Post 12: Reading Wish list

My Reading wish list:
1. The One By: Kiera Cass
This is the final book in the trilogy I began in this class, I have already ordered my signed copy with a poster and additional scene included! Dorky, I know.

2. Someday, Someday, Maybe By: Lauren Graham

3. Looking For Alaska By: John Green

4. The Longest Ride By: Nicholas Sparks

5. Teardrop By: Lauren Kate

and many more with titles nobody but me has heard of:)

Post 11: Book Talk prezi

Post 10: Book 3 review

The books I will be discussing are The Selection By: Kiera Cass and Allegiant By: Veronica Roth. Both of these books come from the dystopian genre. It’s just that the first has a bit of a love story mixed in, while the second has a futuristic world with love, war, and more. The Selection is about a girl who is chosen for The Selection by the Prince of Illea. This then begins her struggle about who she loves, how the monarchy and caste system is wrong, and if she can become a princess if she is the one. Kiera Cass is currently working on the third book of this trilogy set to come out May 6^th. Allegiant is the third book in the Divergent Trilogy. It continues Tris and Tobias’s journey in making the country right and fighting for their relationship (spoiler if you haven’t read the first book).  While these two books are different they are also immensely similar.

 

One of the most common archetypes shown in dystopian novels is a female lead who is disgruntled with the government and is a warrior of sorts against them. In Allegiant Tris doesn’t really discover how disgruntled she is with the government until she makes her choice at the Choosing Ceremony and finds out she is Divergent. America Singer from The Selection becomes a very similar warrior after she is chosen and begins to learn more about the caste system. Bust she is more of a warrior of words than a warrior of actions like Tris is. These characters are both under developed in the beginning as you learn about them. But then all of a sudden they bloom into a rose no one was expecting. A rose fighting for power and completely immersed in the water that is their new world once they bloom. America becomes a rose towards the end of The Selection when she becomes an Elite. “The Selection was no longer something that was simply happening to me, but something I was actively a part of. I was an Elite.” (Cass). This is a revelation most dystopian characters have, that they have become someone new, someone who is aware what needs to be done to set things right.

There is always some sort of romance in the plot of these novels as well, rather it be the big picture or the small picture. In The Selection the romance takes over about seventy-five percent of the story, while the discontent against the caste system takes over the other twenty-five percent. With what the end goal of the plot of this trilogy is, this balance is perfect. The classic love triangle appears (spoiler) between America, Aspen, and Maxon. Though most love triangles are cliché, this one is not so. Read to explore why this is true. When America first meets Maxon it is distinctly clear she is not the average teenage girl. She is matured past her years. This is true for Tris too. She is infinitely mature for her age. When she begins to date Tobias she blooms even more and eventually comes full circle. This love is essential to her character development.  “I fell in love with him. But I don't just stay with him by default as if there's no one else available to me. I stay with him because I choose to, every day that I wake up, every day that we fight or lie to each other or disappoint each other. I choose him over and over again, and he chooses me.” (Roth)

Voice in dystopian novels is most commonly the female warrior. This was true for The Selection as readers are allowed to read every methodical thought and detail that runs through America’s head. Her voice is strong and has a bit of a sarcastic kick to it that makes the read more enjoyable “I guessed princesses-in-training didn’t wear pants.” (Cass). This scene is wear quite a bit of her sarcasm comes out. She really dislikes having to wear a dress every day and wagers a bet where if she wins, she gets to wear pants for a day. Her sarcasm comes out when she is mainly around maxon, as they joke with each other all the time. Tris Prior is a bit sarcastic, but for her there are a lot of serious moments that require her voice to deep and aged. Voice can make or break a book in this genre. Without a good voice and narrator, who wants to try and keep up with a new world?

            I would have to give The Selection a five out of five crowns for its excellent plot development, wonderfully annoying cliff-hangers, and its main character’s voice. Allegiant will receive five out of guns for its action-packed plot with a hint of romance, horrific cliff-hangers and truly upsetting but well resolved ending. They both deserve a good-read award and that’s what they get.

Post 9: Is America Singer the Feminine version of Tris Prior?

            I am currently on my third book for book three. I have read The Selection, The Elite, and now I am on Allegiant. I have notice several similar qualities in the main character of my first book to the book I am on now. America singer came from caste five and was then selected as one of thirty-five girls for the selection. Tris Prior was part of Abnegation then chose to become Dauntless. Both of these girls made a choice on their own. My point is that America Singer, while extremely similar to Tris, has a different, slightly more feminine choice to make. The biggest similarities of these characters’ archetypes I noticed was that they both had a problem with how things are run in their country, they both are epic heroes, they are both on a journey, and lastly they both represent the beliefs of their people in the beginning. The difference is America is put into a world of ball gowns and tiaras, which may lead a reader to believe she is not at all similar to Tris Prior who is in a world of fights and hatred. But this would be a false belief. America soon begins to see the wrongs of her countries government and decides that she needs to do something to change Illea. Just as Tris soon discovers the wrong of her country and tries to fight back. Whether the hero of your book is a tomboy or a beauty queen, they all have the same purpose, which I find fascinating and extremely entertaining.  

Post 7: Book trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_qVMou7AEQ

Post 8: Truth in Memoir

I think a story should be completely accurate and true if the author and publisher’s consider it non-fiction. If I were reading a non-fiction book about the origin basketball and I saw a fact that sad they originally used rocks, I would feel duped out of my money. Obviously that was a bit of a stretch, but I think I make my point. A book needs to have a solid truth behind it if I am to spend money on it and call it non-fiction. While I understand that not all books fall in to just one category I feel like non-fiction is probably the one exception to that rule. Now I am going to discuss half-truths. I am not ok with what Frey did and how long he let the supposed memoir earn him money. If I am buying a memoir I expect the main character has suffered every tragedy, heartbreak, and near-death experience they write about. If I wrote that I endured a brush with death, I would mean it. I haven’t had a brush with death, so something like that wont come up in my writing. I also believe that labels are necessary to a degree. As a reader I love to go to the fiction section and explore endlessly until I find my perfect fit. But I don’t like to have to strenuously attempt to find the book I want.  Genres help organize writing, which I like. I am not saying that all writing fits into to one genre. I dislike sub-genres because I think that is getting to specific. All in all I like to be told the truth and have an order to things.

Post 6: Readicide

I don’t think genre fiction is less worthy than literary fiction. They are two different types of fiction, but both worthy all the same. To me genre fiction is much more enjoyable than literary fiction. I would enjoy English classes so much more if they taught a fifty/fifty split of genre and literary fiction. By doing this students will want to keep reading because they know there is an equal balance of what they like to read and what they hate to read. I think it would be really cool if English reading assignments were similar to best sellers. Give students a list of books for literary fiction and allow them to choose what book interests them and then create tests that apply to themes in all books. For genre fiction you could give students a list and then create a project that applies to all the books on the list. This is giving students a fifty /fifty shot of enjoying what they are reading for school. I do not think that literary fiction is always relevant to our culture. Given, there are some books that have relatable themes, but I just don’t think every book in the literary fiction world applies to the current culture. I don’t think it is preparing kids for the job market they are about to enter. How is a story about a sulking teenager going to prepare someone to work at P&G? Or the story of a man who struggles being and African American going to help someone be a CEO? While the struggles these characters face was relevant at their time, it isn’t really now. I personally better identify with the struggles of a girl trying to find herself  better than anything, and for most current genre fiction heroines, this is their central struggle. While all this is a matter of opinion, mine is that we should teach genre fiction as well as literary fiction.