"Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe (Review)

           Uncle Tom's Cabin Review

Basic Info:

Originally published: March 20, 1852

Author: Harriet Beecher Stowe

Genre: Novel

Country: United States of America

Characters: Uncle Tom, Simon Legree, Miss Ophelia, more

Adaptations: Uncle Tom's Cabin (1965), Uncle Tom's Cabin (1918),Uncle Tom's Cabin (1910)

Review:

So I've finally done it: I've read Uncle Tom's Cabin after first having bought it 3 years ago. And my opinion on it is mixed: For its age, it's not too bad, but has several points which I either don't like or don't agree with or whatever; the feministic implications can be felt often, and always make me feel uncomfortable. Then we have the extreme religious implications, which nearly make this a sermon instead of a novel. And as Malcolm X also said, the stereotypes of the stupid, loyal, pacifist Uncle Tom was too much for me: although Stowe was against slavery, she obviously still didn't see Africans as an equal race, and her ignorance of Africa and its people are often visible. Also, this book never describes any of the brutality or death of slavery, which I feel is essential if you want to write a book about it. 

So my overall Rating is 5/10.

"The Phantom Tollbooth" by Norton Juster (Review)

     The Phantom Tollbooth Review

Basic Info:

The Phantom Tollbooth is a children's fantasy adventure novel written by Norton Juster with illustrations by Jules Feiffer, published in 1961 by Random House (USA). It tells the story of a bored young boy named Milo who unexpectedly receives a magic tollbooth one afternoon and, having nothing better to do, drives through it in his toy car, transporting him to the Kingdom of Wisdom, once prosperous but now troubled. There, he acquires two faithful companions and goes on a quest to restore to the kingdom its exiled princesses—named Rhyme and Reason—from the Castle in the Air. In the process, he learns valuable lessons, finding a love of learning.

Review:

The Phantom Tollbooth is undoubtedly the finest children's book I've ever read, although I would recommend it for kids 11 and up, as younger children won't get the puns and the wordplay, and will just wonder what everyone's laughing about. Its positive messages are too numerous to relate, but I'll try later. 

For now, let's just concentrate on why this book is so hilarious. As I said little children will find it hard to understand why it's so funny, but older ones will. The book's hilarity isn't in the usual jokes as found in other books and movies, rather it lies in it's play on words and pure craziness that's so funny. For instance, it transfers idioms and metaphors to reality, for instance jumping to conclusions, having to eat your own words, biting off more than you can chew, and the list goes on forever.

But at the same time, The Phantom Tollbooth doesn't just make you laugh, it also makes you think, as there's tons of symbolism to be found here such as that most people come out of the Sea of Knowledge completely dry, and a few come out completely soaked. The Positive Messages can be best summed up by CommonSenseMedia's review of it:

This book is driven by the view that learning is not only good and fun, but also a moral imperative. In the "Appreciation" foreword added in 1996, Maurice Sendak points out that it was actually compared to the robust Puritan spiritual tract Pilgrim's Progress for its "awakening of the lazy mind." The book begins with main character Milo thinking that life is boring and the pursuit of knowledge is worthless, but by the end, Milo has both the interest and the tools for learning, and a considerably more upbeat outlook.

Being dedicated to advancing the pursuit of knowledge, this book is fairly packed with educational material and clever perspectives on it. Wordplay and math problems are strewn exuberantly, along with commentary on social ills wrought by ignorance and mental laziness. Many of the whimsical characters Milo encounters along the way invite readers to look at long-held assumptions in new ways -- e.g., the airborne Alec Bings, who thinks Milo must be quite old to have his feet touching the ground already.

Yup, that about sums it up!

If I ever get children, I'm going to give them The Phantom Tollbooth and Holes to read as soon as they're old enough (although it is worth saying that Holes is more suited and appropriate for teenagers), as this book answers all the questions frequently asked by young children: Why should I learn this, will I need this in life, this is boring and so on and so forth.

So my OVERALL RATING is for sure 10/10, and an absolute must-read for pretty dang near everyone.

Top 5 Influental Books of 2015 (Part 2)

        Top 5 Influental Books of 2015 (Part 2)

Note before Reading:  The books of the earlier list are not included here, as they're already there. This list is a new and independent list with no real ties to the older one, meaning that these books aren't better than the last ones. These are all books I've read in 2015. A list for 2016 will come probably at the end of the year.This is a countdown from least to best, with a commentary on each.

5) A People's History of the United States by Howard Zinn 

A People's History of the United States is a 1980 non-fiction book by American historian and political scientist Howard Zinn. In the book, Zinn seeks to present an alternate interpretation of the history of the United States. 

Originally published: 1980

Author: Howard Zinn

Country: United States of America

Genres: History, Non-fiction

Nominations: National Book Award for History (Paperback)

This is a meticulously researched and very well written alternate history of the US, showing that it's history is not all glory and banners, but a careless, un-empathetic, and often cruel history, although sometimes you can see the obviously left-wing attitudes and belief of the author, so it should be carefully read.

4) A Long Way Gone by Ishamel Beah 

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier is a memoir written by Ishmael Beah, an author from Sierra Leone. The book is a firsthand account of Beah's time as a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. 

Originally published: February 13, 2007

Genre: Memoir

Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Country: United States of America

Nominations: NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Literary Work - Debut Author

A heart-breaking, brutal, compelling and passionately written memoir of a young boy drawn into a bloody and merciless civil war, who lost his family and friends, and with the wish of being part of something strong was drawn into the army, where he started killing people, getting so high on drugs that he stopped sleeping and eating properly, and who then had to live through his nightmare of rehabilitation in a country where nothing was secure or stable. An absolute must-read for anyone who can stomach the bloody, brutal, and sometimes grisly reality of boy soldiers.

3) The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is a 2006 novel by American writer Cormac McCarthy. It is a post-apocalyptic tale of a journey of a father and his young son over a period of several months, across a landscape blasted by an unspecified cataclysm that has destroyed most of civilization and, in the intervening years, almost all life on Earth.

Originally published: September 26, 2006

Genre: Post-Apocalyptic fiction

Page count: 287

Adaptations: The Road (2009)

Characters: Burnt Man, Man, Thief, Woman, Boy

One of the saddest and unique books I've ever read, this masterpiece will hold you on the edge of your seat. Although it is set in such a dark, evil, and dangerous world, it still gives hope, saying that love and belief can still survive through the harshest conditions. Although the gore isn't often here, when it does come, it's stomahc wrenching, especially one scene which I will guarantee you will have trouble reading. But never-the-less, it is still a masterpiece, and is also an absolute must read for anyone who has lost hope in beauty, God, love, the world and about everything else. 

2) The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein 

The Shock Doctrine: The Rise of Disaster Capitalism is a 2007 book by the Canadian author and social activist Naomi Klein. In the book, Klein argues that neoliberal free market policies (as advocated by the economist Milton Friedman) have risen to prominence in some developed countries because of a deliberate strategy of "shock therapy". This centers on the exploitation of national crises to push through controversial policies while citizens are too emotionally and physically distracted by disasters or upheavals to mount an effective resistance.

An international best-seller by the author of No-Logo, this book reveals harsh truths about the rich blue-bloods who are sucking blood out of the poorer middle-class, which are so confused or blind that they can't fight back. 

1) Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control by Dominic Streatfeild

Brainwash: The Secret History of Mind Control is a 2006 non-fiction book published by Hodder & Stoughton about the evolution of mind control from its origins in the Cold War through to today's War on Terror.

Preceded by: Cocaine: An Unauthorized Biography

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Nominations: Samuel Johnson Prize

One of the best books on the subject, Streatfeild writes clearly and engagingly, although you should be careful in reading it, as his views are very hard to understand sometimes, demanding multiple reads. It's a clear 18+ with strong depictions of torture, electrocution, rape and so on, which can be painful to read. But still, an absolute must-read. 

Amazon UK links:

A People History of The United States: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Peoples-History-United-States/dp/0062397346

A Long Way Gone: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Long-Way-Gone-Story-Soldier/dp/0007247095

The Road: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0330468464

The Shock Doctrine: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Shock-Doctrine-Rise-Disaster-Capitalism/dp/0141024534

Brainwash: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Brainwash-Secret-History-Mind-Control/dp/0340831618

"Famous Five Series" by Enid Blyton (Review)

          Famous Five Series Review

Basic Info:

Author: Enid Blyton

Number of books: 21

Publisher: Hodder & Stoughton

Adaptations: Famous Five (2012)

Country: United Kingdom

Genres: Children's literature, Mystery, Adventure

The Famous Five is the name of a series of children's adventure novels written by English author Enid Blyton. The first book, Five on a Treasure Island, was published in 1942. The novels feature the adventures of a group of young children – Julian, Dick, Anne and Georgina (George) – and their dog Timmy. 

Review:

I still can't believe that this Series is so popular: Okay, I get it, this is intended for lil' kids and not teens and adults, but even kids shouldn't read this in my opinion; the unrealistic and flat characters, the numerous plot holes, the too-perfect-ending, the cliche villain/s, the weird messages etc... just shouldn't be read by little children.

Let's start with what I hate about the characters:

1) All of them are flat and pretty much unrealistic, as they're aren't specially trained Black Ops operatives with years of experience, but little kids.

2) George keeps wanting to be a boy although she isn't which, means she's ungrateful for what she has; she's very emotional and unstable, loves an animal more than anything else in the world, has no respect, does what she wants, doesn't follow any rules, and is extremely stubborn.

Now let's continue with the stories themselves: 

1) The overall Super English tone, atmosphere, and speech is often overwhelming: For instance those numerous "Goshes", "Jolly", and so on. I mean, which normal person talks like that? Then the English countryside, English Picnics, the Perfect Stereotype of an English

Scientist, the normally foreign villains and so on.

2) The Crime-Bustin: Which group of kids gets to bust over 20 professional burglars, mafias, crime rings, drug lords, kidnappers, smugglers, forgers, terrorists etc.?! Which criminal is so criminally careless and criminally stupid to let himself be beat by a buncha kids?!

Okay, I admit, maybe I am putting it a bit strongly, but the fact remains that these books are not productive, not intelligent, not very moral, and un-realistic. If you have to read Enid Blyton I suggest either the Mystery Series or The Magic Faraway  Tree Series, which are both better.  

"Jurassic Park" by Michael Crichton (Review)

         Jurassic Park Book Review

Basic Info:

Originally published: November 1990

Author: Michael Crichton

Adaptations: Jurassic Park (1993)

Page count: 448

Characters: John Hammond, Ian Malcolm, Alan Grant, Lex Murphy, Tim Murphy

Genres: Techno-thriller, Horror fiction

Jurassic Park is a 1990 science fiction novel written by Michael Crichton, divided into seven sections (iterations). A cautionary taleabout genetic engineering, it presents the collapse of an amusement park showcasing genetically recreated dinosaurs to illustrate the mathematical concept of chaos theory and its real world implications. A sequel titled The Lost World, also written by Crichton, was published in 1995. (Wikipedia)

Review:

This book received a lot of criticism when published, mostly positive, which I don't really agree with. I mean, the book is a great thriller, but not to be taken seriously. 

I personally think that the whole dinosaur thing has been totally blown out of proportion, and I just think that kids are way too excited about dinosaurs in general: For instance, they're dead, and will never come again, doesn't matter what effort humans will pour into it; what's extinct is extinct. Instead, worry about the very real problem of people dying, not some dead dinosaur.

Then the two children are very annoying and totally cliche characters: the know all, rebellious nerd who's mean to his sister, the little annoying sister with no respect for her elders, and their broken family. Ugh!

The good points are that this is a really good thriller, with nearly no plot holes, which will be hard to put down once you've started it. The mood and the tone of the book are well created, with minor flaws. 

Overall, Jurassic Park is a good book, if not great. My RATING: 6/10

Amazon UK link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Jurassic-Park-Michael-Crichton/dp/1784752223/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1467117972&sr=8-6&keywords=jurassic+park

"The Autobiography of Malcolm X" (Review)

        'The Autobiography of Malcolm X' Review

“I’ve had enough of someone else’s propaganda. I’m for truth, no matter who tells it. I’m for justice, no matter who it is for or against. I’m a human being first and foremost, and as such I’m for whoever and whatever benefits humanity as a whole.” - Malcolm X

Basic Info:

Originally published: 1965

Authors: Alex Haley, Malcolm X

Adaptations: Malcolm X (1992)

Genre: Autobiography

Country: United States of America

Awards: Anisfield-Wolf Book Award

Review:

First off, let me start with a quotation from CommonSenseMedia's Review of the movie, which also applies to the book:

    Lee is honest in giving us a flawed hero, a man blinded by his cause, a leader unafraid to publicly denounce his own philosophies as he awakens to new and more hopeful ones. 

  The movie does an excellent job, too, of stressing the importance of education, reminding us that we each have the power not just to change our own life, but the lives of many. That's a terrific seed to plant in the heads of high school students looking toward college and a future career.

This book is a milestone in anyone's reading career, whether you're black or white, this book will inspire, educate, change, influence and strengthen you. It's written so easily and vocally, that you can hear Malcolm's voice inside your head, which isn't surprising, as the book is basically a written interview, and that Alex Haley wrote that which Malcolm spoke.

When you see "Glorious" America through a young, black, disenfranchised man who saw the worst of the white man, and before he was 20, had been a drug addict, pusher, burglar, and many other things besides. You start with the murder of his father: laid on a railway track, nearly cut in half, hanged, shot. Then come the experiences of Malcolm as a child and his siblings; so hungry that they cooked grass, so poor, that the state took the children away, so discriminated that Malcolm, although he was the smartest student in his class, was looked down upon, and thought to be less worthy than the stupidest kid in class.

Then Malcolm comes to Boston, Detroit, and Harlem, becomes a drug addict, drug pusher, steerer, and burglar, and before he's 21, he's in prison.

Now comes the most inspiring and amazing part of the whole book: his redemption and absolute cleansing in his education: barely able to read a newspaper, he starts copying the dictionary from page 1, word for word, definition for definition. He starts borrowing books from the prison library. Books on philiology, psychology, philosophy, religion, history, anotomy, genetics and many other topics. He reads far into the night, when he is supposed to be sleeping. He completely changes himself, from being an un-educated, addicted, animalistic criminal, to a intelligent, far-seeing, educated, just human being.

This book is an absolute must-read, if you're 16 or 17 and over, as this book is definetely not for kids. For further information, read my parent guide. My rating for this book is for sure 10/10. 

"The Revenant" by Michael Punke (Parent Guide)

                 The Revenant Parent Guide

18+! Contains Extreme Gore, several explicit sexual references, and infrequent heavy Profanity!

Spoilers in Red!

Positive Messages: 1/10

None really, though it does show the will of one man to survive and receive justice, and the extreme lengths he will go to to survive. The entire novel is about his quest for revenge, although he does show mercy to Bridger at the end and does not kill him. 

Positive Role Models: 3/10

While Hugh Glass is a sympathetic and good man who appreciates nature, and knows what it takes to survive in the wild, and the lenths he has to go to, he is unforgiving to his enemies, which isn't necessarily bad, but nonetheless, this is not for kids.

Profanity: 6/10

Heavy, but neither pervasive or infrequent. A couple of uses of S**t, and a few sexual references.

Sex & Nudity: 5/10

Multiple explicit references.

Drinking: 4/10 

A few scenes are while the rough frontiersmen are drinking.

Smoking/Drugs: 1/10 

Very infrequent and short.

Violence/Gore: 10/10

Extreme Gore. Aside form all the battles with Indians and so on, Glass gets brutally maules by a Grizzly bear, which is described in a couple of pages, before his wounds are talked about. His throat is nearly severed, his scalp is hanging form his head, deep cuts all over his body, and later, maggots infest his wounds. He is attacked by a rattlesnake, although it's only a nightmare, it will still make you flinch. Brutal, bloody beatings, stabbings,  etc, make this book absuloutely not for anyone under 18. I've read some horrific books, but this one has to be one of the worst novels, made all the more harder to bear as it's based on a true story.

Frightening/Intense: 6/10

Extremely intense.

18+ only!

"Little Women" by Louisa May Alcott (Review)

               Little Women Review

Basic Info:

Originally published: 1868

Author: Louisa May Alcott

Followed by: Little Men

Characters: Jo March, Amy March, Mrs. March, Beth March, Meg March

Adaptations: Little Women (1994), Tales of Little Women (1988), more

Genres: Coming-of-age story, Bildungsroman

Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott (1832–1888), which was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869. Alcott wrote the books rapidly over several months at the request of her publisher.^[1][2] The novel follows the lives of four sisters—Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March—detailing their passage from childhood to womanhood, and is loosely based on the author and her three sisters.

Review:

(Take a deep breath, rub your jaw, and start typing)

This book is quite good, obviously open to further improvement, but it's written with true feeling and heart with believable and deep characters we can all somehow relate to, and that's what makes it great. The time which is needed to read the book is on average 6 hours and 30 minutes, so yeah, it's very long; but that doesn't really bother me, and I'm always suprised when people complain about the length of books and movies, because if we haven't even got enough patience to watch a movie or read a book, then what's happened to us?

This is one of those books which is based on a true story not in the sense of some historical happening or something but in the sense that the experiences and feelings are real, and experiences we've all had, such as anger, writing, lust for revenge, love, hate, being anti-social, despair, and so on. The events may not be exactly true (although they're all things which many people grow through, and it was loosely based on Alcott's past life), but the FEELINGS are true, and remain personal without becoming sentimental.

So overall Rating: 8/10