"The short and tragic life of Robert Peace" book review (by Jeff Hobbs) Logan Angol period 6

                 Before I even completed this novel , conjectures had already formed in my mind as to why

this book can be nothing less than a paragon. The diligence and superfluous information on a young 

black male, that tries to live a different life than all the other males in his "hood" , has given me an 

discretion to avouch this novel as the greatest of its decade. Rob , a young black male that grew up in 

the streets of New Jersey , tries to make a better life for himself with the help of his jocund mother. 

He had the temperance to not follow the  malefactions of all the "boys" in his neighborhood. The 

visage the author portrays of this young man can make the reader ride for Robert and support him all 

the way. Although , this ride would end soon , as the reader would analyze the authors portentous 

ways, and notice that in this novel, Robert's life would come to an end by a war over drugs. 

                     Robert had the support of his mother throughout his entire life , which filled him with 

great felicity. Although , mistakes from his "hood life" followed him when he achieved greatness 

after being accepted into Yale. Even though he completed great sums of work in Yale , he sold drugs 

in campus. He sold from pot to pills , all witnessed by his roommate Jeff Hobbs , who was one of his 

top buyers . One may say that the illegal life was not necessary any longer for Robert , seeing that he 

had already made it to Yale, but, he got there on a scholarship. So , one can't forget that with all the 

adversities faced in his life , Robert was still broke and didn't have a dime to his name. So , he had to 

try and make a living somehow to get food in his stomach , clean clothes , etc. In a situation such as 

this one i will refer to the saying " you can take yourself out the hood, but you can't take the hood out 

of you". That saying is a perfect way to explain Robert Peace , and this mentality is what led to his 

demise. 

                  

               In conclusion, the tale of Robert Peace brought me heartbreak. The sad ending of a black 

male that "finally made it", and ruined it because of the habits he picked up from his awful 

neighborhood. Such a story provides information for the youth as to how to deal with adversities the 

wrong way , and the right way. This novel personally motivated me in a way to not let bad 

neighborhood experiences influence my success in life . I enjoyed this novel , and out of a 1-10 rating 

give it a 9. This is a perfect book for the youth of my generation to read , for it teaches numerous life 

lessons.

Book review- "One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest" by Ken Kesey (Logan Angol period 6)

                I've come to discover that the diligence Ken Kesey has inserted into the paragon of a

literary work has given me further implications as to how "One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest" relates

 to our society today. The author uses portentous ways to develop his story and keep readers locked

 in, making them want to continue on to see what the next page may lead too. The book follows a

group of  very strange men who, to a mere person's visage, dearth intelligence. The author constantly

 harbingers in the novel to develop his group of "extraordinary" men into a group of nutshell purgers,

 which is completely obscure to the nurses that watch over them day by day. Until, it was too late.

The novel , present in the 1960s,  mostly follows a man known as Chief who pretends to be death and

 "retarded" so people keep their distance. All while , in the "safe" grounds of a mental institute. The

main character Chief forms an amity with one of the new arriving patients , Murphy, who quickly

stirs up a hot bowl of mischief in the institute.



                    This is already relating to our society today, because this is a similar way to portray the

"new kid in school" who feels like he needs to prove himself to his new classmates. Well in Murphy's

case , fellow patients. To continue , the book goes on by the brilliant author constantly foreshadowing

to lead the reader on to what may happens next. Such as when Murphy breaks out the institute just to

incense the antagonist of the story, nurse Ratched. Nurse Ratched is the "head nurse" of the institute

and gives all mandates when it comes to punishing patients. These punishments could go from not

feeding you for days , to turning your brain into a mere cabbage , causing you to not even being able

to move on your own the rest of your life. Ratched is known for doing such horrific things , so when

Murphy constantly rebels by breaking out and bringing hookers back in the home , the nurse is

furious. She ends up sending Murphy to the lobotomy , where he is turned into a vegetable. Chief ,

knowing his new friend could never live the life he could before , makes a hard discretion and kills

him in his sleep. Chief could now hold his temperance no longer. He decides to break out  and never

return. He runs away to Canada where he will live the rest of his life. This also relates to our society

today because many know of the mental institutes "crazy" people are being held at. Some in our

society may say its too luxurious, that those people belong in prison. Well with people like nurse
Ratched in the world, the insight our society has on the topic may change.
         
          To conclude , I myself did not favor the book at all. I found it very dull with a lack of enhanced

writing. Sure foreshadowing made me wonder what characters planned on doing in the next chapter ,

but besides that i often found my self slumbering on a mattress after 15 minutes of reading. I found

the story very sick and twisted , and couldn't wait to be done with it.This book relates to our society

because of the many ways its situation relates to real life problems. Such as facing a bully. In the novel , Murphy faces his demons by constantly confronting  "Big nurse". It took a lot to make such a stand, but revenge would cost him his life later on in the book. Out of a rating from 1-10 i give this book a 4.

"The Things They Carried" by TimO' Brien (Logan Angol period 6)

      I've found that the significant and utterly engaging novel, "The Things They Carried" , is concrete proof of


 how a book can be relevant to our society today. The book revolves around a squadron of protagonist who "carry"


certain items that always has a background story to them. For example, one compelling background was


when the squadron found a very small dead body one day while patrolling. Being able to confirm that the body was


one of a little boy, even though the face was unidentifiable, they cut a finger off the body and kept it as a souvenir. To


continue, other such things that were carried were pictures of loved ones. An substantial amount of people in our


society could relate to such feelings and emotion if they had to move away from their loved ones to perform duties. 


These type of findings and the consistent telling of their backgrounds enhanced the story, and thus, kept readers such


as myself understand the sophistication this novel contains. 

 

       

         To further address my statement of this didactic novel, the book can relate to numerous age groups. For


reference , a character in the book Jimmy Cross carries pictures and lingerie of his girlfriend back home. He


fantasizes about her so much in fact, it impedes his line of duty. He doesn't recognize an enemy solider hiding in the


forest. Thus , his fellow brother in arms was killed during a simple patrol because of one  of Cross's things he carried.


Just this situation alone can touch a readers heart and memories. Maybe they could relate to a situation that was very


precise to that part of the novel. Maybe a war veteran would've been disgusted because a soldier let his man die for


some perverted thoughts. So much implications can be thought of from such a tale, and this is how the novel relates,


reflects, and is relevant to our society today.





           To conclude the review of this compelling novel, the book ends with a mixture of romance, sadness, memories,


and death. The author , Tim O'Brien , basically tries to open the reader's mind on how war isn't all about killing and


violence. Its the memories and sorrow of the soldiers that makes fighting in war so hard. As well as a person's mental


stability. I recommend this book to all ages and genders. Especially if you're just a regular citizen who knows nothing


about war, this is the perfect novel for you. I personally enjoyed it  myself and would love to read it again. Out of a


rating from 1-5 , I give "The Things They Carried" a 4.