Wonder(ful)

Excuse the pun. :)

I just finished reading Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  I guess I was a little behind the times, as this book was super popular last year, but I thought it seemed like a good one.  Last year while subbing I read different parts of it at different times (SPOILER ALERT: I read the part where their dog dies at least three times) but had never gotten through it cover to cover.  It was great!  Definitely something that made me think a little bit, although it is definitely meant for a younger audience.  I would definitely use it with kids for a little perspective taking, especially with the middle school age that can be so cruel.  I loved how it switched between different points of view, and made you see plainly why people do what they do.  It forces the reader to examine what different characters are feeling, the motivations behind their actions, and the truth behind their actions.  I remember being really surprised (and a little angry!) that Jack had such mean things to say about Auggie on Halloween.  However, from Jack's side, while it doesn't make it any better, we find out that he didn't really mean what he said and was only trying to get Julian off his back.  I think this gets readers to really think about each character independently, and it also allows them to examine themselves.  I imagine that is a difficult task to accomplish as a writer, especially for a writer of a book geared toward middle schoolers, but I think Palacio pulled it off expertly!  (And I know by the way the kids I was reading to listened to and talked about the book.)

The Kite Runner, Check!

Today I finished The Kite Runner.  I probably won't be forgetting this book any time soon.

As I wrote before, I was reminded a lot of Life of Pi while I was reading this, mostly because it took place in lands far away and unfamiliar to me.  It started out very enjoyable, telling about a childhood and culture of Afghanistan, a tale of family and friendship.  Like Life of Pi, the book reaches a pint where it suddenly turns from cheerful to sullen and serious, as we witness a major event that serves as a turning point in the story.  Eventually, we see the main character(s) struggle in the aftermath of that event, and try to make the story come full circle.

The other part of the book that reminded me SO much of Life of Pi was the part where Amir returns to Afghanistan to look for Sohrab.  In both novels, the main character remembers a place of his childhood that no longer exists, and that serves as a source of pain when he revisits the place.  In one of my Life of Pi entries, I wrote about my own experience with something like that, though clearly not to the extent these characters experience.

The thing that this book got me thinking about was regret and that feeling of "shoulda woulda coulda," and how something you did (or didn't do, in this case) can change the course of your/someone else's life.  There's no going back, so after an event that causes regret, we have to figure out what the next step is: do we forget it and try to move on?  Do we fess up right away and try to make right?  Do we harbor it inside and hope we can bury the feelings?  If we bury the feelings, will they go away, or will that make it worse?  Does it help to tell someone?  Each situation is different, and in situations like Amir's, all of them are equally bad, because nothing can make up for the fact that he didn't do anything in the moment.  However, as the story continued, we saw Amir's repeated attempts to try to redeem himself, eventually taking in Sohrab.

Honestly, I thought this book would have a happier ending, after all of the turmoil throughout.  However, I'll take it.  I am not a fan of endings that are TOO happy, so I usually settle for realistic, which I feel this ending was.

I also didn't realize there was a movie, and I am on the fence about whether to watch it or not.  I did love the story though.  In the end, it comes down to the love that exists in a family, whether they be related by blood or not.  I know I have strong family love in my life, and feel equally close to some who are not family, and in the end, what counts is taking care of each other in the face of anything.

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I will leave you with some of my favorite quotes:

"...but it's wrong what they say about the past, I've learned, about how you can bury it.  Because the past claws its way out."

"At parties, when all six-foot-five of him [Baba] thundered into the room, attention shifted to him like sunflowers turning to the sun."

"Of course, Baba refused, and everyone shook their heads in dismay at his obstinate ways.  Then Baba succeeded and everyone shook their heads in awe at his triumphant ways."

"I see you've confused what you're learning in school with actual education."

"Children aren't coloring books.  You don't get to fill them with your favorite colors."

"In Kabul, it rarely rained in the summer.  Blue skies stood tall and far, the sun like a branding iron searing the back of your neck."

"It may be unfair, but what happens in a few days, sometimes even a single day, can change the course of a whole lifetime."

"Returning to Kabul was like running into an old, forgotten friend and seeing that life hadn't been good to him, that he'd become homeless and destitute.
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Today I also started reading The Color Purple and The Return of the King.  I'll be working on those this spring, as I try to get more books/series finished up after last year's pathetic showing of 2 books, one of which I'd already read.  Oh well, better luck this time!  So far this year, I'm up to 2 (one of which was a series) and it's only March!  Go me!