Catch-22

Catch-22 was written by Joseph Heller and published in 1961. The story takes place near the end of World War II, and most of the action occurs on Pianosa, a small island off the coast of Italy. Catch-22 is a good book, and one I completely recommend to others. Though the book can be difficult to follow sometimes due to it’s lack of following a timeline, it makes up for it with the memorable way in which Heller mashes together absurd and ridiculous humor with the hell that war is. Yossarian, a Captain in the Air Force and a bombardier, is the main character and is constantly present in all scenes. Unfortunately, Yossarian’s courage is diminished when a man dies in his arms during a mission. Yossarian’s only goal now is to survive. He “was willing to be the victim of anything but circumstance.” Yossarian is angered by the fact that “strangers he didn’t know shot at him with cannons every time he flew up into the air to drop bombs on them.” He believed that thousands of people, who he never met, were trying to kill him and that made everyone else think he was crazy, but he thought they were all crazy. What is worse though, is that the men in charge of him are constantly increasing the mission limit to go home, and there is a catch. “There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one’s own safety in the face of dangers that were real and immediate was the process of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy and would have to fly more missions. Orr would be crazy to fly more missions and sane if he didn’t, but if he was sane he had to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy and didn’t have to; but if he didn’t want to he was sane and had to. Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause in Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle.” Surrounding Yossarian are many amazing characters. These other characters give us insight into several ways people are experiencing the war. While Yossarian refuses to fly more missions, Colonel Cathcart, the officer in charge of Yossarian’s squadron, is always raising the mission limit and volunteering his men for dangerous missions to get a promotion. Colonel Cathcart sees the men as resources to be used, and whether they live or die is not important. This book shows us, through the stories and characters, several sides of what war is like. We see a doctor who was forced to leave his increasingly successful business to go to war and now only complains about his problems. We see Major -- de Coverley, who does nothing but plays horseshoes and rents apartments but still manages to be seen with the first wave of American soldiers in any newly captured city. There is also Hungry Joe, who screams and has nightmares on any night when he is not on combat duty. There are tons of characters in this book, each with their own problems and point of view. I loved all of the characters and I strongly believe they contribute to my recommendation because the story would not be the same, and would not be as memorable, without them all. Catch-22 is a great story and is a book I strongly recommend. It is hard to put into words how I feel about this book other than I feel like I am on a roller coaster. On one page I am laughing at the absurdity of Milo, the mess officer, having a blackmarket syndicate and on the next page somebody would die. This book has big ideas that, whether you disagree or agree with them, do leave an impact on you. Catch-22 is crazy, just like all the characters in it, and sitting here trying to explain how this book works and trying not to ruin moments which I think were surprising and good is a struggle. This is a book you have to experience for yourself; you have to experience the absurd, dark humor to understand why this book is a classic. That is why I recommend it, because it is a good book and it is one that you can’t sparknote because sparknotes doesn’t do it justice and doesn’t convey the same feelings. It may not be the perfect historical document, or a completely accurate vision of war life, or the whole story, but it is still a moving piece of literature and one I believe we all should read.

The Mosquito Coast

The Mosquito Coast By: Meghan White The Mosquito Coast is an adventure novel by Paul Theroux. It is an easy read, and you will be able to follow along through the whole thing, but you may find yourself skipping a few passages. The main character, Allie Fox, is very opinionated. He knows what he wants and goes after that. Being fed up with America, he moves the entire family-Charlie, Jerry, the twins, and his wife-all down to Honduras to create a utopia and make what God has already created better. Theroux grew up with an Italian mother and a French-Canadian father with 6 other siblings. He was born on April 10, 1941 in Medford, Massachusetts. Living in a chaotic home may have compelled him to write about a chaotic America. In a way, Allie’s family and Theroux’s family are very similar. Maybe not quite as chaotic, but they both have lots of kids. He never really played any sports and spent most of the 50’s writing. No one, not even Theroux himself knew that he wanted to be a writer. Allie Fox is the father, he is an inventor, a Harvard dropout, and an engineer. He earns his living from doing odd jobs for an asparagus grower, Tiny Polski. Charlie, his son, looks up to him; however, at the same time he wishes his father would lighten up in some situations. For example, his father doesn’t want him to go to school, but Charlie would like to get an education. The wife is very patient with Allie; she allows Allie Fox to continue with his absurd inventions. This novel says what a lot people are thinking. The Mosquito Coast talks quite a bit about how America is a bad place to live. America has savages, and it is almost impossible to find anything that is made in America. Allie Fox’s way to handle the savages is to leave them with an ice box. It is his own invention; he calls it a Fat Boy, and it makes ice from fire. Allie Fox rants through the whole book about how he is so smart, therefore he’ll be the first to go, and how other countries have slave labor and such. When they get to Honduras, Allie Fox buys a town called Jeronimo, and everything starts to fall into place and work out. The natives are okay with these strangers coming in and buying their town. They get jobs and shelter. The Mosquito Coast was not one of my favorites. It did turn out to be a little bit different than what I expected. I was hoping it would be less crazy. It would have been nice if it was just about the family moving to Honduras and why; and not as much of the dad yelling about how he wanted American made items. It got repetitive and a little annoying after a while. I wouldn’t recommend this novel to anyone. In my opinion it isn’t exactly a must read.

The Color Purple

The Color Purple The Color Purple written by Alice Walker shows the hardships and discrimination of a young women trapped in slavery in the early 1900s. Reading this book will not only open the eyes of the reader to the pain of slavery, but give them a sense of hope after reading it. This Book was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award for Fiction in 1983 for a reason. The Color Purple is one of the first major attempts in bringing together a book through the eyes of a black woman. The author, Alice Walker, was born in 1994 in Eatonton, Georgia. She was a prominent Civil Rights Activist in Mississippi as well as an author. Her participation as a Women’s Rights Activist made a huge impact on her writing. The Color Purple and many of her other poems and short stories made an impact by having a prominent voice towards the black feminist movement. The book starts out by introducing the protagonist, Celie, who is a black woman with a harsh background. She is the narrator also of the book with letters written to God about her life. After raping her multiple times, her father, Alphonso, steals her children. The rumor is that he killed them in the forest. Celie’s mother died from a sickness and is left with her sister, Nettie. A man named Mr._______ in town wants to marry Nettie because of her good looks, but her father refuses. Alphonso decides to offer up Celie to Mr._____ because she is the “ugly” one. Celie is forced into a miserable and abusive marriage with Mr.______. But is the face of danger she must flee to save her life. After not hearing from Nettie for so long, Celie assumes her only family is dead. Years go by and Celie doesn’t get a day off from multiple rapes and beatings from Mr._______. When a former lover of Mr._______ comes to town ill, he takes her in after several months, she becomes best friends with Celie. Shug becomes healthy again, but learns about Mr.______ abusive beatings towards Celie. She refuses to leave until she knows Celie will be safe. During her stay Shug finds letters in Mr.______ room addressed to Celie, with a return name of Nettie. Once Shug and Celie find out Mr._______ has been hiding Nettie’s letters from Celie the book takes a turn as Celie finds her voice and power against Mr._______. With the help of Shug she learns to have her own thoughts and beliefs, and execute them with purpose. This empowering book is a great, easy read. The sentence structure is very readable, yet is realistic to how an uneducated black women would have been writing. Because the book covers so much time in 300 pages, the pace is very fast. Not only is this book about family, slavery and friendship, but it emphasizes the strength a woman has through different symbols and motifs throughout the book. Many female bonds tie throughout this book (motherly, sisterly, some our sexual) the book gives a twist on traditional gender roles that a woman is supposed to have. This is shown through sexual assertiveness, and insecurities of major male roles. These elements of the book give a I would recommend this book to both men and women, though women will be able to be more inspired by the ideas Walker provides to show the strength girls have. The Color Purple not only expresses great evil, it opens up the ability to see the true beauty within the struggles of the characters.

Tess of the d'Ubervilles

Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Ubervilles is about a woman who is violated by one man and forsaken by another. The book takes place in the 19^th century and in south-central England. Tess of the d’Ubervilles was first published in 1891. In the beginning of the book, Tess Durbeyfeild feels so guilty for the death of her horse that she agrees to go work for her relatives, the d’Ubervilles. She spends a lot of time with Alec d’Uberville, her cousin, but then Tess leaves the d’Ubervilles house because of an unfortunate incident involving Alec. Tess goes back to her father’s but becomes a social recluse and very depressed. She soon realizes that she needs to get away from her old life so she goes to work on a dairy farm as a Milkmaid.

She meets an apprentice at the dairy farm named Angel Clare, and learns that he comes from a noble family of clergymen. Tess and Angel spend a lot of time together and grow fond of each other. Angel proposes and Tess says no at first because of her past, but eventually she says yes. On the night of their wedding Tess tells Angel about her past, he is furious with her. After a few days Tess and Angel go their separate ways and he tells her that he will try to accept her past, but he just needs time alone to think.  Angel goes to Brazil alone, and Tess tries to find work at different farms, hiding from her parents that she is not with Angel.

While working on different farms Tess sees Alec d’Uberville who says he has changed from his old ways.  Alec tries to convince Tess to marry her, but she tells him that she is already married. Tess writes to Angel and pleads for him to come home. Tess’s sister, Liza-Lu comes to visit Tess and tells her that her Father and her Mother are very sick. Tess goes home with her sister, and when her father dies the family has to leave the house since they only rent it and their father was the last one on the lease. Before they leave the house Alec comes and offers his help, Tess declines. The family goes to live in the d’Uberville vault at the graveyard, and Tess’s mother dies. Tess now agrees to go live with Alec. At this point Angel has come back and is looking for Tess. I don’t want to give away any more of the ending, but let’s just say it’s not a happy one.

I really liked the story line of this book, but I did not enjoy the style of writing. It is very hard to understand what is happening in the book, because of the sentence structure and the word choice that Thomas Hardy uses. There were a few times while I was reading where I had no idea what was happening in the book. It was very hard to understand and took a while to read. The themes in Tess of the d’Ubervilles are women’s suffering and men domineering over women. If you want to read a book about men domineering over women you should read The Scarlet Letter; it is a much easier book to read and, I think, much more enjoyable. I do think that certain people would really like this book; they just have to be ready for a long confusing read. Tess of the d’Ubervilles was just not my favorite writing style and I did not necessarily enjoy reading this book. 

All the Pretty Horses Review

Holiday Reading

     Over break I chose to read All The Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy. This novel has a delightful blend of western adventure, young romance, and painful loss.

     All The Pretty Horses begins with 16 year-old John Grady Cole's grandfather's funeral. His parents are finally getting divorced, and his mother wants to sell the Texas ranch that her father left behind. John Grady cant stand this idea, so he and his childhood friend, Lacey Rawlins, who is 17, set off on an adventure to Mexico. Shortly after leaving home, the boys realize they are being followed by another much younger runaway. He calls himself Jimmy Blevins and claims to be much older than he really is. John Grady instantly feels sorry for Blevins, but Rawlins knows the boy will just cause trouble. The trio continues on, crossing the Rio Grande, into the prosperous and plentiful land of Mexico.

     When a lightning storm hits, Blevins takes off all his clothes and loses not only all his clothes but his fancy bay horse as well. The caring John Grady lets Blevins ride with him to the nearest town where they find Blevins horse and try to steal it back. Rawlins and John Grady are suddenly separated from Blevins, which seems to be a relief. The two boys find the hacienda that they have been looking for and get hired as cowhands and wranglers. To prove themselves they break 16 horses in 4 days, and John Grady gets hired as the breeder for the owner, Senor Rocha. This is when the romance starts in the novel. John Grady falls in love with Senor Rocha's daughter, Alejandra. They go out dancing, ride horses and even sneak into each other's rooms at night. Rawlins knows better than to get involved with the boss's daughter and tries to warn John Grady, but he doesn't listen. Finally, at the end of Part 1, Rawlins and Grady get taken away in handcuffs for 'stealing' Blevin's horse back.

     They find themselves in a jail cell with Blevins who has broken both feet and an old man that says Blevins killed three men. Blevins denies killing the three men and claims he just wanted his pistol back. On a transfer to a new prison, a great tragedy occurs.

     After getting roughed up in the new prison, John Grady and Rawlins are handed an envelope with money in it and released. Soon we find out where the money came from, and that a special deal was made. Rawlins decides he has had enough adventure and goes home to Texas, however, John Grady wants to see his love, Alejandra. He goes back to the hacienda that he worked at and talks with Alejandra's great aunt and she gives him a horse. He calls Alejandra and they decide to meet in Zacatecas. Alejandra and John Grady talk of their future together and once again John Grady is upset, so he drinks his feelings away. He rides back to the town that he was jailed in and takes the captain hostage. He gets his, Blevin's and Rawlin’s horses back and heads back to Texas. John Grady spends months trying to find the rightful owner of Blevin's bay horse but he finally retreats home to San Angelo, Texas. He rides over to the Rawlins family ranch, and Rawlins is pleased to see his pal, John Grady and his horse. The book ends like it began, with a funeral. With another loss, the lone John Grady rides west on another adventure.

     Throughout the book, many themes appear. My favorite is the old west relationship between the horses and their riders. When John Grady is released from prison he hears Redbo, his horse, whinny to him in reunion. The horses play a huge role in the novel; they are lifelong friends, have great historical merit, are hard workers, show free spirit and a desire for adventure. The dream of crossing the border is also a fascinating theme. The boys know of Texas as dreadful and agonizing ranch land, while they dream of Mexico having running water and tall grass. The two places are really the same desert, but John Grady and Rawlins are so done with the hardships of Texas life and are ready for the more prosperous life that they hope to find in the lands to the south.

     The style of All The Pretty Horses is also quite interesting. McCarthy doesn’t tell us the characters names until we have gotten the background on them. It forces the reader to put the character together without judging them based on their name. Referring to each character as he/she makes the text hard to follow showing the reader that each character is complicated and hard to understand. Throughout the novel McCarthy shows the importance and impact that our family has on us. Alejandra's great aunt dislikes John Grady very much and demands that Alejandra doesn’t see him. John Grady's grandfather passing and his parents divorce cause him to go on this adventure of his and grow up. The moment Rawlins and John Grady leave for Mexico they also leave their innocence behind. Young Blevins can shoot a pocketbook with a pistol and John Grady can handle himself in a knife fight, showing that they are no longer children. These boys left their innocence along with their past. They ran from their family history and whatever undesirable thing Blevins is running from.

     I would recommend All The Pretty Horses to anyone and everyone that has an interest in the adventures of the old west!

Dune Book Review

Dune Book Review Jon Young

Dune, by Frank Herbert, is set in a futuristic time in which the most important and most widely used form of currency in the universe is a substance called spice. Spice is a renewable resource that exists on only one single planet, a planet called Arrakis.
The story begins on a planet called Caladan, a planet abundant in all things, water included. The main character is a young man of about 15 years old named Paul Atriedes, son of the Duke Leto Atriedes. At this point in Dune, the emperor of the universe has recently asked Duke Leto to take up the fiefdom of the planet Arrakis.
Arrakis is a harsh planet whose most valuable resource is water. Water is everything on Arrakis, and the inhabitants of this harsh and desolate world learn to conserve all water possible. The natives of Arrakis, known as the Fremen, have lived in the deserts for millennia and have created many things to aid in one’s survival in the severe climate. One such creation is known as a stillsuit which is a suit that reclaims the body’s excreted waters for reingestion; everyone on Arrakis has one and must wear it out in the desert if the wish to survive.
The antagonists in Dune are the Harkonnens, a ruthless family lead by the Baron, a terrifyingly obese man who wishes the emperorship and the rule of the universe for his family. They are the ones who founded and “tamed” Arrakis in the beginning for no other reason than the extraction of the spice. The Baron plans to remove the Atriedes family with help from the Emperor’s Sardaukar. His plans take effect as the Atriedes settle into their new home on Arrakis. This plot has many twists and turns and makes it an exceptionally good book; I thoroughly enjoyed it.
As the book progressed from beginning to end, the necessity of water became an all too pressing matter. The entire planet of Arrakis is desert and thus no visible water to be seen. Yet the author, Frank Herbert, expertly added in many many images of water in a place where none existed. As with the worms below the sand, the way the sand crested over them as they swam beneath the surface, “It reminded Paul of the way a big fish disturbed the water when swimming just under the surface.” (Dune 118)
I believe that this book is one of excellence and I definitely recommend it to fantasy and non-fantasy lovers alike. The imagery and storytelling are wonderful. The way it is written in the third person gives you the ability to understand more of the basics in a more definite light. I really liked the book and you should read it.

Review of Ishmael

Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn, is a novel that explains “how things came to be this way,” how the history of our culture has lead us up to our present and dire situation. When the unnamed narrator comes across an ad in the newspaper seeking a pupil with “an earnest desire to save the world,” he is skeptical, but goes to the address listed anyway. There, the narrator meets Ishmael, who soon becomes his teacher. What follows is a fascinating discussion between teacher and pupil, and reader, concerning the story of our culture, the agricultural revolution, and our destruction of Earth.

Quinn posits that everyone in our culture has been told “an explaining story.” A story “that keeps them from becoming excited, that keeps them relatively calm when they view the catastrophic damage they’re inflicting on this planet.” With his pupil, Ishmael, a giant talking gorilla, deconstructs the creation story told in our culture, which positions man as the final product of evolution. Also, the narrator discovers the law, like gravity or aerodynamics, that make the natural world run smoothly. He examines how our culture is in opposition to this natural law. Another crucial element to our culture’s story is revealed through close examination of biblical stories, especially those that seem to have been written by the older culture that didn’t choose to practice destructive agriculture. One very noticeable, but appropriate aspect of Ishmael, is the lack of any meaningful plot. Most of the book recounts discussions between Ishmael and the narrator, with dialogue often progressing without interruption for pages at a time. The eventual situation involving Ishmael’s home, what may be called the climax of the story, is admittedly thin, but I don’t care. What makes Ishmael a great novel is not the plot, but the ideas presented for the reader to mull over. The style of writing succeeds in involving the reader in Ishmael’s stories and lessons, and that’s what counts. Anyone who seeks an action packed adventure in Ishmael will be sorely disappointed. It is an adventure in its own right, but an adventure in culture and intellect. This is a book for people who like to exercise their minds. If you have ever wondered how we could have possibly ended up in such a dire situation, or if you feel like you aren’t getting the whole story, I highly recommend Ishmael. The power of this book is in it’s ability to teach anyone with a desire to save the world.

The issues and ideas presented in Ishmael are very compelling. One example is how Daniel Quinn compares our civilization to an early attempt at aviation by humankind. Everything seems grand when you leap off a cliff with wings. You see failed aircraft on the ground below, and wonder why they failed. Unfortunately, the ground is approaching faster and faster. Eventually, you look down and realize you aren’t really flying, because you aren’t in accordance with the laws of aerodynamics. “Trial and error isn’t a bad way to learn how to build an aircraft, but it can be a disastrous way to learn how to build a civilization.” The inconvenient truth, is that we are destroying our world. Even with more recent efforts to compel our culture to change its destructive ways, crucial changes to our perceived position on this planet still progress slowly. Ishmael makes us look to the ground below, and confront the fundamental issues plaguing our culture.

The English Patient

The English Patient- Book Review

The English Patient by Michael Ondaatje is a book laced with themes of love, security and the effects of war on character. Ondaatje was born in Sri Lanka. He then moved to England and also to Canada in his lifetime. He wrote poetry, fiction and autobiography. Throughout The English Patient, we see many connections and references to Ondaatje’s life and profession as a poet and writer. Caravaggio was a thief in Canada before World War II, and the English Patient was thought to be from England originally. Hana, the nurse, is also Canadian. Those are three close connections to the author. Also the book is written in a very poetic tone. The book flows very nicely, yet can be hard to understand at times.

            Michael Ondaatje was trying to achieve a depiction of the effects of war on character and on love. From the beginning of the book, we see Hana, the nurse, begin to become unable to be attached to anyone. She has witnessed so much death to people she cared about because of the war that she no longer shows emotion towards her patients, except for the English patient, that is. We see Kip, who has learned only to serve as a source of protection. That’s why Hana appreciates Kip as a source of protection. Caravaggio is very cautious because he is afraid of being caught, like he was for stealing. I think the author really wanted to portray how war affected people in general, because it was very scarring. I think he also wanted to write a book in which he could incorporate some of his history and his background.

            The book is about a nurse who lives in Villa San Girolamo with a man that they believe is English. He has been burned to the point where they cannot recognize him. His only possession is Herodotus, histories which describe his desert explorations prior to the fire. Then, while Hana is going about her daily life, two men come to the villa. These men are Caravaggio and Kip. Caravaggio was Hana’s father’s friend, and was a spy for the Germans. Kip is a sapper, who is trained to defuse bombs. Soon the book evolves into an intricate love story about the English Patient’s past and how he fell in love with Geoffrey Clifton’s wife, Katharine, while mapping out the desert. The English Patient tells his story, meanwhile Kip and Hana fall in love. Kip has issues being part of society and he separates himself through his defusing of bombs, but his relationship with Hana brings him back into reality. Then something tragic happens. Kip hears about the United States dropping a bomb on Japan, and gets really depressed and feels betrayed. He then leaves Hana and separates himself once again. These are the six main characters referred to in the book. Lord Suffolk and Madox are also briefly mentioned characters in The English Patient.

            The lessons of love and seeing the effects of war on the characters were really moving for me. I also liked the way the book strayed from in the Villa to outside the Villa in a whole different setting. Basically the author wrote the book in a format where you get an equal amount of description of life in the villa and The English Patients life. I think this is really well written because there couldn’t be an interesting plot without the whole exterior plot. I also thought the characters were really well developed and I found them really interesting to read about. I loved reading parts about the villa and the four main characters that were living there.

            The book was very well suited to its subject matter. I think that through the development of the characters and the setting of this run down, rigged Villa, we really get the effects of the war. The reader sees Kip’s emotionless defusing of bombs as he eliminates his fears. Hana turns to Kip looking for protection. Caravaggio becomes addicted to morphine. It also touches on the difficulties of nationality and how people were very unable to accept different nationalities. Kip found it very upsetting. The book is overall very engaging as defiantly serves a purpose of realization. It’s a must read!

 

Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers

Dog Soldiers is an intense story, which was written by Robert Stone. It takes place in the 1970’s during the Vietnam War. The main character John Converse, a journalist, goes over to write a story but ends up coming back in the drug business. John gives a man named Hicks, who is also one of the more important characters, a large amount of heroin for him to take to John’s wife back in the states.  Once John comes back to the states though, he finds himself in a mess of where he is beaten and forced by two men to find his wife, Marge, and the heroin.  The story starts out in Vietnam and works its way through California, starting in San Francisco and ending in the very South near the boarder of Mexico. 

There are really only about three main characters throughout the book. Those being, John Converse who starts up the drug deal in Vietnam and spends most of his time in the book searching for his wife and drugs. Marge is Johns wife, she plays a big part in the book by helping with the drug deal, though she never knew of it until a man named Hicks told her about her husband and what he wanted them to do.  The last one is Hicks, he helps John deliver the drugs back to the United States, but also takes Marge along with him the entire rest of the book, running away from men who are chasing them and the heroin.  There were plenty of other characters in the book but they weren’t consistently there, they usually only played a small role in the story.  

For me this story was intense and somewhat violent, but I really enjoyed it. I thought that it was very well written and a great book. Dog Soldiers did include a lot of dug use though as well as usage of inappropriate language. Some of the characters were very rude towards the women, by the way they treated them and how the spoke to them. The drug use and intensity of the story really caught my attention. With that said, I would most definitely recommend this book to some of my friends.  I find that the thing that most interested me was the drugs and how this whole book played out, with John looking for his wife and all of them being involved in drug deals.  

Robert Stone did an incredible job in writing his book Dog Soldiers; it was an amazing book and was written in great style and tone. One that is definitely worth reading and a winner of the National Book Award.

The Help

              The Help is an outstanding book written by an American author Kathryn Stockett. Stockett grew up in Jackson, Mississippi, which is where the book takes place. Growing up in the South. Stockett was able to experience having an African American in her household as a maid. She and her maid became so close. Once her maid had passed away when Stockett was sixteen, she decided to write the book; a way to remember the times with her maid. The story leads you thorough the troubles of African American maids working in the environment of white households. The Help is a powerful book with a great story about the 1960’s; it opens the eyes to the reader and really draws attention to this historical time period.

Stockett was raised to believe that almost every white house in America had a black maid. She grew up with one of her own in Jackson, and her name was Demetrie. As Stockett grew up, the relationship with her maid became stronger. Since this relationship was so strong with her maid she couldn’t let her go even when Demetrie passed away. Stockett says, “I wrote it because I wanted to go back to the place with Demetrie. I wanted to hear her voice again.” She didn’t write this book intentionally for the world, she wrote it for herself. With the question that was never asked by Kathryn or anyone in her family: what it felt like to be a black in Mississippi working for Kathryn’s white family. It never occurred to be asked; all Stockett wanted was to know the answer. The story tells us the answer, and that’s why she wanted to write the book.

The Help tells the story of three regular women who take an extraordinary step out of their comfort zone to make a change. We have Skeeter, a young intelligent woman who returned home from graduating Ole Miss. As she pursues her dream of being an author, she challenges herself to do things no one would ever think of doing, leading her to become one of the strongest ladies out there. The one who basically raised her, Constantine, has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter what happened. Furious with her family she takes a stance and makes a change.

The two other very important ladies find themselves working alongside Skeeter. Aibileen is a black maid who cares so much for everyone. She is a sweet lady who is dedicated to help raise her seventeenth white child. Her current child she is looking after loves Aibileen more than anything. Aibileen loves her just as much, but knows it might not last long, for they might part.

Then we have Minny. I get a crack out of her. She also is a black maid, who is funny and she sure speaks her own mind. That isn’t the greatest trait one would always love to have when it comes to losing your job. Minny eventually find her way with another family, but this family isn’t so perfect after all.

These wonderful ladies are ready for the challenge. This project is going to lead them all to be at risk, but these ladies are so strong they’re whiling to accept the challenge. They are trapped in the life they don’t want to be in, and they will do anything to get out of it and make some changes. With the help of their white friend Skeeter they stand hand ready for the world.

I hope I left you wanting to read this astonishing book. With the powerful characters and amazing plot, I found myself loving this book. This historical time was very critical, and reading The Help really made me aware of how terrible some people were. I hope you find this book an eye opener as I found it for me.

Catch-22 Book Review

Catch-22 Holiday Book Review

Catch-22, written by Joseph Heller (1923-99) and published in 1961, is a satirical novel about an air force squadron stationed on the island of Pianosa in the Mediterranean during WWII.

The protagonist is Captain Yossarian, a bombardier whose chief motivation is to “live forever or die in the attempt,” which he attempts to do with various schemes as the commanders keep raising the number of missions the airmen need to fly to return home. The book also follows a massive cast of supporting characters, which become quite difficult to follow as they tend to be mentioned briefly and then discarded for the most part, only to return for short passages in the book. These characters include Milo, the  mess officer; other airmen such as Nately, Clevinger, Orr, McFly, etc.; commanders such as Colonel Cathcart and Major Major; the chaplain;  Doc Daneeka; and others. These characters are, for the most part, minor, as they are only mentioned briefly and only a few are really focused on, but they are all important. The book follows all of these characters in different situations in the war, from the gruesome deaths of their friends to a ridiculous black market syndicate run by one of the characters.

The novel opens in the hospital, where Yossarian is avoiding flying more missions, and subsequently jumps around to other events during the war. The jumpy storytelling, while undeniably confusing at times, does mirror the circular logic used throughout the novel. For instance, the titular ‘Catch-22’ says that to be grounded because of insanity a pilot must request to be evaluated, but wanting to be grounded to avoid more missions proves sanity, so they can’t be grounded and must fly more missions. This same sort of situation is repeated throughout the book, particularly through the bureaucracy. The bureaucracy constantly twists people’s words, and everything ends up circling back to where it began, providing much of the humour in the book. These paradoxical situations can get frustrating and confusing to read, but they do usually end up leading to something in the end. The book often goes off on tangents, and everything leads to something else through various associations and often comes back to where it started.

However, Catch-22, although slightly confusing in its circular logic and endless characters, was a very good novel about the absurdity and insanity of war. Yossarian’s life is just as threatened by the bureaucracy on his own side as it is by the ‘enemy,’ due to the ridiculous logic and motivations of the bureaucracy (Colonel Cathcart, for example, only volunteers the squadron for more missions so they can get into the Saturday Evening Post), that are both nonsensical and almost rational. The book also deals with the mindless patriotism of some in the war, religion, death, and other themes, and switches often between being humorous and dark, although it does end on an optimistic note. It’s extremely difficult to give a synopsis of the plot as it jumps around a lot, and it really is a book you need to read for yourself, and although it is confusing, it pays off in the end.  I really enjoyed it overall and recommend it.

Legends of the Fall Book Review

Legends of the Fall: Life, Violence, and Tragedy

Jim Harrison's Legends of the Fall is a violent, masculine, and tragic collection of three novellas. The first is Revenge, a tale of love, consequences, and, you guessed it, vengeance. The story follows Cochran, a young veteran pilot, who, after being brutally beaten and left to die following an affair he had with a married woman, embarks on a quest to find his lover and exact his revenge. He travels across Mexico with a knife and a .44 to face down the powerful Mexican gang lord, Tibby. Harrison focuses on the violence unleashed by Cochran's actions and the ultimate price both he and Tibby pay. Although the novella carries the reader to terrific heights in the early stages, Harrison fails to end the story with any sort of a bang. Perhaps the end is meant to signify the tragic conclusion the fight had to end in, but the reader can't help feeling at least a bit disappointed. 

The second novella, The Man Who Lost His Name, is a slower, more reflective story about an aging man in a midlife crisis. Nordstrom, a wealthy and successful family man, wants to give away his money and live a simple life as a chef by the ocean. His wife has recently left him, and he attempts to find himself through dancing, partying with his daughter, and traveling. His crisis culminates when his family is put into danger and he is forced to take to violence to put a stop to it. The novella is heavily masculine and thought provoking, and although it is tedious and even boring at parts, the end is fast paced and satisfying. 

The third and final story, Legends of the Fall, is by far Harrison's best. In its brief 74 pages, Harrison packs tragedy, revenge, life, love, and loss. The main character is Tristan, one of three brothers born to Colonel Ludlow, veteran of the Indian Wars. Ludlow fought with George Custer and, disgusted with Indian policy, retired to Montana. His sons Alfred, Tristan, and Samuel leave for Canada to enlist in the “Great War”. It isn't long before tragedy strikes, and Tristan has to fight for those close to him. The adventure is fast and exciting and Harrison does an excellent job of telling the story while engaging the reader. Legends of the Fall is a powerful tale able to touch our emotions and connect readers to the characters by immersing us in their world. 

Jim Harrison was born in 1937 in Michigan, and grew up in both Michigan and Arizona. He started writing poetry, then was compelled to write a short story after he fell off a cliff while bird hunting. He wrote the three novellas of Legends of the Fall in the 1970s and they were published in 1979. Aside from writing poetry and short stories, Harrison loves to paint. He draws inspiration from the landscapes of rural America, including the Southwest and the Rocky Mountains. His enthusiasm for preserving nature and the outdoors is one of the main reasons for his art and writing. Harrison lost his father and sister in a car crash when he was 21, and his sense of tragedy pervades his works. He was also motivated to write Legends of the Fall to convey emotions and themes such as love and masculinity. 

I certainly recommend Legends of the Fall, especially the title novella. It is a quick and easy read, but still deep and packed full of action. The epic work is uniquely American and masculine from the violent front lines of World War I to the soaring Rockies. Both the tragic events and the scenes of anger and vengeance come alive in Harrison's compact story. The book is rife with brutal emotions that reflect mankind's innate character, and Harrison weaves the dominating tale with force and elegance making it a very worthy read. 

Book Review: The English Patient

Cirkine Sherry 1/12/13 AP Lit. Book Review: The English Patient The English Patient written by Michael Ondaatje, winner of the Booker McConnell Prize in 1992, is one of Ondaatje’s best-known novels. Michael Ondaatje was born on September 12, 1943 in Colombo, Ceylon. After his parents divorce, he moved with his mother to England. After living in England for sometime and going to school, he moved to Canada where he lives to this day. Michael Ondaatje is mainly a poet and novelist. He has received many awards for his writing such as the Canadian Governor-General’s Award for Literature in 1971 and 1980. Because of his background as a poet, there are many poetic descriptions in his novel, The English Patient. This book is one filled with love stories, a little mystery and many descriptions contributing to the artistry of the book. I would definitely recommend this book. The English Patient is set in a partially destroyed Italian villa north of Florence at the end of World War two. The story is about four characters who are living in the villa. The first is a young woman named Hana. Hana is a nurse whose job is to care for soldiers during the war. She has seen a lot of death in her lifetime and feels as if all of her loved ones die. Next there is Kip, an Indian sapper who was trained in England to defuse bombs and now works in Italy defusing mines set by the retreating Nazi’s. Along with those two, there is Caravaggio, a thief and spy whose thumbs have been cut off. Finally, there is the English patient; a man who has been burned beyond recognition and who throughout the book tries to remember his past. The only thing in his possession is a book, Herodotus’ Histories, in which he has added his own additions making Herodotus a scrapbook full of things from his forgotten past. As the novel progresses, the English patient slowly remembers what happened before the plane he was flying crashed, and he was save by a tribe in the African desert. This book is a mystery because of the English patients’ unknown past, but it is also a love story. As the English patient slowly begins to remember his past, we learn about an affair he had with a woman named Katharine. The other romance that occurs in the book is between Hana and Kip. One thing that makes this book such a great read is the love stories and how they are described. The love stories were my favorite parts of the book. I also enjoyed the ongoing story of the English patients’ past and slowly uncovering who he really is. I would recommend this book for everyone to read. The writing style is poetic, and the author does a great job of describing scenes, allowing you to get lost in the story. However, the beginning is a little choppy. There was a lot of description, but the characters and story didn’t really seem to be developed. As the novel progressed, I enjoyed it much more. The love stories capture your attention, and the unraveling of the English patient’s past keeps you entertained. If you can just get through the very beginning, you will love the rest. Over all, I really enjoyed The English Patient. I thought that besides the very beginning, the novel was great. Michael Ondaatje did a wonderful job writing it, and I enjoyed the way he can describe a scene so well, I felt like I was there. The English Patient is a book I highly recommend.

Bel Canto (Ann Patchett)

Bel Canto

 (Ann Patchett)

Book Review

            The book is set in an impoverished South American country. A world-renowned opera soprano sings at a birthday party in honor of a famous Japanese CEO. Mr. Hosokawa, one of Japan’s richest men, has been invited to a formal birthday gathering. The host country has high hopes of persuading him to build a factory in their third world impoverished nation. Mr. Hosokawa’s attendance is bribed by the addition of Roxanne Coss, a world-renowned soprano, to the party. Roxanne Coss has been Mr. Hosokawa’s obsession. Mr. Hosokawa, fascinated by the simplicity and beauty of opera music, gladly accepted the birthday invitation. Fifty-Eight international business and political leaders gather to celebrate and witness the phenomenon of Roxanne Coss. As the night starts, things seem to be going smoothly. But in the final opera number, just as the power goes out, a band of 18 terrorists enters the vice-presidential mansion through the air conditioning ducts. Their objective is kidnapping the president, who has unfortunately stayed home to watch a favorite soap opera instead of attending the event. Because the president didn't attend the party, the terrorists struggle to find a reason to detain any hostages. Even though the president isn’t attainable, the terrorist group decides to stay at the vice-president’s home taking over former bedrooms as offices and army quarters. The hostages are expecting to only be kept for days, but this time frame quickly turns into months. The hostages aren’t joined by a common language. Gen, Mr. Hosakawas translator, becomes of vital need of the hostages and terrorists, to communicate with each other. The 58 international hostages and their captors create unexpected bonds as they struggle to form a system of universal communications. Time starts to stands still and priorities of the terrorists and hostages rearrange themselves. The hostages have been kept for months in one confined space. Relationships and secret alliances start to form as the distinction between the terrorists and the hostages starts to fade.

            This book was extremely entertaining and engaging to read. From the moment I opened to the book to the very last pages, I didn't want to put the novel down. This book is truly one you have to read for the ending. Ann Patchett drops an emotional and unexpected ending in Bel Canto. Her style of writing likes to build you up, make you extremely comfortable with the situation and then she tears it all apart. The theme of this novel is how a group of 58 international hostages find a single universally communicable language.  The novel shows their struggles to form a bond as one group of survivors. Ann Patchett creates a scene of havoc and chaos, displaying the hostages needs to communicate. She quickly resolves this problem with the introduction of music. Music unites all members in the home.

 Ann Patchett, author of five New York Times best selling novels, created Bel Canto to break free from her boring life. She wanted to depict a scenario where the lives of her characters mirrored the average American reader, but still had a quirky twist. Her idea of simplicity in Bel Canto quickly engaged thousands of readers, making Ann Patchett Time magazine’s 100 most influential people in 2012.

Character List

Katsumi Hosokawa

The head of a major Japanese electronics firm. He is extremely organized and prepared. When listening to opera he feels “passionately alive”. His love of the opera singer Roxanne Coss brings him to the impoverished South American country where the novel is set.

Roxanne Coss

A famous opera singer that is invited to the South American country to sing for Mr. Hosokawa. Ms. Coss’s voice soon becomes the saving grace of all the hostages and terrorists.

Gen Watanabe

Mr. Hosokawa’s interpreter. Watanabe, who is in his twenties, has a great gift for languages, and the hostages and the terrorists rely on him to communicate with one another.

Carmen

A shy, timid, and beautiful young terrorist. Carmen’s greatest talent is her ability to move stealthily, without other people noticing her presence. She asks Gen Watanabe to teach her how to read and write in Spanish, her native language. Over the course of their secret lessons, they fall in love.