Books I Read This Summer
1984- George Orwell Fucking, 1984 was really really good, but like.. what the hell? First of all, it freaked me out the whole time, because it was just a little bit TOO realistic. I felt like in no time I could be brainwashed and my government could take over and I'd have no say and no will to fight back. And that was such a scary thought. Some of the shit in the book seems on its way to becoming fact rather than fiction. The worst part about 1984 is that I was rooting for Winston the whole fucking time. Like, if Winston could make it through, then there was some hope for humanity. If Winston could win his lonely battle, then things in this world still had a chance to be OK. But, the broke Winston too. And I put down the book completely horrified, but not regretful. It was a really great novel.
Wicked- Gregory Maguire Wicked was absolutely AMAZING. I can't even express how AWESOME it was. The book surpassed my expectations. I had figured on a fairytale, a book that both adults and children would be able to relate to. NOT a children's tale at all. Not even a fairytale. It really has you think twice before you judge a onesided story. I've seen the Wizard of Oz since, and even though Wicked takes nothing away from the story.. you can't help but look at it in a different light. Wicked tells the story of the Wicked Witch of the West, more fondly known as Elfaba. It's all about how she became wicked. It follows her life from before she was born until the moment Dorothy throws the bucket of water on her to save her from the fire. I mean.. there are parts of it that are completely sexy, parts that are political, parts that are controversial, and parts that are just loving and funny. You just have to read it. It was just THAT good.
The Scarlet Letter- Nathaniel Hawthorne I wouldn't let myself read ANYTHING else until I finished reading this, and it was (at first) an extreme punishment, since I had Kurt Vonnegut sitting on the shelf just itching to be read. Surprisingly enough, it was a really good story. Sometimes the writing was difficult to get through, but the plot was intrigueing and the story telling carried you through. I very much liked how it was the priest the whole time. (no ruined surprise, it says so on the back of the book). Hester finally thinks she's going to get away, spends all those years suffering for him, and then he up and dies and leaves her. Perhaps the most chilling part is when Pearl won't approach her mother when Hester takes off the Scarlet letter. It's become so much a part of her.. society has branded her so deeply.
Timequake- Kurt Vonnegut It's sort of like Kurt Vonnegut's memoirs, only really really quirky and funny. Any sort of writing Vonnegut does, he puts a science fiction spin on it. The book is based on the concept of a timequake, where the universe, instead of continously expanding, gives up and decides to retract, moving all human beings back to ten years previously. It is a constant deja vu feeling. You know every action you are about to take, but are completely powerless to stop it. So part of the story is told by Vonnegut, he tells funny tidbits from his life, and parts of it are told through the stories of Kilgore Trout, Vonnegut's alter ego, a looney writer who writes a story a day, but never gets anything published. As always, I loved Vonneguts sarcasm and cunning, and he is just amazing and he's like in his 80's or 90's now or something, and I still wish I could kiss that crazy man.
God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian Very very short, only about 70 pages. With the help of Dr. Kevorkian, Kurt Vonnegut takes short trips to heaven and interviews people that have died. He interviews Newton, Shakespeare, Hitler and a bunch of others. By the way, Hitler says "excuse me". (He's real sorry guys).
Native Son- Richard Wright I'm technically not finished with this one yet. But I'm on the last leg of it. I figured I'd read it because I read Richard Wright's Black Boy and really liked it. Native Son is freaking me out. This young black boy goes to work for a white family, and accidently suffocates their daughter after bringing her home drunk one night. In a panic, he cuts off her head and stuffs her in the furnace. It's just strange becasue the narration doesn't stop. For 100 pages there is no break, so you are constantly in the story, and you can't get out. And you find yourself wanting Bigger (that's the boy) to get caught, but at the same time you are trying to save him. Like you are thinking, DON'T DO THAT, ARE YOU STUPID, YOU'LL SURELY GET CAUGHT!! And that's just a bit strange. I'm up to where he gets caught now, and I should be done really soon, but if anyone else has read this book, let me know what you think. Because I myself am enjoying it, but at the same time.. I'm a little frightened!