Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine is about a young girl named Hana Brady from Czechoslovakia who was in the Holocaust with her brother George. Fumiko Ishioka, a Japanese woman in the present day, has a center of Holocaust studies in Tokyo, Japan. Fumiko wanted to teach the children about the past, but she needed an example in order for the children to believe what happened. Hana’s suitcase was this example. Fumiko wanted to find out about Hana and her brother George. When Fumiko was in Japan, she made calls and wrote letters all over the world to search for personal items from the Holocaust. She found out that Hana and George were taken away by the Nazis after their parents were removed from their home and sent to a concentration camp. In Theresienstadt, a concentration camp, George and Hana were split up. Hanna was sent to Auschwitz and was killed.
Before the Holocaust, George and Hana were very close. Hana was three years younger than George and was a strong girl. George liked to protect her. George was the only one in his family to survive the Holocaust. After the Holocaust, George moved to Canada and began a plumbing business and was a success. When Fumiko found Hana’s suitcase, she then looked for George to see if he wanted to see it for good memories. Eventually, on a business trip, Fumiko got enough information, found out about George, and contacted him in Canada. Fumiko also wanted to teach the Japanese children about the atrocities of the past to prevent them in the future. When George went to the center in Japan with his daughter to see Hana’s suitcase, he cried.
In my opinion, the author’s purpose is the same as Fumiko’s. It is the belief of teaching the children the “horrors of the past, to prevent horrors in the future.” This is helped by seeing Hana’s suitcase. Her suitcase is the reminder of the terrors of the past. The author accomplished her goal because Fumiko does that for her in the book.
Hana’s Suitcase takes place in Czechoslovakia at the time of WW2 and the Holocaust. The author’s book taught me about the horrors of the Holocaust. The quote “it’s not safe for Jews to be here,” taught me that there was no choice in the Jews’ lives in Europe under the Nazis. “One day, Hana and George lined up at the movie theater to see ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ When they got to the box office they saw a sign that read ‘No Jews allowed.’” This quote also teaches us about the Jews’ lives during the Holocaust.
I enjoyed reading this book because it explains in detail exactly what happened with the Nazis and Jews in Czechoslovakia. However, I wish that the book would mention how George left Theresienstadt and how he left for Canada. I would not recommend this book to some people because the story might remind someone about the Holocaust and hurt his or her feelings. It is a good book for most people to read. My favorite quote is, “George was proud of the fact that -despite his suffering during the Holocaust and the fact that his mother, father, and sister had been murdered by the Nazis - he had moved on with his life” because it showed that George truly is strong despite the pain he experienced that followed him his whole life.
Spies of Mississippi by: Rick Bowers My book is about twelve powerful men in the state of Mississippi that controls a secretive network of spies and informants. They use a cadre of covert operatives and used code names like Agent X, Agent Y, and Agent Zero. Their government-run spy network had infiltrated the lives of private citizens in the United States during the height of the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s. In my opinion, the author’s purpose for writing this book is to inform how this was going on during the time he lived in Mississippi. Since this information is not well-known, Rick Bowers decided to write a non-fiction book and tell readers what had happened. History is repeating itself when the government spied on the Civil Rights activists because during the Civil Rights movement, it is still going on today. The author accomplished his goal because he wrote a non-fiction book about the spy network of Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement. During this time, people were segregated working for equality. It was important to have a spy network because they gathered information and would pass it on to the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, made up of twelve powerful white men who wanted to keep segregation. For over ten years “agents carried out the most extensive state spying program in U.S History” (pg. 1). The author’s book taught me about this time period of history is that during the 1950s and 1960s people were kept apart because of segregation. He taught me that during this time, “neighbors spied on neighbors, teachers spied on students, ministers spied on churchgoers, and spies spied on spies” (pg. 1). The two quotes from the book that taught me something about this time period is that, “the 134,000 pages and 87,000 names in its once secret investigative file tell the story of its clandestine programs: its network of neighborhood informants, its brutal behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and its intervention in many of the most significant events of the civil rights era.” Reading this book, I learned about these twelve powerful men who were trying to destroy the civil rights movement because they have all the power and wanted to keep segregation continuing. Another quote from the book that taught me something about this time period is that, “As the investigative reports show, many of the civil rights heroes were ordinary folks who hailed from the small towns and clapboard shacks of the Magnolia State, who carried on their struggle to bring down segregation and discrimination with the constant shadow of the state looming over them.” Reading this book, I learned about these ordinary, plain people who wanted to stop segregation and wanted civil rights. I don’t really enjoy this book because I’m not really into history and it doesn’t matter with what is happening today. Yes, I would recommend this book to others who really likes non-fiction, historical kind of books because I know they will enjoy this book and understand it. My favorite quote from the book is, “The catalyst had been the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which stopped segregation in public schools and required states to integrate schools with all deliberate speed.” The reason why this quote is my favorite because I agree that they should stop segregation and that everyone use the same things.
This summer, I read Columbine by Dave Cullen. The non-fiction novel is about how there was a shooting in Columbine High School. The shooters names were Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. There was a controversy of why they did it. It was believed by many, that they did that because they were bullied. They tried to believe this because they can’t believe that people would do this without thinking of other. The initial plan was to blow up 2 bombs. One bomb inside the school and the other one on the other side of town to distract the police. When the bomb on inside the school didn’t blow up, they went inside and shot about 37 people. Thirteen killed and twenty-four wounded. They went back to the library where many of the students that they killed and committed suicide. It took police about 3 hour to find the shooters but they were already dead. The author wrote this book to tell the story of what happen in Columbine High School back in 1999. Dave Cullen accomplished the goal because his book got published and so far, many people have read the book. And have learned about Columbine. The historical event that this book covered was the shooting in Columbine High School in 1999. What the book taught me about the 1990’s is that, this was a major event of the 1990s. One quote that taught me something about the 1990s is: "Eric has staggering confidence in himself. He left no indication that he planned for contingencies. Dylan left no indication that he planned much of anything." On (Chapter 11, page 45.) This quote taught me that even back then no one could tell who would do what. Another quote that I found in the novel that taught me about the 1990’s is: "One room at a time, the team worked methodically toward the killers. It would take three hours to reach their bodies." (Chapter 13, page 61.) I choose this quote because it taught me that back then, they worked as a team and didn’t try to show one up. But it is sad that they didn’t go to the library immediately to see if they were there. Mostly cause it would’ve saved one life and not waste so much time to find the killers. I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed it because one time my mother brought it up in the car and talked about it. She didn’t know the full details since it happened almost 16 years ago. And since I got interested in the topic before reading the book, it got me to enjoy the book more than I thought I would. I would recommend this book to a certain group of people. And the group would be people who want to know significant events that happen back in the 1990s. Because people who love the 1990s would want to read about the significant events that has happen before and/or after they were born. My favorite quote in the book would be the quote on page 45 because 2 teenaged boys were able to blindside people into thinking that they were good boys, when in the end they killed 13 people and wounded 24.
The Devil in the White City : By Erik Larson The book, “The Devil in the White City” I,s a story that contains two stories inside of it. Those stories are centered on their own respective character. One is an architect who is in charge of building the Chicago World Fair and the other is a pharmacist who is also a serial killer. The author’s purpose for writing this book is to first describe the politics of building a “one of the kind” fair in an economic slump that the country is in With almost unlimited resources however no modern machinery to build the fair itself, seemed like an insurmountable task. He also shows how a cunning serial killer can establish many businesses while making a lot of money who keeps killing being undetected by the police. The goal was accomplished in epic detail from each hurdle Burnham and his team faced building the fair as well as the depiction of every one of Holmes’s calculated moves. This story takes place in the later eighteen hundreds. It taught me how difficult it was to create an enormous time consuming creation, that ultimately drew people from across the country to see it. The author also taught me how politics in a large city controlled people lives. While I am sure there were previous serial killers prior to Holmes, the author did an excellent job detailing his mind set and plans detailing the killings.
When the mayor doesn’t keep his word, Pendergrast, an attorney that was part of the creation team of the world fair, shot the mayor. His explanation “Because he betrayed my confidence. I supported him through his campaign and he promised to appoint me corporation counsel. He didn’t live up to his word. (P. 331)” This quote shows the lack of enforcement of crime during the late 1890’s.
“The discoveries came quickly: a vat of acid with eight ribs and part of a skull settled at the bottom; mounds of quicklime; a large kiln; a dissection table stained with what seemed to be blood. They found surgical tools and charred high-heeled shoes. And more bones. (p364)”. This quote depicts the gruesomeness of the murders Holmes committed over the years undetected.
I did not enjoy reading the book because of the excess detail that the author used to describe a scene or what was going on. To grab the concept of the book, you did not need the details that were provided. I would recommend the book for people who have a tough time picturing what is going on in the book and the people who like a lot of detail.
My favorite quote: “The fair awakened America to beauty and as such was a necessary passage that laid the foundation for men like Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. (p376). I like the quote because it sums up the entire book, all the work was to bring the United States together, if only for a few months.
They Called Themselves the KKK; Susan Campbell Bartoletti They Called Themselves the KKK is a true story packed with knowledge along with horrific and graphic details recounted by victims themselves. Despite the fear and intimidation this gang invoked in every person that supported equal rights, this club was actually started by six seemingly harmless Confederate officers until John Lester said “Boys, let us get up a club or society.” In my opinion Bartoletti states that her purpose in writing this book is to give testament to the victims of atrocities committed by the Ku Klux Klan. She does this by describing how the Klan came into existence and how it set out to rob Black citizens of their power as American citizens after the Civil War. Susan Campbell Bartoletti definitely accomplishes that goal because of how much knowledge and factual information she put into this book. The KKK was first started around the time of the civil war and has been in existence since 1865 but have broken up into three groups since that time. The first group was from 1865-1870s, the second klan from 1915-1944, and the third has been around and still is since 1946. Bartoletti shows attitudes of hatred that existed at that time through her text and pictures she uses throughout the book. During the reconstruction era, KKK targets was Black and white Americans who did not believe in their ideology of white supremacy. My favorite passage from the book was when Susan made it almost a joke saying “They raided a linen closet, drawing white sheets over their heads, and riding across town on horseback. And in that one night, the Ku Klux Klan was born. The Klan’s actions started out completely harmless. They would crash parties, saying they were ghost riders of Confederate soldiers or visitors from the moon”. One quote that taught me about the time period and events that are happening is "Most white Southerners believed that God created black people for the special purpose of working and serving white people." (Chapter One, p.7) This quote told me that during this time period white men just thought black people were made sole for the purpose of helping them and that they were useless other than doing work for white people. A second quote I liked from They Called Themselves the KKK was when they were discussing the name of the group saying “Reed suggested that the group called themselves Kuklos meaning a circle or band. Instead the made it two words “ku klux” that’s when someone else suggested “klan” also meaning circle or band. So they did and the name Ku Klux Klan was cobbled together, a redundant, alliterative name that simply meant “circle circle.” I enjoyed reading this book because in between the facts and information there were funny parts like the last quote which kept me reading. I would recommend this book to others because it’s an easy read. There’s lots of pictures that help you understand what you’re reading and it’s not all facts and history there’s passages that are funny and enjoyable to read.
Ananicole Rumley 9/12/14 The Savage City Essay For my US History assignment I choose to write a five hundred word essay on the book The Savage City. This book was primarily based on the city of New York during the 1960’s, which was in the midst of racial struggles. There were several accounts of two black citizens and one white law enforcement officer. The first black man was George Whitmore. Whitmore was the son of an alcoholic father and a hardworking mother in the town of Wildwood NJ. He soon grew sick of his hometown and moved to Brooklyn NY. George was walking home after a long day when a police officer asked George if he could come to the station to answer some questions. George happily agreed. He wanted to help this officer in any way he could, not knowing that it would end up in turmoil. In the years to come, George Whitmore would have to fight the NYPD pleading not guilty to murder and rape, in which he had earlier confessed to make the officers stop beating him. In Whitmore’s case, he would serve nine years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit before being released a free man. Dhoruba Bin Wahad was another black man living in Harlem during racial tension. He had been in jail before for armed robbery. When his five years were up, he was released. Bin Wahad after being free for a few months did not like the way his people were being treated, so he decided to do something about it. He soon joined the Black Panther Party, which was an organization designed to resist racism towards Negroes. Bill Philips was a detective in the NYPD who was one of the most notorious of them all. From collecting money from the innocent, racial slurs, and randomly beating any negro who crossed him. After years and years of misusing his title, he was finally caught and put in jail. I think the author’s purpose for writing this book was to inform people (especially) younger generations about what happened in our history so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes. Also, even though we sadly so still have some racial tension, I do think that the author wanted to show us how far we have come. Lastly, the author probably wanted us to take a step back and see how far New York has come, from the savage city to the beautiful empire as it stands today. I do feel as though the author accomplished his goal because he incorporated all this and more into this novel in a way the average person could understand. This author’s book teaches me about racism in New York City in the 1960’s. It also teaches me about how white police officers dealt with Negro civilians (badly). “Di Prima was careful not to say that George had murdered the women: that was part of the strategy, to get Whitmore to admit to the facts before he had any idea he was admitting to murder.” This showed that the NYPD knew George was innocent, but they needed to pin the murders on someone, even if they knew he was innocent. He was also a very easy target, being a young Negro in the racial city of New York. “George wanted to help and satisfy the cops so that maybe they’d let him go.” This quote explains how naïve and innocent George was to this situation, since he obviously didn’t commit these crimes. I did enjoy reading this book because it taught me so much about New York City’s dark past. I would recommend this book to others, especially those who were uneducated in these topics. Lastly, my favorite quote from this book is, “I hereby declare that he be released from custody immediately, and all charges against him be dismissed.” This quote was the judge freeing George Whitmore completely and dropping all charges against him. This is my favorite quote because it shows that justice will prevail, no matter how long you have to fight for it.
Madison Lewicki Period 3 A Night to Remember The book A Night to Remember is about people’s experience on the Titanic. Therefore, my book covers the Historical event of the sinking of the Titanic. The Titanic hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 at 11:40 p.m. and sunk at 2:20 am on April 15, 1912. One quote that taught me a lot from this event was found on page 88/89. “The statistics suggest who they were- the Titanic’s casualty list included four of 143 First Class women (three by choice)… 15 of 93 Second Class women…and 81 of 179 Third Class Women. Not to mention the children. Except for Lorraine Allison, all 29 First and Second Class children were saved, but only 23 out of 76 steerage children.” This showed me how during this time period those in higher class were definitely first priority to be saved on the Titanic and the statistics in that quote show this. Another quote that taught me about this event was on page 139. “We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe that the boat is unsinkable.” This quote taught me how certain everybody was that this boat was unsinkable. When the ship hit the iceberg nobody freaked out because of this reason, and throughout the story they mention the ship being “unsinkable” many times. In my opinion the author’s purpose in writing this book was to enlighten the readers about the historical event of the Titanic sinking. The author did accomplish this. I learned a lot about this historical event from reading this book. Before reading this book all I knew about the Titanic were the basics, the fact that the ship hit an ice berg and sank. After reading this book I learned that most of the people that died during this tragic incident were those of lower class. I also learned that everybody was so certain of the ship being “unsinkable” that nobody realized how bad this was going to affect those on the ship. Also, I learned that other ships came to save people on the ship like the Parisian and the Carpathia. My favorite quote from this book was on page 36. “God himself could not sink this ship.” This was my favorite quote because it showed how certain they were of this ship not sinking, and look what ended up happening. It showed me that no matter how certain you are of somebody or something, anything can happen. Those who built the ship thought this was the best way a ship could be built, and it just goes to show you how things change. Now a day we have huge cruise ships twice the size of the Titanic and back then nobody would have ever imagined anything like that to be built. I did enjoy reading the book, A Night to Remember, because it enlightened me a lot about the historical event of the sinking of the Titanic. I was surprised to know how much I learned from the book. I would recommend this book for others doing this assignment because it was a quick read, had a lot of information, and was very interesting.
Title: A Night to Remember Author: Walter Lord The book I read was A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, this book was about the Titanic and the true minute by minute story and accounts of the passengers on the ship. This story was very tragic and sad, but it has defiantly showed me how much our society changed after this experience. For example every US ship is equipped with life boats that have a seat for every single passenger on the ship and some extras just in case. Most people have heard about the story of the Titanic sinking, but this story, I believe explains in detail all of the accounts of the passengers on the ship and the struggles they were going though. When the iceberg hit the ship on April 14 no one really knew how bad it damaged the ship. Passengers truly believed that the ship was unsinkable so they didn’t really care. It is said that children playfully threw left over ice debris at each other. Also some passengers were making jokes about their life jackets saying how they made them look fat. When passengers were getting loaded into the life boats some people refused to get into the boats because they believed the ship was safer than the life boats. In my opinion Walter Lord’s purpose for writing this book was to show how unequippt the titanic really was. Also how people truly thought that the ship was unsinkable. I think the author defiantly accomplished his purpose in writing this book because he explained how some of the passengers went back to bed after the iceberg hit thinking it wasn’t anything serious. The time period of the book was April 14-15. This book taught me a lot about the Titanic’s time period. There were different class passengers on the ship: first Class, Second Class, and, Third Class. “If they are sending the boats away, they might just as well put some people in them.” This quote explains a lot about this time period, because before the voyage everyone thought the ship was indestructible, this was because this ship was one of the first huge cruise liners and everyone knew about it. This led to the ship having only 20 boats instead of 64. Also not all of the boats were filled because they were afraid of collapses. This quote means that passengers were not filling the boats and there were less than half of the boat seats filled. Another quote I found was, “God himself could not sink this ship.” This is really what every passenger thought, that the ship was tough enough to withstand anything. One of my favorite quotes from this story was, “We are safer here than in that little boat.” As I read I found that most of the passengers on the boat, especially first class women in my opinion, refused to get into the life boats because they felt that ship was warm and comfy and the life boats were rickety and the sea was very cold. But they didn’t understand that the life boats were much safer than the soon to be dilapidated Titanic. Worst of all they were holding up the loading processes and men wanted seats on the boats too. For example one lady was pushed into a boat because she was getting loaded in to a boat and suddenly got out to go get some left over jewelry but the boat attendant pushed her back into the boat. I think this book was very interesting and I defiantly enjoyed reading it because, I’ve learned about the Titanic before but this story is more informational. It states all of the actions of the passengers and crew and how they felt during the sinking. I boldly recommend this book to any to anyone that loves history and that wants to learn about the passengers and crew on the Titanic and how they experienced its sinking.
Flesh & Blood So Cheap The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy Albert Marrin
The historical period my book covered was after the industrial revolution when women were starting to work and when immigrants were coming from Italy and Russia at the time. It also talks about the American Film Industry and the reasons Italians and Russian Jews fled. As well as when many clothing shop owners where to cheap to buy safety procautions for their buildings creatng disasters. Those owners also caused many mournings and horrified reactions as people jumped from the windows to get away from the fire or at least let their family have identifiable remains to bury. In my opinion the author wrote this book with the facts about the Triangle Fire and the other periods that happened around this time so as time goes on we can be sure not to make the same mistakes twice and so we never undo the womens right to vote and work in equal conditions. Also it gives us a background for fire safety for buildings. Albert Marrin completed his goal beacause with this book is available to be read by the public. Which will most likely eradicate the chance of these disasters happening again in the future. The authors book taught me that living in America in this time period wasnot what everyone thought it would be. Except for the fact that i was a fresh start. I personally did not like reading this book they way the author put the information was boring for me and did not keep my attention which made it difficult to read. If the author put the information into a more shocking state of writing this book would have been easier to read unlike how it's written now. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the clothing productions, The Triangle Fire, women union, and the work strikes. " What indeed, is a New Yorker? Is he Jew or Irish? Is he English or German? Is he Russian or Polish? He may be something of all these, and yet he is wholly none of them. Something has been added to him which he had not had before. He is quicker in his movement, less trammeled in his judgement.... The change he undergoes is unmistakable. New York,indeed, resembles a magic cauldron. Those who are cast into it are born again." -Charles Whibley, English journalist, American Sketches (1908). If you were in New York at this time period because of the change it is like you are born again. This is also my favorite quote because it is very true that New York which was one of the largest city at the time was a place were immigrants were born again. "Oh God! That bread should be so dear, And flesh and blood so cheap!-Jacob Riis, How the other Half Lives (1890). This quote taught me that because of the almost endless amount of immigrants coming in people were cheap and could be fired if one demanded change.
If I Die In Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home Tim O’ Brian: New York, 1975
Tim O’Brian, an incoming solider, was confused about the Vietnam War. He was getting drafted into it, but was also against it. After going into boot camp, Tim finds it hard to believe that he’s going to Vietnam to fight a war he didn’t even think was right. Before heading off to Vietnam, Tim visits a military Chaplin explaining his problem about the war. Captain Edwards responds with “O'Brien I am really surprised to hear this. You're a good kid but you are betraying your country when you say these things” (pg. 60). In reading this book, you learn about Tim O’Brian’s struggles in boot camp, and when he is a solider in Vietnam. In my opinion, I think Tim’s purpose of writing this book was to educate the minds of young teens on what his feelings were towards fighting in this war and what it can be like. As everyone knows and as he explains war is a terrible thing, and by writing this book he hopes readers feel something of what he felt as a young man. I believe Tim has and has not accomplished his goal because in this book he tells readers what his experience with war was like and how he feels about it and in a way it could accomplish the goal of educating young men on how scary war can be and how wrong it is, on the other hand teens and adults are still going into war knowing what it can be like. Although, war is much different than it was in 1975. The time period this book took place in teaches me that war isn’t what it’s like now. “But assuming sir-just assuming- that I truly believe the war is wrong. Is it then also wrong to go off and kill people” (pg.60). This quote has taught me something about the time period this book took place in. It also tells a lot about how Tim was feelings when he was talking to Captain Edward in the Chaplin. Another quote I found was; "Now, war ended, all I am left with are simple, unprofound scraps of truth. Men die. Fear hurts and humiliates.”(pg. 23). This quote tells about how Tim would just go to war with no lesson learned only that he went into a war and just killed with no meaning at all. I enjoyed reading this book because it taught me a lot about what it’s like to be in the war and what you have to sacrifice and go through to make it. Also, I thought it was cool that Tim O’Brian was a solider in the Vietnam War so he wrote about his personal experiences and is feelings towards it which is basically what he talks about in this book. I recommend this book to others because it’s very interesting and you could learn a lot whether you’re a teen or an adult.
Helena Kurpaska Mr. Urbanski 8/20/14 Death in the Haymarket By: James Green The book I chose to read for my summer assignment was called Death in the Haymarket, by James Green. This book surrounds around May 4, 1886 when a bomb at a labor rally went off. The rally had over 1,500 people in attendance and planned to hear a man by the name of Albert Parsons speak about wages and police killings. This bomb ended up wounding dozens of police officers and seven of them eventually died from their wounds from the bomb. The purpose for this rally went both ways, people actually died for an eight hour day, but sadly people were also willing to kill to not have an eight hour day. In this book, Green really implies how important it was for men to keep their “manly hood” during that industrial period. The Anarchists implied that the workers should “stand up for their manhood” more than they did then. Eventually, the governor applauds that the anarchists in jail for actually how “manly” it was for them to do that for what they believed in. This book actually revolves around an unusual and interracial couple. Albert and Lucy Parsons were an odd couple back in the 1800’s (gilded age). Albert was Caucasian and Lucy was an African American women and oddly enough had somewhat of power. Considering they were interracial, this was very strange back then. But, Albert actually participated in the bombing of the Haymarket rally for what he believed in. Sticking to what he believed in, he was executed for his actions for bombing the rally. I think the purpose for writing this book was to inform the reader about this particular time period and event. Yes, I think that James Green did a good job at accomplishing that goal because he put in a lot of details about the characters and what happened at the rally. The bomb exploded on May 4, 1886 (mid 1800’s), but the era was in the Gilded Age. And from past grades, I’ve had some background knowledge. But, what I don’t have much knowledge of is the work history of the Gilded Age. The first quote that I picked that help my understanding was “Every day 800 freight trains came and left the city’s six busy terminals, hauling goods and bringing people in” (pg. 102) This quote gave me an idea of how busy Chicago was work wise and how booming the city was. My second quote that I picked is “An interracial couple was an odd sight on the Chicago streets” (pg. 54). This quote really made you understand what is was like racially back then, especially for the Parsons. At the beginning of this book, it was slower, but once I got more into the book I liked it more, but I would recommend it. Finally, my favorite quote was “The death of the anarchist in Chicago shattered his faith in the triumph of Lincoln’s ideal republic….” (pg. 272). This is my favorite because it shows how disappointed Lincoln would’ve been if he was there.
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan The Worst Hard Time is about six families that went through the devastating drought. This horrific weather event, the dust bowl, which lasted almost a decade, caused the nation to go through a hard economic depression. It left families in devastation. Land was in bad conditions and poverty was among most families. During the middle of the book, many of the families persevered and wouldn't leave like others. Many people died because of “dust pneumonia” but still, families did not want to leave. Some even thought that this event was Armageddon, the end of time. However, towards the end of the book, families like Ike, his mom, and the girls, left because they came to realize that it wasn't worth staying. Although, there were still survivors staying on the land, staying put and determined. Survivors of the dust bowl are in their last days of life and the author’s purpose was to continue to share their stories. Timothy Egan, the author of The Worst Hard Time, accomplished the purpose of writing his book. The families that survived shared their stories and the book became more personal as their experiences were revealed. A man named Don Hartwell kept a diary. Don kept track of the hardships of farmers during the dust bowl. Don’s main goal was to make sure it was a first-hand account of what happened for future generations. The dust bowl took place throughout the 1930’s until the 1940’s, almost a decade. The historical time period was during the Great Depression. This book taught me that during the great depression, the worst times were experienced by the American people. Living in the southwestern Great Plains was where most people experienced the impacts. “What the stock market collapse and tight money meant for a forward looking man In Dalhart was opportunity. Uncle Dick Coon saw it, and he took it.” (pg. 83) This quote taught me that during the Great depression there was a lot of land being taken fast and used, so whatever chance someone got, they took it. The economy wasn't doing well and as time went on, people got poor and noticed the effects. “She slipped under layers of quilt and took her last breath, dying...” (pg. 197) This quote taught me that during the drought and effects from the depression, people started to give up and lost hope. Many people became sick and eventually died because of dust pneumonia, especially children. People did not want to leave their land; all they wanted to do was stay in bed and die slowly. My favorite quote is, “The grass could look brown and dead, but beneath the surface, the roots held the soil in place; it was alive and dormant.” (pg. 112) This quote goes deep into its meaning. Although the appearance of the land was ugly and ruined, under all of that, everything was together and still put. Everyone was dedicated to staying on their land, and some made it to the end with hope. I enjoyed reading this book because it was a new experience for me. While I read the book, I learned much more and found it very interesting how there were many events that led up to the dust bowl. It was sad to read about how horrible of a time it had been for the people. However, many of those people showed perseverance and strength. I recommend this book to others who are interested in learning more about the dust bowl. The author did a great job in detail, with different accounts of families, showing their experiences and what life was like then. Dalia Murillo
Book Title: My Brother Sam is Dead Author(s): James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier
I read the book called, "My Brother Sam is Dead." It was a pretty good book. The main character in the book's name is Tim Meeker. He always look up to his brother, Sam, because he was so intelligent and brave. Everybody in the town that they lived in admired, Sam. But then, he enlisted into the new American Revolutionary Army. When Sam joined this Army, he basically turned against his brother and his father, and the rest of the town. In the book, it says that Sam started to talk about defeating the British and becoming independent and free. but, most people in his town are very loyal supporters of the English king, and that is including Tim and Sam's dad.
In my opinion, the authors wrote this book to explain what the American Revolutionary War was like and how dangerous it could be. The American Revolutionary War I am pretty sure that it happened sometime through the mid-late 1700's. This book taught me that Tim had to go against one of his family members with whatever he chose to do about this situation. He can either go into the war like his brother did and fight against his father, or stick with being on the English king's side, still going against his brother who he has always looked up too beliefs. So clearly, it is a tough desicision for Tim to make. I very much enjoyed reading this book because I thought that it was pretty interesting.
U.S. History Summer Assignment Columbine by: Dave Cullen This summer I read the book Columbine by Dave Cullen. This book is about a school massacre that occurred. This incident ignited disputes over the gun control laws. This Includes gun availability and gun violence with kids, which is centered in high schools. In addition kids are influenced to this violence by their everyday violent video games. The result of the incident included an increase in school security. The event happened on April 20th 1999, the year most of my peers and I was born. It was at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. It was a very difficult attack that had been thoroughly planned it involved firearms and bombs planted in the cafeteria, there was over 99 explosive devices. This attack was all done by two senior students; they injured 24 people and killed twelve students including one teacher. The two seniors then committed suicide the two students’ motives were unclear. In my opinion the author’s purpose of writing the book was to inform the public of one of the most serious massacres on a high school campus in the U.S. I believe he wanted to clear up any rumors about the attack and I think he accomplished that because he presented all the facts clearly. The historical event my book covers is a school massacre, what was taught was that they were the bullies there were rumors saying they went in to kill the people who bullied them but in reality they were the bullies. “SWAT teams searched the building for over three hours, but the killers were lying dead the entire time. They had committed suicide in the library at 12:08, forty-nine minutes after beginning the attack.” (Chapter 17, p.83), and “One room at a time, the team would take three hours to reach their bodies.” (Chapter 13, p. 61) these quotes taught me that it was new to the Americans we had never had a school massacre this big before they went in with extreme caution. I enjoyed reading this book very much because it cleared any rumors up for me about the attack and explained that there was not a real motive to why the two seniors, Eric and Dylan, went through with the attack. It was a very sad day and I liked learning that America does go through many sad days but in the end we learn from them. For example improving our gun control laws. Unfortunately something bad has to happen for a change to be made. I would most defiantly recommend this book to other students. I believe it’s a good way to learn why we have the rules and laws we have today and what our country has gone through in the past. My favorite quote in the book would have to be "I wish I was a fucking sociopath so I didn't have any remorse," Eric said. "But I do."… "If you live?" Fuselier repeated. "They are going to go in there and quite possibly kill their friends. If they were the least bit sorry they would not do it!” (Dave Cullen, Columbine). These are my favorite quotes because he wanted to feel no remorse but if he felt remorse he wouldn’t have done it and I think because he felt remorse he killed himself. This just shows humans can do evil things.
Audrey Herrick World History Essay Per. 5 Mr. Urbanski Grade 10
The book I chose was “No Easy Day” by Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer. This novel was a firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden as well as an autobiography of a Navy Seal. The main character and Navy Seal, Owen, as well as the members of a twenty-four man team confronted the terrorist face to face and witnessed his final moments. He was even standing right behind the Navy Seal that shot the al Qaeda leader on the third floor of his Abbottabad house. The novel details Owen’s career with DEVGRU, including several combat missions in which he participated with the unit. Majority of the memoir focuses on Owen’s participation in the mission that killed bin Laden himself. The authors purpose for writing this memoir was to share a story about the men and women defending America all over the world. The novel really did teach me how fortunate we are to live in such a well defended nation. Some of the details included in the book were pretty revealing and shocking, but it definitely gave me a better understanding on the world we live in. The plot of the assassination itself took lots of work as I imagined. The Navy Seals including Owen, all went through a nine-month process of screening and training in order to make sure they were just fit for the job. This training strengthened many aspects of the Seals such as mental and physical limits. Then there was the preparation for the raid followed by the aftermath. The author definitely accomplished his goal for really creating a purpose of the novel. It really stood out to me how much freedom we’re granted in the United States as opposed to Pakistan where there front yards are literally battle fields. The soldiers we have protecting our country honestly do an outstanding job.
The book took place over the time span of 2009-2011 where in 2011 bin Laden was shot and killed. The process in killing him did take several years because it was such a major task that could not be flawed the first time around. Owen’s novel taught me that during this time period the method to kill Osama was probably one of the most important goals of the future. Which, was successfully achieved. This period of history was very significant due to the fact that the death of nearly 3,000 people from all around the world as well as 260 passengers and crew were all killed because of one major person. Though, there were about 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda, most of the dirty work was done by bin Laden himself. I could tell the author was very educated in his mission and took it very seriously as he fought with honor. You could also tell how genuinely proud he was to be serving his country by taking on a task so large. In the novel, Owen had stated, “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself” To me, Owen’s intention was to say he will fight for his country regardless of the circumstances and he takes a great deal of pride in it as well. Owen is the perfect example of someone I would want to fight for my country. People like him make me feel protected and secure in the environment I live in. This quote also teaches me that fighting for our nation isn’t easy and without a doubt requires years of thought and educated decision making. Another important quote said by Owen was “Don’t just live, but live for a purpose bigger than yourself. Be an asset to your family, community, and country.” This to me, means you shouldn’t only represent yourself, and fight for yourself, but you’re also representing and fighting for the things you love such as family, community, and the country in which you’re fighting for. Not only that, but I feel as if it signifies the type of people that should serve for our armed forces. If they’re not serving for not only their selves, but the things that matter most to them, then they clearly don’t take their job seriously enough in my opinion. My favorite quote in the memoir was “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you wont even fight for yourself.” I really admire this quote because I think it is the perfect representation on the type of people that should be serving our country. I wouldn’t want someone fighting for my freedom that didn’t work to their full potential and didn’t give it their all and I can tell that Owen was always on top of his game and really does love our country. I can also tell that he was willing to risk his life and everything he had worked for in order to protect the citizens and the country of the United States which I admire. I believe that anyone aspiring to join the armed forces should have an attitude similar to Mark Owen’s without a doubt. I’m not really a fan of non-fiction historical books, however I can say that “No Easy Day” was one of the best books I’ve read. It really helped me on my awareness of the world I live in as well as how hard being in the forces actually is. There’s a lot more that goes into it then is publicly shared. I personally would not be able to go into the armed forces because I feel as if it is a very large as well as difficult task that requires nothing but 100% effort at all times. I recommend this book to anyone that would like to further their knowledge on the world we live in as well as what goes into being a part of our country’s armed forces.
Katherine Volyanik 8/25/14 Urbanski Book title: A Night to Remember Author: Walter Lord It was said to be unsinkable, a perfect machine. In my book “A Night to Remember” the titanic voyage starts on April 14, 1912. This book follows the crew and passengers around on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. There is not only one main character mention; all characters play a lead role. It all begins when the watchman looking out across the smooth ocean. He spots an iceberg in the distance but decides not to set an alarm out because the titanic is thought to be indestructible. During this time passengers were enjoying their peaceful time, playing cards, listening to the band play and others were sound asleep. Even the loud noise coming from inside the ship did not condemn the passengers, they had continued with what they were doing. Soon word got out that they had hit an iceberg, but that didn’t change much. Crew members had gone to check out the damage and found a hole in the boiler room and water would soon get in. It had been determined that the ship would have to be evacuated by emergency row boats. Suddenly crew was franticly trying to get passengers off the cruise ship, families had been separated and some people had decided to jump of the boat. During the last minutes of the titanic being above water everybody knew there was no way of saving this ship, there was not enough time. Nobody expected such a collision to occur on the extravagant cruise ship, and it will forever be remembered by the world. Author Walter Lord main goal in writing this book was to express the emotions and feelings of the final hours on the Titanic. I would say the author did accomplish his goals because by adding the littlest details it allowed you to imagine it as if you were a passenger on that ship. “A Night to Remember” covers the year 1912; the sinking of Titanic was a big loss, lots of money was spent on building the extravagant ship. During that time in history, there was unequal treatment of the different passenger classes aboard the ship and a lack of life boats. There was one quote in particular that seem to represent how people thought as they were on the titanic, this is also one of my favorite quotes in the book; “God himself could not sink this ship” (pg.27 & 36). This quote had been the name of the chapter and was said by a crew member that showed it had an important meaning. It brought people to think that nothing could sink ship, not even god, a very strong man. After this quote was said by a crew member, passengers stood calmly on the Boat deck-unworried but confused. Another quote that I found taught me a lesson was on pg.43; “We are safer here than in that little boat” said a passenger. I found that it was interesting that people were still confident that the titanic was going stay afloat as it was sinking. It seemed that people didn't think it wouldn't be as bad as it was. After reading this book I would say I did enjoy it. Reading about these big events in our history seems to interest me. This book was different unlike others, most books have a slow start, but this was complete opposite and that’s what made me want to keep reading. I would recommend for everyone to read this book and get a feel for the last final hours of the Titanic, it had made me feel like I was on board with the crew and passengers.
I have just finished a great book called No Easy Day The Autobiography of A Navy Seal. The book is a firsthand account of Mark Owen a SEAL who as a kid wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a SEAL. He took part in the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. In this autobiography Mark tells us how he became a SEAL and what they did while training. He talks about the firefights they had against the Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. Mark also talks about the struggle it is to be away from your friends and families for such a long time. For example he says, “In more than a decade as a SEAL, I didn’t have a break, just a steady drumbeat of combat deployments.” (296). The main reason Mark Owen wanted to write this book is to tell the real story of their raid on Bin Laden’s compound. I think Mark Owen wrote this book to tell people what the life of a Navy Seal is like. I also think he wrote this book to tell people what he and his teammates did to kill Bin Laden. Yes, I would say Mark accomplished his goal because he wanted to become a SEAL since he was a little boy not to mention at the very end of the book he says, “Very few people can say that they were lucky enough to stay in an operational job their entire seal career. From the day I graduated BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), I moved to SEAL Team Five and then on to DEVGRU” (296). (The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group). My book covers the 21st century. Mark Owen was trying to teach that during the 21st century there was a huge war between the U.S, Al Qaeda fighters and the Taliban. The book taught me two things about this time period. First when Mark Owen was describing the Operations Center he said that there was a chart printer and several white boards for notes. Mark says, “A chart printer was pushed into one corner. Crowding another corner were several white boards and easels with writing pads attached for note taking.” (160). This taught me that they were not as high tech as we are now with all the computer and the 3D structures you can make on the computers today. The second thing that I learned is that you have to go through a lot of training to become a seal. Mark tells us all that he went through just to become a SEAL. He says, “From the day I graduated BUD/S, I moved to SEAL Team Five and then on to DEVGRU (296). This taught me that the men that are SEALS go through a lot of training to get to the level they are at. This book is now one of my favorite books that I have read. From the first sentence I read to the last I was never bored or not interested in something he was talking about. Mark Owen’s wording and how he explained everything was what made the book so good for me. He went into detail on everything and left me with no questions about the book or what happened in the situations he was in. He also had pictures of himself in the helicopters and of his gear which to me was really cool. Yes, I would recommend this book to others because it is a phenomenal book and has a lot of action. This book is great for people that want to join the Army, Navy, or even the SEALS. The book tells you what the life of a SEAL is like and what they do which is really awesome. “Don’t just live, but live for a bigger purpose than yourself. Be an asset to your friends, community, and country” (299). This quote Mark Owens is saying don’t live just to live for yourself but live for others and help them out as well as your community and family. That quote by Mark Owens was my favorite quote from the book because it shows that he cares for other people and his community as a whole instead of being selfish and arrogant. This is what I think of this amazing book No Easy Day The Autobiography of A Navy Seal.
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord A Night to Remember by Walter Ford is a novel from different stories from different survivors on the “unsinkable ship” the Titanic. Although this novel doesn’t have one main character but stories of passengers, the Titanic was defiantly overrated and was very dependent on. No one on board had the thought of the Titanic sinking and crashing run through their mind. It also shows me how stupid our society was and how they thought a quarter of lifeboats for about 2,000 passengers was necessary because they thought yet again it was “unsinkable”. Although this novel taught me a lot and how much of a tragic the Titanic actually was, actually opened my eyes to disasters in general in this world. It’s also very sad that less than half of the passengers survived. A Night to Remember also let me know what people were doing during the sinking and before the sinking of the Titanic. Some passengers were drinking before the Titanic; some passengers were sleeping because it was also 2:20 in the morning. For instance in the book, after the Titanic had already sunk, Officer Lowe at one point gave up looking for survivors that were swimming. It’s depressing that people gave up on each other and the amount of people that died is horrific. I think the author’s purpose for writing this book is to inform everyone about how things on the Titanic were. Obviously there were mistakes made with the ship, but I feel as if Walter Lord wanted his readers to know the stories of the survivors of the Titanic and how people should prepare themselves for the worst even though they think it’s not likely to happen. There are many examples on situations like this throughout the world. 9/11, no one in a million years thought it would be attacked so no one was prepared to evacuate when it actually did happen. Pearl Harbor is also another example like this. Walter Lord did a tremendous job with this novel. I believe he accomplished his goal, mostly because he’s right. I believe even though he wanted his readers to know the true story of the sinking of the Titanic and the tragedy that came with it, he had anger in him because everyone hyped the ship up and made it seem as if it was invincible, and the captain and workers took of half their lifeboats off because they were that confident in this ship. This historical event takes place on April 14, 1912 and April 15, 1912. This novel teaches me that back then people weren’t as smart and weren’t as prepared and equipped for this type of tragedy. There was a cancellation of a lifeboat drill that never happened. Distress signals were ignored due to the fact other ships were done for the day; this would have been way different today because we have more modern technology. I also learned that from this time period classes were treated differently, for example first class had a lot more advantages and were the first priority, and then came the second and third class. But overall I actually really enjoyed A Night To Remember and I learned a lot from this book and I learned more about the sinking of the Titanic. Walter Lord did an outstanding job with this book.
Part 1 No Easy Day by Mark Owen “No Easy Day” is an autobiography written by a retired navy seal Matt Bissonnette, who uses the pseudonym Mark Owen. While this book is mainly about the killing and capturing of Osama Bin Laden, the author also talks about other missions he was involved with, including the rescuing of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009. He also shares what it’s like to be a SEAL (training and team life), how hard it is to be selected for SEAL team six, and also how much of their personal lives they give up to serve their country. Mark Owen’s purpose for writing “No Easy Day” was to “set the record straight.” Owen says, “To date, how the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden has been reported is wrong. Even reports claiming to have the inside story have been incorrect. I felt like someone had to tell the true story. To me, the story is bigger than the raid itself and much more about the men at the command who willingly go into harm’s way, sacrificing all they have to do the job. Theirs is a story that deserves to be told.” There is a lot of controversy surrounding this book because Owen did not submit the book to the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for review before publishing it. Pentagon officials say that the book contains classified material such as how SEAL units are organized, operate, and train. Not only that, but his version of the Osama Bin Laden raid differs from the one released by the white house and he is said to have violated secrecy agreements. Owen states that he also wrote this book in hopes of inspiring another young man to serve his country. “My hope is one day a young man in junior high school will read it and become a SEAL, or at least live a life bigger than him. If that happens, the book is a success.” In my opinion, I think Mark Owen accomplished his goal for writing the book. He did what he believed felt right and also opened our eyes to the sacrifices SEALs make every day. His motives for telling this story are stated in the beginning and end of the book. “Let me be clear: I do not consider this to be my story. My goal from the start was to tell the true story of the raid and show the sacrifices made by SEALs at the command.” He is clearly not in it for the money and says he is donating the majority of the proceeds from the book to charity.
Part 2 The first half of “No Easy Day” goes through Mark Owen’s selection and training for SEAL team six starting in 2004. Owen also gives details about growing up in Alaska with long dreams of being a SEAL, an idea his parents did not support. The second half is dedicated to the Osama Bin Laden mission and how they spent their whole careers waiting for this mission since September 11th, 2001. “Ever since the attacks, everyone in my line of work had dreamed of being involved in a mission like this. The al Qaeda leader personified everything we were fighting against. He’d inspired men to fly planes into buildings filled with innocent civilians. That kind of fanaticism is scary, and as I watched the towers crumble and saw reports of attacks in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, I knew we were at war, and not a war of our choosing. A lot of brave men had sacrificed for years to fight the war, never knowing if we would get a chance to be involved in a mission like the one about to begin.” Something I learned from this book is how much a SEAL’s job means to them and how much they give up for it. “Since I’d arrived at the unit, my life had been a series of highs from great operations and lows waiting for the next mission. If we weren’t deployed, we were training to deploy. We’d alternate deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan. The pace was nonstop. It didn’t matter if you were single or married with kids. Our whole world was focused on our work. It was our number one priority.” Before reading this book I knew they sacrificed a lot to serve but I didn’t realize it controlled their lives to this extent where their job comes before their families. Another fact I learned about the raid from this book was Osama Bin Laden didn’t fight, or prepare to fight, when the SEALs arrived. Mark Owen states two very interesting points, “He hadn’t even prepared a defense. He had no intention of fighting. He asked his followers for decades to wear suicide vests or fly planes into buildings, but didn’t even pick up his weapon” and “Bin Laden knew we were coming when he heard the helicopter. I had more respect for Ahmed al-Kuwaiti in the guesthouse because at least he’d tried to defend himself and his family. Bin Laden had more time to prepare than the others, and yet he still didn’t do anything. Did he believe his own message? Was he willing to fight the war he asked for? I don’t think so. Otherwise, he would have at least gotten his gun and stood up for what he believed.” I enjoyed reading this book because it was fast paced and always interesting. I would recommend this book to someone else because I think it’s important to know how the number one terrorist in the world who devastated thousands of families with the 9/11 attacks was killed. It also makes you more appreciative of all the hard work and sacrifices the SEALs make to serve this country. My favorite quote from “No Easy Day” is “there is no honor in sending people to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself.” This is my favorite quote because it shows that if you truly believe in something you should stand up for it which is something Bin Laden did not do in the end.
Luke Gilchrest Mr. Urbanski The book that I choose to read was No Easy Day by Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer. This is a firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. They have been looking for Bin Laden for 10 years, and they finally found him. Mark Owen and his team of 24 Navy Seals knew where Bin Laden was and they were going to catch him. There was a three story building in Afghanistan where Bin Laden was hiding. The seals started blowing up doors and working their way into the building. They got through the first floor with no Americans getting hurt. So, they worked their way to the second floor, still no Bin Laden. They moved to the third floor where Osama was, but he didn’t even put up a fight. Instead, he did nothing. He only put his wife in front of him so she would die. The reason that I think the author chose to write this book is because he wanted to teach us what they were doing for 10 years before they decided to catch him. Mark Owen was able to accomplish his goal because he had one job to do, which was to find Bin Laden and capture or kill him, which he was able to do. Bringing home the body was the biggest thing in many years for the USA. We had finally caught the number one terrorist in the world. Many seals joked about being the group that would actually catch him, but Marks Owen's group was the one that shot him. This book took place over the time period of 2009-2011, in which Bin Laden was killed in 2011. It took a long time to kill him because everything had to go perfectly. From this novel, I learned that killing the number one terrorist in the world was one of the biggest things the USA wanted to accomplish. In 2001, Bin Laden set up an attack to crash two planes into the Twin Towers. When they crashed, it killed about 3,000 people because of one man, Osama Bin Laden. We were all shocked and couldn't believe what happened. The USA lost many people that day and wanted to find the man in charge of it. We finally found killed him after 10 years of searching.
One quote that taught me something about this time period is, “You'll be my son's hero for the rest of his life”. This quote was said by a sergeant to Mark Owen. This quote taught me that capturing Osama was a big thing in the world and many people would be proud of the seals that went to Afghanistan to fight for America. Another quote that taught me something was when President Barak Obama said, “You are American's best, You are what America stands for, Thank you from American people. Job well done.” This shows me how big of an accomplishment it is, even for the President of the United States of America. But for the seals, they didn’t want their names coming out about who shot him, or who was a part of the mission. They wanted their names to stay on the low side, even though they were announced. My favorite quote in this novel is, “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself”. I really admire this quote because Bin Laden sent men out to risk their own lives to kill Americans, when he couldn’t even defend himself. Once we found where he was, we attacked and hew had time to defend himself. But instead, he stood there and let us shoot him. That is not how a real man should act, he should have stood up for what he believed in and tried to shoot us as well. A real man, like Mark Owen, went in there risking his own life for our country to kill Osama Bin Laden. I usually don't like reading non-fiction books, but this was by far my favorite one that I have ever read. It taught me what was really happening in the real world and not just in my life. This showed me what a Navy Seal went through to complete the mission of killing Bin Laden. I learned information that I can tell people about that they might not already know about the mission. For example, before they even started the mission the helicopter was going to crash and all the people on it that were supposed to capture Bin Laden could have been dead. But, the driver was able to control it and get everyone off safe and move forward with the mission. Also, I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read about the army or who would like to know more information about how they captured Osama Bin Laden and the world we live into today.
Tom Brokaw novel The Greatest Generation tells the life stories of a generation of Americans who sacrificed and suffered so that future generation of Americans might live in peace and freedom. Brokaw, a well-known journalist, was driven by a desire to find out more about the generation who came before his own after visiting the beaches of Normandy. The ultimate sacrifices made by the many Americans who died in service to their country were more than evident. Brokaw wanted to find out more about this generation of brave heroes. The book is Brokaw’s way to say thank you to those brave men and women. After reading this novel, it is easy to see that the stories of the lives of these great Americans share a common theme. These men and women were dedicated to their country. They loved their country and their families and were willing to sacrifice everything to ensure that America would grow to become a better nation. Many fought in WWII. Others struggled through the Great Depression. Former President George Bush tells about his role in the War. He had to read all the mail that members of his platoon wanted to send home. The purpose was to be sure that they were not sending home any military secrets. Bush explains that he learned a lot about people, honor, and duty from this simple experience. One of the biggest lessons learned from a book like this is that we often take things for granted. It is easy to accept the liberty and freedom we have today. It is important, however, to take the time to figure out how we actually got the liberty and freedom we have today. In the beginning of the book, Brokaw explains “There has never been a military operation remotely approaching the scale and the complexity of D-Day. It involved 176,000 troops, more than 12,000 airplanes, almost 10,000 ships, boats, landing craft, frigates, sloops, and other special combat vessels--all involved in a surprise attack on the heavily fortified north coast of France, to secure a beachhead in the heart of enemy-held territory so that the march to Germany and victory could begin. It was daring, risky, confusing, bloody, and ultimately glorious”(p. 25). He shows how many members of this generation were willing to put their lives on the line to end the war and bring down Hitler and Mussolini. Many of those soldiers were just out of high school. It is hard to believe that so many young people were willing to act so bravely and sacrifice so much. One of the most interesting thing Brokaw has ever said is that “It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.” This book shows that this generation of American heroes has definitely made a difference that will last for years to come. I will recommend this book because it has many interesting stories about people who sacrificed everything for our freedom.
Vietnam A History 8/27/2014 by Stanley Karnow Jason Goldstein
In the book “Vietnam A History” by Stanley Karnow, the author explains the entire history of Vietnam at war, from early Chinese interests in the early 1900’s to the Tet offensive in 1969 to the U.S withdrawal from Saigon in 1975. The majority of the book is in chronological order and gives many details to make the timeline easier to follow. For example, instead of going directly from the French withdrawal from Vietnam in 1953 to the beginnings of U.S. involvement in 1965, he talks about the treaties, failed international efforts and rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in between to help the reader get a much greater understanding. It offers facts and details from both sides of all arguments in the book. He includes his interviews with enemy political leaders, soldiers on the front lines, and just regular everyday citizens for their opinions. He includes pictures from every event in the story to help illustrate the descriptions he writes. The pictures show the gruesomeness of war, the misery of the people displaced by the war, dead soldiers and civilians, providing raw images that words can never describe. However, the pictures in the story cannot explain in depth the complexity of the war such as political pressures and secret activities behind enemy lines that the words do. 2 In my opinion, the author’s purpose for writing this book is to completely explain in depth the full history of Vietnam and to tell the true story of Vietnam at war. I believe that this is the purpose of the book because of a quote from him in the preface of the book, “... I might possess the perspective to produce a panoramic account that, while concentrating primarily on the American intervention, also describes and analyzes at some length the origins of the contemporary conflict.” Stanley Karnow wrote this book to explain in detail the history of Vietnam at war not only involving the United States but the French as well. 3 Stanley Karnow greatly achieved his goal in writing the first full history of Vietnam at war. He achieved this by presenting facts and opinions from both sides of almost every event. For example, early on in the book when he is talking about the siege of Dien Bien Phu, He goes from talking about a french general who believed that the battle was a mistake to North Vietnamese General Nguyen Giap who was in charge of the Vietnamese forces in the region. This allows the author to express different viewpoints simultaneously while still making the book clear to the reader. 4 This book covers several important time periods in Vietnamese history. One of these is early colonizations of Vietnam which inspires deep hate of all Europeans. The second time period is when the Vietnamese and Viet Cong successful defeat the French and gain independence through a long and confusing treaty. The final time period that the book covers is the United States involvement in Vietnam from giving funding to the French to the Tet Offensive and to the eventually withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Vietnam. Part 1
Vietnam A History 8/27/14 Stanley Karnow Jason Goldstein
5 The book “Vietnam A History” taught me many things about the time period of the United States involvement in Vietnam. It taught me not only about the battles from both sides but the political side of things- from policies to strikes to the resignation of presidents. It summarizes all the key critical points through all of the United States involvement summarizing it making it easier to understand and comprehend. 7 I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is by far the most detailed account of the history of Vietnam at war that I have ever read. It expresses no biases and explores all views of different events. It is factual and at times boring but fit kept my interest. It analyzes every event from the fall of the French in 1953 to after the United States left Saigon in 1975-more than 20 years of conflict explained brilliantly in a 750 page book. 8 Although I did very much enjoy this book, I would not recommend this any high school reader unless he or she is very interested in the topic and can read and understand difficult words and can stand long and sometimes boring books. This book was great, but it was long, at times a little confusing, and not something that every high schooler would read if given the choice. 9 My favorite quote from the book “Vietnam A History” by Stanley Karnow is from page 530. It is a large paragraph about the North Vietnamese butchering 100’s of people. It starts off with some words from a North Vietnamese leader saying that it was all America's fault then starting to crack and say that they had to kill some to prevent further crimes. The quote I like most about this book sums up it’s content, showing two opinions and the truth, “Balanced accounts have made it clear, however, that the Communist butchery in Hue did take place- perhaps on an even larger scale than reported during the war.” I think it is my favorite quote because it presents both sides’ opinions but it also presents the facts. It allows for opinions to be heard but the truth to be revealed.
The book I read was written by Mark Kurlansky. He attended Bulter University to get a BA. He then wrote many books. One being the current book I am reading, 1968: The Year that Rocked the World. This book is known for giving out information about the 1960’s. The novel talks about students even across the border. This book also follows through with the politics and how they affected many. Some of the many politicians that were there Martin Luther King Jr, Bobby Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago,ect. The book also shows the way television also impacted society. The author’s purpose for writing this book is that he wants us to know the struggle that happen with the cultural and political problems.
The author did achieve his goal. Because Mark talked about how you shouldn’t let the influence of others make who you are. And that you should be who you are. The historical time period that this book covers is the late 1960’s. Where Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy assassinations; the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Prague Spring, the upsurge of the women’s movement and the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union.
The book taught me about the effect of the assassinations of people who wanted us to have freedom and equal rights. It also taught me about the way people were treated and how. I enjoyed this book because it taught me a lot when it came to this time period and how people were treated cause of their race/skin color. I feel as though that the book could be worded somehow differently but overall it was good. I would recommend this book to others who wants to read about back in the day of segregation and discrimination.
I would recommend this book to others because it has true facts off of real events. For example in the novel it talks about the famous race wars and historic figures like Martin Luther King JR. and Rosa Parks. Another reason I would read this book because it shows what all of America did during the sixties and didn’t just focus on the Vietnam War efforts. Mark Kuransky was able to create a picture in my head with the smallest details that occurred during this time period.
My favorite quote from this book would be “‘It was America that was on a trip; we were just standing still,’ said Abbie Hoffman. ‘How could we pull our pants down? America was already naked. What could we disrupt? America was falling apart at the seams.’ This is my favorite quote because it explains what Americans were thinking at the start of the sixties. This quote is comparing the country falling apart to a person being naked. In addition this quote shows at the start of the 60’s the country was in bad shape and throughout the years gets better. In conclusion I enjoyed reading the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kuransky because of the details and use of words to describe small events that occurred over the 60’s.
The book Band of Brothers is a non-fiction historical account of the U.S. army’s easy company during the world war two period. The part of the elite 101st airborne division and the east company were involved in the Normandy of D-day invasion and there was the first group of the allied forces to reach Hitler’s nest retreated in their own country in Germany as the German troops surrendered to the allied power. The band of brothers take place from the years 1942-1945, and from the airborne training camp in Georgia, USA, and the other places in Europe such as, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany. My opinion of the book is that it is a very interesting book because it’s talking about these groups of military soldiers that fought for our freedom and spent years of their lives to make sure our country would from the evil people that attempted to take over this world. Another opinion I have about this book is that the author talks about the things that these brave men had to go through and that’s really hard these group of men had to go through and they deserve more respect than any person in the world. Another thing that I would like to say what happened in the book is His description of the night jump of the 101st in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, with men and officers scattered in the countryside, and the confusion, heroism that surrounded the successful landings at Utah Beach, is masterful. The quote that I think that was very interesting in the book is when one guy said “I could not believe that they were going to give us replacements and put us on the attack. I figured, Jesus, they’ll take us out of here and give us some clothes or something. But, no, they get you some replace-ment, and ‘come on boys, let’s go.’ And then that’s when we start attacking.” What I think this quote is saying is that no matter what clothes you were wearing or if you did not smell good and they wouldn’t give you knew stuff u would just have to live through it and go on and start protecting your country. And the last thing that I would like to talk about is whom I would recommend this book to and the people that I would recommend this book to is, the young people who do not know what the military men actually did for us I think you should really read this book once you read this book you will soon care and know why each day you celebrate these special holidays you really know how hard these military guys used to go through to protect our freedom and to every person in the united states. And this is what the story of Band of Brothers is about and what they did for this country.
The Worst Hard Times is a novel about the times during the Dust bowl and how people were living and also about some of the struggles that the families had to go through. The time during this book and the specific dust storm that the author Timothy Egan was focused of was the dust storm that was taken upon the High Plains. During the time of the dust storm was also the time of the great depression. The story talks about the different families and their personal experiences during this horrible time. In my personal opinion, I believe that the authors reason for writing this so that these times would never be forgotten. As it is the Great Depression was difficult, but then adding on the difficulties that these families had to go through would be a great reason to write a novel about this. Some of the difficulties that these families had to live through was the blinding black dust blizzards, which killed some people during this time because there was so much dust that there was no way to block it out. So it got in their lungs and made some people go blind from all of the dust in their eyes. Also it killed their crops so they didn’t have any food to eat. I believe that the author accomplished his goal. I believe the goal that he was trying to accomplish was by making other people aware of the hard time that people had to go through during the time of the great depression. I believe that he accomplished his goal because he was very descriptive about the difficult times that the people went through and he also book the book in a personal perspective about how other people had to go through this. The historical time period that this book took place was in the 19000’s specifically in 1901, twenty five years after the Texans refused to sign treaties with the Plains Indians. What this book taught me about the time period was that it was a very difficult time for people and with the help of the dust bowl it was an even harder time. It also taught me that it was a very difficult time to live in the past. And it gave me more of a reason to love where I live, even though natural disasters can happen like that, it still makes me more cautioned. I did personally enjoy reading this book because it open my eyes up to the world and how thing used to be and how far it has come along. But it also gave me a little bit of worry because it is said that history repeats itself but if that happens that this can happen to us and that worries me. Although in these times technology is a lot better and people use manufacturing, but that doesn’t mean that something very tragic like that can happen, and that also doesn’t mean we can prevent it from happening. I would recommend this book to others because it was a good read but I mean I don’t think people would analyze the book like I did but it is still good to know about what had happened in the past.
“If I Die In a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home” is an autobiography by author, Tim O’Brien. The book is a memoir set during O’Brien’s time in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971. Tim O’Brien does not tell the story completely chronologically, but to summarize it so, the his story begins in his hometown of Worthington, Minnesota. Tim moved to Worthington when he was ten years old and lived a relatively normal childhood, where he enjoyed playing army games. During his childhood, O’Brien also learned about World War II from veterans and the Korean War from soldiers that were coming home from fighting overseas. Eventually, Tim gets drafted into the army to fight in the Vietnam War. Tim is distraught, as he does not want to leave his home in order to fight in the war. Tim begins to contemplate deserting the army by first escaping to Canada and then catching a flight to Norway so that he doesn’t have to fight. Tim makes it to Seattle, but finds himself unable to get on a bus that will take him across the Canadian border. As a result of this, he has no choice but to return to the army. A few weeks later, in 1969, O’Brien is deployed to Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, where he is put in Alpha Company and made a radio operator. He quickly learns how brutal the war in Vietnam is. Tim is involved in many vicious and deadly battle wherein he loses friends and has to survive by hiding in the mud for long periods of time. At the memoir’s end, Tim has taken up a non-combat position. Although he is no longer face to face with death on a daily basis, he is still haunted by what he saw. Even after he returns home, Tim cannot enjoy himself, permanently scarred by his experience in the Vietnam War.
One quote from “If I Die In A Combat Zone that taught me something about the Vietnam War was "One of the most persistent and appalling thoughts that lumbers through your mind as you walk through Vietnam at night is the fear of getting lost, of becoming detached from the others, of spending the night alone in that frightening and haunted countryside." (91). This quote give me insight into how war is not just a physical challenge, but the young men during this time were also going through extreme mental anguish. The fact that through all of the fighting they were doing, the thing that stayed on their mind was the fear of getting lost shows just how horrifying the environment around them was. Another quote was "There was no reliable criterion by which to distinguish a pretty Vietnamese girl from a deadly enemy; often they were one in the same person.” From this quote, I learned that the enemy was all around you in Vietnam. The men had to be extra cautious, because there was no noticeable way to tell who was a civilian and who was out to kill you. I believe that Tim O’Brien’s goal in writing this book was simply to share his experience in Vietnam and give his personal insight on the situation. I believe that he successfully did this, as his memoir, as mentioned above, taught me things about the Vietnam war I had not known before. My favorite quote from the book was “It's sad when you learn you're not much of a hero.” I felt that this quote was very powerful in its simplicity. Tim has come to the conclusion he is not a hero, and this deeply saddens him. It’s as if all he did was for nothing. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to people not only because I enjoyed it, but also because it was an informative and personal account of the Vietnam War.
Wesley Murillo Mr. Urbanski 8/26/14 History Essay 10 A
If I should die before I wake: Han Nolan If I were to summarize this story I would say that this book is about a family that is treated badly by Germans because they are Jews. They are not the only ones other families from all around the world are there with them and the situation keeps getting worse every hour that they spend there. There are tens of thousands of Jews where they were brought to and their doing everything they can to survive. While the story develops family members die and they meet new people that help them when they are confused or need assistance. If I were to give my opinion about the author’s purpose for this book it would be about history and how Germans treated Jews. Unfortunately they despised Jews and thought they didn’t belong with them. The author’s purpose was to show how Jews were treated back then while WWII was happening. He accomplished his goal because his main goal was to write a story about what happened during WWII. This book has taught me more than I know about this massacre. And I know now how it must have been difficult for people and their families to struggle and survive during the war. I think this is a great book and this teaches people about WWII and how the Germans felt about the Jews and what they did to get rid of their problem. The historical time period that this book covers is before WWII and during WWII. This is a great event that happened in history because many horrifying things happened. Adolf Hitler was the leader of it all and he told the commands and they did exactly as he said without question. He was German and he led the Holocaust. In the end he committed suicide and shot himself in an underground bunker. This time period was about murder and power. I did enjoy this book because it did not only talk about the Germans but it also talked about how they all felt during this time. He also mentioned other people’s feelings and what they planned to do. Their family also had trouble with the challenges they faced. They were sent to do work and they acted like slaves. When they were sent to the different lines they all tried to stick together. Unfortunately some of them got sent to the death line and some were sent to the other line which was for people that would work for the Germans. When one of their family members were exhausted a different person would take over and help them out. I would recommend this book to others. I would do this because this book is interesting. I think this book has many interesting parts and where they are taken to, becomes a struggle for them. These people accomplished things that not many people could do. They worked as a team to try to survive so they can go back to their home in Russia. This was their only objective and they wanted to bring home as many people as they possibly could that was in the family. In the end there were a couple deaths but they still made it out of the German area. With most of their family. They also helped their friends during their imprisonment. The two quotes that taught me about this event was “She’s dead, you idiot. You killed her, and that one over there.” This quote helped me understand that there in a situation where people are getting killed. This teaches me that they are not in a good place to be if people are getting killed. The second quote is “There is not even a hope, anyway.” This is saying that they believe they are not going to survive getting out of the situation alive. My favorite quote in the book is “Where are they? Please, dear God, where are they? You’re slipping away and the doctors are all out on the lawn directing traffic. God! Help me!” This is my favorite quote because it is creating action and is explaining that somebody is in need of help. This is a sign that it is somebody important because she is yelling and screaming for God to help her.
Samantha Hammond Spies of Mississippi Mr. Urbanski The Spies of Mississippi is about an organization that was meant to keep segregation and to stop integration from happening within Mississippi. The author, Rick Bowers, begins with explaining the situation with the agents; most agents had code names like Agent X. The organization was called The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission; it operated as a secret investigation arm in the state government for many years. It had over 87,000 files on private citizens and organizations. The agents who worked for MSSC had the most extensive state-spying program in U.S History. It was J.P Coleman who signed the bill to allow the operation of MSSC. The spies of MSSC were to stop the integration of the whites and colored people. Many situations were against the National Association for the Agitation of Colored People (NAACP) whom supported and tried to enforce the integration of whites and colored people. People such as Aaron Henry, James Meredith, Clyde Kennard, and Medgar Evers caused many issues for the MSSC, they all had supporters to push integration and to end the separation of whites and colored people. The agency never stopped its segregationist mission, but by 1967 Erle Johnston argued, “… the Commission had ‘outlived its usefulness’ and was ‘ready for the grave.’ ” (Pg. 99) July 1st, 1973 the MSSC finally closed. The author’s (Rick Bowers) purpose for writing this book was to inform those who did not know what happened in Mississippi through 1956 – 1973. Bowers informs the reader about the actions the MSSC took, telling a story about the many secret operations that were played out throughout Mississippi. The story that Bowers tells had been kept a secret for more than a decade. Rick Bower’s accomplishment for writing this book was reached due to the extensive amount of information he gives throughout the book. The historical time period this book takes is between when integration was just being allowed, and segregation was ending. From 1956 to 1973 the book weaves through the history that happened. 1st quote is “ ‘Are we to assume that two sets of hospitals are to be built for two groups of doctors? Are we to build two bridges across the same stream to give equal opportunity to two groups of engineers? Are we to have two courts of law so as to give both groups of layers the same chance to demonstrate their skills; two legislatures for our politically inclined; and of course two governors?’ ” This taught me the frustration that colored people like Kennard were having while trying to show people that integration was not a terrible idea. The 2nd quote is; “A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame, as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right, as well as reality.” This quote is from President Kennedy, it taught me that the segregationist were allowing the violence and even encouraging it, even though it was their obligation to allow this change and to make it as easy as possible for everyone who was involved. I partially enjoyed this book; it had a lot of good information and gave very detailed explanations to the operations and situations. The reason I only partially enjoyed it is, because of the lack of excitement that Bowers put into it. I would recommend this book to anyone who really enjoys non-fiction, due to the information given. My favorite quote is from Clyde Kennard “ ‘Are we to assume that two sets of hospitals are to be built for two groups of doctors? Are we to build two bridges across the same stream to give equal opportunity to two groups of engineers? Are we to have two courts of law so as to give both groups of layers the same chance to demonstrate their skills; two legislatures for our politically inclined; and of course two governors?’ ” It’s my favorite because Kennard really opens your eyes about what was happening.
The book I red was The Devil in the White City. It takes place in 1839, Chicago Worlds Fair. It has two plots. The first one is about Daniel Burnhans who builds the worlds fair. He and his partner discover they will be building the fair. He goes through many obstacles for building the fair. In the beginning of construction his parter dies. Also drafts for construction are late, union strikes, construction injuries and deaths, and building the faris wheel. The fair is a hit and its finally completed. although the end of the fair brought some tragic news the mayor was assinated! That comes to the next plot a msn Henry Holmes comes to the town in seach or a docter because he runs a pharmacy in another town. He then builds a building for killing people! He has apartments for rent in that building wuth hiden pasages into them. Once the world fair opens which happens to be across the street he decides to make the apartments into the world fair hotel. Then has relationships with women who then he kills! He decides to leave Chicago because hes in dept and doesn't want to get cought for fraud. He is becomes arrested in Philadelphia for insurance fraud. Then the detectives discover his horrific murders!
I believe the authors purpose for writing this book was to show how crazy and mysterious people can be. I think she acomplished that purpose because it really opened my eyes to how normal looking people may not be all that normal. I belive It covers the late 1930's vibe for mysteries and tge world's fair. One quote I learned from in this book is "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir mens blood" (Larson 26). This quote taught me to never make little plans if you want to be something go and make big and bright plans. Another quote I learned from in this boo was "I was born with the devil in me,'" he wrote. "I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing."(Larson 109). This quote taught me that even though he was bad he still accepted himself and knew who he was. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was interesting and entertaining at the same time. And I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a mystery. lastly my most favorite quote from this book would have to be "Make no little plans; they have no magicvto stir mens blood". Again I really like this quote because its inspirational and true why make a little plan when you cab do something so much better!
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Louie Zamperini was an Olympic runner who became a bombardier in the Army Air Forces in World War II. The plane he was crashed on the Pacific Ocean. He and two other survivors drifted in the Pacific Ocean on a small raft after the crash of his plane for 30 days, living on rainwater and the occasional fish or bird they could catch. One of the crash survivors died on the raft. Zamperini and the other survivor, the plane's pilot, were finally nearing land when they were captured by the Japanese navy. The Japanese did not inform America of the capture of Zamperini, and after some time he was declared officially dead but his family did not gave up hope. The men were treated nicely at first for them to recover in a hospital. But when they were all recovered they were unexpectedly transferred to a Japanese prisoner camp where they expected they would be executed. Because Zamperini was a famous Olympic runner he was treated especially harsh treatment by the Japanese guards, but he was not killed. He was sent to a series of prisoner camps, eventually arriving at a camp in Tokyo where he received particularly brutal treatment by a guard called "The Bird." Japanese propagandists attempted to force Zamperini into making pro-Japanese broadcasts to America, but he refused and was severely punished. He was in a prison camp in Tokyo when American forces dropped the atomic bombs on Japan that led to surrender. Their guards informed them it was over and Louie was hospitalized and eventually sent home to Torrance, to the delight of his family. His life became not easy. He married a young woman after knowing her for only two weeks. He was disturbed by flashbacks to his days as a prisoner and had terrible dreams of being beaten by The Bird. He began to drink excessively and his wife told him she wanted a divorce. But Zamperini's life was turned around after a visit to a revival meeting staged by the young Billy Graham, an evangelist Christian preacher. He saved his marriage, quit drinking, and found his nightmares diminishing. He began giving talks and making appearances telling his story. He even found it possible to forgive “The Bird” for his brutality. Zamperini had thought that “The Bird” had committed suicide after the war, but he had actually escaped and eluded capture for years while he was hunted down by Japanese police for his war crimes. Upon learning that “The Bird” was still alive, Zamperini tried to arrange a meeting with him. He even traveled to Japan, but “The Bird” refused to see him. I think the author wanted to give a true story of "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption," as it says on the cover of the book. He wanted to tell the readers that there’s always hope and to never lose it. The author totally reached his goal on showing me that with all the terrible things that happened to Louis, Hope was never lost with his family and that also he didn’t surrendered at all. The time period of this book was World War II and the author thought me how a soldier’s life where if they got captured by Japan. “A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Louie thought: Let go.” This is a quote that explains what he thought was the war. I liked reading this book because it was entertaining to read about a man who suffered for his country. I would recommend this book for people to know how it feels to give yourself for your country. My favorite quote was “Without dignity, identity is erased.”
Mike Dano July 21, 2014
ReplyDeleteHana’s Suitcase
By Karen Levine
Hana’s Suitcase by Karen Levine is about a young girl named Hana Brady from Czechoslovakia who was in the Holocaust with her brother George. Fumiko Ishioka, a Japanese woman in the present day, has a center of Holocaust studies in Tokyo, Japan. Fumiko wanted to teach the children about the past, but she needed an example in order for the children to believe what happened. Hana’s suitcase was this example. Fumiko wanted to find out about Hana and her brother George. When Fumiko was in Japan, she made calls and wrote letters all over the world to search for personal items from the Holocaust. She found out that Hana and George were taken away by the Nazis after their parents were removed from their home and sent to a concentration camp. In Theresienstadt, a concentration camp, George and Hana were split up. Hanna was sent to Auschwitz and was killed.
Before the Holocaust, George and Hana were very close. Hana was three years younger than George and was a strong girl. George liked to protect her. George was the only one in his family to survive the Holocaust. After the Holocaust, George moved to Canada and began a plumbing business and was a success. When Fumiko found Hana’s suitcase, she then looked for George to see if he wanted to see it for good memories. Eventually, on a business trip, Fumiko got enough information, found out about George, and contacted him in Canada. Fumiko also wanted to teach the Japanese children about the atrocities of the past to prevent them in the future. When George went to the center in Japan with his daughter to see Hana’s suitcase, he cried.
In my opinion, the author’s purpose is the same as Fumiko’s. It is the belief of teaching the children the “horrors of the past, to prevent horrors in the future.” This is helped by seeing Hana’s suitcase. Her suitcase is the reminder of the terrors of the past. The author accomplished her goal because Fumiko does that for her in the book.
Hana’s Suitcase takes place in Czechoslovakia at the time of WW2 and the Holocaust. The author’s book taught me about the horrors of the Holocaust. The quote “it’s not safe for Jews to be here,” taught me that there was no choice in the Jews’ lives in Europe under the Nazis. “One day, Hana and George lined up at the movie theater to see ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.’ When they got to the box office they saw a sign that read ‘No Jews allowed.’” This quote also teaches us about the Jews’ lives during the Holocaust.
I enjoyed reading this book because it explains in detail exactly what happened with the Nazis and Jews in Czechoslovakia. However, I wish that the book would mention how George left Theresienstadt and how he left for Canada. I would not recommend this book to some people because the story might remind someone about the Holocaust and hurt his or her feelings. It is a good book for most people to read. My favorite quote is, “George was proud of the fact that -despite his suffering during the Holocaust and the fact that his mother, father, and sister had been murdered by the Nazis - he had moved on with his life” because it showed that George truly is strong despite the pain he experienced that followed him his whole life.
Spies of Mississippi by: Rick Bowers
ReplyDeleteMy book is about twelve powerful men in the state of Mississippi that controls a secretive network of spies and informants. They use a cadre of covert operatives and used code names like Agent X, Agent Y, and Agent Zero. Their government-run spy network had infiltrated the lives of private citizens in the United States during the height of the civil rights movements of the 1950s and 1960s.
In my opinion, the author’s purpose for writing this book is to inform how this was going on during the time he lived in Mississippi. Since this information is not well-known, Rick Bowers decided to write a non-fiction book and tell readers what had happened. History is repeating itself when the government spied on the Civil Rights activists because during the Civil Rights movement, it is still going on today.
The author accomplished his goal because he wrote a non-fiction book about the spy network of Mississippi during the Civil Rights movement. During this time, people were segregated working for equality. It was important to have a spy network because they gathered information and would pass it on to the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission. The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, made up of twelve powerful white men who wanted to keep segregation. For over ten years “agents carried out the most extensive state spying program in U.S History” (pg. 1).
The author’s book taught me about this time period of history is that during the 1950s and 1960s people were kept apart because of segregation. He taught me that during this time, “neighbors spied on neighbors, teachers spied on students, ministers spied on churchgoers, and spies spied on spies” (pg. 1).
The two quotes from the book that taught me something about this time period is that, “the 134,000 pages and 87,000 names in its once secret investigative file tell the story of its clandestine programs: its network of neighborhood informants, its brutal behind-the-scenes maneuvering, and its intervention in many of the most significant events of the civil rights era.” Reading this book, I learned about these twelve powerful men who were trying to destroy the civil rights movement because they have all the power and wanted to keep segregation continuing. Another quote from the book that taught me something about this time period is that, “As the investigative reports show, many of the civil rights heroes were ordinary folks who hailed from the small towns and clapboard shacks of the Magnolia State, who carried on their struggle to bring down segregation and discrimination with the constant shadow of the state looming over them.” Reading this book, I learned about these ordinary, plain people who wanted to stop segregation and wanted civil rights.
I don’t really enjoy this book because I’m not really into history and it doesn’t matter with what is happening today.
Yes, I would recommend this book to others who really likes non-fiction, historical kind of books because I know they will enjoy this book and understand it.
My favorite quote from the book is, “The catalyst had been the 1954 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which stopped segregation in public schools and required states to integrate schools with all deliberate speed.” The reason why this quote is my favorite because I agree that they should stop segregation and that everyone use the same things.
Cassandra Moree
ReplyDeleteColumbine By: Dave Cullen
This summer, I read Columbine by Dave Cullen. The non-fiction novel is about how there was a shooting in Columbine High School. The shooters names were Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris. There was a controversy of why they did it. It was believed by many, that they did that because they were bullied. They tried to believe this because they can’t believe that people would do this without thinking of other. The initial plan was to blow up 2 bombs. One bomb inside the school and the other one on the other side of town to distract the police. When the bomb on inside the school didn’t blow up, they went inside and shot about 37 people. Thirteen killed and twenty-four wounded. They went back to the library where many of the students that they killed and committed suicide. It took police about 3 hour to find the shooters but they were already dead. The author wrote this book to tell the story of what happen in Columbine High School back in 1999. Dave Cullen accomplished the goal because his book got published and so far, many people have read the book. And have learned about Columbine.
The historical event that this book covered was the shooting in Columbine High School in 1999. What the book taught me about the 1990’s is that, this was a major event of the 1990s. One quote that taught me something about the 1990s is: "Eric has staggering confidence in himself. He left no indication that he planned for contingencies. Dylan left no indication that he planned much of anything." On (Chapter 11, page 45.) This quote taught me that even back then no one could tell who would do what. Another quote that I found in the novel that taught me about the 1990’s is: "One room at a time, the team worked methodically toward the killers. It would take three hours to reach their bodies." (Chapter 13, page 61.) I choose this quote because it taught me that back then, they worked as a team and didn’t try to show one up. But it is sad that they didn’t go to the library immediately to see if they were there. Mostly cause it would’ve saved one life and not waste so much time to find the killers.
I enjoyed reading this book. I enjoyed it because one time my mother brought it up in the car and talked about it. She didn’t know the full details since it happened almost 16 years ago. And since I got interested in the topic before reading the book, it got me to enjoy the book more than I thought I would. I would recommend this book to a certain group of people. And the group would be people who want to know significant events that happen back in the 1990s. Because people who love the 1990s would want to read about the significant events that has happen before and/or after they were born. My favorite quote in the book would be the quote on page 45 because 2 teenaged boys were able to blindside people into thinking that they were good boys, when in the end they killed 13 people and wounded 24.
The Devil in the White City : By Erik Larson
ReplyDeleteThe book, “The Devil in the White City” I,s a story that contains two stories inside of it. Those stories are centered on their own respective character. One is an architect who is in charge of building the Chicago World Fair and the other is a pharmacist who is also a serial killer. The author’s purpose for writing this book is to first describe the politics of building a “one of the kind” fair in an economic slump that the country is in With almost unlimited resources however no modern machinery to build the fair itself, seemed like an insurmountable task. He also shows how a cunning serial killer can establish many businesses while making a lot of money who keeps killing being undetected by the police. The goal was accomplished in epic detail from each hurdle Burnham and his team faced building the fair as well as the depiction of every one of Holmes’s calculated moves. This story takes place in the later eighteen hundreds. It taught me how difficult it was to create an enormous time consuming creation, that ultimately drew people from across the country to see it. The author also taught me how politics in a large city controlled people lives. While I am sure there were previous serial killers prior to Holmes, the author did an excellent job detailing his mind set and plans detailing the killings.
When the mayor doesn’t keep his word, Pendergrast, an attorney that was part of the creation team of the world fair, shot the mayor. His explanation “Because he betrayed my confidence. I supported him through his campaign and he promised to appoint me corporation counsel. He didn’t live up to his word. (P. 331)” This quote shows the lack of enforcement of crime during the late 1890’s.
“The discoveries came quickly: a vat of acid with eight ribs and part of a skull settled at the bottom; mounds of quicklime; a large kiln; a dissection table stained with what seemed to be blood. They found surgical tools and charred high-heeled shoes. And more bones. (p364)”. This quote depicts the gruesomeness of the murders Holmes committed over the years undetected.
I did not enjoy reading the book because of the excess detail that the author used to describe a scene or what was going on. To grab the concept of the book, you did not need the details that were provided. I would recommend the book for people who have a tough time picturing what is going on in the book and the people who like a lot of detail.
My favorite quote: “The fair awakened America to beauty and as such was a necessary passage that laid the foundation for men like Frank Lloyd Wright and Ludwig Mies van der Rohe. (p376). I like the quote because it sums up the entire book, all the work was to bring the United States together, if only for a few months.
They Called Themselves the KKK; Susan Campbell Bartoletti
ReplyDeleteThey Called Themselves the KKK is a true story packed with knowledge along with horrific and graphic details recounted by victims themselves. Despite the fear and intimidation this gang invoked in every person that supported equal rights, this club was actually started by six seemingly harmless Confederate officers until John Lester said “Boys, let us get up a club or society.” In my opinion Bartoletti states that her purpose in writing this book is to give testament to the victims of atrocities committed by the Ku Klux Klan. She does this by describing how the Klan came into existence and how it set out to rob Black citizens of their power as American citizens after the Civil War.
Susan Campbell Bartoletti definitely accomplishes that goal because of how much knowledge and factual information she put into this book. The KKK was first started around the time of the civil war and has been in existence since 1865 but have broken up into three groups since that time. The first group was from 1865-1870s, the second klan from 1915-1944, and the third has been around and still is since 1946. Bartoletti shows attitudes of hatred that existed at that time through her text and pictures she uses throughout the book. During the reconstruction era, KKK targets was Black and white Americans who did not believe in their ideology of white supremacy.
My favorite passage from the book was when Susan made it almost a joke saying “They raided a linen closet, drawing white sheets over their heads, and riding across town on horseback. And in that one night, the Ku Klux Klan was born. The Klan’s actions started out completely harmless. They would crash parties, saying they were ghost riders of Confederate soldiers or visitors from the moon”.
One quote that taught me about the time period and events that are happening is "Most white Southerners believed that God created black people for the special purpose of working and serving white people." (Chapter One, p.7) This quote told me that during this time period white men just thought black people were made sole for the purpose of helping them and that they were useless other than doing work for white people. A second quote I liked from They Called Themselves the KKK was when they were discussing the name of the group saying “Reed suggested that the group called themselves Kuklos meaning a circle or band. Instead the made it two words “ku klux” that’s when someone else suggested “klan” also meaning circle or band. So they did and the name Ku Klux Klan was cobbled together, a redundant, alliterative name that simply meant “circle circle.”
I enjoyed reading this book because in between the facts and information there were funny parts like the last quote which kept me reading. I would recommend this book to others because it’s an easy read. There’s lots of pictures that help you understand what you’re reading and it’s not all facts and history there’s passages that are funny and enjoyable to read.
Ananicole Rumley 9/12/14
ReplyDeleteThe Savage City Essay
For my US History assignment I choose to write a five hundred word essay on the book The Savage City. This book was primarily based on the city of New York during the 1960’s, which was in the midst of racial struggles. There were several accounts of two black citizens and one white law enforcement officer. The first black man was George Whitmore. Whitmore was the son of an alcoholic father and a hardworking mother in the town of Wildwood NJ. He soon grew sick of his hometown and moved to Brooklyn NY. George was walking home after a long day when a police officer asked George if he could come to the station to answer some questions.
George happily agreed. He wanted to help this officer in any way he could, not knowing that it would end up in turmoil. In the years to come, George Whitmore would have to fight the NYPD pleading not guilty to murder and rape, in which he had earlier confessed to make the officers stop beating him. In Whitmore’s case, he would serve nine years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit before being released a free man. Dhoruba Bin Wahad was another black man living in Harlem during racial tension. He had been in jail before for armed robbery. When his five years were up, he was released. Bin Wahad after being free for a few months did not like the way his people were being treated, so he decided to do something about it. He soon joined the Black Panther Party, which was an organization designed to resist racism towards Negroes. Bill Philips was a detective in the NYPD who was one of the most notorious of them all. From collecting money from the innocent, racial slurs, and randomly beating any negro who crossed him. After years and years of misusing his title, he was finally caught and put in jail.
I think the author’s purpose for writing this book was to inform people (especially) younger generations about what happened in our history so that we don’t repeat the same mistakes. Also, even though we sadly so still have some racial tension, I do think that the author wanted to show us how far we have come. Lastly, the author probably wanted us to take a step back and see how far New York has come, from the savage city to the beautiful empire as it stands today. I do feel as though the author accomplished his goal because he incorporated all this and more into this novel in a way the average person could understand.
This author’s book teaches me about racism in New York City in the 1960’s. It also teaches me about how white police officers dealt with Negro civilians (badly). “Di Prima was careful not to say that George had murdered the women: that was part of the strategy, to get Whitmore to admit to the facts before he had any idea he was admitting to murder.” This showed that the NYPD knew George was innocent, but they needed to pin the murders on someone, even if they knew he was innocent. He was also a very easy target, being a young Negro in the racial city of New York. “George wanted to help and satisfy the cops so that maybe they’d let him go.” This quote explains how naïve and innocent George was to this situation, since he obviously didn’t commit these crimes.
I did enjoy reading this book because it taught me so much about New York City’s dark past. I would recommend this book to others, especially those who were uneducated in these topics. Lastly, my favorite quote from this book is, “I hereby declare that he be released from custody immediately, and all charges against him be dismissed.” This quote was the judge freeing George Whitmore completely and dropping all charges against him. This is my favorite quote because it shows that justice will prevail, no matter how long you have to fight for it.
Madison Lewicki
ReplyDeletePeriod 3
A Night to Remember
The book A Night to Remember is about people’s experience on the Titanic. Therefore, my book covers the Historical event of the sinking of the Titanic. The Titanic hit an iceberg on April 14, 1912 at 11:40 p.m. and sunk at 2:20 am on April 15, 1912. One quote that taught me a lot from this event was found on page 88/89. “The statistics suggest who they were- the Titanic’s casualty list included four of 143 First Class women (three by choice)… 15 of 93 Second Class women…and 81 of 179 Third Class Women. Not to mention the children. Except for Lorraine Allison, all 29 First and Second Class children were saved, but only 23 out of 76 steerage children.” This showed me how during this time period those in higher class were definitely first priority to be saved on the Titanic and the statistics in that quote show this. Another quote that taught me about this event was on page 139. “We place absolute confidence in the Titanic. We believe that the boat is unsinkable.” This quote taught me how certain everybody was that this boat was unsinkable. When the ship hit the iceberg nobody freaked out because of this reason, and throughout the story they mention the ship being “unsinkable” many times.
In my opinion the author’s purpose in writing this book was to enlighten the readers about the historical event of the Titanic sinking. The author did accomplish this. I learned a lot about this historical event from reading this book. Before reading this book all I knew about the Titanic were the basics, the fact that the ship hit an ice berg and sank. After reading this book I learned that most of the people that died during this tragic incident were those of lower class. I also learned that everybody was so certain of the ship being “unsinkable” that nobody realized how bad this was going to affect those on the ship. Also, I learned that other ships came to save people on the ship like the Parisian and the Carpathia.
My favorite quote from this book was on page 36. “God himself could not sink this ship.” This was my favorite quote because it showed how certain they were of this ship not sinking, and look what ended up happening. It showed me that no matter how certain you are of somebody or something, anything can happen. Those who built the ship thought this was the best way a ship could be built, and it just goes to show you how things change. Now a day we have huge cruise ships twice the size of the Titanic and back then nobody would have ever imagined anything like that to be built.
I did enjoy reading the book, A Night to Remember, because it enlightened me a lot about the historical event of the sinking of the Titanic. I was surprised to know how much I learned from the book. I would recommend this book for others doing this assignment because it was a quick read, had a lot of information, and was very interesting.
Title: A Night to Remember
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Walter Lord
The book I read was A Night to Remember by Walter Lord, this book was about the Titanic and the true minute by minute story and accounts of the passengers on the ship. This story was very tragic and sad, but it has defiantly showed me how much our society changed after this experience. For example every US ship is equipped with life boats that have a seat for every single passenger on the ship and some extras just in case. Most people have heard about the story of the Titanic sinking, but this story, I believe explains in detail all of the accounts of the passengers on the ship and the struggles they were going though. When the iceberg hit the ship on April 14 no one really knew how bad it damaged the ship. Passengers truly believed that the ship was unsinkable so they didn’t really care. It is said that children playfully threw left over ice debris at each other. Also some passengers were making jokes about their life jackets saying how they made them look fat. When passengers were getting loaded into the life boats some people refused to get into the boats because they believed the ship was safer than the life boats.
In my opinion Walter Lord’s purpose for writing this book was to show how unequippt the titanic really was. Also how people truly thought that the ship was unsinkable. I think the author defiantly accomplished his purpose in writing this book because he explained how some of the passengers went back to bed after the iceberg hit thinking it wasn’t anything serious. The time period of the book was April 14-15. This book taught me a lot about the Titanic’s time period. There were different class passengers on the ship: first Class, Second Class, and, Third Class. “If they are sending the boats away, they might just as well put some people in them.” This quote explains a lot about this time period, because before the voyage everyone thought the ship was indestructible, this was because this ship was one of the first huge cruise liners and everyone knew about it. This led to the ship having only 20 boats instead of 64. Also not all of the boats were filled because they were afraid of collapses. This quote means that passengers were not filling the boats and there were less than half of the boat seats filled. Another quote I found was, “God himself could not sink this ship.” This is really what every passenger thought, that the ship was tough enough to withstand anything. One of my favorite quotes from this story was, “We are safer here than in that little boat.” As I read I found that most of the passengers on the boat, especially first class women in my opinion, refused to get into the life boats because they felt that ship was warm and comfy and the life boats were rickety and the sea was very cold. But they didn’t understand that the life boats were much safer than the soon to be dilapidated Titanic. Worst of all they were holding up the loading processes and men wanted seats on the boats too. For example one lady was pushed into a boat because she was getting loaded in to a boat and suddenly got out to go get some left over jewelry but the boat attendant pushed her back into the boat. I think this book was very interesting and I defiantly enjoyed reading it because, I’ve learned about the Titanic before but this story is more informational. It states all of the actions of the passengers and crew and how they felt during the sinking. I boldly recommend this book to any to anyone that loves history and that wants to learn about the passengers and crew on the Titanic and how they experienced its sinking.
Matthew Hawley
ReplyDelete8 - 19 - 2014
Mr. Urbanski
Flesh & Blood So Cheap The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy
Albert Marrin
The historical period my book covered was after the industrial revolution when women were starting to work and when immigrants were coming from Italy and Russia at the time. It also talks about the American Film Industry and the reasons Italians and Russian Jews fled. As well as when many clothing shop owners where to cheap to buy safety procautions for their buildings creatng disasters. Those owners also caused many mournings and horrified reactions as people jumped from the windows to get away from the fire or at least let their family have identifiable remains to bury. In my opinion the author wrote this book with the facts about the Triangle Fire and the other periods that happened around this time so as time goes on we can be sure not to make the same mistakes twice and so we never undo the womens right to vote and work in equal conditions. Also it gives us a background for fire safety for buildings. Albert Marrin completed his goal beacause with this book is available to be read by the public. Which will most likely eradicate the chance of these disasters happening again in the future. The authors book taught me that living in America in this time period wasnot what everyone thought it would be. Except for the fact that i was a fresh start. I personally did not like reading this book they way the author put the information was boring for me and did not keep my attention which made it difficult to read. If the author put the information into a more shocking state of writing this book would have been easier to read unlike how it's written now. I would recommend this book to anyone that is interested in the clothing productions, The Triangle Fire, women union, and the work strikes. " What indeed, is a New Yorker? Is he Jew or Irish? Is he English or German? Is he Russian or Polish? He may be something of all these, and yet he is wholly none of them. Something has been added to him which he had not had before. He is quicker in his movement, less trammeled in his judgement.... The change he undergoes is unmistakable. New York,indeed, resembles a magic cauldron. Those who are cast into it are born again." -Charles Whibley, English journalist, American Sketches (1908). If you were in New York at this time period because of the change it is like you are born again. This is also my favorite quote because it is very true that New York which was one of the largest city at the time was a place were immigrants were born again. "Oh God! That bread should be so dear, And flesh and blood so cheap!-Jacob Riis, How the other Half Lives (1890). This quote taught me that because of the almost endless amount of immigrants coming in people were cheap and could be fired if one demanded change.
Lindsey Fairbank
ReplyDeleteMr. Urbanski
8/20/14
If I Die In Combat Zone: Box Me Up and Ship Me Home
Tim O’ Brian: New York, 1975
Tim O’Brian, an incoming solider, was confused about the Vietnam War. He was getting drafted into it, but was also against it. After going into boot camp, Tim finds it hard to believe that he’s going to Vietnam to fight a war he didn’t even think was right. Before heading off to Vietnam, Tim visits a military Chaplin explaining his problem about the war. Captain Edwards responds with “O'Brien I am really surprised to hear this. You're a good kid but you are betraying your country when you say these things” (pg. 60). In reading this book, you learn about Tim O’Brian’s struggles in boot camp, and when he is a solider in Vietnam. In my opinion, I think Tim’s purpose of writing this book was to educate the minds of young teens on what his feelings were towards fighting in this war and what it can be like. As everyone knows and as he explains war is a terrible thing, and by writing this book he hopes readers feel something of what he felt as a young man. I believe Tim has and has not accomplished his goal because in this book he tells readers what his experience with war was like and how he feels about it and in a way it could accomplish the goal of educating young men on how scary war can be and how wrong it is, on the other hand teens and adults are still going into war knowing what it can be like. Although, war is much different than it was in 1975. The time period this book took place in teaches me that war isn’t what it’s like now. “But assuming sir-just assuming- that I truly believe the war is wrong. Is it then also wrong to go off and kill people” (pg.60). This quote has taught me something about the time period this book took place in. It also tells a lot about how Tim was feelings when he was talking to Captain Edward in the Chaplin. Another quote I found was; "Now, war ended, all I am left with are simple, unprofound scraps of truth. Men die. Fear hurts and humiliates.”(pg. 23). This quote tells about how Tim would just go to war with no lesson learned only that he went into a war and just killed with no meaning at all. I enjoyed reading this book because it taught me a lot about what it’s like to be in the war and what you have to sacrifice and go through to make it. Also, I thought it was cool that Tim O’Brian was a solider in the Vietnam War so he wrote about his personal experiences and is feelings towards it which is basically what he talks about in this book. I recommend this book to others because it’s very interesting and you could learn a lot whether you’re a teen or an adult.
Helena Kurpaska
ReplyDeleteMr. Urbanski
8/20/14
Death in the Haymarket
By: James Green
The book I chose to read for my summer assignment was called Death in the Haymarket, by James Green. This book surrounds around May 4, 1886 when a bomb at a labor rally went off. The rally had over 1,500 people in attendance and planned to hear a man by the name of Albert Parsons speak about wages and police killings. This bomb ended up wounding dozens of police officers and seven of them eventually died from their wounds from the bomb. The purpose for this rally went both ways, people actually died for an eight hour day, but sadly people were also willing to kill to not have an eight hour day. In this book, Green really implies how important it was for men to keep their “manly hood” during that industrial period. The Anarchists implied that the workers should “stand up for their manhood” more than they did then. Eventually, the governor applauds that the anarchists in jail for actually how “manly” it was for them to do that for what they believed in.
This book actually revolves around an unusual and interracial couple. Albert and Lucy Parsons were an odd couple back in the 1800’s (gilded age). Albert was Caucasian and Lucy was an African American women and oddly enough had somewhat of power. Considering they were interracial, this was very strange back then. But, Albert actually participated in the bombing of the Haymarket rally for what he believed in. Sticking to what he believed in, he was executed for his actions for bombing the rally.
I think the purpose for writing this book was to inform the reader about this particular time period and event. Yes, I think that James Green did a good job at accomplishing that goal because he put in a lot of details about the characters and what happened at the rally. The bomb exploded on May 4, 1886 (mid 1800’s), but the era was in the Gilded Age. And from past grades, I’ve had some background knowledge. But, what I don’t have much knowledge of is the work history of the Gilded Age. The first quote that I picked that help my understanding was “Every day 800 freight trains came and left the city’s six busy terminals, hauling goods and bringing people in” (pg. 102) This quote gave me an idea of how busy Chicago was work wise and how booming the city was. My second quote that I picked is “An interracial couple was an odd sight on the Chicago streets” (pg. 54). This quote really made you understand what is was like racially back then, especially for the Parsons. At the beginning of this book, it was slower, but once I got more into the book I liked it more, but I would recommend it. Finally, my favorite quote was “The death of the anarchist in Chicago shattered his faith in the triumph of Lincoln’s ideal republic….” (pg. 272). This is my favorite because it shows how disappointed Lincoln would’ve been if he was there.
The Worst Hard Time by Timothy Egan
ReplyDeleteThe Worst Hard Time is about six families that went through the devastating drought. This horrific weather event, the dust bowl, which lasted almost a decade, caused the nation to go through a hard economic depression. It left families in devastation. Land was in bad conditions and poverty was among most families. During the middle of the book, many of the families persevered and wouldn't leave like others. Many people died because of “dust pneumonia” but still, families did not want to leave. Some even thought that this event was Armageddon, the end of time. However, towards the end of the book, families like Ike, his mom, and the girls, left because they came to realize that it wasn't worth staying. Although, there were still survivors staying on the land, staying put and determined.
Survivors of the dust bowl are in their last days of life and the author’s purpose was to continue to share their stories. Timothy Egan, the author of The Worst Hard Time, accomplished the purpose of writing his book. The families that survived shared their stories and the book became more personal as their experiences were revealed. A man named Don Hartwell kept a diary. Don kept track of the hardships of farmers during the dust bowl. Don’s main goal was to make sure it was a first-hand account of what happened for future generations.
The dust bowl took place throughout the 1930’s until the 1940’s, almost a decade. The historical time period was during the Great Depression. This book taught me that during the great depression, the worst times were experienced by the American people. Living in the southwestern Great Plains was where most people experienced the impacts.
“What the stock market collapse and tight money meant for a forward looking man In Dalhart was opportunity. Uncle Dick Coon saw it, and he took it.” (pg. 83) This quote taught me that during the Great depression there was a lot of land being taken fast and used, so whatever chance someone got, they took it. The economy wasn't doing well and as time went on, people got poor and noticed the effects.
“She slipped under layers of quilt and took her last breath, dying...” (pg. 197) This quote taught me that during the drought and effects from the depression, people started to give up and lost hope. Many people became sick and eventually died because of dust pneumonia, especially children. People did not want to leave their land; all they wanted to do was stay in bed and die slowly.
My favorite quote is, “The grass could look brown and dead, but beneath the surface, the roots held the soil in place; it was alive and dormant.” (pg. 112) This quote goes deep into its meaning. Although the appearance of the land was ugly and ruined, under all of that, everything was together and still put. Everyone was dedicated to staying on their land, and some made it to the end with hope.
I enjoyed reading this book because it was a new experience for me. While I read the book, I learned much more and found it very interesting how there were many events that led up to the dust bowl. It was sad to read about how horrible of a time it had been for the people. However, many of those people showed perseverance and strength. I recommend this book to others who are interested in learning more about the dust bowl. The author did a great job in detail, with different accounts of families, showing their experiences and what life was like then.
Dalia Murillo
Book Title: My Brother Sam is Dead
ReplyDeleteAuthor(s): James Lincoln Collier & Christopher Collier
I read the book called, "My Brother Sam is Dead." It was a pretty good book. The main character in the book's name is Tim Meeker. He always look up to his brother, Sam, because he was so intelligent and brave. Everybody in the town that they lived in admired, Sam. But then, he enlisted into the new American Revolutionary Army. When Sam joined this Army, he basically turned against his brother and his father, and the rest of the town. In the book, it says that Sam started to talk about defeating the British and becoming independent and free. but, most people in his town are very loyal supporters of the English king, and that is including Tim and Sam's dad.
In my opinion, the authors wrote this book to explain what the American Revolutionary War was like and how dangerous it could be. The American Revolutionary War I am pretty sure that it happened sometime through the mid-late 1700's. This book taught me that Tim had to go against one of his family members with whatever he chose to do about this situation. He can either go into the war like his brother did and fight against his father, or stick with being on the English king's side, still going against his brother who he has always looked up too beliefs. So clearly, it is a tough desicision for Tim to make. I very much enjoyed reading this book because I thought that it was pretty interesting.
ReplyDeleteU.S. History Summer Assignment
Columbine by: Dave Cullen
This summer I read the book Columbine by Dave Cullen. This book is about a school massacre that occurred. This incident ignited disputes over the gun control laws. This Includes gun availability and gun violence with kids, which is centered in high schools. In addition kids are influenced to this violence by their everyday violent video games. The result of the incident included an increase in school security. The event happened on April 20th 1999, the year most of my peers and I was born. It was at Columbine High School in Columbine, Colorado. It was a very difficult attack that had been thoroughly planned it involved firearms and bombs planted in the cafeteria, there was over 99 explosive devices. This attack was all done by two senior students; they injured 24 people and killed twelve students including one teacher. The two seniors then committed suicide the two students’ motives were unclear.
In my opinion the author’s purpose of writing the book was to inform the public of one of the most serious massacres on a high school campus in the U.S. I believe he wanted to clear up any rumors about the attack and I think he accomplished that because he presented all the facts clearly. The historical event my book covers is a school massacre, what was taught was that they were the bullies there were rumors saying they went in to kill the people who bullied them but in reality they were the bullies. “SWAT teams searched the building for over three hours, but the killers were lying dead the entire time. They had committed suicide in the library at 12:08, forty-nine minutes after beginning the attack.” (Chapter 17, p.83), and “One room at a time, the team would take three hours to reach their bodies.” (Chapter 13, p. 61) these quotes taught me that it was new to the Americans we had never had a school massacre this big before they went in with extreme caution.
I enjoyed reading this book very much because it cleared any rumors up for me about the attack and explained that there was not a real motive to why the two seniors, Eric and Dylan, went through with the attack. It was a very sad day and I liked learning that America does go through many sad days but in the end we learn from them. For example improving our gun control laws. Unfortunately something bad has to happen for a change to be made. I would most defiantly recommend this book to other students. I believe it’s a good way to learn why we have the rules and laws we have today and what our country has gone through in the past. My favorite quote in the book would have to be "I wish I was a fucking sociopath so I didn't have any remorse," Eric said. "But I do."… "If you live?" Fuselier repeated. "They are going to go in there and quite possibly kill their friends. If they were the least bit sorry they would not do it!” (Dave Cullen, Columbine). These are my favorite quotes because he wanted to feel no remorse but if he felt remorse he wouldn’t have done it and I think because he felt remorse he killed himself. This just shows humans can do evil things.
Audrey Herrick
ReplyDeleteWorld History Essay
Per. 5 Mr. Urbanski
Grade 10
The book I chose was “No Easy Day” by Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer. This novel was a firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden as well as an autobiography of a Navy Seal. The main character and Navy Seal, Owen, as well as the members of a twenty-four man team confronted the terrorist face to face and witnessed his final moments. He was even standing right behind the Navy Seal that shot the al Qaeda leader on the third floor of his Abbottabad house. The novel details Owen’s career with DEVGRU, including several combat missions in which he participated with the unit. Majority of the memoir focuses on Owen’s participation in the mission that killed bin Laden himself.
The authors purpose for writing this memoir was to share a story about the men and women defending America all over the world. The novel really did teach me how fortunate we are to live in such a well defended nation. Some of the details included in the book were pretty revealing and shocking, but it definitely gave me a better understanding on the world we live in. The plot of the assassination itself took lots of work as I imagined. The Navy Seals including Owen, all went through a nine-month process of screening and training in order to make sure they were just fit for the job. This training strengthened many aspects of the Seals such as mental and physical limits. Then there was the preparation for the raid followed by the aftermath. The author definitely accomplished his goal for really creating a purpose of the novel. It really stood out to me how much freedom we’re granted in the United States as opposed to Pakistan where there front yards are literally battle fields. The soldiers we have protecting our country honestly do an outstanding job.
The book took place over the time span of 2009-2011 where in 2011 bin Laden was shot and killed. The process in killing him did take several years because it was such a major task that could not be flawed the first time around. Owen’s novel taught me that during this time period the method to kill Osama was probably one of the most important goals of the future. Which, was successfully achieved. This period of history was very significant due to the fact that the death of nearly 3,000 people from all around the world as well as 260 passengers and crew were all killed because of one major person. Though, there were about 19 men affiliated with al-Qaeda, most of the dirty work was done by bin Laden himself.
ReplyDeleteI could tell the author was very educated in his mission and took it very seriously as he fought with honor. You could also tell how genuinely proud he was to be serving his country by taking on a task so large. In the novel, Owen had stated, “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself” To me, Owen’s intention was to say he will fight for his country regardless of the circumstances and he takes a great deal of pride in it as well. Owen is the perfect example of someone I would want to fight for my country. People like him make me feel protected and secure in the environment I live in. This quote also teaches me that fighting for our nation isn’t easy and without a doubt requires years of thought and educated decision making. Another important quote said by Owen was “Don’t just live, but live for a purpose bigger than yourself. Be an asset to your family, community, and country.” This to me, means you shouldn’t only represent yourself, and fight for yourself, but you’re also representing and fighting for the things you love such as family, community, and the country in which you’re fighting for. Not only that, but I feel as if it signifies the type of people that should serve for our armed forces. If they’re not serving for not only their selves, but the things that matter most to them, then they clearly don’t take their job seriously enough in my opinion. My favorite quote in the memoir was “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you wont even fight for yourself.” I really admire this quote because I think it is the perfect representation on the type of people that should be serving our country. I wouldn’t want someone fighting for my freedom that didn’t work to their full potential and didn’t give it their all and I can tell that Owen was always on top of his game and really does love our country. I can also tell that he was willing to risk his life and everything he had worked for in order to protect the citizens and the country of the United States which I admire. I believe that anyone aspiring to join the armed forces should have an attitude similar to Mark Owen’s without a doubt.
I’m not really a fan of non-fiction historical books, however I can say that “No Easy Day” was one of the best books I’ve read. It really helped me on my awareness of the world I live in as well as how hard being in the forces actually is. There’s a lot more that goes into it then is publicly shared. I personally would not be able to go into the armed forces because I feel as if it is a very large as well as difficult task that requires nothing but 100% effort at all times. I recommend this book to anyone that would like to further their knowledge on the world we live in as well as what goes into being a part of our country’s armed forces.
Katherine Volyanik
ReplyDelete8/25/14
Urbanski
Book title: A Night to Remember
Author: Walter Lord
It was said to be unsinkable, a perfect machine. In my book “A Night to Remember” the titanic voyage starts on April 14, 1912. This book follows the crew and passengers around on their journey across the Atlantic Ocean. There is not only one main character mention; all characters play a lead role. It all begins when the watchman looking out across the smooth ocean. He spots an iceberg in the distance but decides not to set an alarm out because the titanic is thought to be indestructible. During this time passengers were enjoying their peaceful time, playing cards, listening to the band play and others were sound asleep. Even the loud noise coming from inside the ship did not condemn the passengers, they had continued with what they were doing. Soon word got out that they had hit an iceberg, but that didn’t change much. Crew members had gone to check out the damage and found a hole in the boiler room and water would soon get in. It had been determined that the ship would have to be evacuated by emergency row boats. Suddenly crew was franticly trying to get passengers off the cruise ship, families had been separated and some people had decided to jump of the boat. During the last minutes of the titanic being above water everybody knew there was no way of saving this ship, there was not enough time. Nobody expected such a collision to occur on the extravagant cruise ship, and it will forever be remembered by the world.
Author Walter Lord main goal in writing this book was to express the emotions and feelings of the final hours on the Titanic. I would say the author did accomplish his goals because by adding the littlest details it allowed you to imagine it as if you were a passenger on that ship. “A Night to Remember” covers the year 1912; the sinking of Titanic was a big loss, lots of money was spent on building the extravagant ship. During that time in history, there was unequal treatment of the different passenger classes aboard the ship and a lack of life boats. There was one quote in particular that seem to represent how people thought as they were on the titanic, this is also one of my favorite quotes in the book; “God himself could not sink this ship” (pg.27 & 36). This quote had been the name of the chapter and was said by a crew member that showed it had an important meaning. It brought people to think that nothing could sink ship, not even god, a very strong man. After this quote was said by a crew member, passengers stood calmly on the Boat deck-unworried but confused. Another quote that I found taught me a lesson was on pg.43; “We are safer here than in that little boat” said a passenger. I found that it was interesting that people were still confident that the titanic was going stay afloat as it was sinking. It seemed that people didn't think it wouldn't be as bad as it was.
After reading this book I would say I did enjoy it. Reading about these big events in our history seems to interest me. This book was different unlike others, most books have a slow start, but this was complete opposite and that’s what made me want to keep reading. I would recommend for everyone to read this book and get a feel for the last final hours of the Titanic, it had made me feel like I was on board with the crew and passengers.
I have just finished a great book called No Easy Day The Autobiography of A Navy Seal. The book is a firsthand account of Mark Owen a SEAL who as a kid wanted to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a SEAL. He took part in the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. In this autobiography Mark tells us how he became a SEAL and what they did while training. He talks about the firefights they had against the Taliban and Al Qaeda fighters. Mark also talks about the struggle it is to be away from your friends and families for such a long time. For example he says, “In more than a decade as a SEAL, I didn’t have a break, just a steady drumbeat of combat deployments.” (296). The main reason Mark Owen wanted to write this book is to tell the real story of their raid on Bin Laden’s compound.
ReplyDeleteI think Mark Owen wrote this book to tell people what the life of a Navy Seal is like. I also think he wrote this book to tell people what he and his teammates did to kill Bin Laden. Yes, I would say Mark accomplished his goal because he wanted to become a SEAL since he was a little boy not to mention at the very end of the book he says, “Very few people can say that they were lucky enough to stay in an operational job their entire seal career. From the day I graduated BUD/S (Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL), I moved to SEAL Team Five and then on to DEVGRU” (296). (The United States Naval Special Warfare Development Group).
My book covers the 21st century. Mark Owen was trying to teach that during the 21st century there was a huge war between the U.S, Al Qaeda fighters and the Taliban. The book taught me two things about this time period. First when Mark Owen was describing the Operations Center he said that there was a chart printer and several white boards for notes. Mark says, “A chart printer was pushed into one corner. Crowding another corner were several white boards and easels with writing pads attached for note taking.” (160). This taught me that they were not as high tech as we are now with all the computer and the 3D structures you can make on the computers today. The second thing that I learned is that you have to go through a lot of training to become a seal. Mark tells us all that he went through just to become a SEAL. He says, “From the day I graduated BUD/S, I moved to SEAL Team Five and then on to DEVGRU (296). This taught me that the men that are SEALS go through a lot of training to get to the level they are at.
This book is now one of my favorite books that I have read. From the first sentence I read to the last I was never bored or not interested in something he was talking about. Mark Owen’s wording and how he explained everything was what made the book so good for me. He went into detail on everything and left me with no questions about the book or what happened in the situations he was in. He also had pictures of himself in the helicopters and of his gear which to me was really cool. Yes, I would recommend this book to others because it is a phenomenal book and has a lot of action. This book is great for people that want to join the Army, Navy, or even the SEALS. The book tells you what the life of a SEAL is like and what they do which is really awesome.
“Don’t just live, but live for a bigger purpose than yourself. Be an asset to your friends, community, and country” (299). This quote Mark Owens is saying don’t live just to live for yourself but live for others and help them out as well as your community and family. That quote by Mark Owens was my favorite quote from the book because it shows that he cares for other people and his community as a whole instead of being selfish and arrogant. This is what I think of this amazing book No Easy Day The Autobiography of A Navy Seal.
A Night to Remember by Walter Lord
ReplyDeleteA Night to Remember by Walter Ford is a novel from different stories from different survivors on the “unsinkable ship” the Titanic. Although this novel doesn’t have one main character but stories of passengers, the Titanic was defiantly overrated and was very dependent on. No one on board had the thought of the Titanic sinking and crashing run through their mind. It also shows me how stupid our society was and how they thought a quarter of lifeboats for about 2,000 passengers was necessary because they thought yet again it was “unsinkable”. Although this novel taught me a lot and how much of a tragic the Titanic actually was, actually opened my eyes to disasters in general in this world. It’s also very sad that less than half of the passengers survived. A Night to Remember also let me know what people were doing during the sinking and before the sinking of the Titanic. Some passengers were drinking before the Titanic; some passengers were sleeping because it was also 2:20 in the morning. For instance in the book, after the Titanic had already sunk, Officer Lowe at one point gave up looking for survivors that were swimming. It’s depressing that people gave up on each other and the amount of people that died is horrific.
I think the author’s purpose for writing this book is to inform everyone about how things on the Titanic were. Obviously there were mistakes made with the ship, but I feel as if Walter Lord wanted his readers to know the stories of the survivors of the Titanic and how people should prepare themselves for the worst even though they think it’s not likely to happen. There are many examples on situations like this throughout the world. 9/11, no one in a million years thought it would be attacked so no one was prepared to evacuate when it actually did happen. Pearl Harbor is also another example like this. Walter Lord did a tremendous job with this novel. I believe he accomplished his goal, mostly because he’s right. I believe even though he wanted his readers to know the true story of the sinking of the Titanic and the tragedy that came with it, he had anger in him because everyone hyped the ship up and made it seem as if it was invincible, and the captain and workers took of half their lifeboats off because they were that confident in this ship.
This historical event takes place on April 14, 1912 and April 15, 1912. This novel teaches me that back then people weren’t as smart and weren’t as prepared and equipped for this type of tragedy. There was a cancellation of a lifeboat drill that never happened. Distress signals were ignored due to the fact other ships were done for the day; this would have been way different today because we have more modern technology. I also learned that from this time period classes were treated differently, for example first class had a lot more advantages and were the first priority, and then came the second and third class. But overall I actually really enjoyed A Night To Remember and I learned a lot from this book and I learned more about the sinking of the Titanic. Walter Lord did an outstanding job with this book.
Part 1
ReplyDeleteNo Easy Day by Mark Owen
“No Easy Day” is an autobiography written by a retired navy seal Matt Bissonnette, who uses the pseudonym Mark Owen. While this book is mainly about the killing and capturing of Osama Bin Laden, the author also talks about other missions he was involved with, including the rescuing of Captain Richard Phillips from Somali pirates in 2009. He also shares what it’s like to be a SEAL (training and team life), how hard it is to be selected for SEAL team six, and also how much of their personal lives they give up to serve their country.
Mark Owen’s purpose for writing “No Easy Day” was to “set the record straight.” Owen says, “To date, how the mission to kill Osama Bin Laden has been reported is wrong. Even reports claiming to have the inside story have been incorrect. I felt like someone had to tell the true story. To me, the story is bigger than the raid itself and much more about the men at the command who willingly go into harm’s way, sacrificing all they have to do the job. Theirs is a story that deserves to be told.” There is a lot of controversy surrounding this book because Owen did not submit the book to the United States Department of Defense (DoD) for review before publishing it. Pentagon officials say that the book contains classified material such as how SEAL units are organized, operate, and train. Not only that, but his version of the Osama Bin Laden raid differs from the one released by the white house and he is said to have violated secrecy agreements. Owen states that he also wrote this book in hopes of inspiring another young man to serve his country. “My hope is one day a young man in junior high school will read it and become a SEAL, or at least live a life bigger than him. If that happens, the book is a success.” In my opinion, I think Mark Owen accomplished his goal for writing the book. He did what he believed felt right and also opened our eyes to the sacrifices SEALs make every day. His motives for telling this story are stated in the beginning and end of the book. “Let me be clear: I do not consider this to be my story. My goal from the start was to tell the true story of the raid and show the sacrifices made by SEALs at the command.” He is clearly not in it for the money and says he is donating the majority of the proceeds from the book to charity.
Part 2
ReplyDeleteThe first half of “No Easy Day” goes through Mark Owen’s selection and training for SEAL team six starting in 2004. Owen also gives details about growing up in Alaska with long dreams of being a SEAL, an idea his parents did not support. The second half is dedicated to the Osama Bin Laden mission and how they spent their whole careers waiting for this mission since September 11th, 2001. “Ever since the attacks, everyone in my line of work had dreamed of being involved in a mission like this. The al Qaeda leader personified everything we were fighting against. He’d inspired men to fly planes into buildings filled with innocent civilians. That kind of fanaticism is scary, and as I watched the towers crumble and saw reports of attacks in Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania, I knew we were at war, and not a war of our choosing. A lot of brave men had sacrificed for years to fight the war, never knowing if we would get a chance to be involved in a mission like the one about to begin.”
Something I learned from this book is how much a SEAL’s job means to them and how much they give up for it. “Since I’d arrived at the unit, my life had been a series of highs from great operations and lows waiting for the next mission. If we weren’t deployed, we were training to deploy. We’d alternate deployments between Iraq and Afghanistan. The pace was nonstop. It didn’t matter if you were single or married with kids. Our whole world was focused on our work. It was our number one priority.” Before reading this book I knew they sacrificed a lot to serve but I didn’t realize it controlled their lives to this extent where their job comes before their families.
Another fact I learned about the raid from this book was Osama Bin Laden didn’t fight, or prepare to fight, when the SEALs arrived. Mark Owen states two very interesting points, “He hadn’t even prepared a defense. He had no intention of fighting. He asked his followers for decades to wear suicide vests or fly planes into buildings, but didn’t even pick up his weapon” and “Bin Laden knew we were coming when he heard the helicopter. I had more respect for Ahmed al-Kuwaiti in the guesthouse because at least he’d tried to defend himself and his family. Bin Laden had more time to prepare than the others, and yet he still didn’t do anything. Did he believe his own message? Was he willing to fight the war he asked for? I don’t think so. Otherwise, he would have at least gotten his gun and stood up for what he believed.”
I enjoyed reading this book because it was fast paced and always interesting. I would recommend this book to someone else because I think it’s important to know how the number one terrorist in the world who devastated thousands of families with the 9/11 attacks was killed. It also makes you more appreciative of all the hard work and sacrifices the SEALs make to serve this country. My favorite quote from “No Easy Day” is “there is no honor in sending people to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself.” This is my favorite quote because it shows that if you truly believe in something you should stand up for it which is something Bin Laden did not do in the end.
ReplyDeleteLuke Gilchrest
Mr. Urbanski
The book that I choose to read was No Easy Day by Mark Owen and Kevin Maurer. This is a firsthand account of the mission that killed Osama Bin Laden. They have been looking for Bin Laden for 10 years, and they finally found him. Mark Owen and his team of 24 Navy Seals knew where Bin Laden was and they were going to catch him. There was a three story building in Afghanistan where Bin Laden was hiding. The seals started blowing up doors and working their way into the building. They got through the first floor with no Americans getting hurt. So, they worked their way to the second floor, still no Bin Laden. They moved to the third floor where Osama was, but he didn’t even put up a fight. Instead, he did nothing. He only put his wife in front of him so she would die. The reason that I think the author chose to write this book is because he wanted to teach us what they were doing for 10 years before they decided to catch him. Mark Owen was able to accomplish his goal because he had one job to do, which was to find Bin Laden and capture or kill him, which he was able to do. Bringing home the body was the biggest thing in many years for the USA. We had finally caught the number one terrorist in the world. Many seals joked about being the group that would actually catch him, but Marks Owen's group was the one that shot him. This book took place over the time period of 2009-2011, in which Bin Laden was killed in 2011. It took a long time to kill him because everything had to go perfectly. From this novel, I learned that killing the number one terrorist in the world was one of the biggest things the USA wanted to accomplish. In 2001, Bin Laden set up an attack to crash two planes into the Twin Towers. When they crashed, it killed about 3,000 people because of one man, Osama Bin Laden. We were all shocked and couldn't believe what happened. The USA lost many people that day and wanted to find the man in charge of it. We finally found killed him after 10 years of searching.
One quote that taught me something about this time period is, “You'll be my son's hero for the rest of his life”. This quote was said by a sergeant to Mark Owen. This quote taught me that capturing Osama was a big thing in the world and many people would be proud of the seals that went to Afghanistan to fight for America. Another quote that taught me something was when President Barak Obama said, “You are American's best, You are what America stands for, Thank you from American people. Job well done.” This shows me how big of an accomplishment it is, even for the President of the United States of America. But for the seals, they didn’t want their names coming out about who shot him, or who was a part of the mission. They wanted their names to stay on the low side, even though they were announced. My favorite quote in this novel is, “There is no honor in sending men to die for something you won’t even fight for yourself”. I really admire this quote because Bin Laden sent men out to risk their own lives to kill Americans, when he couldn’t even defend himself. Once we found where he was, we attacked and hew had time to defend himself. But instead, he stood there and let us shoot him. That is not how a real man should act, he should have stood up for what he believed in and tried to shoot us as well. A real man, like Mark Owen, went in there risking his own life for our country to kill Osama Bin Laden. I usually don't like reading non-fiction books, but this was by far my favorite one that I have ever read. It taught me what was really happening in the real world and not just in my life. This showed me what a Navy Seal went through to complete the mission of killing Bin Laden. I learned information that I can tell people about that they might not already know about the mission. For example, before they even started the mission the helicopter was going to crash and all the people on it that were supposed to capture Bin Laden could have been dead. But, the driver was able to control it and get everyone off safe and move forward with the mission. Also, I recommend this book to anyone that likes to read about the army or who would like to know more information about how they captured Osama Bin Laden and the world we live into today.
ReplyDeleteThe Greatest Generation
ReplyDeleteNick Guadarrama
Tom Brokaw novel The Greatest Generation tells the life stories of a generation of Americans who sacrificed and suffered so that future generation of Americans might live in peace and freedom. Brokaw, a well-known journalist, was driven by a desire to find out more about the generation who came before his own after visiting the beaches of Normandy. The ultimate sacrifices made by the many Americans who died in service to their country were more than evident. Brokaw wanted to find out more about this generation of brave heroes. The book is Brokaw’s way to say thank you to those brave men and women.
After reading this novel, it is easy to see that the stories of the lives of these great Americans share a common theme. These men and women were dedicated to their country. They loved their country and their families and were willing to sacrifice everything to ensure that America would grow to become a better nation. Many fought in WWII. Others struggled through the Great Depression.
Former President George Bush tells about his role in the War. He had to read all the mail that members of his platoon wanted to send home. The purpose was to be sure that they were not sending home any military secrets. Bush explains that he learned a lot about people, honor, and duty from this simple experience.
One of the biggest lessons learned from a book like this is that we often take things for granted. It is easy to accept the liberty and freedom we have today. It is important, however, to take the time to figure out how we actually got the liberty and freedom we have today.
In the beginning of the book, Brokaw explains “There has never been a military operation remotely approaching the scale and the complexity of D-Day. It involved 176,000 troops, more than 12,000 airplanes, almost 10,000 ships, boats, landing craft, frigates, sloops, and other special combat vessels--all involved in a surprise attack on the heavily fortified north coast of France, to secure a beachhead in the heart of enemy-held territory so that the march to Germany and victory could begin. It was daring, risky, confusing, bloody, and ultimately glorious”(p. 25). He shows how many members of this generation were willing to put their lives on the line to end the war and bring down Hitler and Mussolini. Many of those soldiers were just out of high school. It is hard to believe that so many young people were willing to act so bravely and sacrifice so much.
One of the most interesting thing Brokaw has ever said is that “It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference.” This book shows that this generation of American heroes has definitely made a difference that will last for years to come.
I will recommend this book because it has many interesting stories about people who sacrificed everything for our freedom.
Vietnam A History 8/27/2014
ReplyDeleteby Stanley Karnow Jason Goldstein
In the book “Vietnam A History” by Stanley Karnow, the author explains the entire history of Vietnam at war, from early Chinese interests in the early 1900’s to the Tet offensive in 1969 to the U.S withdrawal from Saigon in 1975. The majority of the book is in chronological order and gives many details to make the timeline easier to follow. For example, instead of going directly from the French withdrawal from Vietnam in 1953 to the beginnings of U.S. involvement in 1965, he talks about the treaties, failed international efforts and rising tensions between the United States and the Soviet Union in between to help the reader get a much greater understanding. It offers facts and details from both sides of all arguments in the book. He includes his interviews with enemy political leaders, soldiers on the front lines, and just regular everyday citizens for their opinions. He includes pictures from every event in the story to help illustrate the descriptions he writes. The pictures show the gruesomeness of war, the misery of the people displaced by the war, dead soldiers and civilians, providing raw images that words can never describe. However, the pictures in the story cannot explain in depth the complexity of the war such as political pressures and secret activities behind enemy lines that the words do.
2 In my opinion, the author’s purpose for writing this book is to completely explain in depth the full history of Vietnam and to tell the true story of Vietnam at war. I believe that this is the purpose of the book because of a quote from him in the preface of the book, “... I might possess the perspective to produce a panoramic account that, while concentrating primarily on the American intervention, also describes and analyzes at some length the origins of the contemporary conflict.” Stanley Karnow wrote this book to explain in detail the history of Vietnam at war not only involving the United States but the French as well.
3 Stanley Karnow greatly achieved his goal in writing the first full history of Vietnam at war. He achieved this by presenting facts and opinions from both sides of almost every event. For example, early on in the book when he is talking about the siege of Dien Bien Phu, He goes from talking about a french general who believed that the battle was a mistake to North Vietnamese General Nguyen Giap who was in charge of the Vietnamese forces in the region. This allows the author to express different viewpoints simultaneously while still making the book clear to the reader.
4 This book covers several important time periods in Vietnamese history. One of these is early colonizations of Vietnam which inspires deep hate of all Europeans. The second time period is when the Vietnamese and Viet Cong successful defeat the French and gain independence through a long and confusing treaty. The final time period that the book covers is the United States involvement in Vietnam from giving funding to the French to the Tet Offensive and to the eventually withdrawal of all U.S. forces from Vietnam.
Part 1
Vietnam A History 8/27/14
ReplyDeleteStanley Karnow Jason Goldstein
5 The book “Vietnam A History” taught me many things about the time period of the United States involvement in Vietnam. It taught me not only about the battles from both sides but the political side of things- from policies to strikes to the resignation of presidents. It summarizes all the key critical points through all of the United States involvement summarizing it making it easier to understand and comprehend.
7 I very much enjoyed reading this book. It is by far the most detailed account of the history of Vietnam at war that I have ever read. It expresses no biases and explores all views of different events. It is factual and at times boring but fit kept my interest. It analyzes every event from the fall of the French in 1953 to after the United States left Saigon in 1975-more than 20 years of conflict explained brilliantly in a 750 page book.
8 Although I did very much enjoy this book, I would not recommend this any high school reader unless he or she is very interested in the topic and can read and understand difficult words and can stand long and sometimes boring books. This book was great, but it was long, at times a little confusing, and not something that every high schooler would read if
given the choice.
9 My favorite quote from the book “Vietnam A History” by Stanley Karnow is from page 530. It is a large paragraph about the North Vietnamese butchering 100’s of people. It starts off with some words from a North Vietnamese leader saying that it was all America's fault then starting to crack and say that they had to kill some to prevent further crimes. The quote I like most about this book sums up it’s content, showing two opinions and the truth, “Balanced accounts have made it clear, however, that the Communist butchery in Hue did take place- perhaps on an even larger scale than reported during the war.” I think it is my favorite quote because it presents both sides’ opinions but it also presents the facts. It allows for opinions to be heard but the truth to be revealed.
Michael Allo
ReplyDeleteSummer Assignments
US History
1968: The Year that Rocked the World
The book I read was written by Mark Kurlansky. He attended Bulter University to get a BA. He then wrote many books. One being the current book I am reading, 1968: The Year that Rocked the World. This book is known for giving out information about the 1960’s. The novel talks about students even across the border. This book also follows through with the politics and how they affected many. Some of the many politicians that were there Martin Luther King Jr, Bobby Kennedy, the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago,ect. The book also shows the way television also impacted society. The author’s purpose for writing this book is that he wants us to know the struggle that happen with the cultural and political problems.
The author did achieve his goal. Because Mark talked about how you shouldn’t let the influence of others make who you are. And that you should be who you are. The historical time period that this book covers is the late 1960’s. Where Martin Luther King, Jr., and Bobby Kennedy assassinations; the riots at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago, Prague Spring, the upsurge of the women’s movement and the beginning of the end for the Soviet Union.
The book taught me about the effect of the assassinations of people who wanted us to have freedom and equal rights. It also taught me about the way people were treated and how. I enjoyed this book because it taught me a lot when it came to this time period and how people were treated cause of their race/skin color. I feel as though that the book could be worded somehow differently but overall it was good. I would recommend this book to others who wants to read about back in the day of segregation and discrimination.
I would recommend this book to others because it has true facts off of real events. For example in the novel it talks about the famous race wars and historic figures like Martin Luther King JR. and Rosa Parks. Another reason I would read this book because it shows what all of America did during the sixties and didn’t just focus on the Vietnam War efforts. Mark Kuransky was able to create a picture in my head with the smallest details that occurred during this time period.
My favorite quote from this book would be “‘It was America that was on a trip; we were just standing still,’ said Abbie Hoffman. ‘How could we pull our pants down? America was already naked. What could we disrupt? America was falling apart at the seams.’ This is my favorite quote because it explains what Americans were thinking at the start of the sixties. This quote is comparing the country falling apart to a person being naked. In addition this quote shows at the start of the 60’s the country was in bad shape and throughout the years gets better.
In conclusion I enjoyed reading the book 1968: The Year that Rocked the World by Mark Kuransky because of the details and use of words to describe small events that occurred over the 60’s.
Andre Haghverdi/US History Summary Project
ReplyDeleteBand of Brothers
By Stephen E. Ambrose
The book Band of Brothers is a non-fiction historical account of the U.S. army’s easy company during the world war two period. The part of the elite 101st airborne division and the east company were involved in the Normandy of D-day invasion and there was the first group of the allied forces to reach Hitler’s nest retreated in their own country in Germany as the German troops surrendered to the allied power. The band of brothers take place from the years 1942-1945, and from the airborne training camp in Georgia, USA, and the other places in Europe such as, France, Holland, Belgium and Germany.
My opinion of the book is that it is a very interesting book because it’s talking about these groups of military soldiers that fought for our freedom and spent years of their lives to make sure our country would from the evil people that attempted to take over this world. Another opinion I have about this book is that the author talks about the things that these brave men had to go through and that’s really hard these group of men had to go through and they deserve more respect than any person in the world. Another thing that I would like to say what happened in the book is His description of the night jump of the 101st in the early morning hours of June 6, 1944, with men and officers scattered in the countryside, and the confusion, heroism that surrounded the successful landings at Utah Beach, is masterful.
The quote that I think that was very interesting in the book is when one guy said “I could not believe that they were going to give us replacements and put us on the attack. I figured, Jesus, they’ll take us out of here and give us some clothes or something. But, no, they get you some replace-ment, and ‘come on boys, let’s go.’ And then that’s when we start attacking.” What I think this quote is saying is that no matter what clothes you were wearing or if you did not smell good and they wouldn’t give you knew stuff u would just have to live through it and go on and start protecting your country.
And the last thing that I would like to talk about is whom I would recommend this book to and the people that I would recommend this book to is, the young people who do not know what the military men actually did for us I think you should really read this book once you read this book you will soon care and know why each day you celebrate these special holidays you really know how hard these military guys used to go through to protect our freedom and to every person in the united states. And this is what the story of Band of Brothers is about and what they did for this country.
The Worst Hard Times is a novel about the times during the Dust bowl and how people were living and also about some of the struggles that the families had to go through. The time during this book and the specific dust storm that the author Timothy Egan was focused of was the dust storm that was taken upon the High Plains. During the time of the dust storm was also the time of the great depression. The story talks about the different families and their personal experiences during this horrible time. In my personal opinion, I believe that the authors reason for writing this so that these times would never be forgotten. As it is the Great Depression was difficult, but then adding on the difficulties that these families had to go through would be a great reason to write a novel about this. Some of the difficulties that these families had to live through was the blinding black dust blizzards, which killed some people during this time because there was so much dust that there was no way to block it out. So it got in their lungs and made some people go blind from all of the dust in their eyes. Also it killed their crops so they didn’t have any food to eat. I believe that the author accomplished his goal. I believe the goal that he was trying to accomplish was by making other people aware of the hard time that people had to go through during the time of the great depression. I believe that he accomplished his goal because he was very descriptive about the difficult times that the people went through and he also book the book in a personal perspective about how other people had to go through this. The historical time period that this book took place was in the 19000’s specifically in 1901, twenty five years after the Texans refused to sign treaties with the Plains Indians. What this book taught me about the time period was that it was a very difficult time for people and with the help of the dust bowl it was an even harder time. It also taught me that it was a very difficult time to live in the past. And it gave me more of a reason to love where I live, even though natural disasters can happen like that, it still makes me more cautioned. I did personally enjoy reading this book because it open my eyes up to the world and how thing used to be and how far it has come along. But it also gave me a little bit of worry because it is said that history repeats itself but if that happens that this can happen to us and that worries me. Although in these times technology is a lot better and people use manufacturing, but that doesn’t mean that something very tragic like that can happen, and that also doesn’t mean we can prevent it from happening. I would recommend this book to others because it was a good read but I mean I don’t think people would analyze the book like I did but it is still good to know about what had happened in the past.
ReplyDeleteTommy Connery
ReplyDeleteMr. Urbanski
“If I Die In a Combat Zone, Box Me Up and Ship Me Home” is an autobiography by author, Tim O’Brien. The book is a memoir set during O’Brien’s time in the Vietnam War from 1969 to 1971. Tim O’Brien does not tell the story completely chronologically, but to summarize it so, the his story begins in his hometown of Worthington, Minnesota. Tim moved to Worthington when he was ten years old and lived a relatively normal childhood, where he enjoyed playing army games. During his childhood, O’Brien also learned about World War II from veterans and the Korean War from soldiers that were coming home from fighting overseas. Eventually, Tim gets drafted into the army to fight in the Vietnam War. Tim is distraught, as he does not want to leave his home in order to fight in the war. Tim begins to contemplate deserting the army by first escaping to Canada and then catching a flight to Norway so that he doesn’t have to fight. Tim makes it to Seattle, but finds himself unable to get on a bus that will take him across the Canadian border. As a result of this, he has no choice but to return to the army. A few weeks later, in 1969, O’Brien is deployed to Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam, where he is put in Alpha Company and made a radio operator. He quickly learns how brutal the war in Vietnam is. Tim is involved in many vicious and deadly battle wherein he loses friends and has to survive by hiding in the mud for long periods of time. At the memoir’s end, Tim has taken up a non-combat position. Although he is no longer face to face with death on a daily basis, he is still haunted by what he saw. Even after he returns home, Tim cannot enjoy himself, permanently scarred by his experience in the Vietnam War.
One quote from “If I Die In A Combat Zone that taught me something about the Vietnam War was "One of the most persistent and appalling thoughts that lumbers through your mind as you walk through Vietnam at night is the fear of getting lost, of becoming detached from the others, of spending the night alone in that frightening and haunted countryside." (91). This quote give me insight into how war is not just a physical challenge, but the young men during this time were also going through extreme mental anguish. The fact that through all of the fighting they were doing, the thing that stayed on their mind was the fear of getting lost shows just how horrifying the environment around them was. Another quote was "There was no reliable criterion by which to distinguish a pretty Vietnamese girl from a deadly enemy; often they were one in the same person.” From this quote, I learned that the enemy was all around you in Vietnam. The men had to be extra cautious, because there was no noticeable way to tell who was a civilian and who was out to kill you. I believe that Tim O’Brien’s goal in writing this book was simply to share his experience in Vietnam and give his personal insight on the situation. I believe that he successfully did this, as his memoir, as mentioned above, taught me things about the Vietnam war I had not known before. My favorite quote from the book was “It's sad when you learn you're not much of a hero.” I felt that this quote was very powerful in its simplicity. Tim has come to the conclusion he is not a hero, and this deeply saddens him. It’s as if all he did was for nothing. In conclusion, I would recommend this book to people not only because I enjoyed it, but also because it was an informative and personal account of the Vietnam War.
Wesley Murillo
ReplyDeleteMr. Urbanski
8/26/14
History Essay 10 A
If I should die before I wake: Han Nolan
If I were to summarize this story I would say that this book is about a family that is treated badly by Germans because they are Jews. They are not the only ones other families from all around the world are there with them and the situation keeps getting worse every hour that they spend there. There are tens of thousands of Jews where they were brought to and their doing everything they can to survive. While the story develops family members die and they meet new people that help them when they are confused or need assistance. If I were to give my opinion about the author’s purpose for this book it would be about history and how Germans treated Jews. Unfortunately they despised Jews and thought they didn’t belong with them. The author’s purpose was to show how Jews were treated back then while WWII was happening.
He accomplished his goal because his main goal was to write a story about what happened during WWII. This book has taught me more than I know about this massacre. And I know now how it must have been difficult for people and their families to struggle and survive during the war. I think this is a great book and this teaches people about WWII and how the Germans felt about the Jews and what they did to get rid of their problem. The historical time period that this book covers is before WWII and during WWII. This is a great event that happened in history because many horrifying things happened. Adolf Hitler was the leader of it all and he told the commands and they did exactly as he said without question. He was German and he led the Holocaust. In the end he committed suicide and shot himself in an underground bunker. This time period was about murder and power.
I did enjoy this book because it did not only talk about the Germans but it also talked about how they all felt during this time. He also mentioned other people’s feelings and what they planned to do. Their family also had trouble with the challenges they faced. They were sent to do work and they acted like slaves. When they were sent to the different lines they all tried to stick together. Unfortunately some of them got sent to the death line and some were sent to the other line which was for people that would work for the Germans. When one of their family members were exhausted a different person would take over and help them out.
I would recommend this book to others. I would do this because this book is interesting. I think this book has many interesting parts and where they are taken to, becomes a struggle for them. These people accomplished things that not many people could do. They worked as a team to try to survive so they can go back to their home in Russia. This was their only objective and they wanted to bring home as many people as they possibly could that was in the family. In the end there were a couple deaths but they still made it out of the German area. With most of their family. They also helped their friends during their imprisonment.
The two quotes that taught me about this event was “She’s dead, you idiot. You killed her, and that one over there.” This quote helped me understand that there in a situation where people are getting killed. This teaches me that they are not in a good place to be if people are getting killed. The second quote is “There is not even a hope, anyway.” This is saying that they believe they are not going to survive getting out of the situation alive. My favorite quote in the book is “Where are they? Please, dear God, where are they? You’re slipping away and the doctors are all out on the lawn directing traffic. God! Help me!” This is my favorite quote because it is creating action and is explaining that somebody is in need of help. This is a sign that it is somebody important because she is yelling and screaming for God to help her.
Samantha Hammond
ReplyDeleteSpies of Mississippi
Mr. Urbanski
The Spies of Mississippi is about an organization that was meant to keep segregation and to stop integration from happening within Mississippi. The author, Rick Bowers, begins with explaining the situation with the agents; most agents had code names like Agent X. The organization was called The Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission; it operated as a secret investigation arm in the state government for many years. It had over 87,000 files on private citizens and organizations. The agents who worked for MSSC had the most extensive state-spying program in U.S History. It was J.P Coleman who signed the bill to allow the operation of MSSC. The spies of MSSC were to stop the integration of the whites and colored people.
Many situations were against the National Association for the Agitation of Colored People (NAACP) whom supported and tried to enforce the integration of whites and colored people. People such as Aaron Henry, James Meredith, Clyde Kennard, and Medgar Evers caused many issues for the MSSC, they all had supporters to push integration and to end the separation of whites and colored people.
The agency never stopped its segregationist mission, but by 1967 Erle Johnston argued, “… the Commission had ‘outlived its usefulness’ and was ‘ready for the grave.’ ” (Pg. 99) July 1st, 1973 the MSSC finally closed.
The author’s (Rick Bowers) purpose for writing this book was to inform those who did not know what happened in Mississippi through 1956 – 1973. Bowers informs the reader about the actions the MSSC took, telling a story about the many secret operations that were played out throughout Mississippi. The story that Bowers tells had been kept a secret for more than a decade.
Rick Bower’s accomplishment for writing this book was reached due to the extensive amount of information he gives throughout the book.
The historical time period this book takes is between when integration was just being allowed, and segregation was ending. From 1956 to 1973 the book weaves through the history that happened.
1st quote is “ ‘Are we to assume that two sets of hospitals are to be built for two groups of doctors? Are we to build two bridges across the same stream to give equal opportunity to two groups of engineers? Are we to have two courts of law so as to give both groups of layers the same chance to demonstrate their skills; two legislatures for our politically inclined; and of course two governors?’ ” This taught me the frustration that colored people like Kennard were having while trying to show people that integration was not a terrible idea. The 2nd quote is; “A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation, is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame, as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right, as well as reality.” This quote is from President Kennedy, it taught me that the segregationist were allowing the violence and even encouraging it, even though it was their obligation to allow this change and to make it as easy as possible for everyone who was involved.
I partially enjoyed this book; it had a lot of good information and gave very detailed explanations to the operations and situations. The reason I only partially enjoyed it is, because of the lack of excitement that Bowers put into it.
I would recommend this book to anyone who really enjoys non-fiction, due to the information given.
My favorite quote is from Clyde Kennard “ ‘Are we to assume that two sets of hospitals are to be built for two groups of doctors? Are we to build two bridges across the same stream to give equal opportunity to two groups of engineers? Are we to have two courts of law so as to give both groups of layers the same chance to demonstrate their skills; two legislatures for our politically inclined; and of course two governors?’ ” It’s my favorite because Kennard really opens your eyes about what was happening.
The book I red was The Devil in the White City. It takes place in 1839, Chicago Worlds Fair. It has two plots. The first one is about Daniel Burnhans who builds the worlds fair. He and his partner discover they will be building the fair. He goes through many obstacles for building the fair. In the beginning of construction his parter dies. Also drafts for construction are late, union strikes, construction injuries and deaths, and building the faris wheel. The fair is a hit and its finally completed. although the end of the fair brought some tragic news the mayor was assinated! That comes to the next plot a msn Henry Holmes comes to the town in seach or a docter because he runs a pharmacy in another town. He then builds a building for killing people! He has apartments for rent in that building wuth hiden pasages into them. Once the world fair opens which happens to be across the street he decides to make the apartments into the world fair hotel. Then has relationships with women who then he kills! He decides to leave Chicago because hes in dept and doesn't want to get cought for fraud. He is becomes arrested in Philadelphia for insurance fraud. Then the detectives discover his horrific murders!
ReplyDeleteI believe the authors purpose for writing this book was to show how crazy and mysterious people can be. I think she acomplished that purpose because it really opened my eyes to how normal looking people may not be all that normal. I belive It covers the late 1930's vibe for mysteries and tge world's fair. One quote I learned from in this book is "Make no little plans; they have no magic to stir mens blood" (Larson 26). This quote taught me to never make little plans if you want to be something go and make big and bright plans. Another quote I learned from in this boo was "I was born with the devil in me,'" he wrote. "I could not help the fact that I was a murderer, no more than the poet can help the inspiration to sing."(Larson 109). This quote taught me that even though he was bad he still accepted himself and knew who he was. I really enjoyed reading this book because it was interesting and entertaining at the same time. And I would recommend this book to people who enjoy a mystery. lastly my most favorite quote from this book would have to be "Make no little plans; they have no magicvto stir mens blood". Again I really like this quote because its inspirational and true why make a little plan when you cab do something so much better!
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand
ReplyDeleteLouie Zamperini was an Olympic runner who became a bombardier in the Army Air Forces in World War II. The plane he was crashed on the Pacific Ocean. He and two other survivors drifted in the Pacific Ocean on a small raft after the crash of his plane for 30 days, living on rainwater and the occasional fish or bird they could catch. One of the crash survivors died on the raft. Zamperini and the other survivor, the plane's pilot, were finally nearing land when they were captured by the Japanese navy. The Japanese did not inform America of the capture of Zamperini, and after some time he was declared officially dead but his family did not gave up hope. The men were treated nicely at first for them to recover in a hospital. But when they were all recovered they were unexpectedly transferred to a Japanese prisoner camp where they expected they would be executed. Because Zamperini was a famous Olympic runner he was treated especially harsh treatment by the Japanese guards, but he was not killed. He was sent to a series of prisoner camps, eventually arriving at a camp in Tokyo where he received particularly brutal treatment by a guard called "The Bird." Japanese propagandists attempted to force Zamperini into making pro-Japanese broadcasts to America, but he refused and was severely punished. He was in a prison camp in Tokyo when American forces dropped the atomic bombs on Japan that led to surrender. Their guards informed them it was over and Louie was hospitalized and eventually sent home to Torrance, to the delight of his family. His life became not easy. He married a young woman after knowing her for only two weeks. He was disturbed by flashbacks to his days as a prisoner and had terrible dreams of being beaten by The Bird. He began to drink excessively and his wife told him she wanted a divorce. But Zamperini's life was turned around after a visit to a revival meeting staged by the young Billy Graham, an evangelist Christian preacher. He saved his marriage, quit drinking, and found his nightmares diminishing. He began giving talks and making appearances telling his story. He even found it possible to forgive “The Bird” for his brutality. Zamperini had thought that “The Bird” had committed suicide after the war, but he had actually escaped and eluded capture for years while he was hunted down by Japanese police for his war crimes. Upon learning that “The Bird” was still alive, Zamperini tried to arrange a meeting with him. He even traveled to Japan, but “The Bird” refused to see him. I think the author wanted to give a true story of "A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption," as it says on the cover of the book. He wanted to tell the readers that there’s always hope and to never lose it. The author totally reached his goal on showing me that with all the terrible things that happened to Louis, Hope was never lost with his family and that also he didn’t surrendered at all. The time period of this book was World War II and the author thought me how a soldier’s life where if they got captured by Japan. “A lifetime of glory is worth a moment of pain. Louie thought: Let go.” This is a quote that explains what he thought was the war. I liked reading this book because it was entertaining to read about a man who suffered for his country. I would recommend this book for people to know how it feels to give yourself for your country. My favorite quote was “Without dignity, identity is erased.”