First Semester Books

Inherit the Wind- It might sound bad but I loved reading this in class for mainly one reason, it was so short. This is not the only reason though. I like it because it challenges the authority religion has. This includes the authority it has in school. I have to be honest; I get pissed off when all I hear about on Monday mornings is how great “small groups” was or how much fun someone had at “church,” when all it is is just another fun cult. I don’t hate it; it is just annoying, partly because those kids try to get me into the “fun.” Sure they had fun at their church, and I respect that they have found something good that they love, but they should keep that love away from Fremd so kids like me don’t have to hear them go on and on about how much they love God and church. Inherit the Wind plays on this argument and that is really why I liked it. It must be even better in theatre.

My Antonia- The worst book I have ever read. Every page was just another nightmare for me while reading it, except in this nightmare I am really bored learning about how red the grass was or how small the town is. The slow-paced walk of the book barely kept me awake. The most exciting part was hearing about the guys from Russia, or whatever, toss out people to wolves. Sadly this was towards the beginning of the book making the rest worse than what the Russians did to the people. I really wish we did not have to read that book because I know I will hate the plains forever.

The Catcher in the Rye- The best book I have ever read. I don’t know why there’s so much hate towards Holden, I mean his little brother died when he was only like eleven? And to be honest, I feel very similar to him, maybe not wanting to get hookers or and then not even doing anything (because I would never do anything bad so don’t worry, Miss Berdick). But being relatable to Holden just made it a much easier read. On top of this, I felt sorry for Holden. He does not have many friends, lost the person closest to him, and does not even have a warm, safe home. He is going through life in pain and there is no one to help him. These emotions kept me locked into the read. For the first time in my life, I wanted to read. It takes a really good book to be able to do that.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream- I’m split down the middle with this one. First off, I did not think this book was funny at all. I know I’m not supposed to be out of breath from laughing when I read it, but I could’ve chuckled. I was as humored with it as I was with First They Killed My Father! But it was not a bad play. Sure I would choose any other works by Shakespeare, especially Romeo and Juliet, above A midsummer Night’s Dream, but that does not mean I was disappointed. It was tolerable throughout and I did not mind the read, but it is certainly not my favorite work by Shakespeare. Hearing it played on the tape helped as well. It allowed me to have more of an imagination during it like a mini movie in my head without actually having to read. A week of no work in English was not bad either! So in all I’d probably rank it a 6 or 7 out of ten, not only because of its imagination and design, but because it was easy to read and very tolerable. I still wonder why it is considered a comedy.

First They Killed My Father- I don’t know about everyone else, but I really wanted to “fight the power” after this read. This book really did touch me is what I’m trying to say. It broke me down (not to the point of tears) but to the point where I really was sad for her because this all happened to a little kid. I have a little sister who is ten years old and I know I’d want to do something to the person that causes her any pain whatsoever. I wanted to put the book down several times, but I just could not. The fact that it is a memoir makes it that much better, which sounds pretty dark, but I just feel a human connection with Loung during it. I’d give this book a ten out of ten any day just because it moved me so much. I hope we get to read other books that move me like this and no more books that describe red grass for like three chapters.