A Good Old Trip Down Memory Lane

I honestly had a hard time coming up with books to include on this list. This difficulty is not due to having read few books in my life; it is really due to the fact that I don't necessarily reflect on books after I read them. So, after looking through my bookshelf at home, I was, in fact, able to find some books that jumped off the shelf, full of memories.

!. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, by Ken Kesey.

If I had to chose and all-time favorite book, this would be it. It is the only book that has ever

made me cry.

2. Scar Tissue, by Anthony Kiedis.

This autobiography gave me an even greater love and appreciation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers.

It was also just a crazy, entertaining read.

3. Artemis Fowl, by Eoin Colfer.

This was the first "big book," which interestingly doesn't seem so big anymore, I had ever read by myself. It was also just so full of magic and adventure.

4. The Terrorist, by Caroline B. Cooney.

I read this book when I was about twelve or thirteen. It was my first glimpse of how

acts of terrorism can affect a family. I was scared that I would one day be able to relate to

the novel.

5. Beloved, by Toni Morrison.

I love everything about this novel. I think I liked it so much because it was so different from anything I had read before.

6. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl.

I went through a faze where I read all of the Dahl books I could find. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is my favorite; way better than the movie!

7. Twilight, by Stephanie Meyer.

I am embarassed to say that this is one of my most memorable novels; however, I couldn't

put it down. It's seriously a great love story.

8. Officer Buckle and Gloria, by Peggy Rathman.

I will always remember this book. I still know after all these years not to stand on a swivel

chair, because we all know what happened to officer buckle.

9. How I Paid for College, by Marc Acito.

This is a laugh-out-loud book. All of the characters are so original, yet so easy to relate to.

Reading Over the Summer

My summer began with the purchase of three novels, which I found while perusing my local bookstore in Northern Michigan. The first, was Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, by Hunter S. Thompson. The novel jumped off the shelf at me. I had heard from many that it was a whirlwind novel that threw its readers into the fascinating, fast-lane, drug world of the Las Vegas strip, and they were right. It was amazing how the story's two main characters, Hunter Thompson and his lawyer, navigated through the maze of glitz that is Las Vegas, high on every drug imaginable, most of which I had never even heard of. The novel was a thrill ride that I was lucky to have picked up.

The second novel I stumbled upon was titled, They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky : The True Story of Three Lost Boys From Sudan; a story written by, Alphonsion Deng, Benson Deng, Benjamin Ajak, and Judy A. Bernstein. This novel was incredibly eye opening. The story's three narrators, also co-authors of the novel, give first hand accounts of what it was like trying to survive in war-torn Sudan, as children. I picked up the novel because I had never read anything about the strife affecting Sudan, let alone the condition of the "lost boys," a term that I had heard used in passing, without ever knowing what it referred to. It turned out to be a better novel choice than I ever could have hoped. I was captivated and shocked by the struggles of three boys who had to grow up without the support of homes or parents, not to mention, enough food and water to stay alive; things which I had come to take for granted. Also, the novel not only showed how the war in Sudan affected Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin; but, it took into account the thousands of other boys who were forced to flee their homes and march across Southern Sudan towards refuge. These boys are the "Lost Boys of Sudan" whose journey became known across the globe. The novel ends with Alepho, Benson, and Benjamin being able to leave Sudan, bound for America, with dreams of endless opportunity. The triumphs of Benson, Alepho, and Benjamin give the book a good sense of closure; however, they do not overshadow how there are still young boys who were not so lucky, and are still in Sudan today. This novel is without a doubt my favorite out of all that I read this summer.

The third and last novel I found was actually, one that I was looking for. The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth is the novel that I chose out of the ones recommended by Mr. Coon. The novel is set in urban New Jersey, its narrator a young Jewish boy, seemingly named for the author, who encounters an America far from what is in the history books of today. Roth creates an alternate outcome to the 1940 Presidential Election, where Charles Lindbergh defeats Franklin D. Roosevelt in running for his third term as President. Charles Lindbergh goes on to install what is considered fascist legislation, which effects the entire country, especially its Jewish population. The Plot Against America does a wonderful job of getting a reader to think about the immense power of the president, and about the fear which the government can potentially instigate.