I promise I've actually been reading lately! It's just that I've also been studying for the GRE and going on vacation, so I don't really get around to updating this as soon as I've finished a book. If you want to get more up-to-date book reviews, join goodreads.com and add me as a friend. I'm a lot more active on that site than I am here in my blog that I don't even know if anyone reads. But I digress... in the last week and a half I've read Free for All: Oddballs, Geeks, and Gangstas in the Public Library, Catch-22, and Farenheit 451. They were all interesting books in their own way.
Let's start at the beginning...Free for All. Living proof that sometimes books don't quite meet up to your expectations. I've been waiting for over a year to get around to reading this book, but when I did it wasn't quite what I expected. It's a good read regardless of whether or not you're obsessed with the library like I am, but it's just not what I was hoping it would be. It's set up in such a way that each chapter would make at least one great episode of a tv show. Maybe once Scrubs goes off the air the writers will collaborate to make a series based on this book. I could just see a J.D-like character heading up the cast and it would be great! Despite the sitcom potential of this book though, I was looking for something more. I was hoping for some greater truth about the importance of the library in a time when so many things were going digital. The author had such a great opportunity in his hands to include facts about why libraries and books need to stay in existance, and he completely skipped out on it. I would have LOVED to see some interesting facts about the role of libraries historically or something like that included throughout the book, but it just wasn't there.
So overall: It's a good book, just don't expect much depth from it. It's a "non-fiction" book, but I didn't get a whole lot of that vibe from it.
Next Catch-22. A classic! It was actually a lot better than I thought it would be. I don't know why, but I thought it was going to be more along the lines of 1984, Brave New World, or Farenheit 451... those classic conspiracy theory novels that tell about an alternate future that we must escape. Instead it was pretty funny. Yes, there are some language/behavior problems (if you don't like novels that include sex in them I would definitely stay away from this one!), but overall it's a fairly light book... on the outside. The author definitely uses the light tone of the book to comment on how society has made things like death, corruption, and sex things that have very little value, when really they should be highly valued. Most importantly, when someone mentions that it's a catch-22 situation I'll actually know what they're referring to (even if they don't!). I'll warn you though... it takes awhile to get through. This is one of the few books where I've had to put it down for a few days, read something else and then come back to it. It's over 400 pages long and it felt that long!
Finally Farenheit 451. This book was everything I needed in a book right now. It was short (just over 150 pages and it was a small book as well!), it made an impact, and it was just terrifying enough to make me stop and think about the premise. It was everything Free for All was not. Farenheit 451 tells the story of a future where books are banned. Interestingly enough, they became banned at first just because they were irrelevant... no one wanted to sit down and read a book... they only wanted the digest version. Everyone just wanted instant gratification. Now I'm not saying that there's anything wrong with watching a tv show or a movie now and again (I'm as guilty as anyone about turning on the tv to watch one show and then staying there for 2+ hours), but it needs to be balanced out with a good book. TV shows and movies give everything to you, but a book makes you think things through. You can decide when you want to pause to consider a point that was just made. You can go back, re-read, and mark a passage that really struck you. Most importantly though, you get to use your imagination to see what happens. It's not all spelled out for you.
So my challenge to you today is to step away from the television. Instead of watching a show just because you have nothing better to do, pick up a book. Try to replace at least one show with reading. I'll try to do the same and I'll let you know how it goes.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Somthing to Think About... Censoring What Your Children Read/View
Someone just sent an e-mail to my office that I've been thinking about all day. It was a mom trying to get someone to back her up in her fight against her daughter's school district. Her daughter is going to be a senior this year and is dealing with her AP English summer reading project. The mother (not the daughter... although the daughter may feel the same way) thinks that the project requires too much work and has too much objectionable content. Granted, she has to read 8 books, which is more than I ever had to do for a summer project, but I highly doubt that she would be complaining if she had started on the project at the beginning of summer instead of 2-3 weeks before school starts. That's not the point though...
The point is this. The girl is a senior in high school. Obviously she's fairly mature for her age or she wouldn't be taking AP English. Do you think that at this point her mother should be that outraged at the situation? I don't, and I'll tell you why, but I'd like to hear your opinions too.
As a whole I'm against parents censoring what their child reads or watches once they get to high school. I think it's counterproductive. When kids are young they should obviously be guided to age appropriate material (because there are definitely some things I didn't need to read when I was in middle school that I'm reading now), but isn't it better to teach them as you guide them? Tell them why you don't want them to read this book or go see that movie. I'm a firm believer that if something is just point-blank vetoed then as soon as kids are out of the house they'll be exposed to it and binge on it (whether that something be smutty novels, violent movies, or even junk food). I'm not saying that parents should encourage their kids to participate in bad things while they live at home just so they won't go out of control when they leave the house, but rather teach them the principles behind your decisions.
I grew up in a very lenient household though. My mom never got involved in my schoolwork to the point where she would object to the assignments once I was in middle school. I'm sure that if I had told her I didn't like what I was reading due to content she would have helped me to find a solution, but I never thought of complaining about it. I'm grateful that my mom didn't step in unnecessarily because it allowed me to be the judge and learn for myself. When my teacher picked a rated R movie to show to the class, I told the teacher I wouldn't watch it even before he sent the permission slips home and then I had to go watch another movie while the class watched that one. I was fine with it. When my friends wanted to go see a movie, it was up to me to decide whether or not I saw it. Yes I saw some awful movies, but I learned from those situations which friends I could trust and what actors to avoid. While I'm not condemning people who put their foot down more than my parents did, I'm also grateful that my parents gave me enough freedom to make those choices for myself.
So what are your thoughts and opinions? Should this mom have gotten involved in the situation (obviously she shouldn't have e-mailed my office, the proper action would have been to talk to the English teacher) or should she have told her daughter to take care of it as she saw fit... whether that meant dropping out of the class, talking to the teacher, or sucking it up and plowing through?
The point is this. The girl is a senior in high school. Obviously she's fairly mature for her age or she wouldn't be taking AP English. Do you think that at this point her mother should be that outraged at the situation? I don't, and I'll tell you why, but I'd like to hear your opinions too.
As a whole I'm against parents censoring what their child reads or watches once they get to high school. I think it's counterproductive. When kids are young they should obviously be guided to age appropriate material (because there are definitely some things I didn't need to read when I was in middle school that I'm reading now), but isn't it better to teach them as you guide them? Tell them why you don't want them to read this book or go see that movie. I'm a firm believer that if something is just point-blank vetoed then as soon as kids are out of the house they'll be exposed to it and binge on it (whether that something be smutty novels, violent movies, or even junk food). I'm not saying that parents should encourage their kids to participate in bad things while they live at home just so they won't go out of control when they leave the house, but rather teach them the principles behind your decisions.
I grew up in a very lenient household though. My mom never got involved in my schoolwork to the point where she would object to the assignments once I was in middle school. I'm sure that if I had told her I didn't like what I was reading due to content she would have helped me to find a solution, but I never thought of complaining about it. I'm grateful that my mom didn't step in unnecessarily because it allowed me to be the judge and learn for myself. When my teacher picked a rated R movie to show to the class, I told the teacher I wouldn't watch it even before he sent the permission slips home and then I had to go watch another movie while the class watched that one. I was fine with it. When my friends wanted to go see a movie, it was up to me to decide whether or not I saw it. Yes I saw some awful movies, but I learned from those situations which friends I could trust and what actors to avoid. While I'm not condemning people who put their foot down more than my parents did, I'm also grateful that my parents gave me enough freedom to make those choices for myself.
So what are your thoughts and opinions? Should this mom have gotten involved in the situation (obviously she shouldn't have e-mailed my office, the proper action would have been to talk to the English teacher) or should she have told her daughter to take care of it as she saw fit... whether that meant dropping out of the class, talking to the teacher, or sucking it up and plowing through?
Monday, July 27, 2009
Empire by Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is known for taking an actual story and shaping it into a work of fiction. He continues this trend with his latest book (and arguably his most chilling) Empire. It's a possible future for America... one that hits a little too close to home.
It's one thing to read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Oryx and Crake. Sure, they're possible futures for America as well, but they're kind of ridiculous and set far out into the future. They're about what happens when one extremist group takes complete control of society and goes wild. You can read them and still feel safe in your home because you know that the situations presented won't ever happen.
Not so with Empire. It's the scariest book I've read in awhile. Why? Because it's so plausible. Set in a post- "Inconvenient Truth," post-9/11 America Empire tells the tale of an America with no middle ground in politics. In essence, it tells the story of just a few short years from now. It was absolutely terrifying how close to reality this book hit. As we look at the news everything is right-wing vs. left-wing. In reality, very few people are super conservative or super liberal. Sure everyone has their issue or two that they feel really strongly one way or the other about, but in all honesty most people just want the same things. The news stations are always being called out for being slanted one way or another (Fox is for Republicans and CNN is for Democrats), so no one is getting a fair shot with the people they need a fair shot the most with.
What does this all boil down to? What's the message we can take from this novel? More Americans need to get involved with politics. Here in Provo this is a very relevant issue right now as BYU students are demanding a better representation in the city government. The only problem is... most BYU students don't vote in Provo elections... they're registered in their home towns if they're registered at all. I'm not any better though... I'm still not registered to vote despite the fact that I could have registered when I got my new driver's license a month ago.
The number one thing I learned from both the last election and this book is the need to get involved in politics and not just on Nov. 2 every four years. Find out about possible candidates in upcoming elections and vote for your favorite in the primaries. If you don't find a candidate you can really support, nominate someone you will support. Even if you're the only person that votes for that person, you're sending a better message than if you don't vote. If you don't vote people won't ask for your opinion. If you vote for someone other than the names on the ballot then you're sending the message that you care, but you're not seeing the representative you want. Vote in the general election. Demand that your voice be heard among the din of voices. Write to your representatives. This is something that I'm really wanting to become better about. There are a lot of issues that I don't agree with going through Congress right now, so I'm determined to write to my representatives and tell them what kind of behavior I expect from them if I'm going to vote for them in the future.
Long story short. America is headed towards a dangerous future if we don't fight for the things we believe in. You can say all you want about how if we just changed a few laws (such as making election days holidays or always on a Saturday so people aren't working) you'd go vote, but before you can have any say in that, you need to demonstrate that you'll vote in the first place. Let's not let the future Card wrote about happen. I don't want to see our country torn apart by politics like so many other countries have been.
It's one thing to read Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Oryx and Crake. Sure, they're possible futures for America as well, but they're kind of ridiculous and set far out into the future. They're about what happens when one extremist group takes complete control of society and goes wild. You can read them and still feel safe in your home because you know that the situations presented won't ever happen.
Not so with Empire. It's the scariest book I've read in awhile. Why? Because it's so plausible. Set in a post- "Inconvenient Truth," post-9/11 America Empire tells the tale of an America with no middle ground in politics. In essence, it tells the story of just a few short years from now. It was absolutely terrifying how close to reality this book hit. As we look at the news everything is right-wing vs. left-wing. In reality, very few people are super conservative or super liberal. Sure everyone has their issue or two that they feel really strongly one way or the other about, but in all honesty most people just want the same things. The news stations are always being called out for being slanted one way or another (Fox is for Republicans and CNN is for Democrats), so no one is getting a fair shot with the people they need a fair shot the most with.
What does this all boil down to? What's the message we can take from this novel? More Americans need to get involved with politics. Here in Provo this is a very relevant issue right now as BYU students are demanding a better representation in the city government. The only problem is... most BYU students don't vote in Provo elections... they're registered in their home towns if they're registered at all. I'm not any better though... I'm still not registered to vote despite the fact that I could have registered when I got my new driver's license a month ago.
The number one thing I learned from both the last election and this book is the need to get involved in politics and not just on Nov. 2 every four years. Find out about possible candidates in upcoming elections and vote for your favorite in the primaries. If you don't find a candidate you can really support, nominate someone you will support. Even if you're the only person that votes for that person, you're sending a better message than if you don't vote. If you don't vote people won't ask for your opinion. If you vote for someone other than the names on the ballot then you're sending the message that you care, but you're not seeing the representative you want. Vote in the general election. Demand that your voice be heard among the din of voices. Write to your representatives. This is something that I'm really wanting to become better about. There are a lot of issues that I don't agree with going through Congress right now, so I'm determined to write to my representatives and tell them what kind of behavior I expect from them if I'm going to vote for them in the future.
Long story short. America is headed towards a dangerous future if we don't fight for the things we believe in. You can say all you want about how if we just changed a few laws (such as making election days holidays or always on a Saturday so people aren't working) you'd go vote, but before you can have any say in that, you need to demonstrate that you'll vote in the first place. Let's not let the future Card wrote about happen. I don't want to see our country torn apart by politics like so many other countries have been.
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