A Beginners Guide to Horse Showing by Josie Embleton

     As a horse show exhibitor with parents that have no idea what they're doing around horses, I decided it might be helpful for anyone else like me to have a guide to horse showing for their family and friends who might not be used to the atmosphere. The first thing a horse show parent should know is appropriate behavior at the show. The basic rule is not to do anything that may spook the horses. For example, my dad once thought it would be a great idea to bring a beach umbrella to the horse shows in the summer. This is actually one of the spookiest items for a horse. Luckily, I made sure he knew that was a very bad idea before he showed up with an enormous, green, flapping umbrella. Some other spooky items/activities are crinkling soda cans and water bottles, plastic bags, and pretty much any other thing that moves and makes sounds. (You always have to keep in mind that horses are prey animals and are incredibly spooky.)
       The next important thing your parents need to learn is the horse lingo. This is an important part of horse showing because if you are like my dad and think "Under Saddle" means the class is beginning, you might end up rushing down to the ring thinking the class is starting without you, only to realize that it actually begins in two hours. The term "Under Saddle" really is a type of class, a flat class specifically. It has nothing to do with when the class is beginning. Another important term to know is when a rider/trainer says, "That was a great trip!" It is important to know that they do not mean a trip as in the horse tripping, they mean a trip around the jumps. My mom once made that mistake and was quite worried until we explained to her that my horse did not trip. Other terms that may be helpful to know are:

• A "green" horse- This means the horse is young or inexperienced, not that the horse is the color green.
• Lead Change- This means that when the horse is in the canter or gallop, the horse switched his leading leg.
• Schooling- when someone is "warming up" or practicing. You can think of it as teaching the horse how to ride the jumps.

There is much more to know, but this guide should be a good, quick introduction to the appropriate behavior at a horse show.

 

Quote Review by Natalie Earl

Quote: "Overthinking the process will kill any career in the creative space. You just have to do, not think." -Casey Neistat

I was simply scrolling on social media and saw this quote, this caught my eye because I am someone who overthinks a ton. Thinking about something is care free and it is harmless but once you go into detail about every possible outcome it becomes intense and harmful to your mind. In school for most students it is impossible to not overthink about your career and how your grades will affect you in the future. School is one factor of life that is most stressful and to overthink about work makes it ten times worse because now you know what can go wrong. So many factors of life give a negative feature but I have learned that I cannot let this affect me. Homework, tests, and quizzes give a lot of students stress and that causes them to become worried about their life. Overthinking is almost like quick sand, you are fine one moment but in a second you become trapped in your own thoughts and cannot escape them. Do not let overthinking kill your creative space and just do what you think is right because this is your life and I believe that you should just live life and not worry about the minor details.

The Psychology of Literature by Stephanie Downes

Picture an evil monster. It lives in the forest, and scavenges for human blood. What does the monster look like? Is it furry or scaly? Does it walk on two legs or four?  If you ask anyone else, their depiction of this monster will most likely be different from yours. Recently after reading Beowulf, our class looked up pictures of the evil swamp monster, Grendel. We were all very surprised when we saw that there is a countless amount of different depictions of the creature. The question is why? Why do we all read the same words, yet see images that are so versatile? Why do we associate colors with traits, or traits with appearance in literature?

In early literature such as the Bible, the word “white” is used to describe purity and goodness, and the word “black” as evil and satanic. This explains why from the earliest times until present day, we associate these colors with these traits. Early literature set many precedents for modern depictions of characters and scenery. For example, I'm sure you've heard the quote in which, “God said, ‘let there be light,’ and there was light.” The Bible uses light to portray God, creation, and purity. In addition to this, in the story of Adam and Eve, the Devil is portrayed as a dark and mysterious snake. As you can tell, early literature set the basis for literature in the future to follow.

When we picture a monster, most of the images in our head will be dark and gloomy. However, what creates the slight differences? What in our minds controls whether we portray something “evil” as large or small, man or woman?  It can all be traced back to our past experiences. Literature that we have previously read, or media that we have watched in the past heavily impacts our perception of characters in books. For example, if a book mentions an evil sorcerer, some people may immediately picture the character as similar to Voldemort. However, if a reader is not familiar with the Harry Potter series, their view would be completely different. Overall, all of our minds work differently, and the way that our brains perceive and imagine literature makes for a unique and exciting adventure for everyone!

A Poem by Ryan Dailey

Mush, wrinkles and slime

How can something so simple be so complex at the same time.

Every thought

Every memory

Every decision

Every action

Made with something so close to nothing

But yet, it is everything

All in this ball of mush we call a brain.

Book review by: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Book review: The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken

Rate: 9/10
By Sophie Venus

This is good book if you like action and adventure. It takes place in today's time where a disease infects all children. Those who survive get special abilities and according to how dangerous their abilities are they are sorted into colors. When Ruby survives she is one of the most dangerous ones, an orange. This book tells her journey as she tries to survive the harsh world that has set out to make sure no one like her survives. I give this book a 9/10 because it is a very good read but I think if the author had told it from other characters perspectives along with Ruby it would make it even better. Overall I think this book is really interesting and I couldn't stop reading it.

The Hero's Journey in the Lion King - William Theilacker

The Lion King is a classic Disney film, however the concept of a hero's journey that Joseph Campbell first introduced can be seen in this children's story. In The Lion King the main character, Simba, is the heir to the throne at Pride Rock. Everything in his life is perfect but Simba wants an adventure. He is tempted to venture into the only place he is told he can't go, the elephant graveyards. His uncle, Scar, hints that he should go there, and this is where Simba's call to adventure is. Simba never really refuses the call to adventure and is accompanied by his friend Nala. They cross the first threshold when they enter the elephant graveyard, as they are venturing into the unknown. Simba is reprimanded by his father after almost being killed by hyenas in the graveyard. However his final separation from his known world is when his father, Mufasa, is killed by his uncle Scar. This is Simba's belly of the whale moment because he leaves his home, Pride Rock, after his father's death because he thinks it's his fault that Mufasa died. Simba's road of trials start right after Mufasa dies as he is chased out of Pride Rock by hyenas and could have died, then he is found near dead in the desert, and finally overcoming the struggle he has in thinking he killed his father. Meeting with the goddess is when Nala comes and finds Simba in the forest he's been living in ever since he left and they fall in love. Simba's atonement with the father moment is when he goes back to Pride Rock and confronts Scar who took over after Mufasa's death. This is the atonement with the father moment because Scar is the one who holds the ultimate power. The ultimate boon is when Simba overthrows Scar and take backs the throne. Simba refused to return to Pride Rock until Rafiki shows him that he must return. Simba crosses the return threshold when he is shown in the end with his son. He is the master of two worlds because he has managed to balance both the lives he led. Happily Ever After.

Heroes: Navy SEALs and Beowulf

After reading Mark Owen's memoir of his experiences as an elite operator on SEAL team six and the Beowulf Epic, one thing stood out to me. Heroes come in all forms and have stayed with us in one form or another throughout history. On May 2, 2011 Navy SEALs flew into Abbotabad, Pakistan where they raided terrorist mastermind Osama Bin Laden's lair. The operators assaulted the compound and used explosive charges to blow open the doors. They split into teams and gained entry into each building in the compound. After a brief gunfight, the SEALs overwhelmed the terrorists and killed two high level Al Qaeda operatives, Bin Laden's son, and Bin Laden himself. The men then thoroughly searched the house and gathered an extensive amount of intelligence about the terrorist group and exited. The whole operation took about 30 minutes. In the epic, Beowulf enters the mead hall to slay Grendel, then enters Grendel's mother's lair to kill her, then climbs the mountain in his kingdom to slay the dragon. Beowulf kills three monsters that are all killing innocent people. He does so with great bravery and valor. Despite differences in technology and tactics, the team of SEALs that killed Bin Laden and the great warrior that was Beowulf are very similar.

Both Navy SEALs and Beowulf share one common aspect. They take the fight to the enemy. Beowulf crossed the oceans and entered the mead hall. The SEALs rode helicopters across a hostile country's border into a terrorist compound. Beowulf dove into the sea down to Grendel's mother's lair to fight. The SEALs slid down ropes into a dark, unknown area. Beowulf climbed the mountain the defeat the dragon. The SEALs climbed a single staircase up to the third floor of Bin Laden's compound where armed radical Islamic terrorists were waiting. Beowulf didn't know what Grendel's tactics were, or what weapons his mother had in her lair. The operatives in Pakistan didn't know if there was going to be booby traps, suicide bombers, human shields, or other terrorist tools in play. Both Beowulf and the SEALs accomplished their missions by defeating the masterminds of the enemy. This brought prosperity to their homelands and made the world a safer place.

However, both warriors did so at great personal sacrifice. Navy SEAL Robert O'Neil, who actually fired the shots that killed Bin Laden, speaks around the country about his experiences. He says the hardest part of the job is saying goodbye to his daughter suddenly, and not knowing if it is the last time he will see her again. Beowulf didn't know if he would say any of his kinsmen again when he sailed to support Hrothgar against Grendel. The SEALs didn't know if they would see their wives and girlfriends, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters again when they deployed to go after Bin Laden. This is the life of warriors: leaving safety and security to take the fight to the enemy, to accomplish the mission. Because every monster, every terrorist eliminated makes the world a little bit safer. This is what sets true heroes apart. The fact that they leave safety to go into the unknown. For example, other examples of heroes are the firefighters than continued to climb the world trade center even as it was crumbling down around them. Another example is the person who walks away from their friends to sit with a lonely person. Another example is the cancer patient who enters the chemo treatment room every day not knowing what will happen or how their body will react. These people are all heroes. The world is filled with these heroes, and they serve as role models and examples for all others.

Whether fighting with swords and axes or night vision and advanced assault rifles, whether riding viking ships or stealth helicopters, whether climbing a dark mountain with a fire breathing dragon or climbing a dark staircase with an armed insurgent around the next turn, Beowulf and Navy SEALs show extreme bravery and selflessness in their actions. It is these actions that keep us safe, this bravery and this selflessness, that lets the free world be free. George Orwell says it best, "People sleep peaceably in their beds because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf". So as you are reading this blog post, some young man somewhere is climbing that mountain to slay the dragon in the foreign land to defend his kingdom. Some rough man is peering down the sights of his rifle on that staircase ready to do violence to keep us all safe. Some brave man, some selfless man,ventures into the unknown to slay the dragons and monsters to make the world a better, safer place.

Thank you for reading.
Billy Stoddard

To the Twilight Sky -- Kasey Senatore

To The Midnight Sky

A short poem and accompanying artwork by Kasey Senatore

Freckles are like stars,

on soft canvas skin

reminders of the galaxies

battling within.

You are filled 

with tiny universes

and these spots and dots
are nothing more
than just a repercussion
of greatness.

Learn to love your constellations.

The Girl on the Train Summary by Amanda Sangalli

The Girl on the Train is not only one of the new top movies, it also is an amazing book. Paula Hawkins tells the story from three different perspectives; Rachel, Megan, and Anna. Rachel is portrayed as a train wreck basically. She does not have a job but rides the train everyday pretending her life is how it used to be before her husband cheated on her and her life became consumed by alcoholism. While on the train she passes a couple and their house everyday and she becomes attached to them. She names this couple 'Jess and Jason'. In reality Jess and Jason are really Megan and Scott who live down the street from Tom (Rachel's ex husband) and his new wife Anna. Megan babysits for Anna and she is seen as the perfect person to Anna, although Megan is hiding a secret from Anna. She is having an affair with Anna's husband Tom. One day on the train Rachel witnesses Megan (Jess) kissing another guy and decides she has to tell her husband. However, it turns out that Megan goes missing and later on you find out she was murdered!  Rachel tries to team up with Anna (who hates Rachel for previously being with her husband) and tries to solve the mystery of who killed Megan. Because Megan and Tom he is a primary suspect and is later on arrested for the murder of Megan. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and it left me wanting to keep reading more.

Book Review by Nuriel Rozenberg

At the moment, I am reading a psychological thriller titled, "I'm Thinking of Ending Things" by Iain Reid. A girl with an unknown name is thinking of ending things with her boyfriend, Jake since she believes that the expiration date on their relationship has passed. To her, Jake is practically perfect. He is very smart working in a lab and randomly spitting facts. She explains that he is tall and kind, but otherwise, the reader is given a little amount of detail. She holds off on ending things with him and travels with Jake to meet his parent's. The time spent at Jake's house is unsettling especially since the reader does not know why they begin to feel creeped out. The couple finally decides to go home and the girl is relieved that they are leaving the discomforting atmosphere. Throughout dinner, Jake beings to appear odd and just off from his usual self. On the way home, they are caught in a snowstorm and Jake decides that he is in the mood for some Dairy Queen. Eventually, Jake takes the girl to an old, deserted high school. During the novel, the girl continually receives phone calls from her own number which only adds to the constant tension and paranoia a reader will possibly feel.

I am usually not much of a reader, but I definitely enjoyed reading this book. While reading, I was in perpetual fear since anything could happen at any moment. Reid started the book with an amount of innocence and calmness escalating to full-blown creepy fairly quickly. Reading this book feels casual until the atmosphere sporadically changes leaving the reader similar to viewing a horror film. I advise readers to not read this book at night unless you don't want to sleep. This book gives off a frightening feeling that is hard to immediately shake off.


http://areadersdiary1.blogspot.com/2016/08/im-thinking-of-ending-things.html

Refuse to Lose Book Review By: Cameron Riley

Written by present day Kentucky men’s basketball coach John Calipari and Dick Weiss, Refuse to Lose, a sports autobiography takes place from the 1980’s through the 1990’s. As a player and coach, John matured from a young adult to a grown man through the game of basketball. In fact, John risked trespassing into his high school through an open window to practice the game he loved. He began his coaching career as an Assistant at Kansas and Pitt, but his big break as a Head coach came with the MinuteMen of UMass. At the time this program was one of the worst in the country.  

A losing record was the norm in Massachusetts when it came to basketball, but John wanted that mentality to change. With his mindset “Refuse to Lose”, his basketball team went from only expecting four wins to achieving a 20 win season and being invited to national tournaments. He developed this school’s program for years to come by putting their school on the map because they were successful.

John’s success was supported by his wife, Ellen. She was his biggest fan, by always being there in the stands for games and helped John feel better if things didn’t go their way. His players were also there with him, Marcus Camby is the biggest example. Marcus is important because John recruited him and he became one of his best friends on the team and one of the most important players as well.

This book was an easy read. The authors transitioned well from topic to topic and game to game. The story always got more interesting especially when his team made the 1996 NCAA Final Four with his band of brothers. The book is great, one of my favorites from this genre.

I give this book an 8 out of 10 overall.

Gone Girl: A Review by Lomaani Ranasinghe

          After not being able to put down Paula Hawkins' The Girl On The Train, I decided it was time to dive deeper into the world of psychological thrillers. My discoveries finally led me to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. The best-selling novel had already been made into a movie and seemed to be all the craze a few years back.

         The book starts on the "day of" and begins to tell the story of Nick Dunne, a frustrated spouse who was slightly tired of a five year marriage with his wife, Amy Elliot. Nick, an aspiring writer who moved from New York back to Missouri to help care for his sick mother, sat in his bar and contemplated what to get his wife for their anniversary. He soon gets a call from a neighbor saying his front door was open. The thriller takes off when Nick comes home to find the living room overturned and Amy nowhere to be found. Amy's disappearance causes a police investigation and the eyes of the public looking to Nick for the blame. The book continues to unwrap Amy's disappearance and reveals what really happened the day she vanished.

Flynn's writing style is unique and leaves you at the edge of your seat, she chooses to include not only Nick's point of view of the investigation but also Amy's perspective on her life and their marriage. I'll admit, there were times where the story droned on, but when it wasn't slow Flynn did a great job of adding twists and turns that enhanced. It's interesting to watch how the story unfolds, and to see how the profoundly complex characters justify their actions.

Reading Gone Girl is a journey, by the time you reach the ending you wonder how you got there. It is, however, most definitely a journey worth taking.

Book/Character Review: The Nightingale | by Samantha Patino

Kristin Hannah, the brilliant author of The Nightingale, creates characters in her book that are hard to forget. This book takes place during the horrendous time of World War II, in France, and vividly describes how each of the characters dealt with the major changes that they were faced with. Some characters quietly accepted the changes, and others spoke out against everything. Isabelle, an interesting, but lovable character of pure fearlessness, was shunned away from everyone she has ever loved, especially her father and yet she still did everything in her power to do the right thing. From handing out anti-Nazi pamphlets, to bringing downed, Allied airmen across the border, Isabelle faced everything without fear to do everything she believed to be the right thing . Isabelle's older sister Vianne, lived a hard childhood, similar to her sister, but she was later saved by her close friends and her future husband. Even though Vianne also felt the pain of being left behind by her father, she still left Isabelle to spend her life with true-love Antoine. Once the Nazis come to invade Vianne's hometown, Vianne accepts the change and keeps her mouth closed. Towards the end of the war, Vianne redeems herself by saving small Jewish children and getting them fake identity papers and putting them into the church's orphanage. Many readers, myself included, find Isabelle an easy to love character since so many aspire to be her, and it is easy to feel sympathetic. Throughout the book, I felt sorry for her, since she is constantly let down by the ones she loves,always forgotten, even though she is doing such great things. On the other hand, Vianne is lovable but I sometimes felt she was not always there for her family. From the very beginning, Vianne left Isabelle behind and throughout the book she pushed Isabelle away. In the end Vianne redeemed herself by trying to nurse Isabelle to health right before she passes away, and following in her sisters footsteps by going against the Nazis.

Captain Beck, a Nazi soldier stationed at Vianne's house, is a very intriguing character. Although he worked for the Nazis, he showed Vianne his good side by helping her and her friends live. Kristin Hannah developed this character by making him miss his family back in Germany, but also falling in love with Vianne. Normally, a reader would grow to hate the enemy, but with Beck he was the enemy but also helped and really didn't believe the Germans were doing the right thing. He helped Vianne and her neighbors and he tried to do the right thing. I grew to love Beck and was very upset that he ended up dying. Overall, The Nightingale is a fantastic book with interesting characters, and I would recommend this book to everyone. This book made me come to love all of the complex characters, and I found it very hard to say goodbye to them when closing the back cover.

The Notebook Book Review- Sophia Oelkers

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks is known as one of the best romance novels of our time. It starts off in South Carolina during the 1940's as Noah Calhoun is reflecting upon his past and the biggest regret of his life- letting the love of his life, Allie Hamilton, slip away from him twenty years ago that summer they spent together. Allie is from a wealthy, respectable family in the south and Noah thinks he has lost her for good because Allie's family does not approve of the relationship when they find out Noah is only a simple small-town country boy who cannot support her. Noah remembers a very important promise he made to Allie that summer, and is then convinced that if he follows through with the promise, she would come back to him through fate. Once Allie discovers that Noah has fulfilled his promise she returns to South Carolina to rekindle their love. Allie then has to make the choice of who to marry- her first love or a respectable man who can support her. Throughout the entire novel, Noah has been reading this story to his wife who has dementia, in hope that one day she will remember their love story and she will come back to him. I definitely recommend this for people who are into romance because it is the best romance novel out there.

An Original Poem Inspired by an Old Friend By Danielle Kopp

When I was in high school I met a boy with the last name of Richter, who became one of my best friends. High school can be a strange time for teenagers, but some of us are lucky to leave with a few true friends. When we graduated I stayed close to home, but he was itching to travel the world and make films.  He achieved that goal and travelled the world making documentary films.  His travels made it difficult to see each other, but he visited when he could, wrote lots and lots of letters and postcards and made sure he was present at the most important times in my life - like my wedding day.  I wrote this poem for him in 2007 while I was a student at The National Writing Project at Rutgers University during the summer before my fifth year of teaching. 

The Richter Scale
By Danielle Kopp

He is an artist,
always has been.
He can't help it, 
he was born that way.
Behind his eyes are many more
than twenty five years.
An old soul.

It took him a record of four times
to pass college Algebra.
Yet, the Dalai Lama found him 
WORTHY
enough to document his life.

Odd jobs, ideas, cameras, film, editing -
his is a world of constant change, 
collaboration and sleepless nights.
A champion insomniac;
he doesn't mind the dark.

Settling down is something he's trying, 
but years of friendship
gives me the ability to see
the way he longs for his travels.
For it is when he is wandering
the most unfamiliar of places
that he feels the most at home.

Long Days

No Showers

New Languages

Followed by the hundreds of postcards I used to receive.
Postcards that have become his footprints around the world,
proof that he was there. 

One year, on my birthday, he call me from Tibet.
A true friend, we're inexplicably connected by our souls.

Once he wrote to me:
Two trains run parallel, each on its own track,
but always keeping the same time.
Suddenly, they come to a fork
and are separated by a thick forest.
For hundreds and hundreds of miles,
they do not see each other.
But when the forest clears,
both trains are there, 
always keeping the same time.
That's where you are in my life. 

The Surprising Effect of The "Pedal Desk'

The Surprising Effect of The "Pedal Desk'

By Pat McGurrin

Lets start with what the 'Pedal Desk' is.

The Pedal Desk is a normally sized desk, with a a full size exercise bike built in. Unlike most exercise bikes though, the Pedal Desk is completely silent, so that no students are distracted. It may seem as though it would be hard to multitask doing work and pedaling all at a desk, but research shows that this actually helps.

Although some students may find Mrs. Kopp's English class very enjoyable, others may find that they are bored and are unable to retain information- this is where the Pedal Bike comes in. Maren Schmidt-Kassow, a professor at the Institute of Medical Psychology at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany, has done numerous studies on the topic, and has theorized that, "Light-intensity exercise will elicit low but noticeable levels of psychological arousal...".  This 'psychological arousal' allows students to 'switch-on' their brains, and, in essence, 'trick' their brains into learning. 

This new learning device may be the answer for struggling students- not just in English class, but in all classes. Exercising while working may seem strange to most, but it could be a feasible solution for you.



Sources:

http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/07/how-exercise-can-help-us-learn/?_r=0

Hoops By Walter Dean Myers

Hoops, by Walter Dean Myers is a story of a young adult named Lonnie Jackson who didn't get a chance to play basketball in high-school. Lonnie struggles with the fact that he is growing up in Harlem, New York. He fights to be a good kid and not get caught up with the drug dealers and kids related to drugs. Lonnie has a lot of friends he hangs out with such as Paul and Ox, two of is very close friends. This novel also has a romantic element to it when Lonnie realizes that his childhood friend Mary-Ann, is more than a friend to him and he is confused about what to do about the situation. He practiced playing basketball daily for when the time comes to play again, he'd be ready. He recognizes that a new basketball tournament opened up called the "Tournament of Champions." The tournament included the entire city of Harlem and was a 64 team competition. But little does he know, that this will be the hardest competition he will ever go through.

The one holding the ball is Lonnie Jackson

Lonnie's coach, Cal, trains him harder than he ever has been before. Cal knows Lonnie has potential to go into. He'd played professional basketball when he was a younger man and he wants Lonnie to get to the "pros" as well. So, Cal works him hard to be the best player Lonnie can be.

Monsters by Zoe Merold

There are things out there in the dark,

Lurking among the shifting shadows.

You’re the only one who can see them,

Looking in from outside your windows.

Sometimes in the mirror,

You can descry the grim creatures.

They’ll be staring right back at you,

In only an instantaneous flicker.

And in that instant of a moment,

When your eyes meet theirs,

Their hisses and growls will flood over you.

You’ll be held frozen by their hateful glares.

They are cruel and evil beings,

These creatures found in darkness.

They force you to listen to their wicked words.

They enjoy their vile awfulness.

Do you recognize them yet?

You know these tormentors so well.

They are very good friends of yours,

Residing within your personal prison cell.

There’s a reason you can never shut them out,

No matter how hard you try.

They’re in a place you can’t ever escape.

They are always close by.

They don't hide in your closet,

Or watch you through your mirror.

They don't creep in the musty crypt below.

Is it becoming any clearer?

You’d think the monsters would be in these places,

Or even beneath your bed.

But you’d be wrong to think so,

For these monsters are different.

They are inside your head.

Book Review: Rumble Fish by Dylan Mazzella

    Written by the author of The Outsiders, the novel Rumble fish is the story of characters that show similar traits to the “Greasers” in The Outsiders. The characters are similar in the way they conduct themselves, the way they speak, and the actions they make. One notable difference between this book and The Outsiders is that the “bad guys” in this story are not anything like the “Socs,” they are just rival greasers, though the term “greaser” is not used in Rumble Fish. The main character, Russell James, who went by the nickname “Rusty James,” told the story as a series of flashbacks, from the point of view of an adult talking about his teenage days.

    In terms of themes, the conclusion of Rumble Fish may be confusing to the reader. The book was entitled Rumble Fish, which made no sense until the last chapter, where Russell James’ brother, who went only by the name “the motorcycle boy,” was found in a pet store, staring at fish that were kept in different tanks, and when Russell James asked him about why they were kept separate, The motorcycle boy told Russell James that they were “rumble fish” and would kill each other if put together. At the end, The Motorcycle boy lets the fish out in a river, and ends up having the cops called on him, the book ends with a chase. The conclusion of the story leaves the reader with the implied theme that violence solves nothing, as the teenagers have been making violent actions throughout their lives.

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451

Book Review: Fahrenheit 451
By Nick Matkiwsky

Currently I'm reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and I recommend this book for anybody who is interested in classic science fiction novels. Fahrenheit 451, takes place in a futuristic world, where technology controls every aspect of life. The main character, Guy Montag, is a fireman who instead of putting out fires, sets books ablaze for a living. Since technology is used to do everything in life, even thinking, books have been deemed to be the source off all discord and unhappiness in the world. Throughout the book, Guy begins to change and realize that their is something wrong with the job he has. If your someone who is interested in internal battles that lead to change in an individual, then this is a perfect story for you.

Ray Bradbury jumps right into this story and it caused me a lot of confusion in the beginning. In order to make sense of the abrupt start, I found myself reading and rereading the first few pages. However as I kept reading, I realized that the author began this way for a reason. The more I read, the more the plot began to make sense and I discovered that this book requires you to look deeply to find the important messages and themes. Bradbury inspires the idea that if you truly believe in something, then its worth the risk to try to obtain your goals. Overall, I say this is a pretty solid book and is relatively short so it wont take you too much time to read. I give this book a 7 out of 10