Hocus Pocus

1. Hocus Pocus,

2. The book is about a Vietnam veteran's notes while meditating in jail for a crime that he did not commit. He reflects on his life, his beliefs, society and religion. He HATES religion especially Christianity because he believes it manipulates people more than help them become better people. He is involved and affiliated with a jail breakout and he can no longer live, "freely". The book then takes place after the breakout

3. The more meanngful parts of the book is when the jail break is commensed and the exileration he feels, yet sense of immorality. And the second is where he has an epiphany that the world is simply an unfair place. The theme is that there is no such thing as justice, only chance.

4. My favorite character has to be the unamed Vietnam vet. He is the only character who can have a in depth analysis, and I relate to him because he is a man that wishes that the world is perfect, and wishes that people behaved like in a utopian society, yet suffers from constant reminders that nad things happen to good people. My favorite passage in the book is when he describes being free from jail, but not really being "free" because it is hard for him to ascend the guilt he feels from escaping justice.

5. I would reccomend it to a friend because it is complex yet simple, is clear and concise and gives people a new perspective.

The Brothers Kazmarov

1. The Brothers Kazamarov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky, published by the Russian messenger 1880, reaslitic fiction.

2. Fyodor is a forty year old man who lives in a Russia and is enticed by guilty pleasures: sex, drugs and booze. He has four sons, one with a blind, mentally disabled woman, but abondoned them at infancy. Years later, they have all been coincidentally reunited. Only one of the sons accidentally discovers the truth about their father in interesting circumstances, while Fyodor is beginning to grow fond of them, to the point he evens questions confessing.

3. The more meaningful moments in the book is when Sergei accidentally overhears the truth after forgetting to invite Fyodor for drinks, where he hears Fyodor talking to one of his friends in his house. Baffled, Sergei puts his hands on his mouth and slowly falls to a kneeling position, because you can feel the nerves. The other most meaningful moment is when, for the first time in his life, Fyodor has emotional connection with someone when he gives his son advice about girls.

4. I didn't like any of the characters in particular, but if I did, it would probably be Sergei, because he was an honest, charming benevolent guy and all he wanted to do is connect with his father, even when he thought Fyodor didn't want to connect with him. I didn't idnetify with him because I did not have a such harsh upbringing.

5. My favorite passage of the book is when Fyodor opens up and tells Sergei how he had a horrible childhood and used his addicitions as a source of relief. He also admits that throughout he was not the person that he wanted to be, but that his miniscule sense of self worth changed him for the worse.

6. No. because it is graphic, depressing and very cynical. Also, I think that after the books we have read, it may be better to read a book that portrays a postive functional family.

IRR #2 BOTH FEET ON THE GROUND

RR#2
I am about half way through Lance Armostrong Autobiography. However I finished this book early in the year so I decided to write a better blog about David Beckham's Biography.
Born in manchester, England, David Beckham isn't an average man. From the joys of representing his country in the World Cup, playing for Manchester United and Real Madrid, scoring countless goals, marrying the girl of his dreams and being the most famous international superstar athlete in the world. To the miseries of missing a penalty by 10 yards, getting red carded against Argentina and being hated by every English fan.
he first describes how he inherited his fathers love for the game. He illustrates his dad taking him all of the professional games and having tons of fun in the crowd suporting United.
Playing for local team, Southend Rovers, Beckham's performances and obvious talent created words on the street. Eventually, hes recruited by local youth academy, Manchester United. On the day of the try-out, Beckham exemplifies his nervousness and anxiety. He's almost too afraid to even show up. However, once he settles in, he becomes increasingly relaxed and plays well. He makes the team and now he is beginning to describes the friends, the enemies, the triumphs, the defeats and the adventures at the club of his dreams.
As the book is slowly transitioning from the middle towards the end, Beckham is altering his focus from soccer and his accomplishemnets to deeper meaning: his family. Beckham is dating his dream girl and future wife, Victoria Adams. he describes as if she was a inhuman: virtually flawless. He descibes his wedding as, "the best day of his life" obviously exemplifying that his family value overpowers soccer.
Recently after he is married, the family grows. "Posh", or Victoria beckham is pregnant. As David dreamed, he had a healthy son. Because of Beckham's obvious admiration for the United States, Beckham names his son Brooklyn. His second son is named Romeo, as Posh wanted. He continually states that he cares about his family more than anything...ANYTHING. He wouldn't sacrifice them for any soccer accomplishment, any soccer cleats, money or anything else.
I am beginning to love this book. I feel that its extremely interesting because i can relate to David. I understand and empathize Beckham's love for the game. Such a connection is rare, because unlike most books, I truly LOVE the topic.

IRR #1 THE CAINE MUTINY

RR #1 The Caine Mutiny

1. The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk was novel published by Doubleday in 1951.

2. One of the most meaningful moments in the book is when Willie, the main character contemplates leaving the Caine, but changes his mind when his father, on his deathbed, sends him a Bible and a letter saying that he should be committed to everything he does. As a result, he decides to remain on the Caine. This moment connects to The Thing They Carried because, like Tim, Willie had second thoughts about war, but outside forces influenced him otherwise.

Captain DeVriess: Disappointed they assigned you to a minesweeper, Keith?
Ensign Willie Keith: Well, sir, to be honest, yes, sir.

Another meaningful moment is when an unexpected hurricane hits the Caine. Queeg has no idea what to do. Because of this, Maryk takes it upon himself to command the ship into safety. This is meaningful because even though he was persecuted for doing so, he realized that the lives of the men were more important than the formalities of military rank. This can be related to The Thing They Carried because he is unlike Norman Bowker. However, unlike Norman Bowker he was unable to live up to the responsibility.

Lieutenant Tom Keefer: Will you look at the man? He's a Freudian delight; he crawls with clues!

3. As a result of the war, the narrator significantly changed. He learned that class distinctions and racial prejudice are unimportant superficialities because at first he resented May, but opinion changed by the end of the book. Additionally, Willie learned that the right choices are always the hardest choices. As a result, he realizes that nice guys do finish last.

4. From this book, I learned a lot about war. It gave me a new profound, new empathetic understanding of soldiers. I realize now that the mental price of war supersedes the physical price. Additionally, and most importantly I realized that, as a soldier not only do represent your nation and its values, but you have a responsibility for yourself and for the others around you. Unfortunately, this book gave me insight on racism and how acceptable it is during wartimes.

Slumdog Millionaire

I have heard from many people that the movie was very good but I have never seen the movie. Usually, book-based movies do not do the books justice so I had highexpectations for this book. I loved the plot and I felt a unique understanding of the characters. I reallt enjoyed the questions because I liked to see if I could answer them myself. My favorite part of the was at the end, when you find out that the girl is from one of his stories. I also loved the part where Prem Kupar thinks he is really clever when he gives Jamal a different question during the commercial than on live television, but he knows both questions. I really enjoyed some of the morals, like faith, guts and honesty. Another really good read. 9/10

Outliers

Definitely one of my favorite books of the year, which was offered to me by Mr. Cappiello. A book that really interested me because it is based on success. I really liked it because it was not too long either. My favorite parts of the book where the chapters that described the Italian-Americans that had a 95% chance of not getting heart disease because they lived happier and healthier. I also really enjoyed the chapter that hypothesized the reason why asians are stereopically better at math than other ethinicities, because they have a more logical, faster language when it comes to math, because the brain memorizes things the best after the first 3 seconds or so. Leanred a lot from the book, enjoyed reading it, good writing style. 8.5/10.

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

I was under extreme time pressure to finish another book which had to be a great american story. That is why I chose The Lottery. However, I actually really like it. It was short which was good because I needed to complete by Friday but it was very entertaining. It is about this annual, "lottery," where a small village of 300 people choose pieces of paper. Everyone is given a stone, and the person who picks a black dot on the piece of paper is stoned to death. I really liked the story because it was interesting and it was very, very insightful. I am really interested in human nature which is why i liked this book and cuccok's nest. This book had a couple of motifs and ideas about family, selfishness, revolutionary thinking, risk taking and survival of the fittest.
I definitely recommend it. 8.5/10 (it is a little too short, though).

Freeze Frame

Freeze Frame is betterthan my other book: it had a clear problem, A LOT of emotion, a more difficult read and offered some insight. My only problem with the story was that it became very slow and got distracted from the real story.

It's about a boy named Kyle who witnesses his friend's rape and death while he stood in shock, unable o help his friend. He is severely depressed and taumatized from the incident. He is constantly questioning his own character and having moments of insanity. He is a key figure of his police's attempt to bring the friend's rapist to justice. However, every night, Kyle relives the incident in his dreams....every single night which is why it is called Freeze Frame. However, each time it is slightly edited like a movie.

The ending is good, but a little predictable. Good mystery. decent read. 6.5/10

When I chose this book it was morning Thursday. I was trying to get a book to read for independent reading the next day so it was a rushed random book selection. I learned that is better to read a book that I enjoy by making a better educated book selection than, rather than just pick a book for a grade.

It was a bad book, there wasn't a real plot because there was no clear problem, I didn't like the writing style, there was no real emotion until one of the biggest football games. I'm not a football fan. It was a short book and I did like a lot of the characters and enjoyed the postive perception of life it offered...but it got very old very quickly. Overall, uninteresting, despite being sports related. I'd give it 5.5/10

Nickeled and Dimed

Nickeled and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich was a very interesting read, because I think that if a person were to do such an experiment, they must be very interesting characters. She learns many lessons like, the fuits of labor, the unfairness of management and the economy, how to live consevatively and how the average worker operates. Most importantly she learns of the struggles of the average person and the major flaws of this country's economic system. She had very likeable tone throughout the book, and her character development was very visible. Overall, very good book, but a slow start, in my opinion. I would only reccomend this to patient reader.

The Last Shot

I really, really enjoyed The Last Shot by Darcey Frey, even if Marbury had a sticker on it. As an aspiring athlete i really connected to the story, the characters and the emotions they exhibit. More than that, Frey did a great job exemplifying the feelings of the chracter and making the reader undertand those feelings. I really liked the plot and the scenario, especially because it was from the perspective of four similar, yet very different characters. I reccommend this boom to any sport lover.

THE PACT

I was really unimpressed with this book. Not really much to say about it. Boring plot, confusing dialogue, no climax, not very well written. I do not recommend it.

A LONG WAY GONE- ISHMAEL BEAH

Ishmael beah lives in New York City. He was born in Sierra Leone, where, during his childhood, Civil war initiated. Before the War, Ishmael was a normal boy living a normal life filled with friends, music and sports. Ishmael and his friends manage to escape violence until they reach Yele, a government protected village. There, they are converted into drug addicts and killers. Eventually they are forced to go to rehabilitation. Later, Ishmael is deported to New york where he writes this story and suffers frequent memories and dreams of violence. The book was good, but because it was such emotion and events, it was much more interesting. Alos, I feel that the book had a good ending and meaningful plot. I enjoyed it very much.

FIGHT CLUB

Fight Club was an unexpectedly good book. Also, I thought it was interesting that Brad Pitt was in it, because I did not know that there was a movie. It was an interesting read. As mentioned earlier i was not anticipating a well written plot or surprising twists that had enraveled the book. The language and mood made the book increasingly interesting. The title I still believe is slightly irrelevant, however, it makes a little sense. If there's a sequal, I will read it. I highly recommend it, because it was probably the best book I read this year.

Thoughout the year i have read mostly non fiction stories such as biographies and actual stories. However, this quarter I mixed it up a little. I read a realistic fiction book, Monster, and a fantasy, Eclipse. Dramatically different books, I thoroughly enjoyed both. From this quarter I learned alot about myself as a reader, that I can red more than just non-fiction and different writers. Also, I seriously need to keep a more stable and steady reading policy because it limits my reading ability. Despite liking both books, I prefered MONSTER because I enjoyed the story more, the writing style and way it made me feel when i finished the book.

CHARACTER CONNECTION

In my independent reading books, ECLIPSE AND MONSTER, two major character easily connect. The characters are Edward and Steve. Both Edward and Steve have similar qualities, both are quiet passive and all-round nice guys. However, they both are seemingly dangerous in the eyes of others. Edward's a peaceful vampire and Steve is a strong young black boy in a gang in the projects. Despite such titles, in reality, the two are completely harmless and are pacifists. Also, the two suffer similar problems, because of discrimination, the peaceful duo must unjustly suffer. Through no fault of their own, both are attacked by people for things they have no control over.

MONSTER

The book is continuing to be increasingly interesting. Now, Steve seems to be so terrified, so afraid, so nervous that he has almost lost all hope. He is so demoralized he says, "what's the point? I'm gonna be locked up FOREVER.". Court is resumed. There are not a lot of people in the court. No friends, barely any family and a lot of people who hate him. He almost believes that he deserves to live in jail for the rest of his life. However. seeing his parents and siblings greatly comforts him. He flashes back, where he sees his father and him meeting at an unkown place where they are both crying. His father promises and offers Steve hope until he is forced to leave by the police guards.

Steve's face exemplifies no emotion. His lawyer is trying her best, but the odds are depressing. The prosecutor looks extremely confident and the jury returns with an undecided verdict: only one member voted innocent. All of a sudden the door open, the courtroom's quiet and Steve's last chance at freedom walks in.

MONSTER

As the story progresses, Steve uses flashbacks of his previous life: Life when he was free. His recollections reveal that, in fact, Steve always had a tough life where he was either manipulated, forced or framed for being a bad kid, which continues to provide sympathetic rationalization that Steve is, in fact, innocent. However, the witnesses and evidence, unfortunately, provide seemingly undenialable proof against Steve.

Trial's eventually adjourned. Every moment Steve feels like every one is looking at him and is beginning to feel the pressure. As he is about to return his cell, his lawyer approaches saying that his chances are slowly diminishing. Scared more than ever, Steve hears 3 men down the hall. There's a lookout, ironically, just like him, a rapist and a victim. Steve can only listen and watch the shadows of the trio, parying that he won't be stuck here.

MONSTER

In the book MONSTER, by Steve Harmon, Steve is the main character. He is a black sixteen year-old boy from the streets of Brooklyn. At the beginning of the book, there is no backround information about him. The book starts out with Steve in a prison cell enlightening the reader with his story. In order to maintain his sanity, Steve records his experiences in jail and pretends to be a movie producer. He explains that he was wrongly convicted of being an accomplice in a murder at a local store where the owner was murdered. Steve is currently seperated from his family and locked in a prison cell until his trial that will determine his entire future. He continuously describes the agony he faces in prison: the food, the people, the endless thinking. He repeatedly states that he, "HATES, HATES, HATES!!!" prison.

He soon explains the inspiration of the title. He says that the prosecutor refers to him only as a "MONSTER,"

THE FIVE PEOPLE YOU MEET IN HEAVEN- MITCH ALBOM

Reading, The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom was very enjoyable. I enjoyed Mitch albom's writing style and word choice. Despite being continuously distracted by outside interference, I never lost interest in the book. As I read, I conveyed numerous of emotions as I continued to grow close relationships with the book's characters. Because the book was so powerful, I was determined to continue reading because I was so interested in reaching the ending.

This book was exceptionally enjoyable because it had dual meaning. Not only was the literal story satisfying, but the powerful life morals touched me. Mitch Albom's lessons of Connection, Sacrifice, Forgiveness, Purpose and Happiness has altered my beliefs. I recommend this book very highly.