Sherman Alexie 13 Reasons Why

350 Words1 Page
bulb-icon

Recommended: Judging a book by its cover essay

"Don’t judge a book by its cover", a banal phrase that has taken root in society in order to instill into individuals the notion that the value of a person or item cannot be determined by its external appearance. What if this illustrious phrase was extended to pertain to authors and their work? Should a book be distinct from the author who wrote it? This is a controversy that has arisen throughout recent times ultimately resulting in a moral dilemma for readers. In his article “Asher and Alexie books among most objected”, author Hillel Italie discuses recent allegations made against Jay Asher’s “Thirteen Reasons Why” and Sherman Alexie’s “The Absolute True Diary of a Part Time Indian". James LaRue, head of the American Library Association’s

Show More
Related

  • Angela's Ashes Ethos

    519 Words  | 2 Pages

    Judging a book by its cover is like judging a person by the words that describe him or her. Some of them are accurate, but the physical being of a person can tell you a story untold. In Frank McCourt’s memoir Angela’s Ashes, the reader witnesses what the description of a single character can do to the voice of a piece. Frank’s use of pathos and characterization when it came to Angela, his mother, spoke volumes in his memoir, but when applied to the big screen, her character was amplified. It was then the reader realized that Angela’s true effect and purpose in Frank’s life was to be his main influence.

    Read More

  • Miss Toshiko Sasaki's Closing The First Chapter Of Hiroshima

    1265 Words  | 3 Pages

    In this influential excerpt closing the first chapter of Hiroshima, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, stunned by the sudden flash of blinding light that entered into her building, is crushed by a case of books while going about her everyday work. This quotation is influential in that books are perceived to be harmless and sort of non-important to the average person like Miss Sasaki, while ending up nearly killing and putting her through a tremendous amount of pain. In the “atomic age” where this novels time period is based, books are only appreciated by certain people; otherwise they are portrayed as very miniscule parts of a person’s life.

    Read More

  • Kurt Vonnegut's 'You Have Insulted Me': Argument Analysis

    848 Words  | 2 Pages

    They beg that people be kinder and more responsible than they often are.” (Vonnegut, Jr.). Vonnegut, Jr. argues that his books were not written to lead young people astray, like the school board believes. He wrote his books to ask people to kinder and more responsible. The school board accuses him of not being the very two things his books ask others to be. Vonnegut, Jr. also writes, “Perhaps you will learn from this that books are sacred to free men for very good reasons, and that wars have been fought against nations, which hate books and burn them. If you are an American, you must allow all ideas to circulate freely in your community, not merely your own.” (Vonnegut, Jr.). He writes that it is every American’s duty to allow all ideas to be spoken freely in the community, not just the ideas that benefit certain people. He argues that books are sacred because they hold ideals and ideas that are very important to free men, who know their importance. Vonnegut, Jr. argues,

    Read More

  • Wideman Vs. Limerick

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    The business of making a book together was new for both of us. Difficult. Awkward. Another book could be constructed about a writer who goes to a prison to interview his bother but comes away with his own story….the inevitible conflict between his role as detached observer and his responsibility as a brother would be at the center of such a book. When I stopped hearing Robby and listened to myself listening, that kind of book shouldered its way into my consciousness. I didn’t like that feeling. That book compromised the intimacy I wanted to achieve with my brother. (Wideman p. 723)

    Read More

  • The Importance Of Power In Fahrenheit 451

    623 Words  | 2 Pages

    “Do you know why books such as this are so important? And what does the word quality mean? To me it means texture. This book has pores.” (79)

    Read More

  • Roger Sherman

    920 Words  | 2 Pages

    Described by Thomas Jefferson as “a man who never said a foolish thing in his life,” Roger Sherman was one of the wisest, most influential Founding Fathers of the United States of America. Although not receiving formal education, Sherman gained a keen cognition through life experiences and self-education. Having honest intention to help the public, Sherman progressed through political positions; he started as the first mayor of New Haven, and finished his career as a senator for Connecticut. In addition, Sherman was the only Founding Father who signed all the most crucial documents in the US history: the Continental Association, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the Constitution of the United

    Read More

  • The Banning Of Books In Schools Case Study

    124 Words  | 1 Pages

    As the book was published and the general public began to read it; different opinions on the book started to come to fruition. “ The controversy began in March 1976 when the chair of the Long Island School Board, Richard J Ahrens, … ordered 60 books to be removed form the Island Tress School District High School Library.”(Nicholas 48). This appears to have caused many individuals and groups great concern. Their concerns mostly appear to be from rights violations. In 1979 a U.S. district court judge ruled that school boards have the right to determine the “suitability” of the content of library materials. Ultimately the courts became involved due to continued disagreements between the school board and those against the banning of the book.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Never Do That To A Book By Fadiman

    282 Words  | 1 Pages

    Fadiman Introduces her opinion of various styles of the physical interaction with books in her autobiography Never Do That to a Book. During a family trip to Copenhagen, Fadiman's older brother left an open book face down on his night stand. When the family returned to the hotel from an outing, they found the book sitting on his bed. The book was closed and held a chastising note from the chambermaid on how to handle a book. Fadiman uses that memory as an opening example to how people treat their beloved books so differently. Fadiman recalls on how her family treated books in her home growing up. Describing how each altercation done to the book marks the special event that particular book was involved in. Fadiman recalls another memory of

    Read More

  • The Power of Kite Runner, by Khaled Hosseini

    2126 Words  | 5 Pages

    Opponents of the Afghan novel argue that only mediocre reviews should be written for a book of this caliber. They have come to the conclusion that the only reason Kite Runner has received such rave reviews and positive feedback is because the United States’ confrontations with the Middle East are fresh in the minds of the readers. Ann Hornaday states that “When it was published in 2003, Kite Runner could not have been better timed, bringing the life and culture of Afghanistan to an America largely wary of the country with which it had gone to war just two years before.” With the war impacting so many Americans there was a frenzy to know about the enemy country. The people felt the desire to know more about the country and they thought that they could gain this information from reading the book. It is argued that if the book had been released before the war with Afghanistan then it would have been reviewed as a subpar novel.

    Read More

  • Review Of The Essay 'How To Mark A Book' By Mortimer J. Adler

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    The first type of book owner is one who has the best sellers, and standards. The second type of book owner is someone who has many great books, some read through, most of them dipped into, but still shiny as new. The third book owner has few to many books, every one of these books used, dilapidated, shaken, loosened, and scribbled into. Adler says the third book owner owns books. “Why is marking up a book indispensable to reading?” Adler asks. Adler goes to answer his question by stating that first, marking up a book keeps the reader awake. Secondly, marking up a book is thinking, and thinking tends to express itself in words, spoken and or written. Lastly, writing lets you remember the thoughts you had, or thoughts the author had. In the closing paragraph of this article Adler states that there is no such thing as speed reading, and that it does not prove our intelligence. Adler says “in the case of good books, the point is not to see how many you can get through, but rather how many can get through to you – how many you can make your own.” Adler closes the article by persuading the reader that books are as much a part of our head, as they are our

    Read More

  • Francine Prose And Theoretical Analysis

    665 Words  | 2 Pages

    At times, what lie beneath the words in books inevitably seem controversial. Most of the books that are taught in schools vary from themes of racial prejudice to abuse, but as students, we are taught to simply skim over the debatable topics. Prose highlights the importance of this problem by stating on page 92, “To read a novel is, for most, an exercise in wish-fulfilment and self-congratulation, a chance to consider thorny issues of race and prejudice from a safe distance.”

    Read More

  • The Catcher and the Rye / Huckleberry Finn

    1241 Words  | 3 Pages

    As a writer, the success of most authors’ comes from their power to convert common thoughts or knowledge into something which can enlighten the reader. An author thrives on being unique and imaginative. With this originality comes differentiation, when one compares two authors who have used the same literary device in their writings, this becomes apparent. J.D Salinger’s writings involve an enormous amount of childhood concepts and loss of innocence. Mark Twain is also known for his use of innocence in his novels, specifically The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Although the concept behind innocence is basically the same with both authors, each author applies his own interpretat...

    Read More

  • Adler's Identification Of Annotations And Notebook By Adler

    203 Words  | 1 Pages

    Adler uses his single organizing principle-- the amount of passion of the book owners by the amount that they have handled, read, and marked up their books-- in order to serve his purpose: to show those who truly show a passion and love for books are the ones that end up “ruining” them the most. Those that fall into the categories of never reading or marking those books reveal no deep thinking or analysis, no sign that he or she has sincerely put any more thought into the book than looking at the words on the page. Annotations and notes are a sign of a deeper level of thought, a sign of taking more out of the book than just the story or words at hand. Through the use of classification, the author can split these types of people into categories.

    Read More

  • The Little Review Analysis

    1799 Words  | 4 Pages

    Anderson’s intentions were clear; she was creating this magazine in order for criticism to be apart of current literary culture, because Anderson felt that, “Criticism as an art has not flourished in this country. We live too swiftly to have time to be appreciative; and criticism, after all, has only one synonym: appreciation.” (Little Review vol.1 issue 1). By the time 1916 came around Anderson already had garnered some favorable attention. That same year Anderson would meet Jane Heap. These two women would become: lovers, coworkers, and essential in the development of an American canonization. Jane Heap joined “The Little Review” in 1916, and although her submissions were few and varied; si...

    Read More

  • My Favorite Book

    919 Words  | 2 Pages

    Hellen Keller once said, "A book is good company. It is full of conversation without loquacity. It comes to your longing with full instruction, but pursues you never." This statement is full of truth because books are certainly a great source of comfort and entertainment to me. For instance, my most cherished book, 'Looking for Alaska', written by John Green makes me experience overwhelming emotions such as joy and sadness, and it also gives me a nice laugh. The tiny details this book possesses makes the book my all-time favorite due to the fact that it has its own personality. For one thing, the outside cover of the edition has unique hues, art, and even rugged edges from years of late-night reading sessions. Also, the inside of the book adds extra charisma because of its ripped pages and musty aroma. Equally important, the storyline is the most crucial aspect of the composition of this book because the characters bring life and meaning to the pages. In other words, my favorite book (inside and out) floods me with a sense of luxury, enjoyment, and imagination every time I crack open the cover.

    Read More

More about Sherman Alexie 13 Reasons Why

Open Document