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Mario Gianluigi Puzo was born in the fall of 1920 in New Yourk, Manhattan.

He is well-known for his crime novels about the Italian-American mafia, most notably “The Godfather” (1969). A lot of his books draw heavily on his heritage. He was always very calm and balanced in a noisy house, he showed indifference to street life. He also wrote the original screenplay for the 1979 “Superman” film.
Mario is called “the Father of the Godfather”.

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Don Vito Corleone

Michael C.

Sonny C.
Tom Hagen

Kay Adams

Connie C.

Carlo Rizzi

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The events of the story happen between 1945 and 1955. Vito Andolini, a Sicilian who left his homeland when he was in his teens, took a new name in America – Corleone, for many years had formed his empire, eliminating opponents and taking under the auspices those who needed support. Their legal business is the supply of olive oil, but the general control of the Corleone clan expands to many areas, including the power structures. This power annoys “five families” in New York. Like all the Mafia families, the Corleones are constantly involved in some kind of secret and illegal business, such as blackmail and murder. Don Vito Corleone is shot by men working for drug dealer Virgil “The Turk” Sollozzo. Corleone’s 2  sons Sonny and Michael take over the family business. Michael kills Sollozzo and Captain McCluskey, a police officer on the drug lord’s payroll. The conflict escalates into a full-scale war which results in Sonny being murdered and Michael being promoted to the head of the family. With the help of his father Michael comes up with the plan to relocate the Corleone family power base to Las Vegas. All the enemies are murdered, including Carlo Rizzi, who played a part in Sonny’s murder. Michael sells the family business in New York and moves the family to Las Vegas.

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The Godfather by Mario Puzo is a specimen Postmodernism. In this novel we can trace some hallmarks of this movement. For example, playfulness. The author plays with the text and involves the reader in this "game". The development of events is difficult to predict, they may be unexpectable. Besides, the author is particular about the characters' inner reality.

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"The Godfather" became a classic of the genre of criminal drama. This work is one of the most popular of those dedicated to the Italian-American mafia. While reading the novel I felt very impressed. The heroes seem realistic. The author succeeded in portraying the images and features of the main characters. I felt as if I was personally acquainted with them. In this novel the mafia is the family, headed by wise and fair Don, who plays a role of the father to all of them. In general, I like the values of the novel that are exhibited above all. So the most valuable things are family and friendship. This is something we must all appreciate. However, all these values are destroyed when we consider the fact that they are persued by the criminals who do not compassion for others except their folks. The novel is definitely worth reading.

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"The Making of Americans"
by Gertrude Stein
(1874-1946)
Modernism

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Gertrude Stein was an American writer, poet and art collector who spent most of her life in France. Stein was born in 1874, in Pennsylvania to upper-class German Jewish parents. She hasted a Paris salon, where she met a lot of leading figures of modernism in literature and art, such as Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway, Scott Fitzgerald and others. Her activities during World War II have been the subject of analysis and commentary. She died at the age of 72.

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Henry Dehning
Jenny Dehning
Julia Dehning
Alfred Hersland
Martha Hersland
Phillip Redfern

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The novel begins with the settlement of two families - the Dehnings and the Herslands - the Bridgepoint. Years later, they come together when Julia Dehning wants to marry Alfred Hersland. Her father doesn't support her, but they are married after a year's engagement. In Bridgepoint, they arrange marriage of his brother and then the family moves to Gossols. Martha Hersland, the eldest child, leads a particular uninteresting life until she witnesses a man beating a woman with an umbrella in a city street. That's why she leaves Gossols to persue her college education. At college, Martha meets young intelligent Phillip Redfern, a student of philosophy, who becomes her close friend. They get married 3 years later, but they are not happy. They break up. She believes that she is unworthy of his love, but she studies hoping they might be together again. After Phillip's death, Martha returns to Gossols to stay with her father.
Alfred and Julia's marriage is also unsuccessful. When Alfred has problems with his business, Julia's father, Henry, gives him a large loan, even though he doesn't like Alfred and knows him to be dishonest. Eventually, Alfred and Julia fall in love with other people. Alfred marries Minnie Mason, an acquaintance of his brother, and Julia meets a sick man named William Becking, but she never marries him.

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"The Making of Americans" was written in 1911 and refers to the movement of Modernism (published in 1925). Some elements of the novel correspond closely to the author's life, it also tells the more general story of "old people in a new world". Stein doesn't only represent the experience of the transplanted business-class family, but she also depicts the lives of the working class. One of the features of Modernism is the special attention to the relation of the individual and the society. The novel is rich in descriptions of the social class relations.

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I can say that this book is definitely different from other books I haven't read, at least, because of the style of writing: it lasks a plot, dialogues and actions, it has a lot of repetitions like a musical fugue. I cannot say that I enjoyed reading it very much, because the family stories are sad. But its style and simplicity make the novel interesting. There are a lot of stories in one book and they are all understandable. It is great, of course, but the novel didn't impress me much.

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Irwin Shaw was an American playwright, screenwriter, novelist and short-story author. His works have sold more that 14 million copies. Shaw was born in the South Bronx, New York City, to Jewish immigrants from Russia. During World War ll he was approached to join Wyler's film unit. He entered the regular army, then was sent to George Stevens film unit. Shaw died in Davis, Switzerland at the age of 71, after the treatment for prostate cancer.

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Christian Diestl
Michael Whitacre
Noah Ackerman

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It is a story about 3 soldiers of World War II, a German and two Americans. Christian participates in the occupation of Paris. German troops capture the French capita easily and almost without bloodshed. He goes with his unit to Africa. There he is seriously wounded; he realizes how low the price of human life is.
Noah marries a girl named Hope. Then he tries to enroll in the army, but he doesn't pass the medical examination. Ackerman masters the civil speciality, works in the field of shipbuilding. His life becomes better, but then he is called up in the army where his mates mock him. Tired of the opponents' attacks, he causes them to fist duel and wins with difficulty.    Michael goes to the army against his will. He gets into the same division with Noah, they get closer.
Christian gradually turns into an experienced soldier, able to cope with any task. He easily takes away human lives, commits crimes against morality. The character is ready for any action to remain safe and sound.
Michael manages to achieve a transfer to London, where he assumes the organisation of entertainment in the army. The hero tails to understand the meaning of the war and his role in it.
Noah matures, learns to survive, perfectly carries out the orders. He lands with his mates in Normandy, where he is wounded. Then Noah meets Michael, they join the old company and fight in its composition until the spring of 1945.
Noah and Michael are involved in the release of the prison, where Christian is. Christian kills Noah in a shootout, he is killed by Michael.
Michael is the only one of the three who survives but he still doesn't realize the meaning of his life.

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"The Young Lions" by Irwin Shaw refers to the movement called Postmodernism. It was written in 1949 and became one of the most notable literary works about World Was II. The stories of the heroes are diversified. In the novel the action develops in chronological order, the author consistently talks about the events happening with the characters, each of them is described concisely but brightly and figuratively at the same time. The dialogues are true to life and make the characters and the events real and persuasive as if the book was a document of war.

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I felt involved while reading the book, it was undeniably exciting. Through the eyes of these young soldiers, the reader sees all the routine and hardship of military life, all the horror and unequivocal position of an ordinary soldier in a huge "death machine" called War. Shaw didn't create the military ideals - all the heroes are shown in the novel with their good and evil. They struggle throughout the world, trying to find some reason for staying alive in it. Christian is the most disheartening character. It is the embodiment of most German soldiers who started out decent and well meaning and ended up void of any humanity.

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Jack London was an American novelist, journalist and social activist. He was one of the first writers to become a worldwide celebrity and earn a large fortune from writing. He was also an innovator in the genre that would later become known as science fiction. Jack London was part of the radical literary group "The Crowd" in San Francisco and a passionate advocate of unionization, socialism and the rights of workers. He died in a sleeping porch in a cottage on his ranch.

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Buck
John Thornton

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The main character of the adventure novel is the dog Buck that up to 4 years old lived in the south of the country, his owner was a judge. Buck's life was measured and fairly easy. One day everything changed dramatically: a gardener working for the judge kidnapped Buck and sold him to dog buyers, who then supplied the dogs to the north to use them as riding dogs. Buck passed from hand to hand several times, he wasn't treated well, but wasn't broken and wanted to take revenge on his offenders.
Buck began to assimilate the "law of canine and scourge": he learned to ride in a harness and obey the commands of the drivers. So, he was sold again and again. Buck's next owners were a trio of stampeders from the US, who were inexperienced at surviving in the Northern wilderness. On their journey they met John Thornton, an experienced outdoorsman, who noticed the dogs had been poorly treated and were in a weakened condition. After Buck was beaten by Hal (one of the trio), John recognized him to be a remarkable dog. Disgusted by the driver's treatment of Buck, Thornton cut Buck free from his traces, and told the trio he was keeping him. John became the best owner for Buck.
John with his companions went in search of the legendary place to find gold.
Wild nature attracted Buck and he liked going away and disappearing for long days and then returning. One day Buck, when he returned, found his owner and his companions, other dogs, killed by the Indians. Buck, in a rage, attacked the Indians, killed several people and put them to flight. From that moment Buck started a different life - life of predatory beast. He joined wolves and eventually became the leader of their pack.

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"The Call of the Wild" by Jack London was written during the Naturalist Period in 1903. This novel conveys the idea of the triumph of the "scientific" method, which naturalism declared itself to be. Jack London was showered with praises for the biological authenticity of the story. The story is a tale of survival and a return to primitivism. Buck found a harmony with his nature and brought back life-giving unity with the earth. The raised domestic dog dramatically turned into a wild indomitable animal, which obeys only the instincts laid down by distant ancestors in their struggle for survival.

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The novel is very touching. It can't leave anyone cold and indifferent. The work makes the reader feel worried about the main character, his fate. I love dogs so it was painful to withstand all the hardship with him. There are the themes of survival of the fittest, the desire to overcome harsh circumstances and survive in hostile conditions. Buck is in conflict with humans, in conflict with the other dogs, in conflict with the environment. The novel is sure to appeal to everyone. I certainly advise reading it.

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Jack London's San Francisco home has a collection of some of the 600 rejections he received before he sold a single story.
Like many aspiring writers, young Jack had many other jobs: paperboy, journalist, gold-miner, coal-shoveler.
He wrote an early dystopian novel, "The Iron Heel", which influenced George Orwell.
He was the first author in the world to become a millionaire from his writing.
Nobody knows for sure whether he intended to kill himself or not.

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Martin Eden
Ruth

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Martin Eden was a simple sailor. Once in a port, he confronted drunken hooligans who attacked a decently dressed student. Martin was fearless, so he helped the student. Out of gratitude, the young man invited him to his place. His name was Arthur, he was from a wealthy family and he had a sister.
Martin wanted to become an educated person and live like his new acquaintance. He fell in love with Arthur's sister, Ruth, and she became his principal motivation. She supported him, she helped him to study writing. Martin sent 40 manuscripts to different publishers but they were returned with a rejection slip. During six months Martin sailed the seas reading books and writing stories. When he returned from the voyage, he sent his works to various publishing offices and he attained the favour of the publishers. He became rich and famous, but realized that the woman he loved cared only about his money and fame. He felt that other people also didn't value him for himself or his work but only for his fame. It caused him to lose faith in human nature.
Then Martin decided to go to the islands, settle in a poor hut and start new life. He retreated into a quiet indifference and in the end committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

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"Martin Eden" by Jack London refers to the movement called Naturalism. As we see, the main character is in conflict with the society, and, to some extent, with his own self mainly due to his individualism which London himself strongly disapproved. This novel depicts the inner stresses of the "American Dream". But when the dream comes true, the hero loses desire because he cannot accept the norms accepted in the society. That's why he loses the meaning of the life and prefers to be in peace.

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I liked this novel because it inspires readers to pursue their dreams, to improve themselves and not to restrict their ambitions unnecessarily. A simple sailor tries everything in his efforts to achieve a place among the literary elite. Which is more important, the novel teaches us to appreciate people like Lizzie Connolly who love you and remain devoted to you for who you are, and not for fame or money as Ruth does.