Purity: An Emotional Rollercoaster

I do not think I have ever felt a larger range of emotions than in these six hundred pages. I felt them myself and I felt them through the characters. There was anger, sadness, grief, happiness, love, ecstasy, emptiness, hatred and so much more. Franzen was unafraid to delve deep into the minds of the …

Purity: Disgust and Trust

While reading the second part of this novel I was disgusted with numerous characters, specifically Andreas, his mother, and Horst, too many times. If anyone saw my face while reading this section, it would have been clear my thoughts on the actions of these characters. Andreas's mom, Katya is very similar to Pip's in how …

Purity: Mental

Whenever I start a book I am just looking at words until finally a scene pulls me in. That scene is usually when I get to understand more about the main character from how they handle an exciting scenario. This scene in Purity was when Pip brought Jason home after their date. Right off the bat, …

Americanah: Politics

When I read the chapter dealing with Barack Obama in Americanah, I could not help but get a little emotional. When I was 9, I did not feel much emotion that a black man was elected President. I knew I was happy and that it was something that would be written bold in history, but I …

Americanah: Appreciation

Ifemelu is extremely brave. She may falter when it comes to facing Obinze, but besides that she is courageous enough to speak her mind. She does not just share her opinion when she is around people she is comfortable with; she expresses her feelings and thoughts whenever she deems it important to do so. I …

Dear “Ruth”/Ozeki

Dear Ruth, You wonder about me. I wonder about you. Who are you and what are you doing? Are you not just an author, but the author? Did you write yourself into another world? Or, are you just a part of a world where you’re unknowingly written about? Anyways, I enjoyed reading about you and …

A Tale for the Time Being: Crazy and Crazier

I thought at the beginning that Ruth, an educated author, is going to solve the puzzle and answer all of my questions about Nao. However, she is struggling with finding the answers as much if not more than us. She has connections to help her but it is difficult for her to crack the case. …

A Tale for the Time Being: The Telling of a Tale

In both Nao and Ruth's stories technology is used very differently than how we see it today in America. Nao repeatedly says that cyberspace is the saddest thing. It is a conversation with yourself. She started a blog when she moved to Japan, as her teacher from Sunnyvale suggested. She only wrote positive things, or …

A Personal Connection to the Time Being

Although I cannot relate to basically any of the events that have occurred in Nao's life, I have found that I still can connect with her personally. Whenever I have attempted journaling or story telling the outcome looks oddly similar to what Nao has written. In elementary school I once wrote a "book" called Emily. It …

I Hated The Internet

While reading chapters one through thirteen of Jarett Kobek's extremely cynical novel, I noticed something. Everything was in past tense. At first, I dismissed the was's and were's, but then it struck me on page 62 when he begins explaining what was known as sports. I did not pay attention when Kobek talked about Adeline using …