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Post by Nia Personette on Jul 25, 2013 12:47:15 GMT -5
I read Don Quixote, by Miguel de Cervantes.I read this book when I was way younger, but I forgot most of it (except him fighting windmill giants). It's a Spanish book, and it can seem really boring, but I liked it! Don Quixote, pronounced Kihotay, He's just an old man, who's kind of insane! At the very least, delusional. He reads a story about knights, and decides to become one. He has a gardener handy man, named Sancho, who he convinces to come with him and be his squire of sorts, and in return Sancho will become the governor of some Isle. Don Quixote of course needs a princess, and so he picks a common peasant girl to go "save". He hadn't ever really met her, but he set his heart on it. Sancho and Don Quixote go through a series of crazy and often extremely embarrassing adventures, including attacking a group of giants! Er, windmills.
In part two of this lengthy novel, he meets some actual royalty, well nobility, and becomes a secret laughingstock around the court. They set up grand "adventures" for him to invariably fail at, or even if he doesn't, to provide quite a show. Sancho becomes the governor of a fake place, and after ten or so days of that headache decides he'd rather be a happy farmer. The end of the novel is really sad, actually. Quixote dies of a fever, and the "knighthood" dies with him. The author, Cervantes, explains that his death was meant to symbolize the death of chivalry in the modern world, because what Quixote was all about was chivalry.
I liked the book, but it was longer than I remember it and could plod on and on. The plot didn't move very fast. Don Quixote is a good book for people who want something different than the everyday novels that all have the same plotline, but not a boring history book.
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Post by Rachel Bornstein on Jul 25, 2013 15:21:47 GMT -5
The Hunger Gamesby Suzanne Collins
 THE HUNGER GAMES (AP choice): This young adult novel focuses on the protagonist of Katniss Everdeen, a 16 year old who lives in the nation of Panem, which was once North America. People lived in thirteen districts, having an inequality between the richer and poorer districts. District 13 rebelled and performed acts of treason against the Capitol, resulting in annihilation of their district. Every year, The Capitol holds the annual Hunger Games, as reminder as to not attempt anything to make them look like fools, and that they have control over everyone. Kids ages 12-18 are sent to an arena designed by the Gamemakers to fight to the death until there's one last standing, the victor.
I chose this book, because I've been a huge fan of Suzanne Collins' trilogy before the movie even came out, and I love rereading my favorite novels just to experience that feeling of fangirling all over again! An important reason of why this book had to be a summer read was the fact that the characters are around OUR age. Readers can relate to some of the things Katniss is feeling. Teens start thinking about how they would be able to even survive this dystopia, and being thankful that they live in this society now.
I give this book a 5/5. Collins did an amazing job of captivating my attention and making me want to read on at the end of each chapter. Her imagery and her choice of first person point of view really made me escape reality. She did an excellent job addressing issues about survival of the fittest, the inequality between rich and poor, and war. I was routing for Katniss and Peeta since they were reaped.
I think any age can enjoy this book, but maybe it's more captivating to the teenagers, since the main character is a teenager. Any gender might enjoy this book, it's not just some love triangle romance like Twilight. It has fighting, gore, and action, which can capture the male audience, and some romance and getting inside the mind of a 16 year old girl, aiming more for the girl audience! It's a perfect blend!
If you haven't read this book, or only count on the movies to summarize what the hype is about, QUIT BEING LAZY AND READ THIS BOOK. The book doesn't compare to the movie, you just have to read it!
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Post by Kayla Gallagher on Jul 25, 2013 16:14:22 GMT -5
For the second book I chose to read To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book is about a young girl named Scout trying to find her way in the world. Scout has one older brother named Jem and they, along with their dad, live in a small town called Maycomb County in the 1930's. Scout is trying to get a lot of questions answered about her life, like why does her creepy neighbor never come out of his house, why doesn't her teacher not want her dad to read to her anymore, and why is her brother acting so strange as he continues to get older? Scout goes through a hard time in her life when she finds out that her dad has to try and defend a black man, who is being accused of a very bad crime. Scout starts getting called names and picked on and finds it hard to not fight back no matter how much her dad tells her not to. However, with the help of her brother and her dad's words of wisdom, Scout learns to stand up for her family in a way that doesn't include fighting. Though she is barley nine by the end of the book, Scout’s view on life changes from that of an innocent child into that of a near grown-up.
I chose this book because I thought that it was a very interesting book to read and I had heard a lot of good things about it. I enjoyed reading this book a lot because I liked how many twists and turns it had in the book. There were many parts where things would happen that were completely unexpected and interesting. It was a very suspenseful book but it also managed to add some humor into it. The characters in this book seemed to be a lot like people today and showed kind of how people would react in certain situations. It also had a lot about history in it and what was going on in the world even though the book took place in a very small town in the middle of nowhere. The book had a very good message to it in the end and I think that no matter who you are you will manage to take something out of the book. I would recommend it to people who just like basic stories about life and coming-of-age stories about people living in small towns. I think that no matter what age you are you would enjoy reading this book.
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Post by Lydia Sorrels on Jul 25, 2013 16:17:44 GMT -5
The third and final novel in my collection of summer reading books is The Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis. The setting in which this book takes place could be, on one hand, before and during the second world war. On the other hand, time has no meaning for this book because it was narrated by non-corporeal beings who exist solely to tempt humanity into turning their back on God, aka "devils". The preface of the book must be read in order to understand that the entire book is a compilation of letters from a devil named Screwtape to his nephew, Wormwood. Once the reader understands this, they'll know that when Screwtape mentions "The Enemy" or discusses joy and chastity with contempt he is describing God (The Enemy to devils and evil) and His virtues (chastity, obedience, respect, etc.). These letters, which have been described as "a positively diabolical correspondence", take readers through a journey that witnesses evil at work. The recipient of the letters, Wormwood, is a "novice" tempter, and therefore is getting guidance on how best to lure his "patient" into Satan's clutches, where his soul will be devoured. The patient, at first, believes in nothing, which of course brings contentment to the tempters. Later on, he meets new people at his new occupation who are Christians, and slowly he becomes one as well. As he grows in faith, we can tell that this development worries Screwtape because his nephew is losing his first patient to their Enemy. Screwtape gets rather deep in explaining the ways of the modern world (then the 1940s) and how the evil ones have input themselves into pop culture and commonplace lifestyles. Each letter, no longer than a page and a half long, always contains a rant about how the humans have become so easily swayed by the easy answers. He discusses how The Enemy uses the dark times in human lives to strengthen their need for Him, and how much He loves them even though the tempters think it's impossible to love. As the story continues, we learn more about the devils. We are brought to understand that there is not just one Devil named Satan who has a tail and a pitchfork, but many of them who appear more desirable than what's actually Good. Also, we come to know that the Head (Satan) is not the opposite of God. As the preface explains, "Satan, the leader or dictator of devils, is the opposite, not of God, but of Michael" because devils do not differ in nature from the angels but their nature is depraved, bent on inward selfish thinking.
I think this book almost warrants the need to be identified as "Nonfiction" because it discusses the most real concepts in our universe. As the narrator writes about the poisoned nature of society, the reader calls to mind their own misgivings and mistakes. The end, however, sets everything right for the particular human which Wormwood is in charge of, but it's disastrous for Wormwood himself. The man, who has been growing in his Christian faith and also fallen in love with a devout Christian girl, is killed in an air raid of his town. Of course, this sounds awfully sad. In reality, this is where the man experiences the most joy and clarity of vision he has ever had. When he dies, he sees the face of God. All of his sins are brought painfully to his attention, but he is so joyous and repentant to see his Lord that all is forgotten. God brings the man into His Presence, and all is well. This scene actually brought tears to my eyes when I read how happy he was to see God and all his family and friends who had gone before him. Unfortunately, or should I say, fortunately, Wormwood was in deep trouble for losing his patient to God. At the end of every letter from Screwtape, he signed it "Your affectionate Uncle Screwtape", but at the end of the last letter, he signed it "Your increasingly and ravenously affectionate uncle Screwtape". He sounds hungry, doesn't he? This calls to mind a contradiction: the devils are incapable of affection and believe that love is simply impossible. Why, then, does Screwtape sign his letters "Your affectionate Uncle"? The devils do not love, they desire. They desire to consume everything. That is why they tempt humans - to ultimately pull them into their evil clutches and devour their souls. Wormwood lost his patient to God in the end, and his punishment is destruction, of the dinner variety.
I chose this book because I have a newfound love of C. S. Lewis, brought on, frankly, by watching The Chronicles of Narnia movies and browsing through a Twitter account devoted to quotes from his many writings.
I very much enjoyed this book. It enlightened me about how I am tempted every day, all the time, by any means possible. Also, the book has a surprising amount of humor. Anyone who loves to read and enjoys a challenge should absolutely read this. I say a challenge because this book was written by a highly educated man in the mid twentieth century, so the level of diction is quite elevated. Once you get used to translating everything into the opposite of what has been said (it discusses God from a devil's point of view, there is going to be a difference) the book is very philosophical and beautiful to peruse.
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Post by Adrianna Limon on Jul 25, 2013 16:52:56 GMT -5
Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher is truly an eye-opening book. I absolutely loved this book. Thirteen Reasons Why is about a boy named Clay who receives 7 cassette tapes. These tapes aren't ordinary tapes with songs on them. As Clay listens to the tapes he finds out that they are the voice of student named Hannah Baker who committed suicide just 2 weeks before he received the tapes. Clay cannot believe it. The more he listens he realizes each tape is about someone who hurt Hannah and caused her suicide. Each persons story made me realize how much impact we have on others life's without even realizing it. I loved this book because it kept me reading and turning pages one after another. I recommended this book to anyone who wants a touching story both sad and intriguing. I chose this book after I read a review from Jaquelyn Hooper. She said the book was amazing and it sounded interesting so I decided to read it.
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Post by Erin Yen on Jul 25, 2013 16:54:35 GMT -5
The second book I read for our summer reading assignment is "The Catcher in the Rye", by J.D. Salinger. I chose to read this book, honestly, because my friend wanted to start a book club together with this book, and it was on the AP reading list. However, I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to really become immersed in the story. Though it is not the type of book I would normally read, J.D. Salinger had a way of drawing the reader in, making you keep reading even if you thought you didn't want to. The story is not what most would find worthy of even writing - just a story of a completely unremarkable boy who lived in New York. However, J.D. Salinger took you inside the boy's head, into the innermost workings of his mind, and it was disturbingly fascinating. Holden Caulfield; a boy who outwardly hated everything and just about everyone, and simply didn't care about his life; however, throughout the story as we slowly delve deeper into Holden's mind, we found much more depth to his character. Holden was just a boy who had gone through a lot of pain young in life when his younger brother, Allie, whom he loved dearly, died of lung cancer. It soon became obvious that Holden thought that he somehow should have saved Allie, and when he failed to do so, he shut down; He felt that he was useless, and just about everyone else was useless too. It soon became clear that though Holden was afraid to get too close to anyone again, he was lonely. He was kicked out of schools. He got drunk. He tried unsuccessfully to get together with many people he did not care about; however, in the end, nothing worked out, and he gave it and went to visit his younger sister Phoebe, the only person, perhaps, he cared about as much as Allie. When Holden allowed himself to be drawn out of his bitter shell by Phoebe, allowed himself to see the world in a slightly different light, he found that for the first time in years he was truly happy; maybe not permanently, and maybe it wasn't enough to change him immediately; but at that moment, Holden decided to try to turn his life around. This ambiguous ending wasn't exactly a happy one - not in the stereotypical sense, anywayt - however, I think that it was more true to real life. It did a wonderful job of showing that if your life is going to change, you have to do it yourself. You can't just count on a fairy tale suddenly turning you into a princess (or prince).
I have very mixed feelings about this book. It was certainly depressing, and negative, and certainly not a light read; however, it made you think. It made you consider things about your own life, and many of Holden's problems, though maybe not in such extreme, would resonate with many younger people. It was a bit of a dark book, but I can't deny that it was fascinating to see everything from the point of view of someone so unlike myself. The book did get somewhat repetitive at times, and there were some points that were controversial to say the least; and most irksome of all, to me, there were several "dead ends" in the book - side stories that the author made a point to start, but never followed through on. However, despite this, I believe overall it was a masterfully written novel that despite the darkness of the story always managed to keep my interest. If you're looking for a happy, light, easy-to-read book, this would certainly not be your choice. If you're looking for a thought-provoking, more in-depth book, however, "The Catcher in the Rye" would certainly be worth a shot.
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Post by Claire Gallagher on Jul 25, 2013 17:05:25 GMT -5
The second book I read was To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. This book focuses on a little girl named Scout, her brother Jem, and her dad Atticus. They live in the 1930's in a town called Maycomb Country. Scout is a small girl lost in a big world. She doesn't understand much and nobody seems to want to answer her questions. As she grows up she learns why things are the way they are and why people seem to hide things from her. This story starts out with Jem and Scout befriending a young boy named Dill. They are all fascinated by Scout and Jem's neighbors, the Radleys. Especially by one in particular, Boo Radley who never seems to come out of their house. They decided to try and get him to come out and they end up getting into a lot of trouble. As they mature and the story goes on they become less fascinated with him.
But soon everything becomes chaos when Scout learns that her dad is having to defend a black man, a case that seems impossible to win. Scout soon goes through a hard time in her life where she starts to get picked on because of this case. She soon has to learn to fend for herself and for her family without getting into trouble. She learns that fighting isn't going to help her. With the help of her friends and family she learns to defend her family's honor without fighting. This helps her later on in the book and as she grows up she faces things she never though she would.
I chose this book because I've heard people talk about it before and it seemed interesting to me. I enjoyed this book a lot because I never seemed to become bored with it. There where many unsuspecting parts in the book and there was never a dull moment. I especially liked how it wasn't set in our time period rather it was set in the 1930's. I like reading about different times in history and about how they lived their daily lives. I liked how the book was all serious and it was funny sometimes too. The overall message of the book was my favorite part though. It talked about no matter where you are in your life or how you live your life it is wrong to harm people in any way whether it be physical or verbal. One thing I didn't like was that there was so many names to keep up with I sometimes found it hard to figure out who they were talking about. Other than that I thoroughly enjoyed this book and it doesn't matter what gender or age you are you will enjoy this book as well.
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Post by Ben Averyt on Jul 25, 2013 17:06:29 GMT -5
For the second book (Book Club) i read Lord of the Flies. The author of the book is William Golding. The Lord of the Flies is about a group of boys who's plane crashes on an empty island. The plane was full of only children so the kids are left on the island alone far away from civilization. The boys in this story face many struggles like survival. The boys turn into a society. The book soon turns to be very gruesome. This is a very enjoyable book. I chose this book because it looked like the most enjoyable book to read. I enjoyed this book, because it put you right there with the characters and did a good job of getting your attention and having you enjoy it from the very beginning. People that would enjoy this book would be people who enjoy adventure stories.
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Post by Hayden Doyle on Jul 25, 2013 17:32:57 GMT -5
The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger. I picked this book because of the book club I was in. Although I was hesitant because my mom read this last year, and when I asked her where it was, she said she disliked it so much she threw it away. But I did not resort to the same conclusion. Before I talk about why I didn't throw it away, I'll talk about why maybe she did.
The book is depressing, to say the least. It's about a 16 year old boy named Holden, who gets kicked out of his school, and decides to go to New York for three days and get away from the world. Because of tragic events that happened in his past, he has a very negative attitude. He had very few good things to say about anything. But if you get past the depressing part of the book, the only bad thing about the book is how Holden finishes a sentence, he always says something like "it really is" or "I'm not kidding" or "I wish you were there", he really does.
Now for the good things I can say about this book. First off, it moves so smoothly. It transitions from event to event perfectly. Plus the dialogue is amazing, I don't think it could of been any better. If there is one thing that makes me dislike a book, it's bad dialogue, but that's definitely not the case here, I'm not kidding. Also, there are some great life lessons that Holden learns that still apply today.
As for the ending, I kind of like it, I kind of don't. What I don't like about it is the fact that it didn't have a climax. It really tried, but it just didn't do as good as it could have. I was prepared for a horrible ending, but it was a lot better than I ever thought it would be. It was a good ending to a good book. I would recommend this to anyone, as long as they are in the mood for a bit of a depressing book. Another thing to keep in mind, it definitely is not a PG rated book. Keep that in mind. But I had a good time reading this book, despite the depressing mood it tried to put me in. I would say this is a solid 4/5 rating, it really is.
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Post by Christian Trent on Jul 25, 2013 18:13:47 GMT -5
The book I read for the book club and my second summer reading book is The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks. The story begins with Logan Thibault running into Keith Clayton, a police officer whose family pretty much owns the town. They didn't get off on the best note, and Clayton wants revenge. We learn that Logan has walked all the way from Colorado with his dog Zeus, to try to find a woman in a photograph. He believes that the photograph kept him alive and safe while in Iraq (he was a marine) and he now owes the woman in the picture something for protecting him. He finds the woman not from where he and Clayton had the confrontation, in a small town called Hampton. Beth and her son, Ben, live with Beth's grandmother, and together they run a family owned doggy day-care. Logan sees that they are hiring, and applies for a job, which he gets. He becomes friends with Nana, the grandmother, Ben, and finally Beth. Logan finds out that Ben's father is Keith Clayton, the man from earlier, and he isn't the best father in the world. Logan and Beth begin to date, which Clayton hates. Clayton tries to mess up their relationship by finding out some bad things about Logan, and he soon finds out about the photograph with his ex-wife in it, and tells Beth. Beth asks Logan if this is true, and she becomes very upset when he says yes. Beth tells him that her brother Drake was a marine, and that photograph was meant to be for him, but he died from friendly fire while in Iraq. Logan tells her all of the truth, about how he found it on the ground and put it up in lost-and-found, but it wasn't claimed. And then he tells her how it became his good luck charm and saved his life multiple times. She forgives him and their relationship becomes stronger. It has been raining so much in the story that Hampton is flooded in several places, and when Ben becomes upset because of his father one day, he runs out into the storm to his tree house which is dangerously unstable. Beth and Clayton chase after him, followed a little bit later by Logan. They find that he is stuck on a bridge going to the tree house, and the water is quickly rising for him. Clayton and Logan both jump into save him, followed by Zeus, Logan's dog. Zeus drags Ben to land, but there is no sign of Logan or Clayton. In the epilogue we find that Clayton drowned trying to save his son, while Logan survived.
I chose this book because a lot of my other friends were also reading it for the book club. I actually enjoyed this book and thought it was very easy to get into. It was an interesting plot and I liked it a lot. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a novel with a little bit of everything - love, war, and friendship.
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Post by Jourdyn Scott on Jul 25, 2013 20:20:12 GMT -5
The book I read was Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. It is about the boy who anonymously writes letters about his life and his struggles he faces in high school and life. He talks about friends, drugs, sex, alcohol, depression, peer pressure ect. The book talks about things "most teenagers" experience in high school, even though i have been lucky enough not to, this book makes me appreciate the life I have. I chose this book because I heard from other people it was a terrific book. I loved this book, although it was a little sad, I think it is the best book i have ever read. I believe other children my age or older would enjoy this book, and people who are open minded to see other peoples perspectives on various situations.
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Post by Andrew Runyon on Jul 25, 2013 21:38:10 GMT -5
The Lucky One-Nicholas Sparks
The Lucky One is about a soldier who finds a picture of a girl in the sand while deployed in Iraq. This picture becomes his good luck charm, keeping him alive and winning him poker games. When he returns to the States, he tries to track down this girl. He finds her in North Carolina. He takes a job at the dog kennel where she works, to get to know her. He ends up falling in love with her and they begin a relationship. The relationship goes well until she learns about the picture and thinks he's a stalker. She realizes she really loves him once he saves her from her ex-husband.
I chose this book because that's what my discussion group chose.
I didn't enjoy this book. I thought it was a typical chick flick. Nothing special.
If you like romances, you should probably read this
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Post by Courtney on Jul 25, 2013 21:59:11 GMT -5
Now I can start my summary. The Fault In Our Stars starts off with Hazel Grace Lancaster, our main female lead/protagonist. We learn very quickly in the book that Hazel has Stage 4 Thyroid cancer with metastasis in her lungs (making her lungs unable to work properly). Through the book we are graced with humorous comments about everything happening from Hazel herself. Like her comment on when she got diagnosed, "I didn't tell him [Augustus] that the diagnosis came three months after I got my first period. Like: Congratulations! You're a woman. Now die". That leads me to our next main lead, Augustus Waters. They first meet when Hazel's mom forces her to go to one of her support group for kids with cancer. Augustus had osteosarcoma, though he is in remission at the moment, causing him to lose his right leg; but the reason Augustus was at the support group was for his friend, Isaac, who was going to have eye surgery soon that would leave him blind. Hazel and Augustus hit it off fairly well, thanks to the witty humor of Augustus and the carelessness of Hazel. Later on, Hazel and Augustus trade their favorite books, Hazel trading her book, An Imperial Affliction, and Augustus trading his book, The Price of Dawn.
Ever heard of cancer perks? Well if not, you are about to. A cancer perk is something that those with cancer call certain things that happen to them only because they have cancer. Augustus and Hazel use Augustus' cancer perk, his one free Wish from the organization Make-A-Wish, to fly to Amsterdam to meet with the author, Peter Van Houten, of An Imperial Affliction. Once there things go awry and ultimately, the questions Hazel and Augustus have are still unanswered. Little unimportant things also take place in Amsterdam, but the main one is that a bomb (figuratively speaking) is dropped on one of the characters (not gonna say who) about the others cancer. The rest is a secret that can only be found out by reading the book (unless you are bad and just read sparknotes, which I advise you don't since the book is a great read!)
I choose this book because I've read John Green's other books and loved his writing. Plus the book seemed interesting, since I hadn't read a cancer book before I read The Fault In Our Stars. I am very glad that I chose to read this book, it was an amazing and heart-rendering book. I believe girls with mostly like this book, since there is some romance in it. Though if any guys want to read it, they will also like it too because of the humor used in it. Overall, I think everyone would enjoy reading this book.
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Post by Berenice Quinonez on Jul 25, 2013 23:26:57 GMT -5
The Great Gatsby is F. Scott Fitzgerald's third book. His most renown book in his writing career. The Great Gatsby was told in first person by a character named Nick Carraway. He decided to move to West Egg, New York to become a bondsman. His neighbor, Gatsby, was a rich man who owned a mansion where the wildest and craziest parties were held. Anybody who was anybody came. Since Nick was related to Gatsby's old lover, Daisy, he was immediately befriended and basically used to get closer to Daisy but since Daisy was already married to a cheating husband, which she clearly knew about, she wasn't to hard to get close to. Gatsby and her began an affair and while at a dinner with her husband, Tom, he realizes their relationshipand brings it up but Daisy still stays with him. A few days pass and Tom's mistress is killed in a hit and run caused by Daisy. Myrtle's husband recognizes that his wife was cheating on him and he asks Tom if he knew who it was and due to Tom's jealousy he says it was Gatsby. Infuriated, Myrtle's husband kills Gatsby and then himself. Days after finding Gatsby's body it is clear that he didn't have any friends and the only people who showed up for his funeral was his father and Nick. Overcome with so many emotions, Nick decides he wants to go back to Michigan and never return to a place where he was going to be surrounded by fake friends and only gain loneliness. The only good thing that came out of coming to New York was meeting Jordan, who he later had to leave at the end.
I chose this book because I felt that it was time for me to begin to read classical books. I loved this one and I can't wait to read more just like it. The Great Gatsby really gave me a great insight of what The 1920's were like. Like bootlegging, bondsmen, and how people, during that age with money, were really judgmental of others. I think anyone who's interested in a great classic and a dramatic romance should totally read this book, but it's really just a must read before you die.
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Post by juliadciocca on Jul 25, 2013 23:42:57 GMT -5
The second book I read was Lord of the Flies by William Golding. Lord of the Flies is the story of a group of British school boys who crash land on a deserted island while being evacuated from England during World War II. After arriving on the island, two boys, Piggy and Ralph, find a conch shell on the beach, which they use to call the boys together. When they all arrive, Ralph, Jack, and Simon decide to explore the island and leave Piggy to get the names of all the boys. When they return they tell the others that it is deserted and that no adults are with them. The boys decide to elect a chief, and choose Ralph, much to Jack’s displeasure, who is appointed head of the hunters. They then discuss ways to get rescued. They decide to build a fire at the top of the mountain to be used for a smoke signal; however, they build a fire that is too large and start a forest fire in which one of the younger boys is lost. They re-build a smaller one, and the hunters are assigned to watch over it. Ralph and the others go off to build shelters, but many of the boys become preoccupied with playing games rather than building the shelters, which displeases Ralph, and when he sees a ship coming by, but realizes the smoke signal is out he and Piggy quickly climb up the mountain to see what had happened, and realize that Jack had told his hunters to come and help him kill a pig rather than watch the fire. Despite Ralph’s anger, Jack and the hunters are too thrilled about their kill to care much, and began a frenzied dance that reenacts the kill. In response, Ralph calls an assembly that is meant to show the other boys that they need to work harder, but only ends up spreading fear throughout the group as the younger ones tell stories of a beast that they believe lives on the island. That night, while everyone was asleep, a dead man attached to a parachute, falls onto the mountain, which awakens Sam and Eric who were supposed to be watching the fire. When they see the body, they think it is the beast and run back to tell the others. This inspires an exploration for the beast, and in an effort not to be out done, both Ralph and Jack climb the mountain to see the thing. They both mistake it for the beast and run back to camp, where they report that it is real. Jack then tries to call Ralph a coward and have him overthrown, but when the others refuse to do so, he decides to create his own tribe at the other end of the island. While the boys stay with Ralph for a while, many end up sneaking off to go join Jack’s tribe. Jack’s tribe holds a feast, which Piggy, Ralph, Sam, and Eric attend despite the fact that they are not a part of Jack’s tribe. In the meantime, Simon climbs the mountain to see the beast and recognizes it for what it is. He quickly goes off to explain the mishap to the others, but when they see him, they mistake him for the beast and in their panic, brutally murder him. This creates the final rift between Jack and Ralph and in the final chapters; they embark in the ultimate power struggle.
Lord of the Flies is a not a book I ever saw myself reading or enjoying, so I was very surprised when reading it for my book club, which is why I chose the book, I realized that I enjoyed it. To start, the story was very intriguing. It took a twist that I didn’t expect to see because in most books like this it is man against the elements and not man against man. I also liked the fact that the characters were complex. Golding had an underlying story to his novel, and while many of his characters represented other things, he did not get so tied up in making his use of symbolism work that his characters become static and uninteresting. Another thing I enjoyed about his style of writing was that he did not spend an inappropriate amount of time on descriptions. While the setting and scenes were well described, he did not over whelm his writing with the description of a tree or the war paint on the boys’ faces. Perhaps the thing I enjoyed most of all was the meaning behind his book. As humans, it is very rare that we ever see ourselves as a part of the animal kingdom and Lord of the Flies was a constant reminder that we are as wild, brutal, and instinctual as the wildest beast we can think of. I also liked the fact that he acknowledge that no one way of doing something is perfect because things work differently under each circumstance. While Piggy was meant to show democracy and logic, he could be lazy and afraid to speak up. He had his own flaws that showed that not every democracy is perfect. I really came to appreciate the structure of our society and the rules we have in a way that I could not before. Despite the setting and plot being a bit outlandish, the theme was completely applicable to everyday life and made the story much more interesting for me as the reader.
This is a book I would recommend for an older reader; at least entering high school. While the plot is easy enough to follow and the language to understand, it does deal with some very gruesome topics that can be inappropriate for readers of too young an age. The other reason I recommend it for older readers is because of the underlying message. The real point that Golding is trying to make is much harder to grasp that I had originally thought it would be and I believe that it takes an older reader to really understand and appreciate what the author is trying to say. Other than that, I think it is a great book for people to read. It is a great book because the theme is so universal that it is neither gender nor region specific. I enjoyed it immensely and am hoping I can find something else to read by the same author.
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