Lord of the Flies is a dystopian fiction novel where the characters are living in a nightmarish, tyrannical society as a result of their naturally poor personalities. This book is written by William Golding who tells the story of a group of young boys who find themselves alone on a deserted island without any adults present. They develop rules, but without any adults on the island to oversee them, the boys eventually become violent and savage-like. The main character in this book is a boy named Ralph, who is elected chief of the island at the beginning of the book.
The Silent Patient features Alicia Berenson, an ordinary women who seemingly had a good life until she murders her husband, Gabriel, by shooting him five times in the face. As her case is further investigated, Alicia refuses to speak or utter a single word throughout it all. Theo Faber, a psychotherapist, is eager to figure out why Alicia committed the crime she did, and why she chooses to remain silent.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a book that really spoke to me. It takes us back to the 1960s, a time of division and clashes between different social groups. As I delved into the story, I found myself connecting with Ponyboy Curtis, the teenage narrator and member of the Greasers, a close-knit gang of working-class boys. Ponyboy's journey is one of self-discovery and resilience in the face of adversity.
Romeo and Juliet, the unforgettable play by the brilliant William Shakespeare, is a deeply human story that tugs at the strings of our hearts. It takes place in the enchanting city of Verona, Italy, where two young souls find themselves entangled in a long-standing feud between their families.
This book is one I picked up before going to bed, and I was absolutely intrigued throughout the novel. A young boy with facial deformities navigates his way through fifth grade, and it’s not easy. Throughout this novel, the reader gets an insight of many characters, their perspectives, and coping mechanisms. A lot of the novels I read are about fantasy, mystery, and “out-of-the-world” challenges, but this one was a calm and interesting read. This is a book that can definitely be read by some elementary schoolers, but as a high schooler I still enjoyed reading this novel.
Throughout history, people have grown a perception of incapability or some sense of inferiority when it comes to previously colonized countries and their effort to resist. However, what most people, including the media, fail to see is the brutality, traps, and negligence within the imperial system. Chinua Achebe dives into how the conservative and diverse traditions of an Igbo society changed after colonization by the British. Here’s my favorite part of this book: the reader is able to have an insight not from the colonizers, but rather the colonized.
This classic novel is one that I have read before, but am reading it again! As you may know, a plane with many British boys on it gets shots down and crashes on a lone island in the ocean. The plane drifts away into the sea, leaving the boys stranded on an island. This book is about their experiences on that island and how those boys managed themselves without any adult supervision.
My rating for this book is a 2.5 because the book is bland in my opinion and does not have intensive detail. This book failed to get my interest and I believe the main reason was not enough detail.
IfMalibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid had to be described in one word–that word would be summer. The story is so captivating, and it’s one of those books where you don’t realize where the time has gone. I definitely recommend reading The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugofirst, but Malibu Rising follows the four kids of Mick Riva, a famous singer.
Eleanor and Park is a book all about the romantic relationship between Park Sheridan and Eleanor Douglas. These two are portrayed as polar opposites inside of the books. Park being a half- Korean male and Eleanor the new shy red head from a bad background. They both met on the bus and started to bond over comic books and music and from there their relationship had a lot of ups and downs. There were a lot of emotions, and we see both characters grow as people because of the events that take place.
