Last Blog Post

           Wow! This is my last post on this blog, and I'm kind of sad. Blogging every week become a part of my schedule, and I enjoyed reading other people's blogs. I'm glad that I have this blog, because I know that I can always come back to it online and see what I thought about books when I read them, and also how I wrote this year. It would be interesting to re-read a book I wrote about in this blog and see how my thoughts differ after I read it again. This blog has been my record of the books I read this year, and all the thoughts I had about them.

            I learned a lot from having a blog. I was more interested and engaged in my book when I knew I had to write about it online. I also really liked reading other people's blogs, especially on books I read,  to see if we agree or disagree on our ideas. I benefited from this experience in many ways. For instance, I thought deeper about the books I was reading when I was blogging. I also felt that I had more to say for some reason when I was writing online. I also found that blogging and reading blogs is a lot more fun than I originally thought, because it allows you to see what people really think.

             Writing online is different than writing in a notebook. When you blog online, everyone can see what you're writing, so I think that encouraged me to really think about what I was reading. Also, I liked writing and knowing that other people are going to read it because I felt what I had to say was taken seriously. When I'm writing something that others are going to read, I think I put more of my thoughts and opinions in the piece.

              I think that writing online can be liberating because it allows people to say what they want and state their opinions openly and freely for people to read. Writing online allows a person to get their opinions out in the open. I think writing online can also be limiting because some people may be less willing to speak their mind if other people are going to read it. They may be afraid that their opinions are bad or wrong, and therefore are discouraged to write about them online. Also, when you write something online, you have to remember that it could be pulled up at anytime once it's on the Internet.

              I think that some teenagers abuse the freedom that being online gives them, for instance by typing things to people that they would never say to their faces. Some people may think that by writing it online it might not have the same meaning, but it does. Whenever you say something mean or hurtful to somebody else, whether it's online or in person, it still has the same negative meaning. Sometimes saying something mean online is worse because everybody could see it.

               Overall, I really liked blogging about my reading. At the beginning of the school year, I thought that blogging would be boring and kind of hard, but after awhile I started to enjoy thinking and writing about my book in a deeper way on my blog for other people to read. I think I may continue to blog about the books I'm reading because it was fun blogging. Also, I think it's a good way to keep in touch with my classmates. I'd also really like to join a book-club blog where I could blog with people reading the same book. I like blogging, because it made me enjoy writing more. It made thinking about my book a lot more fun. I also thought a lot more about what I was reading. I have to say that I am going to miss writing on this blog.

               Bye for now!                                                                                                                

Children Faced With Adult Situations

       My book club is reading The Rules of Survival by Nancy Werlin. It is about a boy, Matt, and his two little sisters. Their mom is unstable and I think a little bit crazy. She has her own fantasies about how to be a mother, and her children are afraid of her. She's not much of a mother to Matt, Callie, and Emmy. Because of this, Matt has to take the role of being the parent to his siblings. This book has gotten me to think a lot about children. Matt has to be the responsible, caring one in his family to make up for his mother. But is that fair? Shouldn't Matt get to live his life and just be a child since he is one? Or is it really his job to take over for his mother? I think children should be children, and not have to grow up so fast.

       This book has gotten me to think about The Hunger Games, which I read awhile ago. Children are a big theme in the book. Teenagers are put into a rink to kill each other, and to be watched as they do so. I think that what surprised me so much about The Hunger Games was how kids were forced to go in a lottery and the ones chosen would have to fight to their death. It comes down to children killing children, and everybody was forced to watch. For instance, Rue, the youngest tribute, was killed. Rue was just a sweet, innocent little girl, yet she got her life cut so short because of the Hunger Games.

        I think that Rue should have not been killed. She was so young, and she had her whole life ahead of her. All the tributes had their whole lives ahead of them. I don't think that anyone should have been killed in the Hunger Games. I don't think it would be better if adults were in the Hunger Games, either. I think that the Hunger Games are wrong. But when it's just children fighting, I think it makes it worse. At the end of each Hunger Games, more than 20 children are dead. Their lives are ended just like that, all for the enjoyment of the government. When children see that for real, in person or on television, I think they lose some of their innocence. I can't imagine having to watch others killing others, especially people my own age, my peers. It would be too frightening and sad. I also think that it's very disturbing and unsettling.

        Children can't defend themselves like adults can. They're not as wise and physically able as older people. So, in some ways, I think that one reason I was surprised when I read The Hunger Games was that children had to kill other children just to survive. Also, in The Rules of Survival,  I feel myself feeling sad for Matt, because he has had to grow up so fast to be a parent-like figure to his sisters. I don't think that these two books are a lot alike, but in both books, the issue of children taking on adult responsibilities is a big theme.    

Change

         I just began reading Awaken by Kate Kacvinksy. The book is about a girl, Madeline, who lives in 2060. Even though 2060 is only 48 years away, a lot has changed in the world. People don't go out much, and they don't need to, because everything is run on computers. Madeline goes to school online, and therefore doesn't meet with other people face-to-face a lot. Paper books don't exist anymore, and it's illegal to chop down trees. There are hardly any real trees that exist anymore, and Madeline has never seen one before. Instead, people use synthetic trees that they buy online, choose their desired size and height, and have shipped to their homes. People don't call each other to have conversations anymore. Instead, they chat on the Internet, by talking into their computer, which types up what they say. I think that in Awaken, the issue of change is important. 
        I think that the thing that surprised me the most was about the synthetic trees. Trees are objects that most people see everyday. They're just a part of the atmosphere, the setting of our lives. But Madeline has never seen one, because they don't grow anywhere near her. This is scary to me. When I'm 62 years old in 2060, are there going to be any more trees left? Or will humans cut down so many of them that they'll be gone? It's frightening to think that something so beautiful and vital to humans will turn to plastic. I hope this doesn't happen in the future. So many things are changing in this day in age. For instance, books are now being read on technical devices instead of on paperback. In Madeline's time period, paperback books haven't been manufactured for twenty years. I like paperback books. 2060 is so different than 2012, and this book has gotten me thinking about how I don't want a lot of things to change.
         Change is a big topic. Change is good. When something is wrong or unjust, it's important that people try to change it, make it better. But I also think that change can be bad, such as if something changes for the worse. In Madeline's world, people don't go out anymore much, instead they chat with each other online. They go to school online, and get things shipped to them. In addition to the synthetic trees and new books, I don't like this change. I like going outside and glancing at the real, live trees. I like reading paperback books and seeing how many pages I've finished. I also like going outside and meeting people, face-to-face. I don't want these things to change. In Awaken, Madeline meets a boy online, and is hesitant to see him when he wants to meet her face-to-face. She knows that her father wouldn't like that, her going outside. It's as if her father is restricting her freedom, keeping her from doing something, probably because it's unusual to actually see people outside, in person. 
          In conclusion, Awaken is a book set in the future. Many things have changed, but I'm not sure I really want a lot of things to change. I know that not everything in the world is perfect, or even good, but some things, like trees and paperback books, are worth saving. Why are they worth saving? I think they're worth saving because they are such a vital part of life today, and it would feel funny without them.    

The Way War Separates People

     War. When I think of this word I think of bloodshed, killing, and conflict. I also think about separation. War separates people. In every war, there are always two sides, two sides who disagree so much that they are willing to kill each other and destroy in order to get what they want.

      War is a big theme in the book I have been reading, A Separate Peace, by John Knowles. Gene and Finny are two boys at a boarding school during World War II. Most of the boys are expected to join the army after they graduate. Since Gene and Finny are seniors, that time is approaching. The only problem for them is that Finny had been critically injured in an accident when he and Gene jumped off a tree together. Finny broke his leg really badly, and now he has to use crutches to walk. He can no longer participate in sports, which pretty much means he won't be able to be enlisted in the war. After the accident, Gene and Finny have grown apart. I think one reason for this is because the two boys used to be even, but now Finny is disabled. Gene has so much going for him - he's smart and intellectual, and compared to Finny now, he's in much better shape. At the beginning of the book, Gene and Finny were pretty equal, Finny was great at sports, Gene was great at academics. After the accident, they aren't equal, and Finny is changed and scarred forever. The war is another thing that separates them now. Finny can't be expected to join any war, or even become the athlete that everyone expected him to become. But Gene, the less sporty of the two, still has that option.

       The book starts out with Gene and Finny at the summer session of the boarding school, which was a relaxing time, and where the teachers go easy on all the students. Gene talks about how injuries like trick knees and punctured eardrums were just "minor complaints and not yet disabilities which would separate a few from the fate of the rest." He talks about how the boys were never tested for hernias or color blindness, that there was no registration for the draft, and that no one had to take a physical examination. Gene says that during the summer session he and the other boys were careless and wild, unlike the seniors who were constantly being driven and molded and armed for the war. Gene says that he thinks that he and his fellow lower classmates reminded the seniors "of what peace was like, of lives which were not bound up with destruction."

       I think that Gene was referring to how the war was changing the older boys. There was no longer time for fun and games. Gene also refers to how war separates the boys, the ones who are disabled and can't fight and the ones who are forced to fight. The teachers would soon start to separate the boys based on their physical condition and abilities. War can separate peers from each other, the ones who will have to fight and the ones who can't.

       I hate war and wish it didn't have to exist. So why does war exist? I think that war happens when one group, people, or country doesn't get what they want, in terms of land, power, etc. They want what the other has so much that they are willing to cause destruction. Besides for bloodshed and killing, war has another consequence: separation. In every war, there are two or more sides. These two sides want to destruct and destroy each other, in order to get what they want. War separates mankind, and it comes down to people killing other people. For instance, the Civil War was a war between the North and the South, and it came down to Americans killing Americans. If you're in a place that is in a war, you usually have to choose a side, and the other side becomes the enemy. War separates families. Now that Memorial Day is approaching, I think of all the families who lost a loved one in a war, whose family was tore apart due to tragedy brought on by war. War can also separate peers. Like Gene said in A Separate Peace, when a war approaches, boys are separated from each other, there are the ones who fight and the ones who can't, as demonstrated by Finny and him. I don't understand why things can't be peaceful, why humans can't just work together to solve problems instead of letting their problems separate them.

Themes in "A Separate Peace"

           I am continuing to read A Separate Peace by John Knowles. A lot has happened since I wrote about the book in my last blog post. The story revolves around Gene, the main character who is visiting his old boarding school. While on the campus, he starts to reflect on his time spent with his best friend/roommate, Finny. Together, while at the school, the two boys set up a group called The Secret Suicide Society of the Summer Session, while they're in the summer session before their senior year. At the beginning of each nightly meeting, Finny and Gene, the founding fathers, would jump off a tree into a river. One night, Finny, who is the best athlete at the school, falls on a branch while jumping off the tree, and he breaks his leg. This causes a shift in his and Gene's relationship. There are many themes in this book, and I think that the biggest ones are friendship, competition, and change.
           First of all, friendship is a huge theme in A Separate Peace. The whole story revolves around Gene reflecting on his time at the school and his best friend. Gene describes Finny as being a great athlete, the best athlete at the whole school, who has won many football and contact sport awards. Finny is also very witty and light-hearted; he's basically the most popular boy at the boarding school during the summer session. Gene, however, is introverted and intellectual. He's very smart, and Finny thinks he's going to be the class's valedictorian. It seems that the thing one friend succeeds in, the other  lacks skill in. However, Gene is a pretty good athlete, while Finny is a poor student. Gene and Finny are very good friends, and have a very positive relationship, at least in the beginning of the book.
           Competition is also a big theme. It's not until the formation of The Secret Suicide Society of the Summer Session that Gene and Finny's friendship starts to get rocky. Gene begins to suspect that Finny is jealous of how good a student he is, and that that is why Finny makes him go to the nightly meetings of their club. He thinks that Finny is trying to distract him from his studies, so that he'll be the better of the two, since he's so good at athletics. This causes Gene to become competitive with Finny, so he works harder in school in order to get the best grades he can get, to show Finny that he's still on top. One night, Finny decides that the two should jump off the tree and into the river at the same time. While they're on the tree limbs, Gene jumps, causing Finny to look over at him, lose his balance, and fall onto the branches below. He ends up with a badly broken leg, which means he can never play sports again. Gene starts to think that he caused Finny to fall, as if he jumped on the tree limb purposely. As if his competitiveness with Finny led him to make him fall. Now Finny's livelihood his shattered, as sports were the thing he was best at, the thing people knew him for. I don't think that Gene ever wanted this to happen to Finny, but now he is feeling very guilty for the incident.
            Lastly, I think that change is becoming a big theme in the book. The summer session has ended, and now the winter session at the school has begun. Everything has become stricter and more structured. There is no time for fun and celebration. The time to join the war is approaching, now that Gene is a senior. Gene's friendship with Finny has changed also. Ever since the accident, Finny has been living at his family home outside Boston, and Gene does not see him as much anymore. When he's heading back to the school for the start of the new year, Gene visits Finny at his house. After talking for a little while, Gene tells him that he thinks he might have caused Finny to fall off the tree. Finny doesn't believe him, and insists that Gene is just talking crazy. I think that Finny doesn't want to believe that Gene, his best friend, caused him to fall, caused him to end his strong sports career. Everything seems lonely at school for Gene, as his roommate his away. Finny says he'll return after Thanksgiving, so I'm curious to see how his and Gene's relationship has changed now that Finny is no longer the top athlete.
            In conclusion, there are many themes in A Separate Peace, but I think that the biggest ones are  friendship, competition, and change. I am curious to see how Gene and Finny's relationship will progress, especially now that there's more pressure on them and their departure to the war is approaching. This book is a good example of the dark side of adolescence, dealing with the complicated issue of friendship during a rough time.

A Separate Peace

      Today I began reading the book A Separate Peace by John Knowles. So far, I know that it is about a man named Gene who is visiting his old boarding school. He attended the school, called Devon, fifteen years earlier, when World War II was taking place. During his visit, Gene starts reminiscing about his high school days. He goes past the buildings, which now look more glossy and like a museum.  He looks for a particular tree, one that is by a river, that years before he had jumped off with his roommate/best friend/ Finny. Since I am not very far into the book, I do not have many specific thoughts on the characters or story in general. However, I do have many predictions based on what I have read so far.
       I think that the fact that it is World War II will play a big factor in the book. The school is training all the boys to be soldiers, and a lot of them will most likely be drafted when they turn eighteen. Gene starts talking about how the teachers at Devon always treated the lower grades easier than the seniors, who were going off to fight soon. They never had to take physical examinations, there was no draft list, no one was tested for color blindness or other disabilities. I suspect that things will change - get tougher - when the boys get older, and the draft for the war approaches.
       Gene and Finny are both very different. Gene is more reserved, and I think a better student. Finny is more outgoing, and Gene describes him as the best athlete at the school. I wonder if there will be any resentment between each of the boys, if they possibly will get competitive with the other one. The blurb on the back of the back of the book says that something happens between the two boys during the summer that changes the innocence of them.
        In conclusion, I just began reading this book and I don't have many thoughts on the characters or themes yet. I do have some predictions, though, and I think that World War II will play a big role, and that there will be a possible fight between the two boys. A Separate Peace reminds me of The Catcher in the Rye, which I read earlier this year. They both take place at a boys boarding school, in the mid-20th century. I really liked reading The Catcher in the Rye, and I think that I will like reading this book too.
         

Appreciation of "Huge"

          I am a few pages away from finishing the book Huge by Sasha Paley. The main characters, Wil and April, are at a weight-loss camp called Wellness Canyon, and the summer is almost over. In my last blog post, I discussed the ways that Wil and April have started to change from the beginning of the book to the end. Wil has become more sensitive and caring about other people, and April has become more tough and able to defend herself. I really enjoy reading this book, and I want to read more books by Sasha Paley soon. 
          Wil and April are very interesting characters, and I think what makes them so fascinating is how they come from such different backgrounds. Wil lives in Malibu and is very rich. Her parents own a company of sports clubs, and she's constantly had personal trainers to help her lose weight. Yet, she is very reluctant to go to the camp and she has no desire to lose any weight. Meanwhile, April and her mom do not have a lot of money, and she had to pay for the camp all by herself. She really wants to lose weight and get healthier.
          Like I said in my last post, throughout the summer Wil became more interested in losing weight, because she saw how determined April was. April became more secure and able to stand up for herself. By the end of the summer, both Wil and April lose a lot of weight, and together with two boys, Paul and Dave, they win the end-of-summer Olympic games. Best of all, they beat Colin, an obnoxious boy who was mean to both of them. Both Wil and April have gained confidence. Even Wil, who was very cocky at the beginning of the summer, has become more proud of herself. She no longer thinks that the idea of losing weight is a bad thing, and values her friendship with April. April also values her friendship with Wil, and is glad to have had spent time with her at the camp, even if they got off to a negative start. 
          At the end, Wil is comfortable with her weight, and so is April. April knows that she isn't as skinny as the popular girls at school, and that when they see her they won't care about the weight she lost over the summer. But she doesn't care about impressing them anymore. The most important thing is that Wil and April now have a healthier lifestyle. Also, they both have a friend they can relate to, and that's all that matters. 
           I really like reading Huge. The tone is funny and light-hearted, yet it still identifies the struggles of the two main characters: making friends, struggling with weight, and their insecurities. I hope that Wil and April continue to maintain their friendship. I think that both of them have changed after their summer at Wellness Canyon. I recommend this book to others who like realistic fiction, and I want to read more books like this one soon.