![]() A Heartbreaking Work of a Staggering Genius is a set of of memoirs that mostly follows the the life of Dave Eggers, and his younger brother Toph. Right at the beginning of the book, you find out that Dave’s mother is dying of stomach cancer, and that his father died a few weeks earlier of a different, fast paced cancer. Dave, 21 is the second youngest out the the three other siblings, and suddenly has to provide for Toph, his younger brother, who is 7. Throughout the novel, Eggers sarcastically covers the hardships of caring for his younger brother and providing a parental role in his life at such a young age. When I first found out we were going to do this project I had no idea what book I was going to pick. Immediately I went to my father to give me a recommendation. While I typically wouldn’t choose a novel like this, I found it really good and surprisingly funny. The novel is really interesting, because it gives you a glimpse into such an unusual life, that you can’t help but keep reading. Dave Eggers is a really satiric and sarcastic writer, so if you like that kind of writing, the book is perfect for you. -LB, grade 10 It is family drama, memoir, relocation, and coming of age.
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![]() On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft is a memoir written by the king of horror and suspense in writing, Stephen King. In this book, King documents his life, his growth in writing, and his rise in recognition as an author of horror. The reader gets to see where King first started his career in writing, and how he grew as a writer, using his uncanny skill of establishing uneasiness, which is so prominent in all of his books. While describing his story and his development as an author, King also fills the pages by providing his insight and advice for aspiring authors alike, which is really what drew me into this book. While I do not see myself becoming an author, or deciding to go into that area of expertise, I am interested in writing, mainly in screenplays and scripts. I am extremely interested in film, and that's where I want to grow as a creator. My mother bought me this book, and urged me to read it. I also do not see myself working with horror in film, I realized that if a good horror movie or book is in fact good, it must also have convincingly good characters and stories. And when you look at lists for the greatest horror stories, Stephen King and his books appear often. I read the book hoping to learn a lot about writing, not only about horror but about all aspects of storytelling. I mean, the author is considered to be one of the greats. I read the book, and was satisfied. It delivers a great story with very insightful pieces of advice from an accomplished author. If you are looking to go into writing, or storytelling of any kind, I implore you to read this book. -LC, grade 10 ![]() This autobiographical book from the cofounder of Nike details the birth and rise of the company. Knight begins the story in the 1960s, when he first began importing and selling running shoes out of his bedroom at his parent's house in Oregon. He narrates the events and characters who contributed to Nike in substantive ways all the way through the company's IPO in 1980. Surprisingly, until that IPO, Knight and Nike were operating "on the float," or essentially paycheck to paycheck. Knight writes with eloquent description and apparent honesty, a trademark of his all-around style. It was fun to read about his casual interactions with giants of the sports industry. I did not know anything of Nike's origin beyond its allegiance to Oregon, so this was really fascinating to learn about one of the biggest and most iconic athletic supply companies of our time. Alongside reading the book, I watched the movie Without Limits, which is about Steve Prefontaine and Bill Bowerman (a cofounder of Nike) during their time as athlete and coach at University of Oregon. ![]() This graphic novel autobiography depicts part of Marjane Satrapi's adolescence in Iran in the 1970s and 1980s. Iran was going through revolution and war at this time, but Marji was just a regular teen. She wants to buy jeans and Nikes, chat with her friends, and go to school. However, when her family and friends are imprisoned or killed by bombs, it is hard to be "normal." I have been hearing of this book for years, but just finally happened to pick it up at Dawn Treader. The graphics were excellent and really demanded my attention more than I have found with other graphic novels. Satrapi's story weaves in so many elements of adolescence, politics, war, family, and education that I enjoyed the feeling of learning about real things as I read. ![]() In this memoir, Ashley recounts some of the horrors and delights of her experience being separated from her mother, her time in foster care, and her adoption process almost ten years later. Parts of her story are sickening, like when she tells about the abuse of some of her foster parents. Other parts are heartwarming, like the love and from her grandfather's girlfriend, Adele. At the beginning, and really most of the middle, I did not like reading this book because of how sad the story is. Beyond just the events of Ashley's life, I take this memoir as a testimony of what foster care can be like, and it is not pretty. However, Rhodes-Courter is a success story and her novel is a triumph, so the last third of the book was gripping. ![]() Marguerite and her brother live with their grandmother in the rural American South in the 1930-40s. She has many formative and- at times- disturbing experiences throughout her adolescence, both in the South and while she visits California. Marguerite's story is one of triumph as she comes of age in a racist and conservative society. I read this book because I had not read it before. It is wildly famous and often referenced, so I wanted to be "in" the next time it came up. Honestly, I did not immediately love this novel, though I see the tremendous strength and value of Angelou's words. I found the novel more engaging the farther I read. Now I've read it and know it and will feel cultured the next time it comes up. |
J. HiEBERBibliophile Archives
June 2020
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