Straight on the heels of Zeitoun’s spectacular reading experience, I picked up A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, the Dave Eggers book I’d actually had on my reading list. It is creative non-fiction like Zeitoun, but that is where the similarities stop. AHWOSG is personal, about Eggers in his 20’s, where Zeitoun is reported, and … Continue reading A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
I thought I knew what happened during Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. I thought I knew about racism in America and Muslims after 9/11 and George W. Bush’s obsession with trrrists. Dave Eggers’s Zeitoun states explicitly that it is not meant to be an all-encompassing history of Katrina — there’s no Superdome, no Lower 9th, … Continue reading Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
My second reading of “Into Thin Air” was just as immersive and suspenseful as the first. Krakauer’s writing has momentum – even as he pauses for paragraphs or pages to ruminate on climbing tactics or historical precedent, the story falls forward as if it’s been pushed off a cliff. In the case of historical precedent, … Continue reading Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
Like the Hardy Boys or the Boxcar Children, Rick Brant is an adventurous lad who’s managed books and books’ worth of adventures before graduating high school. Unlike the Hardy Boys or the Boxcar Children, Rick Brant is a chemistry nut with a passion for electrical engineering. It’s amazing how often one can get into a … Continue reading The Lost City by John Blaine
Amy Attas 