March 2015 archive

Dorothy Must Die

dorothy2By far, this is one of the more intriguing book titles that I have read in a while. And this was one of the more intriguing books I’ve read in a while, as well.
How many of you blog readers have seen the classic movie (or read the book), The Wizard of Oz? Or one of the adaptations, such as the much-loved Broadway musical dorothy1Wicked? Or even the more recent Disney movie, Oz the Great and Powerful?

Here’s a quick synopsis of each.
-The Wizard of Oz: “When a nasty neighbor tries to have her dog put to sleep, Dorothy takes her dog Toto, to run away. A cyclone appears and carries her to the magical land of Oz. Wishing to return, she begins to travel to the Emerald City where a great wizard lives. On her way she meets a Scarecrow who needs a brain, a Tin Man who wants a heart, and a Cowardly Lion who desperately needs courage. They all hope the Wizard of Oz will help them, before the Wicked Witch of the West catches up with them.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032138/plotsummary
-Wicked: “A vivid reimagining of the classic The Wizard of Oz, Wicked spotlights the untold stories of Oz’s most famous (or infamous) characters, namely the Wicked Witch of the West and her unlikely friend, Glinda the Good Witch. The show follows green-skinned star Elphaba from birth to college and through the life-changing events which eventually label her “wicked,” introducing spoiled rich girl Glinda, local prince and heartthrob Fiyero and even the Wizard of Oz himself, a troubled man very unlike the one you may remember.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1262426/plotsummary
-Oz the Great and Powerful: “Oscar Diggs, a small-time circus magician with dubious ethics, is hurled away from dusty Kansas to the vibrant Land of Oz. At first he thinks he’s hit the jackpot-fame and fortune are his for the taking. That all changes, however, when he meets three witches, Theodora, Evanora, and Glinda, who are not convinced he is the great wizard everyone’s been expecting. Reluctantly drawn into the epic problems facing the Land of Oz and its inhabitants, Oscar must find out who is good adorothy3nd who is evil before it is too late. Putting his magical arts to use through illusion, ingenuity-and even a bit of wizardry-Oscar transforms himself not only into the great and powerful Wizard of Oz but into a better man as well.” http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1623205/plotsummary

Both of these adaptations (and I know there are more out there) are great vdorothy5ersions of the original, and while all cannot exist in the same universe, they all offer interesting sides to the classic tale. In this adaptation of the Wizard of Oz, a girl named Amy Gumm is an unwilling protagonist (at first) when she is swept up by a tornado. In this story, the classic tale of Oz is true. The story of Dorothy happened in the past, but something happened afterwards. Now, the Good Witches are untrustworthy, Wicked Witches can be heroes, and everything else is changed. The yellow brick road is crumbling, and winged monkeys are kept as slaves or can be executed for acts of ‘treason’. Why? Dorothy.
Dorothy found a way to return to Oz, and she seized power from Oz’s true ruler. Then the power went to her head, adorothy4nd no one is safe. Amy Gumm has been recruited by the Revolutionary Order of the Wicked, with one mission. Dorothy must die to return happiness and life to the Land of Oz
This might be my favorite version of the Oz story, and I was drawn to the idea of the wicked being good. It brought up interesting ideas of what makes someone wicked, or good, and it was also just a great story to read. Give this book a try, especially if you enjoyed the Wizard of Oz, Wicked, or Oz the Great and Powerful.

Deliberation: Obesity in America

On Monday, March 2, 2015, I was able to attend a deliberation entitled “Weighing the Options: A Deliberation on Obesity in America.” Being an American, this issue immediately interests me, especially when coupled with my commitment to living my life in a healthy way. So here is some background on what a deliberation is, and on the issue of obesity in society today.
This event was put on through Penn State as a part of the Deliberation Nation effort. “The National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation is a network of thousands of innovators who bring people together across divides to tackle today’s toughest challenges. NCDD serves as a gathering place, a resource clearinghouse, a news source, and a facilitative leader for this extraordinary community.” Deliberations are similar to debates, except that they aim to talk through a solution to a tough problem, and are much calmer and less argumentative. This deliberation facilitated an interesting conversation, and it helped me learn more about one of the nation’s biggest health problems.
Although there is no easy solution to this problem, I hope that today’s deliberation was able to help find a solution. The issue of obesity emerged when famine became an uncommon event in the United States. Our bodies are designed to store fat from times of abundance of food, and as we do not need this fat storage any more, we are becoming bigger and bigger on average. Instead of working to hunt and gather for our food, we can go to a fast food chain and easily acquire food. Obesity is a big issue, because it causes many other health issues, not to mention issues with body image and more.
There are many approaches to reducing obesity. This deliberation outlined three different options. Option one focused on subsidies on healthier foods, taxing unhealthy and fast foods, and making obesity-related healthcare more expensive. This would help incentivize people to eat healthier through economic actions. Option two focuses on teaching families, families, and society as a whole to eat healthier and exercise more. This could teach college students how to eat healthy on their own, focus on teaching nutrition ideals in elementary school at an early age, and increasing discussions about nutrition at check-up doctor’s appointments. Option three is a scientific approach to ending obesity. This would work on more research to find who is at risk for obesity, and on changing one’s metabolism through genetic modification.
While all of these solutions offer valid answers to the issue of the obesity epidemic in America, I have reached a personal decision on the best way (in my opinion) to solve this problem. I am no expert, however, so my opinions are to be taken with a grain of salt. I think the most important way to challenge obesity is to change the behavior of people in America. I think economic actions could contribute to this, as could increasing research and scientific advancements, but the main focus on this initiative should be on education and changing the psychological and social aspects of food and eating. I think the best way to solve this issue is to combine all three of these approaches. Once we change the way people behave with food and nutrition, this can help to change the willpower of Americans struggling with obesity, and can lead the way to a healthier future.
For more information on deliberations, visit http://ncdd.org/.

Post Spring Break Book Wonder

What did you do over your spring break? Let me guess… you watched (at least) three seasons of your new favorite show on netflix, you ate as much free food provided by your parents as you could (you don’t have to swipe your ID for dinner if it is made by mom!), slept in until noon each day (or later), and halfheartedly finished a few homework assignments on Sunday night, right before they’re due at midnight.

Was that close to what you did over break? I am going to guess that a lot of college students spent their spring breaks pretty closely to the scenario that I just described. However, I did not spend my spring break quite that way. Over spring break, I finished all of my homework and studying as soon as possible (yes, I am one of those non-procrastinator people, sorry if that freaks you out), slept in (but not until noon, I am also one of those mythical morning people, sorry if that freaks you out, too), and spent a lot of my free time reading. I think there is no better way to relax and de-stress after half of the semester is over, and as a result, I read for fun over break. I read a lot. It was absolutely lovely.

Now if you spent your whole break not reading at all, I pity you just a tiny bit (seriously, reading is so enjoyable! I do not understand how people can have so much free time and not read—the idea just blows my mind). But you can still read for fun dtimeuring the semester, even if you’re pretty busy with classes and clubs and everything. We are all busy, but it is possible to find time to read during the semester. I do it all the time. If you want to try reading something this semester, here is my newest recommendation. I read it over break, and I really enjoyed it. Perhaps some of you have heard about it. My focus of today’s blog is the book: The Time Traveler’s Wife, written by Audrey Niffenegger.

This book is longer than the usual books I review (518 pages), but don’t let that scare you away! I promise you will love this book. Well maybe. Not everyone has to love the books that I love, but it is so well written and interesting that I think most people would at least like it, if only a little bit.

As the title might give away, this book does involve a time traveler, and his wife. Big surprise. Clare, a willful art student/sculptor, first meets Henry, a librarian, when she is six and Henry is thirty six. They get married when Clare is twenty three and Henry is thirty one. How is this possible?

Everyone has different genetic codes that make up their DNA, but Henry’s is even more different from mine, yours, or Clare’s. His DNA causes him to have “Chrono-Displacement Disorder”, a condition where his genetic clock randomly changes and causes him to “time travel” at unpredictable moments in time. With Henry uncontrollably moving throughout time—sometimes disappearing for minutes, hours, or longer—can Clare and Henry live a normal life together? How will their marriage and relationship survive?

What does it mean to love someone regardless of time or age? If you love someone in one time, will you love them in the past or present or future?

Watch the movie trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USUDlMBR-dQ

Eleanor and Park

Okay, I gotta admit something. This is totally not the kind of book that I usually read. I tend to like young adult novels and books that are about dystopian societies, mysteries, strong characters, etc. They tend to be much darker than the kind of book that this one is. Eleanor and Park, written by Rainbow Rowell (who has an awesome first name, by the way), is a young adult novel. But Eleanor and Park is a young adult romance novel. Not the kind of novel that I would normally read.park2

Nevertheless, this novel was extraordinary. And if you do not believe me, believe the ratings online. On Goodreads, it is rated at an average of 4.17 out of 5 stars by over two hundred and fifty seven thousand readers. Pretty impressive, right?

This book takes place over one school year, and tells the story of two misfits who fall in love (big surprise there, as this is a young adult romance novel). It is beautiful and lovely and wonderful, and not at all overly mushy or sappy (which I absolutely hate). But how do these two misfits meet, and will it work out between them? First love almost never lasts, do Eleanor and Park have the right relationship?park 1

I apologize. This is sounding really sappy. I don’t know how to describe this book without making it sound all sappy and lovey-dovey. Let me include some quotes describing the characters.

“Eleanor… Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough…Eleanor.

Park… He knows she’ll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There’s a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises…Park.”

This novel includes some non-romancey elements, too. It deals with some quite intense topics, as well. Both of the protagonists are misfits, and this touches on the issue (this should not be an issue) of mixed race children, as Park is half Korean and half white. Additionally, Eleanor is an outcast, because of her weight. The two live in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1986, and form their friendship over mix tapes and comic books. They meet on the school bus. (Why didn’t I meet my true love on a school bus in high school? I ended up sitting up next to delinquents and drug dealers on my school bus…no fair). Their relationship, and this novel, was honest, touching, funny, and hopeful all at once. The book also touches on ‘serious’ issues, such as domestic and child abuse, bullying, body image, and racism. It is not just a flouncy, romance novel. It has a real substance.

One of my favorite quotes about this book describes it perfectly: Eleanor & Park “reminded me not just what it’s like to be young and in love with a girl, but also what it’s like to be young and in love with a book.” I did fall in love with this book, and I promise you will, too. It is wonderfully and beautifully written, and it was a fantastic read. Fans of young adult novels (they can be adults, too) will definitely enjoy this read. I promise!