Rebecca Cooley GCSC ContemporaryLiterature Blog

[bear1na]

[briidean2]

Post 14 The one thing that I love about this book and movie was the bond between father and son. You don’t see that much anymore. The man doesn’t give up on himself or his son. Even though the love of his life gave up and left them both he still made the best choice for the boys future(hopefully that family wasn’t insane). Its hard to say what I would do if I was in the fathers shoes. Its hard to even imagine being in an apocalyptic environment. I probably would’ve stayed in the bunker full of food.  I really enjoyed this book. This class was amazing as well.   

[rebecca-cooleyy]

     I agree, the father and sons bond was amazing in The Road by, Cormac McCarthy.  That is why I loved this story so much, and got really into the book and the movie.  The mother abandoned the man and the son at a very early stage, which I am sure, was a struggle for a while but the man never gave up.  It was so sweet to see the father time after time bend over backwards for his son so that once he pasted away the boy would be able to keep pressing forward, and know how to survive in this post-apocalyptic world.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

14

     Compared to the book the movie was very much of a let down.  I was excited with the possibility of seeing what I have read, but while watching and after having watched the movie I can certainly say I was disappointed in the movie.  The book moved along in a good pace, and much suspense.  However the movie seemed to drag and did not have me at the edge of the seat like the book did.  I know in part the movie might not have seemed exciting because I knew what was to happen, but that has not always been the case in some books that I have read and have went to see the movie based on the book.

[nickmartin53]

Post 13

Happy thanksgiving to everyone. I guess this post should be about the ending and summing up “the road”. To me it was a very interesting book and I really enjoyed reading it. I would recommend it for more people to read. It is very suspenseful and exciting as you fly through the pages.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I found myself not being able to put this book down, before I knew it I would have read seventy-five to one-hundred pages.  I finished reading this book well before any of the other books we have read in class.  It was very suspenseful and I kept thinking I was going to find out what happened on the next page.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

13

I have to say I think I enjoyed The Road, by Cormac McCarthy better than The Things They Carried, by Tim Obrien.  There was never a struggle for me to read this book; I couldn’t wait to found out if they were going to make it to the ocean, and what was going to happen to the man (Is he going to make it or die).  I also couldn’t wait to found out if the earth was going to be redeemed or left in this chaotic state.  The Things They Carried jumped back in time a great deal while moving forward, which made me confused.  But The Road was more steadily progressive.  

[kayla2407]

So this book was not at all what I expected. It was so slow starting out and yes at first I just wanted to get by, by reading here and there but once I really got in to it I couldn’t do that. The way that the story flowed was probably my favorite. It seemed really easy to follow along and I loved...

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I agree, at first I was kinda skeptical about the book because of our previous read but I have to say The Road was a very enjoyable read.  As the book went on I didn’t want to put it down, I loved that it was in chronological order although it did seem strange with no chapters.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

12

     Over all I really enjoyed reading The Road, by Cormac McCarthy.  The ending however I didn’t like.  I was hoping that the world would somehow turn back around and become normal again, but since the book didn’t end like that I was pleased the boy found a nice family to live with and they were the “good guys.”  I still can’t help but wonder how they are going to survive because they are living in a world with all of their resources wiped out.  But I am looking forward to watching the movie in class, and seeing how it relates to the book.

[nickmartin53]

Post 11

The road is a very interesting book to read and it flows very easily. The way that the father and son are trying to survive in a desolate wasteland and it seems like everything is trying to kill them puts a very exciting and suspenseful feeling on the reader. Now I’m just trying to finish it.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I agree, really enjoying how the book, "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy, because it reads easily and is very suspenseful.  It is nice reading a book that is in chronological order because after reading our last book, "A Visit From The Goon Squad," by Jennifer Egan, the time jump from chapter to chapter made me confused all the time.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

11

     So far I am really enjoying the new book we’re reading, “The Road,” by Cormac McCarthy.  I love how the book is in chronological order, only two characters, and is an easy read. Didn’t know if I was going to like the post-apocalypse stories at first, but I ended up loving then.  It made the book so suspenseful and exciting, I found myself time after time not wanting to put the book down.  I am really looking forward to see if they make it to the ocean, and if the man is going to make it since he is really sick.

[nickmartin53]

Post 9

As I read a visit from a goon squad, my mind jumps all over the place trying to think of different ways to view this novel. It’s still confusing to me but I didn’t really enjoy this book at all. To me it was all over the place jumping from narrator to narrator and I could never fully grasp what was going.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I agree, this book is definitely not one my favorites… I didn't like all the jumping from character to character, and the time not going in chronological order, it made me ask myself a lot of questions like, "Ok who is the narrator now?" and "What just happened?"  But anyways, I am very happy we are don't with "A Visit From The Goon Squad," by Jennifer Egan and we are moving on to the next/final book, "The Road," by Cormac McCarthy.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

10

     I really don’t know what to “make of” the book, “A Visit From The Goon Squad,” by Jennifer Egan, even though there is only one remaining chapter.  I find it unsettling that such immoral behavior can be treated as such a small thing on the part of character after character.  I believe I gained some insight into the type of person that can commit such atrocities in the first chapter were Sasha is the character and the narrator.  I say this because she blames her kleptomania on the victims.  Time and again she tells you her thoughts such as, “We live in a city where people will steal the hair off your head if you give them half a chance, but you leave your stuff lying in plain sight and expect it to be waiting for you when you come back?” (Chapter 1, page 2).  So, she is rationalizing in her mind, “They’re leaving it out in plain sight, so they deserve to have their stuff stolen.”  It is sad that in reality many people are opportunists.  They catch people in a vulnerable state emotionally or situational, and they tell themselves, “That person should have known better,” or “That person is a victim of their own bad choices,” or maybe even, “That person put me in a situation that tempted me beyond my willpower.”  It is the old blame game,  “Someone else is the cause of my bad behavior. “  Only when they have to witness the suffering of their victims might they encounter some remorse for their actions (Such as when Sasha witnessed the devastated woman that Sasha stole the green wallet from, Sasha relented and returned her the wallet).  These encounters with the victims are rare since the perpetrators usually flee like the cowards they are, and massage their conscious with the blame game. 

[brittneykenney]

Post 9

Forgot my post last week! Anyways, I had just started A Visit From the Goon Squad last Monday (because Amazon is slow) and I was sooooo confused. At the beginning of every chapter, I would get confused. It kinda reminded me of ELIC because of the changing perspectives. The chaos of this story drives me insane! The cocaine off a 16 year olds back, the attempted rape, suicide… there’s just so much and it gets a little overwhelming at times

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I completely agree with your whole post.  The changing of narrators throughout the first couple of chapters confused me when I first started reading this book.  It made me unable to really get into the book, and now when I reflect back or when we are discussing the book in class I have noticed that I missed some details.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

9

     So far I’m really enjoying “A Visit From The Goon Squad,” by Jennifer Egan.  I like how the book reads pretty easily, and is more on the contemporary side.  However, when I first started reading this book I got a little discouraged. I kept getting confused because I couldn’t state whom the narrator was right off the bat.  But as I continued reading I have learned more about each character so now I have developed a better handle on which character is the narrator in each chapter.  Anyways, I’m excited to see what is in store for this book because I have heard from my friends that they really enjoyed it.

[sukimochi]

[briidean2]

Post 8

I really thought Generation X was an interesting story. It isn’t anything like what we have been reading in class. Buck was no Prince Charming. Buck trying to talk the sisters into leaving the asteroid for his personal gain was a really selfish move on his part, because there was only enough oxygen for one person and he was going to use it. There is nothing romantic about that. At least the sister that he did talk into leaving was able to see her world (asteroid) in away that her family or anyone ever had. 

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I thought Generation X was a very interesting story also.  I don't read a whole lot of sic-fi books or stories because I'm not really into them.  But I have to say it was nice reading something a little different in class, so I enjoyed reading Generation X.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

8

     I enjoyed reading both “Generation X,” by Douglas Coupland, and “Imago,” by Octavia Butler this week in class.  But I have to say, I liked Generation X more than Imago.  It was easier for me to read, and very thought provoking.  Most of my interest and thought centered on what the author presented as “truth.” First, the author made it clear that Buck pledged true love to each of these sisters as evidenced by the author’s words,  “Well.  If Buck thought he had been in love before, he realized now that those were merely mirages and that Serena was indeed his real true love.”  Next, if Buck’s only motive for pledging his love to these girls was to leave Texlahoma and be healed of space poisoning, he could have never shared with them they would die.  Instead he told each girl upfront that they would die, but when they reached the moon he would have the right machines to revive them (“There’s really no problem”).  Again, the author presented this as truth, nothing to the contrary.  Serena was the only sister who was open and frank with him, and he was most attracted to her.  When he explained, “There’s just one catch,” Serena simply said, “I understand.”  I noticed this trip for a new life was initiated by his love for her first, then her love for him.  Love made the trip possible. She had a dream of a better life in a better world, and was willing to believe one that was honest and truthful to her concerning death and new life.  She took the risk, and the author does not imply anything to the contrary.  The other sisters did not believe what Buck told to be the truth, and was willing to settle for status quo on Texlahoma, yet as they gazed up into the stratosphere they confessed they felt jealous.  It reminds me of the decision one is faced with when they are told the Message of The Gospel.  They either love the Truth, or they don’t.

[ashleyjeanwelch]

Post7

Not too sure what to post since we just did the midterm review this week. But I have to say I enjoyed getting into groups and reviewing the stories and novels and making our own test questions. It was definitely enjoyable way of studying.

[jgriffi16]

I wasn’t too sure about what to post either, but I just kind of went with it!  I definitely enjoyed getting into groups too, it made the process of writing questions and getting answers more enjoyable!

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I enjoyed getting into groups, reviewing the stories and novels , and coming up with exam questions too.  It really helped me get any questions I had cleared up and gave me a better understanding on what type of questions were going to be on the exam.

[rebecca-cooleyy]

7

     Not much to talk about… Everyone is just studying for Midterms.  I loved how we worked in groups last week, and came up with exam questions.  It definitely helped me prepare for the Mid-Term Exam and I was able to meet new people in our class.  Not too worried about the Midterm exam anymore because all of my questions and concerns are cleared up, and I know what kind of questions are going to be asked. Good Luck to everyone!!!

[jgriffi16]

Honestly, I was almost mad at the way Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close ended! It definitely did not end the way I thought it was going to. I also thought that the key would wind up being more significant than just being the key to a safe deposit box. All in all though, it was a very good book...

[rebecca-cooleyy]

I really enjoyed this book too.  The author knows just what to do to really get your attention.  I liked how the author also allows you get your own opinion on what you think might happen next, which really made me get into the book.