Book Recommendations: The Office of Mercy

The Office of Mercy, by Ariel Djanikian, is a book a read quite a while ago. The premise is that there is a post apocalyptic society, called America 5, that is controlling is civilians to do what the selfish leaders say. The office of mercy is a department within America 5 that deals with outsiders who don't live up to the standards of society. A girl named Natasha, who works in the Office of Mercy, is getting fed up with the office's actions. She starts a rebellion to save the outsiders and forms unbelievable relationships with the outsiders. I really enjoyed reading this book and imagining what i would do in such a society, or what my role would be. I would probably be neutral and watch as the action progressed. Below  is a picture of the cover of the book; analyzing it deeper,  i see the helmet with the glass visor broken. This is an element of foreshadowing in the book. THis busted helmet also symbolizes how the outdoors are seen as unsafe in the book. The citizens of America 5 see the outdoors as being dirty, and fille with disease, so when Natasha wishes to go outside, she is seen as being a bit strange.

Analysis: Light

As I read this book and it draws to a close, i can analyze the authors thoughts and the flow of the story better than ever before. I have no idea if Michael Grant knew everything that was going to happen in  this six part series when he first started writing, but i do know that he wrote it impeccibly. THe flow of ideas and the twists and turns throughout the plot make you want to keep reading forever. its like there isnt a good place to stop, except at the very end. These books have kept my attention for nearly three years now and it will be hard to say goodbye to the kids in Perdido Beach, but at least ill know they're safe.

Characters: Light

Because there are so many different characters in the book, Light, by Michael Grant, it is so hard to pick just one to describe. The book follows multiple different story lines, showing many growths in characterization. It is sometimes hard to remember who's who in such a situation. For instance, two very similar characters, Brianna and Brittney, are on opposite sides of the conflict, but have very similar personalities. Both are young girls trying to survive in the FAYZ, with their extraordinary powers. The two girls hate each other with a deep passion, and end up nearly killing each other. The one thing about Brittney that stands out is that she is not always herself. She has an 'alter-ego' in a sense, named Drake, only that Drake was once a real person too. Due to radioactive issues from a nuclear power plant, the two were fused together and switch realities periodically. Neither of them enjoy the switching because hey cant control it, and it always seems to come at the worst times; in a battle while talking or doing something else important. Brianna often says she hates Drake even more than Brittney because Drake is crueler. He serves Gaia as a warrior, whereas Brittney serves as a messenger. The relationship between these three characters has been growing throughout the book and will continue to grow.

Theme & Summary: Light

The Book Light By Michael Grant is truly a great read. I have truly enjoyed reading this amazing series and the end to that series: Light. The Premise is that there has been a nuclear accident at the nearby power plant that created a dome with a 10 mile radius in every direction around the town of Perdido Beach, California. The dome is and impenetrable translucent martial that shocks you if you touch it.  Needless to say, the people inside are stuck. To make matters worse, all humans over the age of 15 have disappeared and are outside the dome. As a series of catastrophic events unfolds, heroes must rise and become leaders to help all the kids within the dome, which the characters have named the "FAYZ" or "Fallout Alley Youth Zone". In the book, the author basically tells that reader that struggles, no matter how catastrophic can always be overcome with bravey and synergism. In the end, all the survivors make it out of the FAYZ alive and great rejoice is had. Everyone is very excited and happy that the past is behind them and they can start a new life safe from  the evils they have escaped from within the dome. People are reunited with their families and those families whose children didnt survive are in remorse. It is a very predictable ending, but it is exactly what the reader wants to hear, and a great end to a great story.

Analysis: Light

The book I am currently reading is called Light by Michael Grant, which I have written about in my previous posts. Analyzing the text further, I can see the relationships of different characters better. Brothers Sam and Caine used to be enemies in the earlier books in the series, having many epic showdowns. In this edition of the Gone series, Sam and Caine have started to work together more to search for the enemy, Gaia. Sharing a common enemy helped them to get to know each other, and become greater friends and extend their brotherhood. I infer that in the end, the brothers will find Gaia, defeat her, and get out of the FAYZ and become even closer together.

Reading Skills: Light

I am once again writing about the book Light by Michael Grant. Currently in the book Sam and his brother Caine are out in the desert, looking for the enemy, Gaia. the way things ussually go in situations like this, are that the heroes find the enemy, slay them with great dificulty, but come out victorious. I predict the same thing will happen in this situation. They will find Gaia, but Caine will have a hard time fighting against her, because she is his daughter. I can infer this because this situation relates to another book many people have read, Harry Potter.  A text to text connection is in the last book of the Harry Potter Series, The Deathly Hallows, Harry and Voldemort have a final showdown but struggle to defeat eachother because they are connected. However, after the struggle, the hero comes out victorious. A text to self connection is that i also always seem to come out victorious, or at least be satisfied with the outcome of any situation. A text to world connection is that ussually in the world situations seem to resolve themselves. of course there arwe some instances when evil does prevail, but fortunately, for a majority of the time, good things happen.-

Theme and Summary: Waterfall

The Poem, Waterfall, is about the true beauty and serenity of nature, and the unexpected goodness in life. A group of people embarks on a short journey to see a waterfall. While they are there, the author meets up with a strange woman. They say they have seen each other in town before and have caught one another's eye. They stay a while longer to admire the beauty of the immaculate falls. This strongly supports the idea that you should never go planning everything out, because you never know what's going to happen. The character that thought they would take a short trip to the falls and back, but ended up spending quite some time appreciating the complexion of nature. I have added a link to the poem below so that you, too, may read it.

http://allpoetry.com/poem/10975917-Waterfall-by-HungryJack

Characters: Light

 

The book I am currently reading, Light, which I wrote about in my last post, is about kids struggling to make it through a tough time. In this tough time, leaders must be formed to help the kids feel some safety. One of the key character that the book focuses a lot of its time on is Sam. Before the FAYZ, (Fallout Aley Youth Zone) Sam was just a regular guy. He loved to surf and hang out with his best friend, Quinn. One of the most important things about Sam being a leader is that Sam was one of the first kids in the FAYZ to develop powers. Sam's power is that he can create light with his hands; he can shoot beams of light that will vaporize anything they touch, or he can create little balls of light that float in the air, which was very imortant, especially when the power went out in the city. Sam's role as a leader develops throught the Gone Series, from being the leader of his small 5 person group, to the entire town. At first he feels like he doesnmt really know what he is doing, but becomes a better leader and a better person.

New Plot Structure for Interlopers

To change the plot in The Interlopers, we decided to start the story by first flashing forward to when the tree fell on Ulrich and Georg, and then we told the reader that the wolves came. We then flashed back and introduced the story and told it in a fairly normal order, but we had conflict again before the became friends so that the end of the story was when they became friends, and it had a better, more telling ending. This benefits the plot structure in a huge way because the ending is more definite and it doesn't just leave the reader guessing what happened. Also, the new structure provides an element of mystery and tension in the beginning when the wolves come and make the reader want to read more about how that happened. We made the story easier to read by giving the reader more information than originally intended by the author.

Book Reccomendation: Gone Series

The book Light By Michael Grant is a book I have been waiting to read for a while. It is the last book in a six part series about a terrible catastrophe in a small town in California. All adults over the age of 14 has disappeared and a giant 10 mile high dome has been created to cover the entire area. At first, kids are confused as to what is happening, and anarchy sweeps across the FAYZ, as they call it, the Fallout Alley Youth Zone. The town in which the live is described as fallout alley because of the nuclear power plant on the far side of town. The kids soon discover that the power plant is the center of the dome, with a radius of 10  miles, and a terrible creature called The Gaiaphage that created the dome. The kids have to make key, life decisions at a very young age and young leaders must step up to help everyone through the struggle, which is really what this book is about maturity. Only in a terrible disaster should kids have to step up and fend for themsleves. Adults ought to help kids out before they mature themselves.

Text Structure

1) All three texts talk about an exposition before they get into the main point of the article

2) In Martin Luther King Jr.'s speech he talked Bout how ridiculous it was that 100 years later they still weren't completely free

3) I could do this so they would know what's going on in my story

4) I can be able to connect text and structure and find a common message between them

Summer Reading

I would rate this book 6 out of 10 stars. The story was lacking characterization and key details in alot of places. Basically what happens is a guy named Clay loses his corporate job and goes job hunting. he finds a mysterious bookstore in San Francisco and gets a job there. As he works therre he discoveers the many secrets of the store and the secret society hidden inside.