The things they carried 1

This book is way more than just an anthology of stories about vietnam. It's a study on the idea of truth. O'brien again and again states that some of the stories in the book are truer than they would be if they had actually happened. I find this interesting, it sort of makes truth a metaphysical concept rather than a statement of fact. Also, the stories are very well written, in particular The Sweetheart of the Song Tra Bong, which has a haunting quality about it.

beloved country 1

J-burg is awesome! It is a fantastically dystopian city, populated largely by people who have come hoping to find a brighter future only to be sucked into a vicious cycle of poverty and oppression. Absalom is one such person, and a large portion of the plot so far follows his path through his places of residence, which become more and more sketchy. My prediction is that when he is finally found, he will have been so changed that his father won't even know him.

Cuckoo's nest 2

AHA! I realize what Kesey did in this book! He used archetypes! Murphy, the Chief, and Billy all represent different roles people play in society, much like the boys in Lord of the Flies (collective groan). Kesey postulates that the only way to beat today's totalitarian system is to remain innoffensive but never submissive, biding your time until the oppurtunity for true escape presents itself. Excellent!

catcher in the rye 2

Notably, the man who killed John Lennon said he was compelled to do so after reading this book, as did a man who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan. I felt no desire to kill anyone after reading it, just a continued feeling of irritation towards George Bush.

Catcher in the rye

A powerful book full of adolescent emotions. or rather, adolescent lack of emotion. The narrator shifts between a shallow range of vaguely unhappy feelings, ranging from mild depression to listlessness to melancholy. I rather liked it though, it's a book I am able to identify with on many levels.

One flew over the cuckoo's nest

An incredible book so far, while obviously written by a man in an altered state of mind, I'm not one to cast judgement upon Mr. Kesey's habits. The radical, semi-logical imagery of the books narrator strikes a chord in me. It gives form to themes of totalitarianism and the fragile inner workings of human beings by using technology as a metaphor. I'm going to wait until I finish the book to watch the movie, but I'm looking forward to it, Jack Nicholson is totally suited to play murphy's role