frankie Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 I loved the film, but have never read the book so I may give it a go following your review. Do read it, it’s highly recommended! Book 18. Animal Farm by George Orwell Communism is a great ideal but it could never work in real life, on a larger scale. I’ve always idolised communism in some ways and have had discussions with BF about why it is such a red flag in the US and how come it doesn’t work (me on the defense side, BF arguing against it). Animal Farm was an excellent study case of this. Being empowered will always come first for some people (in this case, for some animals), instead of being equal and happy. A very sad read in many ways. 3/5. Another book crossed from 1001 Books –list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmy619 Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 I am expecting my copy of Animal Farm to be on my doorstep when I get home tonight. It was recommended to me by someone at work so I thought that I would give it a whirl. Did you find it quite an easy read? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 Book 19. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer This is one of the most disturbing reads ever, if not the most. I cannot believe what kind of people there are in the world. I cannot really say anything about this, it's a really upsetting book (since it's a true story). Book 20. The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer Dave Pelzer's life continues from when he got out. Still very disturbing. I'm currently reading the third book, A Man Named Dave, and I just can't help wanting to know what was wrong with her mother. I would so wish to know that in the end she realised what she'd done and she was sorry about it. I'm sure that will never happen though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 I am expecting my copy of Animal Farm to be on my doorstep when I get home tonight. It was recommended to me by someone at work so I thought that I would give it a whirl. Did you find it quite an easy read? Ha, what coincidence that you should have this book today and want to read Breakfast at Tiffany's as well! I did find it an easy and quick read (it's only like 102 pages or so, depending on the edition) and I think it could've even gotten a 4/5 from me if it hadn't been for so many disturbing things over the weekend. I had to read it in shorter bits which distracted me a little from the story, but that's not the novel's fault Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimmy619 Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 I am excited about reading it now!! 1984 is one of my favourite books, so I am a little suprised that I haven't bothered to read it before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 22, 2010 Author Share Posted February 22, 2010 I am excited about reading it now!! 1984 is one of my favourite books, so I am a little suprised that I haven't bothered to read it before. I'm sure at least Kylie would back me up on the Animal Farm review (or rather the fact that it's a good book), so there, many favorable reviews Haha, it just to happens that 1984 is also on 2 of my reading challenges and I have just borrowed the book from the library so who knows I might be reading it soon! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted February 22, 2010 Share Posted February 22, 2010 Yes, I do agree with your review on Animal Farm, Frankie. I'm planning a re-read of 1984 real soon. I've been thinking about it a lot lately. Wow, you're really flying through the books lately! I think I'll pass on the Pelzer books though. They don't sound like my cup of tea. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 23, 2010 Author Share Posted February 23, 2010 I've been flying through the books because they're so short! After that Ann Rule book all the ones I've read have had less than 200 pages, that's why. It feels pretty great to be finishing them so quickly after GwtW Book 21. A Man Named Dave by Dave Pelzer I'm relieved that I've now read all of the books and can put this depressing reading era behind me, it's been a shock. 4/5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missybct Posted February 23, 2010 Share Posted February 23, 2010 I really need to read Animal Farm - I will look at getting it asap Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 Hi Frankie , Laundry Fairy has all these in her collection. I read the first one only. Yep they are upsetting I won't read anything like this any more. James Book 19. A Child Called "It" by Dave Pelzer This is one of the most disturbing reads ever, if not the most. I cannot believe what kind of people there are in the world. I cannot really say anything about this, it's a really upsetting book (since it's a true story). Book 20. The Lost Boy by Dave Pelzer Dave Pelzer's life continues from when he got out. Still very disturbing. I'm currently reading the third book, A Man Named Dave, and I just can't help wanting to know what was wrong with her mother. I would so wish to know that in the end she realised what she'd done and she was sorry about it. I'm sure that will never happen though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 24, 2010 Author Share Posted February 24, 2010 I really need to read Animal Farm - I will look at getting it asap Cool! I'll be keeping an eye on your reading blog to see what you thought of it after you've read it vodkafan, the books are really disturbing and upsetting and it's really hard to explain why someone would like to continue reading these when they're so awful. I personally think it's not because of the 'social porn' aspect. For me, it was because I needed to know what happened to Dave, if he would be alright in the end. In addition to that, I really wanted to know what the **** was wrong with the mother and if she was in any way punished for what she'd done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 vodkafan, the books are really disturbing and upsetting and it's really hard to explain why someone would like to continue reading these when they're so awful. I personally think it's not because of the 'social porn' aspect. For me, it was because I needed to know what happened to Dave, if he would be alright in the end. In addition to that, I really wanted to know what the **** was wrong with the mother and if she was in any way punished for what she'd done. Did she get punished? (or treatment or whatever) I hadn't heard the term "social porn" before. Thankfully Laundry Fairy also seems to have tired of that genre although she read quite a few. It's like watching soaps all the time, I think reading nothing but stuff like that must do something to the brain after a while Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chrissy Posted February 24, 2010 Share Posted February 24, 2010 I know two women that will ONLY read this type of book, and in their own words the worse the childhood experience related, the better they enjoy the read. I asked whether they got their pleasure from reading them through the overcoming adversity outcome of most of these books, but they said that it was just they enjoyed reading that stuff, and won't read anything but that type of book. How bad is that? I have read the Dave Peltzer books. I saw him on a show discussing his life and the books he had written. He seemed such a nice guy and I wanted to know more. The books were traumatic to read, but uplifting in that he did rise above his childhood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted February 24, 2010 Author Share Posted February 24, 2010 Did she get punished? (or treatment or whatever) She didn't get punished in any way. This all happened in the 60s and 70s and apparently in those days there weren't that many (if at all) legal rights for children to protect them from this kind of thing happening to them. When they had a court hearing for the judge to decide if Dave should continue living with his Mum or if he should be put in a foster home, the judge seemed to be on the fence and only after hearing Dave himself he decided that the best place for Dave is not his parents place. Thank goodness for that. I think today the school and the school nurses have an obligation to notify the authorities if they suspect any kind of abuse of the studens, whereas in this book it was mentioned that the school nurse and the principal and some of the teachers who found out about Dave's situation actually risked their own jobs by letting the police know about it. So quite a lot has changed over the last decades. About the mother.. I personally think she must have suffered from a mental disorder of one or many sorts but this thing was never really discussed in the book, it was only mentioned that Dave's Mum had had a similar kind of upbringing as Dave and was raising her children the way her own mother had raised hers. However, when Dave was still living with the family he was the only one who was beaten up and treated worse than a stray dog. So it's all very confusing. Thankfully Laundry Fairy also seems to have tired of that genre although she read quite a few. It's like watching soaps all the time, I think reading nothing but stuff like that must do something to the brain after a while I agree. Reading only this kind of genre will definitely affect a person even without their knowing about it, and I don't think it's healthy at all. Even reading thrillers only would be a much better thing, because it's make believe and not true. However, I don't think there's anything wrong with this kind of genre per se. It can help people who suffer from similar situations, it can help others recognise these things in their environment and help do something about it. It's also good for people who've lived a normal childhood to realise there are other kinds of childhood stories and to understand what kind of an impact that has on a person. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) Book 22. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes From the front page of the novel: This is the story of Charlie, subnormal floor sweeper at Donner's Bakery and the gentle butt of everyone's jokes. This the story of Charlie, triumphant subject of a daring experiment on human intelligence. And this is the story of Charlie, forced to watch as the light of his miraculous salvation begins to flicker. Beautifully conceived and intensely moving, Flowers for Algernon is one of science fiction's most remarkable narrative achievements. I picked the book up from the library as another novel for the Rory Gilmore book challenge and was a bit scared as I noticed it was a sci-fi novel which I think is not my strongest genres and not my most favorite cup of tea. I browsed through the pages and noticed that it seemed an easy and readable book and was happy to start reading it. Unfortunately, when I was reading it there were several distractions and I felt I couldn't fully immerse myself in the novel which undoubtedly effected my reading experience. Basically, the story is about intelligence - to have or to not have. More importantly it is a depiction of how people perceive the intellect and the subintellect. Charlie gets to experience both of these levels in his lifetime and his views on the matter are of course the most fascinating, having lived through it all first hand. I know some people on the forum who've read the novel and have really sympathised with Charlie and I do understand why some people would, and I really appreciate their tender and caring hearts. However, I have to confess that for me, the more intelligent Charlie got, the more he got out of touch with his inner personable Charlieness. And yes, it was mentioned in the novel that Charlie's emotional growth was not there at the same level with his intellectual growth, but regardless of that, I really disliked Charlie for losing his humanity. At his intellectual peak he was just like his mother: impatient with other people because of their lack of genious. Pre-operation he'd considered Strauss and Nemur to be real geniouses and post-operation he was shocked to realise that they were not, when as a matter of fact Strauss and Nemur were the geniouses they'd always been and it was just Charlie who'd surpassed their level. How much more intelligence does it take to realise that? My most favorite part of the novel was when Charlie met his mother Rose after all those years and especially when Norma came in and was so happy to see him. She was nothing I'd expected her to grow up to be and I would love to hear the story from her point-of-view. Anyways. A lot of food for thought and a really great read, eventhough I struggled with Charlie. Maybe when I get older and wiser, I'll like him more. I guess I've just never repeatedly faced a situation where I'm more intelligent than other people and that leaves me with no idea of what it's like, hence I cannot understand what Charlie was going through Sorry! 4/5. Edited March 1, 2010 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I guess I've just never repeatedly faced a situation where I'm more intelligent than other people and that leaves me with no idea of what it's like, hence I cannot understand what Charlie was going through Great review, Frankie! I'm glad enjoyed it enough to give it 4/5. Regarding the last part, I'm the same as you, but I could notice similarities between Charlie and my ex in relation to the struggle Charlie had between his emotions and his level of intelligence (who I strongly recommended this book to ). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Grate reeview Frankie. (Heh, get what I did there? Did you, did you?) I'm glad you ended up liking it enough to give it a 4/5 in the end. This is personally one of my favorite books because I really love seeing Charlie's character go through all of those changes. Keyes was very smart in writing Charlie's progress the way he did, it is very realistic. I think what I like so much about the story is that you can see this sort of result actually happening if an experiment like this was ever attempted. What a great book. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kylie Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 I got it! I got it! I feel so cool getting the inside joke. I'll definitely be re-reading this book many times in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 (edited) Regarding the last part, I'm the same as you, but I could notice similarities between Charlie and my ex in relation to the struggle Charlie had between his emotions and his level of intelligence (who I strongly recommended this book to ). I have to say I don’t envy your ex, that’s one frustrating situation to be in. Has he had a chance to read the novel yet? Grate reeview Frankie. (Heh, get what I did there? Did you, did you?) . You made me lol out loud!! I got it A good one! Keyes was very smart in writing Charlie's progress the way he did, it is very realistic. I think what I like so much about the story is that you can see this sort of result actually happening if an experiment like this was ever attempted. What a great book. I agree with you on how Keyes constructed the narrative. When I started reading the novel, at one point I thought to myself, “Oh boy he’ll probably start spelling better and using a greater vocabulary, I have to make notes on the changes”. But then the changes were so obvious that I didn’t start recording that. I loved it Another criticism I have about Charlie is that it took him a really long time to get past the fact that he’s now superior to the acamedic intellects and there’s no way around it, and that he should use his new gift for something good. Also, he wished to increase the knowledge about the operation and make it more available to the other Charlies in the world, and make the effect of the operation last longer if not infinitely. The problem I had with that is that he didn’t seem to be happy about and with his intelligence at any point and he of all people should know what it feels like to be pushed into being smarter than one can naturally be. I would’ve thought he would’ve wanted to make it more known that the ‘retarded’ people are people like everyone else and that they can be happy and friendly and loving just like everyone else. Edited March 1, 2010 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 I feel so cool getting the inside joke. I think CaliLily created a Gilmore Girls moment and we responded to it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AbielleRose Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 You made me lol out loud!! I got it A good one! Another criticism I have about Charlie is that it took him a really long time to get past the fact that he Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 Tee hee *clasps hands behind back and twists body from side to side while grinning mischeviously* I'm picturing you doing this and laughing off me J.Lo bootie! I agree on your critique Frankie. It would have been nice to see Charlie really take off and make the world a better place with his new found powers. In all honesty, though, I think what happened in the book is what 70% of people probably would have done if they happened into the same situation. Most people don't realize their own power until they look back and see what they could have done. Now that we've had a chance to voice our critique on the subject, we can take of our thinking-ideally -caps and put on the let's-be-realistic -caps and I see you've done that already. I agree, most people would be too busy thinking about what it all will mean to themselves instead of what they can make of it for the benefit of the society. And let me be fair, they have a good reason and a right to do that. It's only natural to think all the kinds of effects the operation will have and is having on oneself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 This book sounds very interesting Frankie. So I retrained myself from reading under your spoilers. One more for the TBR pile. After I can speak passable Polish anyways....... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted March 1, 2010 Author Share Posted March 1, 2010 This book sounds very interesting Frankie. So I retrained myself from reading under your spoilers. One more for the TBR pile. After I can speak passable Polish anyways....... Polish your Polish skills asap and get reading Algernon, you won't regret it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vodkafan Posted March 1, 2010 Share Posted March 1, 2010 Polish your Polish skills Haha Frankie is that a pun? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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