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.”
Photo credit: https://40.media.tumblr.com/2954f4409bc3ac0c5249e666dd8fade1/tumblr_mtoq3bDlVC1sp33igo1_500.jpg
Researcher: Farah Hana
Editor: Nur Batrisyia
