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Write a response on the padlet under your chosen book. The response should be at least       100 plus words. Please, please craft and edit before posting it. Consider reading it to a peer first, or maybe just let them read it first- Title it your name. Questions to Consider:      1.What observations and/or connections can you  make to the novel? For example, what character do you connect with and why, or what about a setting, or the style of writing, the subject matter, an historical connection, a connection to other novels, or current events . . .  ?                                                                                             2. What is a specific part of the book that has stayed with you or impacted you and why?                                        3. Why do you think the book was so successful with critics and readers?                  Note: your postings will not appear until I approve them                                    __________________________________________________ If you have not read your novel yet at all, I would still like you to post: in it, tell me which book you have decided to read and why. Research a bit about the author and novel. What can you predict about the story and its characters and outcomes? 

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Write a response on the padlet under your chosen book. The response should be at least       100 plus words. Please, please craft and edit before posting it. Consider reading it to a peer first, or maybe just let them read it first- Title it your name. Questions to Consider:      1.What observations and/or connections can you  make to the novel? For example, what character do you connect with and why, or what about a setting, or the style of writing, the subject matter, an historical connection, a connection to other novels, or current events . . .  ?                                                                                             2. What is a specific part of the book that has stayed with you or impacted you and why?                                        3. Why do you think the book was so successful with critics and readers?                  Note: your postings will not appear until I approve them                                    __________________________________________________ If you have not read your novel yet at all, I would still like you to post: in it, tell me which book you have decided to read and why. Research a bit about the author and novel. What can you predict about the story and its characters and outcomes? 

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1. I chose this book because of the location it is set in: France during WWII. My mother is french, and I have family that was in Normandy during D day. The subject of the novel, and that time in history is something I find deeply interesting. Not only did I really like the setting, I also gravitated towards this book because of the style it was written in. It was extremely detailed, which made the story come to life in a very vivid way.
2. A lot of things stuck with me from this book, especially the ending which was so hard to wrap my head around, but a part that I have ingrained into my mind was how rapidly Marie-Laure's life changed in a matter of days. The walk towards Brittany/Saint-Malo that her and her father take, where they stay in an abandoned farm over night, felt so cold and scary. Her emotions seeped out of the page into my heart, I felt for her and her journey. Werner's experience in the school is also gut wrenching, when he watches Frederick being abused, and to later find out that the aftermath of his bravery, his courage and his identity, resulted in him being disabled for life. Its heartbreaking. This affected Werner forever, as it did me when I read it.
3. I think this book was so well received because of the affect the characters have on the readers. We follow their stories, from the day they are born to the day they pass. We feel for them so deeply. This story, set in such a harsh time, still manages to treasure the beauty of life, curiosity, and childhood.

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Honestly, I chose this book because it was the shortest. But since I started to look more in-depth about what the topic is and learn about the author I am really glad I chose it. The ease of reading is very surprising as the language is still complex and the character description very complete. I am very excited to see how Gogol and his sister Sonia adapt to American living and/or how they don't. I really enjoy the pace of the book so far and how excited I am for the ending. I have read similar books about foreign families coming to America but I haven't read one that seems to be centered on one main character, but that may change as I continue to read.

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"All the Light We Cannot See" was such a genuine, beautiful novel. Doerr was masterful at crafting distinctive voices for each of the characters, and he really highlighted their unique perspectives. For example, Marie-Laure's chapters were carefully written from the perspective of a blind person, and Doerr was able to highlight imagery from the other senses. The senses were a big motif in the novel, especially when they highlighted the different ways Werner and Marie-Laure see the world. Marie-Laure doesn't have sight, but she uses her hearing to understand the world around her. Although Werner is sighted, radio is his gift, and sound is the most important thing in his life. A radio, the perfect symbol of communication through sound, is the object that ties our main characters together. I thought that this beautifully illustrated the way that connections between people can cross languages, allegiances, and even hundreds of miles.

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Part of the reason I chose The Namesake was the connection to a foreign culture, or rather the disconnect. I felt like I could connect to the acronym "ABCD" as an American Born Confused Hispanic Italian. I felt for Gogol as he struggled through the ins and outs of trying to stay connected to a parents culture while being surrounded by a swarm of white peers. I have felt embarrassed, ostracized, and confused just as he did. Gogol also had major struggles accepting his given name, dealing with the shame of having a name that is difficult to understand and pronounce, and a name that does not belong to one culture. I am well accustomed to the pause of the teacher before my name on the roster, the common question when I correct pronunciation: "where is that from?" One of the main reasons I enjoyed The Namesake is the way Jhumpa Lahiri writes about cultural issues and how I felt such easy companionship with Gogol over the course of his self acceptance journey.

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I’m familiar with Jhumpa Lahiri’s short stories, but this was my first full-length novel of hers. Lahiri’s writing is self-assured and confident and she adopts a very “show don’t tell” attitude. Her objective, third-person style allows for the narrative to speak entirely for itself. Gogol’s moment with his father on the pier stands out; the line “‘Remember that you and I made this journey, that we went together to a place where there was nowhere else to go’”, spoken by Gogol’s father is simple, but impactful.

I enjoyed the references to Russian literature, and found the fixation on Gogol interesting. The Overcoat’s main character is a bit of a tragic hero, trampled on by life, so Ashoke’s admiration of him is interesting. I also liked that Lahari used pronouns more often than Gogol’s name to refer to him throughout the novel. Further, I thought it was an interesting choice that she never switched to calling him Nikhil, even once his name was officially changed.

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I personally was a big fan of Lahiri’s writing style throughout the book, it was very observatory and descriptive and was able to paint a picture in my head. The imagery used allows the reader to picture everything that was happening in the book. I particularly enjoyed that the book’s narration and how Lahiri was developed each character through their stories and we were able to know their thoughts and feelings about the events that were taking place. Lastly, I love the way that we get an inside look at how the battle of cultures shows itself through the main character's relationships and stories.

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One thought I had early on after meeting the characters was the realization of their fictionality. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed the characters and how they were written, but they seemed too perfect for their story, which is good! Characters should be perfectly written for their story and it improved the book in the long run, but I had a little bit of trouble being immersed at first.
I've been enjoying the book so far in general (I'm about 2/3 of the way through) and I've found a new appreciation for war stories. Seeing how the characters feel about the war happening around them and how they see others reacting to it was interesting as not many writings about historical events delve into the people who were living through it. I'm surprised a handful of fictional characters made me care more about World War II and think more critically about how such a horrific event effected not just the world but the people who inhabited the world that was being destroyed before their eyes than any documentary I've watched on the subject, but that's the work of a truly skilled author.

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I decided to choose Namesake because the idea of experiencing first hand what immigrants who move into the United States go through was interesting to me. I have lived in the United States my whole life and so has my immediate family so none of us have ever had to figure out these things. I can predict that Ashoke and Ashima are going to have to spend some time getting adapted to the American culture. I can also predict that they will encounter some racism in their journey of establishing a new life in the United States judging by the time period in which this book takes place.

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My mom grew up in an Asian household, just like Gogol. Her mom is an immigrant from Taiwan, so many of her childhood stories that I have heard can be related back to Gogol’s experiences. My mom can relate to Gogol in wanting to be able to have a normal American teenager experience while having the pressure of foreign parents who disapprove and have very specific expectations of their children. Although I can’t personally relate to Gogol, reading a fiction novel that connects to my life through my mom is very interesting. I think this is one of the reasons why this book is so successful. Many people can relate to the main character's feelings, experiences, and pressures therefore the book is able to resonate with many audiences.

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One of the most noticeable things that this book does fantastically is its world building. Both with the historical events that the book features and includes as inciting moments for the characters involved. Something that stuck with me, for example, were the race riots of Detroit in 1967, and how that had a profound effect for the Eugenides family. I suspect that this book was such a success with both critics and common readers in that it doesn't feel like a story about just someone trying to find their identity while being intersex. It feels like a history book, detailing a story of a family going back three generations, and how many times that major historical events in real life had shaped them personally.

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All the Light We Cannot See is a beautiful novel By Anthony Doerr. One of the things about this novel that I find the most interesting is how real the novel felt despite having elements of science fiction interlaced with it. This book was probably so successful with the public because the characters felt human. For instance, Werner struggled throughout the entirety of the novel with courage. Like when his friend was being brutally attacked by his classmates, he didn't do or say anything despite knowing that he should help. This is something that most people also struggle with, we hear in school and around us to "stand up" and "fight back" when we an injustice. But in reality, that's a lot harder to do than it is to say.
Marie-Laure, however, was the typical heroine of the novel. She acted as the brave and hopeful hero that the audience hopes survives. I think she was a good addition to the novel because, with Werner, we experience real feelings and a more human aspect to the novel, but with Marie-Laure, you get a character who satisfies the audience's need for hope and justice. This blend of characters is why I think the novel did so well. The best books have either the most relatable characters and have topics and themes that feel real to the reader, or they believe in the character and want them to succeed. With All the Light You Cannot See, you get both and ultimately have both categories for audience desires satisfied.

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When reading "Namesake", I noticed a lot of different ideas and concepts being presented. The character that I connected with most was "Gogol" or "Nikhil", especially when he experienced "something bad" relating to his father, and had to discontinue his relationship with Maxine, to help and support his own family. Through this, I noticed that throughout the book, nikhil (or gogol), was encapsulated in "being american" to some extent. This isn't only specific to gogol, but throughout the book I noticed a lot of places where someone would add something like "that's a true american" or something like that. It really rubbed me the wrong way, because it made me feel like it was a deciding factor in him separating himself from his family. Because if you really think about it, he really did leave his family for Maxine's “american” family. He almost entirely cut them off, and pursued a completely different life, or what he may or may not have viewed as the "ideal american life". But, that's just kind of my interpretation of the matter. One could maybe argue that Maxine's family represents freedom, but to me it represents gogol separating from his roots, personally.

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I chose to read "The Namesake" because out of all the books on the required reading list for this summer, it was the book my sister recommended I read. While I haven’t finished reading the book yet, I think it’s easy from the start of the book to relate to one of the books main characters, Gogol. Gogol is the son of Ashima and Ashoke, who moved from India to the United States. From the early stages of his life, Gogol has issues with finding his identity through his name, and eventually grows to hate it. I think, especially for me, it is easy to relate to Gogol because we all go through those struggles of finding our identity, and sometimes, like Gogol, it can make us grow to despise things about ourselves.

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I decided to read this book after reading the introductions for all of the book choices. Middlesex immediately stood out to me because I was intrigued by how many political spheres it covers like, race, ethnicity, gender, political strife, and intersectionality. I also really like that the book is written like an autobiography but is fiction, it helps the reader better connect to a real situation told by a fictional character. The history of being intersex and how society responds, especially professionals in the medical field, has always really interested me. I love the reality of one gender dismantling how society functions and treats people.

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Lily Dickey
I've decided to read the namesake. I haven't finished yet but it seems very interesting so far. It's about a little boy named Gogol throughout his school life, then later his college and after college life. I really enjoy reading these kinds of stories because you're able to see how they develop as a person throughout the story and their life. Gogol's parents seem to be dismissive about the girl he meets in college, Maxine, they seem to think she'll only be there for a short amount of time. Gogol seems to take this as she isn't accepted into his family, so after his father died, they breakup. Then Gogol finds another women after his college life and gets married but then starts to have regrets. This is really interesting to me to see both sides of why they don't end up staying together. The outcome of the book pans out so there's not really anything that can happen after the book concludes.

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The Namesake: This book captured my attention because of the relations it has to my life. I am turning 18 soon and I feel as though a coming of age story fits perfectly with the point I am in my life right now. I am uncertain of what the future holds similar to how the main character feels moving to a new country. I also understand what it feels like to not like your name. It is an internal struggle that creates self hatred. This is something I've overcome by becoming more comfortable with myself and understanding that what I have is special. I can't wait to see how the character will overcome this struggle as it relates so heavily to my life.

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In Zadie Smith’s “White Teeth”, specifically in the chapters about characters Archie and Samad, I was consistently reminded of Emily Dickinson’s “We Grow Accustomed To The Dark” and Walt Whitman’s “A Noiseless Patient Spider.” The repeating theme of the soul in the character’s relationship drew me to Witman’s poem, specifically in their time as soldiers and their discussions of human nature. In the following chapters, Smith emphasizes the contrast between the day and the “swallowing night” specifically with Samad’s addictions and break-downs (Smith 93). The emphasis on this darkness that comes as the sun sets, and the revelations behind it reminded me of Dickinson’s “We Grow Accustomed To The Dark”.

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As I read the namesake I found myself thinking about my relationship with my parents. Throughout the novel there were times where I saw my father in Ashoke. The most significant moment was after Ashoke had died and Gogol was looking for a picture of him for the funeral. Gogol thought about how his father was always behind the camera so it was hard to find pictures just of Ashoke. As I read I began to think about what will happen after my own father dies. My father has always been behind the camera, capturing memories of my family but we are never capturing memories of him. Will we be able to find pictures of him? Will we be able to find pictures that will bring back happy memories?

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The book that I have chosen is All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. I haven’t gotten around to reading it just yet, but from what I have heard from my mother it is well worth the time that it will take to read it.  From the previous World War II books that I have liked in the past, I have found that the idea of people facing the hardships presented to them can be an interesting subject. One such book being, Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan. In Beneath a Scarlet Sky there was a teen boy that we got to see grow up into the man that he would need to be. His growing up was an intrinsic part of the story that made you compelled to see how it would end. I feel as if this book, with the two kids that have to find their way in this new form of life, will be just as worth reading as that one was. Since this idea of two people that have to go through all of the challenges of WWII while coming from two separate places and trying to improve their lives together is a journey worth looking into. So, while I have not yet read the book I look forward to seeing how they grow into themselves during this heartbreaking time in history.

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I have decided to select the novel Namesake, due to my interest in reading more about the story of Gogol's life and character development. I feel that I can personally connect with the coming of age aspect and beginning the new chapter of college. On top of this it seems that the adaptation of Bengali culture paves the way for characteristics in the novel, and I would like to further read about how Gogol makes decisions in the story and how his culture affects his life. Jhumpa Lahir a Pulitzer Prize winning novelist, is known for her novels and short stories that strive to illuminate the immigration experience, which excites me to see what kind of journey this story will take me on.

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This story was told from a myriad of perspectives. Each of the characters, even the minor ones, got a chance to have their say. For this book, I preferred the changing point of view. It helps highlight the fact that every person has their own things going on in their heads. They have their own thoughts that can drastically change the course of events.
The book started with one of the characters trying to kill himself. He was stopped in time and it renewed his vigor for life. For the next 24 hours or so he was running around relying on the flip of a coin to make decisions. This part of the book stayed with me because it was what set the story in motion. Everything afterwards kept building in a snowball effect fashion until it culminated at the FutureMouse exhibit at the very end of the book.

This book had an interesting brand of humor. There were difficult topics but with that came entertainingly dry comedy that kept you engaged with the characters.

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I'm not going to lie to you, I haven't opened this book yet. Not that it seems uninteresting, I just didn't haven't w̶a̶n̶t̶e̶d̶ ̶t̶o̶ found the time.

In researching the book, I found out that the softcover copy actually has 13 less pages, which means I messed up in buying the hardcover copy because it'll take longer. Wait...

In all seriousness, I chose this book because the topic was genuinely interesting to me, not just because it was the only one at half price books. My favorite English book I've ever read was The Things They Carried, and while that was more about the art of storytelling, any book that can tell a compelling and human war story sounds worthwhile to me. And the books at Barnes and Noble are almost twice as expensive.

Anthony Doerr is an award winning author (with a Pulitzer Prize for fiction for this book), and that credit is certainly backed up by the reviews I've seen.

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(Just a heads up I've read just under half of the novel so I'll try my best to fully answer the questions) This book was a fairly easy pick after my well read mother gave it a stellar review. So far I've really enjoyed the short format of the chapters. They help me stay engaged with the story, and it’s interesting to see how the actions of the Germans affect Marie’s story. I’ve also really connected with Werner because we share a love for mechanical things, and as a kid I was always taking stuff apart. One scene that’s really stuck with me was the test of courage portion of Werner's entrance exam. It was impactful and pretty disheartening to see some of the children's blind devotion to the Nazi cause.

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White Teeth dramatically discusses the intersection between ethical philosophy, political science, theology and history. The novel, Zadie Smith’s debut publication, leaves little to be desired. I was initially attracted to Zadie Smith’s view as an unestablished author. With an innate lack of social capital as a debut author, such authors write with a survivalistic inclination to invigorate any audience that will listen. The aforementioned characteristic is irreplicable and persistent in the novel. Beginning with a failed suicide attempt that will captivate any reader, the novel proceeds to taunt readers with extensive descriptions of the story’s eclectic characters. The book does not fail to provide the audience with a plethora of scenes that will stick in their memory. The scene that continues to penetrate my memory, and admittedly makes me giggle, is the ironic scene in which Islamic fudementalist character Magid Iqbal is graphically depicted having sex atop his prayer mat. With a Hitchcockesque plot and  beautifully constructed characters, this book may warrant a reread or leave the reader satisfied with a list of questions.

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The Namesake portrays the story of a man whose parents were immigrants from India. As a child, the main character was given the name Gogol, a name with which he is at first unhappy but towards the end of the book learns its story and appreciates it. The setting of the novel reflects the stories of so many immigrants who change their familiar livelihoods in order to better their family's lives and escape problems in their home countries. Written from the point of view of the son, the novel provides a growing immigrant child's opinions and feelings toward his family and life, which can be likened to families across North America.

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I haven’t read my novel yet, however I decided to read Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides published in 2002. The events of the book are loosely based on the author's perspective on his Greek heritage.The reason I wanted to read it was the title on the cover. I thought it was rather strange seeing the word Middlesex because I didn’t know what it meant. It’s very striking to me that after doing little research Eugenides has written many short stories and three novels called The Virgin Suicides, Middlesex, and The Marriage Plot. In Middlesex was written right after he read the 1980 memoir of Heculine Barbin it seem didn’t satisfied him with it’s conversation of intersex anatomy and emotions. He created a book about intersex protagist named Cal.The title meaning is about how Cal is between sexes during the course of his life. I only know the main character is Cal and his is intersex right now I’m predicting the story is going be a very powerful coming to age story and it’s going to show a new point of view getting really into Cal thoughts and the emotion he feels dealing with this stuff. Obviously there will be a type of conflict in his life where he will have to overcome and experience growth within the chapters.

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I didn’t go into this novel expecting myself to have so many memories unlocked from my own childhood, but as I continued through the pages I found myself marveling at some of the parallels I was discovering between Ashima/Ashoke and my own grandmother (A first generation immigrant). One thing I really value about Lahiri’s writing is her emphasis on very specific small moments/details. It adds a level of realism to the text that couldn’t be achieved with large generalized metaphors or blanket statements about the immigrant experience. For example, one of the first examples we see of Ashima struggling with English appears in the first chapter when she comically remarks she will be satisfied with whatever sex her baby is “As long as there are ten finger and ten toe” (Lahiri 7). The doctors around her find this accident endearing, which is juxtaposed by the embarrassment Ashima feels upon this slip-up. Simply writing about the struggles of learning a new language in a foreign land would be one dimensional and impersonal -- Lahiri working this moment into the story allows for a wide variety of perspectives to be explored, and makes the example more sincere, and tangible to an audience who can’t personally relate or identify with the character. And for those of us who can relate to the moment, we feel understood -- which is perhaps the greatest purpose of this novel.