#aplit18choose

[kpiepszak]

The Cider House Rules

When thinking of books that I would want to use for my final project, I truly struggled with choosing which book would work best for me. I am 100% not a big reader and it really does take a lot for me to finish a book. Because of this I decided that I would really have to find a book that I could dive into. Thus I headed to Barnes and Noble with Gracie and the search began. We started In the appropriate section and began just flipping through books that I thought would be interesting. Gracie found her book, and after reading the first few pages of her book, I realized that I really liked the way the author wrote. I began to search for that certain author and I found “The Cider House Rules” by: John Irving. I sat down and immediately began reading the first couple of pages. The beginning of the novel grabbed my attention because of the way that Irving rights. In this chapter specifically he began describing and giving background of all the main characters and I got to learn about the main character and was immediately hooked. After checking for sources on Google Scholar, I found myself In the checkout line and short $18. 

[meghanpark-blog1]

Advancing with Atwood

When we were first introduced the idea of picking a fictional book I was honestly very indecisive and was that way for a bit. It wasn't til the next week when I was in class looking for my writers notebook and found Handmaid's Tale. I just stared at the cover and began thinking about Margaret Atwood. I really enjoyed reading Handmaid's Tale and was curious about other pieces she may have. Later that hour I overheard Reanna and Kreinbring talking about Atwood. I joined in and he suggested a few books, one being Alias Grace. That night I researched the book and became very intrigued. The fictional book is based on factual events and includes many different components such as murder, mystery, feminism, etc. I haven't read that much but I'm already hooked!

[jadasbrain]

To Choose or Not to Choose...

When we were told about our final project, I immediately searched “top ten scholarly fictional books” and of course I was greeted with the usual 1984 by George Orwell and others of its kind. I was tempted to choose A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, but when I talked to Kreinbring about it, he said: “Why do you want to read another book by a boring old white guy?” At first, I was offended because I was like okay that’s rude, I’m just doing what you told me to do and this stupid book sounds interesting (insert eye roll emoji). However, I thought it over and decided that once again he’s probably right (insert another eye roll emoji). I don’t want to read another book by a boring old white guy about boring old dystopian future white guy world. So instead I decided to look for other books that are interesting, scholarly, and have a twist. I really wanted to read A Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy, but of course trusty Barnes and Noble wasn’t so trusty this time and told me that they would have to order it to the store and I could come pick it up later (which really makes no sense because I could just order it to my house probably for cheaper than whatever price they were going to make me pay for it AND save money on gas...but that’s not the point of this post). So instead I asked the girl what she thought was a good scholarly fiction read and she took me to the table of the paperback “Barnes & Noble picks”. A couple drew my attention but ultimately I chose The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime. This one is written by a white guy but he’s not old so it doesn’t count. After hearing in class about Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close and how the main character had autism, this book sparked my interest because the main character is also with an autism spectrum condition. I’m excited to read the story and maybe get to learn a little more about social disabilities and how those who have high-functioning autism receive the world. I hope that this book meets the academic requirement of the project!  

[danielams1-blog]

The Bell Jar

When I was looking for a book I knew that I wanted to read something that not many people might think of reading. I was searching for a long time and compiled a list that was way to long of books that might interest me. When I went back on that list I really never found one that stood out to me, until I saw The Bell Jar. I was interesting in a book that was about something that I know little about, so I could gain a better understanding of the topic explored, in this book that is mental illness. After talking to people about it and realizing that we had read a Sylvia Plath poem before, which was my favorite poem that we read, I knew that this was the book for me. I know that this book is going to be difficult to read due to the hard topics that the character explores, but I still know that in the end I will have a better understanding of someones thoughts and feelings that are going through all of this. I am also interested in how this relates to Sylvia Plath life and am excited to explore this since I find it interesting when authors use their real life as inspiration for fictional stories. 

[racheljjones]

On Choosing a Book

sub title: “Rachel tries to remember how to work tumblr”

Hello!

So as I am deciding what to study for the AP Lit project, (along w the predetermined criteria of fiction, & a book worthy of study) here is the criteria I have set for myself:

- I want the book to be...not...easy peasy

As in, I get incredibly bored with books that have predictable plots. The book I want to choose has got to be worthy of scrutiny in the sense that I’m reading it and I think “Oh, shoot. Didn’t see that coming.” Do I necessarily want a mystery though? mmmmi dont know!

- I want the book to speak to the quality of the human condition in ways I have not previously contemplated or undergone through personal experience/been an ally to.

Translation: I don’t want a book about someone who’s deaf or has OCD or something else that I have already studied. I want a book that speaks to an experience that humans have undergone/could undergo that I have not considered or studied before. Does that make sense?

- I want a book that doesn’t put me through hell to piece together

Don’t get me wrong, I love books that have like 45 timelines as much as the next girl. And as I stated previously, I don’t want anything predictable, but I think (and hope to find a book that proves) it’s possible to find a middle ground. I’m really not trying to bust out a whiteboard and have to dive into the deep web to figure out the plot.

With these guidelines, I’m currently searching. Stay tuned for more blogs!!

[jstearns-blog]

During my searches for a book, I narrowed down my options from about 100 books to exactly two. The two books being The Martian by Andy Weir, and The Forever War by Joe Haldeman. It was a tough decision between the two. Here is why.

The interest shown in both is from a science fiction point of view. I am totally into the sci fi world, wholeheartedly. I feel as though I am looking at my potential future when I read these books. A world that I can help create from going into an engineering field. Given my extensive love for science, I enjoy reading about the new technologies in Sci Fi books and trying to figure out how the technology may realistically work. The books feel innovative to me.

The Final decision came down to the criticisms provided by each book. This eliminated a lot of books to begin with. I needed to find a book that was known and not exactly new. The Martian is relatively new compared to the other books in my selection. The age needed definitely helped narrow down my selection. There were many different books to choose from, within many different genres. In the end Sci Fi definitely was the right choice. As it greatly interests me. The Forever War however stood out to me. The book is extremely relatable to me more so than The Martian could ever be. I am not opposed to doing extra work for a great read, the determining factor was that The Forever War tells a story about a veteran and that Veteran’s reintroduction to society. Something my parents struggled with after their service.

[graciew18]

Choosing my book

I gotta say I didn’t really know what I wanted to read. I got some suggestions and started looking at those. I looked around at books that were “similar to that book”. When you search a book you get even more suggestions. I found this book called “A Prayer for Owen Meany”. I read the description of the book and thought it would be an interesting read. It sounded very good. I decided that this was going to be the book I read for my final project. That’s pretty much how I chose my book!

[wildmooseshark-blog]

FOLLOW UP TO THE MOST DIFFICULT DECISION OF MY LIFE

Ultimately, I chose to go with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. From what I can tell, the book effectively builds an entire world to explore, enough for entire movies like Bladerunner to be spun-off, the main character is given an actionable goal of finding some rogue androids, which will make for an interesting plot, and the book seems to base itself off of a philosophical core question, “At what point, what makes something a valuable life?”, giving the book significant literary substance.

These qualities sufficiently fulfill my criteria, and thus it is the book I choose for my AP Literature Final.