Blog #6 Readicide

Gallagher brings up many interesting ideas as he talks about Readicide. His points really make you think about the two types of reading: for school and for enjoyment. I believe that Readicide is a major problem. Schools give us these books that are literary fiction, filled with a bunch of content that we don’t understand and feel as if it is our duty to know what it means. They go on to teach us how to comprehend these boring books from ancient times. What’s the point of it? In our real world job, nobody is going to need to know about Shakespeare’s religious metaphors and the figurative language in Macbeth. That doesn’t fuel our imagination or make us any smarter. It simply helps us read old books. This in my opinion is completely and utterly useless. It’s like we’ve been scarred as readers. After reading a literary fiction book in school and having an awful time analyzing every single sentence trying to figure out its’ meaning, we’re NEVER going to want to do it again, especially not for our own enjoyment. No one will say, “Wow, I loved having to figure out every little detail in Romeo and Juliet, I’m going to go read even more Shakespeare.” That’s unrealistic if they think that’s what students do. Some people don’t even read due to the emotional process they were dragged through at school. The people who do read, read genre fiction. Books that they enjoy reading, which they wouldn’t mind having to annotate or do projects on. They read books that inspire and excite them, not bore them to death. We learn valuable lessons from these books rather than knowing the difference between an allusion and symbolism. But, since the joy of reading a good book was killed by our education system, nobody would know the bliss of reading a good book that you can read by yourself and actually enjoy.  

Book One Project

Thirteen Reasons Why: Tapes & Map

If you’re craving more 13 Reasons Why, today is your lucky day. We have the perfect thing for you. We are now offering a copy of Hannah’s tapes to extend your relationship with the book. You can listen to these tapes to really connect with Hannah on a different level. Also you’ll be able to feel the same emotions as Clay did when he listened to them.

In 13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher, Hannah Baker leaves behind 13 explaining why she took her life. The novel follows Clay Jensen and his experiences as he listens to the tapes and tries to figure out how he fits into Hannah’s story. While the audience is reading they can use the copy of Hannah’s tapes to follow along with the book. Instead of just reading, “But now, I hope you understand. My world was collapsing,” you can hear it in Hannah’s own voice. This product offers all 13 tapes read by a 16 year old girl who can portray the emotion Hannah would have had while recording the tapes to make it more legitimate. Along with the tapes you will also receive a map of the town and pictures of the places Hannah talked about and Clay visited. When Hannah says, “Our first red star can be found at C-4,” you can use your map and pictures to enhance the reading experience. So, in the story when Clay goes to, “E-5… The best ice cream and the greasiest burgers and fries around. Rosie’s Diner,” you can visit it with him to have more of a visual understanding of what he’s going through. You can even look at pictures of the seat where Hannah waited for Marcus to show up. This takes the book to a whole new level of reading. It will submerge you in the story and get you lost in it even more than before, which is exactly what the fans are looking for.

This idea will work because people who read this book love emotion and this opportunity gives them even more. It’ll make more people want to read it because it’s different from a normal book. A lot of people want more than just a simple read. They want something more exciting, and the tapes do exactly that. Also, the tapes, maps and pictures will cause the fans who have already read it to read it again. They can grow even fonder to the book and the author. Fans are going to want more from the author and buy more of her books. 

All in all, this package of the 13 tapes and the map with pictures, will attract new readers and makes fans fall even more in love with 13 Reasons Why.

Adapting I am Number Four into a movie

          Some challenges the director would face in the recreation of I am Number Four into a movie would be adding more dialogue. The book has a lot of moments where Number 4 is thinking about things and not really talking outloud. The director would have to find a way to have more talking and interraction going on rather then him just dwelling on his own thoguhts. He'd also probably have a hard time capturing all of the book into a two hour film considering it is a pretty lengthy book that takes place over a period of time. He'd probably have to fast forward through a lot of parts in the book.
       
          In adapting this book, it's really important to keep most of the characters considering there isn't that many. Most of them contribute to the story a lot and would take away from the plot if they weren't in it. You also need to keep a lot of the fights that go on because they have a large importance to the novel. They are what make the book so excititng. Also, you'd definetly have to keep the relationship between 4 and Sarah because that adds something to the movie to make it attractive to both genders and not just have constant fighting going on. It also adds more conflict.
       
         There are some things you could get rid of that don't matter to the story are the part where 4 and henry have the long road trip to Ohio because it's pretty boring and meaningless. You could also take out the parts where 4 is training in his backyard becaus nothing important happens and it wouldn't take away from the plot.

         

How I'm liking my book so far

I’m reading 13 Reason Why and so far I love it. It’s a very emotional story of a suicide and really gets me to feel things I don’t normally. The plot is interesting because it switches between Hannah talking on the tapes and to the person who is listening to them. I was expecting to really enjoy it and I definitely do.  It’s a lot different than previous books I read but it captivates you. I really suggest reading it I you like kind of mystery/love/tragedy type novels.

What is a book?

A book is an experience. A book creates this new scenario for you to follow. You get involved with characters and begin to feel the same emotions they feel. For example, when a character dies you feel the same pain as people in the book do. So in a way, books kind of give you another life. They introduce you too new people, build new relationships, and create new events that you’ll only experience in a book. What I’ve come to realize is that when I’m faced with a situation that has happened in a book that I’ve read; I have a better understanding of it. I feel like I’ve dealt with it before and can get through it easier. That’s why a book is an experience. It gives you knowledge of events that haven’t happened in your life which is pretty cool. If you read enough, you probably know about a lot more life lessons than a person who doesn’t read because they don’t have the experience that the book gave to you.  

                I’m a very sentimental person, so I sided with the authors who were saying that having a book is more of a physical thing. It’s the actual feel and smell and look of a book that make me love to read. I like the feeling of holding it in my hand and being able to see how much I’ve read and how much I have left. For me, e-readers take away the reading experience because I’m looking at my phone all day so reading on my phone doesn’t feel like anything special. It’s when I actually take the time to get out a book that I feel like I’m reading. Plus there are distractions on phones that cause you to read for a shorter period of time. With an actual hard cover book you get lost in it and connect with the story at a greater level. I’m not completely against reading on things like an iPad or phone because of their convenience, but given the choice I’d always pick a physical book.

Why I Read

I read because it fuels my imagination, as I'm reading a good book I get lost in it. It helps me relax yet entertains me at the same time. Reading helps me learn new vocabulary and find out things I didn't know before. It's also a good way to pass time without getting bored. When I’m reading a good book I get very involved with the characters and build relationships with them. You know a book is really good when you never want to put it down. That’s what I experienced with Water for Elephants. I was at the lake all weekend and unfortunately it was bad weather and there were no TV’s around. To fill this time, I began reading and I couldn’t stop. The book had cliff hangers at the end of every chapter and I refused to lay it down for even a second. For me, that’s why I read. I read so I can have fun with something as simple as a story, so I can explore new possibilities I never thought could happen and so I can take time out of my busy schedule to enjoy something that puts me at ease. That’s why I read.