Literature Extravaganza

By Lukas Perdekamp Recently I finished reading Educated by Tara Westover. This book was published in 2018 and is a memoir of Westover looking back into her past. It is from the point of view of the author in her twenties. Tara was born in rural Idaho into a family of radical mormons. Her parents were Faye and Gene which are pen names, but they were both very conservative. Westover’s father gathered scrap metal which he then sold and was scared of the government. Tara Westover was the youngest of seven and they were never allowed to attend school, get birth certificates, or receive medical attention. In this post I will discuss how Westover was still able to lead a successful life despite all of her setbacks. When Tara Westover was young, her mother Faye worked as a midwife. Unfortunately when Tara was about 9 years old Faye suffered a brain injury in a car accident which was not treated. This led her to work mostly on creating herbal remedies. At the same time Westover’s brother

Emily Chen        Lately, I’ve been listening to self-improvement audiobooks to help me stay motivated, since it has been harder to find inspiration. A few weeks ago, I wrote a blog post about  Girl, Wash Your Face,  which encouraged me to continue working towards my goals. Recently, I finished  The Power of Habit , which I had heard great things about. In it, Charles Duhigg discusses the science behind the formation and function of habits, then explains how we can use that understanding to modify them. It also describes how they influence our lives and the world around us. The book is divided into three parts: "The Habits of Individuals," "The Habits of Successful Organizations," and "The Habits of Societies." I found it to be an enlightening call-to-action that helps readers understand the world around us. Duhigg introduces each of his arguments with a story, which makes his book an engaging read. Instead of simply stating facts, The Power

  By Lukas Perdekamp Recently I finished reading Think and Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill. This work was originally published in 1937 and is targeted towards people who would like to learn more about success in life. Although the title suggests that Think and Grow Rich is mainly about gaining monetary wealth, it focuses on psychology and philosophy which can be applied in many fields. In this blog post I will discuss two principles in Think and Grow Rich which can help you become successful. The first idea Napoleon Hill discusses in his work is desire. In the first chapter of his book Hill shows examples of how desire plays a major role in success. He provides two prime examples of how desire played out for two people’s lives. The first example is about Edwin C. Barnes who desperately wanted to work with Thomas Edison. In the beginning he was poor and initially had to take a freight train to visit Edison. Once he arrived he attempted to get hired by Edison but he did not want to hire

By Florence Lin A historical fiction novel published in 2009, The Help by Kathryn Stockett is an engaging read with an excellent movie adaptation as well. Taking place in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, this novel is told from the point of view of Aibileen Clark, an African American maid who raises white children. The book follows her life as she raises sweet little Mae Mobley Leefolt. Aibileen also helps around the Leefolt house, sets up for Miss Leefolt’s book club, cleans the house, and makes food, all the while facing mistreatment from the Leefolts. However, unbeknownst to her employers, Aibileen begins to secretly tell stories of her experiences as a maid to Miss Leefolt’s book club friend, Miss Eugenia, nicknamed “Skeeter”. Miss Skeeter is a writer who works on a story about life as an African American who works as a helper to a white family. She collects first-hand stories from helpers of their experiences with employers, experiences with the children they raise, being mist

I recently read The Time Machine  by H.G. Wells, and I found it pretty interesting. The story is about a time traveler that invents a time machine and travels in the future to see what life is like. When he goes he reaches a place very unexpected. Nothing is technologically advanced, everyone is very pale and short. They speak in a weird language he has never heard before. They are all very peaceful and naive, like children. However a couple days into his exploration of life in the future, his Time Machine disappears. He doesn't know how or why, but he knows for sure that it must be in a sphinx statue that was right next to where he left the time machine. Now he must find a way to get back the time machine so he doesn't have to spend the rest of his life in a mystery world where he knows nothing and no one. Something I found interesting about this book was the fact that the book is philosophical as well as a adventure story. The book is philosophical in it's way that it p

Emily Chen With the extra amount of time I have due to quarantine, less schoolwork, and fewer classes, I’ve been listening to a lot of audio books. I really love these because I can learn something new or gather motivation while going on runs, cleaning, or walking my dog. They have been a great way for me to get some reading in whenever I’m working on another task or have some extra time. Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of self-improvement audio books to keep me motivated during these uncertain times. Most recently:  Girl, Wash Your Fac e by Rachel Hollis. The book’s chapters each consist of a lie people tell themselves that holds them back, Rachel’s personal experience with it, and how you can stop believing in it to create a better version of yourself. These range from “The Lie: I’ll Start Tomorrow” to “The Lie: There’s Only One Right Way to Be.” Here are three aspects I enjoyed about the book and one I didn’t. 1.   Its Tangible Advice Girl, Wash Your Fac e is cente