finding alaska.

Miles/Pudge, the Colonel, Lara, Takumi and even some Weekday Warriors end up finding Alaska. They've figured out why she left, though they still don't have answers to everything. Everyone ends up going home for the summer. Miles goes back to Florida, ready to return next year to the Colonel, Takumi and Lara, his friends that he didn't have a the beginning of the book. It's nice to see things make a full circle.

Looking for Alaska, incase I haven't already said in a previous blog, is a GREAT novel. I think that you should put it on your list of books to read.

5 Reasons to read Looking for Alaska by John Green:

1. Winner of the Printz Award.
2. Likened to Catcher in the Rye and A Seperate Peace. (Not entirely sure about Catcher in the Rye, but a critic is quoted saying, "The spirit of Holden Caufield lives on..."
3. The book was challenged by a parent to be taken off school shelves in some school district.
4. A Catholic teacher was fired for teaching it.
5. It's awesome.

(In my opinion, if a book is challenged, it's worth the read.)

the catcher in the rye

I read Catcher in the Rye last year, I can't really remember when, but I do remember borrowing it from my friend Emma. I never gave it back to her, so she just bought herself another copy at a yardsale for a quarter one day. I think I read it last spring break. And I just don't really see what's so great about Catcher in the Rye. To prepare for our Post Modernism project I've read most of it over again... and I think it's a good book, but I think all books are great. I'm just pleased to have my reading hunger appeased I suppose, which most books do except for few.

Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger is about a boy that goes to boarding school up north. The boy's name is Holden Caufield. Strangely enough, what interests me the most about this story is the conspiracies that surround the tangible books itself. The book itself has been challenged several times for it's language and other "dirty'' things that go on in it. Since copies of the book were found on Pres. Reagan's attempted assasin and the person who shot John Lennon, Mark Chapman, who actually went to Columbia High School here in DeKalb County. (It was very interesting to swim at the same high school this winter where this man attended.)

... All in all I find Holden strange. He won't call Jane Galager which is a bit annoying, and sad, but it is nice that he cares for his sister so. Now that I've revisted the book, I suppose I really do like it. I just kind of find it strange. The way it's written reminds me of Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Flowers for Algernon. I just get this feeling that something is off with Holden, that he's just not in his right mind.

Sufism

"This poor Sufi dressed in rags walked in to a jewelry store owned by a rich merchant and asked him, 'Do you know how you're going to die?' The merchant answered, 'No. No one knows how they're going to die.' And the Sufi said, 'I do.'

'How?' asked the merchant. And the Sufi lay down, crossed his arms, said, "Like this," and died, whereupon the merhcant promptly gave up his store to live a life of poverty in pursiut of the kind of spiritual wealth the dead Sufi had acquired." (John Green p. 173)

Miles' religion teacher is grumpy, but serious old man. Who's expected to croak any minute. Religion, which a requirement only for 11th and 12th graders at Miles' school. During 11th grade they study Christanity, Islam and Buddhism. Sufis are Islamic mystics who try the best not to even step on ants. (According to Ms. Embry.) The Sufis fascinate Miles in his religion class as they did me when we discussed them in world history. Or perhaps they fascinated me because I read about them somewhere else. I find it so strange when I read something, or watch something, or just listen to a conversation and come across something I've learned about. Anyways Miles,(who now is just reading enough background information to pass the class) is FASCINATED by the Sufi's last words.

I don't think a lot of people know how they're going to die. That just reminds me of the television show Lost for some reason. Everyone in that show seems to be destined to something, someone always knows what's going to happen.

missing alaska

Alaska has gone missing. She left Miles and The Colonel in the middle of the night. And that's all I'm going to say about that.

Miles/Pudge and The Colonel are very worried about her. They don't know exactly what has happened or even why she left, so they're trying to figure out why.

Even though Alaska has disappeared, school still continues as normal. And the Colonel and Miles/Pudge have to do all of their work and look for Alaska. And without Alaska as his precalc tutor it's difficult for Pudge to pass his math class.

The Colonel and Pudge "enlist" their friends Takumi and Lara to help them find Alaska and while they're looking for her. They carry out an elaborate prank. I'd rather not spoil it, because I'd really like you to read this book.

leaves of grass

I've never though of grass as growing in leaves. I think of grass as blades of grass or just grass but never leaves. Perhaps it was different in Walt Whitman's time.

I browsing Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, I came across a poem:

When I Read the Book.

When I read the book, the biography famous,
And this is then (said I) what the author calls a man's life?
And so will someone when I am dead and gone write my life?
(As if any man really knew aught of my life?
Why even I myself I often think know little or nothing of my real life,
Only a few hints, a few diffused faint clews and indirections
I seek for my own use to trace out here.)

It kind of reminded me of the book I am reading. Miles/Pudge is always looking at people's last words. Hoping his will be as magnificent. But he doesn't know what they'll be like he can only hope that he won't be the one who asks for water on his death bed.

It's weird to write about a person that you don't know, it's weird to write about yourself also. I don't think I'd want someone to write a biography about me and I don't think Whitman was very fond of the idea either. I think he found it strange.