April/May Posting Option--Reasons for Reading

This post is inspired by bedell15d's response to bedell13m on another posting.

What is the reason (or, what are the reasons) for reading a text? Is it possible to read something for the wrong reason? In what ways do your strategies change based on the reason for reading? Provide some examples from your own life. Be sure to explain your examples fully!

April Posting, Extra Credit Option!!!

They don't come along often, so take advantage of them when they do...

Go to the Voices of Civil Rights website and choose three stories from North Carolina. Read the stories. Then, write a response here. Be sure to tell us which stories you chose and why, as well as your reactions.

http://www.voicesofcivilrights.org/search_results.asp?p7=North%20Carolina&page=1

April posting, 2nd option

For those of you who are racing to stay ahead of the curve and want to finish two postings this month...

What was the most challenging book you've read? Include in your post

• why you decided to read it
• why it was challenging for you
• what you learned or how you grew as a result of rising to the challenge
• what advice you would give a classmate who might want to tackle this text

For example, the most challenging book I've read was Soul Mountain by Gao Xingjian. I decided to read it over the summer in 2003 when I was expecting my first child, partly because I'd been curious about it since Gao Xingjian won the 2000 Nobel Prize in literature and partly because I knew it would be a long time before I had the freedom to tackle such an intense work once I had kids.

This book was incredibly difficult for me. There isn't a "plot" in the traditional Western sense, and perspective shifts between first, second, and third person. I frequently had to reread in order to understand the different threads that run through the text. The translation/cultural barrier added another, profound layer of difficulty. The book is translated from Chinese and draws heavily on Chinese tradition. Additionally, the author, although Chinese, has been living abroad in exile for many, many years. Because I lack an extensive background in Chinese culture and history, I found myself rereading and researching to understand some of the allusions. I'm sure I missed most of them.

However, when I did finish the text, I felt a great sense of satisfaction. The writing is incredibly beautiful, almost like poetry, and the text is thought-provoking. I found myself for months afterwards mulling over the issues of exile and loss that Gao Xinajiang explores. I'd like to reread this book, perhaps next summer when Sam is a little older and I have a little more freedom again.

If you are interested in reading this book, I would suggest reading translations of classical Chinese literature first and researching the author. I would also suggest that you have great determination and patience, as this is a radically different type of text than most of you have experience reading. I might even suggest waiting a few years.

The Final Nine Weeks, First Option!!!

This post is inspired by "My Life in Books," a weekly feature in Newsweek magazine. Famous authors (and lately, filmmakers and musicians) are interviewed about the books that shaped them over the years. However, a question that I always find intriguing is the "rejection" question, in which the interviewees are asked some variation on the question, "What book let you down?"

So, for this month, what book let you down, and why? It may be a childhood favorite that, upon rereading, you discovered to be filled with faults. It may be a bona fide classic that just didn't do it for you. It may be a best seller that you thought didn't live up to its hype.

For example:
A book that let me down was Pretties. I'd read Uglies and greatly enjoyed the roller-coaster ride (sorry, bad pun). Although I knew it wasn't brilliant literature, it was a fun read. Tally's dilemma seemed like a good match for the kinds of discussions I wanted groups to have, and the fast pacing kept me hooked far too late into the night. The cliffhanger ending left me obsessing over what might happen, and I waited (impatiently) for several of you to finish passing around my copy of the sequel.

Sadly, when it was finally my turn for Pretties, I was sorely disappointed. The gripping plot twists in the first gave way to overblown stunts, and I didn't buy the love story. The characters seemed flattened out, cartoonish. The vibrancy of the writing and the real investment in the characters by the Scott Westerfield was missing. Although I understood the artifice of Tally's world, for me, the artifice in the writing was distracting and too self-indulgent to be effective. Overall, Pretties was a letdown for me.

Looking forward to hearing about your letdowns!