What have you been reading? What have you already read? Discuss your biography and/or autobiography and write about what you've learned and what the interesting aspects are of the book.
I have been reading "Unbroken" and have already read "The Blind Side" The book "Unbroken" is about Louie Zamperini. He was an amazing track star in his Senior year in high school and then at the USC. In both of the books I have read the young men had to overcome so much in their lives, and learn a new way of life. These books have shown me that great things can come out of tragedy.
Thanks for the response to the blog, Karene. Give an example of what the young men had to overcome. A specific obstacle that each had to overcome will give us a picture of what you're talking about. Are there any parallels between the two? What can you learn from each of them?
I have been reading The Inferno by Dante, and finished a biography f Bill Gates. The Inferno is based on the poet Dante's journey through Hell's levels to ascend to Heaven, which has showed me that any challenge can be overcome if you just have faith in yourself and what you believe.
I have been reading "Freedom Writers" this book has many journal entries from the kids in Mrs.G's class. i learned that one kid was dislexic.And how hard a kids life was. i also learned that one of the kids had a gun an he didn't know the trigger was pulled back and he shot himself, an everyone else ran an put his finger print on it. so the police told the kids parents that he commited suicide. his parents knew he would never do something like that. they knew that wasn't right.
I'm reading Unbroken which is the biography of Louis Zamperini. Louie was an Olympic track star, who joined the air force in World War 2. Louie's plane crashes and he and 2 other men are trapped in a raft in the middle of the ocean for 3 months. Just as they think they are being rescued, they are captured by the Japanese and are put into POW camps. Unbroken tells the story of the struggles he faces and how he overcame them.
I am reading Quiet Strength, an autobiography of Tony Dungy. Recently I have been reading about how he was struggling about switching teams and he was getting slammed by a lot of people about his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and their losses. This caused a lot of problems at home but Dungy's faith helped him to stay positive and he kept feeling that God was helping him. His move to Minneapolis was difficult because he had to leave where he grew up and his kids had to leave all their friends. I've learned that even when things seem tough, there is always hope, especially when you know God has your back.
I'm reading Burned Alive, an autobiography of a girl named Souad. Souad is an Arabic girl who lived in her West Bank village with her family. Her family, and everyone else who lived in the village have strict rules and laws they must follow. In her village women aren't useful and are treated worse than animals. The oldest sibling must marry before any other younger sibling can and they must remain a virgin until they're married. Souad committed a horrible sin losing her virginity to a guy, Faiez when they weren't even married and he ended up leaving her. She was called a charmuta(a harlet) and was pursued by her family to die
I have been reading a biography called Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler. It tells the life of the Disney's from where they come from originally, how their name was originally spelled and all of Walt Disney's childhood through his adulthood. So far I've gotten into the teen years, and people at his schools (since he moved around a lot) called him the artist. Walt tells about how he treasured one of Marceline, Missouri so much that he remembered almost every detail of it. So far I have found this part of the book to be interesting, and a very happy time for Walt. I also learned that Walt had to do a newspaper route for most of his young teenage life, and always fell asleep in school because of how many hours he was out giving newspapers to people.
I've been reading an autobiography by Olivia Munn called, "The Adventures of a Hollywood Geek." It is basically a brutally honest collection of stories and experiences from her days as a broke actress trying to make it, to growing up in Japan in a military family. I enjoy reading the book because her writing style is sarcastic and witty, but at the same time truthful about her life and her struggles. I'm in the closing chapters of the book now, which is her acknowledging her friends and family for their help and support. -Bryndan
I have been reading "To Hell and Back", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Chesty: The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC." I have already read "Henry V", "Exposing Darwinism's Weakest Link", "Marine Sniper", "Purgatorio", "Paradiso". In my reading the biography of Lewis “Chesty” Puller, I have learned a great deal about the Marine Corps as a whole, about the terrible tragedies that occurred during World War II and specifically the battle for Peleliu in which thousands and thousands of men died or were injured needlessly. A combination of poor intelligence and incompetent leadership lead to the slaughter of many valuable marines. The General overseeing the entire operation gave Chesty the order to take control of a heavily fortified hill even though the decision did not make sense tactically. The General subsequently ignored Chesty’s suggestions to destroy the Japanese position with artillery and would not provide him with reinforcements even though he was running low on his reserve. However, Col. Puller was able to lead the 1st Marines to victory against near impossible odds through his excellent leadership, courage, and indomitable will. He was well liked and respected by nearly all of his men for his policy of leading from the front and not asking his men to do anything he was not willing to do himself. The most interesting aspect of this book is Chesty himself. He was able to fight and survive through many seeming impossible situations in many different wars and he persevered while under intense pressure and being separated from his family for years at a time. At work Chesty was a gruff, hard officer, at home he was a genial host, and with his family he was a loving dad and loyal husband
I've been Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. It's an autobiography about his life growing up in Alexandra, South Africa. Recently I have been reading about how his life was dealing with the police in alexandra and all his hardships that came with it. His parents would get taken away if they didnt hide from the police during their random raids of the city. He would get beaten by the police if he didnt give them the location of his parents. In Alexandra the people there are terrified of the police. So far that is all i have read
I am reading My dog Skip by Willie Morris. It's about Willie's adventures as a young boy. Right by his side was Skip. He tells about how Skip acted like a human. Where ever Willie went, Skip was always right behind him. He always hung out with Willie and his friends. He especially liked to play "war" with them. What i find most interesting about what i have read so far is the relationship between Willie and Skip. They are so close and understand each other completely. Almost as if they were one. ~Courtney Fisher
I am reading a biography on Mohandas Gandhi. I've only read about a third of the book, but what I have read is very insightful. AT the point I'm at in the book, it has focused on Gandhi's early days, before he was famous. It has cleared up some misconceptions that I have had about the Hindu religion (the religion Gandhi associated with) such as why they worship the cow and the different gods they believe in. One of the most interesting aspects of the book so far is that Gandhi's major inspiration for his set of moral values that he taught was the Sermon on the Mount, which is associated with Christianity.
I have been reading "Chinese Cinderella" by Adeline Yen Mah. I have already read "The Messenger". Chinese Cinderella is a true story of an unwanted daughter. In the chapters I have read so far Adeline(the unwanted daughter)is just starting kindergarten and is almost 5 years old living with her aunt Baba, dad, stepmother, siblings of 4 brothers and 2 sisters, and her grandparents. Adeline is considered the bad luck child of the family because her mother died while giving birth to her so her family shunned her out. The only person that really makes her feel like part of the family is her aunt. One thing that I learned from reading this book is that a long time ago little girls had bandages wound around thier feet bending thier toes under the sole and crushing the arch so that thier feet would stay small all thier life. It was a chinese custom to do that to girls at a very young age. Small feet were considered feminine and beautiful, if you had large unbound feet then no man would marry you. The other thing that I also learned and kind of interested me was the fact that many chinese parents prefer sons than daughters. I think that no matter what gender your child is you should love it unconditionally but thats not what happened to Adeline she got deprived of that love because her family believed that she was bad luck and made her feel so unwanted and lonely all through her years of growing up. That is not the childhood that a child should have, it's really sad and depressing.
I have finished my story "Zlata's Diary". I found it to be a lot like "The Diary of Anne Frank". The story takes place in a town in Bosnia called Sarajevo. The book is about an 11 year old girl who has to face the hardships of war. She lost friends and family members do to the constant bombings and shootings that occurred daily. Most of Zlata's time was spent in her cellar or the neighbor’s cellar for protection. She also tried to write in her diary which she called "mimmy" every chance she got; which at times were week long increments. She seemed to be a lot more mature than most girls her age around the world. Even though it was hard on her to watch the town and people she loved dearly vanish like they were never there; she seemed to handle things and keep a clear head. She had her mom, dad and diary and that’s all she seemed to need to keep going. Overall the story was a good one (but not that challenging) and since it was the first one I've read since the beginning of the year I'm excited to check another one out!
I have finished my second book " House Rules" by Jodi Piccoult, which was about Jacob Hunt, a boy with Aspergers syndrome, his mother, his brother, and his tutor. He continuously shows up to crime scenes and solves them for the police. He is extremely intelligent and knows a lot more than he shows people. The story is told by 3 different people, Jacob, Theo (his brother, and Emma (his mother) They have 3 very different ways of explaining each thing that happens throughout the book. Jacob is eventually accused of murdering Jesse, (his tutor) and with his Aspergers, lack of communication makes himself look very guilty. And you don't find out what happened to Jesse until the very last page. This book tells a story of innocence, guilt, honesty, and love and compassion.
Well, quite honestly i have no idea if this will work or not. I just started a new book this weekend, Harlan Coben's Hold Tight. Its a suspenseful novel about two normal parents who decide that the need to start spying on their, thought to be normal son. Of course with this a huge set of turns and questions come up. This is a real page turner and causes me to put off blogging and/or writing a letter to myself. As in regards to Quiet Strength, I thought that it was an okay book, it was interesting to find out what Tony Dungy went through to become a successful coach. Until next time.
I have recently Started reading a book called The Pact by Jodi Picoult. The book is about a teenage boy and girl who are in love, try to commit suicide together but only the girl Emily is dead. I have yet to figure out why they made this pact. But in the book the author writes from different point of views. Through the eyes of Emily's father, Mother, Chris, Chris's mother and father, and also the detective. I also like how Picoult goes back to memories in the book, she is telling the back story about Chris and Emily's long love. There is als many conflicts presented in this book.
I have read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "We Were the Mulvaneys". Both have to do with dealing with troubles in our lives and how to get through them. Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is her autobiography from when when she was a little girl of about 4 to about 15 and all her moving around and her experiences, both good and bad. Joyce Carol Oates's "We Were the Mulvaneys" is the same type of book except instead of an autobiography it is about the family and how the family dealt with the misfortunes that happened to them during the time period Mr. and Mrs. Mulvaney's four kids were growing up. I have learned to not expect better or worse because you never know what life will throw at you and to expect the unexpected as much as possible. I really enjoyed these books!!
I just finished reading "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. He has a way of writing that confused me at times by not saying exactly who was speaking or how the kids ended up on the island. You just had to go along and try to figure it out. All in all, I think it was a good story and plot line, but i didn't like how he had so many characters and then didn't really explain details well about who some of the characters are or how the kids ended up in certain predicaments. I felt like I had to dig through and around the written words to figure out what I thought Golding was saying in his story. This was difficult for me but I'm glad I read it so that I have a better outlook and I have widened my horizons of books that I read. Now I know I can get through what seems like a hard level book for me!
I have been reading "Unbroken" and have already read "The Blind Side" The book "Unbroken" is about Louie Zamperini. He was an amazing track star in his Senior year in high school and then at the USC. In both of the books I have read the young men had to overcome so much in their lives, and learn a new way of life. These books have shown me that great things can come out of tragedy.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the response to the blog, Karene. Give an example of what the young men had to overcome. A specific obstacle that each had to overcome will give us a picture of what you're talking about. Are there any parallels between the two? What can you learn from each of them?
ReplyDeleteI have been reading The Inferno by Dante, and finished a biography f Bill Gates. The Inferno is based on the poet Dante's journey through Hell's levels to ascend to Heaven, which has showed me that any challenge can be overcome if you just have faith in yourself and what you believe.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading "Freedom Writers" this book has many journal entries from the kids in Mrs.G's class. i learned that one kid was dislexic.And how hard a kids life was. i also learned that one of the kids had a gun an he didn't know the trigger was pulled back and he shot himself, an everyone else ran an put his finger print on it. so the police told the kids parents that he commited suicide. his parents knew he would never do something like that. they knew that wasn't right.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Unbroken which is the biography of Louis Zamperini. Louie was an Olympic track star, who joined the air force in World War 2. Louie's plane crashes and he and 2 other men are trapped in a raft in the middle of the ocean for 3 months. Just as they think they are being rescued, they are captured by the Japanese and are put into POW camps. Unbroken tells the story of the struggles he faces and how he overcame them.
ReplyDeleteI am reading Quiet Strength, an autobiography of Tony Dungy. Recently I have been reading about how he was struggling about switching teams and he was getting slammed by a lot of people about his team, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and their losses. This caused a lot of problems at home but Dungy's faith helped him to stay positive and he kept feeling that God was helping him. His move to Minneapolis was difficult because he had to leave where he grew up and his kids had to leave all their friends. I've learned that even when things seem tough, there is always hope, especially when you know God has your back.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI'm reading Burned Alive, an autobiography of a girl named Souad. Souad is an Arabic girl who lived in her West Bank village with her family. Her family, and everyone else who lived in the village have strict rules and laws they must follow. In her village women aren't useful and are treated worse than animals. The oldest sibling must marry before any other younger sibling can and they must remain a virgin until they're married. Souad committed a horrible sin losing her virginity to a guy, Faiez when they weren't even married and he ended up leaving her. She was called a charmuta(a harlet) and was pursued by her family to die
ReplyDeleteI have been reading a biography called Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination by Neal Gabler. It tells the life of the Disney's from where they come from originally, how their name was originally spelled and all of Walt Disney's childhood through his adulthood. So far I've gotten into the teen years, and people at his schools (since he moved around a lot) called him the artist. Walt tells about how he treasured one of Marceline, Missouri so much that he remembered almost every detail of it. So far I have found this part of the book to be interesting, and a very happy time for Walt. I also learned that Walt had to do a newspaper route for most of his young teenage life, and always fell asleep in school because of how many hours he was out giving newspapers to people.
ReplyDeleteI've been reading an autobiography by Olivia Munn called, "The Adventures of a Hollywood Geek." It is basically a brutally honest collection of stories and experiences from her days as a broke actress trying to make it, to growing up in Japan in a military family. I enjoy reading the book because her writing style is sarcastic and witty, but at the same time truthful about her life and her struggles. I'm in the closing chapters of the book now, which is her acknowledging her friends and family for their help and support.
ReplyDelete-Bryndan
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading "To Hell and Back", "The Merchant of Venice", and "Chesty: The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC." I have already read "Henry V", "Exposing Darwinism's Weakest Link", "Marine Sniper", "Purgatorio", "Paradiso". In my reading the biography of Lewis “Chesty” Puller, I have learned a great deal about the Marine Corps as a whole, about the terrible tragedies that occurred during World War II and specifically the battle for Peleliu in which thousands and thousands of men died or were injured needlessly. A combination of poor intelligence and incompetent leadership lead to the slaughter of many valuable marines. The General overseeing the entire operation gave Chesty the order to take control of a heavily fortified hill even though the decision did not make sense tactically. The General subsequently ignored Chesty’s suggestions to destroy the Japanese position with artillery and would not provide him with reinforcements even though he was running low on his reserve. However, Col. Puller was able to lead the 1st Marines to victory against near impossible odds through his excellent leadership, courage, and indomitable will. He was well liked and respected by nearly all of his men for his policy of leading from the front and not asking his men to do anything he was not willing to do himself. The most interesting aspect of this book is Chesty himself. He was able to fight and survive through many seeming impossible situations in many different wars and he persevered while under intense pressure and being separated from his family for years at a time. At work Chesty was a gruff, hard officer, at home he was a genial host, and with his family he was a loving dad and loyal husband
ReplyDeleteI've been Kaffir Boy by Mark Mathabane. It's an autobiography about his life growing up in Alexandra, South Africa. Recently I have been reading about how his life was dealing with the police in alexandra and all his hardships that came with it. His parents would get taken away if they didnt hide from the police during their random raids of the city. He would get beaten by the police if he didnt give them the location of his parents. In Alexandra the people there are terrified of the police. So far that is all i have read
ReplyDeleteI am reading My dog Skip by Willie Morris. It's about Willie's adventures as a young boy. Right by his side was Skip. He tells about how Skip acted like a human. Where ever Willie went, Skip was always right behind him. He always hung out with Willie and his friends. He especially liked to play "war" with them. What i find most interesting about what i have read so far is the relationship between Willie and Skip. They are so close and understand each other completely. Almost as if they were one.
ReplyDelete~Courtney Fisher
Thanks for posting comments. I learn something new each time you post a detailed comment on what you're reading.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI am reading a biography on Mohandas Gandhi. I've only read about a third of the book, but what I have read is very insightful. AT the point I'm at in the book, it has focused on Gandhi's early days, before he was famous. It has cleared up some misconceptions that I have had about the Hindu religion (the religion Gandhi associated with) such as why they worship the cow and the different gods they believe in. One of the most interesting aspects of the book so far is that Gandhi's major inspiration for his set of moral values that he taught was the Sermon on the Mount, which is associated with Christianity.
ReplyDeleteMr. DeRoss you got my paper copy of my blog.
ReplyDeleteI have been reading "Chinese Cinderella" by Adeline Yen Mah. I have already read "The Messenger". Chinese Cinderella is a true story of an unwanted daughter. In the chapters I have read so far Adeline(the unwanted daughter)is just starting kindergarten and is almost 5 years old living with her aunt Baba, dad, stepmother, siblings of 4 brothers and 2 sisters, and her grandparents. Adeline is considered the bad luck child of the family because her mother died while giving birth to her so her family shunned her out. The only person that really makes her feel like part of the family is her aunt. One thing that I learned from reading this book is that a long time ago little girls had bandages wound around thier feet bending thier toes under the sole and crushing the arch so that thier feet would stay small all thier life. It was a chinese custom to do that to girls at a very young age. Small feet were considered feminine and beautiful, if you had large unbound feet then no man would marry you. The other thing that I also learned and kind of interested me was the fact that many chinese parents prefer sons than daughters. I think that no matter what gender your child is you should love it unconditionally but thats not what happened to Adeline she got deprived of that love because her family believed that she was bad luck and made her feel so unwanted and lonely all through her years of growing up. That is not the childhood that a child should have, it's really sad and depressing.
ReplyDeleteI have finished my story "Zlata's Diary". I found it to be a lot like "The Diary of Anne Frank". The story takes place in a town in Bosnia called Sarajevo. The book is about an 11 year old girl who has to face the hardships of war. She lost friends and family members do to the constant bombings and shootings that occurred daily. Most of Zlata's time was spent in her cellar or the neighbor’s cellar for protection. She also tried to write in her diary which she called "mimmy" every chance she got; which at times were week long increments. She seemed to be a lot more mature than most girls her age around the world. Even though it was hard on her to watch the town and people she loved dearly vanish like they were never there; she seemed to handle things and keep a clear head. She had her mom, dad and diary and that’s all she seemed to need to keep going. Overall the story was a good one (but not that challenging) and since it was the first one I've read since the beginning of the year I'm excited to check another one out!
ReplyDeleteI have finished my second book " House Rules" by Jodi Piccoult, which was about Jacob Hunt, a boy with Aspergers syndrome, his mother, his brother, and his tutor. He continuously shows up to crime scenes and solves them for the police. He is extremely intelligent and knows a lot more than he shows people. The story is told by 3 different people, Jacob, Theo (his brother, and Emma (his mother) They have 3 very different ways of explaining each thing that happens throughout the book. Jacob is eventually accused of murdering Jesse, (his tutor) and with his Aspergers, lack of communication makes himself look very guilty. And you don't find out what happened to Jesse until the very last page. This book tells a story of innocence, guilt, honesty, and love and compassion.
ReplyDeleteWell, quite honestly i have no idea if this will work or not. I just started a new book this weekend, Harlan Coben's Hold Tight. Its a suspenseful novel about two normal parents who decide that the need to start spying on their, thought to be normal son. Of course with this a huge set of turns and questions come up. This is a real page turner and causes me to put off blogging and/or writing a letter to myself. As in regards to Quiet Strength, I thought that it was an okay book, it was interesting to find out what Tony Dungy went through to become a successful coach. Until next time.
ReplyDeleteI have recently Started reading a book called The Pact by Jodi Picoult. The book is about a teenage boy and girl who are in love, try to commit suicide together but only the girl Emily is dead. I have yet to figure out why they made this pact. But in the book the author writes from different point of views. Through the eyes of Emily's father, Mother, Chris, Chris's mother and father, and also the detective. I also like how Picoult goes back to memories in the book, she is telling the back story about Chris and Emily's long love. There is als many conflicts presented in this book.
ReplyDelete-Courtney
I have read "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" and "We Were the Mulvaneys". Both have to do with dealing with troubles in our lives and how to get through them. Maya Angelou's "I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings" is her autobiography from when when she was a little girl of about 4 to about 15 and all her moving around and her experiences, both good and bad. Joyce Carol Oates's "We Were the Mulvaneys" is the same type of book except instead of an autobiography it is about the family and how the family dealt with the misfortunes that happened to them during the time period Mr. and Mrs. Mulvaney's four kids were growing up. I have learned to not expect better or worse because you never know what life will throw at you and to expect the unexpected as much as possible. I really enjoyed these books!!
ReplyDeleteI just finished reading "Lord of the Flies" by William Golding. He has a way of writing that confused me at times by not saying exactly who was speaking or how the kids ended up on the island. You just had to go along and try to figure it out. All in all, I think it was a good story and plot line, but i didn't like how he had so many characters and then didn't really explain details well about who some of the characters are or how the kids ended up in certain predicaments. I felt like I had to dig through and around the written words to figure out what I thought Golding was saying in his story. This was difficult for me but I'm glad I read it so that I have a better outlook and I have widened my horizons of books that I read. Now I know I can get through what seems like a hard level book for me!
ReplyDelete