Books
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And The Mountains Echoed
And The Mountains Echoed begins with a myth. A family forced to choose one child, sacrifice one to save the rest. This myth shapes the narrative, telling the story of two siblings forced apart to save the family. The novel is told in nine parts, narrated by the people who were touched by this tragic event. Some stories end happily, while others are a mess of emotions – filled with hardship. Khaled Hosseini excels with his characters, he finds a deep connection that attaches itself to the reader, unwilling to let go. These characters come from all types of wealth, status and employment. Stories interconnect without realization and the reader is…
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‘In Cold Blood’ Truman Capote
I did a report on ‘In Cold Blood’ by Truman Capote. There may be some spoilers but nothing too bad. It also has a quick biography on Capote as well as what I liked and disliked about his writing. Enjoy! Truman Capote began with a novel about murder and created a compelling account of two troubled men. The novel reads like a movie screenplay, the scenes are each so vivid. The novel begins with the Clutter family alive and shows how they lived their lives. Capote describes the property and town intricately. While he is showing the murder victims he is showing the beginning of the murders trip. The first section of…
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The Killer Elite – Wright
When I sat down to read The Killer Elite I was excited. I am really interested in the war in Afghanistan and Iraq and this piece showed perfectly how the soldiers react under extreme circumstances. These are barely men, many of whom are barely educated, trying to fight a war they don’t seem to fully understand. In class, the discussion made these soldiers seem brutish and almost evil, it seemed people did not fully grasp the circumstances these soldiers are forced into. Not only did Wright show their remorse about the children multiple times, he allowed for the soldiers to speak for themselves. I loved the way Wright shows his…
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Mailer, Thompson and Wolfe
I have a Non-Fiction class where we read selections from novels and short stories. This week we read exerpts from Norman Mailers “The Armies of the Night“, Hunter S. Thompsons “The Scum Also Rises”, and Tom Wolfes “The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.” Here is my journal: This week I was exposed to writers I had heard about but never read. I have found myself becoming more and more inspired by the words. I sat down to read Norman Mailer’s The Armies of the Night and found myself writing instead. These stories seem to take longer and longer to get through because of the inspiration I get when I read them.…