Review for Looking for Alaska by John Green

Article posted January 30, 2007 at 08:30 PM GMT0 • Reads 250

Green, John. Looking for Alaska. New York: Dutton Books, 2005.

(ISBN 0-525-47506-0, 221 pages)



“…to seek a Great Perhaps” brings Miles Halter from his regular life to Culver Creek, a boarding school in Alabama. The thing about great perhapses is that you never know where they will lead and who you will meet on the way. Miles finds himself in a new place, with a new name, and among a cast(e) of the coolest outcasts you will encounter. The Colonel embraces Miles, whether he wants to be embraced or not, and Takumi leads the charge of pranks, but the enigmatic Alaska is the mysterious force that binds them all together. In this debut novel, John Green imagines people you know,people you would like to know, and people you won't forget. - Highly recommended.

Review for The Hero Project

Article posted May 21, 2007 at 07:26 PM GMT0 • Reads 172

Hatch, Robert and William Hatch. The Hero Project. New York: McGraw Hill, 2006.

(ISBN 0-07-144904-3, 204 pgs.)



Taking two brothers and ten years to create, The Hero Project is a collection of short biographies and interviews of heroes. The remarkable thing about the book is that the brothers are regular kids from Utah who started with an idea and were able to meet and interview famous people about their work and the impact they have had on history and society, and we're not just talking about family members as heroes...try Desmond Tutu, Jimmy Carter, Forence Griffith Joyner, Caroll Spinney (aka Big Bird) and Jackie Chan!



Each interview is prefaced by a narrative about how the brothers got the interviews and then a chort biography of the famous person. Even if you don't care for hero stories, the methods they used to contact these famous people are reason enough to give this books a read.

Linday's Pick My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Article posted November 2, 2007 at 05:24 PM GMT0 • Reads 50

My Sister’s Keeper is an entrancing novel that you will not want to put down. Anna, the main character, exists primarily to help her dying sister Kate. From the moment she was born, Anna began medical donations to save Kate’s life. The first was cord blood, taken from her umbilical cord at the time of her delivery. The latest request of Anna is for her to donate her kidney. Once Anna gets older she begins to question her role in Kate’s treatments. What will happen when Anna makes a decision that will affect her family for the rest of their lives?

All family members are interdependent; it is especially obvious in the case of this family. The author’s writing style captures the thoughts and perspectives of each character through her chapter structure that results in multiple omniscient narrators. Within the family there is Anna and Kate, but also Jessie, who at age 18, is also plagued with Kate’s problems, but like the rest of his family, has some problems of his own. Throughout the years their parents have struggled with what is moral and ethical in terms of Kate’s treatments.

I recommend that anyone who is interested in family dynamics and ethical versus unethical decisions read this book, especially those with siblings who are close in age. With a surprise ending and suspense throughout, this book will not disappoint.

Tracey's Pick -101 Questions about Sleep and Dreams...

Article posted November 2, 2007 at 05:26 PM GMT0 • Reads 185

101 Questions about Sleep and Dreams by Faith Hickman Brynie is not a book that you would want to curl up by the fire and read at night. This book is more about the information you need to know about sleep and dreams. The thought-provoking questions gathered for this book were ones asked by high school students all across the country. Students of a younger age often enjoy the obscure facts about sleeping and what happens after we close our eyes. The questions range from how and why we sleep, to why we dream, and what area in the brain is functioning. This book really covers the important parts of the downside of sleep like as we get older our REM cycles decrease. That means fewer dreams for adults and less shut eye too. Did you know that the position that you sleep in at night might, reveal something about your daytime behavior? In a study conducted by Chris Idzikowski British, sleep expert 5 percent of people sleep in the starfish position, which is on your back arms spread. The Starfish is supposed to show good friends and good listeners who do not like attention. Seven percent of People who sleep on their stomach are sleeping in the free fall position that shows you are talkative brash and sensitive to criticism. Eight percent of people sleep in the soldier position that is on your back hands down. The soldier is showing a quiet person who is demanding of self and others hence the word soldier, 13 percent sleep in the yearner position that is on your side arms out. The yearner shows someone who is quite suspicious, cynical, stubborn, and slow to make a decision, 15 percent in the log position or on your side hands down, and you could say they are easy going and very sociable, and 41 percent in the fetal position which is the most common among people. Fetal position shows a tough individual on the outside but has a sensitive heart. Overall, you will learn many interesting facts about sleep cycles, dreams, nightmares, and the functions of the brain. Sleep well.

Tyler's Pick - The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien

Article posted November 7, 2007 at 06:00 PM GMT0 • Reads 426

The Things They Carried is an introspective look into the emotions of a soldier during war, specifically the Vietnam War. Tim O’Brien analyzes a group of young soldiers fighting together in the jungles of Vietnam, and dissects each soldier’s attitude, personality, and background based on the artifacts found in their gunnysacks. O’Brien uses a number of flashbacks to key periods in each soldier’s life to tie elements of the story together. A majority of the plot takes place on the battlefield, where O’Brien describes the life in a foxhole. He tells how each member of this “brotherhood” rely on each other for support and the hope of getting out of their alive. However, what Tim O’Brien really focuses on is how the war affects this group of soldiers, how it has a cumulative effect on every victim it encounters. O’Brien talks about their life after the war. He states that many soldiers start a family, and how most just continue life as they left it. Except, he makes it clear that life for these soldiers will never be the same.

If you enjoy sitting your self down and immersing your imagination in a good war story, I highly recommend this heart-touching novel. WARNING, this is not a battlefield, frontline action novel, even though it has its moments, it is more of a subtle approach to war, a backstage pass if you will. Tim O’Brien has a number of other war novels as well. Of these, include The Nuclear War, If I Die in a Combat Zone, and Northern Lights. Therefore, if you enjoyed The Things They Carried, go out and continue the fight with one of his other great novels.