Crank

Crank is a cautionary tale by Ellen Hopkins. Although it is a fictional novel, the book is based on events that are similar to that of the author's daughter. This book gets you thinking about the choices you make when under the influence of drugs and shows the dark world of the drug industry. Crank is a page turner that will keep you entertained and curious until the very last page. The format of writing is different each page, and is written with a unique form of poetry. This allows a very fast read and introduces a new form of writing. This novel teaches good life lessons, and shows experiences any teenager can face. 


I'm intentionally not going to say much about the plot beyond the obvious meth addiction, because I feel there is more of an effect, a stronger impact if you don't know what's coming beforehand. I respect that Hopkins doesn't pull her punches, and she doesn't sugar coat the truth at all. It is one of the reasons she is so frequently banned, but it is also why her books are able to reach so many people. When Hopkins is talking about Kristina's experiences with the drugs, her highs are high and her lows are low. Too many books skirt around the truth, they try to convince you to stay away from drugs by lying about how good they feel the first few times, and then turning around are trying to hide how detrimental the side effects are, because they don't feel like our young people can handle it. Hopkins does none of that. She tells it like it is and makes no apologies for it.


This book really drives home the fact of how easy it is for a completely normal person to find themselves caught in a downward spiral like what happened to Kristina. The other thing that is really pressed home is how the people who know and love Kristina act. Many of her friends just can't deal with her anymore, so they chose not to. Her mother tries to help, but doesn't have a grip on how much trouble Kristina is in; as a result, Kristina ends up incredibly isolated. Really in the end, the only person who can really help her is herself. Given the subject matter, this is a book for older teens, or maybe a cautionary tale for younger teens. Just be aware that there is some violence, rape, and (of course) lots of drug usage throughout this book. 

Overall, the book was a good and fast read. Hopkin's writing style is creative, intriguing, and unique.  While I overall enjoyed the story and characters, I felt that at sometimes, the story seemed too banal and predictable, with nothing new to offer to the plate. I felt that this was a cautionary tale about drugs, but I could just watch a p.s.a. to get the same idea: Drugs our bad. I felt that i've known that for the better part of my life. Does this book convince me not to take drugs? Sure, and that is what it was aiming to do, but will I remember Kristina/Bree's struggles? No. So, take it as you will. 7.5/10. 

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close #2

"Extremely Loud and Incredibly close," is has an original plot with an original twist--as well as a most imaginative perspective on the very real tragedy of 9/11. Not only is this an interesting and mentally challenging book, it presents this great loss that we all suffered in the perspective of a determined and resilient child--this child could almost be symbolic of us all as a nation, as we each found ways and continue to find ways to cope with our great losses and our lessor ones. The story of Oskar Shell and his search for a connection to his dead father is just the beginning; the story is about family and relationships, and what it means to be someone's father or mother or son. It's about why living is so much scarier than dying. On a few rare occasions, the story seems artificial and unrealistic, but most of the time, the emotion is so real that you have to stop for a minute and compose yourself.


Foer has a wonderful way with humor and fantasy--using it to have the reader understand which characters are likable with the author, as well as enriching the story line. It is great fun to read this book, though it's very sad. However,  Foer slips in the tender and heartbreaking parts subtly, while casually mentioning "the day before the bad day" as the day before the father was killed at the Trade Center bombing. He uses magic realism, fantasy, unique and well written characters, and has a way of expressing true and real feelings in his drawing of 9 year old Oskar Schell, who we accept as "precocious".


What's so intriguing about this book is that even doorknobs and keyholes have multiple meanings. One-word biographies are matched against one-word obituary summaries. Books serve as walls, diaries, and means of communication, while telephones become typewriters for the mute. Time is ever-present, which is measured precisely, but flowing loosely, frozen in images and recorded voices just as the book's characters wish to freeze of reverse time itself. A charming fable about Manhattan's lost sixth borough links Central Park to a myth of childhood dreams. And then there are Oskar's dark/anxiety filled inventions: his birdseed shirt, an ambulance that sends messages to everyone the patient knows as it passes their windows, the gun whose handle senses when you are angry so it won't fire, buildings that raise and lower themselves instead of using elevators, and best of all, his pillows that funnel everyone's tears into the reservoir in Central Park (when something really bad happened, a loud siren would tell everyone to go to Central Park to put sandbags around the reservoir).


Though this book is flawed, no other book has really dived deep into the psychological affect 9/11 has on children, and I give Foer props for that. However, I think this is quite an interesting read, as the author's style of writing is very different and unique. At the same time, Foer's intense creativity does allow a certain vagueness to spread throughout the narrative. All in all, "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" is an ambitious, yet flawed book tries to capture the sorrow, guilt and loss of 9/11, in an original way. 

Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

"Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close," by Jonathan Safran Foer is a book following the adventures of Oskar Schell after his dad died due to 9/ll.   Oskar Shell is an intelligent and curious kid who tries to use logic and rational to solve his problems, but can't use logic to solve the suffering he feels from his father's death. One day, Oskar discovers a key in a broken vase that inspires him to go all around NYC to find info on that key. 


As Oskar explores Manhattan, Foer also reaches throughout history to other horrific attacks that shattered people's lives, including his traumatized grandparents, which is parallel to Oskar's suffering. Their lives are tragically connected, and while their relationship is sparse, tense, and full of rigid rules, there's a higher connection that connects them together in a way that makes sense. Horrifying imagery of the Dresden bombings, and the fallout of it all make the book extremely intriguing. Though the book is sprinkled with letters and stories from before Oskar's time, the boy's quest is the center of the book. And through his journey, he'll hope to learn a little bit about humanity, too. Historically, only a short time has passed since 9/11, and in some ways "Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close" reopens the wounds. 


Oskar's story can be moving, because there are some wonderful and truly brilliant passages. But for me, it was marred by both his precociousness and his preciousness. One without the other would have simply destroyed the narrative, but both together make Oskar Schell relatable to me. For example, the story was a rare one in that it captured the extreme closeness between a father and son. Yes, it was laugh out loud funny in parts, but it was also a gut wrenching sobbing at other times. The kid is dying inside over the loss of his dad - he just wants his pain to be validated, and wants to tell his story.


All in all, this book delivers on the quirky writing style of Foer, and the story's sentimentalism told through Oskar's suffering.  All though the book changes between Oskar's adventures and his grandparent's notes and letters, there's always a clear narrative between the two. So far, it's fair to say that this book is not perfect, but I cannot deny how much feeling this book has already evoked in me. Re-living the 9/11 attacks through the point of view of Dad in the book was brutal. Half way through the book, I will give it an 8.5/10. 

Thank God I'm a Vegetarian!

In an article by Nicholas Kristof, entitled "Is an Egg for Breakfast Worth this?" he writes about an undercover investigation of Kreider Farms, which produces 4.5 million eggs each day for major supermarkets. From footage, pictures, and even a testimonial by one of the farms's employees, it is easy to say that it's not one their top priorities for Kreider Farms to follow health regulations. The investigations entails that the location of where they produce eggs is a cess-pool of ammonia, manure pits, and rotting hens. The processes of compilling the hens were so inhumane, that up to 11 hens were shoved into a tiny, tiny cage, and some were even decapitated by automatic feeding carts that run between the cages. 

In this article, the author shows that the whole egg operation at Kreider Farms are cruel and intolerable. For example, there's evidence in the investigation suggesting that, "An automatic cart that runs between the cages sometimes decapitates hens as they're eating." The author chose this piece of evidence to demonstrate the terrible and inhumane living conditions of the hens, and suggest why Kreider Farms's practices are so evil and even grotesque. Also, the author writes, " Mice sometimes ran down egg conveyer belts, barns were thick with flies and manure in three barns tested positive for salmonella, he said." The author chose this piece of evidence to show the disgusting conditions of Kreider Farms, and why it's terrible that their widely eaten products may be tainted with salmonella, and maybe even e.coli. In all, the author did a great job of selecting evidence from the investigation, and presenting them in a way that argues how terrible the operations at Kreider Farms are. 

In conclusion, this article expertly depicts the awful practices of Kreider Farms, and sheds some light on why they are so cruel and inhumane (I'm so happy that I'm a vegetarian). This development also makes us think twice before we eat something, and where it has originated from. These days, you never know where your food comes from. I try to eat and drink as many organic products as possible, but that still doesn't guarantee that the conditions are always save and clean. These articles are great, because they shed light on sensitive, sometimes controversial topics that affect all of us. 

Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/12/opinion/kristof-is-an-egg-for-breakfast-worth-this.html?ref=nicholasdkristof

The Tribeca Film Festival

"A Festival With Broader Horizons," by Stephen Holden, is an article about the up coming "Tribeca Film Festival," starting on Wednesday and lasting two weeks in New York City. The article is also a summary of all the highlights of the film festival, and a descriptive outlook on why it's better than ever. The article also mentions that the the competition of the festival is a lot tougher this year, which is most likely due to the heavier emphasis on quality films. Another change is in the programming of the festival, which is  led by a team of highly creative individuals, who are each experienced with the film festival circuit. With the higher demands and expectations of the film festival, there are also some excellent films that meet and surpass those high expectations.

The author of the article takes on the angle that while Tribeca may not be the most commercially successful of the festivals, it is one that offers some unique films that explore into that physical and psychological emotions of people. For example, the author writes "Tribeca may not be a commercially powerful clearinghouse like Toronto, but it is something equally useful: an unconstructed wild-card showcase in which happy surprises can come from anywhere, with minimal hype." The author writes this to explain to the readers that the Tribeca Film Festival offers an interesting experience for movie-goers, and  is uniquely different than its Film Festival counterparts, like Sundance and Cannes. The author also writes, " Although it is risky to generalize about submerged themes in any film festival, Tribeca, unlike Cannes, doesn’t have an auteur focus; the world according to Tribeca is one of porous borders, of people searching for their place, as they try to reinvent themselves in territory where the only constant is instability." The author writes this to show the personality of the types of films at Tribeca, and how they touch down on issues and emotional states that relates to a lot of people. In this article, the author tries to detail a possible rejuvenation of Tribeca, and why you shouldn't miss the opportunity to view the at times awesome and emotional films. 

The idea of a film festival so close to were I live is a great asset, and something that I should be thankful for. With film making being my passion, this is something of an ideal situation for me, because it's great to have the opportunity to see films that maybe aren't so well known, especially if it's from the indy community. It's also great to know that I can just hop on the subway, and see an amazing film before it has been picked up for theatrical release. In conclusion, this was a very informative article, yet it was inspiring to see films that were made in Brooklyn, and across all the boroughs of NYC. 


Link: http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/16/movies/at-tribeca-film-festival-porous-borders-on-display.html?_r=1&ref=movies

"The Wilhelm Scream," by James Blake

"The Wilhelm Scream" by James Blake is a song about a man on the brinks of giving up his life. It's as if he is trapped in his own nightmarish dream, but he can't escape. The song starts out with a slow minimal drum beat, with an ambient electric rift in the background. Then the beat overlays with his voice, which is a slow, peaceful tremor. Every so often, it's as if the song comes to a halt, and it becomes swallowed by this massive dark hole. This song conjures up an image of a man falling down a hole. It's as if he's unable to move his body, so he's forever trapped in this vicious cycle of depression.

Lyrically, the song follows a repetitive pattern, where each stanza practically follows the same layout. He ends each stanza by saying that he's falling in.  The repetitiveness shows how he's trapped, and unable to escape from "fallin in." Also, the last line in the last sentence says, "I might as well fall in." This shows how he's unable to deal with the situation he's in, so he'll give in just to end his pain. I think he wrote this, because it elaborates on the idea of how this man is trapped in this endless cycle. In turn, he offers a solution by giving in to giving up. While a depressing ending, it shows how some people cope with their issues. In this case, he decides that this man copes by giving in. 

This song isn't about happy endings. Instead of saying that everything is all right, it's more about the real struggles of how people deal with their problems. It shows how everything in the world isn't perfect, because the world isn't that simple. In this scenario, it's difficult for the man in this situation to cope with his problems, In turn, it's creating this harmful circle that is trapping him from facing the truth. When the song comes to an end, there's no light at the end of the tunnel. Instead, there's this eerie, abrupt stop, that leaves me wondering whether the man in this song overcomes his problems, or lets it consume him.  

Bon Iver- "Skinny Love"

"Skinny Love," by Bon Iver is about love, loss, and all things beautiful. One can't even fathom the utter beauty of this song- from the echoing lo-fy guitar melody, to the almost weeping and passionate voice of Justin Vernon. I can feel his pain; his loss. Every word sung gives me goosebumps, and spiritual empowerment- like non that I've ever experienced before. It's almost magical.

The lyrics speak of someone who is hurt; someone who is suffering. This is clearly expressed when he sings, "Pour a little salt, we were never here." It's as if someone is pouring salt on an open wound-that wound being his broken heart. It's as if he says the pain of you leaving is not enough, so you have to make it worse by torturing me for loving you. He also says, "Cut out all the ropes and let me fall." Listening to his voice, I can just sense his fear and desperation. While he still loves you, it's trying him mad. It's like he doesn't want to be committed to you, so you just have to let him go. Every time I listen to this song, I can connect and relate to these lyrics. I just want to curl up in a ball next to the fire, while listening to his voice on a cold winter day. 

This song is no average breakup song. You'll never here this grace and beauty coming out of the Biebs. When I hear Justin Vernon (Frontman) utter the lyrics, there's substance beneath these lyrics. When I hear Bieber singing songs similar to this (if that's what you can even call it) there's no substance, and no depth. Justin Vernon broke up with his girlfriend, broke up with his band, and moved to this wilderness. That gave him inspiration to write his song, and many others on his LP. This song is one of my favorites. The voice of Vernon is powerful, and the lyrics are just perfect.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssdgFoHLwnk

WHY THE HUNGER GAMES MOVIE IS SO OVERRATED

With the recent release of the movie adaptation of Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games," it has generated much hype and excitement, as expected with any teen movie blockbuster (Think Twilight meets Harry Potter). Where the book generates great character development and special relationships between the audience and the characters, the movie unfortunately falls short. Like any movie adaptation, it will never replace your emotions and feelings for the book. While you would expect the movie to somewhat meet your expectations, it doesn't even come remotely close. As someone who has read and thoroughly enjoyed the books, it seems like another terrible Hollywood remake.

Here's my biggest gripe: Character Development. As someone who is interested in cinema, being able to tell a story where the audience can understand, relate and emphasize at an emotional level with the character is extremely critical. In the book version, Katniss was this strong heroine-type figure, yet nervous and vulnerable on the inside. Her father's death is what gave Katniss the strength to sacrifice her life for the most important thing in her world:  her family. While dealing with poverty and oppression, being there for her sister and taking care of her family is what let Katniss to persevere though these hard times. Katniss had to act like a women in a teenager's body. As a reader, I not only emphasized with Katniss's struggles, but I felt like I was listening to her inner thoughts. That's character development. The only glimpse of that in the movie is in the Reaping scene, where Katniss sacrifices her life for her sister. However,  even that is fast forwarded. The movie focused on the "Games" part of the book, which is fine. However, it's Katniss's strong moral and family values that allow her to preserve through near death experiences and win it all.

In perspective, this movie will probably not win an oscar. All jokes aside, this was a great movie for those who just want to see a fast paced and action pact movie. However, for those who loved the dark undertones and the great character development of the book, you for sure will be truly disappointed. There were themes and parts of the books that were just flat out missing in the movie. At the end of the day, what do you expect? This is just another over-hyped teen love/action movie, not something done by the likes of Hitchcock, Scorsese, or even Malick to name a few ( this is certainly not "The Tree of Life").  So just sit back, relax, and let the disappointed wash over you with this movie adaption of Suzanne Collins's, "The Hunger Games."

The Girl Who Kicked Ass (The Hornet's Nest)

"The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest," by Stieg Larsson, is the third and final installment of the Millennium series. This book takes place right after the second, where Salander had the big ordeal with Zalachenko. So far, this book is more about the people who covered for Zalachenko than anything else.  It focuses on the secret organization within the Swedish Organization, called "The Section." Their job is to basically babysit for Zalachenko, whenever he did anything foolish. This organization is so secretive, that they are unknown to the majority of the Swedish government. "The Section" would even be considered illegal, unconstitutional and is comparable to the K.G.B or Joe McCarthy's illegal infringement on people's rights with his "war" on Communism in the U.S.

In the book, the conflict between Salander and Zalachenko has become mainstream, so "The Section" is currently trying anything in their power to make this problem disappear. If Zalachenko reveals "The Section's" activity, then there will be a legal nightmare, resulting in the probable incarceration of "The Section's" members. Their plan is to bribe policemen and illegally adjust their case to their advantage. It's incredible how this organization can legally operate, even though it's infringing on our basic constitutional rights. It's incredable how Zalachenko can commit crimes all he wants and this organization can just sweep it under the table. This problem between Zalachenko and Salander has been blown way out of their liking. In order to control this situation,  this organization is reverting to illegal measures just to protect their own skin. Sadly, corrupt governments are nothing new to us, just read the newspaper.  

Whether it's in a book, or real world, people will do anything just to protect their own skin. Unfortunately,  "The Section," will try to save their own skin by violating the law, something that isn't unusual to their protocol. For this organization to be blown, hell and worse we be thrown down on the Swedish Government. However, I think that this asks a good question: would you rather save your own skin or get what you rightfully deserve? I think that the normal person would do the former and only the exceptional would do the later. When most people are thrown into desire situations, they think about themselves more than anyone else. I think that this is clearly demonstrated by Stieg Larsson in his book. 

The Ear, The Eye and The Arm

"The Ear, the Eye and the Arm," by Nancy Farmer, is a sci-fi novel set in Zimbabwe, 2194. Although a strange choice for setting, it's in no doubt a very clever and intentional choice by the author. When most people think about futuristic cities, they about think huge, densely populated, urban jungles. In the future, not only is Zimbabwe modern, but its size, mass and importance is comparable to any colossal place on Earth. The story follows the children of one of the most important people in all of Zimbabwe, General Matsika. Living a sheltered life, the children one day decide to be adventurous and explore the bustling city of Harare. The children are able to convince their parents to let them go, and set out for their journey into the unknown. Unfortunately, they go through a period of time where the get kidnapped, escape to an old village, get kidnapped again, escape, and get kind of kidnapped again. Through her book, the author is comparing this new city-way of life to the ways of old Africa, and how people want to live in the past, because they deny the problems of the present.

The city of Harare is modern, high tech, yet deals with the problems that most cities deal with: crime. A problem for all the citizens, gang activity is ever so prevalent. It's an urban jungle. Some people can deal with it, but others can not. Set a side to keep the ways and traditions of the old Africa, many people created a state that is the complete opposite of Harare. People who live there are completely isolated and kept away from modern society. It's as if one took a time machine 200 years in the past. People live in huts, and there isn't a trace of modern ways anywhere: no medicine, no filtered water, and definitely no modern medical practices. With all of this tradition and almost ancient heritage, there is a negative. While Harare has crime, there is very little disease, plenty of food, water and modern medical practices. When the children find refugee here, there is a bit of a culture shock. At first they are amazed, and too feel that they have taken a time machine, but all of the realizations kick in. While trying to live in the past is nice on the outside, what actually occurs is completely different. While the present is difficult to handle some times, there are many advantages too. When trying to live in the past, not only are you denying the future, but you are also disadvantaged to those discoveries found in the present.

The message of this book is very accessible, because many people including myself have had these thoughts. It's easy for one to say that they would rather live in the past, because deep down they know that living in the present is a struggle. Life isn't supposed to be easy. If it were, we wouldn't appreciate how easy it was. Pain and suffering teaches us how to appreciate what's good and what's bad. We need that scale, because it balances life. I realized that while reading the book, and it influenced me to think differently.

Romeo & Juliet: THE MOVIE

This is the film adaption of William Shakespear's, "Romeo and Juliet," by Baz Luhrman. The film takes place in the modern era, but the actors speak in verse, just like in the original version. The film follows the story of Romeo, who falls in love with Juliet. Unfortunately, she is a member of a rival house.

Although I appreciate how the film tries to replicate the language of the original version, it falls short in terms of being believable. While talking in verse seems like a good artistic choice, it ends of leaving the characters seeming dry and scripted. While I like the director of photography's choice of color tone, the film troubles me when there are random speed ramps when panning the camera. This choice almost makes the film seem comedic, and like a Disney movie.  On the brighter side, there are many good things that I like about this movie. I   like how the film uses almost angelic color tones when Romeo is talking, but uses harsh and striking blues when a villain is talking. It's interesting how the film uses the television as vehicle for bringing news and information to the masses in the movie.

In conclusion, there are many negatives to this film, but there are also some positives. The film isn't perfect, but I like how Baz Luhrman managed to reinvent such an old and well known text. Out of all the movies I've ever seen, this is one of the more off beat ones. (2001 Space Odyssey and The Tree of Life) The cinematography was very unique, and so was the film over all. The acting wasn't terrific, but the superb directing definitely made up for that. I'd give the film a 7/10

"The Girl Who Played With Fire," Final Thoughts

"The Girl Who Played With Fire," by Stieg Larsson is the sequel to, "The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo." The first book is an introduction to Lisbeth Salander, Mikael Blomskvist, and the mystery of Harriet Vanger. On the other hand, the sequel explains the events and issues that resulted in Lisbeth being the way she is. It elaborates on what occurrences led to Lisbeth acting so violent towards others, yet it explains why she is so introverted.

As a child, Lisbeth regularly watched her mother being brutally abused by her disgraced father, who has entered and exited Lisbeth's life as often as she would beat someone up or get kicked out of school. There's a direct link to Lisbeth's troubles as an adult, and to her suffering as an adolescent. The actions of Lisbeth's childhood are in no doubt the cause of her shortcomings-leaving Lisbeth with a nonexistence father, a now dead mother, and a sister who is ashamed of her.  Lisbeth become so enraged by her father's abusive ways, that she firebombed his car as he was pulling out of the driveway.  Her father survived, but it forever affect Lisbeth for the rest of her life.

Lisbeth is the way she is, because of her childhood. That's nothing new.  It's the destructive way of how it affected her that is so troubling. This reminds me of kindergarden, when the teacher told us that we should think before we speak. It's not that we should think before we speak, but that we need to realize how our actions affect our consequences. There is no greater example of that saying than in this book.

Salvador Dali=Awesomeness

"Sleep," by Salvador Dali is a surreal painting from 1937.  I think the painting tries to explain how some people in the world choose to block out the problems of society by choosing to ignore them...thus becoming completely oblivious to life itself.

In the center of the painting, there is a large pseudo-human face that is suspended by U-shaped wooden poles. The area around the face seems to be a frozen waste land with a castle in the background. I think that the purpose of the proximity between the castle and the face was to show how the castle is a center of people and realization, while around the face is basically nothing...meaning that the face is possibly isolated from life. The wooden sticks suspending the face are an example of how society is trying to break the face's isolation, by supporting it instead of letting it fall into complete separation.

When Salvador Dali painted this image 75 years ago, I think that he had the intention of explaining his possible struggles with being anti-social. Sometimes at night I look into the stars and think that I'm just a tiny little thing in a vast universe of a trillions. I think of space and the Earth and think that it's just one planet in a myriad of solar systems.  This painting explains that in reality,  people try to block out that realization; they think that the only thing in life that matters is themselves. I think that's what the picture's trying to demonstrate.

And The All-Star Mentor Is...

The All-Star Mentor is Alex Casimir. Go give him some love at <http://fsab2011.blogspot.com/2011/12/jack-gantos-mistakes-into-sucess.html>

I chose Alex as my All-Star mentor, because I think that his blog post exemplifies what a blogpost should look like. Alex does a great job of getting his message across, and his also does it very well. I don't think that Alex's blogposts are perfect, but I can tell that he puts a lot of hard work into them. This is the reason why I chose his as my All-Star Mentor. 

The Girl Who Played With Fire...and other things.

The Girl Who Played with Fire, by Stieg Larsson so far seems to continue the same themes and issues as the first book in the series. The subjects of sadism, rape, and all of those other morbid topics appear to be just as prevalent in the first book as the second. I feel that the first book heavily concentrated on the issues focusing around the disappearance of Harriet Vanger, while the second book seems to focus more on the personal life of Lisbeth Salander's and how her life translates to the real world.

In the first book we learned that Salander is an introverted, wild, and just plain weird person, however, we never really learned or understood why she was this way. We know that she was put in a foster home when she was younger, but we don't know why. I only know that this time period in her life is called "All the evil." I'm not sure of what this exactly means, but I can speculate that she was probably abused as a child since it's a very sensitive topic. If Salander was abused as a child, it seems to have affected her greatly: she's a loner, and doesn't trust anyone. It's as if being abused lost all of Salander's hope in society; that's why she's probably the way she is now. It's like she has Post Dramatic Stress Disorder and whenever anyone asks her about her personal life, she shuts up. To compensate for her short comings, she becomes a sex addict. My only reasoning behind is that it gives her a sense dominance that was possibly taken away from her when she was younger.

In conclusion, I've come across the idea that these books weren't just written to be entertaining. It's pretty clear to me that this book and the other books alike were written with a specific agenda in mind. It's obvious to me that these books were written to bring awareness to a serious issue that our society faces today: human rights. It's about how powerful people take advantage of vulnerable people, such as prostitutes or illegal immigrants, and exploit them unjustly and immorally. This is true in all of society, and it's an excellent point that Stieg Larsson makes.

RAPE (The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo)

"The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo," by Stieg Larsson is starting to get to a point where I can't put the book  down. It has action, violence, suspense, and just about everything else you can imagine. The investigation of Harriet Vanger is in full sale, and Bloomkvist is enlisting the help of Salander to help with research.

What I found the most interesting was the fact before each chapter, the page said that in Sweden, 13% of women were sexually abused by their boyfriend.  I think that this is one of the themes of the book, since Lisbeth Salander struggled was personally affected by this. To expand, my first idea of the book was how big business was taking advantage of the middle class; it seems that the issue now is how people take  advantage of other people for personal gain.

It first started with someone deliberately giving incorrect info to Mikael Bloomkvist; it's continuing with Lisbeth getting raped by her guardian/trustee that was appointed by the government; Now it's proceeding with  Mikael dealing with the murder of Harriet Vanger.  This book is no doubt crazy, however, it is extremely entertaining and thought provoking. Beneath the captivating story line, there's something deeper, more meaningful in this book than that.