15 Memorable Books

1. Animal Farm - George Orwell: Snowball represents Leon Trotsky and shows the good side of communism; whereas Napoleon represents the dictatorship of Joseph Stalin.

2. 1984 - George Orwell: 1984 is eerily similar to our government under George W. Bush. The second time I read this book I could draw things from my life-like the Patriot Act-and think of them as the technology Oceania's government uses to watch over its citizens.

3. To Kill a Mocking Bird - Harper Lee: I read this book in seventh grade and I still remember the trial scene where the town "drunk" tells Scout and Dill that if Tom is found guilty, the members of the jury will not look him in the eye and when they watch the trial, this exact thing happens.

4. The Jungle - Upton Sinclair: I also read this book in seventh grade and reread last year. The parts that stuck with me the most were about the conditions of the slaughter houses where the workers would be up to their knees in blood and how everyone could hear the sounds of the pigs squealing as they were thrown through the air.

5. Watchmen - Alan Moore: I normally don't read graphic novels but I found this to be one of the best stories I have ever read

6. The Harry Potter Series - J. K. Rowling: These books have the most creative universe in them.

7. A Separate Peace - John Knowles: Apparently most people despise this novel, but I the envious relationship among Finny and Gene to be extremely interesting

8. Hamlet - William Shakespeare: This was the first Shakespeare play I read and I still compare all his other works to this.

9. Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury: I love the dystopia created by Bradbury in this novel

10. 7 Seconds or Less - Jack McCallum: I'm a huge Phoenix Suns fan.

11. The Communist Manifesto - Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels: Even though parts of it can be dry at times, the chapter about the proletariat is amazing and shows that communism isn't as radical as some people think.

12. Antimatter - Frank Close: I really enjoy non-fiction and I find antimatter very interesting, especially the complete destruction it can create when it comes into contact with matter. ( 1 gram of antimatter reacting with matter can produce as much energy as an atomic bomb).

13. A Brief History of Time - Stephen Hawking: Probably one of the most revolutionary research books in science since Charles Darwin's Origin of the Species

14. Buddha - Karen Armstrong: The differences between Buddhism and the more "conventional" religions become apparent in many ways and I really enjoyed reading about them.

15. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time - Mark Haddon: Although I just read this book over the summer, I know that I will always clearly remember the book because of its amazing writing style and the complexity of the characters.

Summer Reading

As I was reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon over the summer I noticed several things about the narrator, Christopher Boone, within the first few pages. Christopher obviously has a mental deficiency, showcased by his inability to recognize simple drawings of human emotions, yet he knows all the countries and their capitals in the world and numbers his chapters by prime numbers. I quickly found out that Christopher has autism, but instead of the stereotypical autistic boy, I noticed that Haddon had created a very real character.

The aspect of Christopher’s intelligence is analyzed and tested in the novel through his interactions with other characters and events, and even though he is naïve of much of the world, his grasp on math and science is incredible. Christopher frequently puts graphs and drawings in his story, where he describes quadratic equations, puzzles, and space. He talks about the speed of light and how man can never really know much about the universe because it takes years to travel to other galaxies. I admit that I was not completely aware of the complexities of autism and I still could learn more about it, but this novel really helped me familiarize myself with the disorder. Christopher is very logical in his thinking and probably knows more in math and science than most adults. In one chapter, Christopher contemplates the existence of God. His argument was that those who believe in God do so only because they do not understand the life and the world. Christopher brings in three conditions of life from biology to explain that life was not planned, but an accident that happened because these three conditions were fulfilled. Although Christopher is autistic and has several quirks caused by his condition, his book knowledge would put him in advanced classes. Haddon points out that autism is a complex disorder and people can be very smart in certain fields. He also shows Christopher’s innocence that is caused by the disorder and the problems that come with it. I believe that Christopher is a very difficult character to understand and analyze because the novel does not go in depth into all aspects of his life. When Christopher is talking to people about his neighbor’s dog being killed, he shows a grasp of knowledge but not the ability to express his ideas. I learned that one of the main struggles with autism is the person’s communication skills. Commonly, autistic people are intelligent and knowledgeable but without the correct social skills and naïvity, they appear less intelligent and are often misunderstood. Christopher needs to stick to a strict schedule and can’t understand his father’s emotions well and his emotional state of mind is consistent with a child much younger.

I think the aspect of Christopher’s intelligence combined with his autism provide the novel a unique feel. As his story is simplistically told and written his knowledge of the factual world does not help his problem. As he is investigating the murder of the dog, he needs to deal with people and emotions that he can’t comprehend or understand. I believe that the aspect of Christopher’s realistic autism is the reason why the novel is so successful.