As we are finishing our first free choice book assignment, it’s time to decide what you will read next. The next unit is titled, “A Sense of Place, A Sense of Self.” The essential questions for the unit are: What is our responsibility to nature and the environment? What place anchors us? How does the sense of place affect our sense of self? Use the unit theme and the guiding questions to help you select a book that will deepen your understanding of these concepts.
You are encouraged to work on this assignment with one or two other students who read the same book (Hand out for the assignment will be available next week). Please start exchanging ideas and book recommendations here.
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Ok i just got done reading The Post-American World and i must say its a Must-Read! if anyone is intrested in stuff going on in the world right now its a great commentary of the worlds modern infastructure. Although i can't read it again, I strongly suggest people to group up and read this one, it dominates! Awareness Club members are even more encouraged to read this, if you do youll get extra credit in the awarness club! :)
ReplyDeleteBill Bryson’s A Short History of Nearly Everything
ReplyDeleteOk so I finally finished this book and it was amazing! Bryson’s novel gives incredibly detailed information about the existence of life, our species, and even the creation of the universe. Personally I found this book to be one of the best novels that I have ever had the pleasure of reading! Now to those of you who read this blog understand that I am a person who has and always will be fascinated by this sort of information. So to those who are not sure that they want to read five hundred pages of straight fact/ information then I would not suggest this novel for you, but if you are interested in this sort of info then you will be hard pressed to find a better book on the topic.
P.s. To those who are reading this and are wondering if this book may go against something you believe in. I want to say that at no point in this novel does it refute or argue religion, in fact they actually the bible as support at times.
P.s.s To those who may question the credibility of this novel, I only have one question for you. How many novels have you read that actually have a 10 PAGE bibliography at the end.
Second free choice book???
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, I would strong recommend the novel “They Poured Fire On Us From The Sky,” for anyone who wants to get a true account of what really happened and what is still happening to the lost boys of Sudan, their story is touching.
Also, I really liked the Poisonwood Bible and for my next free choice book I wanted to read something else by her. I’m looking at “The Bean Tree” or “Animal Dreams.” Has anyone read either of these or would anyone maybe like to form a book club and read one with me?
More on A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
ReplyDeleteOk, so in my last blog on this page I gave a very brief overview of what this book is about. So since I sort of skipped on the details I will try to do better this time around, that and I’m not sure what else to blog about. So essentially the book starts out by giving the reader insight and examples on how the universe was created. Bryson then conveys to the reader the immeasurable size of the universe and its seemingly impossible lengths. He then shrinks his perspective down to our solar system the Milky Way and how our sun is just one of about 100 billion other ones just like it in our solar system. Afterward, Bryson then goes on to shrink his perspective more, and talks about our Earth. He states what the earth is made of he talks about its size, and other not so well know facts such as the speed of the earth’s rotation and even the earth’s mass (mg) which is 5,000 million million tons. Then for most of the book thereafter Bryson discusses many of the revolutionary scientists that formed a foundation for us to build a world on such as Isaac Newton and Albert Einstein. He speaks of their philosophies and their mathematical believes and proofs that have proven some of the most puzzling aspects of life. Throughout his novel, Bryson also sprinkles in so many facts including his take on Darwinism and evolution; he also talks about what our planet is made of, an extraordinary combination of metals so hot the would set fire to anything they came into contact with. He also talks about interesting temperature variations in our atmospheres and describes in detail the power and complexities of the human body down to every proton. To close out his novel, Bryson gives a brief walk through what he depicts as the creation of man. This is something I failed to mention in my previous blog, so those who may be weary of facts should stray away from the this novel but those who embrace outside ideals should gravitate towards it.
I'd have to agree with Kimberly, "They Poured Fire On US From The Sky" is indeed an exciting book and certainly gives us a deep and sadly accurate account of the hardships and trials faced by the Lost Boys. It is at the very least addictive and certainly an emotion envoking read...
ReplyDeleteFreakonomics:
ReplyDeleteThis book is definitely not for everyone. It is very interesting, very informative, but is also deeply reliant upon statistics and data. As such, I would advise most readers who dislike data or the idea of it to move towards one of the other books on the list. However, if you are so brave as to move past the numbers (abandon all hope ye who enter here?) you will find an engaging account, one focused more upon the applications of knowledge than upon the vignettes featured throughout the book. Very interesting concepts, very quirky chapter titles. Work with it.
Mountains Beyond Mountains:
ReplyDeleteOn a different note, everyone should read this book. In the world (except Haiti, where they already know far too much of the situation). Centered around one man's effort to, as the full title entails, cure the world, the politics, the history, and the approach make this book truly engaging. Essentially a reprimand on the idea of how impractical it is to combat poverty and the diseases that accompany it, this book paints a devastating and enlightening picture of the US and its involvement in the world. It briefly captures our "foreign aid" and the history of Haiti. It takes us to Cuba, not to speak of the evils of communism, but of the success of health care. It takes us further still to Russia, where tuberculosis in prisons threatens to implode. It is nothing short of an epic on the spread of diseases and the lacking response of adequate care in the world.
Truly remarkable.
nope your all wrong haha. The Post American World is where its at. if you want to have an extensive knowledge of our progressing world this book is for you!
ReplyDeleteThe Sound and the Fury..
ReplyDeletePeer pressure wants you to read this book!
This book takes a different approach to storytelling. It's fiction, and it's written in first person with alternating narrators. Actual events in this book aren't just stated straight out, but slipped to the reader in unexpected places. Being a poetry geek, I really loved the flow and imagery of this novel.
It seems like the kind of book that would take re-reading to appreciate completely because every line seems to have a bunch of different layers of meaning. The writing style is chock full of imagery without being cheesy or over the top.
The first chunk of the book is a little tricky to understand, just because the narrator for that part has a bizarre perspective, but after you get a little ways into it, it becomes easier to figure out more or less what the narrarator is telling you.
Also it has a really impressive sounding title. How awesome would it be to announce to your friends and family that you are reading a book called "The Sound and the Fury"?
Blink: The Power of Thinking Without Thinking
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this book. It was fascinating to learn how anyone can use their intutitive skills to read a situation and come through it alright, no matter how dangerous. It was equally fascinating to read about how far astray this intutition can lead you and how to tell the difference. The book is full of support in the form of stories and little personal quizzes, which keep ones interest engaged. I would reccomend this for anyone who enjoys learning about the human mind, but if you don't then it's not for you.
ok in all honesty the best book to choose is the road by mccormack mcarthy. its about this father and son trying to survive in a post-apocolyptic world. Kyle, Ryan and I are reading it and if you would like to join our group just holla.
ReplyDelete