You read 3 (or more) books this past summer. Which book from the summer reading list did you find to be the most "interesting"? In a paragraph or two, tell me what it takes to make a book interesting (in your opinion) and how the summer book you chose met the standard of "most" interesting. If NONE of the books qualified for that title (again, in your opinion) tell me where and why they fell short of your standard.

Finally, tell me what things you read OTHER than assigned books? Did you read magazines, other novels, travel guides for a vacation, instructions for how to work something, whatever? Think it over, this could be a longer list than you first imagine! Which of these other things was the most interesting.... did you use the same standard as you did for paragraph one? If not, why not?

     Aldous Huxley's Brave New World was definitely an interesting selection for me. It is different from any other book I have read in that it kind of scared and shocked me. First of all I was scared because it was written in the 1930s and "the future" back then is pretty much happening right now. It starts in a kind of factory where people are grown like science experiments and they have it down to an exact routine where workers add to, improve, or harm human embryos. The factory decides the fate of entire generations and their social order within seconds. The way that the factory is able eliminate the concept of a family also scared me a little. It seems unnatural to grow up being raised and conditioned by government nannies like their children. The ten male world controllers decide what is good, bad, and basically everything for everyone all of their lives. This also eliminates freedom but no one seems to mind because they don't know any better. Everyone was made to be happy and content with the lives they were given. That was also unnerving; it made me wonder what kind of tricks the government could be up to right now.

     The fact that men and woman as well as younger boys and girls "belonged" to everyone else (in a way that only married couples should) was a radically different and perverted idea to me. This was more graphic than anything in my previous reading of the summer.   The book was able to grab my attention and shake up the way that I looked at the morals of our own society with regard to science and relationships.

     Other than the assigned reading, I didn't get around to reading any other novels this summer. I flipped through a couple of magazines and read articles on the internet. I read numerous brochures from different colleges, plenty of Facebook messages and texts, and random billboards. There were directions and a thick users manual to my new phone that II skimmed through also. One of my favorite things to read though was the 2008-2009 yearbook. It was really awesome to get to read the articles of the other students in Publications and remember all of the great memories I have of last year. I did not hold any of my smaller amounts of summer reading to the same standard as the novels, because it wouldn't be right to criticize a billboard for not using some form of symbolism. In the same way, a users manual couldn't be expected to have the thrill and constant range of emotions of Cormac McCarthy's The Road.

** I am glad you read Huxley! That novel gets mentioned A LOT in college! And you are spot on correct when you say it makes you look around at today's world with a different sort of awareness! (especially with our culture's fascination for just "being happy" and our belief that there's a pill to fix just about anything that ails us... not to mention the sexually promiscuous culture we see in everything from car to clothing ads!)

Consider the novel you read for the theme SELF-DISCOVERY.

What exactly was it that the novel's main character discovered about himself/herself? Explain how this discovery was an integral part of the novel's substance or core.

How was this discovery applicable to you as the reader? In what sense could it be applicable to ALL readers? What did you learn about YOURSELF as you watched the character change within the novel?

     Brave New World was also the book i chose for the category of self-discovery. The story is about a few main characters but the life of Bernard is particularly interesting. He is at the top of the social ladder by "birth" but falls short of the normal qualifications that Alpha's usually meet. Being different from those that he is expected to share his time with molds his character into one of a loner. He discovered during the course of the book that he was not like other people around him in that he was never happy or satisfied with the way of life and activities that others were. He was set apart by the alone time that he enjoyed and his love of nature. When he realized that he was different, it made him uncomfortable and throughout the rest of the novel he spent his time either trying to overcompensate for the way he knew he didn't live up to standards, or he was becoming addicted to fame and glory from people who don't even like or respect him. This leads to the savage's unhappiness as he brings him around like a show-dog and doesn't seem to care about his feelings. 

     This feeling of being lonely may comfort those who feel lonely themselves in life. It may also comfort them to know that other people besides them feel set apart from the groups. Many teenagers as well as young adults and also identify with being caught up in fake relationships and not taking the time to realize how truly empty their lives really are. 

     I learned how valuable my relationships are with my family and friends. I also love the way that I have freedom of choice in my everyday life. I have not been conditioned by the government to think only what they want me to. I am thankful for the capacity I have to feel sad and to feel angry because that helps me to know when I am truly feeling happy.