Reading blog - spoiler!

    When one reads a thrilling murder mystery novel where characters are methodically killed off by mirroring lines of a nursery rhyme one by one, one shouldn't expect to connect with any of the characters. However, my atypical heroine was the anxious and haunted Vera Claythorne, a woman constantly trying to make up for a dark past. In the beginning, I thought she was just trying to stay alive, but the plot thickened when it's revealed that she carries a burden heavier than fear: guilt.

    What fascinated me was how carefully Christie opened us to Vera's mind. Her thoughts were all over the place, some logical and brave, while others were panicked and complicated. Honestly, that's what made her such a relatable character. She wasn't just another person surviving on a dangerous island; she was running from herself. This book obligated me to conduct a deep self-analysis: if I did something terrible in my past, how would I live with it? Would I succeed in concealment and be able to live with it? Or would it haunt and eat me alive like it did to Vera?

    A moment from the book that dwelled with me was when she entered a room to find a noose hanging from the ceiling. It's honestly such a terrifying moment, but the scariest part is her reaction in the next part. Out of the many typical actions she could've done, she is instead drawn to it, her guilt drowning her to the point where she would rather sink. That moment made me realize how difficult it can be to fight powerful emotions like regret and shame. They're not just pangs in my head, but feelings that can shape my actions, my fears, and my future. Vera's story shouldn't be simply categorized as a murder mystery, but a mind game with the weight of our past, and sometimes, how that weight becomes too much.

    Her character reminded me that people represent more than what they've done. Vera's not innocent, but she's not cruel either. Like most of us, she's just complicated. And maybe what makes her notable is that she shows that through the pitch darkness, there's still a sliver of hope that tries to shine through.

Perfection in "No Passengers Beyond This Point" (Contains slight spoilers)

 

No Passengers Beyond This Point by Gennifer Choldenko published in 2011 focuses on the story of three siblings as they navigate a foreign, seemingly perfect city called Falling Bird. In Falling Bird, everyone and everything seems to know exactly what you want when you want it, through an advanced technology called the heart factor. While No Passengers Beyond This Point may seem like just a fun story without a deeper meaning, I would argue that it conveys the message that rather than chasing a celebrity lifestyle, you should focus on connecting with your family.

The city of Falling Bird seems like a utopia. Mouse, the youngest of the three siblings, describes Falling Bird as "a beautiful city that's all sparkly white and silver with color streaming out of it like the prism in the classroom." It seems like a perfect city on the outside, and even upon entering it seems perfect. However, the longer the siblings stay in Falling Bird, the more they realize how strange and messed up this city is. 

When the siblings enter the city, there are "fans" all around them, cheering their names and even planes drawing their names in the sky. Each of the siblings gets a house that is perfectly catered to them, with everything they could ever want and even a fake parent that acts exactly how they want them to. However, they are all in separate houses with no form of communication between the siblings, distancing them and pushing them away from each other. To me, this symbolizes the trap of an expensive celebrity lifestyle that sucks away your social life and forces you to cut your relationships.

At a certain point, the siblings each get forced down a tunnel and new people come into their houses to replace them. This represents how, once celebrities have their time in the spotlight, they get forgotten about and replaced, which is another reason not to pursue the celebrity lifestyle. Once the siblings lose their homes, they find each other and manage to escape from Falling Bird after a long, grueling journey. However, they are only able to get out by realizing the importance of family and that they have to give up their luxurious life. India, one of the siblings, thinks to herself, "They are my family. They are real," before giving up her job to find her other siblings again. This moment, and the book as a whole, show the value of family connection over a celebrity lifestyle.

Works Cited

Choldenko, Gennifer. No Passengers Beyond This Point. Dial Books for Young

     Readers, 2011.

Sometimes Humorous Writing is What Makes a Book Worth Reading

 Felix's blog on the book Sorry I'm Late,I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes - Jessica Pan

There are a ton of informational books out there, and all aim to help the reader learn or at least acknowledge something new. In the book Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come: One Introvert’s Year of Saying Yes, Jessica Pan informs readers what happened over the course of a year, and what led up to it, when she tried to counter her introverted ways. While the book certainly informs readers of what happened in the duration of that year, she explains her many awkward interactions with humor and self-deprecation which sometimes makes this book feel less informational and more like a look into her life. Even though I only recently started reading this book, Pan’s writing style is what keeps me reading this book.

In the first chapter, Pan sets the stage with a story titled “Rock Bottom,” describing her bleak lifestyle prior to deciding to try a year of being social. In this process of trying to quell her emotional suffering, Pan attempts to win a gym membership from a month-long contest. Eventually the only two people remaining in this contest were Jessica and a fellow competitor named Portia. Pan hilariously describes this one sided rivalry in her inner monologue, “‘you signed up for this contest to get healthy and happy, and now all you’re talking about is vanquishing someone named Portia’”(6). During one of the lowest points in her life, Pan is joking about obsessing over a gym membership and a woman named Portia. This style of writing makes nonfiction books a joy to read from my perspective as someone who rarely finds books funny enough to laugh out loud to.

Remaining in the first chapter, Pan references what happened to her past friendships since her “rock bottom” experience. Pan references how she treated others around her as, “I had essentially created a fortress around myself, stacked high with books and a sign on the wall that said, ‘I DON’T NEED YOU ANYWAY!’”(5). While her imagery is funny and well represents how she felt she was perceived at the time, I find the idea quite relatable. The feeling of closing yourself off from the world and acting like you don’t need anyone is painfully true to me. So while I laughed at this part of the chapter, deep down it was likely because I related to it so heavily. However, overall her use of vocabulary and creating a visual representation of her emotions I appreciated because Pan could’ve simply written that she felt closed off from the world but instead chose to reenact the idea with imagery.

In Pan’s second chapter, she begins her journey of trying to go out of her introverted comfort zone by getting advice and trying different methods. One key moment she experienced was when she went into public and asked who the Queen of England was. She lived in London at the time so this question was relevant to civilians minding their days. During this attempt to be social, Pan runs into the comedic scenario of no one actually knowing in response to her question. They respond with “Victoria,” and Pan thinks, “OK, extrovert experiment aside–does no one know who the Queen of England is?”(17). While the correct answer was “Elizabeth” this funny observation was a good way to stray away from the fact that Pan was going out into public and asking who the Queen of England was and the nervous emotions she experienced with that as a shy introvert. Social interactions can be difficult for some people, specifically the author Jessica Pan, yet this book so far has informed me about whole new levels of introversion and the rewards of simply starting a conversation with someone. Overall, from what I’ve read so far, I highly recommend this book and Pan’s comedic writing style adds appeal and laughs to what would be a boring informative book about introverts.

Works Cited

Pan, Jessica. Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come: One Introvert's Year of Saying Yes. Andrews Mcmeel Publishing, 2019.

What is True Free Will?

 What is True Free Will?

Max R.

The Giver opens following a twelve year old boy called Jonas. The story begins by revealing that Jonas has been having anxiety about the Ceremony of Twelve, which is when the twelves’ assignments are selected. We are later revealed that the society Jonas lives in is uniform, with people being referred to by the number of their age up to twelve and a strict set of rules that require adherence. When asked how he was feeling by his selected parents during a regular ritual, Jonas reveals that he isn’t sure about what job he will be selected for within the community, but is swiftly reassured that he will find his assignment enjoyable. However, he still continues to harbor doubts even after consulting with friends and family as seen in the quote “Though he had been reassured by the talk with his parents, he hadn’t the slightest idea what Assignment the Elders would be selecting for his future, or how he might feel about it when the day came”(Lowry 24) . It is also revealed that he has noticed some irregularities in his environment, such as an apple transforming into something closer to an anomaly than an apple for a second.  However, his visions are soon suppressed by the rules of his society, and he is forced to halt his investigation. Shortly after, during another dream sharing ritual, Jonas reveals that he had a erotic dream. His family unit listens intently, as Jonas rarely dreams, and soon diagnoses him with having “the stirrings”. He is then instructed to take a pill to stop them. 

Soon, the Ceremony of Twelve arrives. Jonas get up early along with his family unit to get good seats at the event. However, as soon as the event starts, Jonas starts to drift into boredom with the exception of when his sister is promoted to a Eight. Soon, it’s his turn as he waits patiently to be summoned and awarded his assignment. The Ceremony of Twelve starts as Jonas makes his way into a line organized by numerical order. Suddenly, he is skipped in the procession, and a powerful fear grips him as he begins to panic. “A mistake. She made a mistake. But Jonas knew, even as he had thought, that she hadn’t. The Chief Elder made no mistakes. Not at the Ceremony of Twelve” (Lowry 72). As the last numbers are assigned, his name gets called up from the podium as he notices an eccentric elder, the highest in the hierarchy of his society. He soon realizes that he never saw him before, but is then assigned the position of "Receiver". Along with his assignment, he is given a packet and instructed to read it at home privately. Jonas is too stunned to even think about the packet, and only decides to open it just before going to bed. Once open, it reveals rules that he must follow, particularly that he is allowed to lie and prohibited from talking about his training, which disregards the basic fundamentals that Jonas has been taught since birth. He was also told that training will begin the next day.

The next day, Jonas bikes over to his training area, an annex of a building serving the old of the community. When he arrives, he finds the same eccentric elder that he saw just yesterday, and is directed to sit down. The Giver explains to Jonas that his position of “The Giver” is to hold memories and advise the council using them. The Giver then recounts how the assignment has taken a toll on him as seen in the quote, “‘It's like going downhill through deep snow on a sled’ he said, finally. ’At first, it’s exhilarating: the speed; the sharp, clear air; but then the snow accumulates, builds up on the runners, and you slow, you have to push hard to keep going,’” (Lowry 98) . The Giver, realizing that Jonas is unfamiliar with every aspect of his metaphor, decides to transmit the memory. His training continues as Jonas is given more and more memories, some painful and some delightful. As the days pass, Jonas realizes that the world he lives in is devoid of any choice, uniqueness, color and emotions. Most importantly, the emotion called love, which Jonas learns from the memories passed down to him. One morning, just before Jonas leaves for his training, a special holiday is declared. Hearing this, Jonas goes outside to play with some friends but finds them playing a war game. Overwhelmed, Jonas begs them to stop, but they refuse. Reflecting on this, Jonas decides that he can’t live in a world nor society in which he lives now, a place where no one could understand him; he must run away.

After reading this book, my perspective on free will has changed. The Giver instills a thought provoking narrative, one in which Jonas is forced to decide for himself what joy and freedom truly is. The book forces the reader to reflect on what it means to have free will and whether a life without it in exchange for security is better than a life with it. The conversations in the book reflect Jonas’s development as he goes from a “happy” individual to questioning the system. One example of this is when Jonas starts to question taking a pill to prevent “the stirings”, and boycotts the pill as a result. Afterwards, he starts his greater boycott of the system which he was taught to love. Jonas chose to feel emotions over not feeling them at all. He chose to see colors rather than seeing only black and white. He chose to run away rather than to spend the rest of his life in a one dimensioned, consistent world with no uniqueness. Overall, this book made me wonder which one I would prefer, a world without a choice but security, or a world without security but choice. 

Works Cited

Lowry, Lois. The Giver. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 1993