Book Review: "Before I Fall"

                Before I Fall, by Lauren Oliver, is the first fiction novel I have read in quite a while. I absolutely loved it! It is one of my new favorite books. This book has a great plot, characters, emotions, and just everything. I loved the “Groundhog Day”-esque situation that the main character, Samantha, is thrown into. Oliver does a phenomenal job capturing the high school cliques in this book.

One of the most interesting things in this book was the different scenarios in which Samantha took part in. When you finish reading this book, you realize that this book took place over the span of one day and that day was the same day over and over again, but it seemed much longer because Samantha relives it so many times. Each day was lived differently and embraced different emotions. For example, one day Samantha had this “go-getter” attitude and the next day was a complete day and night difference, with Sam displaying a “Debbie-Downer” mood. Oliver is so descriptive and her writing is utterly beautiful. My favorite quote from the book is, “That's when I realized that certain moments go on forever. Even after they're over they still go on, even after you're dead and buried, those moments are lasting still, backward and forward, on into infinity. They are everything and everywhere all at once.
They are the meaning.”

                 With the same day being lived over and over again, it made it difficult to remember what exactly what was going on. Another thing I found somewhat difficult with this book, was the way each day ended. Each day ended, naturally, when Samantha went to sleep and then woke up the next day, reliving the day over again. It was difficult at some points to recognize when a new day of the cycle was beginning, until you got further into the chapter. The chapters were another thing I didn’t really care for. As I have said before I like to end on a chapter and not in the middle. This book was awkwardly split up. There were sub-chapters within each of the chapters, for example, the first chapter was 81 pages. With these longer chapters, I found that I had to reread some of the parts, to recap on what was going on. Regardless of the criticisms, I greatly enjoyed this book. It is the perfect combination of high emotion and phenomenally written characters. I highly recommend Before I Fall to anyone looking for a captivating read.

Book Review: "Seriously...I'm Kidding"

              I recently finished Ellen DeGeneres’s third book, Seriously…I’m Kidding. I found it while walking around in Barnes and Noble. I picked it up and took it to the café and started reading what I thought was going to be an autobiography. I was pleasantly surprised. What I started reading was a really amazing book. It was different than that of most celebrity written books I have read. This book was also the first comedic book that I have read.

            Ellen’s book is not just a comedian publishing a bunch of jokes. In her book she looks at different problems and awkward stereotypes in society and how she deals with them. I was expecting a chapter by chapter memoir of her life, which I would have loved, but what I got was great. This book was not only inspirational and empowering, but it was super hilarious.

            Ellen has such a distinct voice and personality and her writing style was very similar. While reading her book, I found myself almost listening to her read it. I am a huge fan of Ellen’s and I plan on reading that other two books. After reading this book I found that she has an audio-book, which is read by Ellen, herself. I am very interested in listening to the book read by Ellen, because I am curious if it sounds like I thought it would in my head.

            As far as the reading experience goes, it was very good. The chapter lengths were perfect, giving a good start and stop point. When I read, I like to end on a chapter, not in the center, and the setup of this book, made it very easy. I found myself wanting to keep reading and not put this book down, because it was so funny and interesting. Ellen gets somewhat personal and it is just really fun, I find, to have an inside look at some of the thoughts that are going through celebrities’ minds. During and after reading this book, you, as a reader, find that you almost know Ellen personally. I highly recommend this book to everyone.

Diary of a Fat Girl

            We all have insecurities. “My nose is too big,” “My thighs are huge!’”, “My hair looks funny.” These are things we as a society hear all too often. Why? Why have we become obsessed with the way we appear on the outside? That is the unanswerable question.

            When I was about 12 years old, I kept a journal of sorts. Thinking about the things I wrote brings tears to my eyes, and writing this, is very difficult. I have never told anyone about this journal, for reasons you will come to know. Imagine an impressionable little girl. We all know her. She is young, awkward, and has a smile on her face. Beneath this smile, she hides something very dark, that some adults can’t even understand, so why should she? Why should this little girl have to deal with matters that surpass her level of comprehension? These are the unanswerable questions.

            Still, this little girl faces and tries to answer these questions, every day. She avoids mirrors, gawks at the girls in her class who wear name brand, fitted clothing, while she sits in her t-shirt and fleece jacket, ashamed of what is underneath. “Why?” she thinks to herself, “Why can’t I be like them? Skinny and beautiful.”

            Recently, I have gone back and read this journal that I kept. It takes me back to when I cared what other people thought. When, as a little girl, I was counting calories and limiting myself just to fit in. As I read this journal, I read the words of a child, angry, sad, and hurting. This person is now foreign to me.

            This little girl goes home after school, looking forward to the three hours she will have to herself, before reality catches up with her. In these three hours, she sings. Belts out the words to “Popular”, a song from her favorite musical, that is all too real. No one is watching. No one is listening. No one is judging. Time carries on and her time of being herself has ended. She is brought back to the real world. Her ears tainted with words from her Superiors saying, “Do you really need that piece of bread? Maybe, you should consider going on a diet.” She nods, breaking on the inside, and acts as though this doesn’t faze her at all. After eating the bare minimum, she excuses herself from the table, puts her dishes away and goes to her room. Her sanctum that holds no mirrors, no pictures, and is the place she feels the safest.

            In Her sanctum, she cries. She writes in her journal, pouring every feeling onto the page. The next day she does not eat, punishing herself for crying the previous night, and hoping that if she doesn’t eat, maybe everything will change. This routine continues until she finds herself increasingly tired. Her birthday comes and she decides to stray away from the norm and wear a nice dress to school. Everyone in her classes compliment it. The little girl returns home and is confronted with the question, “Do you really think you should have worn that today? Maybe something more…form fitting?” This time, the little girl nods and says all of the things she has bottled up. When she is out of breath, she touches her face. Her hand comes away, wet with tears. She bolts to her sanctum and never comes back out.  

            As I stand in my sanctum now, I am surrounded by people I love, people whom I trust. Although the little girl never came out, a new person appeared in her place; the replacement able to look in the mirror and stand up for herself. I remember this little girl. That is all she is, a memory that I didn’t let become reality. I see the world in a different way; not skinny and fat, but for what it really is kind and cruel. I look beyond the surface of the human skin, the facade that society has built, and search for the person living inside. I have overcome the wall I built for myself at a young age and created a new person. A real person.

           

Right to Love

Throughout history, many minorities have been discriminated against. The minority in this day and age being discriminated against are homosexuals. Like African-Americans and women in the past, homosexuals are being denied their civil rights. Homosexual citizens should have the same rights as heterosexual citizens.

            Marriage is arguably the most controversial civil right when talking about homosexual couples. Out of fifty states, gay marriage is only legal in six. The reason for the controversy is the religious beliefs that politicians bring into it. What ever happened to the separation of Church and State?  In the United States of America, we have the separation of Church and State. By Congress taking it upon their “duty” to decide whether or not gays can marry, they are bringing into the government, the issue of religion. Religious beliefs should not be affecting what we are deciding in Washington D.C. The government shouldn’t be allowed to make decisions about how people feel and the feelings they have inside themselves. They should be focusing on issues that really affect the country, such as war and international relations. One prime example of how politicians bring their religious beliefs into homosexual civil rights is Republican Presidential hopeful, Rick Perry. In one of his campaign commercials he states, “I am not afraid to admit I am a Christian, but you don’t have to be in the pew every Sunday to know there is something wrong in this country when gays can serve openly in the military… Faith made America strong; we can make it strong again.” This is a prime example because it openly states that he wants to bring religion into Congress. We feel strongly that Congress should not be allowed to make decisions on how people feel. That is when the issue of gay marriage and rights comes into play. You can’t make a law restricting someone’s feelings.

            There are many stereotypes being held against homosexuals. One of largest is that if they become parents, they will affect the psychosocial development of the child. This in fact is not true based on studies that have taken place. One study from the American Physiological Association conducted by Dr. Charlotte Paterson said that, “The results of existing research comparing lesbian and gay parents to heterosexual parents and children of lesbian and gay parents to children of heterosexual parents are quite clear: Common stereotypes are not supported by the data…. In summary there is no evidence to suggest that lesbian women or gay men are unfit to be parents or psychosocial development among children of lesbian women or gay men is compromised relative to that among offspring of heterosexual parents. Not a single study has found children of lesbian or gay parents to be disadvantaged in any significant respect relative to children of heterosexual parents.” This proves that children raised in homosexual households are not affected solely because they are being raised by same-sex parents. Judith Stacy of New York University states that, “The family type that is best for children is one that has responsibly, committed, stable parenting.” People do not want to believe this, but in fact it is the truth. Homosexuals should not be judged or denied the right to parent, because of their sexuality.

            In many situations, gays have been discriminated against when it comes to parenting. Many have been denied the right to adopt based solely on the fact that they are gay. This is completely unfair because a good parent is one that will stick by a child and help that child no matter what. Who are we to judge their parenting abilities; just because they are gay? There are many heterosexual parents who do not care for their child and take advantage of the privilege of having a child. “At the moment, three states- Florida, Mississippi and Utah-explicitly prohibit gay couples from adopting, and a similar law is being challenged in the Arkansas courts. Twenty-nine states, plus the District of Columbia, on the other hand, explicitly permit such adoptions, and the remainders have imprecise language in their adoption statues. The reason most often given by opponents of single-sex adoption is that children do best with a mother and a father,” (New York Times). Many people will argue that “stable family” is one that includes a mother and a father raising a child. This is a stereotype that has brainwashed the country for centuries. What is the definition of a stable family? Every family is different just like every person is different. Everyone deserves the chance to have equal opportunities to raise a family, no matter your sexuality.

            The opinions surrounding gay rights are very dynamic. Many people argue against granting homosexuals equal rights, but in reality why should they be treated any differently than heterosexuals? You can’t help who you love and no one should constitute your feelings. Homosexuals in America should not be denied their civil rights based upon their sexuality.