book reviews
Reviews of books by relationship gurus, dating experts, and cautionary tale-tellers.
Conflict in The Most Dangerous Game
“The Most Dangerous Game,” the most famous story by Richard Connell, was originally published in 1924 by the American magazine Collier’s. The plot focuses on the main character, Rainsford, finding himself trapped on an island with an insane general who loves hunting, and finds the new thrill of hunting people after hunting begins to bore him. The story is enthralling, gripping, and intense, keeping your attention throughout the entire plot and making you wonder what the outcome will be. Part of the quality of the story involves the conflicts brought upon the characters throughout the story. These conflicts develop our characters, especially Rainsford, giving them motivation for their actions and making the reader want their stories to be resolved. Of these conflicts, “The Most Dangerous Game” by Richard Connell illustrates three main ones: man vs. man, man vs. nature, and man vs. self.
By Jamie Lammers5 years ago in Humans
Maturing in Shabanu
Suzanne Fisher Staples’ book, Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, covers incredibly difficult subjects to talk about and refer to. These include: one’s attitude towards life is what really matters; difficult sacrifices could be best for the entire family and not just you; and everything in life comes with a price. The theme that is most evident in the book, however, is the theme of maturation and how it is an amazingly confusing road to go down. Staples writes this theme in many different, unique, and interesting ways, talking about both literal and metaphorical maturation and how it affects the main character, Shabanu’s, life as the story progresses. It is this change in her body, her decision-making, and her opinion of the world around her that makes her relatable to teenage girls around the world, even though she lives in 1980’s Pakistan. In Shabanu: Daughter of the Wind, Staples reveals the theme of the hard road of maturing by showing how Shabanu goes through puberty, makes amazingly hard choices, and realizes that the world around her is flawed.
By Jamie Lammers5 years ago in Humans
Artist from Montmartre by Olga Levitzki
Artist from Montmartre by Olga Levitzki is a simple love story set in the heart of Paris. If you’re looking for a cute romance novel set in France, or consider yourself a francophile, then this book might be something you enjoy. The book took me back to my childhood because when I was younger, I loved Paris and would enjoy anything set in Paris. I like Olga Levitzki‘s light and lyrical is a good writer, and I find it admirable that she can speak in 6 languages. Sometimes I wonder if some things get lost in translation or had the use of other translators, put as far as I know, there’s just this English version.
By Chloe Gilholy5 years ago in Humans
'Those Winter Sundays': the haunting of remorse
‘Those Winter Sundays’ was written by the poet Robert Hayden and tells the story of his father. It tells us about how, even on his days off, his father would wake up early before the sun and go out to work to chop wood in what he dubbed the “blueblack cold” in trying to keep the house warm. To keep the fire going, blazing and winter at bay. How Hayden’s fathers hands would ache from the non-stop labor to allow Hayden to sleep in for a few extra minutes, so he did not have to be awake in the cold. To break down this poem down like Hayden’s fathers broke down wood one swing at a time
By Liv Atterson5 years ago in Humans
Weaving Bales with Bytes: A Case for Cotton Digitalization
Cotton has been a profitable crop for the past 7000 years otherwise our ancestors would have dropped it. It is one of the most sustainable fibre. For a very long time, India was known for cotton fabrics, while the rest of the world clad in wool. Today, cotton is cultivated in about 80 countries around the globe. India ranks no. 1 in cotton production, contributing to 33.23% in the total area of the world. One in every four hectares of cotton grown around the world comes from India.
By Isabella peter5 years ago in Humans
Jane of Battery Park
2020’s so far has been a crazy part of my life. Things that I used to take for granted have now gone and are slowly coming back. The weirdest thing about this pandemic is that any country could become the next dystopian empire with their own crazy rules if power falls into the wrong hands. I’ve always loved reading books and I’ve been reading more now than I ever did when I was younger. It’s one thing that’s been keeping me sane over the years, by reading books.
By Chloe Gilholy5 years ago in Humans
Book Review: "Jack" by Marilynne Robinson
I think we have all heard enough about the segregational culture of America in the 1950s and though I love 1950s music and film culture, I can definitely say that I was not 'born in the wrong generation' due to the fact that I am brown and happy that I am in a time where that is respected as a positive aspect of my character. However, I understand that the kind of music I listen to and the films I watch from the 1950s had a culture where that was not so and thus, when I read a book from this time or set during this time, I keep that in mind no matter what it is about. There are many books set in this period such as the famous “To Kill a Mockingbird” by Harper Lee all the way through to the African-American Southern Gothic books of Toni Morrison. But I think that possibly one of the best modern examples in our own day of this is the books of Marilynne Robinson, especially this one entitled “Jack” which explores the more subverted aspect of interracial romance at a time where this only just was not accepted but was condemned outwardly by others.
By Annie Kapur5 years ago in Humans
The Exploration of the Main Character in Tandolfo the Great
For those of you who have been enjoying my random short story reviews, I'm planning to do more full-on book reviews in the near future since this is the main medium I can use to do that. For now, though, I hope you enjoy yet another short story review.
By Jamie Lammers5 years ago in Humans
The Essential Point of Me vs. Animals: How it Breaks the Typical Essay Format
On the surface, Benjamin Percy’s “Me vs. Animals” feels more like a collection of eight short pieces rather than a complete essay. It tells eight separate occurrences throughout Benjamin’s life of his encounters with various animals, from moose to mice to rattlesnakes. Each of these stories is engaging on its own merit, with writing that is stylized in a way that sounds like Benjamin’s speaking style. However, by the end of the piece, it becomes unavoidably clear that this collection of stories works best when read all at once as an essay, as it threads together a narrative that demonstrates that man is much more dangerous than any animal ever could be.
By Jamie Lammers5 years ago in Humans
