not that bad. I'll keep you posted on whats to come...

Happy Holidays..

I am happy to report that I received a book for Christmas from my great-aunt and uncle, and even though the title is a bit odd, I think that I will try it out for my new outside reading book. The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl is not the name of a book I would normally pick up, so we'll if its something that is enjoyable...I'll let you know..



Thank goodness its only Tuesday, there is much more break to be had :] enjoy it.

I think I'm Going to be an Excellent Sadies Date.

Sadies is finally here. I'm not in much of a party mood, so we'll see how this goes....

Anyways, today in class, we read through most of Act II in Much Ado, and I starred as Claudio. I am still at a loss for what my outside reading book should be. I started reading Inkheart, but then realized that everyone had read that in fourth grade, so I decided to choose another book. Then I saw Love in the Time of Cholera lying around, and picked it up. That was not the book for me right now. So here I am again, right back where I started, with no book.

Nothing else to say as of now.

Argumentative blog

Another blog about...nothing. Since I finished outside reading, and I've talked about last class, there really isn't anything else to discuss. I don't want to ramble on about my day, because this isn't that type of blog, plus my day was boring as heck so nobody would want to hear about it. So I guess this blog can be an argumentative one. Here is my thesis:

I think that blogging in the educational sense is pointless if one doesn't have an outside reading book to discuss, and after one has finished their outside reading book, blogs should be discontinued until another book is found.

I can write the rest of the paper later. Obviously, my argument is weak, and there are many ways to counter my 'thesis', but that is my [humble] opinion. And although short, my argumentative blog has served its purpose: to take up space and fulfill the blogging requirement. For those out there who have nothing to blog about, make a thesis and then rip on it.

Research paper

Uh oh. I'm sort of worried about my research paper, which we turned in on Friday. My topic was treatment of prisoners, more specifically 'In regards to Guantanamo and other terrorist prisons, is it acceptable to torture and deny rights to prisoners in order to gain information about terrorism?'

It was an interesting topic to research, and since the research portion, it seems to be popping out in the news even more. My dad mentioned an article that he had read about torture, and I've seen multiple stories in the news about the treatment of prisoners. I know that it has always been there, but I thought it funny that it took a huge paper to make me realize it.

I'm a bit worried about it though. I think that I conveyed all sides to the argument well, and my ideas were [hopefully] coherent, but as I was reading over it one last time in class, I found a typo, and there were some other formatting issues that were discovered that day. Also, something was wrong with my double spacing, so it was like, triple spacing -- HUGE. Great, so I got points off for things that really don't matter in the big picture. How frustrating.

Really late....

Soooo this post is a week overdue, meaning after this, I'll only have to post two more times in order to get the necessary number of blogs.

I finished my book a week or two ago, and it was verrry good. I highly recommend it. One 'perk' I liked about the novel was that before almost every chapter, there was a historic picture of the circus. For example:

The pictures usually had something to do with what had just occurred in the last chapter, and it was a great visualization tool, for me at least. Overall, the story, characters, and settings were all wonderfully described in this novel, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. For me, it was a pleasant surprise.

There is nothing much left to say, except for that I need a recommendation for a new OR book. I'm really bad at picking books up and enjoying them, so if anybody has a book they could suggest that would be niice. Shanks.

Almost done...

...and I have really enjoyed Water for Elephants. I have about ten pages left, and I can say from right now that I recommend this book to everybody.

In my blogs, I have been focusing on the storyline where Jacob is in the circus (taking place in the late 20s, early 30s) but there is a whole other story happening at the same time. The circus part of the story is told by Jacob as a ninety-something year old man living in a nursing home. He is unhappy in the home, mainly because it means that he is growing old, and the misses the real world. And the food is horrible. This part of the book really gives the reader an insight to the minds of elderly people (especially those in nursing homes). I recognize all of the things Jacob describes, and I now can understand that they still do have, in most circumstances, a fully functioning mind, and they have a completely logical thought process. His thoughts and emotions also made me realize how sad it is for some/all people to grow old. Memories of being young constantly flood Jacob's mind, and he longs to be able to leave the home and experience 'normal' life once again.

This post sounds kind of depressing, but I still recommend this book. Not only is it very well written, and both story lines are very interesting, but it really does give the reader a look into the life of a circus performer (although the way of circus life probably has changed in the past 70 or 80 years) as well as the life of an elderly person longing for an escape out of their nursing home.

Whoa there..

Whoa. All of a sudden my outside reading book has taken a turn for the raunchy. There are scenes of the protagonist drinking away his problems, then engaging and witnessing some very unorthodox activity.

Racy behavior aside, I am still really enjoying this book with its vivid descriptions of characters, actions, settings, and emotions. Even though it isn't super suspenseful, or contains lots of action, I would classify this book as a page turner, because each time I pick it up, I end up reading way later than my body would prefer. I think I'm lacking sleep.

I am looking forward to learning more about the other circus character's backgrounds. Does your childhood and family life have to determine your future? For Jacob it certainly different, attending an Ivy League school and all, but the other workers and performers don't strike the reader as educated. What was their childhood like. Are they really educated, and just decide not to show it?

Extra Credit!

Yesss...I just completed all my extra credit work in about 2 minutes, so I would highly recommend taking those few minutes out of your day for a few extra points to make up for that All My Sons test...

So for part one, I have a picture of me with my book, although its not in a very creative place, I might have to retake it. For part two I donated 400 grains of rice to end world hunger; vocab level: 36. I guess its a win-win situation.

Water For Elephants

Yes, I am reading Water For Elephants. And no, I am not in book club.

So far the book has been intriguing and well written. It is narrated by Jacob Jankowski, a nonogenarian telling the story of his days in the circus. After his parents die in a car crash, Jacob walks out of the college in the middle of a test, and hops on a train, not knowing that it is "The Flying Squadron of the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth".

I'm only 59 pages in, but so far this book has really kept my attention, and it really takes you back to the circus days of the 20s. Above all, this book provides insight on circus workers, and personally, it has already taught me that not all circus performers/workers are bums who hop trains in search of money and food. Jankowski is a "college boy" who came from a good home, and was living a comfortable life until his parents died. I'm excited to see what other characters this book introduces, and learn more historical facts that are revealed.

Oops

Getting back into the blogging two times a week shouldn't be so hard for me, considering I'm on the computer so much, but for some reason only think about it at school where I have no computer access..

This can be my post about anything, I'll do my outside reading post after my Euro IDs. Friday was a good English class for a few reasons:

1. Ms. West is back! No more Layzell to tell our class how bad we are, and then give us fabulous sub reports. ha.
2. We got work time on our research papers (bad) so I don't have as much homework (good)
3. I was reminded that I had to blog

Today I was at an art fair selling my photography, and I brought my outside reading book, Water For Elephants, but I forgot that it was in my bag, so for three hours, I sat behind my booth and made only $42. Not much was accomplished. Bummerrrr

All My Sons Madness

Overall, I really enjoyed All My Sons. This may be controversial - in my class at least - but I thought that the tension and emotion in the play built up wonderfully, and the climax was very unexpected. I think that the play did a very good job focusing on the American Dream, and when you look into it deeper, there are many conflicts buried within the story.

Contrary to popular opinion, I don't think that the play was monotonous, and I enjoyed reading through it. Act III was the best in my opinion, because of all the surprises and twists that answer all the questions and tie up all lose ends the viewer/reader has been thinking about throughout. Personally, I had been wishy-washy over the issue of Larry's death, so the letter in the third act was one of the things that made it the best.

Well, there you go. My short/sloppy analysis/summary of All My Sons. Go see West Side Story, Thursday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday.

Prediction

My prediction for Act III of All My Sons is grim, to say the least.

Today, Ms. West said "Well, not everybody dies" in response to Rodger's "I think everybody is going to die." So, I think that somebody is going to die. My prediction is thus:

Chris and Anne are going to elope, Kate will be devastated, because of her strong belief that Larry is still alive, and she will kill herself.

How sad.

I don't really know....

What to write about...I've been gone all weekend and my outside reading book is finished. I don't really remember what we did in class last time so I can't blog about that, and the only homework I have is my two charts for outside reading.

I don't know what book I should read next for outside reading, so does anybody have any suggestions? Thank you.

I guess thats it...sorry kind of lame.

A bit late...

Well I actually finished my book last week-ish so this post is sort of tardy, but at least its here. Here is my final verdict: A Thousand Splendid Suns is an amazing story, it is wonderfully written, and I recommend that everybody read it. I put a picture of the book up so you know exactly what to look for when you stop into the book retailer of your choice.

Warning: You may not want to read this next bit because I will give away the ending. That, of course, is only if you decide to read this book.

Basically, Laila and Tariq escape Kabul together with the two children and live in Pakistan for a while. They learn that the Taliban have been pushed out of Kabul, and women have rights again, and everything is being rebuilt. Laila feels that it is her duty to her parents, her brothers, and herself to return and do some good. So she and Tariq pack up the children and they return to Kabul. Laila makes a difference by helping rebuild the orphanage that Aziza stayed in, as well as converting it into a school, where she teaches as well.
I think that this ending was appropriate, because it was a nice change from all of the tragedy that unfolded throughout the pages. It is nice to assume, at least, that Laila and Tariq will be happy, and they can finally live in peace.

The aftermath...

Homecoming was last night and I am dead tired. I've been sitting around the house all day and figured I should try and accomplish something today. Extra credit anyone?

Here are two paragraphs from my 400 Blows review.

"The most unique trait of film is the cinematic. These aspects bring you inside a character’s life, and it is essential that they be excellent for a film to be successful. In my opinion, The 400 Blows did accomplish this difficult task. The unique camera angles and shots made the movie interesting, and the music fit the mood perfectly. My personal favorite shot was from above, when the boys were running through the city in gym class, and in groups of two or three, they split off from the group. This comical scene was not only entertaining but original. The music matched every mood the film brought out. One clear example of this was the scene where Antoine’s family went out to the movies, and had a wonderful time. The music in this scene was upbeat and lively, helping the actors portray their happiness.

In comparing Black Boy and The 400 Blows, I found similarities and differences between the two protagonists, Richard and Antoine. Both boys were family outcasts, not accepted by their own kin, Richard mainly for his lack of religion, and Antoine for his rebellious nature. Each boy searched for a better way to live his life and escape disapproving parents, grandparents, and siblings. Antoine fled his woes by escaping from the observation center, and Richard ran from his troubles by escaping to the north with his Aunt Maggie. Another similarity between the two stories is the more obvious characteristic, that both Black Boy and The 400 Blows are memoirs."

So there you go. I guess its a win-win situation. You get to read my paper, and I get extra credit. :]

Rebel post

This post is called a 'rebel post' because I am posting during school. Unfortunately, we are supposed to be blogging, so I'm not really breaking any rules, but it still sounds cool.

So I also have an outside reading update. I am almost done with my book (about 30 pages left) and I think that it is an appropriate time to recommend this book. I recommend this book. It is an amazing story about modern day Afghanistan, and I think that everybody should know the whole story when it comes to Afghanistan and it's people. As I have mentioned before, most people, myself included, are/were not aware the extent of the abuse and strictness placed on the Afghani people, especially women.

I give this book 10 out of 10 stars. I'm sure Mira would agree. Ha.

More sadness....

Soo I happen to be on page 294 as of right now. And a lot has happened in 70 pages. Like, a lot. Here, I'll make a list:

• Laila has her baby - a girl whom she names Aziza. Rasheed loses all respect for Laila for failing to produce a male.
• The tension that had held Laila and Mariam apart since the beginning is broken, and they become extremely close.
• Mariam and Laila attempt to leave Kabul and flee to Pakistan. Unfortunately they are exposed and sent back to Rasheed, who severely beats both of them. After beatings, Laila and Aziza are locked and boarded up in Laila's room; boards put over the windows, leaving them in complete darkness. Mariam is locked in the shed. They stay in their prison for at least a day (the book isn't specific with time) without food or water.
• The Taliban arrive, stripping Mariam and Laila of every imaginable right. Extremely strict rules are also laid down for both men and women.
• Laila becomes pregnant, this time from Rasheed. She eventually gives birth (is less than ideal conditions) to a baby boy. Rasheed is thrilled with the baby, but still dislikes Laila. The baby's name is Zalami.
  
• One example of Rasheed's abuse: When Aziza is about six, Rasheed demands that she become a street beggar. Laila refuses and Rasheed slaps her. She punches him with all her might, and he walks away, gets his gun, pins her up against the wall, and sticks it down her mouth.
• Laila discovers that her father died in 1987 (she finds out in 2000)
• Laila is forced to place Aziza in an orphanage in order to keep her fed and clothed. She tries to visit as often as possible, but when Rasheed refuses to accompany her, Laila is forced to pass the Taliban. They beat her and make her go home. [The Taliban did not allow women on the streets without a male relative]
• Laila returns home from the orphanage one day (accompanied by Mariam and Zalami) and finds Tariq on her doorstep. Rasheed had paid that man to come tell Laila that Tariq died so she would marry him)

I bet you didn't read all of that. I probably wouldn't if this wasn't my blog.

As I've said before, I cannot get over the issues this book deals with. I find it hard to remember that this book takes place over the course of about 20 years. The strangest this is the abuse and struggles people, and especially women, endure only get worse as the book progresses. Another thing that I, and I'm sure many other's don't realize was how horrible the Taliban really was. We've all heard of it, but especially for me, I had no idea the magnitude of their cruelty.

The 400 Blows

I don't really understand the title, but regardless, I think that it's a really good movie. I love the older movies because it relies on good acting and storyline, instead of today's movies, which tend to have more special effects and CG. This classic style is essential in helping the viewer feel like they're a part of Antoine's life; following him to school, taking out the garbage, etc.

So far, all Antoine has accomplished is trouble. He wrote on the walls at school, he started a fire in his apartment, he skipped class and as an excuse told his teacher his mother died, receives poor grades, and even runs away from home to sleep in an old paper mill for a night. We discover that his mother is cheating, and she shows us that she doesn't care for Antoine all that much.

The movie is a bit hard to follow at times, because of the subtitles, but overall I'm enjoying it, and I'm excited to see what happens next on Monday.

A lot has gone by...

My last post found me at page 94 in my outside reading book, I am now on page 224, and a lot has happened. So far, I have only talked about Mariam and her troubles, but the beginning of Part II introduced a new character; Laila. When she is very young, Laila's two older brothers leave to join the army, and are eventually killed. Both of these events send Laila's mother - Mammy - into a deep depression, and she does not help take care of Laila for a long time. In her later years, Laila discovers her love for her best childhood friend, Tariq. They become romantically involved, and we find out later that Laila becomes pregnant. Mammy has since come out of her depression, because the Najibullah surrendered.

Unfortunately, warring Afghani groups bring violence to Kabul. There are daily bombings and shootings. Everybody familiar to Laila is either killed or flees. Her best friend Gita is killed in a bombing, while Tariq and her other best friend run from Kabul. The bombing that hits close to home however is the one that hits her home. The day that Laila, her mother, and her father are to flee their home, a bomb hits their home, killing her parents, and injuring Laila. Rasheed, Mariam's husband, finds her and brings her to his home. While recovering at Mariam's home, a man comes and informs Laila that Tariq, who's baby she carries, was killed in a bombing. Laila is devastated. To add to all of this tragedy, she if forced to marry Rasheed, because if he finds that she is pregnant, he will certainly kick her out of his home.

I find this book amazing, and impossible to put down, because all of this misfortune is experienced by people on a daily basis in real life.

A Thousand Splendid Suns....

...is a very sad book to say the least. I've just finished Part One, and so far Mariam - the protagonist - has:

• come home to find her mother hanging from the tree in her front yard
• realized that her father whom she "worshiped" really doesn't care about her...
• ...and is hurriedly given away to a fat old shoemaker for marriage [at age 15]
  
• taken away from everything and everybody familiar, unwillingly brought 650 km away from home
  
• had six miscarriages, and as a result, endured beatings from her husband

Don't get me wrong though, the book is very well written, and its definitely hard to put down, but its just the subject matter thats tragic, and even a little disturbing at times. But, even still, another thing that has to be taken into mind is that the story takes place in Afghanistan, where women are treated as inferiors is normal behavior. Mariam's story is probably a little more tragic than others, but overall, her issues with marriage are what many women were, and still are, treated.

Its stories like these that make me grateful for growing up in Edina, and not having to experience hardships such as these.

Oh and I don't know why it says that I posted this at 12:58, its really 3:29 pm...

The End Is Near....

Well actually, its here. Black Boy is finished, leaving me content. I actually enjoyed book. Shocker. I know, especially for me, because I'm usually not a big fan of books we read in school. Except for Thunder Cave. That book was a literary work of art....not so much. LRT was a joke.

Anyways, Black Boy was a winner for me because I enjoy memoirs, especially straightforward, not-so-deep ones. I also like reading about segregation in the south. It was such a strange time (for our living standards today at least), and in my opinion, it makes for a very interesting story. Another thing that contributed to my satisfaction was the point of view it was written in. The book I'm currently reading for outside reading is written in third person, and I keep thinking that it is written in first, so I always get confused as to who is telling the story. I'll just have to get used to it considering I have about 350 pages to go. Great.

I think that its time to go find a cure for my raging headache...it will probably end up with me not being able to find the Advil, so I'll just go to bed. Its only 9:00 so maybe I'll get a decent night of sleep for once.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

Mariam was five years old the first time she heard the word harami." (Hosseini 3) This is the first sentence of the book. We later learn that harami means 'bastard' in Arabic. To me, this opener is kind of....harsh, I guess is a good way to put it. So far the first few chapters have been about Mariam (the protagonist) and her woeful first years. Her father was a rich businessman who had an affair with the maid (Mariam's mother). Once her baby bump started to show, Mariam's mother was cast out of the household, and sent to a clearing where Jalil (Mariam's father) build them a "...rathole." (pg 9) The two have been living there in poverty ever since they were exiled from Jalil's home. Mariam is always looking forward to the next visit from her father, when he will sit her on his lap and tell her stories of far away places, and about how overjoyed he was when he found out that his daughter had been born. Mariam's mother scorns Jalil, and tells Mariam that her father is a selfish man who didn't come for two weeks to see her after Mariam had been born. Mariam believes her father's account of the story, and feels closer to him, even though she only sees him once every week or so.

I think this little explanation of mine may have rambled a bit, so I apologize if its difficult to read. I'm not going to start judging the book until I get a little farther that two chapters in, so don't ask me what I think of it.

Black Boy: Chapters 1, 2, & 3

So far, Black Boy has been an...interesting book. I really enjoy the style (straightforward and not too deep) and the storyline is very intriguing and a bit disturbing at times. So far, Richard has been beaten/whipped by his parents and other family members, killed a kitten, become an alcoholic at age six, participated in gang fights, told his granny to kiss his behind, and taken a peek in a whorehouse. Still, the thing that I think would be the most difficult to overcome is having a stroke-plagued, paralyzed mother. Richard even talks about the impact is has on him on page 100:

"My mother's suffering grew into a symbol in my mind, gathering to itself all the poverty, the ignorance, the helplessness; the painful, baffling, hunger-ridden days and hours, the restless moving, the futile seeking, the uncertainty, the fear, the dread; the meaningless pain and the endless suffering."

That's pretty depressing. I couldn't imagine my mom being immobile, laying in a bed all day. I mean, she's been gone for a week and a half on business now, and I'm not gonna lie, I miss her!

Well, outside reading is reserved....

I finally have a copy of the book A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini reserved at the library, so nobody will steal my copy. Unfortunately, I haven't had any time to retrieve my book, so I will have to go get it tomorrow after school.

I chose to read this book because I after Kite Runner in 8th or 9th grade, and loving it, I naturally wanted to read the author's next book. Also, naturally, I never had any time to go about doing it. I took outside reading as an opportunity to get this book checked off my list.

So, Mrs. West, if you're reading this, there is my [lame?] excuse for not having my novel with me in class, as well as clarification that I really do have a book chosen.

Test Post

This is a test...some real posts may be coming sooon.