East x West: READ

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BOOK REVIEWS

A Child Called "it" (Dave Pelzer)

Review by Averille Goh

Photo credit: http://www.pluggedin.com/book-reviews/child-called-it

A Child Called ‘it’ is an autobiography about a young boy called David Pelzer and the struggle he had endured to stay alive during his abusive childhood from the age of 4 to 12 years. Dave’s mother was once a mom who loved and treated him equally like his two brothers but things took a turn when she turned to drugs and alcohol while Dave became her target for abuse and even referred to Dave as an ‘it’. Throughout his childhood, Dave lived in constant fear of starvation, torture and would be severely punished for his mistakes. He wasn’t allowed to sleep in the house and stayed in the garage. Dave’s father who is a fireman was once supportive of him but later became unsupportive during Dave’s time of abuse. He would only watch helplessly as his son gets beaten while his brothers were not allowed to acknowledge him. Dave’s father was his only source of protection but eventually moved out of the house, leaving Dave with no hope of being rescued.

Dave’s mother would not feed him so he had to come up with ways to eat because of his will and determination to survive. When his mom suspects he had eaten something, she would make him throw up and sometimes make him eat it. This was just the beginning for his abuse. Dave’s mother did not hide her abuse and would make Dave go to school in dirty clothes. She also made up stories for Dave to tell anyone who ever asked about his bruises. Dave’ abuse became so bad that he hoped his mom was going to kill him.

The story goes on about his constant daily abuse before he was finally rescued by elementary school officials after they grew suspicious.In the end, Dave grew up and became a father, leaving his past behind and sharing his story to the world.

Chicken Soup for the Soul (Jack Canfield & Mark Victor Hansen)

Review by Farah Nabila

Photo credit: http://www.technologytell.com/entertainment/files/2015/01/chicken-soup-for-the-soul.jpg

I am not an avid reader, but the book “Chicken Soup for the Soul” by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen has strongly attracted me. The Chicken Soup for the Soul book series of over 250 titles has sold more than 110 million copies in the U.S. and Canada. Most of the stories are written by teenagers themselves. It is basically a combination of different teenagers’ stories combined in one book. This book consists of motivational true stories that people of different ages could relate to. Many of the stories creates an emotional result with the intention of wanting the readers to put themselves into the writers’ situation. It sort of put the readers into a roller coaster ride. When I first read “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul”, it surprisingly attracted my attention into reading more. That was when I started to be obsessed on this book.

As a human, we will always face challenges in life. By reading this book, I can actually apply the moral values in my daily life. Every chapter ends with a quote that are substantial and relatable. The chapters are not necessarily serious and emotional. In fact, some has a little bit of humor added in it to keep the readers entertained. One of my favorites chapter is “Living with Depression” by Crystal High. Even though it is only a 3 paragraph story, it meant a lot to me. The story talks about Crystal’s struggles on facing with family challenges and depression. Crystal and her mother both had depression. Crystal talked about her difficulties and dilemmas faced in the outside world. She was so depressed to the extend where she swallowed a whole a bottle of Benadryl. That incident had opened her eyes to the fact that suicide is never the answer. She then slowly recovered and decided to never look back ever again.

To summarize, I would definitely recommend this book to any teens or adults out there who would like to get some inspirations. Personally, I feel like this book is underrated and people out there should absolutely give it a shot!

Man and Boy (Tony Parsons)

Review by Farah Hana

Photo credit: http://coffeecrackers.blogspot.my/2010/01/man-and-boy.html#.VgK0j8uqpBc

Man and Boy by Tony Parsons remained as one of the many books where the pages flipped itself. Although having the briefest of descriptions written on the back of the book, it was enough to understand the family themed message Parsons was going for. Man and Boy was often mistaken as Parsons’ first novel but this could not be further from the truth. In fact, Parsons had many books written before the fast selling Man and Boy but sadly, were forgotten. He did not stop at Man and Boy though, instead Parsons wrote two more novels; Man and Wife and Men From The Boys. I had picked up Man and Boy expecting a somewhat serious storyline but was proven wrong, the book constantly got tears and laughs out of me, which had strangers around me worried.

Man and Boy starts off simple yet effective. The love showed both by Harry and Gina Silver towards each other and their son, Pat Silver, had unconsciously made me feel envious. Although their marriage was broken off by Harry Silver’s one night stand with a co-worker, Harry managed to maintain a strong, loving relationship with his son even when Pat longed for his mother, who had moved to Japan. She did not stay for long though, when coming back into Harry’s life, she only wanted one thing back; their son.

Having stereotyped fathers for a huge part of my life, the book mildly changed my views and had temporarily put me in their shoes. I did not have to be married nor have children to enjoy and truly relate to the book, being a teenage girl with a broken family was enough for me to understand the family values Parsons had implemented. Although the ending was arguable, it was implied why Harry made the choice of letting Pat stay with his mother. The book, written from Harry’s point of view, would definitely have caused the readers to go through a whirlwind of emotions, as it did for me.

Into the Wild (John Krakauer)

Review by Nur Batrisyia

Photo credit: http://www.carinemccandless.com/?page_id=209

Into the Wild earns a spot in my all-time favourite books list due to the captivating and raw biographical story of Christopher McCandless. Written in intense detail by John Krakauer, he tries to relate McCandless’ story to his own experiences as a former adventurer.

Christopher McCandless, a college graduate, rejects the life of his privileged upbringing. Infuriated at the world and the lies he has been fed, he decides to venture into the Alaskan wilderness. Without informing his family about his whereabouts and discarding his material possessions – including burning his credit cards and donating his entire life savings, McCandless left home to experience a life in solitude.

During his two-year travels to Alaska, McCandless embraces a new identity and introduces himself as “Alexander Supertramp”. He documents his experiences in a journal and encounters several people whom eventually shaped his life. Fellow adventurer Jan Burres met McCandless and the two formed a close bond. McCandless then encounters businessman Wayne Westerberg whom offered him a job at a harvesting company, where he worked with determination and enthusiasm. Later, he meets Ronald Franz, a retired marine whom offered to adopt McCandless. After failing to persuade McCandless to discontinue his plans, Franz ultimately drives McCandless to his final destination.

Arriving in Alaska, McCandless is sufficed with serendipity. Unfortunately, his idealistic journey ends in a tragedy. McCandless began starving and desperately searched for an escape. He eventually accepts his fate, proven by his final message, “I HAVE HAD A HAPPY LIFE AND THANK THE LORD. GOODBYE AND MAY GOD BLESS ALL.”. His remains were found approximately two weeks after his death.

Despite several critics, I found McCandless's story uplifting. He refuses to let society dictate his life and follows his own path. McCandless wrote, “It is the experiences, the great triumphant joy of living to the fullest extent in which real meaning is found.” As someone who continuously tries to fit in and impress others, I found the greatest joy in feeling content with my being. Short as it was, McCandless life was fulfilled, adventurous and passionate. How many people can say that?

IMPROVING THE READING HABITS OF MALAYSIANS

Written by Averille Goh & Farah Nabila

Reading habits in Malaysia has reached a downfall and has been a topic of concern to the public. The pace of technology is overpowering our desire to read - enslaving us to gadgets. Our generation are more exposed to the media, resulting in our negligible of books. Our lifestyle is prioritized by television and social media, therefore we find difficulty in time management.

Acquiring someone to read is no easy task and should be installed by parents to their children at a young age. Reading habits are important and should be implemented while children are still searching for their personal interests. A suggestion for parents is to create a home library or a reading room at home. A special and quiet place to read will encourage children to expand their knowledge, interests and sparks imagination. On the contrary, parents can plan frequent visits to the local library and expose their children to more choices and preferences of books. Forcing children to read advanced materials should not be further promoted as it may lead to the loss of interest. Reading should not be looked as another chore, but rather, a state of peace.

It is said that parents who are readers will motivate children to read. With that being said, parents should be role models in vitalizing reading. Parents may assist their children to repeat after them when reading a story to boost their grammar and pronunciation. After completing a book, parents can ask their children for a brief summary about their reading. Activities to improve reading such as reading during spare time, before bed or during potty sessions can be organized at home. Though it may not seem like much, it helps build interest.

Another way to improve literacy is by enlightening reading advertisements. Advertising companies should make reading advertisements extra creative to attract the audiences' attention. Increasing billboards, flyers and commercials about the importance of reading will emphasize the value of reading to society. Schools also play an important role in encouraging reading to students. Organizing frequent book sales on school grounds will influence students to read. Students are always on the hunt for cheap books, therefore book sales with inexpensive prices would be a tremendous success in revitalizing reading habits.

It is to no doubt that people are more interested in reading facts. If newspapers and magazines provide interesting facts about the qualities of reading, society would prompt reading habits. People will feel satisfied knowing reading has benefits and will genuinely enjoy continuing the habit. Printed medias should also adapt to the idea of using different colored papers, filters, and lenses over texts to attract readers who prefers vibrance. For example, printed medias can publish interesting book covers since people tend to judge a book by it's cover.

In addition, readers should also explore different types of genres, which will ultimately help readers discover their personal interests. However, we should avoid ridiculing people who chooses to read a certain genre. As an individual, we must promote originality and diversity.

A few wise words from Mark Twain, “The man who does not read has no advantage over the man who cannot read.”