Frederick Douglass Conclusion and Thank You

Ms. C---
Thank You for picking Frederick Douglass and Huck Finn for us to read. I enjoyed Frederick Douglass a lot more than I thought I would. Actually I really, really, enjoyed the book. That's hard to admit because I am not usually a fan of "hardcore-nonfiction." I need a bit of fiction mixed in to make it readable but, Frederick Douglass wrote so the truth was the strongest and most fascinating thing to read. He wrote history that touched me 150 years later and will continue to affect people and opinions for the next 1000 years. Anyways, thanks for the introduction to his great work. Do you have any recommendations for other well written works of nonfiction? I'd appreciate any ideas, summer is coming up. As you are aware summer is prime reading time.

By the way, I have enjoyed most all the books I've read from your shelves. You have good taste.

The Great Gatsby versus Stuart Little.

F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, is much better than E. B. White's Stuart little. Even though I have yet to finish The Great Gatsby I am much more intrigued than I was as I read Stuart Little. The characters are more developed and round while Stuart Little seems like 1950's child version of Ratatouille the 2007 animated film. There lies the problem, when my sister and I were little, say ages 8 and 6 we received Stuart Little for Christmas from Auntie Kate. She lives in New York and always gave us the best books purchuased from a used book store near the New York Public Library. The books always had a New York city theme to them but, that's not important infact none of that is but anyways, she read it to us one visit when Rae and I were sent there. It didn't live up my expectations when I read it last week. It's so simple and the font is so large. The story was so short yet went on forever in away that is better read to small children night upon night. The Great Gatsby also placed in New York is older litterally and figuratively? I mean 1920's and meant for an older crowd. It's now easier to connect to it. Believe or not there is cheating in relationships in highschool and all around otherwise. I guess you may not see it but,yeah.. it's there. People screw up in very adult ways starting early. Those things may have existed but, the kid that read Stuart Little didn't have to think about that. That's the changing ways I've accepted and today The Great Gatsby is simply more fitting.

The Great Gatsby

So far: I have read to page 128 and now will give my opinion of Gatsby as the people in the book are so fond of doing.
Jay Gatsby is:
A man of the times.
A man in love.
A man of probably poor roots.
A man in the right place at the right time.
A man unsure of himself.
A man who could be a sad loser or a winner.
A man as unrealistic as his house.
A man confused with life.
A man that allows lies to be conceived.
A man that thrives off the lies built around him
A man that needs psychological help for his obsession that has lead to stalking of Daisy.
A man whom religion doesn't affect and only limits (marriage vows).
A man that could use a dog or an angry ex-girlfriend either one would work both, are very distracting.
A man of extreme patience and calculation.
A man of great taste.
A man with in society's watchful eye.
A man who heart is misshaped, malformed and probably will break.
A man who is confusing and whom I would never date.
A man that shows off.
A man who has a nice car that I may be jealous of.
Amen

The explanation for E.B. White's ending of Stuart Little.

I was looking up Stuart Little to find the date the movie was produced and to my surprise I found out why the book ended so quickly. Apparently, E.B. White was a hypochondria. He thought that death was soon approaching him. So he quickly finished up the book. The amusing thing is he wasn't sick, in fact, he lived another 40 years after publishing Stuart Little. The un-amusing thing is the book is unfinished. The ending is not at all satisfactory, it's abrupt and strange. He doesn't find the bird, gets rejected by a girl, and is a regular little ol' fool who can't make up his mind or stay out of trouble. No "American dream" or beautiful ending with lost-love found. This is a rushed ending, the work of someone who believes they won't be alive tomorrow. Especailly the last parageraphs where the telephone poll repair man is talking about all that he's seen and done. The beautiful wonders he's seen and how at peace he is with traveling to an unknown place and time. Full of hidden messages and sort of sad acceptance of life. Terrible and funny because White doesn't die for another 40 years.

Stuart Little

This book is not at all the same as the movie. There are many discrepancies in the stories. The only similar story is the sailing story, but even that is different.... in the movie his brother's boat is broken by a little boy-jerk and the steering and navigation is unable to be fixed so Stuart drives the boat in a race. In this book he asks to go on a random man's boat and sails it through a miniature storm. He also always seems to be in trouble of sorts either he is locked in the fridge or wrecking a small invisible car. The biggest difference is the bird Margalo. In the 1999 movie version, the bird is a bad guy and steals his mother's diamond ring because the evil hawk is forcing her to do so rather than Margalo leaving Stuart Little's house after she receives a warning from a pigeon that over heard plans of Margalo's "assassination" by Snowbell the cat. In this book Margalo never tells Stuart that she is leaving. He is heartbroken at her sudden disappearance. Stuart makes a rash decision to find her and sets off. Eventually he acquires a car and travels the state of New York stopping here and there to have adventures as he looks for her. The book ends quickly and He never finds her. Infact he finds another hot girl who he crashes a canoe with. Strange.

E.B. White Stuart Little.

On July, 11 E. B. White will be 110. His work has been appreciated ever since 1922 when he began writing for Cornell University. He later began working for The New Yorker and submitted poems sketches and editorials. In 1938 he left to write from Harpers Magazine where his essays for Harper's were later published in a book I own called One Man's Meat. My dad says it's very good but, I have enough to read... so you can count on some later blogs about E.B White and essays. I have just read his only book that resembles a child book called Stuart Little. I was later made into a movie. You probably saw it. It has Hugh Laurie in it, as the boy's father. Anyways, this book was a lot stranger than I remembered. I mean, Mrs. Little gave birth to him rather than him being adopted from an orphanage. How terrible, to give birth to a mouse, you expect a ugly little grimiln looking child but, instead you received/ give birth to a mouse. I guess it could be related to something such as having a child with Downe Sydrone. You pretned they are normal for their benefit but, make specail allowances and make decisions with the realization that your life will never the same.