Into the Wild

I chose this book because I enjoyed the movie (with the always lovely Emile Hirsch) and thought that Chris McCandless reminded me of my wanderlust world-traveling big brother.

Into the Wild by John Krakauer

Genre: Non-fiction, biography
Publication Date: January 1996
Setting: 1992

A very bright and idealistic young man discards his past life, identity, and material possessions to explore America and her people. The man was Christopher McCandless aka Alexander Supertramp. He is from an upper class/upper-middle class family from Virginia, graduated with honors from Emory University and chose a life of rambling to law school or a normal career. After he graduates, he drives his car west until a flash flood causes him to abandon his car and begin life as a nomad, penniless and unconnected. He doesn't tell his family where he is, or even inform that he has chosen to go off the radar. But he wanders around the western US and some of Mexico for a few years. He makes some true friends, those people who take him in and feed him or just share stories or a beer with him. He writes to these people as he continues his wandering (while still not contacting his family).

Eventually Chris makes it to his final destination - Alaska, Yukon territory. It has been his intention to live "in the wild" of Alaska for the summer. He enters the Yukon completely unprepared, with hardly any supplies or weapons. He manages to live in the wild for 100 days, before succumbing to the cruelty of Mother Nature, dying of a combination of poisoning and starvation.

The author is similarly as idealistic as Chris. Those men who fancy themselves in line with Walt Whitman and Henry David Thoreau - those men who believe that life should be spent in nature. That's a fine idea, in theory, but not very realistic in this millennium. The author comments that Chris's campground in Alaska wasn't really even in the wild, because he was within a few miles of a large town and several hunting cabins. Unfortunately for these men, "the wild" isn't as prevalent in this country as it was 100 years ago. You can't escape

I also did not like Chris's isolation. Humans are social creatures, it has helped us to survive, fight off large predators, maintain the environment for habitation, and reproduce. When Chris decides to wander and living by himself in an abandoned bus, he is rejecting a large part of what makes him human - social interaction. Additionally, he renounces his family, for no particular reason other than to be left alone.

I recognize the appeal to leaving all modern comforts and living off the land and as one with nature. But I don't see the draw in doing so alone or by rebuffing those closest to me. Kudos for the attempt at an adventure Chris, I'm sorry it didn't work out for you.

Finished reading: Wednesday, July 1, 2015

DD's rating: C+
Krakauer was a bit too enamored with McCandless and his admiration made him a less than objective biographer. I have trouble looking up to McCandless for abandoning and neglecting his family and befriending odd companions on the road (no trouble with the random friendships, but don't forget those who were there from the start and who worry/care about you).

Next read: The Blondes by Emily Schultz

Unbroken

Well, I tried to read Killing Patton, but I couldn't get into the battles and military movements. Instead, I opted for another WWII non-fiction. Fortunately, I hadn't seen the movie so I was partially ignorant to the story (besides what previews had offered).

Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand

Genre: non-fiction, biography, World War II,
Publication Date: November 2010
Setting: the life of Louie Zamperini (California, Hawaii, the Pacific)

Well, this Zamperini guy is incredible. California trouble-maker becomes an Olympic runner, joins the Army during World War II, works in a B-24 bomber, crashes into the Pacific and survives life at sea with crew mates, then is picked up by the Japanese and enters into several very hostile and extreme POW camps.

I don't know how else I can explain it. But that's the story. This guy, this guy who does not give up, lives an incredible life, and survives! Obviously, he lives, but the story is far from a happy one.

Finished reading: Wednesday, June 24, 2015

DD's Rating: B+
A bit too long at times and like I said, not a happy book. Several times I wished for it to just end and not have to read about all the strife the misery, I did not want to read more. My grandmother also told me to stop reading and end the depression, but I had to finish (at least for the sake of my blog).

Next read: Room by Emma Donoghue

Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me?

Somehow my checkout of Not That Kind of Girl expired, but fortunately I still have Mindy to turn to for a good laugh and chick lit. Which is nice because I prefer Mindy and The Office to Lena and Girls.

Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling

Genre: Comedy, nonfiction/autobiography
Publication Date: November 2011

Mindy Kaling is the female comedian I (and most of my lady-friends) can relate to. She is upper middle class, family-oriented, not a loser and not popular in high school, earns an Ivy League education, and still enjoys doughnuts and reality TV. The fact that she is a minority (being Indian and bigger than a size 4) makes her even more relatable! Therefore everything she writes about I could see myself saying and agreeing with if I were in her line of work. I am no writer and only have a little bit of comedy in me, but she is the female funny girl who represents me (with darker skin and more meat on her bones).

I enjoyed this book a little bit more than Tina's and Amy's maybe because Mindy is a little less outrageous than Amy Poehler and a little less successful/established than Tina Fey. She is younger, hipper, single, doesn't do drugs, and (like me) gets confused about what "hooking up" actually means. She doesn't do one-night-stands, she doesn't get into the whole LA/NYC celeb party scene. She's like the comedian version of Jennifer Lawrence (who I also want to be my best friend).

Additionally, and probably why I'm so enamored with her, she rates the Will Ferrell scene in Old School where he shoots himself with the tranq dart as one of her favorite pieces of comedy. In outright truth, I rate that as my ALL-TIME FUNNIEST SCENE. Even reading about it has me in a fit of giggles. I'm that my appreciation of humor is on par with Mindy's. Also we both love Dave Chappelle's Racial Draft, but honestly who doesn't?

Now I may actually watch the Mindy Project, after I finish season 3 of Orange is the New Black (obvs).

Finished reading: Monday, June 15, 2015

DD's Rating: A
I would say about on par with Amy Poehler's Yes Please and Tina Fey's Bossypants. She says she is not like her character Kelly Kapoor, but I hear Kelly in her writing, they are a little too similar and she needs to own up to it. But otherwise awesome.

Side note - I would really appreciate it if Alec Baldwin wrote an autobiography (another one, not something mildly depressing about Fatherhood and Divorce), but in the manner of Bossypants and with a Jack Donaghy vibe. I'm begging for this.

Next read: Killing Patton by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard. I hope to finish this by Friday, when my awesome and generous man friend will let me borrow his copy of Killing Lincoln.

Killing Jesus

After I took a book recommendation from my step-mom I decided to switch referrals and took a recommendation from my father. Dad highly recommended Killing Jesus, along with several other Killing works by O'Reilly (Killing Patton has been recently included in my Kindle library). I also read this as an actual book instead of eBook and it made me nostalgic for the oomph-ness of a tangible piece of literature. I finished this book on the plane from NYC to Austin, and carried it around the airport and shuttle services and many people commented on how much they enjoyed Killing Jesus - people can't comment on eBooks. However, when I finished the book with 70 minutes left in my flight, I was glad to have my Kindle with 5 novels waiting for me in a device that doesn't take up much space in my carry-on.

Killing Jesus by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard

Genre: Nonfiction (crucifixion of Christ)
Publication Date: September 2013
Setting: The Roman Empire, 50 BC - 33 AD

I have previously admitted that my historical knowledge outside of America is pretty limited, but this book did an excellent job catching me up to what was going on before and during the time of Jesus. The authors begin with the murder of Caesar and explain how his assassination lead to the beginning of the end of the Roman Empire. In my opinion, the book focused more on leaders who would be threatened by Christ rather than the Son of God himself. The authors detailed the lives and politics of Julius Caesar, Octavian, Tiberius, Pontius Pilate, Herod the Great, and Herod Antipas as well as some of the religious figures such as John the Baptist, Mary, Jesus, Mary of Magdala, Judas, and other disciples and the high priests and Sanhedrin (Caiaphas). The work is a global/Roman history of events that lead to the death of Jesus.

The authors do an incredible job of explaining each character and their personalities/motives as well as the politics of the time. The emperors of Rome didn't care much for the Jews, they just wanted to rule, therefore Pontius Pilate was instructed to stay out of Jewish affairs but ensure Judea adhered to Roman rule. Herod the Great and Herod of Antipas wanted to appease Rome while still maintaining control of Judea (therefore Jesus, the King of the Jews, posed a great threat). Caiaphas and the Sanhedrin wanted to religiously rule the Jews, and see Jesus as a blasphemer for claiming to be the Son of God.

And then there is Jesus... just a simple man, carpenter, and devout Jew who lives a good and modest life. The book talks about Jesus from his birth, some of his childhood, and then skips to his baptism and eventual active teachings. It's not until Jesus meets and is baptized by John that he begins to cause trouble for those in power. Jesus only preaches for about three years until he is tried and crucified, yet those three years of teachings, along with his death and rise, shaped our world forever.

The book isn't religious, but is about religion from a historical standpoint. The authors use Biblical and Jewish narratives to explain the world during the time of Christ and the events and individuals who lead to the Passion of Christ. Overall, it is a great book for those curious about the supposed Son of God and the formation of Christianity. I would recommend to anyone, regardless of religious beliefs or backgrounds. As I mentioned, Jesus's teachings and death shaped our world forever, and we would benefit from trying to understand how/why that is.

Finished reading: Monday, June 8, 2015

DD's Rating: A
I have a soft spot for captivating nonfiction and Killing Jesus is just that. I am most interested to hear what my mother, a devout Catholic, has to say about the book, and how accurate it is according to the Church.

Multiplication is for White People

I actually finished this book (and 36 Children) on-time in terms of my resolution schedule. I just didn't compose a blog post on either (yet) because both books require a 5+ page review for my grad classes. Mutliplication was a required reading for my Methods of Teaching Math & Science course, as it provided a constructivist approaches to instruction and called for some educational reform (against conservative policies and the Common Core). Delpit also wrote Other People's Children before this book, so I may need to pick that one up as well if I want to consider myself competent in education.
Again, this post contains excerpts from my book review.

"Multiplication is for White People": Raising Expectations for Other People's Children by Lisa Delpit

Genre: Non-fiction, Education, Race issues

Publication Date: 2012
Setting: N/A, commentary on education

About the author: Lisa Delpit received her Masters and doctoral degrees from Harvard University Graduate School of Education.

Lisa Delpit makes the case that America’s educational system is not as balanced as it should be. Although we live in a democratic civilization, our educational policy tends to be antidemocratic, full of corporate contributions, unequal distribution of resources, market model schools, and a emphasis on standardized tests that fail to accurately assess minority students’ performance. Delpit organizes her book by addressing issues that arise at different levels of schooling, incorporating societal ills students encounter in elementary school, high school, and college. She details the problems that different students face and supplements by making recommendations on how educators and policymakers may correct the described imbalances. This book can be read as a guide to teaching black children, but it also enlightens the unintentionally ignorant of social issues embedded in our culture.

A minor problem I have with Delpit’s work is her focus on black students and forgoing of other underserved groups. Delpit fails to discuss Hispanics, English Language Learners, Asian minorities, immigrants, and Muslim students. Delpit only briefly speaks of students with special needs, but she does so in reference to her own daughter. She also addresses students of low socioeconomic status, but it appeared that the students being referenced to were poor and black instead of covering all impoverished students of various races. For the sake of time and space, I understand why she focused predominantly on black students, I am just curious about how issues she mentioned (stereotype threat, microaggressions, etc.) might affect students of other backgrounds.

Delpit’s work is meant as a guide for teaching black students,  but also draws on the importance of a student-centered and constructivist classroom as the most effective methods of instruction. I disagree with some of her assertions, such as teacher quality being the ultimate factor in student performance, but consent that a low quality teacher does more harm to students than a high quality teacher does good. I also believe Delpit took a one-sided assault on Teach for America and I remain apprehensive of the true consequences of the program. I accept that students of color likely benefit from having a teacher of color and that, in general, students learn more effectively when they respect and/or relate to their instructor. Arguments aside, Delpit draws attention to unconscious racism present throughout our culture: racial smog in our language, low expectations of students, poor instructional techniques, novice and homogeneous teachers, stereotypes, lack role models, and dismissal of diversity and particular needs. By being aware of such hidden and insidious racism, the reader can confront the issues individually, politically, academically, and socially. One good teacher may not be enough to change an at-risk student’s life, but a wealth of purposeful and impactful individuals may collectively change our society.

DD's rating: C+
Had I not had to write a critical book review, my rating would likely be higher. However, through my analysis, I had to second guess some of her assertions and pick apart her works cited. I also don't expect to be teaching in an urban school, so this book wasn't as influential as it could be. However I believe it has helped me develop some racial competence.

Next read: Yes Please by Amy Poehler