SSOJ Blogs

During spring break I was able to commit much more time to leisure reading and I thoroughly enjoyed The Giver by Lois Lowry. This book is about a sort of distopian world in which everything is the same. There is no color, no true emotions, no change of weather, no choices to make or that can be made, and most importantly, there is no love. The main character is a boy named Jonas. In each family unit, there is a father and mother who get paired up when they apply for a spouse and then every couple has one girl and one boy. Jonas' family unit is no different, he has a sister named Lily and and his mom and dad. They live in an assigned community and besides occasional field trips that students sometimes take, they know very few people outside of their community. Every year, there is a large ceremony at which everyone from newchildren (babies) turning one to kids turning twelve is congratulated for moving on to their new age and responsibilities. There a few years that are especiall...

First published in the U.S. in 1951, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse follows a Brahmin’s son named Siddhartha in ancient India. The story begins in Siddhartha’s hometown where he is the pride of the village and is admired by all its inhabitants, and especially by a close companion of his named Govinda. However, Siddhartha becomes restless when he feels that the wise Brahmins in his town can no longer satisfy his thirst for knowledge and aid him on the path to enlightenment, so he leaves them to join a group of Samanas, who are basically wandering, homeless monks without any possessions other than a loincloth and an unstitched cloak. From there, Siddhartha’s journey further unfolds as he meets the Buddha, referred to as Gotama, and the lovely Kamala, a courtesan who pulls him into the world of materialistic desire, which ironically he had once despised as a Samana. The story concludes when Siddhartha comes to a satisfying conclusion at the end of the novel as he finally attains enlightenm...

The War Outside, by Monica Hesse, is a captivating book that shares the perspective of two young girls, Margot and Haruko. The book takes place in 1944 at the Crystal City internment camp in Texas. Haruko, a 17 year old Japanese girl thought it would be unlikely for her and her family to be imprisoned in an internment camp because her brother is in the army. It seems, however, that this does not matter and her father is still taken into custody. Haruko’s father works at a fancy hotel and often sends letters for people, which leads the U.S. government to suspect him of sending secret letters to Japan. Haruko seems suspicious as to whether or not her father is guilty of the accusations. She becomes angry at her father for not resisting when they took him, and now she has to join her mother and younger sister to go to the internment camp too. Now, Haruko has to make the move from Colorado to Texas. The Crystal City internment camp is specifically made for more dangerous enemies, so it...

I have just finished the first book in the Maze Runner series by James Dashner, and I thoroughly enjoyed it! (NO SPOILERS) The main character of this novel is a teenage boy named Thomas. Although, that's only what he thinks his name is. After all, how would he know after arriving in 'the glade' with a selectively wiped memory and with no idea of where he is. He's filled with the same confusion and fear as every other boy who was placed here first felt when they arrived. One a month, every month on the same time and day for 2 years. Just as mysteriously, there are also supplies that show up routinely, once a week. Everyone has a specific job in the glade and they work together to be fed, healthy, protected and ultimately work towards finding a way out of the maze. The important job of exploring the maze is held by 'runners' which perform the exact job you would imagine with that name. Every morning they wake up early and run through their quadrant, observing t...