I had the idea to re-read this book in the hopes of being able to join in Out of Print's twitter book club - but I was too late in actually reading it...moreI had the idea to re-read this book in the hopes of being able to join in Out of Print's twitter book club - but I was too late in actually reading it to do so. But for some reason instead of putting it back on the shelf, I decided to crack open this book that I hadn't looked at since high school.
Fitzgerald's prose blew me away. The lyricism, the rhythm, and the contempt - yet care - that he has for his characters makes for a work of art that I never could have comprehended when I was seventeen. I was blown away during this reading.
What was most surprising about this story in reading it now is how similar i found Fitzgerald's commentary on the American society in the "Roaring Twenties" to be to our own current society. The mannerisms of the characters, the descriptions of the party scenes at Gatsby's mansion - these elements bear a striking resemblance to our own culture in its present state. It made me wish I was in a high school or college English class so that a discussion about its intricacies could have taken place and further enlightened me to appreciate the words I was reading.
And I have to admit that in reading this I was imagining the cast of the new Gatsby film being done by Baz Luhrman. I can only imagine what that movie will be like in his hands. It's almost guaranteed that most will hate it and few will love it.
All in all, I am so glad that I dusted this book off the shelf and read it again. It has inspired me to want to dust off more classics and enjoy the carefully crafted words between their pages. (less)
It is hard to properly explain the magic of this book. From the opening line to the closing pages, Out of My Mind is a work of art that is both import...moreIt is hard to properly explain the magic of this book. From the opening line to the closing pages, Out of My Mind is a work of art that is both important, beautiful, and timeless. The author, Sharon Draper, has written many books. I know this only because I had the pleasure of hearing her speak at a conference that I was working. Little did I know that her keynote was only the tip of the iceberg of the power that she possessed.
This book is about a girl named Melody with severe cerebral palsy. She cannot walk. She cannot feed herself. She cannot move. Most of all, she cannot talk. But she hears everything, sees everything, and understands everything. Her memory is a photograph and she treasures knowledge and learning. No one believes in her capabilities though. Instead of seeing who she is on the inside - a brilliant girl - they all see her on the surface. Kids at school only see her looks or her odd shouts or her inability to feed herself. There are a few champions that come into her life and recognize the fact that she is trapped inside a body that betrays her full capabilities.
The thing I did not expect from this book was the way it touched me. Draper has crafted a tale that touches the deepest part of ourselves. It asks us to look inside of ourselves and see us through Melody's eyes. How do we interact with those who have no way of communicating with the outside world? With those who have been born into a world of struggle and disability that we have no idea of truly comprehending? They are hard questions, but questions that need to be asked because those who are handicapped are all around us.
The book is a breeze to get through - the reading level of the book is meant for anyone in grades 4 or above. But I am so glad that even though it is a "children's book" I picked it up and read it because it taught me something and opened my eyes even more to a world that I largely forget. And I hope that at some point, everyone will have a chance to pick up this book and have their eyes opened as well.(less)
This is a book that sneaks up on you. It starts off slow and whiles its way through vignettes of the author's childhood. But as this memoir moves on...moreThis is a book that sneaks up on you. It starts off slow and whiles its way through vignettes of the author's childhood. But as this memoir moves on, something begins to happen to your soul. As I read along the pages a long-suppressed desire of hearing and seeing God on the move awoke. Through example after example, and story after story, the author relates this quiet power that is accessible to all believers - but something that we so often suppress and ignore. Why do we question the ways that our God can communicate with His people? Why do we not believe that He can reach out to us in a dream, through a song, a fleeting interaction with a stranger? This books served as an awakening call - one that I am sure that I will have to be reminded of, as the jadedness and bitterness of life creep back in. But for now, I am enjoying the stretching of my faith and the realization that God is bigger than the box that I constantly seem to put Him into.(less)
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