The Giver

I enjoyed reading The Giver, by Lois Lowry. I have found each one of her books that I have read to be very interesting.

This book is about a boy (Jonas) living in a strict community, governed by sameness. Each person is expected to be as alike as possible. But Jonas, with pale eyes, is different than his friends and classmates.

Although I would hate to be in Jonas's position, I loved reading about his life and the changes he experienced.

I had read this book once before, at a younger age. And I still got the same meaning out of it this time.

The book ended on a happy note, I believe. Gabe and Jonas went on to live happy lives with a family and with choices and more freedom than they had ever known before. But I wish the author had written more about the outcome of the boys' adventure, searching for "Elsewhere."

Animal Farm.

No one wants to feel left out, over-worked, or used. Everyone wants to be equal to their peers. But what happens when equality is not enough? When someone decides they are better than their brothers?

Animal Farm, by George Orwell is a perfect example of that.

Preceding his death, Old Major (a highly respected, extremely wise pig) started a revolution concerning every animal living on Manor Farm. These animals overthrew the farm's cruel owner, Mr. Jones, and began running the farm on their own, under the name Animal Farm.

When the revolution had first taken place, the animals were happier than they could have ever imagined. But as time passed, the pigs began taking over. Since they were smarter than the other animals, the pigs could easily decieve the less intelligent beasts.

A pig named Napoleon declared himself leader of all the animals, with the help of nine dogs he had trained from birth. Parallel to Joseph Stalin and the communist revolution in Russia, the citizens soon became wary of Napoleon.

Any animal brave enough to speak ill of/rebel against Napoleon's rule could expect to be brutally slaughtered. The animals were no longer content with Animal Farm. They then realized that under the rule of Napoleon and the other pigs, their life was far worse than anything they had ever experienced when Mr. Jones was around.

so much depends upon:

so much depends
upon

a green
caterpillar

inching along the cherry
tree

waiting, waiting to
blossom

Someone Like You

Sarah Dessen's Someone Like You is a story about love in all different forms.

Until that one fateful summer, Halley and her mom had always been close. Halley's mom made her go to a leadership camp over that summer that she did not want to attend. Their resentment for each other only continued to grow when Halley got a call from her best friend, Scarlett, asking her to come home as soon as possible.

Scarlett's boyfriend and first love, Michael, had been killed in a motorcycle accident. Being a great friend, Halley did everything in her power to comfort Scarlett, but after school began they got bad news. Scarlett was pregnant with Michael's baby.

Halley then became involved with Macon, a bad boy with a reputation to make a mother scream. Macon and Halley skipped school to help get Scarlett out of an unwanted abortion, and were there for Scarlett during her pregnancy.

When Macon started pushing Halley for more than she was ready for, the relationship began turning sour. On New Year's Eve they got in a big fight. Halley got in the car with Macon and he was driving way too fast while under the influence of alcohol. He was a terrible wreck and injured Halley. She decided to no longer speak to Macon.

Halley was a stronger person for all the problems she had faced.

Anthem Review

I had never given much thought to the power of the word "I" until reading Ayn Rand's Anthem opened my eyes to a whole new way of thinking.

The oppressed members of the Utopian society lived their entire lives around difficult physical or mental labor with no hope of better things to come. They lived short lives, for they had nothing to live for.

Equality 7-2521 and his people lived their lives with no hope and no one to love. They believed in no god and had romantic or friendly relationships.

The power of one word brought out the hope in Equality and Liberty 5-3000, "the Golden One." This one word, ego, showed them the power and meaning of individuality.

To Perfect My World..

Love, unity, and peace are all lacking in the world today.

In general, people around the world have become increasingly more self-oriented and less worried about others living on the planet. If each person would take a small amount of time out of their day to think about what consequences their actions had on the people and the environment around them, then the would would become a better place.

At this point in time, there are wars taking place, terrorist groups attacking, and corruption in governments everywhere. By ending fighting and bringing love into the world, a great deal of unhappiness in people would be eliminated.

I hope this goal of world peace will be reached in my lifetime. Until then, we will keep on dreaming of living in a perfect world.

This Lullaby Review (counts as 2 books)

This Lullaby, by Sarah Dessen, is all about decisions.

Remy never knew her biological father, but she had a steady stream of step-fathers (five in all). She spent her high school years trying to find happiness in an endless number of temporary boyfriends.

Ever fearful of falling in love, Remy never allowed her relationships to last longer than a couple of months. When Remy found Dexter, a boy that had the potential of making her fall in love, she got scared and pushed him away.

With the help of a lot of courage, coincidences, and an unfaithful fifth step-father, Remy finally realized what she had lost.

Call of the Wild

Jack London's Call of the Wild is a book about survival and intense emotions. This classic, set in the Klondike during the gold rush, has stood the test of time.

Buck, the "kidnapped king"(pg. 13), was taken from his sunny comfortable life and thrown into a brand new way of life. He was no longer treated any differently than a typical sled dog. Soon the call of the wild was pulling Buck back to the old way of his life, linking him to his ancestors.

To my surprise, I actually enjoyed reading this book. It is not one that I would choose to read on my own, but I would recommend Call of the Wild to others.

Antigone

Would you stand up for what you think is right no matter what? In Antigone, a classic tragedy written by Sophocles, Antigone is a young woman that does everything she can to stand up for her brother. I had a hard time understanding this play, but I did enjoy reading it.

Being an orphan, Antigone cared deeply for her siblings. When her brothers were killed, one was honored with a burial, while the other was viewed as dishonorable. She stood up to Creon, showing how strong she really was.

Antigone never backed down from the challenge she took on. In fact, she proved to Creon that what goes around comes around. Fate punished Creon for his actions.

Taking a Stand

This year has been filled with difficult decisions and situations. I have many friends that I have kept throughout junior high and this year, but i also have many new friends. When my new friends began making fun of one of my best friends, I knew what I had to do. I began by asking them very nicely to, "please stop calling my friend those ridiculous names." Still the teasing continued. They called him hurtful names. I clearly stated that I would not be around people that treated my friends that way, so they stopped the harassment, and everyone gets along now.

Sophomore.

I was not nervous before starting my sophomore year. By talking to some of my older friends, I was already prepared for how different high school would be from junior high. Even though it is not exactly what I expected, it has gone pretty well so far.

I have gotten used to the different students and teachers. Also, two of my more difficult classes have made me push myself to work much harder this year. For the most part, my grades have improved.

Leadership

Shakespeare points out many of the characters' leadership flaws in the play Julius Caesar. Caesar had defeated Pompey and many others in his scheme to become dictator of Rome. As this was taking place, Caesar's peers feared he was becoming much too powerful and ambicious, so they formed a plot and assisinated him. Some did this for loyalty to their country. They loved Rome more than they loved Caesar. These men, Brutus included, believed the only way to save Rome was to overthrow Caesar and find a new ruler. But others did this out of greed and hate, hoping to gain political power of their own.

Similar to modern times, citizens do not always agree with their nation's leader. Barack Obama, set to take office in January, is our country's President-Elect. People have very different feelings about Obama becoming the President of the United States. Unlike the men living in Caesar's time, we must only fight for what we believe in and hope for the best.

Sci-Fi as a Genre

I do not enjoy reading science fiction novels. I have read quite a few science fiction books, finding many of them dull and difficult to follow. There is one exception, though. I actually liked 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne. But I would usually much rather read a historial fiction novel or a book about something more realistic and true to life. Overall, the sci-fi genre is not for me.

MY PERSONAL MISSION STATEMENT inspired by: The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens, by Sean Covey

Communicate with everyone around me; build strong relationships.

Assist people in need, volunteer, do my part.

Learn from my mistakes by becoming a stronger person.

Live as if today is my last day on Earth; take nothing for granted.

Invest my time in things that really matter (don't sweat the little things.)

Evaluate my choices and actions and take responsibility for myself.

I support Senator John McCain as a presidential candidate. He is the best choice for our country and the needs we have now. I agree with his viewpoint on border security and immigration. I also stand by his ideas about abortion and adoption. I would like to see him elected as the next President of the United States, along with Alaskan Governor Sarah Palin, who would make an excellent choice for Vice President. Our country desperately needs to make the most of any available resources that would allow us to become less dependent on foreign oil. Drilling in Alaska would definitely help to solve that problem. McCain has a great deal of experience in politics and foreign affairs. That is crucial in ending the war against terror. He is exactly the man we need to end the war quickly and successfully with a victory. This pair of politicians would help to get this country back on the right track.

Gemma Stone is a very admirable young lady, and three of her characteristics stand out above the others: loyalty, mind-reading, and beauty. Gemma loves her friends dearly. She is always there for them, helping with whatever problems they are facing. When the creatures of Jupiter come to attack Earth, Gemma tries her hardest to keep her best friends Caroline and Victoria safe. Gemma is one of the special humans that has acquired a super power by birth. She is able to know what others are thinking! There is a problem with that, though. Whenever Gemma is nervous or afraid, her power does not work properly. But the first thing you notice about the teen is her astounding beauty. She has piercing green eyes that appear to see everything. Her chestnut brown hair hangs down her back in thick waves. Along with her strong spirit, Gemma's heart and beauty charm everyone she meets, making her a great force to be reckoned with.