Fahrenheit 451: Part 1

When Mrs. Leffler said that the next book we were reading was Fahrenheit 451, I was really excited to read it. I've always heard great things about it, specifically from Mrs. Shoemake, and dystopian novels fascinate me. And the book hasn't let me down! Plus, going into it with a positive attitude has had to help.

When I first began reading, I wasn't sure what was going on. I found it has to imagine what things looked like, especially the TV "family" wall things. That kind of frustrated me. But as I got further into the book, things became clearer.

It's also been hard for me to understand why society would ever come to that: no books, such control, people not knowing real history and facts.  I've realized, however, that this reality is a lot closer than I initially thought. Especially in Middle Eastern countries with totalitarian governments, they really are "brainwashed" into believing certain things and having so many liberties controlled.

I LOVE Clarisse. From the first page she was mentioned, I found her as a really neat character In a society where no one questions things, she thinks outside the normal realm of things, but isn't embarrassed to show her odd side. Now, I don't want this to sound creepy, and I know it kind of is because of the age difference, but I want Clarisse and Montag to end up together! They're good for each other; they level each other out. Fahrenheit 451 could easily become a love story, and even attract new readers.  I also hope that the news of her being dead is NOT true. I really don't think it is. It's just a distraction to show everyone else what happens when you question.

I'm super excited to finish this book! (I'm not just saying that as an easy way to end my blog, either.) In fact, I may go read right now...

LIfe of Pi: The final Part

I finally finished Life of Pi! Being such a lengthy book, I thought I never would, but I did, and it is my second favorite book we've read in class (to the Crucible). I was, however, highly disappointed in the ending when Richard Parker just walked into the jungle and Pi didn't get to say his good byes. I felt that they had formed such a strong relationship that their separation would've been a little more heart felt.


In this part of the book, we learn another version of Pi's story, with real characters. At first I was super confused with what was real and what was fiction, like I was with most of the story. This part of the book was gruesome and disgusting, and I wanted to think it was fake. I've come to believe that the human version is "real", and Pi made the animal version up to help cope with the trauma. I understand, because this was the saddest part of the story to me.


Life of Pi goes on my top read list, and I definitely reccommend it to anyone looking for a good read.

Life of Pi: Part 3

In the third part of Life of Pi, I'm beginning to realize how much more I'm enjoying the book. Things are starting to flow better and make much more sense.

Pi finds the survival manual he had on his boat and reads it. He realizes that there are two things he has to take care of first: food and shelter. While Pi is working on those things, Richard Parker has marked his own territory by peeing on things. What's grosser is that Pi does the same thing, hoping to mark his territory and keep a safe distance from the tiger.

Pi becomes a lot closer to nature in this section of the book. He has to begin depending on it for survival, and you can see the transformation in him, especially as he enjoys his surroundings. Pi's always been a tree hugging pacifist, but he loses all that when he kills a fish with his hands.

As the days pass, Pi starts a routine to keep his sanity. I can completely relate to that, I can barely sit still for an hour without going crazy.

This book is waaaay too detailed in the disgusting parts. Eating animal feces, describing his water boils, and drinking turtle blood is too much for me. It really almost makes me want to quit reading and not even finish.

I am going to finish the book, however, because I've got to see how it ends now. The author has got one of the most odd imaginations I've ever read, so I'm interested to see how it all turns out.

Life of Pi: Part 2

As I continue reading Life of Pi, I find it more and more interesting. When I first began reading, I wasn't sure what to expect at all, but it definitely wasn't what it's turned out to be. Part 2 begins with Pi on a sinking ship and ending up on a lifeboat. He sees a tiger, Richard Parker, in the water, and after the tiger boards the boat, Pi realizes how much danger he is in. I found it so bizarre that the hyena went crazy and bit the zebra's broken leg off and decapitated the orangutan. I thought this was really gruesome, and I'm not quite sure why it has to be included in the story. His building the raft to try to  keep a safe distance from Richard Parker is a smart idea though.

I also love the way Pi relates his whole life to the zoo. This helps make really neat connections between animal and human instinct and personalities. I'm ready to finish the book.

Life of Pi: Part 1

I began reading Life of Pi as I do most required reading books- completely uninterested and sure I was going to hate it. The cover alone, a picture of a boy and a tiger on a raft, seemed tedious and miserably boring. As I began the author's note, howver, it soon pulled me in. One of my good friends went to India this past summer to work at mother Theresa's home of the dying. As sad as his stories and pictures were, I looked to hear and look at them, and soon loved the country of India. When I first read that the author was traveling to India, I was even more eager to continue reading. Then when he went to a coffee shop to relax- well, there's nothing more relaxing to me than coffee, so I was hooked.

I was confused at times, however, at what was real and what wasn't. When Martel and Adirubasamy meet and talk about Pi Patel, I wasn't sure if he even existed. After reading it several times, I realized he in fact doesn't. In part one, the reader soon finds out that Pi has endured a lot of devastation ,but exactly what is unclear. I thought I had missed something and had to re-read. I now know that this book is one that I can't just skim over, but that I have to really read.

One of the things I like most about Part 1 was when he talked about the zoo where he grew up. Here Pi learned about freedom, habits of nature, and helped shaped his belief system. I thought this was a really neat way for Martel to develop the characters for us. I'm excited to continue reading this!

The Color of Water: The final part

I finally finished The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother. At first, I didn't think the title was very fitting. Ruth wanted nothing more than to erase race and skin color completely from her and her children's life. She felt it was unimportant, and did nothing to help her family.

In the final chapters of this book, James returned to Suffolk to find our more about his mother's past and her family. It was easy to tell this journey back was hard for him and brought up a lot of unexpected emotion. I saw his going into the synagogue was a huge step forward for him and showed him a lot about his mother, because as a child, being Jewish was her life. I also kept expecting James to try to locate Dee Dee, Ruth's sister, and talk to her, but he never did because he knew it'd be hard on her. That to me shows a lot about his character.

I understand much better now why Ruth never wanted her children to know about her family or why she never asked them for financial help again. Her independence and strength through her first husband's (James's father) death showed to me just how strong of a person she is.

The epilogue was truly my favorite part. James talking about all his siblings shows the incredible way Ruth reared four accomplished children, something many never expected. Also, her entering  the synagogue for James's friend's wedding showed how she could accept her past, but move on with her own life and be okay with it.

I would recommend this book to anyone. It was a quick read, and definitely worth the time.

The Color of Water: Part 2

After 18 chapters, I'm starting to kind of like The Color of Water. I've enjoyed his mother's story about 12 hundred times more than his, and I'm not quite sure why. I feel that his story in this book is supposed to be about racial hardships that he's faced, but nothing's been that extreme, or even worth telling, to me. He has more of a problem with his mother being white than he does with himself being black. His mother's story, however, has captured me. Both he and his mother faced racial persecution at some point or another, but he had a loving family at home to help support him, and she didn't. The one part that really bothered me however was the abortion. She talked a lot about her Christian transformation, and I was hoping she'd realize what a mistake she had made to abort the baby in the same way. I found it bizarre that she never said she regretted that decision or how it later effected her because I don't think there's any way to go through that and not have it deeply effect you. Her independence in leaving her family and moving away was great to see though. Especially for a woman in that time, that had to be hard to do, and I have to give props to that. In all honesty, I have no idea how this book is going to end, but I'm actually anticipating finishing it.