I challenge you, Miss Berdick

By: Lizzy
Out of all of the books we have read this (past) semester, there was not one that I hated. I’m sorry, Miss Berdick, but you will have to try harder next semester. That being said, all of the books did have components that I disliked and components that I liked. I will list them in inverted alphabetical order below:

My Ántonia: I found the writing style rambling and pointless, much too verbose for my taste. To me it seemed that Cather failed to keep my attention in part one, but once she moved past that, I became more interested. The events in the story made me genuinely care what happened to the characters, and I grew to like Jim, Tiny, and especially Lena.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: Although this will seem morbid, I must admit I found Romeo and Juliet much funnier than Midsummer. However, despite this difference, it is still one of my two favorite things that we read. I appreciated the questions that I felt Shakespeare asked. Is there such a thing as true love? What circumstances allow for betrayal? Aside from the Latin mythology references in a play that took place in Athens (the goddess of hunt is Artemis, Will, not Diana) I have no major negative comments.

Inherit the Wind: This was my other favorite work that we read. My only real complaint was its length or lack thereof. But in all honesty, I loved how the play was not about evolution, but instead it was about right and wrong. I feel like it raised an important question: Is it right to break a law that you know wrong?

First They Killed My Father: I disagree with Oleg’s comment that “I think a death toll and some nasty photos could easily replace this book.” People have statistics of the Holocaust; there are pictures and statistics everywhere. Yet people still deny it happened (cough Mahmoud Ahmadinejad cough). Unless memoirs discussing these horrors remain, people will be able to say that genocide is a myth. Therefore, although I did not appreciate reading about dead kids over my winter break, I saw the necessity and respected it.

Catcher in the Rye: I liked the novel, I felt like it brought up valid points. Unfortunately, I also felt like someone should shout Holden up. I know a lot of my friends love Holden, but while I liked the novel, I hated him. I did not like his hypocrisy or immaturity. In my experience, people who go through tragedies come out stronger, not weaker.