the kite runner

Title: The Kite Runner
Author: Khaled Hosseini
Published: May 29, 2003 in the United States
Publisher: Riverhead Books
Box Office: 73.2 million USD (movie) ... became New York Times bestseller for over two years.

Over the break, I read the popular The Kite Runner because it was one of the books out of the multiple choices I had to read from. I didn't regret choosing this book though. I actually really enjoyed it and managed to finish it in two days. The book is very emotional and full of awful moments that are somewhat resolved in the main character's attempt at redemption. The book was bittersweet. It was the first time that the protagonist was terrible in human nature and I loathed him for some portion of the book but gradually accepted him for who he was when he started facing the loss and hardships that he once placed on other people. I'd recommend it. It starts slow at first, which I didn't mind but I know some will. Towards the end, the action does pick up and I enjoyed it a lot for that. I'm still really sad about many events from the book but I don't think the book would have as much of an impact without these events occurring.

This book and "school" books are somewhat different. The Kite Runner is more brutal with its themes and there is no sugarcoating any of the tragedy that occurs within the novel. Some stories in school, although having rough themes themselves, generally hinder the themes because they may not be appropriate... for our age. We may not understand them. We might think the events of the story isn't teachable. I highly disagree with that since I believe the school system babies high school students when it comes to literature. I hate reading classics over and over again.

Speaking of classics, I'd prefer reading blockbuster bestsellers over them. Perhaps reading both is even better. Yes, I know reading several century old books is good for the future but they are boring. They have weird language in them that no one speaks in anymore. Yet, schools still push teenagers to read these books for the simple novelty of reading them. Oh, they're important. You should know this. Books within the recent decade don't compare to any classics. Shut the fuck up. I hate when teachers and parents say this because they usually say this with a superior nature in their tone. Excuse me. Please recite page thirty seven of Hamlet by Shakespeare before you act like you're intelligent for reading Jane Austen books in the fifth grade.

Anyways, that's just what I believe. It'd be nice to read The Kite Runner in class but unfortunately, the book is too long for teenagers and they will most likely immediately turn from it and read the book on SparkNotes instead. You can't force a kid to read after all. Unless they're in Creative Writing!

the perkzz of being a wallflower

There are a lot of books that have been banned for multiple reasons but the one that will be discussed today is The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky. The book was published on September 21, 2012 and racked a box office of 33.4 million USD.

This book was banned because there were many parental complaints about the book's depiction of homosexuality, sex, masturbation, and the supposed glorification of alcohol use and drugs. One parent specifically voiced that they were against the idea of censorship but believed in appropriateness. These parents feel that schools are not to decide what is appropriate for their child.

Frankly, I think this ban is stupid. These parents are babying these children who are entering high school and have probably been aware of these topics already... some kids probably masturbated before too. These parents need to let their children learn about these topics in school and understand how it affects social life and academics. I also think that the argument of disliking censorship but preaching about appropriateness is stupid. You can't have one without the other! That's playing both sides and in this case it sounds really idiotic. Parents need to stop being so sensitive and children need to start maturing. You're in high school already. This book should not be banned.

Source: http://www.bookweb.org/news/perks-being-wallflower-banned-after-parent-complains

print or digital reading?

Personally, print is so much better. It's not on a screen and as a person who wears glasses, that hurts my eyes sometimes. I love holding an actual book in my hand and it makes me want to read more by flipping each page. I feel more accomplished having a physical copy. I don't like digital reading because it's on a device that can connect to the internet. That means I'll be doing something else on the internet besides reading.

Print just looks better too. Pages feel and look nice compared to an all white screen and that can't be creased and cared for. I get nothing done digitally reading. I know this because I tried myself.

books and more books

What is your favorite book of all time?
What was your favorite graphic novel?

To start, I think my favorite genres to read is young adult, mystery, and thriller. I love suspense in a story and plots that revolve around questionable topics which could also fall under magic realism.

For a long time my favorite book was Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli but is it really my favorite if I don't remember anything from it? I didn't think so either.

No other book has connected me. Nothing resonates with me and I don't know why really it's probably because I don't look beyond the characters and empathize with them.

My favorite graphic novel (as America dubs it) is Yona of the Dawn. I haven't read it in a while but I have really fond memories of it because for once, I love the characters so much. Every one of them too. I can recall all of the events clearly and analyze them very well. I'd have so many hundreds in my English class if we were asked to analyze this series over multiple assignments. Or maybe they'd be zeros because I have too much to say and I can't turn it in on time.

The point is, I love that series so much for its plot and character development/interaction.

anita sarkeesian's views on women in videogames

Today in class, we watched a video of the damsel in distress trope in video games and how these women are portrayed. Sarkeesian mentions these concerns in a matter of fact way.

The video is here.

There are many popular characters who are staples in video games such as Princess Peach and Zelda that are examples of the damsel in distress. Sarkeesian notes that many people overlook this offensive trope as they throw it off as unimportant.

The video is noteworthy in pointing out such a trope. Personally, I've never actually looked at Princess Peach and saw beyond her. Wow! She needs protection! Video games must hate women! The message in this video is that the role of women should be better portrayed to be equally as strong as men in other popular games.

This affects our culture because underlying misogynistic themes are still present in social media today. While I agree with the message that Sarkeesian addresses, I don't like the fact that she doesn't acknowledge female characters that are strong. They exist too? You can't exactly talk about a topic without talking about any sort of improvement in the past few decades.

the threat!!11

A video game that portrays many forms of violence and misogynist views is Grand Theft Auto. My brother was playing these games when he was 8 and at the time I didn't understand how wrong it was, but I still knew that that type of game shouldn't be for a child. My parents really didn't like it after my brother described the contents of the game but they didn't stop him from playing either. Nowadays, he's obsessed with gun games and it's most likely from GTA. I think all of the violence is unsettling.

These games are produced to stir controversy and make more sales based on the media coverage it will get based on this. These games affect me personally because it numbs the initial shock of violence and seeing negative components in games doesn't surprise me anymore. I see it as normal. These games affect my family, like my brother, by making them devote their free time to this genre.

I don't think the graphic nature in video games is a huge social issue. There's bigger problems to deal with in the world such as racism, sexism, etc. Many people play these video games but do not actually go out and do the same actions the characters in the game do. I play games with aspects that would not be appropriate in real life such as imprisoning animals to call my own but I do not actually do it. Many people in school discuss gore but would not do murderous things either. I think the world needs to address other issues before attacking video games because the platform is one way to escape all of the problems in the world and just relax.