Cat's Cradle

Cat's Cradle is the book my philosophy group has chosen to read, and so far I have a lot of feeling on the story. First off, it's a very bizarre book, almost nothing like books that I have read before. The author Kurt Vonnegut, starts with the main character Jonah and his 'religious' group the Bokonons, and branches off from there to talk about much smaller details from the main point of Jonah writing a book about the bomb on Hiroshima. In a way, it's kind of confusing, but it's new and fresh for me so I enjoy it's originality. But is there a purpose for Vonnegut going off on small, so seeming useless journeys from the main plot line. I say no. The story is based around Jonah, and Bokonon, the religion he follows. I believe these smaller parts to the story will eventually fit together, explaining more about Bokonon and how Jonah went from being a christian, to a Bokonon. In a way this style of writing builds up from small, to large, and you just have to continue going along with it, to see the final outcome. Possibly, the thing that pushes Jonah to join his certain religious group is the bomb on Hiroshima, and how he is going to write a book on it and one of the main creators of the bomb, Doctor Hoenikker. For that is what provokes Jonah to go out on the quest to write his story, thus causing the smaller, comedic side stories to occur.
         Another part of Cat's Cradle that I find very interesting is the portrayal of Doctor Hoenikker. In some ways, I would consider him to be a lot like my interpretation of Vonnegut. It seams like both of them have minds that stray. For example, Vonnegut writes the book in a way that wanders from the main point, but for a purpose, and Hoenikker's mind wanders, but because he is trying to discover more about science and how he can contribute to the good of man kind. Possibly Vonnegut made Hoenikker to be a portrayal of himself? Hopefully I will be able to learn more about this connection and discover more as I continue to read Cat's Cradle.

The Case of the One Eyed Witness

I have come back to the mystery book I was working on called Perry Mason and the Case of the One Eyed Witness. So far, I am not completely liking the book. I feel like the case that the detective/attorney is working on is already to convoluted, and some aspects are not to clear. Yet, some of these parts of the story reference to the time period it was originally written in, the 1950s, which means that it is written using a style and mentioning items and ways of life that I am not familiar with.

House Rules

I have just started reading House Rules, which means I am currently reading about three books at the moment. The book really has given me a deeper insight to Autism. Before now, I regarded the syndrome as a mild mental disorder, which only effected the person who carried the syndrome in a social way, meaning they would have a harder time making friends, and carrying out normal conversations. Yet on the other hand, they would be extremely smart, and to me, this almost made Autism in my eyes not so serious of an issue. But reading House Rules has changed all that, the book is about an Autistic teenager, and his struggles he and his family have to deal with. I realized that Autism really has very few benefits, things that regular people take as granted, Autistic people have to deal with. Even such small things as the color orange, paper crumpling, or being touched, might cause Autistic people to go off on a tantrum. This obviously not only effects the person with the disorder, but their family which have to take care of him or her. Such tasks as even making friends and being accepted are close to impossible. Yet the book not only showed me the disheartening effects of Autism, it showed me life in Autistic peoples eyes, and the good they have. The story alters between the life of Jacob, his mother, and Theo his brother. The reader is able to see Jacob's life, and through this, it showed me that Jacob tries his best to stop himself from having tantrums, and explains in his own words how he can not make friends but would so dearly like to have one. Only a few chapters in to the book, my views of Autism have changed, and I have learned a lot about the disorder and the challenges Autistic people face. I look forward to continue to read this book, and analyze my thoughts and feelings about Jacob and the story.

Right Behind You

I have taken a one week break from my current read, The Case of the One Eyed Witness and have instead been reading a bit easier of a read which has intrigued me. Right Behind You  by Gail Giles is a teen social issue book. I don't often read these, but thought that it might be interesting to pick up and read for a few days. The basic plot line is about a young boy named Kip, who is provoked one warm summer day in the Alaskan wilderness, to do the unthinkable, burn a child. He is at a difficult time in his life, his mother has passed away, and he is on bitter terms with his father who is barely getting the two by. It just so happens that on one day when he is bickering with his father, his pier, Bobby comes by to his house to show off his new baseball mitt, he then proceeds to brag about it, and eventually gets Kip to feel very jealous. Kip, not knowing what he is doing, throws lighter fluid on Bobby and takes a lighter which he tosses at Bobby, and he burst into flames. Bobby dies soon after, and Kip faces the long road of facing court, and rebuilding his life in a center for criminal children.
     So far in my reading this story, I find it very sad and depressing, which is my leading factor to not reading social issue books, but also entertaining. I believe the authors main goal in writing the story is to touch on the difficulties of changing your life, and moving on from your past experiences. This is very difficult for Kip in the story, and is a good analogy for victims of such horrible events. Not just the one who gets physically hurt, like Bobby did, but the one who is mentally hurt, Kip. Bobby's pain ended when he died, yet Kips continues long after the horrific incident, and most likely on through the rest of his life. He always has to live with the burden of killing a child, and the guilt that comes with it. I believe the key to avoiding such a life of guilt and shame, is to let it be in the past, and move on to the future, this is an incredibly hard task to achieve, we will always be the same person, and carry the memories of the past, but sometimes it is best to let the bad ones go, learn from your mistakes, and move on to the future. Some might say that the inflictor of the crime, in this case Kip, should always live with the guilt, but I say not. For if this person lives with the guilt, then their life will be ruined and they will never want to enjoy the goods of life. Isn't it better for only one life to be lost by death, then one lost by death and another lost by shame? I look forward to continue to read this intriguing story and analyzing more of the authors purpose.

The Case of the One-Eyed Witness

I am currently reading The Case of the One Eyed Witness by Perry Mason. This is the first time I have read a mystery novel n a long time, so I was interested to see how I liked them now. The story has several themes going on in it at the same time, which make it slightly hard to follow but interesting at the same time. The first mystery theme to enter the story has to do with a frantic woman who calls Mr. Mason late at night claiming that he is to receive a package shortly and that when he does he must deliver it to a man named Carlin. Once the phone call is over, Mr. Mason sees a distressed Cigarette girl in the restaurant he is in, and decides to confront her. He finds out that the young woman had her daughter take in from her by her husband, and can not find the two any where. The third theme that really takes effect in the story is after Mr. Mason wishes the cigarette girl well and leaves to find this mysterious Carlin. He is eagerly invited into the man's house and over a cup of coffee in the late night, explains to Carlin the interesting phone call from the frantic woman, and a message that she wanted him to here, "you are to get a new partner." The incident means nothing to Carlin and he claims he does not have the slightest idea what this woman is talking about. All three conflicts appear to have nothing in common, but I believe not. I have a feeling that they are very much all interwoven. Perhaps Mr. Carlin is not admitting everything that he knows; and the cigarette girl is involved without even realizing it? Often in mystery novels, all of the little stories wind up to one larger conflict. Hopefully however, I can deduce more of the mystery over the coarse of me reading, this and try and discover the mystery along with the detectives!

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe 2

    This is my second blog post on The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, I am nearing the end of the story, and a lot has happened since the last post I had written.
    Zaphod is on a small mission to find this mysterious person named Zarniwoop, Zaphod has no idea who this person is, apparently, the reason to why he needs to find this man (or woman) has some connection to the man who rules the universe, and the reason he does not know himself is because it is locked somewhere away in the corner of his brain. Why his brain won't let him know about these strange intention's we don't know. It just so happens to be another one of the aspects of this novel that makes it so randomly stupid and funny, yet there are hints that it will be revealed later on in the plot. So Zaphod is lead by his brain to the publication office of the famous book The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy (an encyclopedia which contains all the knowledge needed on the universe, the series centers on it hence the name of the first book.) Here he meets a strange man named Roosta who claims he is to help Zaphod on his quest to find Zarniwoop. At this turning point moment in the book however, the building in which both men are in is ripped out of the ground by a giant spaceship which starts to fly away with them in it to a planet, according to Roosta, called Frogstar. Here, Zaphod will be eliminated for someone, or something does not want Zaphod to discover Zarniwoop and the ruler of the universe. Yet as they land on this ominous empty planet, Zaphod outwits Frogstar fighters (minions of this unknown creature whom does not want Zaphod to find Zarniwoop) and runs away with Roosta. Roosta then leaves Zaphod and tells him to hide before anyone can find him.
     As I read all of this, I noticed that the whole lay out of the book completely switched around. In the first book, the whole story was laid out in a very comedic nonsensical way, yet now it seems much more serious and deep, as if something serious is going to happen. Yet there is still a sense of humor penetrating through this, but the sense of danger is still somewhere within it all. It shows how quick a story or even real life can change, even in the so seeming happy moments, there can be an evil presence, which lurks wherever least expected.

The Restaurant at the End of the Universe

          This novel is the sequel to Douglas Adams The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. The story continues as it was left off. Arthur Dent, Ford Prefect, and Zaphod Beeblebrox have just narrowly escaped the planet Magrathea and those on it who want to catch Zaphod for fleeing the position of President of the Galaxy. Once a fair distance away from this hostile planet, Arthur Dent, main character, and his gang decide to go and get  something to eat at the restaurant at the end of the universe. But before they are to go any further, they are suddenly under attack from a Vogan ship. Vogans are some of the most vile, dangerous aliens there are in the universe. As the reader, we understand from the Vogans view that they are being paid to conduct the elimination of these three beings, yet we are not to sure why. Onboard the ship, Zaphod summons his great grandfather to help him escape the evil grasp of the Vogans during a seance. His witty great granddad, agrees to help him by using his super dead powers. The next thing we as the reader know know in the story, Zaphod mysteriously finds himself  far away from his spaceship, in a completely different world, only with the slightest notion that he is to find a person named Zarniwoop.
         Like most of Douglas Adams novels, they are mostly utterly confusing on purpose in order to create a comical setting. But underneath it's funny outside exterior, there is a slight sense of the unknown, a feeling of not knowing where the characters are going to do next, or what they are going to do. One reason for this is in the character Zaphod Beeblebrox. Often in the story, the narration will focus on Zaphod, and his thoughts, one example of this is when Zaphod repeatedly claims that there are thoughts locked away in his brain. What are these thoughts? The reader does not know, but they are the driving force of the story, for there is a strong possibility that the quest of these three people revolve around them, for often the narrator stops to talk about them. Due to this, we never know what next will appear within Zaphods mind and how that effects the story line.