Literature Extravaganza

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...

By Florence Lin Time Magazine’s #1 Fiction Book of the year, #1 International Bestseller, #1 Indie Bestseller, #1 Wall Street Journal Bestseller, #1 USA Today Bestseller. Written by John Green and published in 2012, I believe that The Fault in Our Stars deserves its awards and praise. A beautifully written story about love and life, I would recommend this novel to anyone, especially young adults. Here are 3 reasons why: 1. The narrative is raw and unfiltered. This story is told from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl, Hazel Grace Lancaster, who has thyroid cancer. Having known she would inevitably die young since she was diagnosed at the age of 13, Hazel has a very different thought process and outlook on life. She loves the ones close to her, yet she also tries to distance herself from others in order to prevent her death from hurting them. To someone in Hazel’s life who does not know what she is thinking, her actions and remarks may be confusing, but as readers, we ...