The Soloist, chapters 1-6

So far, I really like this book!!! It's really captivating -- it just makes me want to read more. First of all, The Soloist is an easy read; the plot progresses neatly, its paced well. Because I have a relative who suffers from schizophrenia, I really appreciate that the disease is being brought into the public eye. Nathanial’s story is amazing to me; so far, my favorite part is when Lopez describes Nathanial’s joy when he gets the new instruments. I find that to be a beautiful image. Nathanial’s paranoia is a very real, very frightening thing. Having experienced someone’s schizophrenic-paranoia first-hand, I understand Lopez’s struggles, and this link to how Lopez feels throughout the book so far really connects me to the story, and just makes me want to read it more. I think it’s rather amazing that someone who was a veritable prodigy, a student at Julliard, would end up on the streets. Its unfair, and yet, it’s also very poetic, in a tragic way. I think someone should help him, I feel for him, throughout the book. He must be so troubled, and reading this makes me feel thankful that Nathanial Ayers found someone as special as Steve Lopez to help him in the only way he knows how: through his writing, and getting the attention of others so that he may get the help he needs.

Death Of A Salesman

The Death Of A Salesman really reminded me of today's economy crisis, and the fact that there are so many Willy Loman's in America today. Many people have been laid off, or are close to losing their job's simply based on the fact that other's don't have money to stimulate the economy by buying things. Willy was in lots of financial issues, and his job wasn't helping him at all. I thought that it was kind of shocking, though, the lengths he went to in order to get his family money. It was kind of scary, because i know that people actually do kill themselves so that their families can live off of their life insurance. That part really was freaky. The parts that i found confusing were when Willy kept having the flashbacks: that was hard to understand, because his reality blurred into his fantasies so smoothly and it made things more difficult to decipher.

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The Catcher In The Rye

We had to read The Catcher in the Rye for school. It’s a novel, though just barely. At first, I was surprised by the informal way the narrator, Holden Caulfield, speaks through the pages. I didn’t really enjoy the way the book was written, even though its considered a “classic” by many. It wasn’t a real book, if there is such a thing. A “Real” book is one with a plot. A story. Some substance. The Catcher in the Rye was nothing but Caulfield’s musings. His thoughts about everything he did, everything he saw, and everything that ever happened to him while he was in New York. I thought that there would be some progression…that we might find out what happens when he gets home and experiences the wrath of his parents when they discovered that he’d been kicked out of yet another school, but no. Nothing ever happened! It was very frustrating.

I'd like to know what you thought about the book...what's your definition of a "real book"? Does The Catcher in the Rye fit into that description??