The Help

Hi everyone! Today I am excited to be reviewing a book that I recently finished called "The Help" which was written by Katheryn Stockett. (I am sure you have probably heard of it: it's a national bestseller and it has been made into a movie which is set to come out on August 10th.) I want to just say this before I review the book. The Help has been subject to some controversy from many different sources, the greatest of which is that Katheryn Stockett was the "wrong author" for this story. There has been strong criticism that this book is just another "white story" and that this is proof that contemporary African American writers are continually denied the opportunity to write about the Civil Rights Movement and other troubled times. I honestly don't really know how I feel about that argument. I am certainly not a naive person; I know discrimination does exist and is a strong part of society even today, and I believe that there could be a better, more accurate story out there. At the same time, I don't think this is Katheryn Stockett's fault, and I am only here to review the book she wrote. The book itself, at least for my purposes, is what is important, not the controversy surrounding it.

The Characters: Skeeter Phelan: recent graduate of college/ wants to be a journalist/ convinces the maids to give information about their experiences as "the help"
Minny Jackson: maid of Celia/ one of the best cooks in Jackson/ is known for having a smart mouth
Aibileen Clark: maid of Elizabeth/ best friend of Minny/ lost her son in an accident at his work
Hilly Holbrook: one of Skeeter's friends/ has a petition to force the black maids to have their own bathroom outside the house/ tries to prevent Minny from getting a job in Jackson

The Plot: In Jackson, Mississippi there are two distinct groups, blacks and whites, separated by the harsh and awful Jim Crow laws. Oppressed and discriminated against, many black women are forced to take jobs as simple housekeepers to rich white families. Aibileen Clark and Minny Jackson are two of these women. Two very different ladies, Aibileen and Minny have survived dozens of homes and raised dozens of white children. While not content with their lives, Aibileen and Minny have almost grown to accept their fate. But when Hilly Holbrook, one of the most powerful women in Jackson, tries to create a petition that would force "the help" to use a bathroom outside of the house, Aibileen finds that her anger was not so far beneath the surface after all. So when Skeeter Phelan, a young college graduate, approaches Aibileen and asks her help in writing a story about the black housekeepers, Aibileen's "no" quickly turns into a "yes". What transpires is a powerful story about the divisions that are put up between the races and a group of women dedicated to show the injustices that are in our world.

What I liked: I finished this book in a day. Admittedly, some parts are a little blurry because I read the book so fast. I just had to finish. I can't remember the last time I got so hooked into a book. For me, The Help showed us a world where racism was very much alive and out in the open, a world where the subtle nastiness towards African Americans wasn't so subtle, a world where the KKK ran rampant, and a world where blacks were afraid to speak out in fear of the repercussions. This is now one of my favorite books. This story had everything I liked to see in a story: the most important of which was strong, complex female characters. You have Aibileen who desperately loves the white children she takes care of because they fill the gaping whole that was left by her son's death. You have Minny who talks back to her white bosses, who is the picture of confidence and sass, yet is abused by her alcoholic husband at home. And you have Skeeter who is completely ostracized by her community and has to deal with her mother dying of cancer. These people, these women were real, and had real problems and that is why I loved them. The Help pulled in so many complex issues and the complex relationships between blacks and whites. What I remember in particular is Aibileen thinking about how odd it is that they, as the black maids, essentially raise the white children, but then as the white children grow up, they become just as racist as their parents. This painful experience for the maids is exemplified by Aibileen leaving her job before the kids got too old because she couldn't bear to see them turn out like their parents. I loved all of the characters in the book, even the devilish Hilly because she symbolized perfectly all that was wrong with Jackson. Each person contributed a small piece to how friendship between blacks and whites was thwarted and discouraged at every turn, and how despite that, friendships prevail. My favorite dynamic was the one between Minny and Celia. Celia, who is Minny's boss through most of the novel, wasn't a particularly classy individual, and was regarded by the women of Jackson as "white trash" but she was a fighter, who for a time had lost her way. Minny helped her find her way back. These women and their situations were real in the eyes of the reader because we know that these issues still exist. We felt the pain of these maids as they pushed against every barrier that was put in their path. Stockett created characters which reflect all of the good and bad inside of the United States and all of the issues we still struggle with today. She made a book that was worth remembering, and worth rereading. Sometimes books become classics because they have grand symbols, or complex language, but some books, like The Help, become classics because they have a story that is worth telling, and characters that are important enough to do it.

What I didn't like: Nothing

Overall: 10 out of 10. I just hope that the movie can do this book justice.

The Devil in the White City

Hi there everyone! So today I am reviewing a book that I had to read for AP Human Geography entitled "The Devil in the White City" which is written by Erik Larson. I have not only recently read it, but I have also written an essay and done a "creative project" with it, so I feel pretty confident that I have a very good understanding of this slightly strange book. Well, away we go!

Characters: Daniel Burnham: leading figure of the World's Colombian Exposition/ one of the most prominent architects in Chicago/ started the "City Beautiful" project
H.H. Holmes: one of America's most notorious serial killers/ creator of the "Murder house" in one of Chicago's burrows/ most often killed his victims in a gas chamber
Fredrick Olmstead: designed Central Park/ head landscaping architect of the World's Colombian Exposition/ frequently suffers from ailing health

The Plot: The Devil in the White City is really a story with two plots. The first "plot" tells the story of Daniel Burnham and his legion of architects who set out to create the greatest World's Fair America has ever known. Burnham and the other aritects do this in response to Paris's impressive World's Fair, and work to top this magnificent feat. Faced with an impossibly close deadline, and obstacles at every turn, Burnham and his team begin to wonder if the fair will ever get finished at all. On the other side of the Chicago, a very different man reigns. While Daniel Burnham and his "White City" represent all that is good in Chicago, H.H. Holmes represents the deep, dark, underbelly of the Chicago slums. A ruthless serial killer, Holmes lures most of his victims into a Murder Castle where he disposes of them with no traces to be found. Full of hope for a great fair, the people of Chicago don't realize that they are harboring a man who will become one of the most famous mass murderers in the history of the United States, until it is too late.

What I liked: Let me just start out by saying that I thought this book was absolutely flawless. I don't normally read a book where I could find no faults, but for this one, I have absolutely no criticisms. First, I was overwhelmed by the sheer volume of research that Larson did to make "The Devil in the White City" absolutely perfect. Every quote that was in this book came from the private journals, public statements, or correspondence of these remarkable historical figures. It would have been very easy to just make up the dialogue of these figures, or make up the arguments that they had, and even to make up events. But Larson did none of that: every single action was supported by real quotes that these historical figures once said. These quotes by themselves gave us as readers a very personal glimpse into what these people were like. I believe that a piece of writing can tell you more about a person than you might think, particularly when the writing is casual, where there is no intention to impress, or sound a certain way. Beyond just the things you say, writing can show us HOW you say them, what words you use, when can tell you a variety of things from education level to hometowns. I absolutely loved all of these quotes which gave me as a reader, a very unique look into the mind of these historical figures, even the minds that were a bit more uncomfortable to look into (H. H. Holmes). I have also never read a story like this before. Such a sharp juxtaposition between two worlds isn't normally written about in such a way. but these two worlds instead of fighting against each other for the reader's attention in the book, seemed to flow seamlessly together to create a beautifully written novel. The detail in these two worlds gave the reader this true image of what Chicago was like in 1893: the good and the bad. The best and the worst of Chicago. Burnham and Holmes. It is easy to write about history and leave out the parts that are convenient for your purpose: like if you are writing to shock people, leave out the good deeds, or if you are writing to glorify, leave out the bad parts. Larson left nothing out: he showed us all of Chicago's perfection, all its imperfection and made Chicago 1893 a real place, not a figment of one. I have also found the World's Fair a fascinating subject; with so much creative explosion and cultural mingling, it must have been a truly amazing place to visit. It was said in "The Devil in the White City" that it would take two whole weeks to see it all. I loved the subject matter, but I could see how some people could find the endless plot of construction a little dull. However, I don't think anyone could find Holmes's portion of the book slow. It had a relentless pace, not unlike Holmes himself. It was absolutely chilling to read the very words Holmes wrote in his memoirs about himself. But I had never read anything like that before, and it was an interesting albeit, disturbing experience.

What I didn't like: Nothing.

Overall: 10 out of 10. This goes down as one of my favorite books of all time. What a flawless and complicated read. I was never bored.

The Appeal

Hi everyone! So today, I am reviewing a book that I finished a few weeks ago entitled: "The Appeal". It is by a rather famous author named John Grisham. He is not only, a very prominent writer, but several movies have been made based off his books. Here we go!

Characters: Wes and Mary Grace Payton: prosecuting lawyers in the Crane Chemical Case/ parents of two young children/ win $38 million in putative damages off the Crane Case
Carl Trudeau: owner of Crane Chemical Company/ responsible for the dumping of toxic materials into the water/is a multi-billionaire
Barry Reinhart: hired by Trudeau to make sure Crane wins the appeal/ specializes in getting the "right people" elected/ plans to unseat justice Shelia McCarthy
Ron Fisk: Reinhart's political pawn/ designed to be an advocate for big business/ ends up making the deciding decision on the appeal case of Crane chemical

The Plot: In a small town in Mississippi, the people know that the water is bad. Not only is it bad, but it is cancerous. Their only hope is a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Jeannette Baker against Crane Chemical Company asking to receive compensation for the deaths of her husband and young son. The town hopes that if Jeannette wins, the water may be ultimately cleaned up and the town's health restored. Against all odds, Baker and her two hardened, hometown lawyers, Wes and Mary Grace Payton, win the suit and a total $41 million in damages. While this is where the story would seem to end, it is actually where the story just starts to pick up. Infuriated that these back country justices robbed him of millions, Carl Trudea, owner of Crane, decides that there can be no uncertainties during this appeal. So he decides to hedge his bets: he hires Barry Reinhart, a so-called "election specialist" to help make sure the appeal results in the "appropriate" result. Reinhart's strategy? Create the perfect justice candidate out of the virtually unknown Ron Fisk and fund him by big business and Christian interest groups and pit him against Shelia McCarthy, a more liberal appeal court justice. Then all Reinhart has to do is make sure Fisk votes with Crane during the appeal. In a furious race to keep McCarthy on the court, the Paytons and the other attorneys in Mississippi will begin to wonder: are big businesses finally meddling in the court systems of this small town?

What I liked: Before I start, I wanted to note something interesting. This is my first John Grisham novel, and right off the bat I liked it very much. But what was interesting is that when I went to Amazon.com to get a picture for the post, I was surprised to see that "The Appeal" only had two and a half stars (out of 5). I found this shocking. I am not sure if that is a reflection on the fact that this is the first Grisham novel I have read and it is not, admittedly, one of his more famous ones, or if it has to do with the fact that I often differ from the Amazon rating. Case in point, "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" is closer to four stars on Amazon, but I would probably give it no higher than one. So this is just my sort of disclaimer that Grisham may have written far better novels and this may not be his best work. That being said, if this isn't his best work it is still very good. I have never read a novel like this before which is rather surprising. Politics are an unpleasant fascination for me. Politicians and big business interactions can be corrupt and sometimes even disturbing (in a sense that companies have so much influence over our "freely elected" government) yet at the same time, I love learning about politics and still have genuine hope for the system. So for me, the subject matter was truly interesting. While I found the huge amounts of money and bribery to get Fisk support disturbing, it was astonishing to learn how much influence these groups have. I sort of felt the sensation you get when you look at something disgusting and want to look away but you just can't. One of the things I liked about Grisham's writing style was the general lack of fluff: it was direct, and to the point, with the characters developed enough to keep you interested. One of the things I noted when I looked through the Amazon reviews was that an astonishing number of people thought the characters were not well developed. While I understand that their complexity was not something to write home about, I feel like it wasn't so much about the characters, as the interaction of the characters together. It was about big business versus the hometown, not Trudeau versus the Paytons. They simply represented something on a much larger scale. Also, the book certainly kept me guessing: I found the ending surprising and almost a little frustrating (but in a good way). By the way, my dad said that all John Grisham novels have happy endings: readers out there can you comment on this? Because the novel I read (spoiler ahead) did not have a very happy ending.

What I didn't like: This is not an attack on Grisham: I totally understand why he wrote the character the way he was written but I am still furious. Ron Fisk was a complete idiot (sorry but that is the only word that works here). He allowed himself to be wooed by these businessmen and it never occurred to him, he had no inclination whatsoever, to question why in the world these men were funding him! He never thought about the repercussions of his actions and he never thought about what he was doing. Fisk was almost like a kid who jumps into the pool without looking, and without thought of the kid who he jumps on. He didn't seem to have any moral fiber, and when it just seemed like he would get some, he backed up again and proved yet again, what a chicken he was.

Overall: 8 out of 10. I guess I didn't give it higher because there was no "wow" factor like I was expecting out of a John Grisham novel. But I will definitely pick up another Grisham novel in the future.

The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Greene

Hi everyone! So today I am reviewing a book that I read a few weeks ago called The Unthinkable Thoughts of Jacob Greene, which was written by Joshua Braff. So without further ado, here is my review!

Characters: Jacob Greene: younger brother of Asher/ is very good at reading Hebrew/ suffers from a learning disability
Asher Greene: older brother of Asher/ an exemplary artist/ is constantly fighting with his father Abram
Abram Greene: self-absorbed father of Jacob and Asher/ married to Claire/ has serious anger management issues

The Plot: Jacob Greene is a young boy growing up in New Jersey in the 1970s in a repressive Jewish household. Forced to endure not only hours of strict Hebrew school, as soon as Jacob returns home, the worst of his day begins. Jacob's father Abram is obsessed with perfection in his children and he considers everyone in his family, in some shape or form, to be a complete failure. Belligerent, belittling, and cruel, Jacob and his older brother Asher long to escape the world they have lived in for so long. The deep divisions between the family become even more apparent as Jacob's mother Claire returns to school to get her Ph.D. and becomes even more distant from the family. Alone and confused as Asher begins to drift away from him, Jacob starts to wonder if his life will ever get better.

What I liked: I absolutely loved the relationship between Asher and Jacob. The two boys had only each other to rely on, and that reliance created a beautiful and realistic relationship. What particularly struck me about the Asher-Jacob dynamic was that it had both light and dark. There were times when Jacob and Asher fought like normal siblings, where Asher would lock Jacob out of his room, refuse to talk to him, or yell at him like an older brother. But when it mattered most, we as readers knew that Asher was going to come bursting in to save the day. For example, when Jacob is writing thank you notes to the people who sent him Bar Mitzvah gifts, Abram becomes frustrated that Jacob's notes are not perfect, and do not have flawless grammar. Abram becomes so enraged and reaches the point where he is almost physically abusing Jacob when Asher rushes into the room and starts to defend Jacob. Now, a few hours ago, Asher was completely ignoring Jacob. It was this kind of love, that no matter how irritated Asher was he was going to help Jacob, that you really connected to as a reader. It always bugs me when characters and relationships are one dimensional. Jacob and Asher had many levels to their relationship: friends, brothers, occasional partners in crime, and sometimes annoying siblings that live down the hall. But that complexity is so important when you are reading, otherwise the story just gets dull. Second, I found the character of Jacob's and Asher's father, Abram, totally and completely frightening. There are characters in stories that you love to hate, the best example for me being Professor Severus Snape in Harry Potter, but Abram just honestly gave me chills of fear. He was an awful father to his children, by not only acting verbally abusive, but acting as an insolent toddler who didn't get his McDonald's happy meal toy when something did not go his way. He spat, he shrieked, he threatened, he yelled, he cursed, but never in any of the pages did he show true love to any of his children. Jacob, Asher, and Claire's struggle to break out of his vicious hold was awful to watch, and I cheered aloud when Claire told Abram she wanted a divorce. I cheered when Asher got into Rhode Island College on scholarship, and he could finally get away from his evil father. But I was terrified for Jacob, who was now left on his own. Braff's biggest strength was his dynamic, strong characters that no matter how polarizing, always drew you in. Braff also managed to have a strong and witty sense of humor that was present in Jacob's commentary of events, which was nice to see. Otherwise, the story would have been too heavy and too dark.

What I didn't like: Okay, I thought the end scene was really weird, and slightly awkward. I don't really want to spoil the end, but it was not really my favorite scene. I thought it was strange, and kind of uncomfortable, which I guess was the point...but still I felt like it was a bizare addition to the end of the story. I also thought the whole story line with the babysitter was odd as well. These parts just seemed forced, and kind of peculiar, in comparison with what was a well-written, easy flowing story.

Overall: 7 out of 10. I liked the family dynamic, but the story was slow in some places, and there were some awkward writing moments. But overall it was a decent read.

A Tree Grows In Brooklyn

Hi everyone! Well today I have decided to take a break from my intense Harry Potter marathon to write a quick blog. I am doing this Harry Potter marathon as a sort of lead up to the final Harry Potter movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2. By the way, my Harry Potter marathon consists of reading every single Harry Potter book and then watching all of the movies. So far I have gotten through "Goblet of Fire" and am reading, for probably the thousandth time, "Order of the Phoenix" (books four and five respectively if you are not familiar with the series. If that is the case, I highly suggest you sprint to the nearest bookstore and save yourself from this serious literary and culture deprivation. I am being totally serious). Anyways, today I am going to review a book that I read while I was at the beach with my family called "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" written by Betty Smith. And away we go!

Characters: Francie Nolan: fiercely independent/ an avid reader/ desperately wants to finish high school and get into college
Cornelious "Neely" Nolan: Francie's brother/ is Mama's favorite child/ does not want to go to school unlike Francie
Katie Nolan: Francie and Neely's mother/ a hardworking woman who works two jobs to support her family/ has been married to Johnny for over a decade
Johnny Nolan: Francie and Neely's father/ works as a "singing waiter"/ relates more to Francie than Neely
*As a note, this book probably had the greatest amount of characters out of any book I have read. There are a wide variety of characters that could go here, but for simplicity sake I have just included the characters that are truly essential to the story*

The Plot: Francie Nolan has one goal in life: get as much knowledge as possible. She wants to get an education, no matter what it takes. However, that is not so easy when you live in Brooklyn, New York at the turn of the 20th century. Money is so tight in Brooklyn homes, that children are forced to leave school at an early age to support the family and get jobs. Francie's family could only afford for one child to go to school (they needed the other child to earn wages) and against the wishes of both Neely and Francie, Katie picked Neely. Francie however, still really wanted to go to school and would not take no for an answer. She enrolled in summer school and began to study at night to prepare for the college entrance exams. However, Francie begins to lose her idealistic nature as she grows up: the world deals her cruel hand after cruel hand starting with losing her hero, her father, to sickness and his own drunk habits. As her disillusionment grows, Francie begins to question the world around her not only because of how outsiders treat her, but how everyone treats each other because they are from Brooklyn.

What I liked: This was, by far, one of my favorite books that I have read. My mom, who reads my blog every time I have a new post, commented on how obvious it is that I love strong female characters. Francie is another one of those strong female characters, except for at one point which I will get to later. She was stubborn, at times fiercely independent, and had a thirst for knowledge that was very similar to my own. She loved her family and specifically her brother unconditionally, even when her mother treated her second-rate to Neely. I also loved Francie's relationship with her father. Granted, Francie's father was not the most reliable of people and he put a lot of unnecessary strain on the Nolan family but he loved Francie unconditionally. The family dynamic in "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" was really the sole focus of the story and I loved the interaction between all of the family members. The family dynamic between Katie and her sisters Sissy and Evy was lovely and they, along with the Nolan family, presented this sharp contrast against the seemingly fragmented families around them. Second, I don't think I have ever read a book that had such rich imagery and detail. I felt like I was actual in Brooklyn, walking the streets with Francie. It was unapologetic, and sometimes harsh, but it offered an unfiltered view of Brooklyn at that time. However, I don't want it to sound like Smith was painting this landscape of a place that was filled with desolation and despair. On the contrary - she was able to pull from the seeming chaos and poverty to create a place that in its own way had beauty too. There is a scene near the end of the book where Francie is marveling over just how much she loves Brooklyn and how she is afraid of how she will see it when she grows up. She is afraid that she will lose the ability to see the beauty in the crooked streets and chaos. This love for a city and love for a place really hit home with me. Cities have this almost magnetic draw, at least for me, and I was able to feel that same love for a place when Smith writes. Some people may think that "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" is slow, and in places it is. But these lulls fit in with the story of Francie's life and it allowed the reader to get immersed in the details and immersed in this life in Brooklyn. Finally, the book had a reasonably happy ending which I liked. I was reasonably happy because it was not a "Twilight ending" (meaning that Smith did not choose to end her novel as Stephanie Meyers does with everyone getting exactly everything they ever wanted with no sacrifice and disappointment and a lot of over the top happiness to go around. Can you tell I am not a "Twihard"? I cannot believe I just used that word). Instead, Smith left us with not only a feeling of sadness but a feeling of hope for Francie and the future to come. And really, that is all we can ask for.

What I didn't like: Okay, this part actually drove me crazy. Why in the world would Francie lose her head over a guy (Lee) that she knew for only a week, who was not only leaving the country to go to war, but was also engaged. I don't have a problem with her liking him, but she acted like she was in love with him, completely losing her head. It was also for just a week. Totally out of character. Also, I didn't really understand Katie Nolan's crazy reasoning for why she liked Neely better than Francie. Katie said that she liked Neely better because Francie was "weak" (at least at first) and Neely was exactly like her husband Johnny but she could mold him to be better. She even made Neely go to high school when he did not want to go and refused to allow Francie to go to high school even though she actually wanted to attend. I did not really understand where she was coming from or where her logic was at at all.

Overall: 9 out of 10. I am not taking off points because Francie lost her head, but rather because I didn't always enjoy the Neely-Francie-Katie dynamic. But overall, I absolutely loved this book.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

Hey blogosphere! I'm back! I know, you did not expect me for another month or two, but I decided to be proactive while I wait until I can eat lunch. Today, I am reviewing the last of my AP Language novels, "Their Eyes Were Watching God" by Zora Neale Hurston. Away we go!

Characters: Janie Crawford: heroine of the story/ is married three times/ is looking for more out of her marriage than just security
Logan Killicks: Janie's first husband/ wants to have Janie do a lot of work around the house/ is much older than Janie
Joe Starks: Janie's second husband/ dies a decade after he married Janie/ wants to control Janie and keep her as a trophy wife
Tea Cake: Janie's last husband/ moves to the Everglades with Janie/ teaches Janie how to shoot a gun

The Plot: Janie Crawford isn't looking for just security in a relationship: she is looking for something more. But her grandmother, out of fear that Janie will end up just like her mother, marries Janie off to an old man (Logan Killicks). Janie fears her chances to find true love are lost forever. Only months after her first marriage, Janie runs off with Joe Starks in the hopes that she can create a new life, one where there will be mutual love and respect between both husband and wife. Instead, she becomes Joe's trophy wife and is belittled and mistreated by him. Over a decade later, Joe dies and Janie fears that she will never know true love and happiness. But Tea Cake, a man of almost no money and importance comes into her life and changes everything. Through all her relationships, Janie goes on the journey of self discovery until she finally reaches the point she had only dreamed of: true independence.

What I liked: I really liked this book. First, I want to talk about the format of "Their Eyes Were Watching God". (From now on I'm just going to refer to the book as "Eyes") The book is written in this sort of free-flowing dialogue with this distinctive, flavorful dialect. I believe that this dialect gives "Eyes" its heart and soul. It gives the novel a greater substance than most novels. Novels like "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" and "Eyes" have rich dialect that take the reader into a time and place quite different from their own. However, there are moments where we get into the character's minds for long passages where the dialect completely disappears and a more educated narrator tells us Janie's thoughts. For example, we learn what Janie is thinking when she is "coping" with Joe's death. I used quotes around coping because Janie isn't really too sad about it. Anyways, Janie talks about the "veil" which separates the grief she projects to the outside world from the actual relief that she feels inside. These moments give a sort of clarity to what goes on in the characters minds that can be occasionally lost through the dialect, which can be challenging at times. Also, the Janie of the story would not be able to provide this beautiful allusion; the narrator of Janie's thoughts can. I also really liked that as a woman, I can relate to this story. Not so much the married three times part, thankfully, but the self-discovery and independence that Janie yearns and searches for. I identified with Janie because she was never satisfied with an average life; she wanted extraordinary and that drive really resonated with me. With both Logan and Joe she had a "safe" position in life but that was not good enough for her. She looked to find something greater in both her relationships and life. She looked to find her voice, and her spirit. That journey was the reason why I rooted for Janie so hard; I wanted to have her find herself like every person should. I also loved the ending. *SPOILERS AHEAD* Janie ends up shooting Tea Cake when he becomes infested with rabies and tries to kill her. Tea Cake dying was kind of a blah moment for me because he was not really my favorite character, more on that in a moment, but how Janie was finally able to assert herself and no longer truly live in submission to her husband. Also, the way that she stood up in court and defended her love for Tea Cake was a beautifully written ending, in my opinion. Lastly, Mrs. Turner was a truly awful character, and I am so glad that she was included. Mrs. Turner is a black woman that likes to spend time with Janie because she is "whiter" than the other blacks. (Janie is half white and half black). It was awful to see how she put Janie up on a pedestal because she was half white and vehemently hated her own race because they were "too black". It was such an awful portion of the book but it was so essential to see the struggles that Janie and others like her go through.

What I didn't like: Tea Cake was not my favorite character. He gambled a lot, he tried to "protect" Janie, and then he ended up hitting Janie to show Mrs. Turner that Janie was still his. I was not a fan. He just did not behave in a way that made sense for Janie to idolize him like she did. It also was completely out of character for him to hit Janie. I don't believe that he would actually do that if Tea Cake and Janie were real characters. Tea Cake adored Janie. He wouldn't hit her. Ever.

Overall: 8 out of 10. It would be higher but Tea Cake hitting Janie made me mad. Overall, beautifully written book by Zora Neale Hurston.

The Scarlet Letter

Hi everyone! Well it has really been a while. In my defense, I have been busy what with homework. But that's all behind me because now it's summer!!! No more school work. Just kidding, like I could get that lucky. Apparently, the summer assignments for my classes are MASSIVE, but at least there are a lot of books on the summer lists. Better for blogging right? But as kind of a flashback, I am doing a book that I read in AP Language last year, called "The Scarlet Letter". Maybe you've heard of it (wink wink). Apparently it's an "American Classic" and let's just say I do not share that opinion. I digress! Let's start at the beginning shall we?

Characters: Hester Prynne: bearer of the "Scarlet Letter"/ mother of Pearl/ is ostracized by the Puritan society that she lives in
Arthur Dimmesdale: minister of the Puritan church/ is much loved by the community/ is the father of Pearl
Roger Chillingworth: Hester's husband/ is much older than Hester/ aims to enact his revenge on whomever is Pearl's father

The Plot: In the rigorous Puritan society of New England, Hester Prynne has committed the most serious of offenses. An adulterer, she is now forced to wear a red "A" for the rest of her days and is henceforth shunned from Puritain society. Hester is told that her punishment will be easier if she speaks the name of her conspirator, but she refuses to give up the identity of her lover. Her lover, is none other than the beloved minister Arthur Dimmesdale who has become consumed by guilt over his and Hester's actions. As Hester is ostracized, Dimmesdale seeks solace in his friend and doctor Roger Chillingworth. However, Chillingworth is no friend of Dimmesdale's: Chillingworth is really Hester's husband and he looks to enact his revenge upon Dimmesdale. In a "thrilling" tale about the true meaning of sin, Hester struggles to find her place in a world that constantly works to reduce her to nothing.

What I didn't like: I know that I usually start off with "What I liked" but honestly, I cannot exactly stomach it at this point. If you notice, I put "thrilling" in quotes when I was talking about the plot of Hawthorne's "classic". Personally, I found "The Scarlet Letter" to be one of the most awful books I've read. I honestly hated it. Now let me clarify what I am about to say here. I do not hate historical fiction. I actually love it. I do not hate Old English. I actually love it, particularly when it is written as beautifully as Shakespeare. I do not hate colonial history. I just hated "The Scarlett Letter". First, there were only three characters, and this god-awful book was about two hundred pages long. Yes, there were other side characters but the book mainly revolved around the interaction between Dimmesdale, Hester, and Chillingworth. I suppose you could consider Pearl, the daughter of Hester and Dimmesdale, a "character", but I have not-for reasons I'll explain in a minute. I felt like the story was grossly stretched out and in places unnecessarily long. Every scene that Hawthorne wrote was loaded with so much symbolism and hidden meanings that I was overwhelmed and did not really see what was important. There were some constant, all encompassing themes, such as the concept of sin, but I was so sick of them because there were no other characters. There should be supporting characters and subplots in any book, like in "The Kite Runner." In "The Kite Runner", there were many other side stories beside the central struggle that Amir goes through. There was the interaction between Amir and his father, Amir's adaptation to his new life in America, and Amir's interaction with his wife. Hawthorne had no side stories, nothing to provide a break from what I thought was a dull rambling story to begin with. I also did not really understand some of the characters actions, in particular Hester. She did not strike me as a particularly strong heroine. She, granted, took her punishment well and bravely, but I felt like her interaction with Pearl was strange. She spent most of her time wondering if Pearl was a fairy. This is why I did not really count Pearl as a character. She seemed, to everyone in the story and to me as well, as sort of...off. She was used by Hawthorne to portray that the innocence of children lets them perceive the truth of matters, rather than what they are told to see. Fine. I like that, I understand that idea. But why did Pearl have to keep being portrayed as this monster or fairy by Hester? I felt like Pearl as a character was very flat. Either she was a fairy or an all-seeing child who clearly understood complex matters. I was not a fan of that idea. Also, Dimmesdale is the weakest fatherly character that Hawthorne could have possibly come up with. I was actually cheering for Chillingworth to kill him off. But that doesn't make me dislike Hawthorne as a writer, Dimmesdale served a particular literary purpose, I think to serve as a foil for Hester. They are totally opposite, as Dimmesdale is weak and afraid and Hester is strong and brave. But what I did not enjoy about "The Scarlet Letter" was the structuring of the language. Here I am not talking about complexity: I love Shakespeare and old texts like "A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift. (By the way, "A Modest Proposal" is an absolutely hilarious piece about what the Irish should do to save their country. One of my favorite pieces). But to me, Hawthorne's language did not have this beauty. It was stuffy, and over worked; I felt like there was too much going on. Honestly, by the end I was just sick of the entire novel. The constant discussing about "sin" and "fate" honestly made my head hurt. I was quite ready for the book to be over.

What I liked: This will be pretty short. But in all honesty, even though the characters drove me nuts, I loved how they were very well developed. Besides Pearl, I thought the struggles that Hester and Dimmesdale went through and their own emotional spectrum was very real and believeable. I felt like these were real people, not caricatures of Puritan society.

Overall: 3 out of 10, glad the book is over with. Nathanial Hawthorne, I was sadly disappointed.