Some Recent Books

1.    Watchmen- This was my first graphic novel and it was my introduction to many books like it.  I loved the story line because it was written to coincide with the Vietnam and Cold War.  It was interesting to read about how the lives of these ‘super-heroes’ changed the course of history.  Also, I always like dark, twisted books, and it was exciting to read about how supposedly ‘heroes’ were actually corrupt.
2.    A Clockwork Orange- This is one of my favorite books of all time.  I read it this summer and first read the book, then followed along with it while watching the movie, and finally researched the making, writing, and history of it.  I love reading books about alternate worlds, especially a very dark one, where crime was committed.
3.    The Odyssey- Reading the Odyssey was iconic to me.  I realized that it provides the base for many movies and other books, and it was interesting to read about the toils of such a tremendous hero.  After reading the book, I discovered that many movies I liked, such as Oh Brother Where Art Thou?  And Cold Mountain Are interpretations of the Odyssey. The trials of a traveling wandering such as Odysseus can be found in culture everywhere and it was cool to read about where the idea came from.
4.    Theodore Rex- This is one of the only historical biographies I had ever read and it really was an eye-opener.  Not only did it make me respect Theodore Roosevelt very much, it gave me a historical perspective and explained to me the foundation that most of our country is set upon today.  It fascinated me to learn how much things have changed, and Theodore Roosevelt is one of the most interesting people I have ever read about.
5.    The Red Death- Edgar Allen Poe is one of my favorite writers because I am intrigued by much dark literature.  The Red Death especially was my favorite by Poe because of its dark nature.  The disease that caused the death disgusted me and the horror of the mansion they were in is written like nothing else.  A symbol of the grim reaper even comes into play, to suggest that there is a higher nature working at this.  The entire concept and dark influence fascinated me to an extreme extent.
6.    Lord of the Rings-  After watching The Fellowship of the Ring, I found myself facing one of my favorite stories of all time.  I, afterward, read both The Two Towers and The Return of the King.  I had to finish both the books before watching the movies.  The vast complexity of the story, and background from which is created is so in depth and well written, that I read The Return of the King in almost one sitting.  I found it so interesting that every race had a different background, making the story flow very well, and it was filled with much adventure.  This book then lead me to begin my interest in other fantasy series, movies, and books.
7.    Farenheight 9/11- I read this book at Chaparral High School as part of the English course and it sparked my interest in tales of an altered world again.  Just like A Clockwork Orange, the story by Ray Bradbury takes place in a completely different world, where this time, everything is opposite.  This concept was so entertaining, that after reading some, I would just sit back and think of how this different society would affect every part of my life (590).

Summer Reading- A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

This summer, I encountered two of the most fascinating books I have ever read.  They both involve the evolution of a person’s mind.  The first book I read was A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess and the second was Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe.  Both were extraordinary books and exemplified how a person’s change in mindset can, in fact, change that person as a whole.   A Clockwork Orange, in particular, stressed this aspect of the human mind and I found it very interesting.

  First of all, I like to read books involving a different world in which the norms accepted are drastically different from those in society today.  The world of crime in which A Clockwork Orange takes place greatly intrigued me for it exemplified a world in which crime, above all else, prevailed.  The main character and his “droogs” take part in the crime as well.  Also, the slang used in the dialect of the book, and of the narrator, Alex, made it interesting to read because it is similar to modern English, yet very different.  Using words like “horrorshow” in place of “good” and “cutter” in place of “money”, the book made me imagine a world in the future, in which the slang we used drastically takes over.

The state of mind interested me the most though.  The book starts out with Alex and his gang with criminal minds, going through the city, beating people up, and raping innocent women.  The narrator’s tone changes drastically between this point and after Alex comes out of the hospital.  Due to watching films of brutality, rape, and murder alone, doctors erase moral choice from Alex’s mind and turn him into an innocent, normal citizen.  I found this idea very exciting because erasing the moral choice from a person not only changes his/her behavior, but also questions if he/she is a person or not.  Choice is a huge part of being a human being in my opinion, and it is proven throughout this book, that the elimination of this aspect can alter a person entirely.  This terrible realization that the modification of Alex’s mind is unacceptable is made at the end of the book though, and in consequence, they change his mind back to “criminal-like.”  I found it interesting that the government in A Clockwork Orange found this “mind-changing” inhumane (as would I) and therefore, had to face the ramifications of changing Alex back.

After further reading about the writing of the book, I also discovered that the final chapter that I had read was not included in many books.  I found this very interesting because the last chapter describes Alex’s ability to face morality and make the right decision on his own, after have given back his criminal mind.  If Burgess had left this out in some versions, he would have implied that Alex stayed a criminal forever.  This idea further stresses the point that morality and choice are both parts of being human and are important aspects of life.  After reading A Clockwork Orange, I much contemplated the severity of changing one’s mind involuntarily and how changing it changes the person as a whole (524).