[ENGLISH II]: Summer Reading Blog Post #3: Book Section: The Hook and Explanation.

Hook:

A "Hook" is what authors use to bring in the reader, or get the reader into the book better. To me, a good hook at the beginning of a story is the use of a cliffhanger, context leaving you thinking about it, basically persuading you to read on.

The hook I picked out for The Book Thief is listed below.

"A mountain range of rubble was written, designed, erected around her. She was clutching at a book. Apart from everything else, the book thief wanted desperately to go back to the basement, to write, or to read through her story one last time. In hindsight, I see it so obviously on her face. She was dying for it--the safety of it, the home of it--but she could not move. Also, the basement didn't even exist anymore. It was part of the mangled landscape. Please, again, I ask you to believe me. I wanted to stop. To crouch down. I wanted to say: "I'm sorry, child." But that is not allowed. I did not crouch down. I did not speak. Instead, I watched her awhile. When she was able to move, I followed her. She dropped the book. She knelt. The book thief howled." -Zusak 13-14



A scene from the movie "The Book Thief" (above) depicting what it looked like on Himmel Street after the bombing.

Explanation:

The explanation behind this hook is, to me, kind of obvious. The last part seems like a cliffhanger, at least when I read that part for the first time. I had many thoughts running through my mind. Did she get shot? Did her family die? Did her friends die? Did she lose her home? What happened? Why is she "howling"? But after reading the book, everything made sense. The narrator in the hook, and the entire book was Death. He was summoned to the area where Liesel was because her foster parents died from the bombing. He wanted to tell Liesel that he was sorry, but him being Death, he couldn't. The basement that used to exist became rubble from the bombing, along with the rest of the house and some neighboring houses. To me, it was one of the best hooks I've read.

[ENGLISH II]: Summer Reading Blog Post #4: Review

After reading The Book Thief, I do believe the book is a good book, not a great book, but not a bad one either. I did enjoy the book, it was very interesting to see how history played its course through the plot, being the main centerpiece for the plot. The plot was enjoyable, and probably one of the better features of the book. Moving on to the main part of the blog.

I chose The Book Thief as the my book for this year's Summer Reading Assignment for many reasons, among them, were my love for history, in that history books, I also was recommended to read the book by many of my friends and teachers.

For what drew me into reading the book, my love for history really pushed me to read it, as well as me wanting to learning more about what it was like living in Germany during Nazi Rule. So my love for history was a huge motive,

I could only find one personal connection to the book,and it was that me and Rudy both love running, as Rudy's role model was Jesse Owens, and he would pretend he was Jesse Owens and run on his local track. I sometimes, yet not really pretend like I am one of the track greats, like Steve Prefontaine, or Louis Zamperini in the distance events.

As far as recommendations to who should read the book, I'd recommend anyone who likes reading historical fiction novels, as well as anyone who wants to read something extraordinary, because books like The Book Thief don't come around often, you do have the political books, but almost all of those are biased, making The Book Thief, at least for me, a must read for historical fiction.

[ENGLISH II]: Summer Reading Blog Post #2: Character Complexity, Themes, and Book Structure.

I have to say this is one of the best historical books I have read, along with Killing Patton By Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard,  11/22/63 By Stephen King, and Night By Elie Wiesel. The book has as of now, an excellent reference with history, moving along throughout The Holocaust and World War II. Moving on to the main points of the blog.

Character Complexity:

Character Complexity is all about what each character wants, desires, or in some cases needs. For some characters, it could be as deep as finding themselves, for others, it could be just an item or resource. For The Book Thief, there are characters that pertain to both categories. But keep in mind, some characters could want/need/desire multiple things. Without further to do, here are the main characters' character complexities.

Liesel Meminger:

• Wants: Happiness, Books, Food, and Family.

If it hasn't come obvious to readers by now, something is wrong. Liesel has been struggling throughout the entire course of the book, but some of her wants have been satisfied with the Hubermann's taking her in, as well as her hobby of stealing. Her stealing has helped her get food and books, further leading her to her happiness, in some respects. I say only some respects because she wants her mother back, as well as a normal life, going to the point of which the Hubermann's started hiding a Jew named Max Vandenberg, putting life for the Hubermann's and Liesel alike at constant risk.

• Desires: Stealing.

Same deal with this bullet, Liesel has been into stealing from the beginning. From books to food, Liesel has stolen for pleasure and for survival. She hasn't seemed to ever try to quit stealing. Hans certainly doesn't have much of a problem with it, Rosa prefers that Liesel tries to not steal, even though it seem that she cannot overturn Hans' decision. In some ways, stealing became a hobby for everyone around Liesel, once the winter came, with bomb threats, as well as real bombings, food was scarce, and some things, such as books, were needed to pass the time of an airstrike. But it seems that Liesel's hobby of stealing is here to stay.

Hans Hubermann:

• Wants: Happiness.

It seems that throughout the book, there is always a time that Hans could be happier. But look at his scenario, he is very poor, he has two children who are now adults, one child who is going through school, during one of the hardest times to live in ever, World War II. Hans has seemed to be happy with Liesel, and Max, despite the fact he has put everyone in his family's life at risk. Overall, Hans could really use some more cheer in his life.

• Desires: Peace.

Don't we all? Hans has made it clear throughout the book that he is not with the Nazis on any terms, whether its hate against the Jews, aryanism, you name it, Hans is against it. He has proven this with using his home as a "Safe House" for Jews to hide in, even if he has only helped one Jew, he has made a difference by keeping him alive. Hans generally prefers peace over fighting, he was in the German Army for a short period during World War II, but that was to try to get up close to Hitler and kill him. Unfortunately, the attempt never existed, and he returned to Molching with a broken leg.

• Needs: Slack and Business.

Sometimes Hans is like an invincible punching bag, he takes so many hits from people to the point it seems that its wearing him down. Part of the problem is his wife, Rosa, who doesn't stop slamming him with hurtful words, but words alone. Most of the time Hans just absorbs it and does nothing, but I feel it has been hurting him at low magnitude on the inside. Business wise, Hans and his family are part of the lower class in Germany, meaning he doesn't have that much money, or income. I believe in order for Liesel and the Hubermann's to strive, Hans needs to get better income or have Rosa start working somewhere of decent income.

Rosa Hubermann:

• Wants: See Needs.
• Desires: Work from Others.

Rosa is the kinda person that expects more than others than from herself, she usually picks on Liesel to do her work, such as picking up the laundry, doing chores such as ironing, cooking, etc. Rosa's actions have also caused others to think less of her, and in some cases, show no respect for her, examples include cursing at her and spitting on her porch/door. She also has the attitude of having no wants, just needs and desires.

• Needs: Wealth, Happiness, Normal Life.

For Rosa, there are no wants in life, just needs and desires. She made it clear early in the book that she doesn't like the life she lives in, when she is lower class, usually angry and depressed, and starting with adopting Liesel, she hasn't had a normal life. I think that some of her needs she already has, but hasn't realized it, like happiness, she seems so ungrateful sometimes, and in her situation, there were people in Germany who had it worse than she did, the Jews, beggars, the homeless, etc.

Rudy Stiener:

• Wants: Greatness.

Rudy Stiener, the white and German Jesse Owens. Rudy made it clear that he wanted to be the best, like Jesse Owens, his idol. Owens was notorious for his performances at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the 100 meter and 200 meter dashes, as well as 4x100 meter relay and long jump. Rudy tried to be like Jesse Owens before, like really Jesse Owens. He covered his face in charcoal and commentated himself at a local track near his house. The event was known as "The Jesse Owens Incident".

• Needs: A Kiss from Liesel and Food.

Throughout the book, Rudy has asked Liesel for a kiss, cheek or lips, but a kiss. Even if Liesel has promised herself that she would never kiss that "Saukrel", Rudy has made it hard to pass it. From rescuing her books to helping her steal food, Rudy has been quite the gentleman for Liesel. Secondly, food. Towards the end of the book, the Stiener Family had a very hard time trying to get everyone in the family food, mostly because Alex Stiener, the father, wasn't getting lots of business due to the fact that most of his costumers were Jewish, yet due to the Holocaust, there weren't many Jews around, and if there were, they were in hiding. Rudy has done everything he could to get food, trading, stealing, everything.

Max Zandenberg:

• Wants: See Needs.
• Desires: See Needs.
• Needs: Safety, Family, Happiness, Food, and a Normal Life.

How could this be any different for the other Jews of Germany? Max was one of over ten million Jewish Men, Women, and Children who have struggled with life ever since the start of The Holocaust, being placed into concentration camps, or being on the run, hiding. With the camps and hiding, it has been hard to keep themselves alive, with not a lot of food to eat, and with their families breaking apart due to sickness, cruel treatment, etc, it made life seem so horrible. Max managed to be one of the lucky ones to be hiding outside of the camps, but food was barely obtainable, no real safety, almost never happy until the Hubermann's took him in, and a normal life. Saldy, he would never get any of those until after World War II.

Adolf Hitler:

• Wants: See Needs.
• Desires: See Needs.
• Needs: No more Jews, Aryanism, Total Control of Europe, Asia, and Africa, A bigger army.

Hitler was against Jews from the beginning. He downright hated them, for stealing his costumers, money, etc. Hitler also started the belief of Aryanism, where everyone in Germany is of pure German Blood, meaning they have no ties to other countries. In addition, Hitler wanted to spread his policies of Aryanism and anti-semitism to the rest of Europe and Africa, later to Asia (Not Japan). And lastly, a bigger army. The German Armies were fighting a two-front war, against the Soviet Union, Great Britain, and The United States of America. They got pushed out of North Africa, and lost the western coast to the D-Day Invasions. Hitler was meeting Germany's doom before his eyes.

Themes:

A Theme of a book gives the reader a moral or meaning of the story.

For The Book Thief, there are several themes that have appeared, here they are:

Courage: Courage has appeared within the first couple chapters in the book, and has been one of the biggest themes in the book. (Examples: Liesel stealing books, Hubermann's hiding Max).

Conflict: Conflict has been all over the book since the first couple pages, and has formatted almost all of the plot. (Examples: The Holocaust, Liesel's family separating, World War II, Bombings).

Finding Yourself: A story wide struggle for some of the characters has been finding themselves, such as Liesel. (Example: She tries to figure herself out throughout the entire course of the book, who she is, what she likes doing, etc.).

Family: One of the best themes from the book, family. When Liesel came to The Hubermann's, she was scared, and Hans and Rosa took her in with loving arms, they cared for her, protected her, they were there for her when she needed them most. (Examples: Liesel with The Hubermann's, Rudy with The Stieners.).

Book Structure:

Book Structure is basically the writing style or how the book is written.

For The Book Thief, the narrator, Death, tells the story in a way where there are short announcements or bolded and underlined text, showing some spoiling and some important information that could be used to better understand the plot. Aside from that, the book is written as if everyday was a new chapter, with part sections to show if there was a big time change, say six months, a year, it usually changes.

For other parts of the book, such as the chapters entitled "Death's Diary", generally the first page or so has nothing to do with the book, but the closing statement is almost always a cliffhanger, leaving readers at that one line, thinking what will happen next.

[ENGLISH II]: Summer Reading Blog Post #1: Major Characters, Setting, Conflict, Predictions, and more.

     For my Summer Reading Book going into English IIA, I chose to read The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. I decided to read this book because I heard great things about the book, as well as the movie, and I am really into history, such as World Wars, Rise of Political Parties, etc. Alright, now onto the main point of the blog. For the characters of The Book Thief, there are a lot of characters who have a good size part to play within the story, which is why I have minimized the list of only the significant characters.


Main Characters:

Liesel Meminger, a nine year old girl who is said by the narrator that she will be later known as The Book Thief, she started off with her mother and younger brother in the book while on a train to Munich, Germany. Her brother died, and her mother, being too poor to take care of her and Liesel, had to put Liesel up for adoption.The Hubermann's, a lower class family decides to take her in in a small subdivision of Munich called Molching. After Liesel moved in, she developed the habits of stealing books, food, and more.She isn't quite your ordinary girl, stealing from others, as well as fitting in with the boys more than the girls. She is the absolute main character in the book, and can be described as sneaky, clever, confident, and caring.

Hans Hubermann, the foster father of Liesel, husband of Rosa Hubermann, and a resident on Himmel Street. Hans can be accurately described as caring, for letting in Liesel, and courageous, for holding a jewish man while it was against the law and considered an act of treason to do such a thing. He also loved to smoke, and he was very talented as a musician, when in the winter he would make money off of it in pubs, diners, etc.

Rosa Hubermann, the foster mother of Liesel, wife of Hans Hubermann, and known for having a negative attitude towards almost everyone she talks to, including Liesel and her husband Hans. She is very demanding and strict towards Liesel, which impacts her character in small amounts, Rosa is still considered a protagonist because in the wake of her being strict and cruel, she also shows that she cares for Liesel and her husband, even though she sometimes doesn't show it.

Max Zandenberg, the Jewish man that the Hubermann's hide in their basement. Max is well known for being a fist fighter, most of the time losing but he still fights, According to Hans, he had connections with relatives of Max during World War I, but didn't address them to Rosa or Liesel. Being a German Jew during the early 1940's, Max cannot be seen in public, that being said, he, like the rest of the Jews who weren't in a Concentration Camp at the time, can hide places, such as houses, barns, etc. Max's situation has made life for the Hubermann's uneasy, with it being considered treason for hiding Jews. Max being with the Hubermann's has in a few ways, helped them. Liesel thought of Max, in a way, that he was her brother's replacement in her life, even if she was unwilling to say it, she, and the Hubermann's, cared for Max a lot.

Rudy Stiener, the first person Liesel befriends after settling in with her new family. Rudy is a very unique character, especially for a 1930's German, his idol is the legendary track star Jesse Owens, who was the fastest sprinter in the world at the time. His parents, along with some of his friends despise him for his desire to be like Owens, because he was African-American. This didn't serve well for Rudy, knowing that Germans hated Jews and African-Americans at the time. Rudy is described in the book as Liesel's best friend, but she vows never to like him more than a friend.

Adolf Hitler, as much as it is weird to say he's a main character, he actually controls most of the plot. Hitler, at the time was the ruler of Germany, and the Head of the Nazi Party. Hilter headlined the desire to burn books, hate against certain people and their beliefs, as well as the dominance of the Third Reich. Hitler also influenced German Pride with the start of World War II, while invading Poland.



Setting:

The setting of the book is Germany, during the late 1930's and early 1940's. The time period is a huge influence to the plot, with the start and end of World War II being the timeframe of the story. Customs of the Germans during this time make the characters who they are and impact them greatly, for good and bad.

Conflict:

The conflict(s) of the book are somewhat confusing, thinking that it would be mostly about Liesel. But actually its more than that. Persecution and intolerance of the Jews is the overall conflict of the time period. But more to the book, Liesel's internal conflict of helping the Jews, as well as Liesel's hobby of stealing books has started to grow on her to the point of it being dangerous to do so.

Predictions:

I have several predictions about what could, or even will happen throughout the course of the book. Note that these predictions were made fifty pages in to the book. Here they are:

• Liesel will not be able to retain her hobby for thievery.-This one I thought was pretty obvious to be honest, the way the book started was just very dark and full of loss for Liesel and her mother when Liesel's brother died on the train. I think the only thing that could cure her love for thievery would be having her mother back in her life, doing well, not starved or depressed, it's just that Liesel took a hard hit after losing her mother, let alone the death of her brother.
• The War will get the best of Germany, and Liesel. - History doesn't lie here, at least for this time period, Germany might have had the early victory in hand after the victorious invasions of Poland, France, and Stalingrad, Russia. But later in the war Britain and the United States started winning in North Africa and the Soviet Armies drove German Troops out of the Motherland, along with the successful D-Day invasions across the English Channel, Germany would be boxed in by 1944. Enough with Germany, Liesel would most likely not be allowed to move out of Germany due to the war, and if she does continue stealing books from book burnings and maybe hiding Jews in her home, the Gestapo, or German SS, will track her and her family down, there will be no escape, either way her and her family goes, an army will be coming from the other direction, leaving them with no chance for a peaceful life.
• The Hubermann's allegiance will determine their future. - From what it looks like, the Hubermann's are against Nazism, as well as the principles of anti-semitism, aryanism, and communism. If you lived in Germany during Hitler's rule, and you didn't support him,like the Hubermann's, not only were you hated upon by nazis, but life was extremely hard, and this went for Jews too.

Questions:

• Will Liesel help the Jews?
• Will Liesel resolve her thievery?
• How will the Hubermann's live while they are going against the law?

Connections:

The book is filled with connections to history, which I love. World War II, The Holocaust, and The Rise of The Third Reich are just the major historical connections The Book Thief addresses.

Connections to movies such as "Hitler: The Rise of Evil" and slightly "The Great Escape" have some ties to The Book Thief involving escape from the Death Camps, as well as Hitler's rise to power.

[BEST SELLERS]: Book 4 Project: Killing Patton and Bill O'Reilly's Writing

United States General George Patton was a notorious World War II Officer who had a very unique way of doing things. For one, he had a rivalry with ally Great Britain's prestigious General Bernard Law Montgomery. He also pushed his soldiers MUCH HARDER than any other Allied Officer. The book Killing Patton reflects his life during and after World War II, including his death, which is today considered the most pedestrian way for any military officer to die.

The book starts off when Patton's Battalion is invading Fort Driant, a German Military Base in Eastern France/Western Germany. Here, Bill O'Reilly, the author goes into the point-of-view of one of Patton's soldiers, a Private, to be exact. O'Reilly describes his emotional state of which he feels when the Germans fire at him while he takes cover. This I believe, is one of O'Reilly's pros of writing, he is descriptive. Yet sometimes O'Reilly, and his co-author, Martin Dugard, are at times too descriptive. Some examples of the two authors exercising this practice are when German Field Marshal Erwin Rommel is going through his "execution" for treason which is self-inflicted, as well as Patton's feelings for the other generals, the authors put Patton in third-person as he reflects on the generals demeanor.

O'Reilly and Dugard's writing style has been considered weird at times, with the overly-long reflections of the characters' emotional state, what they are feeling, what they are doing, why they are doing it, many other authors consider this practice helpful, yet not needed, to make the book more appealing to readers. To me, I think in some cases, this practice is useful, yet when it becomes too much, it is no longer needed. I went into Killing Patton hoping to learn more about World War II, as well as the notorious generals who served in it, such as Patton, Rommel, Montgomery, Eisenhower, etc.

But Killing Patton isn't the only book O'Reilly and Dugard have written that have this writing style, books such as Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, and Killing Jesus, all express the same writing style, and for many readers, they say that the writing style doesn't apply to all of the books, the way it did for Patton, Kennedy and Lincoln (somewhat). I guess you know the odd one out then, Killing Jesus, the standout novel from Bill O'Reilly, which dates back to the time before The Bible was written, which for many readers, is a time too far away for O'Reilly to write about.

Back to Killing Patton. As anticipated, the book goes on to the end of World War II, with the Germans surrendering, as well as the Japanese after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombs. You may think that the book is done, the war is over, it's totally peaceful. Well, actually it has been said that after WWII, there was no such thing as peace. The two remaining superpowers of the world, the Soviet Union, or now Russia, and the United States of America, didn't start completely butting heads until after General Patton's death.

This isn't a spoiler, if you payed close attention to history. But General George Patton died after fatal wounds from a car accident in Germany. A truck driven by a few drunk American soldiers was driving down a road, as careless as they could be. Meanwhile, General Patton was going hunting, and was driving along a road, nearly perpendicular to the drunken truck's road. At the intersection which the two roads met, the two cars collided. The general broke his neck, along with several back bones either sprained or broken, most of them broken. He died in a German Hospital 12 days following the car crash.

In conclusion, from all of my reading and research, I believe that most historical biographies are accurate, with some such as Killing Jesus, being questionable, with no completely-truthful proof other than The Bible to justify whether its Fact of Fiction.

[BEST SELLERS]: Reading Wishlist and Book 5

After a great year in Best Sellers, I believe as a change going into this summer, as well as going into Sophomore year of High School, I will be trying to read more, at least one book per month. During Best Sellers, I read titles such as 11/22/63 by Stephen King, American Sniper by Chris Kyle, Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane, and Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. All of those were great books, and I recommend them to anyone who is interested in a learning experience of reading.

For this Summer Reading Assignment, I have decided to read The Book Theif, in order to learn more about life in Nazi Germany in the 1930's and 40's. The book is written by Markus Zusak, and has been made into a movie, just last year. My goal for the summer reading assignment is to finish the book in less than a month, so I know how to pace myself when it comes to getting the most out of the book.

Regarding on my reading wishlist, it has been added to my blog, and it is located to the right of my posts.

[BEST SELLERS]: Book Talk

[BEST SELLERS]: Book 4 Checkpoint 2: Bill O'Reilly's Writing

If you haven't heard of him, Bill O'Reilly is a political analyst who stars on "The O'Reilly Factor", a political TV show that presents news regarding U.S. politics, as well as foreign relations or actions.

But that's not all O'Reilly does, he writes books as well. Some are political, but one of the most well known series he has written, with Martin Dugard, is the Killing series, four books by the names of Killing Lincoln, Killing Kennedy, Killing Patton, which I read along with Killing Lincoln, and lastly, Killing Jesus. People have a lot to say about O'Reilly and Dugard's writing. Some people say his writing style doesn't appeal to most readers. Others say his books are totally untrue, which I only believe partially.

One of O'Reilly and Dugard's books, Killing Jesus, has been criticized as being "fiction", on many fronts, or websites. On one website, salon.com, writer Robert M. Price released an article about it, titled: "Bill O'Reilly's Killing Jesus is fiction: Fact-checking the Fox News' anchor's "history" of Jesus's death". The article states that the principles in Killing Jesus don't work because, according to the writer, only fits with the other three books in the series.

I believe that O'Reilly's writing style is a little weird, but it somewhat makes sense, because if he didn't use the writing style he did, we wouldn't have a clue what happened in the 1940's, 1860's, or further back into the past.

In conclusion, I do believe Bill O'Reilly's writing style is justified, and if people are criticizing his writing in Killing Jesus, think about it, Jesus's story is historical. so why not write it historically?

[BEST SELLERS]: Book 4 Checkpoint 1: Killing Patton Review

You may have heard of legendary WWII General, George Patton, maybe in history class or just around, but regardless, his story is one well worth reading.

The book, Killing Patton starts off in Metz, France. The American soldiers are pushing through the Western Front, closing in on Nazi Germany. The Americans are under fire during the Invasion of Fort Driant. What I like here is Bill O'Reilly's writing style. He did this in Killing Lincoln as well, but he describes a soldier's point of view, not Patton's in this scenario, but the soldier who is experiencing the action, and describes his actions throughout the battle, such as feelings, view of person's surroundings, etc.

Pro's and Con's of Killing Patton. Before this starts, the book was very good, probably one of the best historical books I have read. I checked it's given facts, and for the most part, with the exception of one fact, all of the other facts were correct. Not bad for a politician. Now, onto the pro's and con's.

Pros:

• Book goes in-depth with the characters, what they do, who they interact with, what their thoughts are( kinda weird since this takes place in the 1940's), and more.

Saying that, I'd like to use an excerpt from the book as an example. This example is about the legendary "Desert Fox", German General and Tank Commander Erwin Rommel was known for his fight against the Allies in North Africa, fighting off Generals Bernard Law Montgomery (Great Britain) and General George Patton (United States). Here is the excerpt:

"But Rommel is not sure whether Hitler knows of his betrayal. He is Germany's most famous general, a man who has shown his loyalty to the Fuhrer through extraordinary service on the field of battle, and a man the Fuhrer holds in high esteem. Until recently, that feeling was mutual. But Hitler will never sue for peace, and this could lead to the complete destruction of Germany. Rommel now has grave doubts about Hitler's ability to lead the war effort, and is in favor for negotiating with the Allies rather than continuing to fight. But he has never voiced this opinion publicly." (O'Reilly 33)

Bill O'Reilly, to me, did a great job of informing the reader about each character, whether major or minor impact, enhancing the book, making it out like its almost a movie in your head. But yes, that is probably the best part of the book, that it goes in-depth.

• Includes maps of WWII action, pictures marking historical people, events, etc.

The maps included within the book are all on the advancing of the Allied Forces, moving deeper and deeper into the heart of Nazi Germany. Some maps are invasions of forts, such as the Invasion of Fort Driant, a German base. The photographs are of people such as Franklin D. Roosevelt, the President of the United States who held office for most of the war, up until his death after a stroke.

I believe that the added maps and pictures enhance the book in a way to make the book more visual in a way that the reader will know what's going on in the book, to a better level. I wish Bill O'Reilly did this for his other "Killing" novel, Killing Lincoln , since its from the 1800's, and its hard to connect with a book that is set from a time period that is a significant long time ago. 

Cons:

     • Book is too descriptive and should     have started at the end of WWII not a year before it ended.

This was probably the biggest problem I had with the book. I personally read it so I'd learn about how George Patton died, not so much all of the backstory that makes up over 3/4ths of the book. The only good part about the backstory is that its accurate, yet in saying that, it

wasn't necessary.

I think Bill O' Reilly should fix this, because when you look at his "Killing" books, Killing Patton is the only book that doesn't need backstory. I say that in which for Killing Lincoln, the backstory is needed in order to understand why John Wilkes Booth killed Abraham Lincoln. Same for Killing Kennedy, and Killing Jesus.

Overall, I thought that the book was good, despite the long backstory, it was very informational and helped in my history class as well. Regarding recommendations, I would only recommend this book for people who want to learn about WWII. If your like me, and had only wanted to learn about George Patton, then this isn't the book for you.

[BEST SELLERS]:Post 6: Shutter Island Listicle: 4 Ways Shutter Island could be Nonfiction

Shutter Island is a mystery-thriller by Dennis Lehane set in the 1950's. It takes place in Massachusetts, yet most of the book is set on Shutter Island,a mental hospital off the coast of Massachusetts.The story starts off with U.S. Marshals Teddy Daniels and his partner, Chuck Aule. They have been called in by the government in response to a reported prisoner,or patient,as Dr. Cawley refers to, of Shutter Island that has escaped their cell at night. With barely any help at all on how to find her.



1. The story could actually happen.

     Look at the facts. It's about a mental hospital with a prisoner on the loose. Does this seem pretty legit? You also have the government coming in to help, typical, and there are other problems with the case, such as add-ins,or plot twists, like Andrew Laeddis, which according to Teddy, was a patient at Shutter Island. "Andrew Laeddis, he said, was the maintenance man in the apartment building where my wife and I lived. Okay. He was also a firebug. Chuck took that in, studied Teddy's face. So... Andrew Laeddis, Teddy said, lit the match that caused the fire-- Holy F***--that killed my wife." (Lehane 247). So yes, things can come up in cases like this one, but the fact that Teddy later revealed that the main reason he was here was for Laeddis, does look into how real people have their mindsets, like whether to do their job, or to seek redemption, or in some cases, revenge.

2. The book uses Historical Accounts.

     You can probably find this in a lot of fictional books, but what Shutter Island does that not a lot of other fictional books do, is that they go in-depth about the experience. For example, Teddy says that before he was a U.S. Marshal, he served in WWII. He constantly talks about his experience from Dachau Concentration Camp, how life was, what happened, etc. “At Dachau, the SS guards surrendered to us. Five hundred of them. Now there were reporters there, but they’d seen all the bodies piled up at the train station too. They could smell exactly what we were smelling. They looked at us and they wanted us to do what we did. And we sure as hell wanted to do it. So we executed every one of those f***ing Krauts.”(Lehane 290-291). This excerpt also reveals Teddy's character during the war, and even during present time in the book, at Shutter Island.

3. There are mentally insane people in the book and in-real-life.

     You can't argue with me on this one at all. Think about all of those crazy, ill-minded people in our lives, or people that are in the world in general, people or groups like ISIS, Osama Bin-Laden when he was alive, Kim Jong-Un, etc. These people, and more, have a shared trait with characters like Rachel Solando and Andrew Laeddis from Shutter Island, they are mentally insane. Like who would test nukes in the range of other countries? Even though they know what happens if they accidentally hit a country? (Kim Jong-Un) or creating a scheme so terrorizing that it has changed every American's life? (Bin-Laden) , or even, terrorizing people to the point of just pure evil. (ISIS). Here's an example of this trait from Shutter Island: "You rapist! You cruel f***ing rapist! My husband will come and cut your throat open! Your hear me? He will cut your f***ing head off and we'll drink the blood! We'll bathe ourselves in it, you sick f***ing b**tard!" (Lehane 348). That excerpt clearly shows that those people that are locked up in those mental hospitals are there for a very good reason. This connects to real-life with mental, or psychiatric hospitals that the United States has.

4. The Government always gets involved.

     Marshals Teddy Daniels and Chuck Aule didn't go to Shutter Island on a High School get-together, or on a vacation, they went because the government sent them to find the missing patient. On their trip to Shutter Island, they didn't even know much about the place, other than the fact that its a mental hospital for the criminally insane. "Doctor, Teddy said, it wasn't a request. We are here by the order of the government. This is a federal facility from which a dangerous prisoner--Patient, A dangerous patient, Teddy said, keeping his voice as even as possible, has escaped. If you refuse to aid two U.S. Marshals, Doctor, in the apprehension of the patient you are, unfortunately, Chuck? Chuck said, Obstructing justice, Doctor." (Lehane 106). Alse, when it takes U.S. Marshals to help out on a case, you know, its one serious case. Daniels said it himself, they were there by the order of the government, which connects the book to real-life when the government steps in to help criminal cases.

 

[BEST SELLERS]: Post 5: Truth In Memoir

Books to me, always need to be truthful. I have found several books, and even school textbooks, that show false, or misleading information. That is why I believe that non-fiction books should be nearly, or completely true, so if the book gets one piece of information wrong, it's not that big of a deal, it's just when the book gets a lot of pieces of information wrong, then there's a problem. Some facts are okay to get wrong, such as when Harriet Tubman was born, we only know around when she was born, but other facts, such as when the Magna Carta got signed, those need to be right, in 1215.

I would say as long as the authors in their memoirs are staying fairly close to the truth, then to me its still a good story, but when everything is just made up and the plot is all lies or when the truth happens, then they go onto a drop full of lies, that's just showing how pathetic of a writer they are, unless they are writing fiction. For example, in the book, Life of Pi, Pi needs to make up what actually happened in the book, to the press, in order to actually believe him. He did stay very close to what actually happened, the only thing he changed were the characters he interacted with.

I think that David Shields is really over his head when it comes to eliminating the fiction and nonfiction borderline. To me, that is what determines what books I read. I'm normally a Historical Non-fiction person, but occasionally I'd like to open a Mystery or Historical Fiction book, like Stephen King's 11/22/63. But really, the border between fiction and non-fiction cannot be destroyed, it will live on, because saying that there is a genre-less book is saying that there is a school with no name, a classroom with no teacher, if that makes sense. The border is permanent, in my opinion. I think that it matters to have genres because the readers need to know what they are reading about, like I thought when I was in seventh grade, that The Giver by Lois Lowry was a Magic Realism, because of how everything is viewed, until I found it in the Science-Fiction section of my school's library. So that is why I believe the line between genres shouldn't be eliminated.

[BEST SELLERS]: Adapting: American Sniper

The book, American Sniper has been a very successful Bestseller, but how would it appear as a visual?


If I were deciding how to interpret the book, American Sniper, I would most likely choose to make it a film, because it isn't at all very "cheery" like in a live musical, so eliminate the obvious. Now if American Sniper was made into a TV Series, it could be very successful. But if it were a TV Series, the audience would be left with many cliff hangers to deal with, which doesn't apply to the book, but more so applies to other books or comics like The Walking Dead. So, a film for American Sniper would be the best option.

Now, every film has a soundtrack, whether they film producers hire a composer, or just use popular songs. I believe, for American Sniper, that using popular songs (that apply and fit well with the book) would be the best option. To me, I'd add Linkin Park, kind of to fit the deployment theme, and then maybe some country artists to fit the main character's personality. The songs I'd stay away from are the disco/electronic-hip-hop songs, because they don't apply at all to the book.

Finally, the sets. American Sniper firsts take place, (not the prologue) in Texas, Chris Kyle's hometown to be exact. So the set might want to be somewhere in the southwestern United States, but then comes the hard part, making the sets for Bagdhad, etc, more thinking about the places Kyle goes into combat. For those parts, maybe make some minor small buildings for the sets, then greenscreen it in the back. Greenscreening is a very successful tool to help movies look like they are actually in the setting(s) in which the story takes place.

Some other additional decisions I'd have to make are casting, cuts, the epilogue, and more. I feel like at the end of the movie, I'd add a slide that honors Chris Kyle, who died 4 years ago, as well as the other US Military members who laid down their lives to protect our country. The casting would then be decided looking at actors/actresses' past movies they have worked on with the same, or similar tone that American Sniper is aiming for, a serious tone.

[BEST SELLERS] Book 1 Project: Board Game: 11/22/63

     

Ever wanted to know what it was like back in the 1950's and 60's? Try this! Become a citizen in Lisbon Falls, Maine, and work your way to Dallas, Texas with the 11/22/63 board game! The game features various attractions such as the Kennebec Fruit Company store, Elm Street (Dallas, TX), Frank Dunning's house on Halloween Night, and many more! In the board game, you experience the life of "George Amberson" or Jake Epping back in the 50's and 60's, as he makes his way to Dallas to prevent the assassination of 35th President John F. Kennedy.


Go through the life of George Amberson, but don't get caught up on distractions like girls, your teaching profession, or root beer! Experience life back in the 50's and 60's, experience the old-school dances that we, living in 2015, could never experience, experience that really good bottle of root beer, 50's style, and most importantly, experience the day John F. Kennedy was SAVED, but if you fail...assassinated...But what you must realize is whatever happens/happened in the past, affects the future, and sometimes, devastatingly.


The objective of the game is rather tied together by other objectives. You must begin first at Derry, learn the basics of the past from the Yellow Card Man, then move on to Florida, obtaining a simple resume, then go to Jodie, Texas, you then will have choices, you can either prepare for Lee Harvey Oswald's coming (1a), become a teacher at a nearby high school, and be subjected to girls, a possible fiance, and other numerous distractions that may change your mind about preventing the assassination (1b).


After Jodie, Texas, you have two more options if you became a teacher, you can either follow your fiance to Reno (2a), and save her from her former lover, or ditch her and go to Dallas to await for the parade (2b). If you went to Reno, then you could have either saved her (3a), or do nothing and just go to Dallas from Reno (3b). But, if you prepared for the parade, then you have two options, back out (4a), or save JFK, complete the task you were put to do (4b). After both scenarios, that is, if you didn't back out, you now move to Dallas (5a), but if you went after your fiance, you would then, depending on whether you saved her or not, if so, then you and your fiance would go to Dallas together (5b).


You have arrived at Dallas, Texas. You now have more time to prepare, if you didn't go to Reno (6a). If you did, then you only have a few hours left until the parade to prepare. (6b). You see Lee Harvey Oswald about to shoot down JFK, you now have another choice, you can distract Oswald, changing history (7a), or not distract him, and let JFK die (7b). If you distracted him, you move on into the next part of the game (8a), if you didn't distract him, you go back to start at Derry (8b). Okay, you just changed history, now, if you came alone, you are severely injured from Oswald shooting you in the stomach (9a), but, if you went to Reno (9b), and saved your fiance (9c) then your fiance has been fatally wounded (part of 9c).

Congratulations on changing the course of history, but now, you must return home back to 2011 in Lisbon Falls, so you head back to the time machine, you arrive back at Al's Diner, no Al, but everything seems different, you look outside and you hear nuclear sirens ringing, and discover that the United States has been devoured by a nuclear apocalypse. Due to JFK not being assassinated, the Civil Rights Act was never passed due to the declining support of JFK, and then Alabama's George Wallace became President and escalated nuclear was in Vietnam, quickly creating devastating effects across the globe.

The Green Card Man, the replacement of the Yellow Card Man, tells you that you only have one chance to undo all of the catastrophic events that have been in place after JFK's failed assassination attempt. You can either go back in time one last time and change back the events (10a), or let the nuclear apocalypse continue (10b). If you chose 10b, you lose the game, and your character dies after a nuclear accident in the Northeast, but if you chose 10a, you win the game, and you go back to your life in 2011. You now have one more final option, you can go find your spouse from the past (11a) and live a happy ending, or live corrupted by the past (11b). Besides, you already knows what happens when you change history...

[ENGLISH 1B] 11/22/63 By: Steven King

11/22/63 By Steven King takes place in generally speaking, the United States. But more specifically, in Maine, Texas, and sometimes, Florida.  The story is about a school teacher, named Jake Epping, who befriends an old restaurant owner named Al Templeton, that shows him a very, unusual feature to his restaurant, a time machine in the restaurant basement, allowing time travel back to the 1950's.
Al tells Jake that he has the potential to prevent the assassination of the United States 35th President, John F. Kennedy, which leaves Jake in awe. But what Jake doesn't know, is what ever happens in the past, affects the future, or in his case, the present.


The Sentence of Brilliance, or SOB of the book so far is "Sometimes the world we live in is truly a weird place." (p.358) I chose this sentence because it can really connect to the audience, no matter who they are, they can relate to it. That sentence also appears when its needed at best, right after a very good conversation (dialogue).


The Most Important Passage, or MIP of the book so far is "It's on you, buddy. About 2 hours after Doris finds me in the morning, the landlord will probably padlock the diner, so it has to be tonight. Save him, okay? Save Kennedy and everything changes. Please." (p. 243) I chose this passage because the passage basically defines the book, the time travelling, why Jake is time travelling, etc.

[BEST SELLERS] What is a book?

To me, a book is a way of sharing knowledge amongst our peers, ourselves, and to the world. They bind us, unite us as whole to what topics or genres we search for, looking for more knowledge to gain. A book is something special, a new kind of teaching, a new kind of studying, a new kind of learning. A book is something that makes all of us feel more similar, than diverse.

A book is something that gives people a "start" at learning, because every piece of information you get from it, you will take in, and remember. It is like a brain-game, it tests you on remembering what the book "told" you, or what you read. A book is something special, something that has many possibilities.

[BEST SELLERS] Why I Read....

Well...why do I read?

I read because reading to me expands the view of the world, it combines us, it draws all of us closer together as a whole. It makes us look not as diverse as it seems.

Books educate us, unite us, and make us sometimes better people.

To me, I usually read for the education. I read primarily historical pieces, such as Killing Lincoln, or the book I will start reading today, 11/22/63, by Stephen King.