the Bell Jar

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I think The Bell Jar is a very interesting novel. It plagues me in a way because it is a somewhat autobiographical account of what was going on in Sylvia Plath's life. I feel sad that the answer to her desparation was to attempt suicide and then eventually kill herself. She was an excellent writer. Just wish she was still alive today so we could've enjoyed more of her writing.


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the Last Lecture

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved reading this book. My mom had followed his last year of life because my parents live outside of Pittsburgh, so he was in the news often. I remember her calling me to tell me that Randy had died, and I was like, "Who?" She went on to explain that he was a professor at CMU (Carnegie Mellon University) and that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.



Nonetheless, it wasn't until I went to Jersey with Gregg to celebrate at his brother Don and sister-in-law, Rose's home, that I found out about this book, The Last Lecture. Rose read the book and passed it on to me, and then book club selected it to read for February.



I wasn't sure what the book would be like, and was hoping that it wouldn't be too sad, so when I read it, I had minimal hopes.



Much to my amazement, the book is an excellent read. It's not something that's going to give you divine points about life that you've never heard before. It's more about how Randy Pausch says the things we've all heard in our lives from our parents and from those wiser than us.



I recommend this book. It's a great passer-on.


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The Jungle

The Jungle by Upton Sinclair

My review

rating: 4 of 5 stars
I have wanted to read The Jungle by Upton Sinclair for a LONG time. I remember back in the 90s when my older sister read it in high school and she talked about how gross it was.



Anyway, when my book club decided that everyone was to pick an American classic to read for the month of January, I knew I would finally have the chance.



This book isn't really about the disgusting meat-packing industry's unbelievable conditions. It's more about the life of a man, Jurgis Rudkus, who is a Lithuanian immigrant to Chicago, or Packingtown, as he calls it.



The story is more about the Rudkus family's struggle to survive in a capitalist society that was ruled by just a few on top.



If you've never read this book, it's definitely a book worth reading. You'll become attached to Jurgis' attempts to make it when everything is against him.


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