Sunday, August 28, 2011
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
After thorough plot research, I chose The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time for my summer reading assignment. I felt confident that I'd enjoy the book because after describing a bit of the story line to my mother, she was so intrigued that she bought it, read it, and told me I'd love it, all before the half point of summer. After that, any inkling of desire I had to pursue further novel researching went out the window. In a matter of 24 hours, I laughed, I teared up once, and I got irritated a few times; I absorbed the book. The unique style of storytelling, from the perspective of a teenage boy with Asperger's, is the guiding factor that evokes the greatest emotional response, whether it be positive or negative.
The strength of the story, gained from such an unlikely narrator, includes the ability to express profoundly basic pieces of knowledge, so obvious that they are bypassed during the course of the 'normal' human thought process. When the protagonist and narrator, Christopher, is musing on the concept of mysteries, he explains how although many things are considered a mystery, it doesn't mean that there's no answer; all it means is that the solution is just waiting to be discovered. "Eventually scientists will discover something that explains ghosts, just like they discovered electricity, which explained lightning, and it might be something about people's brains, or something about the earth's magnetic field, or it might be some new force altogether. And then ghosts won't be mysteries. They will be like electricity and rainbows and non-stick frying pans" (Haddon 100). This method of storytelling comprised the most engaging parts of the book, simply because it told a tale that served as a means of entry straight into the mind of an otherwise confusing, generally misunderstood subject. Through these inklings of insight from Christopher's perspective, his other actions throughout the course of the story came to make more sense, and his personality developed a pattern that made him less unpredictable and more quirky but lovable.
Ironically, the same characteristics I love about Haddon's storytelling from the viewpoint of Christopher were the ones that drove me insane. The greatest weakness of choosing a narrator that's so unconventional was the fact that his thought process led him off on irritating, extended tangents in behavior and thought. While on a train to London, Christopher is being escorted by a policeman, but his idiosyncrasies lead him to abandon the only person trying to help him and recoil into his own mind:
"So I climbed onto the middle shelf and I pulled one of the cases across like a door so that I was shut in, and it was ark and there was no one in there with me and I couldn't hear people talking so I felt much calmer and it was nice.
And I did some more quadratic equations like
0 = 437x^2 + 103 x + 11...." (Haddon 163).
Dealing with page after page of what I considered to just be superfluous, redundant writing after a certain point caused a lapse in the storytelling; it lost its grip and intrigue during particular chunks of this nature. The first lengthy description of a similar scenario was frustrating, but necessary for a dynamic comprehension of Christopher. However, the repetition of such instances told in great detail, regardless of how real they may be for someone with Asperger's, do not make for an engaging read. Paradoxically, the greatest strengths of the storytelling in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time were also responsible for the greatest weaknesses.
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Top 10 Most Memorable Reads
1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - Betty Smith
I rarely read a book twice until I encountered this novel in the fifth grade and devoured it in order to reach my AR goal, then fell in love and read it again as soon as I felt I'd forgotten the bulk of the story line at age fourteen. I'm looking forward to reading it again next year.
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky
Charlie is the most honest and lovable protagonist I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, and this book is responsible for some my favorite profound-yet-obvious quotes. From "We accept the love we think we deserve" to Charlie's description of the paramount of what it means to be a teenager - "I feel infinite," there are so many words, ideas, and events that manage to untangle the convoluted feelings every teenager has in a sentence and really hit home.
3. Nine Stories - J.D. Salinger
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" was my first taste of a short story that had as much psychological dysfunction going as did many full-length novels. I loved it. After Nine Stories, a desire for more short stories (about mentally unstable characters, of course) led me to the next book on my list.
4. The Best of Roald Dahl
Twisted, sick and filled with fantasy, I love how much each story in this collection makes me think. In fact, it's one of the only books I've read where I prefer to take a hiatus after each section, rather than being unable to put it down. I can't move on to a man accidentally betting his daughter away to an undesirable suitor before I'm done pondering the idea that trees can scream... there's just so much to chew on in each little chunk.
5. Deadline - Chris Crutcher
I read this book while shadowing PCDS last year. It's the reason I got in a bit of trouble for going 'missing', because I was holed up in the library crying over the ending... and it was totally worth it.
6. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
As far as a book I had to read for school, I'm generally pretty good about pacing myself through the duration of the unit by reading a few chapters a night. I didn't go to bed until about 5:00 a.m. so that I could finish The Kite Runner in 24 hours. I laughed, and I cried a lot more than I laughed, but the ending was so beautiful that I didn't even care whether I was crying over the book or just due to pure exhaustion.
7. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keys
This book combines the best of #1 and #2 and #5 on my list. I've read Flowers for Algernon multiple times with pleasure, and it's another book with a lovable, innocent and honest protagonist named Charlie, who will at some point in the story undoubtedly make me cry.
8. Bossypants - Tina Fey
It's incredibly rare that I laugh out loud while reading, but I couldn't stop while reading this recount of Tina Fey's life. It's sad, it's hilarious, and it's raunchy at times, but it all comes together to make for a comically real, relatable story that's worth a lot more than a few cheap laughs.
9. Why I'm Like This - Cynthia Kaplan
I read this book twice- once when I was far too young to understand a lot of the themes, and again when I could not only understand, but connect with many of them. It's served as a marker in the progression of my life and has some sentimental value when I think of it on an individual level. Other than that, it's just a great collection of stories.
10. The Watsons Go To Birmingham - Christopher Paul Curtis
This was the first book that I ever read at school and absolutely adored, ravaged, and cried over. I still remember tearing up over the part where Byron, the older brother, has an emotional breakdown when he knocks a pigeon off of a telephone wire with a cookie and kills it... and I haven't read this book in 7 years. I consider that staying power.
I rarely read a book twice until I encountered this novel in the fifth grade and devoured it in order to reach my AR goal, then fell in love and read it again as soon as I felt I'd forgotten the bulk of the story line at age fourteen. I'm looking forward to reading it again next year.
2. The Perks of Being a Wallflower - Stephen Chobsky
Charlie is the most honest and lovable protagonist I've ever had the pleasure of knowing, and this book is responsible for some my favorite profound-yet-obvious quotes. From "We accept the love we think we deserve" to Charlie's description of the paramount of what it means to be a teenager - "I feel infinite," there are so many words, ideas, and events that manage to untangle the convoluted feelings every teenager has in a sentence and really hit home.
3. Nine Stories - J.D. Salinger
"A Perfect Day for Bananafish" was my first taste of a short story that had as much psychological dysfunction going as did many full-length novels. I loved it. After Nine Stories, a desire for more short stories (about mentally unstable characters, of course) led me to the next book on my list.
4. The Best of Roald Dahl
Twisted, sick and filled with fantasy, I love how much each story in this collection makes me think. In fact, it's one of the only books I've read where I prefer to take a hiatus after each section, rather than being unable to put it down. I can't move on to a man accidentally betting his daughter away to an undesirable suitor before I'm done pondering the idea that trees can scream... there's just so much to chew on in each little chunk.
5. Deadline - Chris Crutcher
I read this book while shadowing PCDS last year. It's the reason I got in a bit of trouble for going 'missing', because I was holed up in the library crying over the ending... and it was totally worth it.
6. The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
As far as a book I had to read for school, I'm generally pretty good about pacing myself through the duration of the unit by reading a few chapters a night. I didn't go to bed until about 5:00 a.m. so that I could finish The Kite Runner in 24 hours. I laughed, and I cried a lot more than I laughed, but the ending was so beautiful that I didn't even care whether I was crying over the book or just due to pure exhaustion.
7. Flowers for Algernon - Daniel Keys
This book combines the best of #1 and #2 and #5 on my list. I've read Flowers for Algernon multiple times with pleasure, and it's another book with a lovable, innocent and honest protagonist named Charlie, who will at some point in the story undoubtedly make me cry.
8. Bossypants - Tina Fey
It's incredibly rare that I laugh out loud while reading, but I couldn't stop while reading this recount of Tina Fey's life. It's sad, it's hilarious, and it's raunchy at times, but it all comes together to make for a comically real, relatable story that's worth a lot more than a few cheap laughs.
9. Why I'm Like This - Cynthia Kaplan
I read this book twice- once when I was far too young to understand a lot of the themes, and again when I could not only understand, but connect with many of them. It's served as a marker in the progression of my life and has some sentimental value when I think of it on an individual level. Other than that, it's just a great collection of stories.
10. The Watsons Go To Birmingham - Christopher Paul Curtis
This was the first book that I ever read at school and absolutely adored, ravaged, and cried over. I still remember tearing up over the part where Byron, the older brother, has an emotional breakdown when he knocks a pigeon off of a telephone wire with a cookie and kills it... and I haven't read this book in 7 years. I consider that staying power.
Monday, August 22, 2011
Entry 1: An Example of Excellent Storytelling
"Lots of things are mysteries. But that doesn't mean there isn't an answer to them. It's just that scientists haven't found the answer yet.
For example, some people believe in the ghosts of people who have come back from the dead. And Uncle Terry said that he saw a ghost in a shoe shop in a shopping center in Northampton because he was going down into the basement when he saw someone dressed in gray walk across the bottom of the stairs. But when he got to the bottom of the stairs the basement was empty and there were no doors. When he told the lady on the till upstairs, they said it was called Tuck and he was a ghost of a Franciscan friar who used to live in the monastery which was on the same site hundreds of years ago, which was why the shopping center was called Greyfriars Shopping Center, and they were used to him and not frightened at all.
Eventually scientists will discover something that explains ghosts, just like they discovered electricity, which explained lightning, and it might be something about people's brains, or something about the earth's magnetic field, or it might be some new force altogether. And then ghosts won't be mysteries. They will be like electricity and rainbows and non-stick frying pans" (Haddon 100).
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
This passage immediately comes to mind as a prime example of excellent storytelling not only because of the way the account ties back into itself, but because the voice of the speaker emanates so clearly from each sentence that one can actually feel a connection to the character. The main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher, is a teenage boy with Asperger's who's considered to be an idiot-savant. From this passage alone, the speaker evokes a childish tone, using diction such as "Uncle Terry" and beginning sentences with "But" and "And." However, by the end of the story, as he explains the logic behind his trailing recount of his uncle's experience with ghosts, Christopher reveals a sense of insight about the world and a knowledge of science that well exceeds his story-telling abilities and backs up the initial claim that "scientists haven't found the answer yet." From this short section alone, the protagonist of the novel can be almost fully characterized, which makes for some excellent, purposeful storytelling.
P.S. - Yes, the passage is slightly longer than requested, but I don't believe it could be trimmed without losing its full effect... I apologize for the overabundance of words.
For example, some people believe in the ghosts of people who have come back from the dead. And Uncle Terry said that he saw a ghost in a shoe shop in a shopping center in Northampton because he was going down into the basement when he saw someone dressed in gray walk across the bottom of the stairs. But when he got to the bottom of the stairs the basement was empty and there were no doors. When he told the lady on the till upstairs, they said it was called Tuck and he was a ghost of a Franciscan friar who used to live in the monastery which was on the same site hundreds of years ago, which was why the shopping center was called Greyfriars Shopping Center, and they were used to him and not frightened at all.
Eventually scientists will discover something that explains ghosts, just like they discovered electricity, which explained lightning, and it might be something about people's brains, or something about the earth's magnetic field, or it might be some new force altogether. And then ghosts won't be mysteries. They will be like electricity and rainbows and non-stick frying pans" (Haddon 100).
- The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
This passage immediately comes to mind as a prime example of excellent storytelling not only because of the way the account ties back into itself, but because the voice of the speaker emanates so clearly from each sentence that one can actually feel a connection to the character. The main character in The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Christopher, is a teenage boy with Asperger's who's considered to be an idiot-savant. From this passage alone, the speaker evokes a childish tone, using diction such as "Uncle Terry" and beginning sentences with "But" and "And." However, by the end of the story, as he explains the logic behind his trailing recount of his uncle's experience with ghosts, Christopher reveals a sense of insight about the world and a knowledge of science that well exceeds his story-telling abilities and backs up the initial claim that "scientists haven't found the answer yet." From this short section alone, the protagonist of the novel can be almost fully characterized, which makes for some excellent, purposeful storytelling.
P.S. - Yes, the passage is slightly longer than requested, but I don't believe it could be trimmed without losing its full effect... I apologize for the overabundance of words.
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