1984 is a dystopian novel by George Orwell that explores a totalitarian society ruled by an oppressive government known as the Party, led by the enigmatic figure known as Big Brother. The protagonist, Winston Smith, works for the Party and begins to rebel against its control, questioning the manipulation of truth and history. As he falls in love with Julia, they both conspire against the Party, only to be caught and tortured by the Thought Police.
A Winter’s Promise features Animist Ophelia, a young girl who has the power to travel through mirrors and to see an object’s past upon touching it. However, she is soon forced into a marriage with Thorn, a stern and apathetic man from the faraway world of the Pole. As she accompanies her fiancé to the floating city of Citaceleste, she discovers rival clans and powerful families.
This book is an autobiography about Kamala Harris. The book goes into her family and her life before she was elected to be the Vice president. The reader gets insight on the struggle and the triumphs of her education and career path. It was inspiring to hear about her mother’s story about how she became a cancer researcher despite prejudice and discrimination. It dove into how Kamala Harris worked her way up into becoming the DA, then senator, then Vice President. I recommend this book to anyone who wants some insight on the Vice President, Harris.
The story of Dune begins with Paul Atriedes, son of the Duke Leto. Leto is assigned to govern over the hostile desert world of Arrakis, the only source of melange. This “spice” is highly coveted, as consumption of it can cause, most notably, heightened mental abilities and limited foresight. However, the Duke’s acclimation of the planet was planned so that the Atriedes family might be left vulnerable. Paul must learn to navigate the new worlds of Arrakis and interplanetary politics, or his family will not survive.
The Republican War on Science is a nonfiction novel detailing the falsification of scientific evidence by the Republican Party written by Washington Post reporter Chris Mooney. This book relays several examples of Republicans falsifying, hiding, or cherry-picking scientific information to promote their own purposes, most of which come from the Bush administration. As expected, this book is clearly biased, but that didn’t make the information any less intriguing.
In the very near future, Trent McCauley is a 16-year-old in northern England who makes videos by cutting, pasting, and editing movies starring a dead actor he's obsessed with. This isn't just a hobby of Trent's, it's his passion (much like writing Simon Snow fanfic is a passion for Cath in Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl). But it violates copyright and pirating laws, which is why the state cuts off his family's internet access for a year.
