Title of the Book: Into The Wild
Author: Jon Krakauer
 Number of Pages: 215
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review: How does a young, healthy, intelligent, 24-year-old man go from graduating at the top of his class with $24k in the bank to winding up dead in a run-down bus in the Alaskan bush? This question is answered in the award-winning book Into The Wild by Jon Krakauer in which detail accounts were given by the drifters and other characters Chris McCandless came across on his 2 and a half year odyssey.      

Into The Wild brings you along the trip of Alex Supertramp (also known to his family as Chris McCandless) in which you see the idealistic view of true freedom to those that see past the haze of our modern society. You follow Alex through trail and tribulations such as him hitchhiking from South Dakota to California. Or the journey he takes down the Colorado River in a canoe and ending up in the golf of California before he finally meets his end in the Alaskan Bush. 

This book is unique in the sense that the organization of hopping in and out of time creates one of the most complex characters I have ever read. In the book, you see how Alex is seen as either the noblest idealistic man that has lived in the 21st century or an egocentric maniac who only cares for him and him alone. The complexity of the character also unravels the true meaning of freedom and brings up how you see freedom; whether it is only accessible by those willing to give up everything and only live with their own 2 feet, or if anyone can access it. 

The author Jon Krakauer is outstanding with his tone of mystery and the theme of true freedom showing through the most memorable scenes. Such as Alex ditching his car in the middle of a dessert and burning the rest of his money that he had in his pockets, or having this angelic lad randomly be able to play piano, stunning his friends at a local bar. It is scenes such as these in the book that you remember because it keeps shifting how you view Alex, making it impossible to quite figure out who he is or what he is thinking, only adding to the mystery of the whole story its self. 

At the end of the day, I highly recommend this book to anyone who is intrigued by the idea of true freedom and what it means in today's society.  Not only because of its’ brilliant writing and plot but also how the story holds your soul into viewing true freedom and courage to find that dream.

Behind The Scenes of Anna Kendrick

Title of the Book: Scrappy Little Nobody
 Author: Anna Kendrick
 Number of Pages: 271
 Rating: ☆☆☆


 Review:
An autobiography Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick. If you are someone who has trouble focusing when reading, or getting into any type of book, but know who Anna Kendrick is and find her even the slightest bit interesting, than I recommend that you read this book. This is a very easy book to read. Personally I have a hard time reading. I get very bored, quickly and easily. Although, this book was way easier for me to engage myself with. The fact that is very relatable definitely helps.

As most of you probably know. Anna Kendrick has a very funny personality but is a very… spacey person. Throughout the book, Anna gives a rundown of her life from a very young age. She also tells many stories of incidents that happen. She does skip around her life a little bit which makes it confusing but its only skipped around from when she was ten to about seventeen. Ms. Kendrick tells you about all the shows she has been in. From the smallest ones that didn’t go anywhere to the biggest ones, that impacted her life the most. She talks all about what happen during the making/ casting of the plays/shows/movies. You get very personal intel on who she was as a person and how it all has helped shape her into the person she is today.

Anna’s writing style is very easy to understand. She talks as most of us teenagers do. Straight to the point, not very many large, complicated words, and doest drag on too much about something to the point where it gets boring. Her tone throughout most the story is very laid back. Except when she is talking about any struggles or embarrassments, then you can tell shes flustered. She shows a lot of emotion in her writing where it is needed. If you have seen her movies or interviews than you can read it along in her voice which helps a lot. 

This is a book I would recommend thats an easy read and something that most can easily stay interested in throughout the whole story. This is a unique book because it isn’t biased like most literary nonfiction is. She doesn’t try and make you feel bad/sorry for her nor does she feel like yu should be excited that blank happen to her. 

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Number of Pages: 207
Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

If you have ever wanted to read a book about someone leaving the status quo then this is the book for you. Jon Krakauer masterfully tells the story of Chris McCandless. Chris donated almost all of his money to charity and took to the open road. He quickly ditches the car and after he burns the last of his money he sets off on foot. He hops from one place to another taking any ride he can find so he can find a new horizon every day. Along the way he changes his name and makes several friends while trying to convince them to try his way of living. On his journey he comes up with the idea to go on his own odyssey or as he called it his Alaskan Odyssey. Read this book to learn more about his epic journey.

Jon Krakauer uses his own mountaineering experience to help tell chris’s story. He starts every chapter with a quote from one of the books Chris brought with him on his journey. He uses a very unique style to tell the story by switching from one person's perspective to another to try and maintain chronological order.This is a really nice touch because it makes the book a really nice, smooth read.I would recommend this book to anyone who likes the outdoors or anyone interested in other lifestyles.

Title of the Book: “The distance between us” Author:Ryna Grande Number of Pages: 323 Rating: ☆☆☆☆ Review: This book is emotional and real. Imagine being left behind by your parents because your country's economy is broken.Not having enough money to live life correctly and bathing in brown water. This is a reality for Reyna when she was a child. This book is through the authors eyes as a child in Igala Mexico.Her mother and father leaves her and her two siblings with her grandmother. They go to America where they can send money to their children and make a living. There is Carlos, Reyna and margo and all three of them live with both grandparents at some point of the book and struggle. They have different emotions towards their parents and feel out of place every where they live. The kids finally cross the border with their father but without their mother or their little sister. Now they have a stepmom in America and the second half of the book is about her life with her father in America. 

The authors writing method is a memoir and chapters of her life. Half of the book is in Mexico and the other is in America. Her tone in the book is childish, sad and lost. This helps you understand how her childhood was so hard. The most memorable part of the book for me is when her father pays a coyote to sneak them past the border and how harsh this was on all of the kids. This is also memorable because they are afraid of being sent back to Mexico by their father but also by la migra.

 I recommend this book highly for 16 years and up. This is because people can learn from this and connect to the hardships she faces. This is an eye opener for me and could potentially be for others as well. 

A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah Number of Pages: 218

If you’re looking for a real page turner, “A Long Way Gone” by Ishameal Beah is just for you. Beah’s book is about his childhood growing up in Sierra Leone and how the rebels took everything he ever loved/cared about away. 

     The book starts off when Ishmael is about 12 years old, and rebels start going village by village, spreading chaos everywhere. Ishmael is forced to run for his life, and leave his family behind. Don’t worry, Ishmael isn’t entirely alone he forms a group of 7 boys he finds along the way. They go to villages looking for refuge, and food, and sometimes they’d be fresh out of luck. 

     As the war progresses, Ishmael slowly loses himself and stops showing emotion. He and his friends eventually get captured by the rebels or the RUF (revolutionary united front) and is forced to become a soldier. Beah is ordered to kill, do drugs, and many other horrible tasks. He becomes belligerent, and runs off of brown brown, and violence. 

     The UNICEF comes to rescue him from the nightmare, and is taken to a rehab center. There he learns how to be a human again,let people in, and most of all stay off drugs. Ishmael is given a new chance at life. If you enjoy memoirs, and non-fiction, go grab a copy of this book as soon as possible. 

Into Thin Air

Title of the Book: Into Thin Air
 Author: Jon Krakauer
Number of Pages: 416
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Review:
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to reach one of your life's goals and feel on top of the world, flooded with feelings of success. Only to realize that those feelings of success will soon turn into feeling as if you don't know if you'll ever live to tell the tale. That is what Jon Krakauer experienced during his adventure on Mount Everest. In Krakauer’s book Into Thin Air he was able to connect with the readers and explain the feeling of being afraid of not completing his life goal or living to tell the tale.

In the book, Into Thin Air, Krakauer joins a climbing service to reach to the top of Mount Everest. He explains the struggle of making it from base camp all the way to camp four. Along his journey through the camps, he goes into detail about the attributes of his teammates, along with explaining in depth his experiences with the struggles of climbing the tallest mountain in the world. Although the journey had many ups and downs, it really starts to unravel at the summit. As he began to descend from the summit Krakauer lived through what is now known as the Mount Everest Disaster of 1997. As he experiences the fatal deaths of his teammates his new life goal was to survive the storm and make it down the mountain. Into Thin Air  was Krakauer's way of sharing with the world of how he survived his life threatening journey.

Jon Krakeur has a unique way of writing his personal account of climbing Mount  Everest. Krakauer's journey was a once in a lifetime opportunity that only a few in the world experienced. His personal story forces the reader to put themselves in his shoes and  to get a feel for the emotions the disaster put him through. Krakeur was able to intrigue his readers by using a personal and solemn tone throughout his book. By using serious and heartfelt words, he able to connect and spark with the readers emotions, causing them to feel empathy for what krakauer was going through . Krakeurs extended use of commas throughout the book caused the reader to pause and take in the events that are transpiring. With Krakauer's writing style, language, and tone, it created a genuine atmosphere for the readers to lose themselves in while reading his book.

Throughout the book, the memorable moments readers are able away was how his journey up Everest affected his mindset and functionality. In chapter eleven when they lose their first team mate, it really set in how dangerous and life threatening this journey has become. Once he reached the bottom, a sigh of relief was experienced as well as a feeling of completion. If you are a reader who enjoys action and emotion, this is the book that will keep you on the edge of your seat. I would recommend this book for someone who is mature enough to handle tragic events that will tug at your heart.

Title of the Book: Night
Author: Elie Wiesel
Number of Pages: 115
 Rating: ☆☆☆☆
 Review:In 1944, Elie Wiesel was only 15 years old when the Nazis came for the 15,000 Jews of his home town.  the Jews of Eliezer’s town are forced into small ghettos within Sighet. Soon they are herded onto cattle cars, and a long journey of travelling in a small packed cattle car. After days and nights crammed, exhausted and near starvation, the passengers arrive at Birkenau Auschwitz.

His family was taken to Auschwitz, when they arrived his mother and sister were taken into a separate group. Elie and his father were forced into slave labor groups. Elie struggles day to day through starvation and exhaustion. His Jewish beliefs were suppressed because of Hitler and the German generals. The Jews are subject to beatings and repeated humiliations. A German general forces Eliezer to give him his gold tooth, which is pried out of his mouth with a rusty spoon. Eliezer himself begins to lose his humanity and his faith, both in God and in the people around him.

Wiesel’s tone, as you might expect in a book about Nazi concentration camps, is serious. There wasn’t really much happiness in the concentration camps. The tone is mournful, he mourns the loss of his family, the loss of his childhood, and the loss of his faith in God. The tone is also honest. Wiesel doesn’t shy away from describing moments in full detail. As a reader you would imagine the authors language and tone to be angry and hateful. His language and tone say the opposite. He stays away from blaming and judging people that treated him and his father terribly. Wiesel emphasizes the point that this situation was horrifying and brutal and never should be allowed to happen again. By creating this tone and honesty through his writing, he is able to create a unique read by giving full details really put the reader in his shoes. 

I would strongly recommend reading Night by Elie Weisel. Night is a good resource for learning about the Holocaust. Wiesel is very graphic in telling readers what went on in the camps. We can feel his horror and mourn with him. 

Title of the Book: Whipping Boy: The Forty-Year Search for My Twelve-Year-Old Bully
Author: Allen Kurzweil
Number of Pages: 292
Rating: ☆☆
Review:

           The childhood bully: we all either had one, were one, or in some cases were both victim and bully.  So, what do you do when as an adult you still not only remember your bully’s every transgression but feel traumatized by them?  You search for the bully of course.

Allen Kurzweil endured a year at a Swiss boarding school in 1971 with Cesar Augustus, the biggest and meanest boy at the school as his roommate.  Coming on the heels of his father’s death and feeling abandoned by his grieving mother, Cesar Augustus made Kurzweil’s 11^th year a living hell and the memories follow him far into adulthood.  From theft to whippings with a belt, to simply feeling alone and bereft in a new and frightening place, Kurzweil continues to relive his brief stay with long-lived memories.  As Kurzweil admits, “In 1971, I met a boy who changed my life forever.” And, “I began to acknowledge the obvious: Cesar had taken over my life.”

So, as an adult with a wife, young son, and a successful career as a writer, Kurzweil begins his search for his twelve-year-old bully.  Kurzweil must put his life on hold to finally put the memories to rest and with no Internet, begins a long journey of traveling, phone calls, and paper searches.  The search unfold with twits and turns as the reader gets to know more about Kurzweil and realize that he is not exactly an appealing protagonist and that Cesar Augustus has quite a background of his own – spanning continents and ending with his involvement in a brilliant, but ultimately flawed money scheming that included fake royalty, bilked law firms, and endless victims.  As the book progress, the reader starts to wonder how much of the search is actually about Cesar and more about Kurzweil never really dealing with the death of his father as a young child.

Kurzweil is avid and completely dedicated to his search, but quite frankly, the detail in which he writes about his search loses it’s appeal quickly as Kurzweil loses himself in self-pity and his writing wanders from its original track.  The reader slowly, very slowly unravels Cesar and his life and intentions as Kurzweil writes and both Kurzweil and the reader finally find a satisfying conclusion with not only Cesar who at this point has become secondary, but Kurzweil’s underlying intentions with his forty-year search when Kurzweil admits what the reader has thought all along,  Kurzweil  “The search for Cesar had always been, at its core, a search for someone else.  Observing his through a two-way mirror for as long as I had ultimately enabled me to catch reflections of myself in the glass.  And who stared back?  A victim.  An obsessive.  A boyfriend.  A husband.  A father.  A journalist.  A completionist.  A stalker.  A frightened five-year-old gripping the hand of his dying father.”

If you have the time and patience to unravel Kurzweil’s wandering and very slow revelations this book is for you.  If you are wanting to read about someone connecting with and confronting his childhood bully to grow as an adult, find another book.

Title of the Book: Into the Wild
Author: Jon Krakauer
Number of Pages: 215
Rating: ☆☆☆

Review:
Hitch-hiking from the West to the North seems almost unbearable for many people, but not for Chris McCandless. His final two years was spent doing exactly this, and he met many people whom he left an impact on after his Northern Alaskan Odyssey proved fatal. From hopping trains, to hitch-hiking, with little-to-no money, Chris was able to travel from state to state, living off the land whilst preparing for his big Alaskan adventure.
In the Spring of 1990, Chris McCandless graduated from Emory college, with the intention of leaving his education, family, and the few friends he had behind to walk into the wild. Before he left, he gave away the rest of his savings to charity. After, Chris took his yellow Datsun to Lake Mead, where he abandoned his car, a guitar and 25 pounds of rice, taking ten pounds with him, and burned the rest of his money and his ID. From Lake Mead, Chris began the long journey ahead. Chris's second destination was California, where he bought a canoe to travel down the Colorado River and the Mexican Channels. At this time, Chris took on a new alias: Alex Supertramp. As he made it upriver, he went to a town called Carthage, South Dakota. There he worked and made many friends. When he left his job to travel the west more, he decided he wanted to go on the ultimate voyage, what he called his Alaskan Odyssey. Two years later, in 1992, Chris's decomposed and starved body was discovered in the notorious abandoned Fairbanks Bus 142 by hunters.
What makes Into the Wild different from other books is, Jon Krakauer approaches Chris McCandless's death not just as an author, but as a fellow mountaineer as well. Krakauer subtly interrupts the enigmatic story of Chris McCandless with some of his own narrative so more people could better understand who Chris McCandless was, and why his story is so unique. Krakauer uses his talents of investigative journalism and his mountaineering experiences to tell Chris's story. During the beginning of each chapter, he wrote out many of the quotes that Chris had underlined in his books. Some of the best moments in the story were, when Chris burned his own money, and when he convinced one of his friend's he met on the road, Ronald Franz, to create a "radical change in his lifestyle" (Krakauer 56), and to learn how to be in nature.
This book is for readers who take an interest in mountaineering and learning about the unforgiving habitat that many hikers enter, including Chris McCandless. Krakauer included lots of important detail of the wildnerness that contributed to Chris's death. This book is very humbling in knowing that there are terrains of the world that are more powerful than any human could ever be, and there are many places that have been yet to be discovered. 

Title of the Book:The Glass Castle
 Author: Jeannette Walls
 Number of Pages:795 digital
 Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

 Review: Chances are, if you're reading this, then you have a fairly comfortable life. Sure , we all have our various struggles, but basic necessities are fulfilled. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls demonstrates a life not blessed with comfort, in a real and raw explanation that will make anyone more grateful for the life they lead. This memoir follows a young Jeannette through her struggles and experiences growing up. Along with her mother and father, and 3 siblings, Jeannette lived a nomadic life-- never staying in one place for too long. Her family was poor, her father an alcoholic who couldn't get a job and a stay at home mother, were constantly on the move trying to avoid the people to whom they owe money. This lifestyle comes with many hardships and is telling of a person's true colors; therefore things tend to get ugly at times when her father would get angry. Jeannette describes her experiences with positivity, and continues to respect her parents because they took care of her in their own way. This book is extremely unique because it provides a relatable and understandable view into a life many readers have not the chance to understand. The miniscule details aren't sugar coated, so this piece of writing is raw and provides an image of what it would be like to live in her shoes. The writing style is told mostly in flashbacks, and has a childish or old timey style to it. Throughout the recounting, she keeps a positive and optimistic tone, but doesn't shy away from describing the ills of her situation. Such as when a rat got into one of their homes and her mother insisted not to kill it. The rat traumatized the kids with its viciousness and ate their food, until one of their dogs killed it. Their mother still felt bad for the rat, and Jeannette's brother hung it from a tree as memorial. The neighbor saw the rat, and it was so big he thought it was a possum. He shot the rat off of their tree with a shotgun, leaving only the tail hanging off a branch. I highly recommend this book to anyone struggling on their own, or just to anyone who wants to experience a life not usually talked about. It has humbled me in my own ways, and it is sure to highlight certain topics that aren't usually seen.

Into Thin Air

Title of the Book: Into Thin Air
 Author: Jon Krakauer
 Number of Pages: 301
 Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Review:

         Into Thin Air is the chilling tale of the tragedy that took place on Mount Everest. It details the deadly expedition of an unfortunate team's adventure up and down the most unforgiving mountain in the world. Jon Krakauer is hired by Outside Magazine to go on an expedition of Mount Everest and write an article detailing the commercialism on the mountain. Throughout the book, Krakauer tells the story of his teammates in the expedition as he attempts to piece together the events. There were several mistakes made by his team which lead to tragedy on the mountain, and Krakauer tells this story to remember the people he climbed with. Krakauer’s autobiography is a chilling look at the events on Mount Everest that took the lives of several experienced climbers. Due to the tragic experience and the raw emotions within this book, I believe this book can be enjoyed by a wide audience. However, the retelling of the actual tragedy is rather blunt and graphic, and may not suit those who are faint hearted or young.
         Jon Krakauer is a very experienced mountain climber, and because of this, he is excellent at giving a very immersive reading adventure. This book is very unique in that it is an autobiography and the author uses words that are very specific to mountain climbing. He also explains the location of the events in great detail. Not only does he describe his experiences with vivid imagery, he bounces back and forth between present and past. This allows him to explain the after effects of the expedition whilst illustrating his story in detail.The technique of writing his past and present thoughts gives the reader a peek into the direct impact the tragedy has had on him. It is also incredibly impressive that Krakauer managed to tell the story so accurately despite having most of his memory clouded by oxygen deprivation as explain when in his book he said,"The Outside piece was as accurate as I could make it under the circumstances, but my deadline had been unforgiving, the sequence of events had been frustratingly complex, and the memories of the survivors had been badly distorted by exhaustion, oxygen depletion, and shock."
         This book is very memorable due to the bluntness with which Krakauer recounts his experience on Everest. For example, Krakauer explains the extreme guilt and regret he felt after leaving behind one of his teammates on the summit, and the shock he felt after witnessing the physical deformities caused by the freezing temperatures on Everest. It is also memorable in the way Krakauer mentions the way his team contacted the family members of the missing, and this was especially heartbreaking because the expedition was supposed to be a light, once in a lifetime experience. I would recommend this book to more adventurous people, and those who are interested in real life tragedy. I would not recommend this book to children who may not understand the finality of such tragedy, or those who do not believe they are capable of handling such graphic details. I believe Into Thin Air is a very interesting book that many could enjoy.

Without You, There Is No Us

Title of the Book: Without You, There Is No Us
Author: Suki Kim
Number of Pages: 285
Rating: ☆☆☆☆

North Korea is a subject of morbid fascination. Living in a largely free and globalized world, it’s hard to imagine that a nation could survive with neither quality. The country keeps its dying ecosystem alive with nationalist propaganda taken to an extreme, mythologizing its dictators into a pantheon of glorious falsehoods. For Americans, the idea of such ideals taken to such an extreme is met with bewildered curiosity, and it is rare than one can become basically informed without raising more questions on their own. In addition, curated images of the country’s wellness created by the government make few facts concrete. Suki Kim’s Without You, There Is No Us brings a candid, personalized picture of what the seedy underbelly of North Korea looks like, even from the meticulously crafted yet limited world she had been placed in. 

Even with relatively conscious media coverage of North Korea, it’s rare that the perspective on the country is so balanced and aware. Many westerners have read a think piece or two on the horrid brainwashing of North Korean citizens, but few have seen them portrayed as more than a sympathetic prop to a larger, more gruesome problem. Kim’s memoir, however, gives an in-depth account into what living with lifelong propaganda looks like for even the most elite. She treats the government control as less of a novelty, and more of a fact of life. The perspective that can be gained from reading just how afraid the students of the university are is consistently more impactful than a shocking exposé will ever be. While the writing style of the book is rather blended and often difficult to place chronologically, it only tends to add to the description of just how blandly terrifying one’s day-to-day looks like. Even so, plenty of breaks in narrative to speak more personally of Kim’s experience as a Korean immigrant with a family torn by war are added to enrich the story even further. Coupled with the layers of falsehoods the author was required to use in order to secure and keep her position, Without You, There Is No Us proves to be a fascinating read from both a psychological and investigative perspective.

Admittedly, there is a bit of confusion as to how the book is marketed. While many, including Kim herself, insist that it stands as investigative journalism, the book is labeled and generally flows more as a memoir. The twists are less large and explosive than the typical reporting on North Korea, heavily influenced by stylistic choices to create a more psychologically-driven story. Without You, There Is No Us relies most on the psyche of North Korea’s citizens and surrounding inhabitants, which could be a turn-off for many. If looking for investigative journalism that dives deep into the suspicious government and gruesome tactics used by it, one might find themselves disappointed. The book is, deep down, a personal account, one to be taken as an experience rather than an exposé or an undercover drama. It is best read as an answer to questions about the day-to-day of the more fortunate than a traditional look into the blatant darkness of a totalitarian regime. 

Without You, There Is No Us is honestly a book I would recommend, specifically for the subversive qualities it holds. Anyone who appreciates psychological thrillers or simply holds curiosity beyond morbid fascination would find it to be a fascinating read. The book is a deep and personal look into a country that is heavily covered by American media, but rarely from a Korean perspective. The book is deep beyond concrete facts and statistics, and acts almost as a look behind the layers sheer curtain presented by those in control. It is filled with heart and humanity that is hard to see when bombarded with sensationalized and even demonized headlines. It is both candid and mysterious, presenting a reality both glamorous and deeply cold at the core. Few accounts are able to capture this dichotomy, making Without You, There Is No Us a worthwhile read that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Into the Wild

Title of the Book: Into the Wild
Author: Jon Krakauer
 Number of Pages:215
 Rating: ☆☆☆
 Review:
       Surviving with no money, the clothes on your back and limited resources is no easy task. Chris McCandless successfully did this for over two years of his life. hopping from state to state, living off the land, and making little money to pay for his supplies when he needed to, Chris McCandless went across the west ranging from Colorado to California, down to Mexico and up to Alaska trying to only survive off the land.
        After graduating college in 1990, McCandless set off to live off the land, not telling his parents or family anything, leaving them in wonder for two years. Taking his car from college in Atlanta he traveled to the mid west, Lake Mead to be exact, near the Nevada and Arizona borders. From there McCandless abandons his car, burns all his money, and leaves his identity behind. From there he traveled to California living on the streets and eventually gets a canoe and travels down to Mexico channels of water, going unnoticed by border patrol. Making his way back up into the states, McCandless makes friends in South Dakota in a town named Carthage. He worked there until he decided it was time to move again and moved to Arizona. Moving from place to place every few month, McCandless came up with his ultimate voyage, to survive in the new frontier, Alaska.
       This book is very unique because it's based off McCandless experiences  in  his journal and the people he met wandering around the west. The Author does a good job incorporating McCandless' experiences to the best of his ability, considering he never knew him. Most of his facts come from the people that new McCandless before his Alaska Voyage. This makes the book biased to what those people knew of him and how the author relates to McCandless. The author does an amazing job adding great detail to the people, places and experiences of events in story of McCandless. He uses stories of other adventurers and an anecdote of his own experiences so the reader can compare them and McCandless story. A few memorable moments from the book are; when McCandless burns, his money and abandons his car, when he survived in Mexico for almost a month on rice and fish, and his time surviving in the Alaskan wilderness.
       I would recommend this book to people who like a story about being in the wilderness or trying to survive on very little and with as little help as possible. I felt as if the book is drawn out in places to include as much detail as possible, which is nice sometimes but I feel like there was a little more than there needed to be. Overall it was a good book and an enjoyable read.
     

I am Malala

Title of the Book: I am Malala

Author:  Malala Yousafzai 

Number of Pages: 288

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

Review: 

How far would you go to fight for something you believe in? In the book Malala stands up for education and never backs down even though she is being threatened by the Taliban. This book is an autobiography about her life, from before she got shot to the after effects of her being shot. Malala begins her story as a young girl who lives in Pakistan in modern times. As a teenager, Malala becomes very outspoken about the rights of girls to have an education. Since she is standing up for this belief, this makes her a target for the Taliban, a religious group that has very different ideas about the roles of women in Pakistan society. Every day she would continue on with her goal, and every day she would be a target for the Taliban. Malala is so

determined to continue her education that she sneaks to school, hiding her books and abandoning her school uniform. When it appears there will be laws prohibiting school for girls altogether, Malala becomes very vocal on the subject. With the support of her parents and her determination she continued on with her mission. This eventually led to the Taliban shooting her in the head one day at school. She was rushed to the hospital right after and with the help of doctors and new technology she survived. Malala and her family fled to Britain and are still there today. The Taliban claims responsibility for the attack which left Malala in serious condition and two of her classmates injured. Malala dreams of returning to her home one day. This book relates to globalization in many different ways. Malala’s story has inspired many people around the world,especially women that everyone should deserve an education and with the right determination anyone can make a difference.Malala’s biggest influence are her parents, and especially her father. Malala is the oldest of three children. Her father is a teacher who works hard to fulfill his dream of building a school.Malala’s mother agrees with the majority of the rules, but she does the shopping and other It is to my understanding that Malala was an advocate for children’s rights especially females. She spoke out publicly against the prohibition on the education of girls impacted by the TTP a clan attempting to assassinate malala at fifteen,but failed. In 2014 Yousafzai and Kailash Satyarthi were awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace in recognition of their efforts on behalf of children’s rights. The daughter of a social activist and educator, Yousafzai was an excellent student. Her father who established and administered the school she attended, Khushal Girls High School and College in the city of Mingora encouraged her to follow in his path. In 2007 the Swat valley, once a vacation destination, was invaded by the TTP. Led by Maulana Fazlullah, the TTP began creating strict Islamic law, destroying or shutting down girls’ schools, banning women from any active role in society, and carrying out suicide bombings. Yousafzai and her family left the region for safety, but they returned when tensions and violence eased. I feel as if malala I feel as if malala is going to go places and life as she already has, and strike against the people who are not for her and get through it. This book is unique in the fact that I feel as if not many people would stand up for their rights as malala did which is heroic. I feel as if she has inspired me in may different ways by the way she uses her methods of education over violence. She was awarded as the youngest nobel prize winner in which proves she is a hero for education towards children. 

Into Thin Air review

Title of the Book: Into Thin Air

Author: Jon Krakauer

Number of Pages: 333

Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Review:

Nature is so beautifully unpredictable, some places are more fortunate than others, like the Himalayan Mountain Range. The five highest peaks in the world are all located in this mountain range, making it the destination of many climbers who desires to conquer Everest’s peak. But, is it worth one’s life? Is $65,000 really the value of our lives?

Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer is a literary nonfiction book that narrates the deadly events occurred on May 10, 1996, from the point of view of one of the survivors. Since Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay ‘conquered’ Everest, people around the world were thrilled and wanted to accomplish the same without thinking the dangerous it was. Krakauer has been a passionate climber that did not lose the opportunity to climb Mount Everest when he was offered this opportunity. He was asked to go on a guided expedition to Everest and write an article for Outside, where he worked. Because he has never climbed with a large group, he was somewhat worried about the dangerous risk this can bring, but little did he know that nature can be more dangerous than some trust issues. Hall was the leader of Krakauer’s expedition group, where everyone has paid $65,000 in order to reach the summit. On May 10, 1996, one of the most tragic events in the history of climbing occurred. It is registered that eight people died and many more ended both physically and psychologically injured.

This literary nonfiction book narrates the horrifying experience that Jon and many others went through, creating a sense of sympathy for real events that have happened whereas, in fictional books, readers have sympathy for fictional situations which can lead to the misunderstanding of the struggles from people in our society. And not only the tragic event makes this book unique but also the author’s use of literary techniques that help to the concise narrative. Krakauer has explained that he waited a year to write this book because he wanted everything clear and not affected by the need for oxygen that Everest caused. During 1996, Mount Everest became very commercialized making this a principal theme of the story. The story also had a shifting tone; in low altitudes, the tone was animated and assertive whereas, in high altitudes, it was ambivalent and confused. The tones change along with the need for oxygen which makes one critical thinking malfunction. Moreover, mountaineering diction attracts sports fans.

This book has many memorable moments such as the moment in which Krakauer finally recovered his ‘conscience’ and realize he was alive, but soon was hit with guilt for not rescuing the people he could, like Namba.  Or when Jon Krakauer and Neal Beidleman reunited and talk about what they went through in a way that both provided comfort to each other in a simple way like listening.

I recommend this book because it teaches the importance of trust in a group. It also helps sharpen one’s ability to concise important information while note-taking, in this book every little detail was important and those detail led to the tragic event on May 10. This book is not only for students also for sports fans most likely climbers who are also wanting to climb Everest. I highly recommend this book whether is for educational purposes or if seeking thrilling experiences.

Title of the Book: A Movable Feast
Author: Ernest Hemingway
Number of Pages: 256
Rating: ☆☆☆

Review:
    Before A Movable Feast begins, Ernest Hemingway sets the tone by providing a quote to a friend saying that Paris is an experience that will shape the rest of your life. This quote is essentially what the rest of the book builds on. The memoir describes Hemingway’s experiences as a young and poor writer in the 1920's. Much of theses experiences and hardships are connected with friends and his relationships with other people, including Scott Fitzgerald and Gertrude Stein.

    The plot of A Movable Feast is odd in the way that it doesn’t really exist. Hemingway more or less recounts his time in Paris and writes it as he remembers. In general, each chapter is dedicated to one experience or hardship with one other person. Everything from betting on horses to vacationing with Scott Fitzgerald to ski trips is included with very loose connections between the events.

    What this memoir lacks in clear plot development, I think it makes up for in the quality of the  writing. It could just be the French influence in the language, but I found myself completely captivated by the way Hemingway wrote. He remembers the address of every building and describes Paris and the people he met in such an elegant way that he makes even the most mundane activities sound fascinating. I think this is what makes Hemingway's memoir unique. The tone stays relatively constant with subtle fluctuations to reflect his internal struggle.

    Looking at the book as a whole, if you are choosing a book for a good plot or a perspective altering message, I would suggest you find another book. However, if you enjoy well crafted language and maybe know some french, I would recommend it to you. The person who can appreciate the language of the book and look over the abnormal plot will get the most enjoyment out of it.

Rena's Promise

Title of the Book: Rena's Promise

Author: Rena Kornreich Gelissen

Number of Pages: 255

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ 

Review:

Lice biting at your head. Rats scurrying at your feet. Scarred and bloodied hands from throwing bricks and shoveling dirt. Little food, no showers. Could you imagine living like this? Well, Rena Kornreich Gelissen didn't have to imagine. For three years and forty-one days, Rena and her sister Danka were imprisoned in Auschwitz- Birkenau: the most notorious concentration camp during the Holocaust. 

Rena's Promise tells a tale of two sisters who fought all odds to survive the horrors of the concentration camps. This is a unique Holocaust story because Rena was among the first transport to Auschwitz; most people on the first transport did not live to tell the tale. Danka, Rena's sister, soon followed. As Rena recounts her three years in captivity, her detailed descriptions of the starvation and treacherous work she faced will chill you to the bone. Readers of Rena's Promise can relate to her serious tone throughout the memoir, and it makes the audience feel as if they had lived through the terrors of the Holocaust as well.  

When Rena first arrived at Auschwitz, she was portrayed as a doe-eyed girl who thought she would do a few months of simple work and return to her family. Oh, how wrong she was. However, Rena found the strength to survive through her crafty organization and the promise that soon she could whisk her sister away from the horrendous camp and finally provide a good life for her. From trading bread for medicine when Danka had scabies to bravely passing notes for war information, Rena strove to protect her sister and survive in the camps. When Rena was put in Dr. Mengle's detail, she thought it was finally a break and got Danka to join her. But it soon came to Rena's attention that Dr. Mengle's detail was not all fun and games. Dr. Mengle was the one who found new methods of torture, and he used the girls to do it. Rena bravely snuck out of the detail with Danka in hand despite the danger of doing so. Both Danka and Rena would have died, but Rena's bravery and devotion to her sister saved their lives. 

If you are a history buff or just like reading a fantastic survivor story, Rena's Promise is the memoir for you. This must-read book does describe some gruesome events, so be prepared. If anything, you should read Rena's Promise to recognize the struggles of people during the Second Great War, but be warned: the sad truth will move you to tears.