Irish Book Awards Essays

  • John Boyne's Life and Accomplishments

    864 Words  | 2 Pages

    Absolutist/Writing). The multi-award winning author has written nine novels and four children’s books. He also has around seventy short stories. His novels are written in forty-six different languages including Brail. He is dedicated to his work and has been all of his life. There are no signs of him stopping anytime soon. John Boyne was born on April 30th, 1971 in Dublin, Ireland. Boyne was always a great reader growing up, taking after his parents. “My life has always been filled with books and I never wanted

  • Joy Harjo (1951--)

    1460 Words  | 3 Pages

    Joy Harjo (1951--) Joy Foster was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma on May 9th, 1951 to Wynema Baker and Allen W. Foster. She is an enrolled member of the Creek tribe, and is also of Cherokee, French, and Irish descent. Descended from a long line of tribal leaders on her father’s side, including Monahwee, leader of the Red Stick War against Andrew Jackson, she often incorporates into her poetry themes of Indian survival amidst contemporary American life. In 1970, at the age of 19, with the blessings

  • The Dumbing Down of American Fiction

    4710 Words  | 10 Pages

    than three percent of you even read books!" he shouts messianically--and then promptly collapses from a sort of apoplexic overload. Almost twenty years later, contemplating the contemporary American publishing scene, I feel a Bealean rage coming on (and with it a vague longing for one of his fits).While three percent of the American population in 1976 would have been a little over six million readers, recent surveys suggest that the consistent buyers of books in this country now total no more than

  • Dr. Daniel J. Boorstin: Great American Author and Historian

    787 Words  | 2 Pages

    Dr. Daniel J. Boorstin: Great American Author and Historian Dr. Daniel J. Boorstin (1914- ) holds many honorable positions and has received numerous awards for his notable work. He is one of America's most eminent historians, the author of more than fifteen books and numerous articles on the history of the United States, as well as a creator of a television show. His editor-wife, Ruth Frankel Boorstin, a Wellesley graduate, has been his close collaborator. Born in Atlanta, Georgia,

  • Analysis of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

    809 Words  | 2 Pages

    first-person narrative story of Arnold Spirit Jr., a 14-year-old Native American teenager, and the events in his life about pursuing his dreams. This book is a semi-autobiographical novel and it has won the 2007 U.S. National Book Award for Young People's Literature and the Odyssey Award as best 2008 audiobook for young people. The language in this book is simple, humorous and spontaneous, however, tragedies have played a more important part than comedies. The famous novelist C. S. Lewis once said:

  • Dionne Brand's Blues Spiritual for Mammy Prater and Margaret Atwood's This Is a Photograph of Me

    958 Words  | 2 Pages

    Whether referring to a poem, a situation or someone in particular, we as a society are told not to judge a book by its cover, not to judge someone until getting to know him or her, or without discovering the underlying message. In Dionne Brand’s, Blues Spiritual for Mammy Prater and Margaret Atwood’s, This Is a Photograph of Me, both texts must be looked at in-depth before jumping to any conclusions. Both authors incorporate photography to paint a picture for their readers. By doing so, Brand defines

  • The Writing of Stephen King

    1557 Words  | 4 Pages

    won many awards including the Medal of Distinguished Contribution to American Letters, 6 Bram Stoker awards, 6 Horror Guild awards, 5 Locus Awards, 3 World Fantasy Awards (including a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004), the 1996 O. Henry award, a Hugo Award in 1982 for the non-fiction Danse Macabre. He was given a Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 by the Horror Writers' Association and, controversially, a Medal for Distinguished Contribution to American Letters from the National Book Foundation

  • Perma Red and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian: A Comparison and Analysis

    1281 Words  | 3 Pages

    Perma Red and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Over the course of the past semester we have read several books about Native American’s and their culture. The two books I found to be the most interesting were Perma Red by Debra Magpie Earling, and The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. In each story we see a young person from a reservation dealing with their Native Identities, Love, Loss and everything in between. Both of these novels have their similarities

  • “Inclusion in Today’s Literary Canon”

    1278 Words  | 3 Pages

    written several books that have become number one sellers. His books have spawned a multimedia franchise laying a basis for TV shows, movies, and best-selling novels. King has an infinite number of short stories, published novels and movies created from his originality. Additionally, he keeps the use of vibrant and vivid detail that is set in a pragmatic each day place (Bloom 54). King was born in Portland Maine in 1947 (Schweitzer 9). Commonly known as the master of horror, his books have been published

  • Gwendolyn Brooks Research Paper

    527 Words  | 2 Pages

    girl's growing up in Chicago) was published and received the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1950. Gwendolyn Brooks would become the first African American women to receive the award in poetry. Quickly did she know that her book would create several additional opportunities for her life. President John Kennedy invited her to read the book at a Library of Congress poetry festival in 1962. (Poemhunter.com) Gwendolyn Brooks would use her talents and writing experience to help others most specifically college

  • Story Of A Girl Essay

    1047 Words  | 3 Pages

    “This is a hell of a good book.” Chris Cutcher, who is an author himself said that about a book called Story of A Girl by Sara Zarr. In the book, Deanna Lambert got caught in the back of her boyfriend Tommy’s Buick by her dad. Now, she is sixteen, and she still has to deal with not only her dad hating her, but being called the slut in her school. She wants to escape her life that is defined by her past. Her brother and his girlfriend live in the basement with their baby, and they are the only people

  • A Face in Every Window by Han Nolan

    1351 Words  | 3 Pages

    Window by Han Nolan You know how they say never to judge a book by its cover? Well, that is what I find myself doing before most books I read. Whether it is an assigned book as a class, or a choice book we have to read on our own. I usually look forward to books with a catchy cover or an interesting title, and those are the books I look forward to reading. Books with a boring cover or a title I don't find interesting are usually the books I dread reading the most. I don't know why I do this, I guess

  • Eagle Poem

    1130 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Explication” In the poem by Joy Harjo called “Eagle Poem,” Harjo talks about prayer and life and how they revolve around mother-nature. She suggests that while being one with nature, we feel we are in a place in which we haven’t imagined and the things in which we would love to do in that magnificent and calming place. After one reads the poem, he/she enjoys the lyrical type of it. This is because “Eagle Poem” sticks to one idea and extends it throughout the entire poem. For instance, it talks

  • When We Dead Awaken

    748 Words  | 2 Pages

    out of control. I have to disagree and consider her as a writer with controlled thoughts who refuses to be defined by what society says is politically correct. This is shown in part of her statement when she accepts the national book award. “We together accept this award in the name of all women whose voices have gone and still go unheard in a patriarchal world, and in the name of those who, like us, have been tolerated as token women in this culture, often at great cost and in great pain. We dedicate

  • Angela's Ashes Analysis

    1360 Words  | 3 Pages

    Ashes received multiple national awards such as “Winner Of The Pulitzer Prize” in 1997, “Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award” in 1996, and “The Los Angeles Times Book Award” in 1996. The history behind Angela’s Ashes was it took place during The Great Depression. The Great Depression was a time period where

  • Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt

    506 Words  | 2 Pages

    Book Review Angela’s Ashes by Frank McCourt I read the book Angela's Ashes and I was truly amazed that it was true. I love reading about the old days and this is a book about Frank McCourt (the author) misfortunes during his childhood in Limerick, Ireland. It is sad at times and you can’t think "this is only a book" but still the best read in a long time. Angela's Ashes is written from the perspective of Angela's first-born son, Francis McCourt, the author of the novel. Angela and her

  • Worldviews In Conflict Pearcey

    702 Words  | 2 Pages

    credible because they both have knowledge and experience regarding the topic and researched various parts of the topic using reliable sources. Along with this essay, Charles Colson has written thirty books which have received much praise among the Christian community. He has also received many awards including the Templeton Prize for Progress in Religion in 1993, the Presidential Citizen's Medal As society continues to change, it is important for Christians to realize that they must respond in new

  • The Woman Warrior

    1116 Words  | 3 Pages

    The Woman Warrior Maxine Hong Kingston's The Woman Warrior discusses her and her mother Brave Orchid's relationship. On the surface, the two of them seem very different however when one looks below the surface they are very similar. An example of how they superficially seem different is the incident at the drug store when Kingston is mortified at what her mother makes her do. Yet, the ways that they act towards others and themselves exemplifies their similarities at a deeper level. Kingston

  • Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior - No Name Woman

    735 Words  | 2 Pages

    Maxine Hong Kingston's Woman Warrior - No Name Woman The excerpt, "No Name Woman", from Maxine Hong Kingston's book, Woman Warrior, gives insight into her life as a Chinese girl raised in America through a tragic story of her aunt's life, a young woman raised in a village in China in the early 1900s. The story shows the consequences beliefs, taught by parents, have on a child's life. Kingston attempts to figure out what role the teachings of her parents should have on her life, a similar attempt

  • Macon's Change in Anne Tyler's The Accidental Tourist

    1447 Words  | 3 Pages

    reflects his very nature to the tee. Macon is a 'travel writer for people who hate to travel' (Sheppard 78). Trying to make his readers feel at home away from home, Macon tells a traveler ?how to see as little of a city as possible? (Prescott 92). The book even tells where to find American restaurants in order to stay away from the change one would have to go through to eat foreign food. Incidentally, Macon often shortens his itinerary so that he can get home and back to the regular routine. At home