【Book Review】Urban Mermaid

Urban Mermaid

       I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and the publisher.

I am not a huge fan of ocean-related books, especially books about mermaids. I have never had a great reading experience when reading books about mermaids, because they all tend to have basically the same cliché plot line, which I am definitely over with. However, this book completely changes my arbitrary opinion, and it makes me realize that there are some mermaid books out there that are worthy to spend my time reading. I am so happy that I didn’t ignore this book due to the book’s seemingly cliché title, but decided to give it a chance. I give it five out of five stars, because it is one of the greatest ocean-themed works I have ever read.

    The author Howard Parsons is very clever to add a twist to the ordinary mermaid story. Therefore, this book is completely different from the past mermaid books. Our heroine is a mermaid, but she doesn’t want to get married and live on the small island for the rest of her life. Thus, she leaves her home and comes to live in cities amongst humans. She then makes an encounter with a human called Peter, and both of their lives are changed ever since.

    A mermaid story with a modern city setting! How fancy is that! In terms of the plot, I love how Peter and Penelope develop their romantic relationship. This book, to be honest, is just like an ordinary romance novel if you ignore the existence of the tail. However, because there is a twist that is added to the story, it makes a huge difference. I enjoy reading the part where Peter and Penelope face obstacles together. Penelope is such a witty and smart heroine, and the interaction between her and Peter cannot be more adorable. The depictions of characters are realistic. While they are not flawless or perfect, they are indeed very agreeable.

    Overall, this is a wonderful story. I am seriously considering to get a physical copy of this book because it is just so great to read. This story is not only appealing to readers who love reading an ocean-themed book but want to read something fresh, but also a good choice for someone who wants to read a romance novel with a little twist.

【Book Review】Wonder

Wonder

    The reason why I haven’t posted any book reviews for the last several days is that I was busy with school stuff. Since I am currently a junior student in high school, there are tons of things that I have to deal with, which takes most of my leisure time. I have to get fully prepared for the college application, join the school activities, and prepare for my new SAT test. I try to squeeze my books reading time into my busy schedule, and I manage to read one book for the past four days. To be honest, I am pretty satisfied with my progress because I don’t have much time for books recently. Now without unrelated stuff, I will tell you what my feeling is toward this book.

    Wonder tells a story about a young ten-year-old boy August “Auggie”, who has a facial deformity due to some sort of genetic problem. Auggie has been homeschooled by his mother ever since he was old enough to learn. However, when Auggie is ten years old, his parents are resolved to send him to a normal elementary school. Together with anxiety and fear, Auggie starts his new life in his new school. At first, Auggie struggles a lot because every other student is afraid of Auggie’s appearance. Even though Auggie is isolated by others, he is then able to develop several friendships and finally gains the acceptance of other people.

    First of all, I didn’t anticipate to like this book when I first read it. I bought this book solely because I heard some positive comments from some people I subscribe on YouTube. Since I trust their tastes on books, I then decided to purchase Wonder, read it, and see what will happen. This book turns out to be one of my favorite middle grade books ever. Of course, I gave five out of five stars on GoodReads. Actually, I want to give it one hundred stars if I can. I admit that I even sobbed several times when I read book, which doesn’t happen normally.

    This is not just a book about how to grow up while facing difficulties and challenges. It is also a book about kinship and friendship development. The story is told from different perspectives, which gives the reader a better view of the plot. Every single character has his or her own story, and these different perspectives are great pleasure to read. The author is very good at writing books from the perspective of young children. Her writing style not only is extremely accessible and fun to read, but also makes me completely immerse into the story. As readers, we can see the transformation and maturation of each character, including Auggie, Via which is Auggie’s bigger sister, and Jack, the classmate and friend of Auggie. Auggie is loveable and intelligent. His story tells us that we shouldn’t judge other people solely by their physical appearances.

-Spoiler Book Discussion-

    There are several parts in the story that are really poignant. The first part is when Auggie finds out that not only do other students don’t want to talk to him, but also afraid to even make physical contacts with him. Sometimes, young children tend to do things without realizing how cruel their behaviors are. The second part is when Auggie wears a different costume during the Halloween, he hears the comments made by Jack when he enters the room. I admit that I hate Jack so much at the moment that I want to punch him on his face when I read this part. Wonder is such a great book, because it is revealing and it can easily move us with its words.

    There is no doubt that my favorite character is Auggie. He is such a brave young kid, who suffers a lot through his life time. I kept imagining myself in such circumstances, I probably will not have the courage to live. Auggie’s family members are also heartwarming. Their relationships are not perfect, sometimes they have to go through arguments and quarrels, however, they manage to fix their problems and keep loving each other deeply. It’s lucky that they doesn’t face financial problems, in fact, I personally believe Auggie’s family is actually quite wealthy. Of course, I don’t mean that they can spend money on whatever things they want. It’s just that Auggie’s myriad surgeries must cost a giant fortune, and there are many Star Wars figures and an IMac in Auggie’s room. Those, I believe, are indications of Auggie’s relatively wealthy family condition.

    My favorite parts of the story are no doubt the last part where the school holds an award ceremony. I heard some people thinks that the ending is not that realistic, but since this book’s target audiences are children, and children love books with happy endings, it doesn’t matter that much. Besides, I really love the ending and I am completely OK with it. Also, I adore the quote from Auggie which is “I think there should be a rule that everyone in the world should get a standing ovation at least once in their lives.” From my perspective, this quote just corresponded so well to the ending.

    Overall, this book is definitely going to be one of my favorite books in 2016. Everyone, no matter adults or children, should all read it, and contemplate the underlying meanings of this book. We shouldn’t judge a person’s character only by his or her appearance (though I always judge a book by its cover…). Also, try to show a little more kindness to other people, maybe the unconscious little behavior of yours can save the day of another person.

【Book Review】The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule

The Ukrainian and Russian Notebooks: Life and Death under Soviet Rule

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and Simon & Schuster.

    As always, I judge a graphic novel or a comic book by two main points, which are its illustration and its plot. I give this book five out of five stars, and it will definitely be one of my favorite graphic novels in 2016. Here is what I think about this book.

    The artwork of this book is quirky and gloomy, sometimes even scary. Although this type of illustration is not the typical ones that I like, it does correspond well with the main theme. I especially love the font of the words, therefore I give the artwork four stars.

    As for the plot, the book is divided into two parts. The first part is the Ukrainian notebook which illustrates the great famine, which is a government-sanctioned act that kills millions of Ukrainians. The second part is the Russian notebook which talks about the assassination of Anna Politkovskaya, the journalist who speaks against Putin and the second Chechen War. This graphic novel is extremely different from other graphic novels I have ever read. Previously, I only read graphic novels about romance, friendship, family, and self-development. Though containing various key elements, they all comprise positive meanings and encouraging messages. After reading this graphic novel, I can only feel disturbing and sad. This is definitely not a happy-ending-everybody-lives-happily-ever-after book. It’s painful to read how the Ukrainians are suffered from such a great disaster. Personally, I am not very familiar with the Russian history, so it’s even more shocking for me to realize how poor the people are treated. Also considering the fact that the assassination of Anna didn’t happen hundreds of years ago, instead it happened just in the 21th century, it makes the story even more astounding. This is a book that can inspire people to have more thorough and deeper contemplation about human rights. I will give the plot of this book five stars because of the bravery of the author to write about this brutality.

    I enjoy the reading experience that I have while reading this book. Therefore, I will recommend this book to people who would like to read some provoking graphic novels and people who enjoy reading about Russian history.

【Book Review】The Imitation Game

The Imitation Game

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and Abrams ComicArts

    I have not seen the movie about Alan Turing, however, I do have a basic knowledge about his life and all of his great achievements. The reason why I pick up this book is that I want to learn more about his life in details. I have to say that I am not satisfied with this book, so I give it a four-star rating (more likely to be 3.5 stars). Here is what I think.

    The first problem that I have about this book is the illustration. I have some preferences when it comes to the artwork of graphic novels. Unfortunately, the illustration of this book is absolutely not one of my favorites. Even though I am well aware of the fact that this should be only a matter of differences in tastes, I still cannot enjoy the artwork. Therefore, I give it three stars as for the art.

    The second problem that I have about the book is its way of telling the story. After reading the book, I can clearly tell that the author must have done some thorough researches of Alan Turing. I just cannot appreciate the fact that the author uses Alan Turing’s relatives or friends to make interviews or some sorts in order to tell Turing’s life story. I guess some people may find it quite intriguing, and it’s indeed a special way to learn how Turing is seen from other people’s perspectives. However, in my opinion, I am kind of perplexed when I read those interviews. I am rather confused that delighted to read the interview parts.

    I still highly recommend this graphic novel while I have some issues with it. There are many great parts of the book which I think will overweigh its problematic parts. People who enjoy the movie or the life of Alan Turing or simply the history of computer science will develop pleasure reading this book. Here is what I thought about this book: a qualified memoir of a tragic but talented and great man.

【Book Review】Rutabaga the Adventure Chef Book 2: Feasts of Fury

Rutabaga the Adventure Chef: Book 2: Feasts of Fury

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and ABRAMS Kids.

Rutabaga is going on an adventure with his little pet, a pot called “pot” (interesting). As a chef, Rutabaga is determined to find the most exotic and mysterious ingredients from the top recipes. Through his journey, he encounters many people as well as obstacles. In this book, he meets an old man with strange taste, a troop of actors with a concern for robbers, a thief who tries to steal the jewels of the princess, and a group of Goblins who desires to overthrow the royalty then rule the kingdom. This is the second book in this graphic novel series Rutabaga the Adventure Chef.

    I always judge whether I like a graphic novel by looking at what I think the two fundamental elements of a graphic novel, which are the plot and the illustration. Therefore, I feel like it’s necessary to discuss this book on each of these two topics.

A page from http://rutabagacomic.com/

    As for the illustration, I absolutely love it! The picture is in full color, and the art is quite cartoonish and extremely vibrant. I have several types of arts that are my favorite, and this art style is apparently one of them. I think the word part and the art combines well to form the whole story. There are some pages where there are quite a lot of words while some pages have little words and lot of arts. This combination, I believe, it’s suitable for young readers to keep reading the book. The author can portray the food and the process of cooking them with great finesse. The vibrant color makes the food more appealing to the readers as well. I greatly enjoy the recipes which appear through the story and at the end of the book. I will give the art of this book five stars!

    As for the plot, I don’t like it as much as the art. The book is divided into different chapters while each chapter tells a different story. However, these stories are also related to each other, which is quite fascinating. For example, there is a depiction of the masks of the actors being robbed and sold by the thief. Then in the later chapter, the Goblins appears to use those masks as their disguise. This connection between chapters is intriguing and interesting. Besides, this book is not just a typical cook-and-fight-the-evils kind of book, it contains some deeper meanings as well. This can be seen when the actor tells Rutabaga that every person wears a mask to hide their truth. Even there are many elements that I like about the story, I still have some issues about it. The most evident one is how the story develop. I always feel like there should be more development to the characters, especially Rutabaga himself, but considering the fact that this book’s main target readers are children, this shouldn’t be a huge problem. Thus, I will give the plot of this book four stars, I still enjoy it very much.

    Overall, I will give this book 4.5 stars. The reason why I request this book is its relation to the food, and I admit that the art of the author fulfills my expectation. I am looking forward to more artworks from the author, and I will also try to get the copy of the first book in this series. Great reading experience!

    

【Book Review】To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird

    I really have nothing more to say about the plot of To Kill a Mockingbird. It tells a story that takes place in a fictional small southern town called Maycomb in Alabama. The sleepy old town is awakened by the happenstance of a case that reveals the dark side of humanity and racial prejudice. To Kill a Mockingbird possesses a paramount status in the history of American literature. It deals with such a debatable issue that it has been banned by many schools and areas even till nowadays.

    I first read this book when I was in tenth grade, and our teacher required us to write an essay about its theme which every school’s teacher probably does. After reading and analyzing this book, I do have some thoughts about it that I want to share.

    One of the most evident themes in To Kill a Mockingbird is definitely the racial inequality. Even many decades have passed since the Emancipation Proclamation, the arbitrary notion that black people are lower in social ranking still prevails in people’s mind. According to the book, even the Ewells, who are in the bottom among white people, still have a higher social ranking compare to the black community, who at least possess more admirable qualities than the Ewells. The racial prejudice of people gives Bob Ewell the opportunity to persecute Tom Robinson who is completely innocent. To Kill a Mockingbird shows us how the black community was cruelly treated more than half a century ago. This depiction of racial discrimination is the main reason why this book is banned in many regions.

    There is another theme that is fundamental to this book which is the loss of innocence. Even though the title which contains mockingbird doesn’t have a strong connection with the literary content of this book, it does represent some other ideas. Just as Atticus once said to Scout that it’s a sin to kill a mockingbird, mockingbird resembles the innocent people such as Jem, Scout, Boo Radley, and Tom Robinson in this book. Killing a mockingbird is just like destroying the innocent people who have done nothing guilty. In To Kill a Mockingbird, the author also portrays the maturing process of both Jem and Scout. Jem witnesses what happens on the court and realizes the fact that in reality good not always defeats the bad. He suffers a painful maturation, and gradually stop acting in a childish way. At the end Jem becomes a completely different person compares to Jem’s disposition in the beginning of the book. As for Scout, she matures in a relatively later time which is reasonable considering her young age. Scout is the character that I want to have a full discussion about.

    I really admire her after reading To Kill a Mockingbird. She is a unique little girl. She is unusually intelligent, brave and thoughtful while her behavior separates her from all other young girls. Being repugnant to learn etiquette and manners, she possesses a great interest in playing boys games with her friends. I cannot believe how smart she is especially I think of her age. Scout is only five years old at the beginning of the book and she can already be this thoughtful! I barely knew anything but playing when I was in my five-year-old. When she encounters the dark side of the society, she is neither defeated nor suffers mental breakdown just like Boo and Tom do. Instead, she understands all the moral principles held by her father and fully grows up at the end. If you consider deeply about Scout, she is probably one of the toughest female protagonists you have ever seen. After all, who can be this smart and brave at the age of five. Besides the book, I also watched the movie of To Kill a Mockingbird. My opinion of the movie is that the actor of Dill is too ugly and the actress of Scout is very cute indeed.

Jem and Scout
I wonder what do they look like right now

Dill
I mean, seriously? That's what Dill looks like? 

    Several months ago I heard the release of Go Set a Watchman, which is a sequel of To Kill a Mockingbird, I instantly went and bought the physical copy. Unfortunately, I haven’t got time to read it yet, but I will definitely read it in a month or two. To be honest, I am a little hesitant to get my hands on this book because it only gets 3.32 on Goodreads. However, my past experiences with books and their Goodreads ratings tell me that I shouldn’t rely much on the rating of the book, so I am still excited to read Go Set a Watchman.

【Book Review】Rosie the Raven

Rosie the Raven

    I received a free electronic copy of this book from the publisher to make an honest review. Great thanks to NetGallery.com and Annick Press. 
    Rosie, a girl who hatches from a raven’s egg, lives with her four siblings, Mr. Raven, and Mrs. Raven. As Rosie grows up, she realizes the differences between her and her siblings. She has neither feathers nor wings, even though she tries to fly several times by flapping her arms, she can never make it happen. She then gradually realizes that there is no need for her to struggle to make changes, her raven parents will always accept her no matter who she is and what form she takes.
    I don’t want to discuss how exactly a little girl can hatch from an egg since it’s definitely not the major issue of this book. This book is about the unconditional love between parents and children. After discovering her distinction, Rosie confronts with frustration and anxiety, but she ultimately decides to accept her uniqueness and ceases to mimic the behavior of her brothers and sisters. The raven parents really demonstrate their deep love and care for Rosie, which plays an essential role in Rosie’s emotional transformation.
    Normally, I don’t read a lot of children’s picture books because in most of the times they seem to be quite childish. However, my arbitrary notion is changed by this beautifully illustrated book. Rosie the Raven carries a deep meaning which sometimes can be difficult for children to comprehend, but this book is very suitable for young readers. The writings are straightforward and accessible while the illustrations are not magnificent, they do bring a mellow feeling. I rarely encounter this style of illustration, but I decide I will read more of this style in the future. 
    Overall, I cannot say that this is an exceptional book, but I do like it and recommend it to young children. I give it a four-star rating on Goodreads. Thanks again to the publisher and NetGallery.com for sending me this book. 

【Book Review】Animal Farm

Animal Farm

    A group of animals who are tired of being ruled by humans, decide to revolt and establish their own society where everyone is equal. However, the animals face even worse situation under the tyranny of pigs, who declares to be “more equal than others”…

    Before I read this novel, I have already known that Animal Farm is a satire of the Russian Revolution, though I don’t possess a complete knowledge of the counterparts of each character in the novel. Then, after reading this book, I did a little research on the internet and found something useful. Now I can present a more understandable chart to illustrate the relations between the fictional characters and the reality.

    Mr. Jones, the former owner of the farm, represents the last Tsar of Russia, Nicholas Alexandrovich Romanov (Nicholas II), and Mrs. Jones represents the Tsar's wife, Alexandra. Old Major, as the father of Animalism, not only symbolizes Karl Marx but also symbolizes the original leaders of communists Vladimir Lenin in some degree. Napoleon represents the second leader of the Soviet Union Joseph Stalin while Snowball represents Leo Trotsky, who is one of the initial revolutionaries and is expelled from Russia. Squealer represents the media which spreads Stalin’s words to the general public. Boxer, the dedicated horse, represents the working class; the dogs represents the police or the army.

-Spoilers Alert!-

    There are two themes I want to share my opinions in Animal Farm. The first one is the class stratification. In the beginning, animals all have the same enemies which are humans, but as long as animals seize on the ownership of the farm, they begin to turn on each other. The pigs, who are portrayed as intellectuals, separate themselves from other animals, who are regarded as working labors. The rulers manipulate the society and establish their power by making the naïve working class animals believe that“Napoleon is always right.” This is a strong indication of the formation of classes. The commandment is now rejected since the equal between every animal no long exists.

    George Orwell also portrays how the controllers exhibit the abuse of language. The most evident example is the Seven Commandment which the Old Major proposes as the core of animalism. When Napoleon takes the power, he gradually twists the original meaning of the words for the purpose of improving his own dominance. He even proclaims that even though everyone is equal, someone is more equal than the others.

    One of the major conflicts within the plot of Animal Farm happens between Snowball and Napoleon. Snowball is dedicated to spreading Animalism to every part of the world. His problems are that he is too idealistic. He insists on relying on his mental power, therefore, he is incapable of competing with Napoleon, who possesses military forces in some degree. Even though in Animal Farm, Snowball seems to be more appealing than Napoleon, he still has fatal flaws when it comes to the role of a leader. He accepts the fact that pigs are supposed to be superior to other farm animals. His enthusiasm for grand and hard-to-achieve project can also leave undesirable consequences to the farm. As for Napoleon, he never makes any contribution to the revolution. He trains the puppies for his own sake, which is to rule the farm and defeat Snowball. Napoleon successfully demonstrates the image of a political tyrant. After Napoleon expels Snowball, he depicts Snowball as a traitor and makes him take all the blame. This is obviously for Napoleon to take better control of the farm. As readers, we can see this occurrence happens in a various time period while the winner takes it all, the loser loses it all.

    Overall, reading Animal Farm is a great fun especially when you have a knowledge about the background information and all the implications. I heard that there is a comic version of Animal Farm, and I would like to give it a try. This classic is not only accessible and simple but also has an intriguing plot. If anyone wants to start reading a classic, Animal farm will be a desirable starting point.

【Special thanks for newspeakdictionary.com for the characters explanation lists】http://www.newspeakdictionary.com/go-animal_farm.html

【Book Review】Howl's Moving Castle

Howl’s Moving Castle

Sophie, the eldest of the three sisters, is doomed to follow her fate and inherit her parents’ hat shop. Sophie proceeds her mind-numbing life and gives up the hope of achieving her own dreams. Things remain the same until one night she meets the Witch of the Waste, who she has an argument with and is therefore under a terrible spell the witch made that turns her into a ninety-year-old lady. In order to break her spell, Sophie is forced to confront with the witch, to enter the mysterious moving castle of wizard Howl, and to conquer many other obstacles. Through Sophie’s long journey, she discovers much more about herself and the seemingly wicked Howl.

-Spoilers Alert!-

    Now, let’s talk about Sophie and Howl’s relationship. To my surprise, Howl appears to be a less appealing figure in the book, but this fact also makes him more realistic than the Howl in the movie. Book Howl has several irritating flaws, for example, he is fickle especially when it comes to romantic relations, and he is also evasive, fastidious and even narcissistic. In the book Howl is not a perfect figure, but he develops as a person through the progress of the plot. At the end of the novel, Howl learns to bear his responsibility and confront the evil.

Howl and Sophie in the movie

    My favorite character in Howl’s moving castle is no doubt to be our female protagonist Sophie. She is very tough. If I am a young girl and suddenly turn into an old lady, I must freak out or even go through a mental breakdown. Sophie dares to leave her safe house and ventures into the Howl’s castle; she dares to make a bargain with the fire demon Calcifer; she dares to visit the king for the purpose of blackening Howl’s name; she even dares to confront the witch of the waste to safe Mrs. Angorian. (I’m pretty sure I spell it wrong.) I deeply admire her because she is such a brave and clever female character. The interaction between Howl and Sophie’s is always humorous which makes me want to giggle every time I read these parts.

Howl's Moving Castle

    Many readers may know the very famous movie adaptation of this book. I agree with numerous other readers that the original book has a broader view of the world and a well-crafted and more twisted plot. However, I prefer watching the movie to reading the book, which is probably the opposite of many readers’ opinions. I watched the movie seven years ago when I was a young kid, the movie leave me wonderful memories and, therefore, possessed an extremely high status in my mind. The problem with me reading the novel Howl’s Moving Castle is that I always put the images of the movie into the characters of the novel. For example, when I read about what Howl does something in the book, I always relate to the Howl in the movie who does the same thing. Another example occurs when the book portrays the appearance of the moving castle, I instantly imagine the castle in the movie. The thing that bothers me is that the book and the movie are actually very different from each other. The book has more characters than the movie and they each portrays the remaining characters very differently, such as the Witch of the Waste, who is portrayed as an elegant and arrogant woman in the novel but a fat, surly, and filthy middle-aged woman in the movie. I have a weird feeling while I read through these pages, though I don’t hate that feeling.

    If I can be able to give a rating to the movie, I will give it 5 stars. Considering the fact that I give the book 4 stars on GoodReads, I have an explanation for my rating. I am pretty sure most people have the exactly reversal rating compares to mine. They all believe the book is far better than the movie. Now, for the first time, I am having the unpopular opinion againsst the general public. I will skip all my praise for the movie and talk about my problems with the book. The one major issue that I have about the book is that it ends too abruptly. I am eager to read more about the life of Sophie and Howl when they live together as a family, but now all I can do is to read some fan fiction. I am so disappointed about the fact that the author doesn’t write about their common life. Since I have already watched the movie, I have a basic idea of what is going to happen until the end, and I wait for the portrait of Sophie and Howl’s interaction after they live together since the beginning of the plot! I cannot believe the author doesn’t write that, so I give it four stars to express my anger.

    I still recommend everyone who loves the movie Howl’s Moving Castle to go read the book, maybe you can discover something that you haven’t noticed before.

Howl's Bedroom,one of my favorite scenes in the movie. Very different from the book indeed. 

    

【Book Review】Holes

Holes

I don't like this cover, even though
this is the most common one.

    Stanley Yelnats has a terrible life. He is not only overweight but also being threatened by the school’s bullies. After an unjust judgment, Stanley is forced to go to the horrendous boy’s detention center, Camp Green Lake, where boys suffer from strenuous physical labor. They are required to dig holes under harsh environment condition which Stanley struggles a lot, but not long after Stanley realizes that there are something the administrator of the camp is looking for. Stanley gradually discovers the dark intention hidden behind the establishment of the Camp Green Lake…

-Spoilers Alert!-

    This book is one of the most well-known children’s books on GoodReads. After reading this book, I do have to confide that I have mixed feelings about it.

    Stanley, an overweight and bullied kid, is obviously not a typical or strong protagonist. He has a tragic life even from the beginning of the book. Stanley’s family is under a weird curse which starts from his great-grandfather. He is sent to the Camp Green Lake as punishment because he steals a pair of shoes, but the truth is that he has done nothing wrong. Stanley continues to be tortured during his time in the camp where there is a great amount of physical labor and horrible living condition. However, the thing that makes Stanley different is his tendency of always being positive and hopeful. He never loses his hope neither when the teacher and other students mock at him about his shape nor when he is bullied many times by other schoolmates. This characteristic lingers even after Stanley goes to the Camp Green Lake. He struggles a lot on digging the first hole and struggles even more on digging the second ones, but he never feels desperate and gives up. Under Stanley’s ordinary figure, I can see his determined heart and spirit.

This is the cover of my copy,
I think it's much better than
that one.

    Stanley and Zero’s friendship are also one essential part of the story. Zero first appears in the story as one of the most unappealing children in the camp. When Stanley and Zero make an agreement that Zero helps Stanley digs holes while Stanley teaches him letters, their bond starts to build up. This friendship is what keeps both of them alive after they flee away from the camp. It’s heart-warming to see the unlikely-to-bond duo being formed between these two characters under such a harsh environment.

    Even the target readers of Holes are meant to be young children, there are still some heavy issues within the story. The most apparent one is about racism. The tragedy happened many years ago in the exact same place of the Camp Green Lake, Sam and Kate’s love was destroyed and Sam was killed by other people in the village simply because the two lovers had different skin colors. The death of Sam foreshadows Kate’s mad behavior several years later as well as all the incidents happened in the Camp Green Lake. Racism is always a heavy and debatable topic. By presenting this issue in children’s book is a brilliant idea because it can start teaching children about the importance of racial equality while they are at a younger age.

    Onions are another interesting things that I want to talk about. To be honest, I really would like to have a try of the amazing-and-almost-fifty-years-old onion juice and see what it tastes like. These onions were produced by Sam long time ago. They save the lives of Stanley and Zero. Onions indicate the hope for the future and all the other positive things. Unfortunately, I am not a huge fan of onions.

    If I can have the opportunity to change one part of the book then it must be the ending. I think the original ending is too dramatic and unrealistic. Although I understand that the author must make a happy ending due to the fact that this is a children’s book and the ending must satisfy children. But I believe if the ending is more realistic, it will leave more impact at least on me. Since Stanley has changed this much during his life in the Camp Green Lake, he is supposed to change his own life with his own effort. If the author shows us how Stanley changes his own life without using the money he gets, that will be more meaningful. Even though the ending is less satisfying, I still highly recommend this book to everyone who is found of well-crafted and meaningful children’s novel.

【Book Review】Night

Night

    Eliezer, a young teenage boy, lives peacefully in a small town with his parents and neighbors, but their life is disrupted by the arrival of German troops. At first, Eliezer and his family alongside with other Jews are forced to leave their house and move into small ghettos. Then, with starvation and despair, they are transported to the concentration camp. From then on, Eliezer faces the most tragic and desperate journey of his life, which is filled with separation, blood, and death…

    Night is one of the most predominant books about World War II and holocaust issues. Elie Wiesel, the original author of this book, initially wrote it in French and then approved it to be translated into English. Instead of using a third person narrative, which can introduce a more general perspective to the readers, Elie Wiesel writes this book in the first person perspective as a documentation of his own experience during the concentration camp. It’s evident that Night and The Diary of a Young Girl resemble each other in terms of their background as well as the technique of narrating. Even though this kind of narrative cannot bring every single character into the story, it creates a striking and emotional feeling to readers. This book is characterized as a memoir or autobiography, nonetheless the story is said to be altered in some trivial parts for the purpose of making the plot flow more effectively. I believe this is what’s called fictionalize. Besides, I believe that when readers observe from the perspective of an immature adolescent, they will empathize with the narrator and thus feel even more emotional impact during Eliezer’s journey.

Elie Wiesel

-Spoiler Alert!-

    Numerous issues are exhibited within this story. The first one I would like to mention is Eliezer’s struggle with his own faith. From the beginning, Eliezer is not only curious but also doubtful about his religion. He eagerly reads and studies Torah and the Cabbala which is doctrine of Jewish mysticism. Before the disaster takes place, he holds the belief that since god is good, then the world must be good. His belief is completely destroyed after seeing the cruel scene in the concentration camp. The drastic holocaust reveals the negative side of every human being. Even Eliezer’s long-held belief is shaken, he still prays to god when he faces despondent situations. Deep down in Eliezer’s heart, he will never abandon his own religion.

    Wartime is the best period to reveal true human nature. Nazis are not the only determinant of this tragedy, prisoners, people who are persecuted by the German armies, are also the major aspects. While the Nazis are torturing Jewish people and revealing the atrocious nature of war, the confliction raised between prisoners are even more shocking and unbelievable. Eliezer witnesses the son kills his own father just for the sake of a small piece of bread, whilst some other people strangle the son soon afterward. He realizes that there is neither friendship nor kinship in the concentration camp because everybody is forced to fight for himself. That’s the cruel aspect of war and humans.

    In several parts of the story, the author uses fire as sort of an implication. I don’t know how fire is related to Bible or Jewish tradition, but I have my own thought about this iterative mention of fire. When fire first appears in the story, it represents the burning furnace that devours thousands of people’s lives. Then on the truck to the concentration camp, the frantic mother also exclaims several times about the fire on far east side, which brings an apparent ominous feeling. In my eyes, fire is like a dread weapon which eradicates all the bright side of humans and causes people to suffer from persecution. It sets up the story and foreshadow that Eliezer is doomed to lose all of his beloved ones. Fire is the representation of evil in this story, it always imply the arrival of death, devastation, blood, and death.

    I highly recommend this book to everyone who is interested in learning more about the holocaust as well as the World War II. This book is such a tragic and emotional story that every bits and pieces of it is drenched with mourn and desperation. The entire story is very depressed except a few pages in the beginning. Although this book is extremely short with just over a hundred pages, it carries extremely heavy issues. It inspires readers to think deeply about the nature of humanity and the dread of war. Books that propel us to contemplate are the books that are worthy of our attention and time.

【Quotes Collection】The Fault in Our Stars

“My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.” 
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“I'm in love with you," he said quietly.

"Augustus," I said.

"I am," he said. He was staring at me, and I could see the corners of his eyes crinkling. "I'm in love with you, and I'm not in the business of denying myself the simple pleasure of saying true things. I'm in love with you, and I know that love is just a shout into the void, and that oblivion is inevitable, and that we're all doomed and that there will come a day when all our labor has been returned to dust, and I know the sun will swallow the only earth we'll ever have, and I am in love with you.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world...but you do have some say in who hurts you. I like my choices.” 
― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars

“There are infinite numbers between 0 and 1. There's .1 and .12 and .112 and an infinite collection of others. Of course, there is a bigger infinite set of numbers between 0 and 2, or between 0 and a million. Some infinities are bigger than other infinities. A writer we used to like taught us that. There are days, many of them, when I resent the size of my unbounded set. I want more numbers than I'm likely to get, and God, I want more numbers for Augustus Waters than he got. But, Gus, my love, I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn't trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I'm grateful.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“Oh, I wouldn't mind, Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“Some people don't understand the promises they're making when they make them," I said.

"Right, of course. But you keep the promise anyway. That's what love is. Love is keeping the promise anyway.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“The world is not a wish-granting factory.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“There will come a time when all of us are dead. All of us. There will come a time when there are no human beings remaining to remember that anyone ever existed or that our species ever did anything. There will be no one left to remember Aristotle or Cleopatra, let alone you. Everything that we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten and all of this will have been for naught. Maybe that time is coming soon and maybe it is millions of years away, but even if we survive the collapse of our sun, we will not survive forever. There was time before organisms experienced consciousness, and there will be time after. And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

“That’s part of what I like about the book in some ways. It portrays death truthfully. You die in the middle of your life, in the middle of a sentence” 

― John Green, The Fault in Our Stars 

 

【Book Review】The Fault in Our Stars

The Fault in Our Stars

       Hazel Grace Lancaster, a 16-year-old girl who was diagnosed with thyroid cancer at the age of thirteen, is the protagonist of this book. She continues to live with her tedious and monotonous life until one day she meets a boy with osteosarcoma called Augustus Waters at the cancer support group. They gradually fall in love with each other, but their fatal illnesses keep warning them of their despairing future. However, they are determined to live on their lives and, therefore, begin a journey that they will remember forever.

-OMG, I’m really bad at plot summary-

    The Fault in Our Stars can definitely be one of the most famous Young Adult fictions in the history. If you haven’t heard of this book, then you must be new in this genre. I can draw a firm conclusion that this is a popular and well-acclaimed book even just from the rating on GoodReads. With nearly 2 million ratings, The Fault in Our Stars can still achieve an overall rating of 4.33 stars which I dare say can be able to compare to the rating of Harry Potter series. I have to confess that I watch the movie before I read the book. Some book lovers may consider this as an unforgivable crime, but I have an explanation for that. My first John Green book is Looking for Alaska, and I don’t like it at all. I have tons of problems with it, and I remember that I gave this book two stars on GoodReads. After hearing all the buzz about The Fault in Our Stars, I want to give it a try. I then decided to watch the movie first because it’s obvious that the time spent on watching the movie is obviously shorter than on reading the actual book. My idea is that if the movie is something that I like, I will then purchase the copy and read it. And since I am writing this review, the result should be evident now.

-Spoilers Alert!-

This book is a very tragic story. Nearly every single character suffers from different kinds of pain. Hazel suffers from the difficulty of being able to breathe; Augustus suffers from not only his painful illness, but also the fear of oblivion and the inability to achieve his goal; Isaac suffers from blindness and the brutal break-up between his girlfriend and him. Even Hazel’s favorite writer, the one who writes the novel An Imperial Affliction, has to bear the death of his beloved daughter. After reading this book, I realize that pain is inevitable.

I enjoy the fact that the book An Imperial Affliction can have such a great significance in The Fault in Our Stars. In my eyes, the reason why Hazel loves so much about this book is that she feels she can be related to the main character, the girl who has cancer and ultimately dies at the end of the book. Hazel’s eagerness for the explanation of the ending enables her to travel to Amsterdam with Augustus, even she is well aware that there exist many potential risks through their journey. She considers the main character of the book (Yes, yes, I forget the girl’s name.) a representative of herself. Hazel is curious about what impact will the girl in the book leave to her mother as she dies just like she is curious to know what will happen to her mother when she dies. I wasn’t aware of this until I re-read the book.

Now, as for the character of Hazel, she is a very thoughtful teenager. Probably due to her past experience of fighting with cancer, she is mentally older of her age compare to her friends, such as Kaitlyn. She regards herself as a grenade which can explode at any minute and harm everyone around who loves her. That’s the reason why she doesn’t want to have a further relationship with Augustus initially, she fears that she will leave a scar on Augustus’s heart. Then, when Augustus’s emergent cancer situation is revealed, their roles are reversed. Now Augustus becomes the grenade and can explode in the next minute. But Hazel discovers that she doesn’t fear to be harm at all, instead, she just wants to love Augustus as much as she can while he is alive. This shift of perspective facilitates Hazel’s self-development.

I have never thought that a Young Adult book can have such a diverse and deep meaning. This book is definitely one of my favorite books I have ever read. Besides, the movie adaptation is also quite impressive, though not as good as the original book. I cannot recommend it more to everyone who hasn’t read it. Anyone who loves simple relationship development, raw emotions, love, and self-discovery books will sure adore this book.

【Book Review】The Catcher in the Rye

The Catcher in the Rye

-Spoiler(Maybe) Alert!-

    Holden Caulfield tells a story about himself being sixteen years old. He is expelled from school due to his terrible academic performance. A decision is then made by Holden that he is going to leave his school and travel to New York by train. There are many things that happened during his stay in New York. Through Holden’s journey, he gradually matures and develop himself…

    There is obviously nothing more to talk about the plot of the Catcher in the Rye. It is such a famous and greatly praised book that almost everyone has read it and analyze it. Just like many other people did, I read the Catcher in the Rye because my school teacher assigned it to me. After reading, we obviously have to write an essay about the theme, which I got such an awful grade that I don’t want to mention it for the rest of my life. Partially due to my unbearable essay grade, I am not a huge fan of this book.

    I think there is no need to make a further detailed discussion of the symbols and motifs of the Catcher in the Rye since I have already written a full-length essay about them. Besides, I can’t remember how many times our literature teacher, with great carefulness, has analyzed and talked about each chapter of this book. Basically, the story talks about the isolation that Holden suffers, the maturation process that Holden goes through and the painfulness of losing innocence. In this story, Holden needs to deal with his various relationships which not only includes romantic ones but also includes friendships and connections between relatives. This book is a well-known example of coming-of-age stories which has probably inspired many generations of young teenagers who are just going through puberty.

    Our teacher also asked us to write a medical report of Holden. To be honest, I always feel that some of Holden’s behaviors are quite childish. I believe it’s perfectly normal that I cannot feel related to Holden as a character. The reason perhaps lies in the fact that we have entirely different feelings. In the story, Holden is roughly the same age as me, but our different growing experiences separate us. He suffers from his young brother Allie’s death and prone to be alienated. His past memories make him a sensitive and easily enraged person which is completely not my character. That’s maybe the explanation of why I cannot relate myself to Holden.

    Even though I don’t have a favorite character in this book. I do kind of like the last part of the story which is the place where Holden changes his mind to stay instead to leave his home, then he watches his sister Phoebe happily riding the merry-go-round. In this part, the love that Holden has toward his family members is evident. I am also highly fond of the last sentence of the entire novel. I love that sentence so much that I am just going to put it in my review though I cannot explain exactly why I love it. “Don't ever tell anybody anything. If you do, you start missing everybody.” Maybe I like it because it proves the fact that Holden finally matures and decides to change himself.

    Initially, after reading the Catcher in the Rye, I wanted to give it 3 stars on GoodReads because for me it’s just an OK book, not an outstanding-everybody-go-read-it-and-love-it one. But after writing my essay and joining a class debate about whether Holden is a reliable narrator or not, I change my rating to 4 stars. At first, I was hugely annoyed by the whole debate thing and would rather do several pages of SAT reading than prepare the material for the debate. But during my preparation, I learned more about the background information of the book. Overall, my time and effort that were spent are worthy, especially when the teacher announced that our team won the debate. It was not a regular 1on1 or 2on2 debate. Our class was divided into three teams according to a previously assigned survey which nobody actually paid attention to. The idea of each team is “Holden is a reliable narrator”, “Holden is an unreliable and dishonest narrator” and “Holden is an unreliable but honest narrator”. My team was the second one and we won. The teacher later explained to us that due to the death of Holden’s young brother Allie, Holden suffers from mental depression and has to stay in a restroom, therefore his narration is unreliable. However, whether Holden is honest or not is still under debate. This extra information somehow makes me love more of this book. Overall, I like some parts of the book while other parts of the book are just bland and elusive. My final rating of this book is four stars. After all these discussions, debates, and essay writings, I ascertain that the Catcher in the Rye is a good book and deserves the long-lasted attention that it gains through time.