Shelby

The story starts off with Ed Kennedy, a 19 year-old cab driver who is widely known as a “loser” or no one special. He is disrespected by many but his love interest Audrey makes life seem all worth it. Audrey, however, doesn't believe in love despite having many boyfriends and not having the best reputation when it comes to her promiscuous relationships with men. Audrey always tells Ed that she doesn't want to be with him because she likes him too much and won't risk losing their friendship. It all seems a little like life is going nowhere for Ed until one day he is in the midst of a horribly organized bank robbery and saves the lives of others when he points the gun at the robber. Shortly after, he receives a series of addresses and times written on playing cards and feels like someone has assigned him a sort of mission. After a short while of uncertainty, Ed follows through and decides to visit these addresses and to his horror, he is witnessing various moments and degrees of injustice. He feels compelled to act, but how? And more importantly, Ed is wondering why him? In a slightly predictable ending, Ed comes to “find” himself through these assignments, along with finding out the mastermind behind it all. It ends with a happy romance, as Ed and Audrey end up getting together. Although some parts of the end were predictable and satisfying, another part left me feeling slightly baffled. For the most part, Zusak provides us with a unique tale of the journey from an unlikely loser hero to someone who transforms into themselves and becomes a better person as a result of his journey.

This was one of two or three books I actually read in high school. What makes this book so compelling is that it is based on a true story of a young man's life that abandons most of his belongings, leaves behind the life he once lived to be in the wild. Alex McCandless was intelligent and had everything he needed for a successful life lived in the traditional way. McCandless, however, was not traditional by any means. He had different ideologies than many, provoking him to live a life away from civilization, within the wilderness. Jon Krakauer flawlessly describes the timeline of events of McCandless' journey. Through the stories of others who encountered McCandless, Krakauer beautifully captures the mystery to his character, his thirst for adventure, and his need to abandon society in search for a better life. The story of Alex Supertramp is unlike anything you will probably ever read or see in a movie, and the fact that it is all true makes it that much more astounding. Everyone needs to give this book a read, and it will be difficult to put down. This is not just a simple re-telling of a story, it is much more than that. Krakauer undoubtedly does justice to the life of Alex Supertramp.

This recount of a whirlwind love affair turned legal battle set in Renaissance Florence is intriguing, to say the least. When one considers the traditional gender roles and marriage customs of the era, it is clear that this is no traditional love story. Lusanna, a woman of the artisan class, was widely regarded as exquisitely beautiful by her many suitors. Giovanni was one of Lusanna's many suitors who pined after her despite the fact that Lusanna was married. The affair occurred over many years and created quite the controversy throughout Florence, some rumors referring to Lusanna as promiscuous. The affair wasn't meant to be, Giovanni desired to marry another woman, but Lusanna claimed they were still married. Due to a woman's lower social status than men in this age, hardly anyone believed her. Lusanna, however, was determined to prove those who were against her wrong and went to court. Lusanna's defiance of the traditional gender roles and stubborn determination is what makes this historic love turned legal affair as recounted by Brucker extremely compelling. Brucker provides a great flow of events and background to the story that even those unfamiliar with the essence of Renaissance Florence will appreciate his retelling.