Ender's Game

Recently I started re-reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. I was going to be reading it for a book club, but was unable to attend. I like how rereading books can allow you to find details or events that you did not remember the first time. I will be interested to see what differences I notice this time.

I find that Ender's Game is very relatable to me. I find the character of Ender very relatable as he is an outcast, but also very smart. In the introduction, the author talks about how many people can relate to Ender. "All of these uses are valid; all these readings of the book are "correct." For all these readers have placed themselves inside the story, not as spectators, but as participants," (Card 26). I have also posted a trailer for the movie, which does a good job of capturing the book.

 

 

Romeo and Juliet

In class this week we started reading Romeo and Juliet. So far we have only read/acted Act 1 Scene 1. Shakespeare was a great writer and his work is very good so far. The play is very well written and is relatable to today. Though the words may be hard to understand, the actual story is not very hard to understand. Romeo was also introduced in this scene. My first impression of him was that he is incredible dramatic. "Why, then, O brawling love! O loving hate! O any thing, of nothing first create!" The writing and the story is very good and I will be interested to see what happens next.

The modern version of the  Globe Theatre, where Shakespeare
 preformed many of his plays.

360 Degrees Longitude: One Family's Journey Around the World

I have been reading 360 Degrees Longitude by John Higham with Jason Springer. The book is about a family's year long journey around the world. It was written by the father of the family and is from his perspective. Some of the central ideas in this book are family bonds and learning about other cultures.

A picture of the family's journey across a Chilean salt lake.

When reading this book, readers find out lots about different cultures around the world. The family experiences different cultures and conditions firsthand. This book is interesting because it challenges lots of stereotypes Americans have of people in different cultures. The family also has a blog that documents their trip around the world. Overall, I think that this is an interesting book that shows how travel can change ones perspective.

The Wave

Recently I read The Wave, by Todd Strasser. The book is about a history teacher who starts a "youth group" as an experiment to show his class what life in Nazi Germany was like. The novel was based on a real incident that happened in a California school in the 1960s. The book was only 176 pages and adapted from a screenplay about the same event.

I enjoyed the book and found it interesting to see how one small experiment can quickly go out of hand. However, the problems I had with the book came from the fact that it is adapted from a screenplay. While reading, I found the dialogue quite dry during some points of the book. There was also a lack of detail that made picturing the characters and the setting hard.  The characters were also 1 dimensional to an extent and did however, go through some character development.

However, this book is more focused on the ideas presented in it. "Ben shook his head. "No, as a matter of fact, less than ten percent of the German population belonged to the Nazi Party." "Then why didn't anyone try to stop them?" Amy asked." (Strasser 18). The quote above shows one of the ideas that the experiment tested. How was a minority able to subjugate an entire population and the rest of the population be okay with it? How was one person able to make that minority obey their orders without question? After reading, I think that the characters and the setting are used to make the book more interesting and really show the ideas that the book is about. This book presents some interesting ideas, but doesn't do the best job of showcasing them.

After Reading Speaker for the Dead

I just finished Speaker for the Dead today. I really enjoyed this book and am looking to the next in the series. I liked how each of the characters went through a change in the book. I found this relatable because most people change over time. I also like how the setting and the plot were connected. This book was very well done and is definitely worth a read.

The book ended in a major cliffhanger. Towards the end, the characters stage a rebellion against the Starways Congress to protect the alien species they have been sent to study. The Congress has sent an evacuation fleet that has also been armed with a weapon of mass destruction. The aliens and humans have signed an agreement saying they will live together in peace. Ender has also found a new home for the Hive Queen. I will be interested to see how this plays out in the next book.

Setting in Speaker for the Dead

In Speaker for the Dead, the main setting is the planet of Lusitania. The main conflict revolves around how the characters interact with the setting. The 2 main areas in the planet are the human colony and the rest of the world. The humans have fenced themselves off from the rest of the world in an attempt to keep the aliens from learning about their advanced technologies.

On the outside of the fence, there are large forests and plains. These forests are inhabited by only one kind of tree. The plains are inhabited by only one kind of grass and only one kind of grazing animal. The monotony of the landscape was caused by a disease that wiped out all of the species that could not adapt to it.

Speaker for the Dead Characterization

There are many dynamic characters in Speaker for the Dead. Novinha is a dynamic character in the book. When she is introduced into the book she is very angry and withdrawn. This is due in part to the death of her parents. "she told the Bishop that if the Pope declared her parents to be venerable, it would be the same as the Church saying her parents hated her. The petition for canonization of her parents was proof that Lusitania despised her" (Card 9). Several chapters later her character has experienced a large change. She starts to feel like she is part of a family with the scientists she works with.


A short while later her personality changes again. After the death of the scientist who was a father figure in her life, she feels guilty because it was her research that killed him. Later in the book, 22 years after she still feels the guilt of the death she accidentally caused. One of the things that I like about this book is that the characters change based on the people, circumstances and events going on around them. I feel that this makes the characters more relatable.

 

 

Speaker for the Dead, by Orson Scott Card

I just started Speaker for the Dead, the sequel to Ender's Game. The story takes place 3,000 years after the events of Ender's Game. Humans have discovered a second intelligent species and are determined to preserve it after the genocide of the buggers. The humans have set up the colony of Lusitania on a jungle world. The human Starways Congress has declared that the humans must have a minimal contact with the alien "piggies"(they look like pigs).

I am interested to see how the humans relationships with the aliens change over the course of the book. I will also be interested to see how Ender fits into the sequel. The book is very enjoyable so far and I will continue to read it. I chose this book because I had read Ender's Game and enjoyed it. I also wanted to know what happened next. I also chose the book because I like science fiction books.

Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank, Book Review

Recently I read Alas Babylon, by Pat Frank. The book is set in Cold War era Florida in the 1950s. The U.S. and the Soviet Union are locked in a standstill. Each world power has its nuclear arms amassed and is ready to strike if the other attacks. One small action however, will start a nuclear holocaust that set many parts of the world thousands of years back. After the Soviet Union fires nuclear missiles at military bases in Florida, the small town of Fort Repose miraculously survives. The inhabitants of the town must work together to survive the challenges they face.

I would rate this book 4 out of 5 stars. The author does a good job explaining  the time period of the story and the circumstances leading to the end of the world. Unlike many dystopian novels of today, where the cause of the end of the world is not known,  Alas Babylon shows the characters reactions to the apocalypse and the fear and panic that are caused by it. The author also does and excellent job of explaining the challenges the characters face, food, water, salt, the collapse of the economy and the government, robbers, disease, and radiation. The book is written in third person and switches between character's perspectives in the first several chapters and then mainly focuses on the main character. People who would enjoy this novel are people who like dystopian or survival stories.

Main Themes of Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

For my summer reading project I chose Stardust, by Neil Gaiman. There are several important underlying themes and ideas in this novel. Several important ideas that appear frequently in this book are: adventure and a journey. While reading I found several main themes that encompass this novel and others. The main theme of the book is that a journey can change a person or a group of people for the better. Another important theme of the book is that trust can go a long way.


Stardust, by Neil Gaiman

 

Stardust Article

 There is an article Neil Gaiman wrote for The Guardian about the importance of fairytales. He says that they were originally written for adults but changed to appeal to children. He says he wrote Stardust because he wanted a fantasy tale in the style of pre-Tolkien fairy tale writers that appealed to and older crowd.