The Color of Water by James McBride | Post# 1

Although I recently began reading this book, I can already tell that it will become one of my favorites. The story actually contains two parts, the story of the child and the story of the mother as a child. Both tales tell of hardships faced, such as family issues, racism, and more. The story does a good job on describing the life of a large, poor family with a mother who is always talked about behind her back. What really draws me to the book is that each chapter switches off between the story of the child in the 60's or so, an with the mom in the 20's or so. The story has a unique personality, as if the author is speaking with you face to face. One part of the story that stick out for me was the part where the main character is talking about how they are not allowed to say the word "lie" and must say "story" instead. Immediatly, he starts talking about his succesful brother Dennis. He describes Dennis as being the pioneer of the family and describes, as he calls them, "stories" of him. This shows that although they have a large family, they aren't very close.

The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Recently, I finished reading The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown. The story is about how it may be possible that Jesus Christ had a child. The story follows Robert Langdon, a professional symbologist who gets entangled in a murder. He continues to discover that the murder was commited because the victim was part of a secret organization known as the Priory of Sion, who protected the decendents of Jesus Christ.

This book is a thrilling story that got me turning page after page. Probably one of the reasons the book is interesting is because of it's controversial nature. But, as with all controversies there will be a negative reaction from the public.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri

Over the summer, I read The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The book tells the story of how a family moves from Calcutta, India to America. They face a difficult time adapting to the lifestyle in America. Also they raise two children in America, who grow up in the culture here in America, and an Indian culture at home. The story continues to tell the tale of their son, Gogol, who finds it hard to find his identity as an Indian-American.

This story was a great read because I can relate to many of the events that happened to Gogol when he was young. In an Indian culture, people have a name they use in public, and a "pet name" that is used by close family members. I too have a public and "pet name": many people in AHS know me as Saumik, but at home I am called Yoshiki (It sounds Japenese because I was born in Japan). I had an experience that Gogol had where he went to school and had them use his "pet name". This happened to me in Kindergarten, where the entire year, my teachers and peers would call me Yoshiki. Also the typical Indian parites and overall lifestyle is reflected in this book multiple times. Definatly one of the best books that I picked up this summer.