Troy | Post 1 / Sumation of Kite Runner

I recently started reading Troy but was not able to get that far into the book, probably only about 20 pages. This is because I finished the last 50 pages of the Kite Runner from last week. So I'm going to be talking about a little of each in this post.

Troy is the book that the hit movie was based off of. It tells the story of a girl growing up during the Trojan War where Troy was besieged by the Greeks. From my prior knowledge, the Greeks were a very strong force. The war ends with the brutal destruction of Troy by the use of the Trojan Horse, which was a large wooden horse given as a gift to the Trojans, but little did they know that inside the horse were an army of Greeks ready to attack. Hopefully this book can fill in the blanks of my knowledge.

The Kite Runner was a great book, as I said in my last post. It ended off like a fairy tale, but I can't say much without giving it away. If the Kite Runner were a true story, Amir's action may have been considered heroic.

More soon, after I read a little deeper into Troy.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

This book received a lot of attention a few years ago. This is because of the nature of the topic this book deals with. I believe this is the only book that correctly depicts the turmoil in Afghanistan before and after the Soviet Occupation. The history of Afghanistan is silently woven into the story of two Afghan boys growing up in the city of Kabul named Amir and Hassan. These children were inseparable, and they went through life together as best of friends. Hassan is actually one of the servants for Amir's family, and many of the local boys don't like the friendship between them. Another reason the local boys dislike Hassan is because he is a Hazara, an ethnic group that was often persecuted in those times. Nonetheless, Amir and Hassan enter and win the kite flying competition, which is a tradition in Afghanistan. Hassan, renowned for his kite running abilities, but when Hassan does not appear, Amir becomes extremely worried. He goes out to search for Hassan and discovers a mindblowing scene. He finds Hassan being bullied and sexually abused by some neighborhood bullies. After this point, Amir never confides what he saw to anyone. He always felt uncomfortable when Hassan was around after that, so he set up Hassan to look like a thief, and he and his family were dismissed from the grounds. Amir grows up, witnesses the injustices of the Soviets, the rise of several local militaristic groups taking power (backed by America) to take out the Communists, the rise of a particular militaristic group called the Taliban, and the death of his relatives. At this point, Amir is living in America with his sick father. After his father dies, Amir gets married to another Afghan woman he met. He also travels back to Afghanistan after finding out that one of his childhood friends was still alive, and that he wanted to speak to him. Amir arrives in Afghanistan to find it a different world, one ruled by a violent Muslim Extremist group. He locates his friend, and he sends him on a mission that will show what happened to Hassan after he was dismissed.
I loved this book because it can accurately depict the violent tyranny of the Taliban in Afghanistan without being stereotypical. On the news, people in America hear about daily bombings, and many have made the generalization that Muslims are in essence a violent people. It is true that there are Muslims that are terrorists, and some that just want to live as everyone else does. To the extremists, what they are doing seems right. This is shown in the book when Amir talks to one of the Talib while disguised, and the Talib started to describe a brutal massacre of Hazara people. Amir points out that in the west this is called ethnic cleansing, and the Talib responds by saying he likes the sound of that word. Amir represents the ideal, pious Muslim. He seeks a peaceful life, and when the extremism was introduced to Afghanistan, he fled to America. The Taliban in this book represent the ideas which the media gives us today: a violent group of people who use any means necessary to get the job done. This book was a great read.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel | Post 3

I finished Martel's book, the Life of Pi. From the last few chapters I have been able to pull a lot out of the book.
One of the main concepts I see around the end is the concept of repetition. As Pi floats in the Pacific with Richard Parker, his activities do not vary day to day. Even if they do, it is always in the slightest bit. This is important because it leads to lack of time. This lack of time allows Pi to keep his sanity. He eventually realizes that he has been on the boat for many months; almost the entire year. At this point, things begin to deteriorate. Both beings go hungry, but luckily they wash ashore in Mexico, and are saved.
This was a very interesting story to read, and I hope to read more stories like this in the future.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel | Post 2

I believe I am almost done with this fantastic novel. Yann Martel sure can tell a captivating story. So far, Pi has been stuck on a lifeboat with no food or water, but on board are a live zebra, orangutan, hyena, and a Bengal Tiger. After all the other animals have been "disposed" of, the tiger, who is named Richard Parker, scares Pi out of his wits. But soon, the two learn to coexist, and Pi begins attempting to train the tiger.
I love the storytelling in this book, how Pi uses his clever wits to survive the voyage to safety. There are many Indian folklore that put the narrator in the same scenario: he is in desperate trouble, and the only companion he has is a tiger. Also, this story reminds me of the book The Hatchet by Gary Paulson. Bith share an idea of survivability and the hardships of survival. The tiger is the same thing in The Life of Pi, as was the hostile wilderness surrounding the narrator in The Hatchet. I'm practically done with the book, so next week I will have a new book to share.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel | Post 1

This is a new reading experience for me. I have never read a book in America that had dealt with a topic like this. I have read a book like this in a Hindu folk lore book. It seems that the American culture is beginning to adapt some Indian stories, such as the recently famous movie "Slumdog Millionaire". These stories are very common in India, but to the Americans here who have never heard of such stories, it feels like a whole new world.

In this book Pi Patel is a devout follower of God. He wishes to worship God, no matter what it takes. His parents operate a zoo in India. Pi attends school with other Hindu children, and then Christian students. When he is first introduced to Christianity, he loves the general idea of worshiping god. The same goes for when he meets an Imam in the Muslim district. He eventually begins to tie all three religions into one large religion.

Color of Water | Post #3

I have finally finished this fantastic book! I can't believe how good it was. The book was a told from a perspective of a harsh life, one filled with many moments where you feel true pity for James and his mom. There life seems bleak and obsolete in the first few chapters, but by the end it lightens up a bit. James and his mom witness the death of many loved ones, violence, racism, abuse, and situations of complete fear. I though the book was incredible in the detail that it provided. And another good thing about the book is that it is actually realistic. Everything in the book can really happen to someone. It is in no way near far fetched. Also, since the story takes place about 40-50 years ago, it gives a completely new perspective of the world. It shows the views of African Americans, Jews in America, Christian Southerners, and Christian Northerners. I loved every ounce of this book, and hope to read many more like it.

The Color of Water | Post #2

I simply love this book at this point. Thanks to Kaz for his recommendation.

This book really appeals to me, because in each chapter something dramatic happens to either James or his mother. The interesting part of the book is that you can always expect something to happen. Also, since this book is nonfiction, it makes the story seem legitimately true. I can visualize most of the scenes, such as the scene where James punches the kid who had a Black Panther as a father. Sometimes, you feel as if you are actually there in the story along side James.

I hope this book continues following this pattern, because it may well be one of the best books I have ever read.