The Giver by Lois Lowry is a book about a boy in a community based on sameness. He is selected as a receiver of memory, and the old receiver (The Giver) helps to give Jonas ancient memories. He acts as a source of wisdom in and for the community. I would rate this book a 3.5/5, as it is a good book for community research, and recommend it to those who love such novels. This book is relatable as the guidance of elders is always crucial.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a book about a 14 year old boy named Ponyboy Curtis, and his 2 older brothers named Soda & Darry. They are all orphans and have to struggle to succeed in a lower class area (The East Side). They are part of a gang called the “Greasers” and they are the working class street boys. This book is a good novel regarding how some people’s lives are, however can be a little confusing. So I would rate the book 2 stars, but recommend it if you like older novels.
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee is set in Maycomb, Alabama during the Great Depression. The main character Scout Finch lives with her brother Jem and widowed father Atticus, who is a well-known lawyer in their community. In their neighborhood there is a spooky house called the Radley Place, no one knows what goes in there and there are many conspiracies regarding it. Scout, Jem, and their friend Dill were always curious, and they always played around the Radley house.
In Lord of the Flies by William Golding, a group of British schoolboys gets stranded on an island after a plane crash. These boys must learn how to survive in the wilderness without any adult supervision. Ralph, Piggy, Jack, and Simon are the main characters in the novel. Ralph is the protagonist and the chief of the tribe they had managed to create. Piggy is the intelligent one but also gets bullied by the other boys. Jack, the antagonist, had made himself the group's hunter along with his choir boys.
To Kill a Mockingbird is about the Finch family who live in Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930s. Scout, the main character, must navigate her way through the racist society she was born in. Her father, Atticus, stands up for a black man in court who was falsely accused of harming a white woman.
Beloved, by Toni Morrison, is a Pulitzer-Prize-winning magical-realistic novel that centers around a former slave, her life, and the lives of those around her. Inspired by a true story, Beloved is the story of a woman - Sethe - as she navigates her present life and past memories in addition to the supernatural world that dips into her reality.
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.
I read 1984 for my English class and I have mixed feelings about Orwell's novel. On one hand, I really appreciate his writing style and I believe the purpose behind the book is important for everyone to hear. However, it was a very slow start and terribly boring during part one. And the ending, don't even get me started. I was not happy that Winston finished the book submitting to everything he had fought against for years. I couldn't make up my feelings on Winston and Julia's relationship as well.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey is by far one of my favorite books I’ve read. It explores life within a psychiatric hospital utilizing comedic undertones. The book highlights a power struggle between McMurphy (the cowboy-esque patient) and Nurse Ratched (the tyrant ward nurse). The book is incredibly unique because it presents unreliable narration and forces the reader to continuously guess what’s upcoming.
The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is the tale of Hester Prynne, a woman in the 1600s who is accused of cheating on her husband, who has been missing for years. After the birth of her child Pearl, Hester is branded with the Scarlet Letter to remind her and her fellow townspeople of her misdeed. Hester refuses to reveal her lover’s identity, and throughout the novel has to face the shame of committing adultery, a major sin.
