Blogpost #4: What is your overall response to the book? Did you find it interesting, moving, dull? Would you recommend it to others? Why or why not? Which book did you prefer: your first choice or this one? Completed by Wednesday, May 28
13 Comments
Lily Sanders
5/28/2014 04:12:52 am
Overall I loved my book. It was very exciting. The slave was facing many dangers and it showed the experiences that slaves really went through. I would recommend this book to anyone, especially anyone who has interests in learning about slavery. I this book better than the first book I read (unbroken). The topic of slavery just interests me than unbroken did. Unbroken however is still a really good book.
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Omar Brijawi
5/28/2014 04:17:34 am
This book was very motivational because the author had an idea of giving shoes to the ones who need it and had successes in his dream. He mentions the children s feet and how worn out or infected they were. This book was very moving because he mentions the critical conditions children were in. I would have never thought shoes had that big of impact on someone. It makes you realize how fortunate and blessed you really are. I would recommend it to others because its very emotional story at the same time you learn how to grow a company or business. I prefer this one because it actually had a story compared to Freaknomics which was filled with statistics and hypothetical situations. Also I am interested in making a business which made me like "Start Something That Matters" more than my first one.
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Stephanie Tam
5/28/2014 09:22:29 am
Columbine was very powerful and eye opening to me. It was very suspenseful and left me hanging off the edge of my seat (literally). I enjoyed how Cullen intertwined his knowledge of psychology to assess the two shooter’s behaviors. I am taking psychology this year, so I can apply my knowledge to the situation as well and I was able to further understand the book. I would surely recommend it to others because this book made me realize how scary it could be to lose a loved one and not being able to do anything about it. For instance, when Cullen addresses the many parents that were hoping that their children made it out alive, it made me reevaluate my life, and realize that I do sometimes take my parents for granted. There isn’t a particular audience, I believe anyone that reads Columbine will find it as powerful and emotional as I did. I preferred Columbine over Quiet, my first book. Even though Quiet was about introverts, something I categorize myself to be, Columbine had more of a plot line. Dave Cullen’s detailed writing and my interest in the Columbine shooting was what made the book so much better than the first. Quiet had a good message, though it was a bit dry at some points and I found myself reading similar situations over and over again. Columbine not only teaches the readers about safety precautions, but it teaches the readers to love everyone around them because one day they may not be there anymore.
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Becca Eubanks
5/28/2014 10:18:49 am
There is only one word I can use to describe my reaction to this book, amazement. Amazement of how dedicated the men are who serve our country, amazement at how cruel the Taliban can truly be, and amazement at how menial the problems we face everyday seem after reading the book. I found this book moving, inspiring, thrilling, emotional and of course patriotic. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend because it is a war story that anyone can understand, and it keeps the reader on the edge of their seat the whole time. The text is so encompassing that you feel as if you are in Afghanistan fighting with the team, and the reader feels all the highs and lows Marcus Luttrell feels. I prefer this book to my first book, Columbine, because the story kept me more interested and it was more thrilling throughout the entirety rather than just a few parts of Columbine.
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Brian Kurtz
5/28/2014 10:29:57 am
"Why We Fight" left me open minded to the war on terrorism and gave me a chance to reflect on how lucky I am to be an American. Though the book had confusing aspects and contained information that really wasn't necessary in my opinion, I was left in awe over Bennett's opinions for America's dominance. Bennett speaks of a strong military based government that reflected the ideologies of Douglas Macarthur. Although I loved this book, I would be very careful to whom I recommend this book to. For example, I would love to give this book to Mr. Taylor and watch his eyes light up as he reads it, but on the other hand I would be very timid in delivering this book to a more pacifist type of person. "Why We Fight" and "Unbroken" were both outstanding military centered books. If I had to chose a book that I prefer to read for fun I would pick "Unbroken" because it is an exhilarating story of a WWII veteran. I thoroughly enjoyed "Why We Fight", but it is less of a story and more of a philosophical novel, which I enjoy, but I can't enjoy it the same as I enjoyed "Unbroken".
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Basma Garadah
5/28/2014 10:36:54 am
Although I haven't finished the book, my response to what I have read so far is that the book is very intriguing. Meaning that the way the author put so much detail and imagery helps on imagining what is happening and makes the book very visual and interesting. The book is very sad, moving, and inspirational all in one. The fact that Northrup never gave up on getting freedom makes me truly believe in the fact that if you set your mind on something it can be accomplished no matter how long it may take. I would recommend this book to anyone in a blink of an eye because it is a book of hope and history of the harsh truth of what happened with slaves. It is a topic that many people think they know about and they really don't so this book provides a real account of what happened and as for me I will always remember it because of how strong the writing was. I definitely prefer this one because I can barely even remember the first book I read because the lessons were not as strong but this book is something anyone can read and learn something about.
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Ahmed Musaitif
5/28/2014 11:53:48 am
I really enjoyed my book, Into the Wild. The book was great. Once I started reading, I could no put it down. After reading this book, I wanted to know more about the main character, Chris McCandless and his odyssey to Alaska. Since their was a movie created based on the book, I will watch it as I loved the book and wanted to know more about Chris McCandless. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who wants to read a great book. This book is great for all readers, and it was a short and easy read. Although both books were great, I would prefer the second choice because it was an interesting story about a man who I never knew about. My first book was about Michael Oher, which I already knew about his story.
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Allie Robertson
5/28/2014 12:23:27 pm
My overall response to "a long way gone" was sadness, because of what the author, Ishmael Beah, endured during his young teenage years. Beah lost his family, wandered around Sierra Leone, was recruited into the government army, and found a uncle he never knew about, all before he turned sixteen years old. It’s a sad thought that a young boy had to experience all of these hardships without any help. Beah made his story very moving because he constantly reminded his readers that he was only a young boy. The story was also moving because it was a constant roller coaster ride for his reader’s emotions. This was because just as his life was looking up he was dragged back into the war. I would recommended this book to others because I feel that even though the concept of child soldiers is terrible, people still need to understand the events that are currently going on in the world. I preferred "a long way gone" over "Unbroken" because "a long way gone" is a present day problem while "Unbroken" was about World War 2. "A long way gone" also shows that violence still exists in many different ways that are thought to be only in a history book.
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Shivani Patel
5/28/2014 01:18:44 pm
"I am Malala" offers an insightful look into Malala's life in the Swat Valley and beyond as she has to constantly move away from the Taliban. Overall, I thought the book does a good job of explaining Malala's life. While it was not what I was expecting, it was still an interesting book as Malala and I are approximately the same age. I thought the book itself was interesting, but definitely not something I would read again or recommend to another. Malala has had a full life, but her memoir was simply not to my taste. Her chapters seem as if they are just randomly put together and many do not seem to form a cohesive story. Yet, each chapter contained many scintillating facts about herself or her surroundings. I chose "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell as my first book and I would definitely prefer it. While Malala was a good story, I prefer Gladwell's "Outliers" over it as the situations in it appealed more to me than Malala's story.
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Jessica Smith
5/28/2014 01:56:06 pm
Overall, I really liked Falling Leaves. It was harrowing, and I wasn't expecting it to be as emotionally intense as it was. It was definitely not a book for the faint of heart, and Adeline Yen Mah, the author, went through some heardships that I could not even imagine bearing. It was moving in every sense, and it opened my eyes not only historically, but also in terms of how good I have it with my own family. Her story takes place in China, England, and the United States, and it occurs during a time period that we have all been educated on since we were younger. With the Second World War, Korean War, Cold War, and Cultural Revolution, an actual account was so revealing of life at the time. It was also revelaing of life as a woman, and a Chinese one at that. Even in America, Mah suffered from sexism and racism, and I was slightly surprised by the naievty that I wasn't aware that I had. It was actually heartbreaking at times the lengths that Mah would go to to please her father. Even though he treated her like garbage and never saved her from the wrath of her stepmother, even as an adult she would try to do things in his favor. The reader is left never really understanding the extent of her father's love, but it was sad to read her earnest longing for his approval.
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Aaron Martinex
5/28/2014 02:15:52 pm
My overall response to "Unbroken" is wow. This book is extremely sad and you can not help yourself from getting teary eyed for poor Louie Zamperini. The book was very interesting but Louie could never catch a break. It is amazing that this person survived the entire mess he went through. I would totally recommend this book to anyone. There are a few parts in the book that are confusing especially when the author goes into military mode and says a bunch of information about planes, ships, and the many commanders and captains. The author does a great job at describing and sometimes a little too much describing. I think that is what made the book so interesting, is the fact that the author did in fact go into incredible detail. If you enjoy good stories that involve you rooting for a good guy, this is the book for you. I definitely would choose this "Unbroken" over "The Tiger". The amount of detail blows the tiger away and the plot was way more in depth.
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Amanda Yang
5/28/2014 02:25:44 pm
Overall, I found Cain's Quiet to be insightful and informative. Because the book's research-based format, it can be a bit dull of a read at times. Some studies and observations were much more interesting to read about than others, but how much I could relate and connect to those findings may have played a part in that. I definitely would recommend this book to others because regardless of how easy or difficult it is for someone to read it, it absolutely relates and applies to every single person, whether extrovert or introvert. This book can also help people learn something about themselves or about society. People may have uncomfortably forced themselves to appear as extroverts when in reality, they are closet introverts. More people are introverts than we as a society seem to think because they want to hide that part of themselves. Hopefully through reading this book, introverts can better appreciate themselves and their strengths, and everyone else can learn how important introverts are as leaders and members of society. Also, readers would take away the important reality of how society contradicts itself in its goals and its courses of action. Group work is seen as productive when really, it could harm efficiency and creativity. This all results from the pressure of society's norms. Between Quiet and my last book, Tracy Kidder's Strength in What Remains, I prefer the latter. While I did find Quiet useful and insightful, it was just so dull and boring at times. Strength in What Remains had an inspirational, moving story behind it, a plot. It elicited a strong emotional response that the factual, analytic Quiet could not possibly do. I feel that Quiet was more of realizing realities while Strength in What Remains was learning to overcome the difficulties of life.
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Taylor LNe
5/28/2014 05:17:32 pm
Leading Beyond the Walls is a wonderful book that supples the reader with in depth steps that strengthen leadership skills. Hesselbein did a great job explaining her philosophy of putting less focus on the internal relationships and expanding your relationships to the outside world. I prefer Hesselbein's book over my first book because it supplied me with more knowledge than the first non fiction book I read. I would reccomend this book to someone but only if they were serious about strengthening their leadership skills because if they are not commited to strengthening these skills they will find this book dull and useless.
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