The Book Thief, the power of reading

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak is a haunting and extraordinary book about a young girl with a passion for words in the death busy Holocaust. The main character is a young German girl Liesel Meminger, who is raised by foster parents after her real parents and brother died. She is a very sympathetic and warm hearted figure who is very observant of the mistreatment of Jews. She takes great risks not only by hiding Jews in her basement, but also in order to continue her true passion for reading. She is willing to steal books from the mayors library. This main theme, reading, and the importance of it to Liesel is the fact that it is an escape from the reality of war. It brought  friendship and love. It certainly saved Liesel's life. 

An example of Leisel's love for reading that brought friendship into her life was when she read The Whistler to the Jewish hide-a-way, Max (who lived in her basement for the majority of the book) while he was in a coma. To return the favor, Max wrote Liesel a book about her fascination for words and her stronghold on them. "Max and Liesel were held together by the quite gathering of Words". An example on how reading conjures love is seen when Liesel accidentally drops one of her mystery books in freezing December waters of a river, her best friend Rudy jumps in after the unfortunate novel and gains her love by saving the precious book. "She had to give it to him, he knew how to perform."  The most important book she receives is not full of words, only blank lines. In these blank lines she tells us her sorrows, and happiness, losses, and gains. She wrote of the people she had met and watched die due to the terrifying bombs dropped from the rib-cages of foreign planes. This little black book "gave her reason to write her own words, to see that words had also brought her to life."

Luckily, I cannot imagine living in such circumstances, I greatly respect Liesel's bravery to do what was right in a Hitler dictated society. I don't believe I would have the wits to be as immensely brave as her. I do connect personally to her passion for reading, it was an escape from the real world for her. My passion for swimming, two hours a day, is a temporary escape from the challenges of home work, responsibilities of my daily routines. It is an energy boost and which helps me move forward.     

V for Vendetta

 V for Vendetta by Alan Moore is a murderous and devious novel about a serial killer. This brutally horrific story takes place in the United Kingdom of the 1990's. Hidden behind a mask with a hideous bone chilling, phony smile, we the reader never learn Vendetta's, the main character, true name, or identity. He manipulates and charms his unexpected prey, whom are chosen at random, never expecting his frightening smiling face to be their last sight.

What is behind this costumed grin? A deep and powerful urge to fulfill his vendetta against the cruel government and establishment. "Must create crime!" His demented mind creates evil, his body follows. Explosions of blood, buildings, and firecrackers entrapped and fascinated innocent women into loving him, becoming many lifeless sweethearts. "Must create crime, sounds so ugly even on a green dock." He see's himself so superior, even the English Army should look up to him. It is as if he has no beating heart, not even an ice cube of a heart, however, he has rhyme and reason to complete these incomprehensible acts of insanity. It is all to feed his hunger for change for the people. Let the revolution begin.

Seuss I am

Call me Ishmael, not really. Bond, James Bond. No not that one either, its really Seuss Fu-Rubin, I am. I am named after the great rhythmically rhyming, sliming and timing, children's writer Theodore Seuss Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss. My parents wanted a unique and rare name, and they figured naming me after an artist or writer was the best possible way to fulfill their goal of naming me something unusual, after all, they are funky artists themselves. They settled upon Seuss because he is clever, unpredictable, and creative in a fun and exciting way.

I like my name, I like it a lot, especially in a box, with a fox, wearing socks. Or in a house with a mouse. I like my name, I really do. I get to call myself Doc, it's true. Others seem to like it too. They really do. Though sometimes, people assume my name is pronounced Zeus like the thunder and lightning god of gods, from the high throne of Olympus he sits like King Derwin of Didd, he did.

My last name is equally unique, maybe even more so. It is a mixture of my mom's Chinese last name Fu, hyphenated with my dad's Western name Rubin. Why my parents didn't choose Rubin-Fu is because in Chinese culture, the family name is always said first out of respect for family, and in Western culture, the family name is traditionally said last. So it is as logical as the Lorax and his many great friends, that Fu would come before Rubin.

Finally, my Chinese name is a trans-alliteration of my English name, Fu-Rubin, Seuss. It is 傅魯本澍, pronounced Fu Ru Ben Shu. It translates as: The Rain God that comes and brings rain at the perfect time. My family in Taiwan, and most Mandarin speaking individuals, find this name very original and poetic. I feel very confident saying, I am the only person in the world with the name Seuss Fu-Rubin. Call me Seuss, or call me Doc, or call me 傅魯本澍, I like my name, I like it on a train I like it in the rain. I like my name. Seuss I am.

Heart of a Samurai

I read many books this summer, but none were as fast-paced and as touching a story as Heart of a Samurai, by Margi Preus. This true story is about a Japanese fisher boy in the 1840's that is swept out to sea during a tsunami with his four closest friends. Eventually, American whalers rescue them and take the boys in. Surprisingly, only the main character, Manjiro (later named John Mung) is willing to live ten years from home and experience American life and western culture. On his journey through this new way of life, he finds a new language, friends, foes, love and brotherhood. However, nothing will satisfy him more than going home and becoming his wildest dream... A Samurai, and an important historical figure.

The aspect of the book that is most fascinating is the fact that Manjiro had such a strong will which allowed him to survive and thrive, whether it is being shipwrecked at sea or living in a foreign culture with all it's difficulties.  With this amazing will, hope and knowledge, he believed and eventually achieved all his dreams, no matter how impossible they seemed. The fact that this boy was real and his adventures actually occurred way back in the mid-1800's is really the most astonishing fact.