TFA #2 

     Honestly, the storyline within Things Fall Apart has been incredibly boring to me. However, the culture within the novel is very intriguing to me. With interesting characters and weird customs within the culture and just different traditions I find this aspect within the novel very interesting. It’s very interesting how the different cultures of the people and the missionaries collide within the Novel, even changing some of their cultures and beliefs. I find this aspect of interlacing cultures very interesting to read and a cool perspective to the reader to enjoy. Other than this I have been enjoying the development of characters such as Nwoye and even the changes of Okonkwo. With different events unfolding with the missionaries and a ,in a way, spiritual awakening within Okonkwo it has been interesting to read and see what happens. This Novel however has been very hard for me to follow and read. The novel, in my opinion, is very boring and hard to follow because of it. Once characters died or evolved only then was the novel interesting. Other than that the book has been very boring to me besides the ways of the people and their different cultures and ways of storytelling. For example, story’s like the tortoise and the birds was very intriguing. The use of animal imagery and story telling to display morals within the novel and the culture has been fascinating to me and I have very much enjoyed my time reading it. These certain aspects and details have left me interested in the different events within the novel, without them however the book would be almost

Unbearable for me to read. 

TFA #2

While reading Things Fall Apart, I think it started off very slow in the first part. Things started t pick up pace and get interesting after Ikemefuna was killed. We started to see how Okonkwo really felt about everything in his clan, and especially his son, Nwoye. Even though Nwoye was pretty much an outcast to his family, you could see how his mother still loved him and wanted him back, while Okonkwo wanted nothing to do with him. In part of Nwoye's weakness, that's what makes this book get interesting between Ezinma and Okonkwo. They have a lot of similarities between each other and it is pretty interesting to think about why Ezinma is so into being more masculine. We know it hurts  Okonkwo that she isn't a man, but maybe it is better for the family. All in all, parts two and three are much more interesting than the beginning of part one.

Things Fall Apart #2

On Things Fall Apart, I think the story was going well until the further chapters where missionaries began to appear and the villages began to face problems. However, I support Nwoye's decision of converting to a Christian and abandoning all that he believed in growing up because his customs and traditions were unfair, but I feel like he was a little bit of a traitor when he told Obierika that Okonkwo wasn't his father anymore. Nwoye has the right to choose his path because of all the things he went through as a child so he can have the time to feel safe and have closure with Ikemefuna's death, even when he betrayed all of his village by following the white men. I also think that Okonkwo went through character improvement when I read the part where he became worried when Ekwefi followed Chielo and stayed with Ekwefi until morning and didn't beat her. Overall, the story is going fairly well and the progress and build-up really has me indulged in the story.

Thoughts On Things Fall Apart #2

Now that I've basically finished Things Fall Apart as I neared the end began to enjoy the book for what it was. I found interest in the relationship between each member of the family and how their relationship changes throughout the book. The change from within Nwoye as the novel progresses from a boy unable to defy his own father in the beginning to a man who abandoned his culture to convert to join the men oppressing and murdering his people. This is the complete opposite of Okonkwo who throughout the novel does not change. He keeps his morals intact and unchanging but this inability to change and adapt the new society brought by the white man is what ultimately causes his suicide. Okonkwo was unable to cope with his village becoming weak and feminine for not fighting back against the white man and his brash hotheaded attitude caused him to kill the head messenger. Nearing the end I actually began to enjoy reading the book than in the past few weeks and I really began to appreciate the detail of the Igbo society and the characters that Achebe created.

Things Fall Apart #2

The second and third parts of Things Fall Apart was much more captivating than the first part. I found that the situation with Ikemefuna started to speed things up. There were many twists, like how Nwoye actually converted to Christianity. I predicted that he would turn against his tribe's religion at some point, but I only expected him to stop practicing, not turning to a completely different religion. And it's not even that Nwoye converted, it's that many other people in the Igbo society also converted. From my knowledge of colonialism in Africa, I thought that the English would force Christianity more, but that wasn't the case. They let people join on their own.
I like how Achebe highlighted Nwoye's feelings towards the way he sees life. He did say that he wanted to make people feel with the characters, and that's exactly what he's doing. He put something as small as not having the same opinion as what you're told to into a plot that's so much bigger than that. In a way, he's making the story more relatable to many readers who also question the conformities they are expected to follow.

TFA Thoughts #2

       At the this point in Thubgs Fall Apart, things are indeed falling apart. Okonkwo has been banished and on top of that his eldest son has converted to Christianity. Yet, Okonkwo continues to work to be successful and manly. It all eventually pays off because at the end of his seven years of banishment, he is ready to return home with his now grown and beautiful daughters, wealth from where he settled, and a plan to make for the lost time. Although, the most obvious character change is Nwoye as he abandons his clan, family, and their beliefs for a religion that brings him peace and understanding. I think that a notable character development in Ezimna is also important to analyze, because even though she has always been her father's favorite, it reaches new heights during the during the time away from Umofia. She is now considered the most beautiful woman in the clan and has developed a deep relationship with her father in which they truly understand one another.

TFA #2

     In the end of the novel, when Okonkwo hangs himself, I was disappointing that he would do such a cowardly thing, an act so cowardly that the members of his village can't bury him, only the white men can. When the whole of the book is devoted to Okonkwo trying to make Nwoye and his sons to not be like his father and then he just ups and hangs himself doesn't sit well with me, it is just not something he would do. But, what this could be representing is that the sudden change that was brought to his society caused his own snapping like Nwoye, he just lost connection with his won culture when they stopped being the warlike people they once were. So, in a way, Okonkwo is like his son in that he doesn't connect with his people, and this ultimately led to Okonkwo's death by his own hands because he has become like his father, weak and unable to do as he sees fit.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart #2

     As I read further into the second and third part of this book it became much more interesting. Seeing the development in characters and the Igbo society itself is something completely different as what it was before. One of the things that surprised me the most was the fact that a lot of the Igbo  people very quickly voluntarily converted to the new religion. I would have expected that they maybe fight for their culture and what was theirs a bit harder. Although some did not agree with what was happening others just agreed with the new British ways. One of the main characters who made a quick conversion was Nwoye. Nwoye was one of the most interesting characters to me because of the way he thought differently from most of the Igbo society. You can see clearly how he has different perspectives when he decides to convert to Christianity and leave behind his Igbo culture. He never truly understood why some actions made men weak and why there was killings for many innocent people. He always questioned his culture and Okonkwo’s actions so he decided to end that and just be  something new when the British came in. Of course lastly, the most shocking thing to occur was Okonkwo’s death. Okonkwo ended up killing himself at the end of the book which was very sad. Although, it was very sad because of the way he lived thinking of being strong and masculine and that being weak was something bad. All along he was weak inside until it came to the point that he just had too much inside him and he just decided to end it all.

#2 Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

After reading well into the novel, Things Fall Apart, I have learned to find out many things about this story that really fascinated me.  For example, when Okonkwo had killed Ikemefuna as part of some cultural ritual.  I find it cruel and unusual that a type of religious culture would force a person to kill someone in order to not have this "bad luck".  One would assume that if you were in a tight religion, the religion wouldn't ask you to do such vulgar actions.  Although, things were completely different back in the British colonial era.  What also caught my interest as I was reading the novel was that one of Okonkwo's wives, Ekwefi, had a total of nine children.  All of her first eight children had died in their infant years.  After her children dying child after child, she began to lose hope and believed that she had an evil spirit living in her stomach where she would bare her children.  I know if it was me in Ekwefi's point of view, after having so many kids die so soon into their life, I would lose hope over having children in general.  I would just assume that I'm just not capable of baring kids and would, over time, learn to accept that fact.

TFA #2

 
        I'm still upset about Okonkwo's death because he died for nothing.  Even if he lost his son to Christianity, he still had wives and children to care for.  Committing suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem; Okonkwo is a coward for choosing to take his own life.   Even though his suicide upsets me, it may have been a good thing for his tribe.  He was a murder and a wife-beater after all.  Plus, with his personality, he may have eventually convinced the village to go to war with the white man.  This would have probably resulted in the tribes slaughter.

     I appreciated Nwoye's character growth, and his eventual conversion to Christianity.  This shows that Nwoye is thoughtful because Christianity gave him the answers he was searching for.  He is a dynamic character while Okonkwo is a static character who never changes.  Nwoye  gave me hope for the villages future.

   Overall, I thought that this was an interesting book that made me think.  I wonder what it would be like to have someone try to change your culture and beliefs.  Even though Okonkwo is a "bad guy" in my eyes, it's easy to relate to why he's upset.  The book also had some really gruesome parts that grabbed my attention and surprised me.  Overall, I'm glad we read this novel in class. 

Thoughts About "Things Fall Apart" #2

    Fortunately, my feelings towards Things Fall Apart have remained the same. In my opinion, the book got even more interesting as the pages went by. At this point in the novel, it is safe to say that many characters have evolved over the course of the story, one most noticeable one being Nwoye. He went from being a shy boy who kept to himself due to fear of punishment, to a man who spoke his mind and was not afraid to share what he stood for. On another hand, throughout the novel, Okonkwo was displayed as the perfect definition of a "manly" man, at least in the Igbo ideals. I personally think that his actions at the end of the novel were anything but the actions of a "manly" man. The act of suicide just because he did not get what he wanted was not manly but nothing other than the act of a spoiled brat. Overall, the book was excellent in revealing every tradition, belief, and reason of the Igbo society before and during colonialism and I had a great time reading about it. There is no doubt that this novel is worth recommending to others to read outside of a classroom setting!

TFA thoughts #2

As I am reading Things Fall Apart, I have noticed that both Ezinma and Nwoye have evolved  throughout the book. Ezinma is not like other girls...She is more brave, wise, and mature than other children her age. Nwoye might not be as brave and strong as he is supposed to be, according to his father, Okonkwo, but he is sensitive and caring. Nwoye is interested in the new religion that is proposed by the white men, who has just shown up in Okonkwo's village. Okonkwo favored Ezinma, it was pretty obvious, and Okonkwo was furious that Nwoye would be interested in such a "womanly" thing. I find it nice that Okonkwo went after to look for Ekwefi and Ezinma, after Chielo took her away. That was the kindest thing Okonkwo has done. It was kinda surprising that he had to leave his village and homeland for seven years. Even though he might have done some dumb things, being forced to move away for that many years is a little harsh, in my opinion. He accidentally shot a boy and this was his punishment. Leaving everyone that you have cared for is a difficult thing to do. I wonder how the lives of his family members' has changed. The author should have gone in depth with this because Achebe left the reading hanging with these questions. We will never know how everyone else felt when Okonkwo left the village.

TFA #2

 The ending of the book was shocking more specifically how Okonkwo committed suicide. He came off as strong and independent and showed very little affection. But what I thought as I read this was that people who seem like they don't need anybody and are strong also have their problems but they choose to keep it inside. Okonkwo weaknesses overpowered the fear of anything brought him down and he also never talked about his issues they just built up. Even though Okonkwo was harsh I had sympathy for him when he was exiled for seven years just because he accidentally killed a young boy from a clan. It wasn't fair to him especially when it was never on purpose I think this brought him down and after this incident, he went downfall. I also feel bad about Nwoye's situation he got excluded from his own father because they didn't agree with everything. Nwoye finally finds a safe place and feels a connection with Christianity which I think is good for him because he won't end up like Okonkwo and be able to express himself. He won't be judged by it or we considered weak or a woman just because he has feelings. I feel it's good when people have a sanctuary place where they are themselves and feel comfortable.

Things Fall Apart part 2

My second thoughts to Things Falls Apart is better than before. I like how Achebe is using situations that are more than someone's ego or pride. There is still some such as how Nwoye is becoming Christian and have feelings instead of having no emotions to prove masculinity like his father. The path that Nwoye is taking is rare in his clan, which is something that caught my eye. When something or someone is doing something out of the ordinary; it interreges me what the person been through or just ask what if there is a meaning to what they are doing or wearing. Nwoye came through many things that made realize that he isn't that bad of a character.

Things Fall Apart

At first the end of the book surprised me but after a while I realized it wasn’t that unexpected. I thing Achebe was trying to show that even the people that come off as strong can be weak on the inside. The fact that Okonkwo chose to hide his feelings didn’t help the situation either. Since he had such high standards for himself and his family he set himself up for disappointment. The people around him didn’t share all the same values that Okonkwo thought they should and because of this he drifted away from him. I wonder if the story would have ended differently if Okonkwo hadn’t been exiled. The yearning to be great and strong was ironically his biggest weakness. I wish that the author continued and showed what happened to the family. In the end Okonkwo’s desire to be one of the most respected people in his village was overcome by their reluctance to violence towards the white man who in the end may have been their greatest enemy.

Things Fall Apart #2

Now that I have been reading more into Things Fall Apart, we start to see many changes. First, Okonkwo starts to finally show some feelings. Such as, when Ezinma is taken by Chielo. He stayed there for her and her mother all night, which was really sweet. Hopefully he will continue to show more of his feelings. A thing that really suprised me is when Okonkwo had to move away from his clan for 7 years, just for unintentionally killing a young boy. Even though he might deserve a punishment, he lost a lot and has to restart everthing for his family.  Which I kind of feel sorry for. His uncle Uchendu noticed Okonkwo’s grief, but reminded him that he is in his motherland for protection. Another big change is when word came around that the British is starting to colonize in Africa. They had already wiped out the village Abame. Although, Okonkwo's son Nwoye seems to be very interested in learning their new way of things.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart #2

At first this book wasn't very interesting to me but the arrival of Europeans and the Igbo community's response has captivated me. I didn't know that when Europeans brought Christianity to Africa that some people willingly converted, I thought it was only forced upon them. Nwoye has become especially interesting to read about because he's so unique in the way that he isn't like all the other men in his village and he acknowledges that. His independent and open-minded thinking is a refresher from the harsh masculinity we've witnessed throughout this book. I was happy for Nwoye when he converted to Christianity because I saw that he finally felt like he belonged somewhere and he fell in love with a religion which is something he'd never experienced before. I expected the Igbo people to react to their people converting the way they did, knowing how their strong beliefs are no matter how unreasonable they may be of course they would exile and demoralized the converts. Also it was surprising to see Okonkwo finally show worry and care for once. We know he's a man who thinks any type of emotional feelings are weak and disgraceful so to see him care so much for his daughter Enzima was unrecognizable of him. All in all my thoughts on Things Fall Apart have altered and I actually enjoy reading it now.

TFA 2

In chapters 9-15 the action of the book in my opinion starts to amplify and intensify.  During this chapter we see Ezinma get taken away and Ekewfi runs after her.  Okwonkwo kills a sixteen year old on accident.  The village of Abame is macerated by the white men and we are just previewing the arrival missionaries. 
One of the tracking poster themes that we may have had to look for in the book is fire.  Fire not in its literal meaning (although that may have been what the village of Abame looked like) but the way I view is the context of a fire's life.  When a fire is lit, it is small and weak in its heat and energy.  However over time the fire builds up more energy and spreads through out its area.  This is similar to the arrival of white men.  In the first eight chapters there talk of the coming of white men.  This is the mini little flame that has barely been ignited.  There was awareness of white men but the presence of white men is not strong enough to do any damage.  But when the village of Abame is burned down by the white men, that is the metaphorical fire that has grown and spreading.
Overall, the chapters surprised me with what happened in them, most of which I did not see coming but nothing that had me running around the house screaming.

Thoughts On Things Fall Apart 2

After reading further into Things Fall Apart, I found myself becoming more captivated by the book's detail and intense plot points. The latter half of this novel divulged more into character development, as demonstrated through Ekwefi and Okonkwo's dedication towards Ezinma, and concern when she is taken by Chielo. By going out of their way to follow her for fear of her safety, I noticed a second layer to these characters who would've otherwise been one dimensional. Okonkwo, while masculine and unemotional, perpetuated his softer and more affectionate side in the face of danger involving his beloved Ezinma. The thought of the unknown terrified Okonkwo, and thus, enraptured me through his display of vulnerability, a side that he detests and tries to avoid the most. I also understood the history behind deep rooted familial relationships, such as Ekwefi's overprotective hold on Ezinma and extreme fear for her safety, explained by past experiences like Ezinma being the only surviving child of Ekwefi. After reading this portion of the novel, I took note of Okonkwo's downfall as well, and reoccurring theme of disappointment. Okonkwo was disappointed in Nwoye's conversion to Christianity and separation from his culture, and disappointment in himself, as he could not fufill his dream of becoming a clan leader. Overall, I was captivated thus far in the plot, not only by the character development, but also by the signs of the Igbo transitioning towards a foreign world. 

Things Fall Apart Thoughts

Things Fall Apart is a good story in my opinion. It could be structured a little better but over all it's interesting to a point for me. I like that it, in a way, speaks to people that put up walls because of past relationships or experiences. Also it shows that you can have your own opinion about things even if the people around are on a whole other train. Creating your own path makes you a stronger and independent person but you have to be balanced and understand there are people that want to help you. Okonkwo doesn't notice there are people there for him and continues to push them away including his oldest son. 

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart #2

Alright so I've actually finished the book, but everyone else is posting about chapters 9-15. So I thought it was pretty intense when Ezinma was kidnapped by the Priestess Chielo, I honestly thought it would be the end of Ezinma in the story. She was later returned though which relieved many of us. Then Okonkwo again wow... This guys accidentally kills the son of the man's funeral with a gun and gets exiled. SIGHHHHH

Things Fall Apart Thoughts #2

The tragic death of the Umofia clan member Okonkwo, in Things Fall Apart surprised me. Since Okonkwo was dominated by the fear of being lazy and unsuccessful as his father was, I did not expect such a man to take his own life out of shame or embarrassment. Things must have been harsh on him since his return was never as grand as he expected, and almost the opposite. This makes me feel bad for Okonkwo because even though he may have done many bad things, he always strives to help his clan and family by respecting their traditions, and pressing Nwoye or others in his family to be a good person. Another thing that made me sad about Okonkwo's death was that he had to leave Umofia just because something he couldn't control happened, the death of the 16 year old boy. This means that Okonkwo ended up wasting 7 years of his life, which could have been spent, protecting his people from disregarding their traditions, strengthening the clan, keeping Nwoye, and lastly making futures for his sons and daughters such as having his daughters marry prosperous men. Therefore I feel bad for Okonkwo because he led such a prosperous life many would love to follow, only to have him take his own life, and prevent him from earning more titles, or being with his family.

Thoughts about Things Fall Apart #2

Things Fall Apart surprised me, especially Okonkwo.  The great and well respected warrior of Umuofia, Okonkwo, killed himself.  I did not expect someone whose name is held so high to commit suicide, especially since he was against Christianity the whole time and for the religion of his village.  His religion looked down upon suicide as evil, and that made me even more surprised because I did not think Okonkwo would do something dishonorable towards his religion.  Throughout the book, Okonkwo felt things strongly, like when he killed Ikemefuna, and when Ezinma was taken.  He loved his family but pretty much disowned Nwoye when he converted to Christianity.  He was sad about Nwoye converting, but he was more angry than sad.  He had hoped that his sons grew up to be great and honorable like him (but not committing suicide like him obviously) and so he was greatly distressed when this happened.  Also, when Okonkwo was exiled, that surprised me.  I thought maybe the village would make an exception for him since he was a man with multiple titles and a man with great respect throughout the clan.  I feel that Okonkwo expects too much from his village and the people around him.  He has high expectations for all of his children, especially Nwoye and his other sons, but obviously not all of his kids can turn out to be as respected and "great" like Okonkwo.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart #2

Digging further into the book, I saw the many changes that happened over the few chapters I had read. The first change that I was bewildered by was Nwoye's drastic change of character and religion. He threw away his entire past and became a new person, a person of Christianity. This is dynamic to me because I wasn't expecting it at all and this also affects the Igbo people. They begin to slowly convert to this new religion and has mixed feelings toward his people. Some are drifting from their traditional ways after the white men proved that the evil forest wouldn't harm them, and the idea of everyone being treated equally, including twins. However, the battle is not yet won yet because the Igbo started to take action against this, treating the converted Igbo people as outsiders, not letting them near the quarries and rivers. Despite this, the kindness of Mr. Kiaga and the allure of the free and peaceful religion still held its tight grip within the Igbo community. Okonkwo is first enraged at Nwoye, beating him harshly as he demands to tell him what he was doing. After, Okonkwo becomes solemn, disappointed, and baffled, thinking, "Why did my son turn out weak, and womanly" and then he remembers his lazy father, Unoka. I overall enjoy the book so far because of the way Achebe changes characters' personalities and futures.

#2 Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

While reading chapter nine in Things Fall Apart, we find out that Ezinma, her mother's only child that has survived infancy, is treated as an equal to her mother, Ekwefi.  I find this interesting because Ezinma calls her mother by her first name.  In my culture it is disrespectful if you call anyone older than yourself by their first name.  I personally don't even like to call my friend's parents by their first name, even though they are fine with that.  You can say this is a bit of a culture shock to me, however, Ezinma is said to be the only one that does this.  Also, it surprises me that her mother would allow for this to happened, despite losing many children in the past.  Therefore, I would think she wants a child to call her by mother.  If I was in Ekwefi's shoes, I would not allow my child to call me anything other than mom, because I believe the title mom shows you have respect for that person.  Especially, when they have raised you to become the person you are today.  However, everyone is raised differently, which is why Ezinma does this.  She does this because Ekwefi cares so much about her that she will let her do whatever she wants.  We see this when it is revealed Ezinma is fed eggs in secret from Okonkwo, and Ezinma even has the power to decide what to eat for supper.  This shows Ekwefi will do anything that will make her one and only child happy, even if that means risking getting beaten by her husband.  Overall, it just interests me that they do not have the average mother daughter relationship.

#2 Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

In chapter 11, Ezinma is taken by the priestess named Chielo.  Her mother Ekwefi had become so worried and went after a chanting Chielo, despite knowing the risks, to assure her daughter would be safe.  What really shocked me while reading this particular chapter was that Okonkwo showed his worry and care for Ezinma quite openly.  As stated in previous chapters in the book, Okonkwo isn’t someone to show his affections to his family often.  So the fact that he went after Ekwefi and Ezinma was rather surprising to me.  By the time Chielo had come to Okonkwo's obi to fetch Ezinma, it was already well into the night.  The fact that Okonkwo stayed up all night for Ezinma and Ekwefi kind of warmed my heart.  Okonkwo's love for Ezinma showed really strongly in chapter 11.  I hope to see more of Okonkwo's caring side throughout the next couple of chapters I read.  Maybe he is not that bad of a man as I had originally imagined beforehand.  As for Ekwefi, she seems to always be a very loving mother to Ezinma.  While she was running after the priestess, Ekwefi had accidentally stepped on an outcropped root.  In the Igbo society, this is seen as a bad omen.  Although she had stepped on it, Ekwefi actually ran faster.  Ekwefi was very willing to do practically anything for her only daughter, except for entering the sacred cave.  By then though, Ekwefi had already heard Ezinma's voice, and that helped to calm her considerably.  This chapter by far has been the most interesting and shocking chapter in Things Fall Apart.

#2 Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

Now that I have read well into the novel Things Fall Apart I have a new profound view of the book. One of the events that caught me by surprise was how Ekwefi reacted when her daughter was taken away from her. This opened my eyes and revealed the amount of pain Ekwefi has been through with her past children. She refuses to let her daughter out of her sight and risks herself getting injured in order to watch over her. Ekwefi deeply cares for Ezinma and would obviously do anything to ensure that she is safe. But the thing that shocked me the most was when Okonkwo also showed up to ensure that Ezinma was safe. Okonkwo does have a soft spot for Ezinma and goes the extra mile for her. These past few chapters I feel the author is revealing that Okonkwo is capable of feeling emotions too. This is displayed when Okonkwo accidentally kills a young boy and has to move away from his clan for seven years. His uncle Uchendu noticed Okonkwo’s grief and thought it was unusual. Another turning point in the book is when it has been anounced that Europeans have entered Africa and has already wiped out the village Abame. This news doesn’t seem to scare Okonkwo and the other elders but it will definitely change the course of the novel.

TFA Review #1

     The novel Things Fall Apart is written by Chinua Achebe and was quite unappealing when I first opened the book to read. It was just another boring book that I was assigned to read by my English teacher without the least bit of interesting details in it at all, but, when I didn't feel like doing mt other homework I started reading this book. When I read this book I was surprised at how well written and entertaining the book was. There was a lot of dynamic aspects of the characters, like Nwoye, who changes throughout the novel. All of these things made me want to read the book more so I started to read it more and more often at home when I had free time until I was past the required reading for the quiz on Tuesday, so I stopped. Overall, I would say that it was a very well written book so far and that it deserves all of us students give it because of its surprisingly deep novel on the colonization of Africa.

Thoughts on "Things Fall Apart"

    The novel Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is an intriguing novel that I am glad to have a chance to read. Achebe has a way of transporting the reader to the place in which the book describes, in this case being the Igbo society in Africa, before colonization. Up to the point where I am reading now, I have been able to comprehend the content and it has been pretty interesting to learn of how the Igbo society lived before colonization began to take over Africa. Although as I read, I find more beliefs that I do not agree with like the fact that men are allowed to practice polygamy and hit their wives when they do not approve of something. One scene that startled me was during the Week of Peace when Okonkwo hit one of his wives just because he was looking for a way to let out his anger. He found that the banana tree had bee cut and his wife tried to explain that she had cut it to give the food that she would serve him more flavor,  Okonkwo disregarded that and hit her to an exagerating point. The only reason why he was punished for what he did, was that he had hit her during the Week of Peace. If this had happened on any ordinary day, he would not receive any consequences for his cruel actions. Another scene that disturbed me was the fact that Okonkwo and his second wife had had many failed pregnancies and one of their dead babies had been mutilated, dragged across town, and thrown out like a bag of rocks with no concideration that it was a human being who had lost its life just so that the upcoming children would stop dying so soon. Although I do not agree with these beliefs and their way of handling, I have no other option but to respect their way of life.

Thoughts about Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart is a captivating book that really makes you get a feel for what it was like in pre-colonial Africa tribes.  One character that really interests me is Ezinma.  She was ill often from her Ogbanje, which was basically an evil spirit inside her that causes misfortune for the family which the child was born into.  Usually the evil spirit is born in the child of a particular mother over and over until the iyi uwa is discovered.  The iyi uwa is an object that links the affected child to the spirit world, once the object is found, which in Ezinmas case was a stone, then the connection is broken between the two worlds.  Ezinma's iyi uwa was found and everyone felt relieved because they wouldn't have to worry about her getting sick often.  Also, Ekwefi must have felt a great weight lift off her shoulder, because the Ogbanje was no longer bound and her child won't get sick.  This section of the book, which focuses on Ezinma, interested me and caused me to choose Ezinma's duality for the tracking poster.  One thing I found interesting about the book is the role of men and women in their society.  I think that it would be tougher to live in that society either way if you were a man or woman.  For example, you can’t show emotion as a man, only anger, and as a woman you are expected to birth children and care for them as a main role.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

Our book, Things Fall Apart, is a book that I am really enjoying so far. One of the most shocking moments to me was the part when Ikemefuna was murdered and Okonkwo never tried to help him. Instead, he took part in the killing of Ikemefuna even though he had a bond with him. To me that was a very difficult part because it showed that even though Okonkwo cared for Ikemefuna he cared much more about not seeming weak to everyone else. Which is why he had to take part in the killing of Ikemefuna. I also really like how Achebe focuses on the idea of what weakness and masculinity was like back then. It is really interesting to see how things were between man and woman in comparison to how they are now. Masculinity is mainly seen in Okonkwo and the way he thinks masculinity should be, that every man should be strong and provide for everyone. That one thing seems really interesting to me and I think it is what I most enjoy of the book. I would really like to see how this idea of masculinity and weakness develops throughout the story. Maybe it will change or it might not and it might stay the same. I have so far really enjoyed this book and how it portrays what the Igbo society is like and hopefully the rest of it is just as good as what I have read.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

   Honestly my thoughts on this book are very minimal considering I find it extremely boring and hard to feel engaged with. Even so, I did find one aspect of this book interesting and that is Nwoyes character. Nwoye is an emotional and unstable, in my opinion, boy that I want to see develop within this novel. I started to think heavily on moments where he discussing feeling something snap inside him and how that snapping could be him breaking away from tradition and family. This aspect is very fascinating to me, since it leaves you wondering if the young boy will change and develop and what will he do later on in the novel. This aspect of him maybe running away or even joining the opposing side of enemies within this novel has me intrigued. Nothing in this book has really caught my attention besides this, What did they exactly mean when they said he snapped? Will the author even stretch Nwoye’s storyline even more by making him maybe turn from his people to the land of the foreigners? The thing is I don’t know and that intrigues me, there are many different ways this author can go with Nwoyes story line so I’m excited to see where it leads. The only other thing that has possible interested me within this novel is the potential development of Okonkwo. Being such a hard headed and stubborn character I wonder if there will be opportunity for a change in him or is he just doomed to follow the same road he’s been leading. I’m overall in this book not very interested in the storyline or the culture, but find the potential development of such characters interesting and something I’m excited to see. Hopefully, the characters change for the better of the novel but I would also be very interested in seeing something happen to these characters, maybe even a death or tragedy. I guess I will have to read to find out.

Thought on Thing Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart in truth has been in truth been not the greatest or most interesting read for me. I understand why the book could be considered a window into the lives of the colonized before the British arrived and changed everything. But the book in truth although I understand it’s purpose in drawing me closer to the struggles of the Igbo people as they were colonized by the British and the oppression they must have dealt with but I feel as if the detail in which their culture is described had only drawn me further away from their plight. The descriptions of the mutilation of baby corpses and murder of twins only disturbs me and to be honest drives me towards seeing the British less like villains but more like well intentioned people who had the wrong solution. I understand that I am biased against the Igbo culture because I see it as savage but it still doesn’t help me come to accept the atrocities within Igbo culture as just a little imperfection within their culture without leaving a sour taste in my mouth. However I do enjoy Achebe’s creation of the character of Okonkwo who unlike many protagonists in some novels is imperfect and flawed in many different ways, from the way he beats his family, to the way he lashes out and yells in public, it makes the character more believeable instead of the image of a perfect hero. However even with Achebe’s excellent and though development of his characters as realistic and dynamic just as real people are, I struggle to understand how Igbo culture should be defended and only reinforces my belief that even though the British commit numerous atrocities they are not aby worse than the Igbo themselves.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe is not a book that particularly interest me or is a book that I would usually enjoy. Honestly it kinda was a little boring to me at first, but after a few chapters it got pretty cool. Learning all about the Igbo culture and society. However, I am not to fond of the main character Okonkwo. He is not able to control his anger or actions. He seems to be too agressive towards his family. He beats one wife and shoots at another. He even kills his adopted son Ikemefuna, who he adores just because he doesn't want to show he's weak. He wishes his daughter was a boy and that his son wasn't more toward the feminist side. Even though all his actions may be from fear of becoming like his dad. It is still no excuse of the type of man he is. That just has me thinking about how messed up society was back then and how it is still like that sometimes today. Also just how their society was back then. I know for sure that I would not have wanted to be living in that type of environment.

My Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

From what I have read so far, this book is not very interesting to me. This book is something I wouldn't particularly be interested in reading, if not forced to read in an English class. However, at the point I am in the book, I do find it interesting to learn about the lives of people who have a totally different society than we do. I am totally against how the women are treated, though. I understand that women, in that time period, only had the roles of housework and to take care of the children. Women were beaten for making a mistake, and I understand that it was considered normal in that time. I don't like the fact that Okonkwo tried to shoot one of his wives and beats them from time to time. Okonkwo was seen as a leader, a brave man that would take on anyone in a fight...He has a fiery-temper, and I do not agree with his actions. For instance, it does not make any sense to me why he would kill his son, whom he has become very fond of, only because he didn't want to be seen as weak. He was a well-known man who was respected by all the people in his village. He had a title. His biggest fear of being like his father, a lazy man with no title, could be an explanation why Okonkwo chooses to be feared by others than for fear to take over himself. Anyways, I hope I can see some changes in Okonkwo as I continue reading through the novel.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

When I started reading Things Fall Apart, I wasn't very interested in the book. I think it was because the introduction started off really slow, and it didn't intrigue me. This book isn't something I would normally pick up and read. When I was younger, I liked to read historical fiction books, but this story didn't seem to reel me in right away. I started to get more interested as I continued reading into the later chapters, especially when Ikemefuna was set to be killed. Okonkwo's actions surprised me and I wanted to see what he would do next.
I think when Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna really surprised me because I wasn't expecting him to feel bad about it. I definitely did not expect him to get depressed and mope around the house for a while because he played a part in Ikemefuna's death, and he only did it for selfish reasons.
I started to like Ezinma and her different ways of living her life as a young girl. She didn't follow all of the norms, and, despite the consequences she could face "acting out," she did so anyway. I believe that that's what Okonkwo liked about her.
I really hope that I start to like the story more as we read on because it seems like a really good book, and I would like to enjoy reading it!

Things Fall Apart

In my opinion, the book has a really good story line and telling. I really like how the story puts us in the shoes of the people whose stories are not often told because people are scared of the truth. The story line is pretty interesting and the way the author put life before the actual history is really intriguing when you read into it more carefully. Before I thought this book was not gonna touch my interest but when I progressed to more chapters, I realized that yes, you shouldn't judge a book by its cover. However, old habits never change and I flipped through the last few pages of the book and spoiled myself. But this made me want to know more about how it led up to that incident. Another thing that made me like this story is how the author makes us feel the pain or the emotion the characters are feeling and it's pretty amusing and also sad. But sometimes I get confused because there are sudden flashbacks and I keep thinking if flashback passage is part of the main story line so I have to re-read the entire thing all over again. Overall, it's a great book.

My Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

     In Things Fall Apart I find it interesting Okonkwo has no affection towards his father.  As we know Okonkwo fears to become the man his father was, however I believe Okonkwo is mostly afraid of what society will think of him.  It blows my mind to believe society can push someone so far till they hate and do not want to be associated with the people that are close to them.  We also see this when Okonkwo chooses his reputation of being strong over his “adopted” son Ikemefuna.  He loved Ikemefuna more than his own son, so for him to brutally murder him shows the values of the people in the tribe. Also, Okonkwo was seen as a strong man, however if you really think about it Okonkwo is still a boy.  This is because fear is what motivators and pushes him to be the man he is.  That leads me to think about persent day, and how words and actions can seriously affect people.  Especially, at this time of our lives rumors and gossip spread like wildfires, which can make people make stupid  decisions .  We can take this as a lesson from the book to not be afraid of others opinions, and not push someone to their limit by “teasing” them.

Thought on Things Fall Apart

At first I wasn't really interested in the book, the intro was not interesting personally and I lost my thoughts when reading about the things I didn't understand. After about the 2-3 chapters I found the book to be interesting because of the new way of life that the Igbo people introduced to me. Many of the characters were interesting also because the specific ways they interacted with each other. The author develops many individual and special traits and pasts for each character. For example, Ekwefi had lost 9 children, which the elder of the village, called to their own culture, gods, and teaching to break the curse of Ekwefi. They did not have doctors and technology like us, but relied on the teachings that were passed down and their traditions. This intrigued me because every village had different traditions creating Africa a vastly diverse in culture. My thoughts on character development is that Achebe is a extremely talented writer because he is able to create such detailed and unique attributes to every character that he creates. He also doesn't side with one side or the other (Africans and Europeans). He keeps things unbiased as he tells this story of before, during, and after colonization.

Things Fall Apart Thoughts

As I've read Things Fall Apart I've come to the realization that this book doesn't particularly spark my interest, however I do think it's educational when it comes to the dynamics of Nigerian culture. It's interesting to read about how impactful spiritual beliefs are on the Igbo people's every day and future life. Also how yams are placed at the same level of greatness and the littlest things such as that can define a person. When it comes to the main character Okonkwo I genuinely don't have any positive things to say about his character. I don't see him as powerful even though I'm aware in that era he was seen as someone deserving of respect, strong, and brave. However he's stubborn, emotionless, malicious, hot-headed, disrespectful, judgmental, etc., he may ne strong physically but mentally he's the weakest of them all. He continuously disrespects others and his own gods and doesn't seem to learn from his actions, I can only see that going very wrong for him. I would speak on him beating his wife and children but that was very normalized at that time period, it's only controversial to us because of the century we live in so I understand that beating will be continuously dismissed and accepted throughout this book. As for Nwoye we finally see a shift in the characters, he stands out because he is not similar to every other boy and man around him, he contains emotion and empathy. I'm intrigued by this new character and can't wait to see what new aspects he offers in this book. Overall this book has gave me new insight into a unique culture and society and I interested to see how certain characters and the Igbo people develop and work through changes.

My Idea on Things Fall Apart

This book is quite interesting in my opinion, Chinua Achebe did a great job with the idea of this book. I like the idea of the storyline with the context of the Igbo Society, it very well demonstrates how their society runs in the roles of each person. From children cultivating yams to men being successful for having multiple wives, it gives the reader a vision of how the igbo society runs. Something I highly disagree with after reading half the book, is the main character Okonkwo. This man is known to be successful after winning a wrestling match against someone undefeated, but all I see in this guy is arrogance and selfishness. Two major events that make me dislike Okonkwo is when he broke the week of peace by beating his wife. It literally could have happened any other time besides that week. More importantly is when he kills his adopted son Ikemefuna since he did not want to look weak. He was the one that sliced him down just because he did not want to look weak, from what I see this is selfishness just because he does it for himself, he literally could have not played a part of his death. I also feel bad for Nwoye, his other son since he had a connection with Ikemefuna and then one day Ikemefuna just disappears. I like this book for the story, I look forward to reading the second half of the book.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

In the novel, Things Fall Apart I encountered many different things and didn't agree with how things were done in their society. I strongly feel women should be their own person and that their only purpose shouldn't be to please a man. Women should be treated equally and as a person. Just because their not perfect and the men aren't either they shouldn't get beat their grown women they didn't deserve that treatment. No one is saying what the men do wrong why don't men get beat for every tiny mistake they make? Instead if beating his wife or just using violence in general, he should talk about the issue and discuss his feelings. by doing this he hears the other person and they also hear him out. I also don't comprehend how Okonkwo killed Ikemefuna. How can you kill your "son" someone you have unconditional feelings for? To me, it seemed he admired him more than Nwoye because of how he is such hard worker and he knew as determined in the back of his mind he knew that he would make a great man one day. He had a choice not be part if his death. I felt like it was worse that he killed him. How is going to act sad after that when he is the one he killed Ikemefuna. Now if we're talking about Nwoye I feel completely sorry for him. He had a bond with Ikemefuna he looked up to him as an older brother and got close to him. When he finds that he died and his own father killed him that what breaks him like anyone else would. He was always told to be strong and how men aren't weak so he can't express his feelings to no one. He basically suppresses them which causes more pain. The author Chinua Achebe really got the readers into the novel making feel every emotion and having opinions about it.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

Overall of this book what I have read I like it. I noticed that there’s many situations of how life is not fair, but shows how people in this generation should value of the life that they have where they live. There’s a lot of people wish I could live in this time, and in this country because there’s a lot of freedom and not complete fairness everywhere, but at least more than other countries. The only thing I dislike about this is the is the killing of their Okonkwo’s son. The authors knowledge of how mention of have feelings or being weak, I feel connect in person because I was told to not really have feelings or be weak, but that doesn’t really matter because you should be afraid of not having a chance instead of be given the chance, and don’t know what to do and do the incorrect action because the outcome will be something worse than you anticipated. Okonkwo is someone who I believe to be the closest because he was nothing then became something. Nwoye is a character who I dislike by the fact he need to experience things to know that world is not a perfect world

Thought on Things Fall Apart

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe isn't exactly a book that I would really enjoy fully, but some moments in the chapters I have read so far have left me questioning and anxious.  Okonkwo is a character that I am not particularly fond of.  One reason is because Okonkwo doesn't seem to be able to control his anger and need to control.  I understand coming from the background he grew up in, it was kind of inevitable for him to turn out this way.  Although there is always room to change, he is always so hard headed and short-tempered.  Beating his third wife on the Week of Peace shows that his swarming emotions are way too much.  Also, killing Ikemefuna, whom he was quite fond of, just because he didn't want to be seen as weak?  That seems like utter nonsense to me.  I know that he himself was a little shaken after killing Ikemefuna, but I feel no sympathy.  He chose to stick his hand where it shouldn't have been and he paid a small price for it.  Okonkwo is a very faulted man from what I can see, and so far throughout the novel I see no improvements in his personality and demeanor at all.  This is quite unfortunate but I do hope to see a change in Okonkwo soon, because after all, he is the main character for this story.  I've already read more than half of Things Fall Apart, so the moment when Okonkwo changes shouldn't be too far ahead.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

In the novel, Things Fall Apart, after reading most of the book I have developed numerous thoughts on the book. In the majority of the book, Okonkwo is fearful of becoming like his father and is very hotheaded. I feel he should be less hotheaded so he could wait and hear out the reasons behind a problem and not try to always use violence to fix his problems. I also think that women should not be forced to be under a man's control. Instead, to have more freedom and power. When Okonkwo killed his son and the fact that he was plotting to kill him makes me confused because I thought he loved him like his own son. Why would you do something so cruel in order to not seem weak? I think that Okonkwo is out of line for killing someone because they are afraid to seem weak. The fact that Ikemefuna last saw his own "father" kill him with an ax is heartbreaking and shows how cruel and coldhearted Okonkwo is. Then after he kills his son on purpose, all of a sudden he feels all sad and stops eating? That makes no type of sense to me. In the book, I also have thoughts on Okonkwo's way of fixing his problem by beating and using violence. The fact that it is okay to beat someone especially your wife just because they did one small thing is not okay. In fact beating someone, in general, is not okay instead, it shows how spiteful you are. In conclusion, the author is doing a great job surprising me and confusing me.

Thoughts on Things Fall Apart

I believe that the character of Okonkwo is a flawed individual.  He is so worried about being like his father that he doesn't realize his own issues.  Okonkwo is abusive to his wives and children, and he is awful to his son because he sees a bit of his father's laziness in him.  Meanwhile, his adopted son Ikefuma has all the traits Okonkwo wished his own son had, yet he is taken away from him.  In by far the most messed up thing I've ever read, Ikefuma is marched out to the forest and literally stabbed in the back while Okonkwo, who is insistent on seeing the death through, watches him die.  I couldn't believe that happened.  I'm finding this book very interesting because I can't predict what will happen next and I'm on the edge of my seat with each page. 

Things Fall Apart

Our class novel, Things Fall Apart is truly a comprehensive and intricate book. I have only read half of the novel and some moments have already grasped my attention. Okonkwo’s characterization is one of the major points in this book and he tends to shock me every time his actions are mentioned. One vital moment in the book that surprised me is the murder of Ikemefuna. Although Okonkwo was fond of Ikemefuna he let his fear overcome him which caused him to perform an action that was horrible. Okonkwo’s constant fear of being seen as a weak man has affected his life and his families lives, but this was a new extreme I was not expecting! Another moment that stood out to me is when Okonkwo beat one of his wives during the Week of Peace. I am familiar with the fact that Okonkwo rules his home with a heavy hand and wants things done a certain way. But, on the sacred week it was especially unacceptable. Nwoye is also a character that stands out to me. He often seems rejected and has been through a tremendous amount of pain. Without his fathers love he was saddened, until Ikemefuna came around. Ikemefuna caused Nwoye to become a more honorable son and was a role model for him. But then Ikemefuna was taken from Nwoye which broke his heart and caused him to return to his lazy actions. This novel has opened me up to different personalities and a culture which I will enjoy to learn more about.

Thoughts About Things Fall Apart

After reading about half way into the novel of Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, I've come to appreciate the novel's simplicity and descriptions, those of which insinuate a larger message about Igbo culture and their people. A large part of the novel is comprised of the author detailing the everyday lives of the people, such as what each role every person has in the village, such cooking, cleaning, thus, allowing the village to flourish in its full functionality. By integrating traditional Igbo words, as well as the cultural traditions of the people, it has immersed me thus far into a world that's incredibly distinct from my own, and has ultimately fascinated me as a reader. I am able to depict what the author is painting through his descriptive words, and put myself through the perception of each kind of person in Igbo society that's treated differently. Through the interaction and dialogue of characters such as Okonkwe to his children or wives, like Ojiugo, I am able to infer that Igbo society is patriarchal. The heavy emphasis on weakness versus strength in the novel also alludes to what values the people revere, and deem most honorable. Although I've read the book only partially, the author has already done as excellent job of engrossing me into the novel, complete with its detailed descriptions of the setting, people, morals, and distinctive cultural shock.

Things Fall Apart

I understand that Okonkwo wants to be nothing like his father. However,I don’t think he has to come off as emotionless. If anything he is making himself harder to connect with and understand. He has his mind set on not showing weakness that he will show cruelty to his family and even disregard the other people in the village. When they told him he would be punished after beating his wife during the Week of Peace he is adamant about not letting the people in his community see that he knows he was wrong or that he regrets hat he did. If his goal is to truly be respected then why does he not act accordingly to the usual responses of the other villagers? His stubbornness is an off turn and each time that there is a mention off his strength and power he contradicts himself with his impulsive, emotionless ways. Then again when he is told that Ikemefuna would be killed and that he should have no hand in his death, he decides to disregard this in fear of looking weak. This shows how uncompassionate Okonkwo is. Rather than dealing with the pain and guilt of having to take Ikemefuna to the forest to be killed, when Ikemefuna asked him for help he decided to kill him himself. The last thing that Ikemefuna saw was his so called “father” swinging an axe at him. Are Okwonko’s ideals and morals so messed up that he would hurt his own family in order to save face amongst his community? Considering that he was told that he should not have a part in Ikemefunak’s death, I think that because of Okonkwo’s own father he is misguided on what true strength is and just decides that whatever his father was or showed was the opposite of strength. Therefore, that is what Okonkwo strives to be.

Quarter 1 SSR Book Review

The Fault in Our Stars

The book I read for the first quarter was the Fault in Our Stars by John Green that consisted of 313 pages. The main character of the book, Hazel Grace was very relatable and inspiring to me. Hazel Grace has Stage IV Thyroid cancer with metastasis forming in her lungs, and is a funny and intelligent teenager. Hazel Grace is relatable because she is moody at times, can be anti-social, and feels misunderstood. I think every teenager can relate to having these traits or characteristics so it connected with me personally. Hazel Grace also experiences romance in this novel. Hazel Grace first meets her future boyfriend, Augustus Waters, at a support group for teenagers with severe medical conditions. She instantly noticed him and he instantly noticed her too. Hazel never thought that she would meet a boy she was interested in, yet alone interested in her, while she had her medical condition. Augustus waters brought adventure and change in Hazel's life and it frightened and delighted her at the same time. Hazel pushed him away for a little while because she thought it was too good to be true and believed that the relationship wouldn't end up well. The writing of the novel was simplistic and beautiful at times. The novel was written from Hazel's point of view and showed her struggles and way of thinking. The character Augustus Waters was definitely dynamic. Augustus was always full of energy, ideas, and always had a positive attitude, which was one of the reasons Hazel liked him. I liked this book because it showed the life of a smart girl with a severe medical condition throughout her daily life. This book constantly had me coming back to read more because of the bustling romance and intriguing struggles of Hazel's life. This book is full of surprises but I can't disclose any major parts because it would spoil the story! 

First Quarter SSR Book

     For my first quarter SSR book I decided to read the first book of Darren Smiths book called Zom-B. This book is considered a Horror Fiction novel centering the amazing, confusing, and exciting story of the main character, B. B is a young tomboy who’s journey you follow through the entire novel, dealing with an abusive, alcoholic, racist father throughout her story while also trying to be herself. B must protect her mother and herself from her father while also living life under conver, not agreeing with her fathers view points but having to play the party and go along with it anyways. Dealing with a racist father while also having different raced children as friends B’s father becomes suspicisok of her actions, putting her friends and her life in danger. This internal struggle of her trying to be herself while also dealing with her father and conditions of school is displayed in a interesting, but exciting version throughout the novel.That is until her life changes when the growing zombie apocalypse hits her home town in Ireland. When the apocalypse hits her town while B is In school, B must gather her friends and herself to try and escape the confusion. Trying to survive the apocalypse as best as they can. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of zombie/ zombie apocalypse story lines. This book is just the first within a long lasting series in this wild, leaking readers like us with a long lasting but interesting story. The beginning of the novel starts off slow, focusing mainly on B’s life. However, the author is still able to make these parts of the novel interesting. Throwing in dramatic and confusing scenes and questions to the reader, keeping them interested and ready for more. I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it to anyone who is willing to read it.

1st Quarter SSR Book

For my first quarter SSR book, I read Dress Codes for Towns written by Courtney Stevens.  It consists of 352 pages and categorized as a young adult fiction novel, about a teenage girl finding her identity in a town where everyone is expected to fit the stereotype placed upon them.  The main character’s name is Billie McCaffrey, who is the daughter of the town’s preacher, expected to follow all the rules and to fall in love with a boy. However, she and her group of friends, they call the hexagon, are an interesting group of teens that plan many schemes.  In this group of friends, Billie has to deal with her feelings of love as she may mess up the dynamic of the hexagon. Overall, we see Billie question the grey areas of life and struggle to deal with the pressure of the town’s people watching her.

One thing to love about this book is the amount of support her friends have for one another.  In life it is difficult to find the right people that will have your back or someone that will give you space to bloom, so I can appreciate the dynamic of the hexagon.  I can relate this to my life as I have finally found two of my bestest friends in the world, that similarly are respecting, and loving as them. As a teenage girl, like Billie who is supposed to be a good role model as the whole town is watching her, I find that I also feel the same pressure she does, since my father is also well respected in the church.  However, one problem I had with the book was that there were many main characters, which I constantly confused together, or forget their names entirely. On the other hand, the many characters allows the possibility for each friend to teach Billie a different lesson, and be there for her.

1 quarter SSR

The book I chose for 1st quarter was War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It has a little more than 1000 pages and is considered a historical fiction novel. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Era and spans the many wars of the coalitions including the empires of Austria, Russia, and England, who try to defeat Napoleon’s seemingly unstoppable army. The majority of the novel takes place in the city of Saint Petersburg but sometimes travels to the battlefields of Austria or the city of Moscow as they follow the main families, the Rostovs, the Bezukovs, the Bolkonskys, the Kuragins, and the Drubetskoys. The story begins in a salon run by Anna Pavlona who is one of he attendants to the empress and at this salon a majority of the inner court drama and machinations take place. You meet many of the counts and ladies but this is also where you meet Pierre the illegitimate son of Count Bezukhov. Pierre is the main character of the story and when he first arrives he is relatively new to he Court having just returned to Saint Petersburg from education in a foreign country. You soon after meeting Pierre realize that he is very anti-social and prefers to stray away from the spotlight however after the death of his father with no legitimate heirs he is forced back into he spotlight a the most likely candidate for the Bezukhov inheritance. Pierre also differs clearly from the other Russians in that he views Napoleon as the hero compared to the rest of the nobility who view him as a villain which only crushes him when his friend Prince Andrea Rostovs leaves him to fight in the battlefields of Austria. Pierre then has to learn and adapt to the Russian court as he has suddenly become the most desirable bachelor among the nobility. I would recommend this book for anyone who loves a challenge since in the beginning it may be a little bit of a struggle to understand but it’s a fantastic read and you begin to understand the characters especially Pierre ad can relate to his inner struggle as the outcast.

1st Quarter Book Review

The book I read for this quarter was the first book of the Divergent series which was Divergent of course, written by Veronica Roth. It's a science fiction book that revolves around the story of a girl named Beatrice. In this dystopia-like world, adolescents get to choose their factions or houses, like in the Harry Potter series, but they have to takes tests in order to know which faction they are best suited for. Beatrice takes the test and ends up getting three results, which is unacceptable to them. Having more than one result of the test is resulted in what's known as divergence. Beatrice ultimately chooses her faction which is Dauntless who focuses on bravery and selflessness, a complete opposite to her old faction, Abnegation that strives for altruism. Beatrice changes her name to Tris to give herself a fresh new start at her faction but excitement turns to fear and anger when she faces extreme tasks that turns to death defying stunts and self sacrifices. But, in her new faction, Tris still makes new friends despite one of them being in a faction Abnegation is in war with. Tris also finds herself in a romantic relationship with her trainer, Four, who was also in Abnegation three years before her and the son of their leader, Marcus. When everything seemed fine for Tris and her friends after passing their tests, Erudite, a faction known for intelligence, injects serums to Dauntless people making them mindless zombies willing to follow any order but Tris is not affected due to her divergence. Erudite then uses the Dauntless guards to fight a bloody war with Abnegation to turn the other factions against them and Tris' mother ends up getting killed in the process. Tris then meets up with Four and Christina and the rest of the living Abnegation's to fight against Erudite and to retake back their old factions. It's a really great book and there are a lot of plot twists and revelations. If you haven't yet, ya'll should read it.

First Quarter Book Review

The book I chose was The Third Twin, Even Twins Have Secrets by CJ Omololu that had 326 wonderful pages. So, there are these twins Ava and Alexa who look exactly alike. Ava is more interested in boys and appearance while Alexa is focusing all her energy to get into Stanford. There was a thing that started as a joke when they were little; they made up a third twin. When something would break they blame this imaginary twin Alicia. The girls are now seniors and went as far as getting a fake ID for Alicia and to use her as a cover to date boys and act in way they normally wouldn't, who they'd never go out with in real life. Suddenly the recent boy Alexa has dated Casey turns up murdered. As Alexa becomes a suspect she wonders if she could be the murderer or is the imaginary twin not so imaginary after all because DNA evidence and surveillance photos points to only one suspect -Alicia. I felt connected to this book because this is how high school is. People pretend to be something they aren't and a unexpected twist can come in as a result. This book was absolutely amazing and I recommend reading it because I was always left with wanting to read more. It was very interesting and didn't leave me bored for a second. I wouldn't change anything about it!

1st Quarter Book Review

For the first quarter book, I chose Crossed by Allie Condie, which is a sequel to Matched and also the second book of the trilogy. This is a young adult, dystopian novel. It has 367 pages. In this book, Cassia has been relocated to an all girls working camp, away from her friends and family, and also the life she knew so well. She's on a mission: to find her lost love, Ky, after he's been banished to the Outer Provinces for being an Aberration. Both are traveling, hoping the other is still alive; hoping they'd find each other again. Their longing for one another eventually leads them to parallel canyons that lead them to each other. Told from the viewpoints of Cassia and Ky, I think that Crossed is a really interesting novel, but I also feel that it would be way more interesting to new readers if they read the first novel, Matched. I really liked this book. The adventure and suspense thrilled me. The constant question of "Will they ever really find each other again?" had me captivated the entire time I read it. I also liked this book because I see values of passion and rebellion in the characters. They go against the Society to not only date each other, but to find something that's much more greater than their individual rebellions: The Rising. Plans to take down a over-controlling government that has too many secrets to be exploited? Count me in! I would definitely recommend this book (a trilogy) to some who enjoys Sci-Fi, but also romance :)

Quater 1 SSR Review

The book I read throughout the first quarter was Divergent by Veronica Roth, its genre is Sci-Fi/dystopia and it includes 487 pages. This book was about a teenager named Tris who has to decide whether she wants to stay with her family in Abnegation, the selfless faction, or Dauntless, the brave, fearless faction. She's constantly conflicted because she knows she doesn't only have one adjective, she's has many traits which is the thing that puts her in most danger. People that are divergent, fit in many factions, are often killed because they are seen as an enemy to their strict society. This leaves Tris in a state of fear and pressure to be the best in her faction, now Dauntless, so she isn't persecuted, her lover Tobias who's also divergent helps her to adapt and stay safe. Tris goes through her trials and tribulations in Dauntless but eventually comes out superior and begins to enjoy her new life with her new family. However that's when the crisis arises and now that her whole livelihood and everything she loves is at stake Tris knows it's her time to take action and save her city.
I really like this book especially how we see a teenager contemplating and discovering her identity, it's relatable in a way. Many times we're told we can only be this way or be like this, we're constantly put in a box when it comes to our identity so I like that the author portrays Tris as having many different personality traits and is better because of it. There isn't anything I don't like about this book it was very interesting and fun to read. I would say that a couple of the plots were predictable but not the biggest one, that one surprised me which I enjoyed. The writing is a mix between poetic and simplistic at times the book would get deep but then at other times the main ideas were very clear and there would be casual writing. The characters that are dynamic are Tris and Tobias because it's mainly focused on them and since they are divergent they have much more personality than the other characters who are subject to their one faction, personality trait. Tris is a conflicted girl who is actually very intelligent and wise, she's constantly underestimated but that only makes her stronger, she's portrayed as a kind but brave girl. Also a reoccurring theme in this book is the complexity of identity, the author executes this theme very well by showing a young, insecure girl bloom into a determined, fearless woman. There's nothing I would change about this book. 

1st Quarter SSR Book

The book I read the first quarter is called Bruiser, by Neal Shusterman, which had 328 pages.  It starts off by introducing 2 of the main characters, Tennyson and Bronte.  They are 2 twins, a boy and a girl, who have family problems, with their parents on the verge of divorce and them always fighting.  One day, though, Bronte brings up that she is going out with a new guy, Brewster (who everybody calls Bruiser).  Tennyson instantly doesn't like it and tries to stop it by attempting to scare off Bruiser by showing up to Bronte and Bruiser's first date and intimidating him.  It ends up not working and they keep dating.  Bronte starts noticing weird things though, like how she twisted her ankle really bad and when Brewster massaged it, it went away instantly, but she noticed that he then had a limp.  Eventually she and her brother, Tennyson, figure out that Bruiser takes away any pain, wounds, illness, or disease that someone who he cares for has.  For example, if his brother is getting beaten by his uncle, which he does, the brother won't feel anything, but Bruiser will.  Tennyson, who eventually befriends Bruiser, starts trying to take advantage of him, by making him come to his house to take away the bad feelings between his parents.  Bronte then gets mad at him and goes outside to blow off steam by going to swim at the school pool, which was closed so she sneaked in.  She swam a couple laps, but then got out and slipped and hit her head, causing her to fall into the pool and almost die.  Luckily, Tennyson and Bruiser hadn't been too far behind and began looking for Bronte, when they got to the pool, Bruiser immediately took the pain away from the drowning Bronte and he goes unconscious.  Bronte then tries to take her pain back and succeeds in taking back some pain by wanting pain.  She discovers then that Bruiser takes anything that a person doesn't want and effects him.  Although she took back a little pain, Bruiser was still out cold, so they rushed him to the hospital and he got better.  This event caused Tennyson and Bronte to realize they can't let someone bear all the pain and suffering that is meant for them, that it is mean and stubborn, so they come to this realization and face the reality of their problems.  I liked this book overall, but there was one thing I didn't, and that was how Bruiser was represented as bad in the beginning, but he was just misunderstood. I liked this book because teenage lives were displayed and their problems were shown, allowing me to relate to some and in the characters resolving them, helped me resolve some of mine.

1st Quarter Book Review- "The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer"

         This quarter I had the pleasure of reading The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin with a lengthy total of 456 pages. Throughout the novel, the main character, Mara, tries to find out if all the tragedies that had happened to her since the incident that killed her best friend Rachel, her boyfriend Jude, and his sister Claire, but left her alive were all connected somehow. She tries to identify the reason why she is being haunted by her past and wonders if she was perhaps responsible for her friends' deaths and everything after it. Following the incident, Mara and her family move to a new city, in Florida, where she starts to attend a prestigious private school  and try and start over but no matter where she goes, she can't seem to stop hallucinating Jude, or so she thought  and having blackouts that often leave her with the sense of lost time. Mara soon falls for Noah, a mysteriously handsome guy who does not quite fit in with the rest of the posh school she now attends. As the story goes by, secrets get revealed that only bring them closer together and uncover the truth of what really happened that night and also, how Noah is somehow connected to her and to it all!
In my personal opinion, I loved the way Hodkin displayed the main character, Mara, all the details on her personality and the way she emphasized her character change as the novel comes to an end and how she found a way to describe Mara as a unique yet super relatable teenage girl. Overall, I would say that this novel provided a poetic tone to it because of how Hodkin emphasized every detail of the characters' personalities and physical traits even. Along with that, Hodkin made sure that her words sucked the reader into the story with all the mixed genres: suspense, fantasy, romance, paranormal and all the good stuff that makes up a great book. As I mentioned before, Mara's character defiantly changes by the end of the novel because she becomes stronger in order to face the truth of the darkness following her. Noah is also a dynamic character because it shows how he goes from being cold and laid back teenage boy to a strong persistent man that wants to help Mara with whatever he is able to, along with the fact that there is much more information given about the character and his background as the story progresses. Other than the two, the rest of the characters are pretty flat, there is no doubt that they are very important to the plot of the story but their characters don't change at all, at least not in this book (it is the first of a trilogy).  
I would not change a thing from this novel, every detail and every moment adds up to make a great piece of literature that many will enjoy reading. From beginning to end, this novel keeps you at the edge of your seat, eager to see what's on the next page. I would not do anything but highly recommend it to anyone who appreciates a great book!

P.S. This book would totally make a great movie as well!

         

1st Quarter Book Review

For the first quarter, I chose to read Bad Girls With Perfect Faces by Lynn Weingarten. This is a thriller and a young adult fiction book that contains 320 intriguing pages. The main character and one of the narrators of the story, Sasha, is suspicious of her best friend's relationship. Xavier, Sasha's best friend, has just gotten back together with his ex-girlfriend, even though she has cheated on him. Sasha is convinced that his ex-girlfriend, Ivy, deep down is not a good person and is manipulating and controlling Xavier. Sasha believes it is her responsibility to protect her best friend. She pretends to be a guy on instagram (social media) to lure Ivy away from Xavier. However, Sasha's plan goes so terribly wrong, and she learns to be careful of who you pretend to be because you will be shocked of who you had become...I really enjoyed reading this book because unlike other suspenseful books I have read before, the plot twists had me speechless. I can always predict what might happen next when reading a book, but for this particular one, I cannot say how tremendous a plot twist effects everything else in the story. The plot twists in the book actually flows smoothly with the main plot, so you don't have to worry about the plot being all mixed up and all over the place. A book's simplistic writing is something I would usually like to change in a book. To make a fair point, without simplistic writing, the story would have been more difficult to understand, considering the multiple plot twists. So if you love unpredictable endings, Bad Girls With Perfect Faces would be a 10/10 for you. 😊

Quarter 1 SSR Book Review

The 1st quarter book that I read was, "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel, a realistic fiction book that begins with our protagonist Pi Patel. There are 345 pages in the book and about two thirds of book is about Pi surviving on the lifeboat. Pi is a normal Indian boy who looks up to his father, the manager of a zookeeper. Fascinated by animals, Pi examines and studies them to become more knowledgeable of life itself. Forced to move to Canada, Pi's dad sells most of the animals and the zoo, only keeping a few on their long journey. However the travel was short lived as the torrent waves and the mighty storm buffeted the boat. Waking up Pi is confused and scared in the pitch black night, all he could hear was the yelling of men before being thrown onto a lifeboat. A new day, Pi wakes up to the soft breathing of animals, some harmless, others dangerous. But they all have one thing in common. The space on which they lived on. The lifeboat.  There are many things I liked about the book such as the plot, and how the author engages the reader, creates more suspense, and action. I love animals also so this was a book for me personally. Having to learn how to face animals for survival whether you were the prey, or you needed to prey on animals for survival was a interesting twist in the book. Having the character change through out the book engaged me and the many events that happened in the book kept the action and plot interesting. I overall thought the book was amazing a 10/10 would read again.😆👍📖

1st Quarter SSR Book Review

     The Perks of Being a Wallflower is a 213 page, growing of age novel, written by Stephen Chbosky. The main character, Charlie, is a young teenager who is going into his first year of high school. He has a hard time fitting in and making friends as he tends to get laughed at and bullied by others. Although, his high school experience changes when he meets his new friends, Patrick and Sam, who are seniors. They treat Charlie so differently from all the other kids and together they go through experiences that strengthen their friendship. Charlie begins to change into a more outgoing person and does things that he never would have done before meeting Patrick and Sam. Charlie, Patrick, and Sam all go through struggles throughout their friendship, but they seem to go back to normal before Patrick and Sam leave for college. Patrick and Sam leave for college and Charlie stays behind but he doesn’t seem to care much about if he is alone because he has all the memories that his friends gave him that year before.
     This book had very simplistic writing, as it was basically written as Charlie’s diary of his day to day life. In a way I did connect to it because as I saw some of Charlies’s daily struggles then I saw that those were some of the normal teenager problems that I and many others had. One of my favorite things in this book was the fact that although Charlie returned to the way he was the next year of high school in a way he didn’t because of how Patrick and Sam had changed his way of thinking before. Overall, I really enjoyed this book because of the relativity it has to young teens, and for its deep meaning about what a real friendship is.

1st Quarter SSR Book Review

The book I read this quarter was from the series called The Selection by Kiera Cass.  Having already read the first and second book of this particular series, I read the third installment of The Selection, The One.  The genre of the third installment is fiction.  To begin, the story revolves around a 17 year old girl named America who gets picked to be in the line up of other girls her age to be the Prince's wife.  All of the girls come from different castes, and America specifically is a Five, which is pretty close to the last caste, an Eight.  When she first meets Prince Maxon at the royal palace, they both hit it off almost immediately.  The plot of the story is very easy to follow and at some moments, unfortunately, scenes can be very predictable.  If you do not like stories that can be easily predictable, I would not really recommend this book for you.
In The One, America is one of four girls left, competing for Prince Maxon's heart.  All four girls are from different castes with the highest being a Two and the lowest being a Five.  Each of them have compelling charms that are unique to only themselves.  America is a stubborn girl and usually goes for what she wants earnestly.  Elise, a Four, is a quiet and respectful young lady who would go along with just about anything for the sake of her family.  As for Celeste, a Two, she is the exact opposite of Elise.  She can be very bratty and rude, and only cares for looks and money.  The last girl is Kriss, a Three.  Besides America, she is the other strong contender to be Prince Maxon's bride.  She has almost all the qualities the people want in their future Queen, but America has spunk that Prince Maxon also prefers.  Throughout all 323 pages in this novel, much drama and angst occurs.  Although there is the downside of predictable scenes, if you are fine with that, I would highly recommend this book.  I loved every second of reading The One by Kiera Cass despite the chaos of feelings it hurdled at me. 

1st Quarter SSR Book

So for my book in the 1st quarter, I read a fictional book entitled, "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" by Ann Brashares, and it has around 280 pages. The story kicks off with the main character Carmen who buys a pair of pants from the thrift shop. The same pair of pants magically fit everyone in her group of friends which have different bodies. Carmen goes to South Carolina to spend the summer with her father, Lena goes to Greece with her sister, Effie, to spend the summer with their grandparents, and Bridget is going to the summer at soccer camp in Baja California, Mexico. Only Tibby will stay home in Bethesda, Maryland, to work at Wallman’s, a superstore. Before all of this happens, they have a bonding and vow to share the pants that they praise by sending it to one another during the summer. The pants are now what hold the group of friends together.
As the summer went on, the girls have their own stories to tell while they are apart, Tibby makes friends with someone who collapses at the store she works in, and eventually makes friends with her. The girl is 12 years old and has a history of Leukemia. Carmen along with her friends Lydia and Krista have conflict that arise due to Carmen's anger of the fitting of new clothing and finding out her father had done a celebration of some sort without Carmen. When Carmen found out, everything aroused and breaks her father's window. What happens after these conflicts? you will find out once you get started on reading these series of the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants". I like the concept of this book and how it switches scenes from each person of the group of friends, but sometimes I feel like the book itself goes by too slow, the mid chapters start to slow down, but other than that I really like this book.

1st Quarter SSR

The book that I read for 1st quarter SSR IS White Out, by Robert Marcum. It is about a hunter and his clients, a father and daughter, the latter being a successful lawyer and the former a hotel business owner. It is about the hunter bringing out the pair to a secluded mountain ranges. In these mountains Raif Qanun, the hunter, teaches Terri, the daughter, to shoot and live in these areas. During these times there is a prime deer specimen that they kill and gut. While Raif is gutting the animal, Terri finds something that horrifies her, and makes her lose her lunch. This discovery leads to many assumptions of the reasons this thing could have happened. In the end it leads to Raif hinting down the man that started the whole fiasco. This book is a suspenseful fiction that keeps me at the edge of my seat, which may seem like the stereotypical answer for everyone when they read the book but it did. It was so intense in some places that I literally screamed and threw the book across the room because of something that happened, my family looked at me like I was crazy, but it was THAT good. Also it is the kind of book that keeps people involved while it is not 100% action, for example there is a bit of chemistry between 2 characters that developed into something more serious, so for all of you romance lovers there is that. Finally there is a slightly religious action and they mention Terri and her fathers religion and how respectable it was, which doesn't really impact the story but may deter some people from reading it.

1st Quarter SSR Book Review: The Five People You Meet In Heaven

This quarter, I read the fictional book entitled The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom, as this captivating novel encompasses a total of 196 pages. The main character, Eddie, lives out the rest of his life on a day to day basis, working at the Ruby Pier amusement park as a lonely and elderly man. On his birthday, Eddie sacrifices his life after attempting to save a girl's life, pushing her small body out of the way of an descending and free falling roller coaster cart. He awakens, and realizes that he has died in the mortal world, ascending to a place neither Earth nor Heaven, but rather, in an intermediate stopping point. Eddie is soon whisked on a journey of encountering 5 lives he's both inadvertently and directly impacted; people whose lives were changed forever due to his choice of action in his past life. While on this journey, Eddie paves the way towards reflecting upon what he described as a meaningless and uneventful life, ultimately confronting who he was as a human through the 5 paths he had intertwined with.
In the novel, I appreciate how simplistic the book's writing was, as the novel never complicated the plot line with irrelevant information, convoluted descriptions, or fluff, getting straight to the point of Eddie's journey. The seemingly innocent and calm demeanor perpetuated in the novel was also an aspect of the writing that I liked, as the novel painted pictures of Eddie's experiences as a child, and ultimately tugged on my heartstrings through recollection of his old memories, both happy and sad. Though utilizing a simple yet captivating writing style, as a reader, I felt incredibly curious about all parts of Eddie's life, and was drawn into discovering the hidden histories behind the lives he converged with. I also loved how unpredictable the book could be, as characters of the 5 people he meets are seemingly the most random and out of the ordinary people. Yet, the novel is able to integrate their stories with Eddie's. All characters of the novel were dynamic as well, such as Eddie himself, confronting his demons throughout the duration of the novel. The book's introspective narrative allowed me to witness Eddie's evolution as an individual, page after page. Each character he meets had depth and reasoning behind their actions unbeknownst to Eddie, and caused me to question how big of an impact's created from my decisions, even if I consider them minute. I like how The Five People You Meet In Heaven emphasizes the idea of cause and effect, and allows me to reflect upon my own life through its heart wrenching plot. I truly recommend the book.

1st Quarter Reading Book Review

The Name of the Star

This book that I read this quarter was The Name of the Star by Maureen Johnson. The genre of this book is a mystery and young adult with 372 suspenseful and intriguing pages. The Name of the Star, follows Rory Deveaux, an American teenager from Louisiana as she attends her senior year at a London boarding school. Her arrival in England coincides with the outset of a series of gruesome murders by what seems to be a Jack the Ripper copycat. As the bodies pile up, Rippermania spreads throughout England and Rory gets stuck in the middle of it all when she becomes a witness after seeing a mysterious man on school grounds. A man no one else has seen and who becomes the prime suspect of the crimes. As the plot and mystery unfolds, Rory finds herself in great danger and part of a group of people that are, apparently, the secret ghost police of London. The end is amazing, but you have to read it and this is the first book of Shades of  London. The main character was all confused, scared, and curious. The reasons why was she came into a different state, she was the only one able to see the murderer and she was the next target, and she was just curious to know and go to the crime scenes. I kinda felt connected because I see things like spirits or supposedly monsters, but no one sees them and calls me crazy, but I don't care. Anyways, the characters were all idiots, but I would do the same by taking all my friends to crime scenes and see what happened. This kinda help during the story, but can't say how because You NEED TO READ THIS! I wouldn't change this book at all.