Book Reviews, Recommendations and so much more
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is a richly layered critique of the American Dream set in the Roaring 1920s, a time marked by opulence, excess, and moral decay. Through its vivid characters and symbolic imagery, the novel unpacks the promise and pitfalls of ambition, love, and the pursuit of success.
AP Lang Reads: Just Mercy – Bryan Stevenson
Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson is a profound exploration of systemic injustice and the human stories behind it. Assigned for my AP Language class, the book pushed me to confront uncomfortable truths about the legal system and consider what justice and mercy mean in an inequitable society. With every chapter, I found myself more invested in understanding how personal narratives intersect with broader systemic failures, making the call for reform impossible to ignore.
Why Do We Treat People Unfairly: Exploring Human Nature and Injustice
Our world lies in the hands of discrimination, injustice, inequality, and disparities. These have been everyday struggles across the globe and for generations. Bryan Stevenson and many others have struggled to realize where the conception of unfairness derives from. The true essence of the question: Why do we treat others so poorly? The answer lies within understanding human nature, the various characteristics all humans almost inherit, and how the media distorts our reality. It’s a very likely assumption that human behavior and such can be altered, but old habits that have been embedded so deeply in our subconscious can die hard. The question of injustice stems from a many reasons, each highlighting and encompassing a plethora of aspects of day-to-day life.
Possessions and Their Value
In the United States of America, a country that thrives on materialism, consumerism, and capitalism, everything is a race. Whether it’s who has the trendiest makeup, popular video games, and up-to-date fashion. People earn what they put in because money is of utmost value here. Without it, everything in our country would crumble.
AP Lang Reads: Into The Wild – Jon Krakauer
As I flipped through the pages of Into The Wild, I was swallowed by remarkable questions such as “What does it mean to truly live? Is it found in the comforts of society or in the wild unknown?” Into The Wild was assigned as the first book in my AP Language class. This book challenged me to think about freedom, materialism, non-conformity, privilege, transcendentalism, and the pursuit of purpose in a way I hadn’t considered before. As we dove into McCandless’s story, I couldn’t help but wonder: what would drive someone to abandon everything for a life of solitude? As I swam to the last pages, the book thoughtfully provoked my thinking process and gave me the answers I yearned for.
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