My senior year of high school I signed up for a "Strategic Reading" class. At first I thought it was going to be an easy class for my last semester, but it turned out to be one of my favorite classes. During the course I was exposed to so many new books that later turned out to be the best books I've read thus far. The three books that caught my attention, ignited my interest in reading, and changed my thinking were: A Thousand Splendid Suns, Crank, and Plainsong.
One of the things that attracts me most to all of these literary works is the underlying messages within them. These stories are able to capture the reader through the lives of these characters. When reaching the last page a reader may be left with hope, faith, motivation, or sorrow all because of the moving story. The appreciation for the story that leaves readers in awe after finishing a great book or short story is what attracts me to New Criticism, because when an author is able to capture the reader's attention and emotion it becomes a truly magical experience.
A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place in the Middle East and follows two characters, Mariam and Laili. Both girls are taken from their families and married off to the same man. At first they do not get along, but become closer through their dislike of their husband and their housework. The book takes place during a time of war and both characters endure so much together. It is amazing to read all of the suffering they go through and how they overcome it. I often found myself crying while reading. The style of writing that Hosseini uses in his work is truly powerful.
Crank follows the downfall of Kristina through her journey in life with drugs, specifically "the monster", sex and other taboos. Ellen Hopkin's of course writes from the perspective of Kristina writing amazing poems throughout the book. After finishing it was breathtaking to go back and read the poems in a different order to find different meaning. Crank is a book I have read time and time again and has led me to read all of Ellen Hopkin's other books, which are also written in the same style.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf was another book that I was surprised that I enjoyed so much; I even read the follow up book Eventide that was also great! Plainsong is very different than what I am used to and takes place in the out west, following an array of characters such a teacher, a pregnant teenage girl, two young boys, and two older brothers who live on a farm. Each chapter follows a different character and it is amazing how Haruf captures each of their personalities it seems so real.
When I finally decided which books really had an impact on me personally I could not quite see the similarity between them, but then I realized that they all are realistic fiction. Each of these books follows people's lives and they all seem so real. I love connecting with characters, really feeling with them and relating to their situations. All of these books stood out to me because while I was reading I found myself getting lost in their lives and almost experiencing with them. All three books follow the characters through the good and the bad, even the really bad. It is important for me to be able to find that as real as possible in order to understand the characters and keep me guessing about what they are going to do next. Each book may take place in completely different settings, with an array of different characters but all of them are so real that it is nearly impossible not to get sucked into each of their stories.
-Kaitlyn Kraus
One of the things that attracts me most to all of these literary works is the underlying messages within them. These stories are able to capture the reader through the lives of these characters. When reaching the last page a reader may be left with hope, faith, motivation, or sorrow all because of the moving story. The appreciation for the story that leaves readers in awe after finishing a great book or short story is what attracts me to New Criticism, because when an author is able to capture the reader's attention and emotion it becomes a truly magical experience.
A Thousand Splendid Suns takes place in the Middle East and follows two characters, Mariam and Laili. Both girls are taken from their families and married off to the same man. At first they do not get along, but become closer through their dislike of their husband and their housework. The book takes place during a time of war and both characters endure so much together. It is amazing to read all of the suffering they go through and how they overcome it. I often found myself crying while reading. The style of writing that Hosseini uses in his work is truly powerful.
Crank follows the downfall of Kristina through her journey in life with drugs, specifically "the monster", sex and other taboos. Ellen Hopkin's of course writes from the perspective of Kristina writing amazing poems throughout the book. After finishing it was breathtaking to go back and read the poems in a different order to find different meaning. Crank is a book I have read time and time again and has led me to read all of Ellen Hopkin's other books, which are also written in the same style.
Plainsong by Kent Haruf was another book that I was surprised that I enjoyed so much; I even read the follow up book Eventide that was also great! Plainsong is very different than what I am used to and takes place in the out west, following an array of characters such a teacher, a pregnant teenage girl, two young boys, and two older brothers who live on a farm. Each chapter follows a different character and it is amazing how Haruf captures each of their personalities it seems so real.
When I finally decided which books really had an impact on me personally I could not quite see the similarity between them, but then I realized that they all are realistic fiction. Each of these books follows people's lives and they all seem so real. I love connecting with characters, really feeling with them and relating to their situations. All of these books stood out to me because while I was reading I found myself getting lost in their lives and almost experiencing with them. All three books follow the characters through the good and the bad, even the really bad. It is important for me to be able to find that as real as possible in order to understand the characters and keep me guessing about what they are going to do next. Each book may take place in completely different settings, with an array of different characters but all of them are so real that it is nearly impossible not to get sucked into each of their stories.
-Kaitlyn Kraus
Wikimedia Commons. Web. 5 June 2014.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Timeless_Books.jpg>.
<http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Timeless_Books.jpg>.