Brock's Virtual Bookshelf

Brock's Virtual Bookshelf

Books That Built Brock

These five books effected two different aspects of my life: the first three effected my morals and character which are portrayed as the top two pictures and the bottom left picture, while the last two books effect my political views which are portrayed in the bottom right picture.

1. A Long Way Gone

During my freshman year of high school, A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah was the required reading for my first Advanced Placement class. I loved this book so much that it became my inspiration to continue reading. In this book, Beah describes his plight as a young boy caught in the Sierra Leone Civil War where he was forced into drugs and killing. I could tell that the purpose of this book was to give Westerners an aspect of a different culture, like in Persepolis, and that is exactly what it did for me. I had no idea of the horrors of Africa when reading this book and thought most of the world is just like the United States with just a few changes. It showed me true pain and hardship and changed my personal values. I learned to never feel bad for myself because there are people all across the world who have it much worse than me.

2. Message to Garcia

This short passage also changed my character and personal values and sits at the number one spot on my favorite literary works. A Message To Garcia by Elbert Hubbard starts with an Army Lieutenant named Rowan and how he performed a task that no one else could. Later, Hubbard talks about what in Rowan's character makes this man so proficient in his duties. This short passage of only five pages changed the way I thought about every task, class, and project I ever put my mind to. This piece of literature shows that you do not need a novel to have a theme and influence a life and is a perfect example to why literature is written. 

This is link to the PDF and if you take one item from my reading list, I encourage this one:

http://www.benning.army.mil/infantry/199th/ocs/content/pdf/Message%20to%20Garcia.pdf

3. The Dead

The Dead was the third and last story that influenced my values. The Dead by James Joyce was my favorite literary work of the class and inspired me to do what I am passionate about. In the story, the main character, Gabriel, lives a passionless life and pays for it through his wife's long lost love for her dead lover. His lack of passion showed me that some of those who are alive are not living to their true potential, so I should live to my full potential or end up as Gabriel.

4. Animal Farm

Animal Farm by George Orwell is not only a famous Orwell novel, but also my favorite political book. Animal Farm is about a farm that overthrows it's human caretaker and implement a one-party system where the pigs control the farm. As the novel progresses, it becomes apparent that the one-party system does not fair well. This is an obvious allusion to the Chinese Communist one-party system that Orwell does not approve of. Orwell intelligently crafts Animal Farm, as well as many other novels, to show the greater government expansion leads to greater oppression. Also, this is a good example of why we read literature; to show us a different perspective of the same point to either further your belief or change your point of view.

5. Red Scarf Girl

Red Scarf Girl is about a young girl growing up during the Cultural Revolution in China. The Cuiltural Revolution was a disgard of the old traditions before communism to the new government approved traditions and those who were wealthy or had some status were shunned and stripped of everything they had for many generations. Her plight as a child, as she describes as a child caught in this oppression from her own government, is something that angers me and drives my political beliefs and actions. It even inspired me to become a Green Beret, who's motto is "De Oppresso Unum" or "To Free the Oppressed" to ensure no child falls to the same fate.

Kat's Virtual Bookshelf

Kat's Bookshelf 

1. 1984 by George Orwell 

I first read 1984 as part of my assigned reading in high school, and it quickly became a personal favorite.  I had never read a book that challenged the way I viewed the world in this way, and was fascinated by the struggles that the main character Winston goes through in his effort to seek freedom from the oppressive government.  This book made me reconsider many things in my life, such as the freedoms that I often take for granted.  Even after I had finished reading it, I found myself contemplating its message and the creativity of the author.  Though I often found it easy to distance reality from the fiction of the books I was reading, for the first time I found myself startled to see the truth within a narrative that was not far from possible.  This book made me question the reasons Orwell had for sharing this story, and caused me to read other books in a different light.  

2. A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah

 As a child, the books I read rarely included intense scenes of violence.  A Long Way Gone marked a transitional period in the type of books I read, and was the first book I remember reading with a mix of dread and fascination.  It is the memoir of a child soldier who was forced to fight during the civil war in Sierra Leone.  I remember my shock at learning about a civil war other than the one that had been emphasized to me in American History class.  Ishmael Beah faced many challenges that pushed him to do horrible things, and his story opened my eyes to the horrors of war that do not go away even after the fighting has ended.  This book addresses the larger question of what readers can learn from stories, as well as why authors decide to share their stories in the first place. 

3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling

The Harry Potter series as a whole holds a very special place in my heart and in my life.  I used to sit with my dad and he would read the books to me and I would read some to him, until one day I was able to read the entire book to him.  This book was the first book I read all by myself, and thus will always play a special role in my life.  Memories aside, this book continues to be one of my favorites among the entire series, as readers are finally given more information regarding the lives of Harry's parents, and Harry's efforts to defeat Voldemort are shown to have true backing by other people.  This book also presented the importance of love to triumph over evil, and as Harry loses his godfather this love from others becomes the only thing keeping him together.  This book emphasized the ways in which writers can portray death, and how J.K. Rowling's story shows the power of love to overcome any obstacle. 

4. Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

 

I had never read another graphic novel before reading Persepolis, and was not sure what to expect.  However, after a few pages, I found myself hooked and could not stop reading.  Though the narrative does contain comical moments, many of the themes present in the book are heavy and address real issues such as freedom of expression and the struggle with depression.  I found myself able to relate to Marji's character at times, as I remember how awkward it was trying to find myself and still to this day have moments where I doubt my self identity.  Hearing about the war in Iran from the perspective of someone who grew up there was very interesting for me, as my roommate's mother also experienced a similar situation growing up in Iran during the same time as Marji.  It allowed me to better understand not only my friend's culture and others' perspectives, but also widened my own. 

5. Wuthering Heights by Emile Brontë

I read this book during my senior year in high school, and found myself oddly mesmerized with a book that was so dramatic and distant in setting.  The struggles of the characters to be good enough for someone else is something that I have always grappled with myself.  The love triangle was something that fascinated me, as it was ridiculously complex and strong enough that it led to the death of Catherine. The love that Heathcliff and Catherine shared is one of the most well-known in literature, as it spans all borders, even death.  I thought that this book showed an author's ability to display common human emotions in their most dramatic form, and through this exasperation point out real pains that people experience in their lives.