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Salutations! No, no, the Ebola virus did not catch me -- but this week's reading sure kept me
company while I suffered through an outbreak of the flu over the weekend. It's
amazing to realize how easily a disease can creep up on you. Get a little
cut, touch the wrong animal or object or something, or simply get sneezed on,
and whammo -- you've got the flu. Did you know that influenza used to kill
hundreds of thousands of people? Hey, that's a great idea for a Times
Article -- I can see it now: The History of Influenza: Deadly Sickness to
Annoying Shots. Ok, maybe the title needs a bit of work, but it's still a
great idea for an article. :-)
In light of my
recent recovery, I have decided to have a huge bash at the Greek Theatre for the
next Critique Club Meeting (this Saturday). It'll be awesome: we're going
to hang and chat about the various books for this week. Since I got my
salary up a little, I'm even willing to give away some of my clams for the
insightful comments made by audience members ;-) Also, the best part of
all -- we're going to take pictures of the event that will be posted in the next
issue of the Times. So, get dressed up and look your best, and come on
down!
The Critique Club's featured reading this week is about deadly
viruses, both in fiction and non-fiction. On Saturday, August 2nd at 4:30pm Whyville Time, we
will be holding the second Critique Club meeting, where we'll be discussing and analyzing The
Hot Zone (Richard Preston) and Outbreak (Robin Cook).
To prepare all of you for the talk, I've jotted down a few questions
and topics so that you can think about them ahead of time, to get our discussion
running as soon as we get in the door! And remember, you are more than welcome
to debate these books among yourselves -- this is not for me to show off how
smart I am or just talk about only what I think is interesting. :-)
I chose these
books because I wanted to ask you, when can non-fiction be fun to read? Can it
even be more interesting than fiction? Outbreak was made into a major
motion picture, but I believe that The Hot Zone is a lot more compelling;
it sucks you in because it's real, because this really
happens and it's really out there. Do you think the men and women fighting
Biohazard Level 4 viruses are heroes? Did Richard Preston capture the story, or
did it seem unreal to you? What makes a story seem real? How
does an author make you believe the story he or she wrote? Are there
non-fiction stories that you like? Do you even know if some of the stories
you read or watched are based on true stories? If you're not sure, think
about The Diary of tAnne Frank. And I'm sure that most of
you have seen the blockbuster Titanic... that movie grossed over 1.8 million
dollars -- seems to be some pretty exciting non-fiction, don't ya'll
think?
So, non-fiction
is be the main theme of this week's Critique Club. In addition, I have
some specific questions for the featured books/movies:
The Hot Zone (Richard Preston): This was a
non-fiction book that describes real events and a real disease. Were you
interested with the people and their troubles? Look at the way Preston
introduces the story, by placing a lead "character" in danger. That's a classic
method of drawing you into the tale. Did it work for you? The gruesome details
may have been too much to bear for some readers, but do you think it was
necessary to make you understand the reality of the virus's effects?
Outbreak (Robin Cook): How many of you
watched the movie? A grandson to a previous book/movie, The Andromeda
Strain, this story scared viewers about the possibilities of viruses
affecting our everyday life. What do you think makes the story Outbreak
into a movie where the Hot Zone into a best seller only to be experienced in
print? Was the truth too scary and real for the entertainment audiences?
Or do people need to see a romance to get any interest? Are movies better
than books or vice versa?
And naturally,
always think about literary analysis! For example, when did the story really
begin? Could you tell what parts were digressions, when the author tried to
explain some scientific fact that you needed to know? Was there a better way of
doing it? What emotions did the book stir in you -- where when and WHY?
And as always, what do you think was the author's higher purpose in writing the
work?
I bet you guys
are already on the right track for a great club meeting. I've invited MediaWiz
and a few other city workers to join us -- let's see if they're up to taking on
Ebola, literature, and the movies at the same time! We
will of course be talking about things well beyond the questions written above
-- wherever our minds take us. So be there for the Critique Club!
Next week, I hope all you book-o-philes will take a trip over
to the Greek Theater to meet with the MediaWiz and discuss The Wanderer,
the book that's being highlighted by KPCC radio this month. The MediaWiz
will be chatting with you all, starting at 6:30pm Whyville Time. I think I may
even join you, to see if we can figure out why this book won the Newbury in the
first place!
Please take
the time to do the reading in our literature list. To suggest more books to be
added to the list, contact me. I've gotten a lot of great suggestions for
the books (they're not in this list unfortunately -- it's massive and I have to
go through them so I'll hopefully have it done soon). If you write reviews and analytical essays
about your favorites, I'm sure that'll persuade the Times Editor and I to
include them. ;-)
Summer
Literature List (in no particular order)
Chaos *, James Gleick
20,000 Leagues under the Sea **, Jules Verne
Joan of Arc **, Diane Stanley
The Moon Lady and The Chinese Siamese Cat, Amy Tan
Eyes of the Dragon, Stephen King
Isle of the Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeleine L'Engel
The Bone Detectives: How Forensic Anthropologists Solve Crimes..., Donna
M. Jackson
Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
The Phantom Tollbooth, Norton Juster
The Once and Future King, T.H. White
Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller
The Call of the Wild **, Jack London
The Hobbit, JRR Tolkein
Lord of the Rings, JRR Tolkein
Harry Potter, JK Rowling
A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court **, Mark Twain
The Count of Monte Cristo **, Alexandre Dumas
Watership Down, Richard Adams
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH, Robert C. O'Brien (made into a
brilliant though dark animated movie)
Earth Abides, George R. Stewart (read
mimiru's review!)
* These books
are planned to be featured readings, so pick them up and enjoy!
** For younger readers or people without much time, you may read the abridged
versions. However, the unabridged versions are the best for the discussion.
Books/Plays/Movies Already Discussed
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
The Cruicible, Arthur Miller
Have Spacesuit, Will Travel, Robert Heinlein
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