Book Review: The Book Thief

                                                            

Author Markus Zusak published his mesmerizing and heart-tugging #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief in early 2006. The story is set in 1939 Nazi Germany and follows a young foster girl named Liesel Meminger who discovers a passionate love for books when she steals The Grave Digger’s Handbook.  Soon, she begins stealing books from the mayor’s wife’s library, Nazi book-burnings, and wherever there are books to be found.

For readers that enjoy fast-paced plotlines and sudden action, this is not the novel for you. Zusak’s writing mimics the happenings of life, which do not occur all at once. There is a sort of gentle patience to his voice. Though not fast-paced, the plot is surely woven gorgeously and intensely.

The most fantastical detail about this novel is definitely its narrator: Death. Though I will try my very best to avoid spoiling the story for you, Death isn’t as kind. He has little time for building suspense and mystery, revealing at times certain characters that will join him. Though this might seem frustrating at times, you must remember that it’s Death. What else does he have to talk about?

The critically acclaimed novel has achieved an extensive number of awards such as the Michael L. Printz Honor Book Award, Publishers Weekly Best Children Book of the Year Award, School Library Journal Best Book of the Year Award, Book Sense Book of the Year Award, ALA Best Books for Young Adults Award and more.

Director Brain Percival and scriptwriter Michael Petroni adapted the novel into a film. The film was released on Nov. 19, featuring renowned actors like Geoffrey Rush and Emily Watson.

If you’re searching for a heartfelt and tear-jerking novel for the Christmas season, then Markus Zusak’s The Book Thief is sure to exceed your expectations.

Editorial: Racism in Halloween costumes?

A man stands before you with an old straw hat and cheap plastic lei. He drowns in a fat suit and ratty old “aloha” shirt, while sporting a beer in one hand and a shaka in the other. A woman stands beside him, barely clothed. A purple grass skirt hangs low on her hips and a coconut bra protrudes out of her chest. She’s flailing her arms around like a rabid animal and calls it “hula.”

This is how society portrays our beloved Hawaiian culture. And because of this inaccurate portrayal, this is how people perceive our culture. So is this how people should perceive you?

Racism seems to be so imbedded into our society that it becomes almost ideological. Public figures like Prince Harry of Wales nonchalantly walk into parties donning a Nazi outfit, failing to consider the offensive statement his costume conjures up. Although you may wear the costume for one night, others wear the stigma for life.

Stereotyping inflicts many negative responses within a person such as aggression, over-eating, inability to focus, and difficulty making rational decisions. According to a study conducted at the University of Toronto Scarborough, people perform poorly in situations where they feel they are being stereotyped.

One portion of the study involved two groups of women who were tasked with completing a math test. One group was told that this test would determine whether or not they were capable and smart in math, subtly injecting stereotypes about women and math skills. The other group was given support and helpful coping strategies to deal with the stress they’d face when writing the test.

The group that felt discriminated against ate more than their peers, exhibited more hostility, and performed more poorly on the tests that measured their cognitive skills.

How do we put a stop to this discrimination? It’s simple. Be aware about what you wear and avoid culturally and racially offensive costumes this Halloween, meaning any costume that mocks a group of people like Geishas, Muslims, Native Americans, African Americans, Mexicans, Hawaiians and so on. Help to eliminate the racism in our society during this year’s Halloween by not giving in to stereotypes. 

Editorial: The over-sexualization of female Halloween costumes

Imagine a man and woman, standing side by side. Both are dressed as superheroes. When you imagine the man, what do you see? Does a cape sail proudly behind him? Does a mask shield his face? Are his arms and legs fully clothed in a single color? Does he have an eminent emblem branded onto his chest? Now imagine the woman…How high are her heels? How much cleavage is exposed? Is she even wearing pants?

 This is one example of how society over-sexualizes the female image. This sexualization diminishes women into mere objects for sex, which in turn creates a sexist and misogynist society. Yet, it continues to dominate the media, advertising, clothing industry, television, and is now grabbing ahold of America’s spookiest holiday: Halloween. According to a survey taken by the National Retail Federation, Americans spent around $4.8 billion on Halloween costumes in 2012.

Low-cut tops, padded busts, and short skirts are becoming the norm for girls younger and younger. Numerous studies have shown that this trend will lead to girls developing lower self-esteem, physical and mental health disorders, and a distorted body image, as they attempt to achieve the nonexistent physical beauty that they find in the media. This objectification reduces the likelihood of healthy sexual development for both sexes, potentially increasing sexual violence and human trafficking.

According to a recent study at Kenyon College in Ohio, around 30 percent of young girls’ clothing sold in U.S. stores could be considered sexy. The clothing industry combines both sexualized and childlike features into their clothes, making it easier for parents to overlook the sexual characteristics.

How do we put an end to this misogyny? It’s simple. Remove the emphasis put on appearance and outer beauty, and bring it all in. Like how the cheesy, yet accurate aphorism goes, “It’s what’s on the inside that counts.” Perhaps the scariest aspect of Halloween this year is the realization that sexism has been unconsciously woven into so many parts of our lives. The key is to be cognizant of the sexist messages surrounding us and to retaliate against them. 

Book Review: Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children

Mysterious, eerie, wondrous, alluring and a bit disturbing, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is a New York Times #1 best-seller, topping the list for more than 52 impressive consecutive weeks.

Author Ransom Riggs sets the story on a mysterious island off the coast of Wales, where there waits the crumbling ruins of an abandoned orphanage. Following a horrific family tragedy, sixteen-year-old Jacob travels to this island and discovers that the children housed at the orphanage were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous and they may still be impossibly, yet possibly, alive.

A spine-tingling fantasy accompanied by haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children will both captivate and appall anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.

New York Times best-selling author of The Fault in Our Stars, John Green described Rigg’s debut novel as “tense, moving, and wondrously strange. The photographs and text work together brilliantly to create an unforgettable story.”

In my opinion, this story is one of few that actually hit all those points that you want hit. Fearlessly, it burrows you down to that dark and dank cellar in the basement. Or that attic that no one dares to enter. The story leaves you with a strange satisfaction. Yet, you’ll still be craving more. 

Fans of the novel can soon quench that hunger. World-renowned director Tim Burton and X-Men: First Class writer Jane Goldman are currently in the process of developing the novel into a film, expecting to be released on July 31, 2015. Riggs has already completed a sequel to the novel, titled Hollow City. Its release date is set for January 2014.

If you’re searching for a “peculiar” and fitting novel for the Halloween season, Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children is sure to meet all of your expectations.

Book Review: The Cuckoo's Calling

In April of this year, author Robert Galbraith published his bestselling crime novel, The Cuckoo’s Calling. The story follows Detective Cormoran Strike as he delves into the mad investigation of a supermodel’s suicide. A complex plot with rich characterization that left the world wondering, “Who is this Robert Galbraith?” There lays the true mystery of the novel.

Robert Galbraith doesn’t exist.

Loved for her fantastical series about the boy who lived, JK Rowling secretly published The Cuckoo’s Calling under the pseudonym of Galbraith. According to The Sunday Times Rowling said, “Being Robert Galbraith has been such a liberating experience. It has been wonderful to publish without hype and expectation and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name.”

Rowling’s pen name was coined after her hero, former U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy. Rowling also noted, “Galbraith came about for a slightly odd reason. When I was a child, I really wanted to be called ‘Ella Galbraith,’ and I’ve no idea why.”

At first, I was skeptical about whether I’d actually enjoy The Cuckoo’s Calling. I didn’t want my love for the Harry Potter series to cloud my judgment. But I quickly fell in love with the novel. In order to truly enjoy it, readers must remember to differentiate the book from the Harry Potter series. With their different genres and plotlines, they shouldn’t be compared. Although Rowling’s masterfully executed interweaving of detail remains.

Though I must admit that if Rowling hadn’t been revealed as the true author of The Cuckoo’s Calling, I probably would not have picked up the story. Which alludes to the popular lesson that we should “never judge a book by its cover.” Or in this case its author.

However, it seems as though there is more drama surrounding the novel than the actual storyline. On her 48^th birthday on July 31, Rowling won a court case concerning her leaked pseudonym. She filed a lawsuit against Chris Gossage, a partner at her former law firm and his colleague, Judith Callegari. Gossage revealed to Callegari the true identity of Robert Galbraith. Callegari then passed that information on to a Sunday Times columnist through the social media site Twitter. This stirred an investigation and eventually led to Rowling’s exposure.

Rowling expressed anger over the situation. “At no point did I consider as a possible [leak] a lawyer from a firm of solicitors from whom I had obviously assumed I could expect total confidentiality,” Rowling wrote on Robert Galbraith’s official website, “The revelation when it came was a huge shock and a deep disappointment.”

On the other hand, Rowling also stated, “I always knew that if and when I was discovered I would ask for my royalties to be paid to ABF The Soldier’s Charity. This is partly as a thank you to the people who helped with research, but also because researching and writing the character of [detective Cormoran] Strike has given me an even greater appreciation and understanding of exactly how much this charity does for serving soldiers, ex-servicemen and their families, and how much that support is needed.”

Stepping out of the fantasy genre, Rowling begets a brilliantly crafted crime novel with mystery lingering around every corner. The Cuckoo’s Calling has continued to dominate as a New York Time’s bestseller for over 5 weeks. Rowling plans to continue this book as a series under her pseudonym. The next installment of Detective Strike will be published in summer 2014.