Sunday, August 28, 2011

...I Had Read This Book Earlier!


     About two weeks ago I went about my usual routine: Get on the bus, go to class, and then get back on the bus. But, in the between time while waiting for class to start, or the bus to finally come, several different people asked me about the book I had in hand. They wanted to know if it’s a good read? Did I enjoy it?
One girl even stepped into the bus waiting area to ask me. There she had been just walking by to class. But, the sight of my book had made her ask: Is that a good book?
It’s amazing the way books can create a conversation.
What is the book, you ask?
Why, it’s The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

I’m not sure what took me sooo long to find this book. Probably because I stick with YA fiction. You know, the less “serious” stuff. The kind of books with vampires (for shame) and fairy tales.
Okay. Back to the book. It’s a New York Times Bestseller and definitely worth the read. In fact it’s #1, or at least was at some point.
The book is funny, but it’s also sad. It’s just…it’s a touching book. It literally reaches into your soul. Okay, maybe not literally, but you get what I mean. There have been a few times I’ve laughed aloud. But, then there have been times when I felt like my heart was breaking. Stockett really works the emotions in this book.
            For those who don’t anything about the book, here’s a quick synopsis:
            It takes place during the 1960s in Jackson, Mississippi when the south was still heavily segregated. The story revolves around three main women. There’s Skeeter, Minny, and Aibileen; and each character definitely brings something to the story. Skeeter, who is a young white girl, wants to write a book on what life is really like for black maids in the South and Aibileen (a maid) helps her along with Minny (also a maid).
I guarantee you will want to slap some of the characters, they’re just that horrible.
            Stockett did such a good job with her characters. They’re real and entertaining (especially Minny). The thing that I like so far is Skeeter’s progress as a character. I don’t think Skeeter really knows the breadth of what she’s getting into at first, but as she realizes what’s going on around her she begins to mature.
            I believe that books can really…help us grow up, I guess. They can show us things we wouldn’t normally see and can teach us so much. And, I feel like this book really does those things.  
            Now, I haven’t finished the book yet and I’m dying to see the movie! So, I might end up writing about The Help again.
            But, I wanted people to know that yes it’s a good read and no, I don’t like it. I LOVE it.
            NPR.org’s review on the cover writes, “This could be one of the most important pieces of fiction since To Kill a Mockingbird…If you only read one book…let this be it.”
            And, I definitely agree. I just wish I had read this book earlier!

Friday, August 26, 2011

...I Knew How to Make Potato Soup

If you could relive any time in your life, what would it be?
For me it would be my high school years. For those reading who have been through high school, you're probably going, "Hell no! I wouldn't go back there if someone paid me!"
I would, though. Even without the money. Things were simpler then and I knew where I stood in the world. It was the moment right before I dipped my toes into the deep end of the pool, the place that should be  reserved for people over twenty. I saw my friends every day and my classes were way easier! At the time I lived with my mom. She did the grocery shopping, cooked most of the time, and was there for those difficult days. I just wish I had appreciated that time in my life a little more.
 Sure, it kinda stinks. You’re stuck between being a kid and an adult. You have so many boundaries, so many rules. You feel insecure, wondering what everyone is thinking of you. All you want to do is get OUT and DO something.
Then, college comes. And you know what?
You have to grow up.
Suddenly you’re the one doing your own grocery shopping, cooking your own meals (or at least trying to), and you’re learning to survive on your own. And, at some point you’ll have to deal with being homesick. Maybe that’s not the right word, though. Maybe nostalgia is a better word. People may say they don’t feel that way (especially about high school), but at some point when they’re tired and/or lonely they’ll wish they could be a kid again.
The first night in my apartment (roommate-less) I was hit with that wish to go back. I wanted to be at my dad’s (where I had lived during my sophomore year). I even missed my annoying half-sister, S.
And I knew why I felt that way: I was scared of growing up. At that moment I knew I couldn’t go backwards. I had to deal! And that’s horrifying. Now when I go back to my mom’s or dad’s I’m a guest. Sure, I’m still their daughter, but our lives have gone separate ways. I have to learn not to need them anymore. The security blanket has to be taken away. It wasn’t like in high school where I was old enough to have some freedom, but young enough to have my mom around constantly.
I had to be an adult.
Growing up isn’t so bad, though. It’s a time when you learn your strengths and weaknesses. It’s a time when you get to be YOU. You’ll learn who you are, you’ll fall in love, you’ll get hurt, but you’ll be independent. Just, for those who are eager to grow up too soon remember this: You have very little time to be an actual kid, but you have so much time later to be an adult. Enjoy being young! Don’t rush it!
Not to say you can’t act like a kid even when you’re older. Trust me, I do all the time (my sister regularly tells me that I act twelve). It’s just there’s a certain naivety that is lost when you pass into adulthood. So, enjoy being irresponsible and naïve. Because eventually (for most at least) those things go away, and for some quicker than it should.

So, what would time in your life would you relive? And, why?
"Never Grow Up" by Taylor Swift...it seemed kinda appropriate.