Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis, by Jimmy Carter

I originally picked up this book on a whim at the library, but it was actually pretty good. While I don't really agree with Jimmy Carter on a few things politically, I think it is important to understand other people's opinions. He tackles a lot of hot-button issues, such as women's rights, gay marriage, abortion, the death penalty, the environment, and foreign policy. While I don't like how Carter blames Republicans far too much (and doesn't blame Democrats for really anything), I think he has a lot of good points and ideas, and approaches problems with a realistic point of view. Now, it should be noted that Carter talks quite a bit about his faith - both about his past as a Southern Baptist and his separation from the sect as they became more radical. So if you're offended by those sorts of things, don't read this book. He also talks quite a bit about the Carter Center's humanitarian efforts in Africa. This was very interesting to me to learn about the different challenges faced in Africa - from AIDS, hunger, poverty, sanitation and disease. It inspired my African History term paper, which I guess is another bonus!

Details:

Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (September 26, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743285018
ISBN-13: 978-0743285018

Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's, by John Elder Robison

I read this book for my teen book group, although it had been recommended to me beforehand. I hate to steal words out of another reviewer's mouth, but I have found after reading this book that how I look at the world has changed (in a good way). Robison (brother of Augusten Burroughs, of Running with Scissors fame) relives his childhood, adolescence, and journey into adulthood - living both with a dysfunctional family, and Asperger's - a form of autism for which there simply was no diagnosis. Before I continue, I should expand a little on Asperger's itself. Asperger's syndrome is a form of high-functioning autism. Children with Asperger's usually demonstrate intense concentration and interests (for Robison, this was electronics), and generally have a difficult time socializing and making friends. Robison talks a lot about his struggles in the book - from making friends as a child, to escaping his family as an adolescent, to being accepted in society and finding his place in the working world as an adult. Robison adds a fresh point of view on subjects many people experience in their own lives - married life, fatherhood, finding one's place in the world and being accepted. He also explains experiences unique to him - living with an abusive father and mentally unstable mother, living on his own as a teenager and being diagnosed at the age of forty. His persistent wit and unique perspective on life add humor to a very serious subject. One thing I like about Robison is that he tells his story like it is - he does not milk his experiences for emotional heartwrench. Instead, he lets his story speak for itself (and I do distinctly remember crying at different points throughout the book). I would recommend this book to absolutely anyone (although there is a lot of swearing, so maybe not for everyone). Definitely one of my favorite reads.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Three Rivers Press; Reprint edition (September 9, 2008)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0307396185
ISBN-13: 978-0307396181

The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, by Agatha Christie

Agatha Christie has definitely become one of my favorite authors. Her most well-known book is arguably Murder on the Orient Express, but for my book club, I tried Ackroyd for that very reason. Christie is a fabulous writer, weaving her tale so expertly, she is a rarity in the mystery genre. Never once did I feel "cheated" by her like with some authors - withholding a vital piece of information or not introducing a crucial character until later. I was extremely satisfied with her ending, revelation and explanation. Christie gives you and Hercule Poirot, her famous detective, every single piece of information necessary to solve the crime, but the murderer (while I will not reveal his or her identity) is absolutely the last person you would suspect of the crime. Her clever use of narration, lies and red herrings is masterful, enthralling her reader in her story and taking them exactly where she wants them to be. I love mystery books, but I have not yet found an author who doesn't trick me into being unable to solve the crime. I would recommend her to anyone hooked on such mystery books - the comparison is like recommending fresh, seasonal fruit to someone who only eats those crappy Jello-with-fruit chunks things. Christie is a master at her craft and I will definitely be reading more of her in the future.

Overall grade: 10 out of 10. Fabulous.

Hardcover: 288 pages
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal Publishers (September 1, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1579126278
ISBN-13: 978-1579126278

Lord of the Flies, by William Golding

William Golding's classic novel starts out when a plane full of young British schoolboys crashes on a deserted island. As they all find each other, the leader (Ralph) begins delegating tasks. They soon discover that only a select group is responsible enough to do the tasks that need to be done. The older boys desert their posts at the signal fire to go out hunting, and this leads to a fight when they see a ship out on the ocean - a ship that would have seen them if the fire had been going. The boys dissolve into two groups - Ralph's group, of which there are few, and Jack (the older boy's) group. While Ralph's group stays civil, Jack's group dissolves into savagery and chaos - a clear allusion on Golding's part as to the darkness of human nature. Satan himself even makes an appearance to one of the boys, foreshadowing what is to come, incarnated as the Lord of the Flies - a man so covered in dark flies, his face cannot be seen. One of the boys is murdered during a hunting game (on purpose), and the dark pull of Jack's savage life tempts Ralph immensely. When the boys are finally rescued by Naval officers, one of the men asks Ralph what happened to cause all the savagery. Ralph weeps for his two lost friends as well as his lost innocence. I thought the book was overall very good, but very deep. I had to read several passages many times over to realize that the Lord of the Flies was, in fact, the devil. Reading up on Golding's life was very interesting to - he had several life experiences that contributed to his desire to write a book exploring human nature. I disliked that Golding was heavy on the descriptions. I prefer dialogue, and there wasn't much of that in the first half to three-quarters of this book.

Overall: 7 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 190 pages
Publisher: Perigree Books; 1954 19th Printing edition (1953)
Language: English
ASIN: B000FXT2LA

Catch-22, by Joseph Heller

Catch-22 is the satirical story of a fighter pilot squadron during WWII. The book is full of wit and humor, as well as dealing with some very serious issues and underlying political commentary.Heller opens the story with a fighter pilot named Yossarian who appears to be a deserter - faking illness to get grounded off combat missions, as every time he comes close to the required amount, the number gets raised. Heller's story is really about Yossarian, but it is told in an anecdotal format, so each chapter is told from another person's perspective. All the stories intertwine beautifully, leaving you with a very complete story. Several themes appear and reappear throughout the book, such as (for those who have read it): the Chaplain's plum tomato, Milo's black market enterprise, egg-selling, Nately's whore, the countess and her daughter-in-law, the maid, Capt. Flume and Chief Halfoat's threat, Hungry Joe's cat, etc. The story also reveals the original Catch-22 - the only way to get prematurely grounded from combat duty was to be determined crazy, and if you didn't want to fly more missions, you were sane, but if you did, you were crazy. The book explores the theme of several versions of Catch-22, all perfectly told, and possessing their own witty, ironic humor. I would recommend this read to everyone, but to fully enjoy it you must be in possession of a sense of humor.

Overall: 10 out of 10. A great book.

Details:

Paperback: 464 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster; Reprint edition (September 4, 1996)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0684833395
ISBN-13: 978-0684833392

Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld

For my teen book club, I read Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld. To be honest, I felt like it was trying to be a futuristic dystopic societal commentary (think Soylent Green), but fell far short. The story is basically about a future society where, at the age of 16, everyone gets an operation to be pretty. The main character, Tally, joins her friend Shay in running away from "Uglyville" (imaginative name, right?). Westerfeld organizes the society in a way that is completely unrealistic. In the story, after Shay runs away from being pretty, Tally is prevented from having the operation by Special Circumstances, an organization of government officials. It has an air of being a "big brother" society, but it's like having only half a story - there is absolutely no motivation presented for Special Circumstances to WANT to run a society of made-mindless pretties. The pretties produce nothing and have nothing the government could possibly want. All they do is have parties. They also have not bothered to restrict access completely to the outside world. After Tally runs to the Smoke, a city of renegades run away from the society and hunted by SC, she meets David (of course she does) and falls in love (despite only knowing him for about a week. That totally happens.). The progression of Tally's relationship with David was laughably unrealistic. Another peeve about Tally's relationship with David - Westerfeld made them out to be perfect, which bothers me for whatever reason. Seeing as relationships aren't perfect, there's no point in trying to fabricate them as such. The second half of the book was better than the first, but the whole premise of the society was ridiculous and I couldn't take it seriously. This all being said, the book is a trilogy, and I will probably read the second book despite how much I disliked the first.

Overall: 4 out of 10.

Details:

Publisher: Perfection Learning (March 2005)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 075697237X
ISBN-13: 978-0756972370

Animal Farm, by George Orwell

This was a great example of Communism in a small, realistic setting (realistic SETTING!). Orwell's message comes through much clearer in his "fairie tale" than if he had expressed his political opinions in an essay or nonfiction novel. Orwell was a well known democratic socialist, and absolutely hated Stalin, his basis for the pig Napoleon. He also tried to make a statement about the absolute power involved with communism, and that it corrupts - using the outcast pig, Snowball, as his example (modeled after Trotsky). If you really read into the dialogue and events that take place, you will see that Snowball was not actually a champion for the animals. While Napoleon was more direct about his quest for power, Snowball did not protest when the pigs were given special privileges. It is more than likely that Orwell was trying to make the point that the end result of Animal Farm would have been the same, regardless of whether Snowball or Napoleon was in charge. I loved how Orwell showed the progression (or rather, degradation of) Animal Farm by showing how the pigs used propaganda to achieve their goals. For example, they changed the fundamental prospects of Animalism in subtle ways - for example, after the pigs changed the commandment "No animal shall ever drink alcohol", it read "No animal shall ever drink alcohol in excess". They also lied to the animals (for example, sending off poor Boxer to the glue factory) and used made up figures to "show" the animals how the situation was improving since they drove out the farmer (much like the communist nations of the mid-20th century did, when in reality, people were starving). At one point, Orwell goes so far to say, "But sometimes the animals wished they had less figures, and more food." Orwell's book is more than meets the eye, as with many of his books, and is no less a classic because of it.

Overall: 10 of 10.