Independent Reading

#1: I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell, by Tucker Max. (#1New York Times Bestseller)

This book was recommended to me over the summer, and this class is giving me the opportunity to read it. I borrowed the original book from my boyfriend, then on a field trip to The Book Nook with my classmate, Tommy, I saw the "revised and expanded" version on the shelf. I'm always eager to add a book to my shelf (and support the local economy), so I bought it! Well, Tommy spotted me the money (Thanks, Tommy). I haven't started it yet, but I'm looking forward to it!

Here's a link to the author's site! 

#2: Brave Girl Eating, by Harriet Brown

I haven't started it yet, but I mentioned it a few weeks ago in a post about StumbleUpon (I stumbled upon this book). I've been really eager to finish I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell (which is taking FOR...EV..ER), and when I went to Border's over the fall break, it wasn't in stock. I decided to use the internet for what it's worth, and dowload the Border's free eBook application, so that I could buy the digital verson of the book for $12.99, instead of the hardcover (the only two options) for $25.99 (on top of which, I'd have to pay shipping and handling). At this rate, I'm considering purchasing a Kindle/Nook (something of the sort) because I  think it will pay itself back several times over. I'm excited to download this book! Here's an excerpt from the book, on the Border's website!

And a link to the author's site!

#3: Crash Boom Love, by Juan Felipe Herrera

Written in free verse, this book is definitely not something I would have picked up on my own. However, I found myself very moved by the writing and development of the storyline. The book is about Mexican boy, in tenth grade, named Cesar Garcia. He is shunned by many of his classmates because of his ethnicity. We follow his struggle with fitting into the social strata at his school, getting an inside look at the racial discrimination that adolescents face. I would recommend this book to anyone (even if they were against poetry), but warn them that it may evoke emotions of sympathy and confusion...and even disbelief. Reading this resminded me of somehting I have realized and know about myself: while I consider myself to be responsible and mature, I can be...and am often naive about the unjustices in the world. When I read about or hear about the bullying that occurs in middle schools based on racial issues (especially), I find myself bewildered as to why young students could ever feel so much hatred, and act on that hatred, against others their own age, who have done nothing wrong. I cannot wrap my head around the fact that cultural differences are things that are being rejected, as opposed to embraced and taught. For example: the Holocaust. At nineteen years old, one would think that I would be able to discuss, or at least acknowledge such a historical event...but it's taken me a long time to truly acknowledge it. Even now, it is not something I willingly discuss. I change the subject and distract myself, knowing that I will only get upset and confused- even childish when the topic arises. Crash Boom Love had essentially the same effect. I would like to believe that the occurences in the book don't actually happen in real life, but I know they do, and that confuses me and hurts me. I know it is childish, but I would want nothing more than for people to be accepting, and not discriminatory, because I have seen first-hand the internal suffering bullying can cause. Crash Boom Love offers a victim's point of view, and now that I think about it, a story that I definitely want to share with my students someday. Not all students have the opportunity to feel the pressures that Cesar does, but that doesn't mean they have to be ignorant of the suffering that others face.

#4: The Trouble With Jeremy Chance, by George Harrar

It's historical fiction, and I actually really enjoyed it (historical fiction isn't normally my cup of tea). The main character, Jeremy is twelve years old, and won my heart within the first chapter. The story follows his journey from Derry, New Hampshire to Boston, Massachusetts, where he is going to meet his brother who is coming back from World War I. It's a classic coming-of-age story, and a very quick read. I definitely recommend this book! The language is interesting to read, as the characters use interesting phrases, often utilizing metaphors and similes. Jeremy is effective in explaining what life is like for him to the reader, while staying in context. It's a very easy and very enjoyable read!

A Milkweed Review 

#5: Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
A dystopian novel that really gets you thinking...especially as an English Ed major. Based on the premises of this book, my job would be nonexistent. It's hard to describe because the foundations of the storyline are based on a futuristic world very different from ours. Bradbury uses powerful imagery to make the book memorable, essentially burning the images and situations into your brain. I don't think I'll be forgetting this book anytime soon, and I would definitely recommend this book to others. Since reading it, it reminded me of a book by Ray Bradbury that I read years ago, The Illustrated Man. I was too young then to approach the novel with abstract thought, but in light of reading Fahrenheit 451, I'd like to go back to The Illustrated Man at some point. 



#6: It's Kind of A Funny Story, by Ned Vizzini
This novel is about a boy named Craig Gilner. He is fifteen years old and living in New York City. The novel revolves around his movement from getting into a good high school (he gets into a business high school for students who plan on going to colleges such as Harvard or Princeton, or going directly to Wall Street), and dealing with enormous amounts of stress from school (the stress also stems from some of his obsessive/neurotic behavior). The stress becomes so overbearing that he checks himself into the adult psychiatric unit at the hospital down the street from his home. It is there that he meets characters from whom he learns lessons, and learns a lot about himself. Ned Vizzini based much of the book on his own experience in the adult psychiatric ward at his local hospital, where he spent five days when he was a teenager.

#7: To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
A classic school text, that I somehow never had to read while I was in grade school. So far I've determined that the story is narrated by a girl named Scout Finch, who is in the first grade. This is not a good indication of her age though, because schooling was not as structured during the time of this story. I've also determined that the characters have odd names, which is, I think, why I did not enjoy the book the first time I tried to read it (I reached the second paragraph and gave up). It was confusing as to who/what was a character and what was an odd sounding, capitalized word, ha ha. Considered to be a must-read at the middle school and high school levels, I don't know how I got away with not reading it. I'm worried I'm going to be underwhelmed when I finish it because everyone has hyped it up so much. We shall see!