The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
I read this book in middle school and it has stayed in my mind since then. The characters seem to come to life, and the unique story line keeps you wanting to know what happens next. It's a story that explores both the theme of racism at the time and the theme of learning to love after significant loss. This book has stayed in my mind all these years because of the relatable imperfections of the characters and the love that they find in the most unthinkable places. This is a beautiful story.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
I also read this book in middle school. I don't remember many details from this book, but I remember it bringing up some incredible notions about conventionality and the beauty of the world. This book is difficult to describe in words, but it is wonderful and the images created by the author have remained in my head for many many years.
The Girl Who Owned a City by O.T. Nelson
Another book I read in middle school. This has to been one of the neatest books I've ever read. The premise of this book is that a disease wipes out everyone in the world over the age of 12. The book begins after this catastrophe and children are left on their own to take care of themselves. As a pre-teen myself when I read this, I loved to imagine being the girl and finding a place to turn into a place of refuge and fill with food, water, etc.
My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
A story about love and sacrifice and forgiveness and regret. Full of powerful messages.
Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
This novel is disturbing. But I was completely engaged the entire time and was constantly waiting to find out what happened next. The characters are in situations, some of which I can't imagine ever being in, but I found myself relating to their thoughts and worries easily.
Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck
One of the saddest books I've ever read, but also one of the best. Hopefully you have read this and understand what I mean.
The Pearl by John Steinbeck
Similar to to Of Mice and Men in it's deeply saddening ending. This book brings up several important lessons. One of these is to not become consumed with money and material things, when, underneath it all, all you really want to protect is your family.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Glass Castle is one of the most fascinating books I have ever read. It is based off of Jeannette Walls's childhood--growing up with hardly any money, often being homeless, and living with parents that are, well, kooky. I think of this book quite often.
The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
I thoroughly enjoyed it because it gave the reader a look into the thoughts and pains of the Confederate and Union generals and soldiers during the Civil War. More so, I enjoyed this book because the characters were fascinating and honest, and I found myself wanting to be their friends.
A Separate Peace by John Knowles
I read this book a couple of years ago. I loved the simplicity of the book and the central friendship between the two boys at boarding school. With the war serving as a constant backdrop to the story, tension existed among families and friends. And as the story came to a close and poor Finny died at the end, I cried.
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
One of my best friends at camp told me that I had to read this book. It is one of her favorites and since I enjoy her taste in other things, like movies and music, I decided to read it. I finished it in about three days. Interestingly, Holden's adventures in the book last about three days. I found this neat because in most books I've read, the story takes place over weeks, months, or years. Holden's narration throughout the book is full of detail and silly anecdotes that made me feel like I was on the journey with Holden. Overall, (if you really want to hear about it), Holden is hilarious, and it was so much fun to listen to his thought process.
The Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket
The books in this series are hardly literary masterpieces, but I was enthralled with them when I was younger. In the books, three siblings struggle to survive after the death of their parents in a house fire. Their only living relative they have (who gains legal custody of them) is an evil man named Count Olaf. These books are filled with misery, suspense, and sadness--every book has a depressing ending--but they are unique and fun.
I'm sure I'm forgetting several books that have meant a lot to me...! (824)
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
LOVELY BONES
Two things struck me after reading this book.
The first thing is the initial murder, including the murderer, Mr. Harvey. After reading the first few pages of this novel, I was greatly disturbed. Susie Salmon, a young teenager, is raped and killed. Mr. Harvey, the murderer, takes her into an underground hole in the cornfield, and after he rapes and kills her, he tears apart her bones and keeps them. Sebold's crude and detailed description of the rape and murder is horrifying. I was thoroughly disgusted and, in my head, I was pleading for Susie to escape. But instead, Mr. Harvey continues in his killing of Susie Salmon. And no, this was not the first, or last, time he commits such a horrid crime. Mr. Harvey has a strange addiction to murder and saving the bones of his victims. So after seeing Mr. Harvey as a crude murderer with no moral center whatsoever, I assumed that he is a one-sided character--simply an insane killer because who murders women (and animals) and--as if that's not bad enough--then proceeds to de-bone them? But author Alice Sebold made me do a double-take. Sebold lets the reader peek into Mr. Harvey's lonely world. Mr. Harvey's house is clean and organized. He does not stay up at night laughing evilly about his next murder. Rather, he spends his time building dollhouses. A murder who builds dollhouses? After discovering a couple of Mr. Harvey's non-murderer-like qualities, I began to wonder what Sebold would reveal next about Mr. Harvey. What was his motive for killing all of these living things? Why did he keep their bones? What's with the dollhouses? But instead, Sebold left us hanging...letting us think of our own answers to these questions.
The second thing that struck me as interesting after reading this book is Sebold's description of heaven. Initially, Susie's heaven is quite dull. There is a school building, some swings, and various familiar and pleasant things from her years on Earth. But there is nothing...magical. Although none of us knows what heaven looks like, we often think of heaven as a beautiful place of infinite content--probably because of the way books and movies have depicted it. Nonetheless, it is slightly disappointing when Susie reaches her quiet, lonely, strange heaven. While Susie's family is struggling to deal with her loss, Susie is struggling to find her place in heaven and comprehend that, although she can watch her family and friends from above, she can't help them. Instead, she has to help herself. Although Susie doesn't grow up on Earth, Sebold shows that Susie is maturing in heaven, in a close-to-human-like fashion. The more she grows and remembers, the more she can discover of heaven.
Overall, The Lovely Bones is emotionally draining. Characters make life-changing mistakes and the murderer is not discovered. But through these mistakes and through Sebold's unique plot, interesting questions are raised. For example, why does Sebold create Mr. Harvey as an atypical murderer? Why is heaven depicted the way it is? How can we learn from the shift in relationships throughout the story? How is love complicated by death? Are the actions of Susie’s mother attempts to live without regret? How does death hurt and help simultaneously? And lastly….why dollhouses? (543)
The first thing is the initial murder, including the murderer, Mr. Harvey. After reading the first few pages of this novel, I was greatly disturbed. Susie Salmon, a young teenager, is raped and killed. Mr. Harvey, the murderer, takes her into an underground hole in the cornfield, and after he rapes and kills her, he tears apart her bones and keeps them. Sebold's crude and detailed description of the rape and murder is horrifying. I was thoroughly disgusted and, in my head, I was pleading for Susie to escape. But instead, Mr. Harvey continues in his killing of Susie Salmon. And no, this was not the first, or last, time he commits such a horrid crime. Mr. Harvey has a strange addiction to murder and saving the bones of his victims. So after seeing Mr. Harvey as a crude murderer with no moral center whatsoever, I assumed that he is a one-sided character--simply an insane killer because who murders women (and animals) and--as if that's not bad enough--then proceeds to de-bone them? But author Alice Sebold made me do a double-take. Sebold lets the reader peek into Mr. Harvey's lonely world. Mr. Harvey's house is clean and organized. He does not stay up at night laughing evilly about his next murder. Rather, he spends his time building dollhouses. A murder who builds dollhouses? After discovering a couple of Mr. Harvey's non-murderer-like qualities, I began to wonder what Sebold would reveal next about Mr. Harvey. What was his motive for killing all of these living things? Why did he keep their bones? What's with the dollhouses? But instead, Sebold left us hanging...letting us think of our own answers to these questions.
The second thing that struck me as interesting after reading this book is Sebold's description of heaven. Initially, Susie's heaven is quite dull. There is a school building, some swings, and various familiar and pleasant things from her years on Earth. But there is nothing...magical. Although none of us knows what heaven looks like, we often think of heaven as a beautiful place of infinite content--probably because of the way books and movies have depicted it. Nonetheless, it is slightly disappointing when Susie reaches her quiet, lonely, strange heaven. While Susie's family is struggling to deal with her loss, Susie is struggling to find her place in heaven and comprehend that, although she can watch her family and friends from above, she can't help them. Instead, she has to help herself. Although Susie doesn't grow up on Earth, Sebold shows that Susie is maturing in heaven, in a close-to-human-like fashion. The more she grows and remembers, the more she can discover of heaven.
Overall, The Lovely Bones is emotionally draining. Characters make life-changing mistakes and the murderer is not discovered. But through these mistakes and through Sebold's unique plot, interesting questions are raised. For example, why does Sebold create Mr. Harvey as an atypical murderer? Why is heaven depicted the way it is? How can we learn from the shift in relationships throughout the story? How is love complicated by death? Are the actions of Susie’s mother attempts to live without regret? How does death hurt and help simultaneously? And lastly….why dollhouses? (543)
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