Deanrx
read and liked
Nathan's
review of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn:
"Hemingway said American fiction begins and ends with Huck Finn, and he's right. Twain's most famous novel is a tour de force. He delves into issues such as racism, friendship, war, religion, and freedom with an uncanny combination of lightheartedness...more "
"Hemingway said American fiction begins and ends with Huck Finn, and he's right. Twain's most famous novel is a tour de force. He delves into issues such as racism, friendship, war, religion, and freedom with an uncanny combination of lightheartedness...more "
Just finished rereading the original unabridged version for the 1st time. Read the watered down version in high school some many moons ago...
I think the story holds itself better the older I am when I read it. The nuances are better appreciated and often lost on a younger reader.
When I 1st read Huck Finn, the emphasis was on the race angle, slavery, and how thinks have changed since the period in which the story takes place.
As I read it now, not only are the race relations issues front and center (how could they not be), but the more subtle subjects are appreciated. Hucks handling and ultimate disconnecting of he and Jim from the King and Duke. His sometimes miscalculated, but often correct assesment of how things were in a particular town along the river. The way Jim treats him (and ultimately Tom) like his own son, and how Huck makes up his mind to go to 'hell' before turning on his friend.
All those subplots and subtopics make this a fun read even as I reach an age when I'd be very hard pressed to keep up with the pair running down the river.
Hemingway stated, "All moden American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn." Thats a very bold claim not many books could live up to. This one does it better than any other I've ever read. ]]>
by Conn Iggulden
By "real men" - I mean masculine and rough and tumble, not the emasculated, sissified, meek men that many in society seem to think we need to become in order to advance the human civilization.
However, I meant no disrespect to the female gender with my comments. I think the book does BOTH boys and girls a lot of good. ]]>
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Its about time we, as parents and especially as fathers, stop appoligizing for boys being boys.
Get them outside, get them engaged and if all else fails run the crap out of them - they won't break and far fewer will need Ritalin. Another positive is that the "Dads" will look less like pot bellied pigs (present company included)...
Boys need REAL stories of REAL men being heros... this book has it.
Boys need tactile adventures... this book delivers it.
It might not be PC, but running around playing 'war' or 'Cowboys and Indians', stick ball, and building a tree house is what boys want and need.
This book is a refreshing antidote to the education system (and some parents) that constantly scream "Sit Down and be Quiet !" to all children, especially boys. Its an even larger solution to those hyper-vigilant folks that seem to think making a gun with thumb and pointer finger and yelling "bang" at your friends when playing will lead you to become the next Columbine shooters. Don't get me started on the idea of sitting "Indian Style" in the classroom !!
Boys need to have stories about and be taught how to take risks and how to make small mistakes, so later in life they have a knowledge base to draw from when faced with life's larger challenges.
Its a great book for parents that want their boys to grow into REAL men and for those parents that want their little girls to grow up and appreciate / marry REAL men. ]]>
bookshelves: to-read
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