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Showing posts from April, 2024

So High School(TTPD): Analysis by Penny R

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As the year wraps up, I’m doing an analysis of a song on The Tortured Poets’ Department, Taylor Swift’s new album. So High School is a song based on how Taylor Swift feels about Travis Kelce, her current boyfriend.  This song is one of my favorite songs on the album, and she’s basically saying being with Kelce makes her feel like she’s in high school again. It takes her back to her experience in high school or just when she was younger, which was an amazing experience for her. The experience of being with Kelce just made her feel more alive and more exciting in a very wholesome way, which was definitely what she needed after breakups with Joe Alwyn and Matty Healy. The song starts with a classic, stereotypical high school crush:               I feel so high school every time I look at you                I wanna find you in a crowd just to hide from you Generally what she means by “so high sch...

A review of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card - Henry

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 Ender's game is a sci-fi novel by Orson Scott Card published in 1985. While it seems quite old for a sci-fi novel, it's a true classic and one of my favorite sci-fi novels. In this blog, I will talk about why I like this book so much and what made me want to constantly revisit this book. In Ender’s Game (1985), a little boy named Andrew ‘Ender’ Wiggin is recruited by the International Fleet for its Battle School, a training school for the best children in the world so that they can meet an alien invasion that’s just around the corner. Ender is short but tactically brilliant and a great leader, and he quickly learns how to take orders. He also learns how to obey his masters, who lie manipulatively to him at every turn. His brilliance and gifts tend to come with loneliness and isolation, as he begins to “win” battles and get promoted in his training. The alien threat becomes his playground. Of course it wouldn’t be a military sci-fi novel if young genius Ender didn’t wreak total...

Snow Falling by: Jane Villanueva - Abby Bello

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You know that feeling when you're really into a TV show and you discover there's a book within the show or written about the show? That's exactly what always happens to me when I read books and I tend to gravitate towards books like this most of the time. In the TV show Jane the Virgin the main character lives a crazy life (as the TV show is based off of telenovelas)  and Snow Falling by Jane Villanueva ( the main character in this show) is the novel that she works tremendously hard to finish throughout the eight seasons this show ran for.   Snow Falling is a romance novel and takes you back to 1900s Miami, where the main character Josephine Galena Valencia and Diego de la Vega fall head over heels for each other. I'm not entirely sure where the writers of the show or the book put the credits to the person who actually wrote this novel but it's a very well written book and really proved me wrong about the depth and plot of this book. If you have watched the show ...

Citizen Soldiers by: Stephen E. Ambrose - Alberto R

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     Stephen E. Ambrose's book "Citizen Soldiers" and John Eisenhower's writings offer profound insight into the experiences of ordinary soldiers during World War II, highlighting their resilience, resourcefulness, and unwavering commitment in the line of fire. Ambrose focused on the contributions of citizen soldiers, rather than just the actions of generals. This book provides a more nuanced perspective on the war. Through vivid accounts of bravery and courage, Ambrose illuminates the untold stories of those who fought not for glory, but out of a sense of duty and a desire to uphold what is right. As Ambrose guides readers through pivotal moments like the Battle of the Bulge, connections to broader historical narratives become apparent, underscoring the sacrifices made by millions of soldiers, often overlooked in popular retellings of the war.      One particular story from Ambrose's book really tells and shows the experiences of ordinary soldiers: that of...

The Wild Robot Escapes: A Nice Sequel to a Nice Book - Abdurrahman

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       To revisit books I’ve read younger from my last blog (go read it first!), in which I explained why The Wild Robot was such a heartwarming book, I will be reviewing the book’s sequel in this blog, The Wild Robot Escapes . What makes this book more unique than the first one is that it touches on identity and purpose a lot more than the previous one did.      Before I summarize The Wild Robot Escapes , I must introduce Roz to you in The Wild Robot . She is a robot who found herself activated on a island without humans. To survive, she had to learn from the island’s animals, so she learned their language. At first, the island inhabitants rejected and were afraid of the new addition to their lives, but after Roz responded with kindness, gave a helping hand in many situations, and showed the animals her  adopted gosling, Brightbill, the animals loved Roz. Then, at the end, her robotic past haunted her, and a battle of nature versus ...