Huxley, A. (1946). Brave new world. New York: Harper & Bros.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley:

This week i've made it about 25% into this classic, though I did have the chance to read it in high school.

If i were a teacher, would i share this would my students and how?

     I feel like this is the big question on my cohort's mind this week. Well, the short answer is yes, I would share this book with my students. I don't the censorship of texts, especially famous one that have been proven time and time again to have substantial value through a variety of different lenses. This one in particular does raise some interesting questions, and it does have it's fair share of what some would deem inappropriate material. Even Dr. Styslinger edited herself when reading out loud to our graduate level class. Perhaps there is a happy medium where the major themes and important messages can be taught without incorrectly analyzing the antiquated racist or explicit lines? Is that going against my views regarding censorship? Should this book simply be made available to students, or be required readings? These are the important questions to ask yourself when considering Huxley. 

     The thing that most parents, and people find problematic is it's decision to topple sexual matters. Yes, Huxley acknowledges sex. Yes, he writes in condom belt. Yes, there are talks of orgies. The book is ultimately a dystopian novel where a totalitarian government does their best to eliminate free will and choice by drugging the population with Soma, pleasure, and conditioned behavioral responses. When choosing whether or not to teach it--that's important to acknowledge. This isn't a manifesto on how to get young kids to deviate from their parents chosen path and get pregnant.

     Brave New World is a ingeniously crafted science fiction critique about our ways of life. While the novel contains a majority of warnings for readers, I believe that there are a lot of interesting grey areas that students could really find some value in having discussions over. One that would probably be a best suited for the most mature of classes is the discussion about how Huxley's universe doesn't shame or hide sexuality, while by and large, ours does. In the second or third chapter there is mention of the old ways in which most adolescents didn't sexually experiment until roughly twenty years of age, where new Central London starts them out of the womb acknowledging that stimulus. 

     I can't wait to consider this as a classroom text after my first year of teaching.

Rating: Classic/5

I found it online!: http://www.huxley.net/bnw/one.html

Stephenson, N. (1992). Snow crash. New York: Bantam Books.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson:

This week i've sadly only made it about 35% (150 pgs or so) into this Dystopian 90s Sci-Fi epic.

"One of Time magazine's 100 all-time best English-language novels. Only once in a great while does a writer come along who defies comparisons writer so original he redefines the way we look at the world. Neal Stephenson is such a writer and Snow Crash is such a novel, weaving virtual reality, Sumerian myth, and just about everything in between with a cool, hip cybersensibility to bring us the gigathriller dystopian epic of the information age. In reality, Hiro Protagonist delivers pizza for Uncle Enzo's CosoNostra Pizza Inc., but in the Metaverse he's a warrior prince. Plunging headlong into the enigma of a new computer virus that's striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain threatening to bring about infocalypse. Snow Crash is a mind-altering romp through a future America so bizarre, so outrageous...you'll recognize it immediately." -some guy

How did this work make me feel?

      So, I'm not going to lie to you guys, for some reason despite having a lower Lexile score than my most recently reviewed book, this story is harder to get into than the others. I believe this is due in part to a large amount of high-context dialogue between the multiple main characters and the extremely large alien future that it attempts to create for the reader. Eventually, this pays off, as the plot and characters progress and the world building can slow down as the story picks up. 

      It's kind of funny, because this book was written in 1992, it spends an ornate amount of time explaining the intricacies of how the internet works, which is humorous to a modern reader. This small fact could actually drive younger readers away, as they may grow bored or become lost in the antiquated details.

What was my favorite part of this text?     

     Ok, so the opening chapter(s?) are pretty insane. It's written very much like a hollywood blockbuster in that they immediately throw you in the middle of an intense, high-action chase scene, then panning out to explain the context. This book appears in my mind's eye much like a YA version of the movie Blade Runner (though sadly no Han Solo).

Overall Reader's Digest Version:

      So, i'm not done with the book yet and I'm honestly really excited to keep reading. From what the internet tells me, it pairs very well with Ready Player One (my past review), which was the main reason I chose to follow it with this choice. 

-There is a super badass female lead who is essentially a vigilante super hacker/crimefighter and it's kind of great having her act as more than a love interest for the main male, Hiro (whose last name is actually Protagonist if you needed some subtlety). 

x/5. 

Cline, E. (2011). Ready player one. New York: Crown.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline:

This week i've completed this YA Sci-Fi Novel.

-Are there any parts of this work that were confusing to me?

      I chose to answer this question first because, while I connected with this incredibly fun story on many levels, i do have one major critique which makes Ready Player One extremely alienating. The novel is dystopian sci-fi tale about a young, hyper-intelligent, male protagonist who lives 95% of his life within an advanced virtual reality version of a video-game internet. Everything takes places in VR: school, work, games, exercise. The fact that he is of school-age will be relatable, but the main reason why I found this so gripping will be lost on the actual intended audience. 

      While the setting is futuristic, the plot revolves around a contest involving 1980s references. I, being born in 1991 and having a hobby of devouring pop culture understood that majority of the jokes and 80s plot allusions. I feel like anyone in high school or middle school right now will completely miss every single Highlander and Atari reference...which is about 1/3 of the main storyline. So while this was not confusing for me, it has the possibility to fall very flat with a number of readers.

-Overall, what kind of feeling did i have after/during reading this work?
      As I mentioned in the above question, this book dealt a lot with nostalgia of childhood and the idea of escape through virtual entertainment and pop culture. While the writing wasn't nobel prize-worthy, it hit all the buttons that it was trying to hit. I felt the excitement of young love as i vicariously experienced the nervous admiration of a teenage girl through the protagonist's POV. This, i would imagine would be more present through the eyes of younger readers.

What was my favorite part of this text?     
      The best part of this book (without giving too much away) had to have been the dark and truly dystopian twist it takes halfway through, when it switches from essentially a video-game LiveJournal into a espionage prison thriller. Honestly, i loved almost every ingredient in this adventure. It was some of the most fun i've had reading since the first time i finished Ender's Game. 

Overall Reader's Digest Version:
Absolutely LOVED it. I would recommend it to any gamer regardless of age. Because of the POV, it would resonates much better with males, but I personally know women who have enjoyed it too.
Themes: Identity, Appearance, Competition, Friendship, "Home"

4/5. 

Deuker, C. (2007). Gym candy. Boston: Houghton Mifflin.

Gym Candy by Carl Deuker:

This week i've read the first 100 pages

-Did any characters remind me of someone I know? Explain?

Well, the main character is the definition of a football jock. His entire life is the sport of football, the narrative talks about his home life and his football life. His school life in the book = his football life. There is little description of working hard on an english essay or math equation-I mean, i get why that might repel some readers, but i'm left wanting some more immersion into his academic life.
     I've met many people like this in my life, especially throughout grade school-kids who thought that they were going to grow up to be the next best thing. A lot of these athletes even came from similar backgrounds as Micky-parents that were big stars in high school or college.

-Overall, what kind of feeling did i have after/during reading this work?
Well, honestly the writing was so simple and large that i couple read a page in a couple of seconds, skimming was doable as well. Because the magic was in the plot and the personal connections that readers make to the main characters, i never worried about higher analysis of rhetorical devices or anything like that. As I was reading i felt like i was watching a less dramatic version of the TV Show Friday Night Lights that focused on one particular character instead of many. I will also admit that even though my experience with adolescent sports was limited, i was still very nostalgic as i moved through the pages; it make me remember earlier times even though i had never taken the field at a varsity football game. 

If i were a teacher, would i share this would my students and how?

Yes, i would share this piece in a heartbeat. I wouldn't teach from it, but i would absolutely recommend it on individual bases to students. I very much like the idea of beginning each class with a recommendation of the day. I also would not hesitate to pair it with canonical texts being taught in the classroom. As long as the themes or connections are there, i would allow nearly any relevant YA pairing.

Overall Reader's Digest Version:
Into it. Easy page turner. Would auto-recommend for any sports-minded male. Themes: Father/Son, Being the Best, Making Friends, Sports, Lying, Cheating, Conflicting with adults, larger moral chocies