Book Review: The Scythe by Neal Shusterman

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Foretelling a possible dystopian future, the Scythe features a world of immorality ruled by a sentient, all-knowing AI called the Thunderhead. However, death is still a necessity for humans as a result of the overpopulation on earth, causing humanity to form the scythes—similar to real-life grim reapers. They are chosen from billions of humans to kill anybody they wish—be it mass murder or a public execution—and are not under the control of the Thunderhead. Featuring Citra Terranova, a newly appointed scythe apprentice, she navigates her conscience through a world a murder as she competes for the scythe position against a fellow scythe apprentice she might have to kill.

The Scythe is a heart wrenching story that leaves people wondering if this could possibly happen in the future given Earth’s direction towards AI. The author beautifully characterizes the motives and backstories all plot characters, leaving no plot hole overturned.

What I loved the most was rather than telling the obvious story of overthrowing the ‘tyrannical rule’ of the scythes, we learn the scythes’ story instead. While many people feared the scythes, not all scythes were willing to become one, similar to Citra’s situation. As a scythe, they needed to leave behind their humanity and family and walk a solitary path alone as a murderer. But even through all that, they’re still human. The author cleverly details the inner struggles of many scythes who committed suicide due to their conscience, others who lavished in the power, and finally some who killed with compassion.

Additionally, many political schemes arise in the scythe world as beliefs over mass execution vs. private murder clash. What lengths would humans go through with the power to kill anyone?

Overall, this is one of my favorite dystopian books and I would definitely recommend to anyone interested in dystopian!

The Scythe by Neal Shusterman is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

The House on Mango Street

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The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is a classic book that I believe should be read by everyone, of any age. This novel is composed of short vignettes following the life of a young girl named Esperanza living in a small house in Chicago. The descriptive storytelling style is broken up into 44 short stories, each one no more than two pages in length, totaling a little over 100 pages. It is a fairly quick and easy read, and it can be referred back to at any point without having to reread the entire thing. I first heard of this book in middle school, when I had to read about five of the vignettes. Those have stuck with me, and have continued to be some of my favorites, along with the new favorites I discovered through reading the whole book.

I believe this book should be read by anyone of any age, mainly because of the variety of characters that are introduced. Readers get to learn about Esperanza’s neighbors, who are all quirky in their own ways. We learn about Esperanza’s siblings, her friends, the younger kids on the street, the people who move in and out, the teenagers, the adults, and the elderly. Her neighbors are a diverse cast of characters who each have their own struggles in life, but they form a community on Mango Street. One of my favorite things about the novel is how it is told from the eyes of a young girl. I find that I could relate to her at any age, from reading it when I was in middle school, about the age Esperanza is in the book, but also reading it as I get older when I can see her growth and relate to other characters.

Another one of my favorite things about it is the dedication. The novel is dedicated both in English and Spanish to “The Women” or “Las Mujeres.” The House on Mango Street focuses on the female experience, highlighting female characters that Esperanza interacts with but also observes from afar. The stories about Marin and Sally highlight the struggles of being a girl and the story titled “Rafaela Who Drinks Coconut and Papaya Juice on Tuesdays” depicts Esperanza’s fear of becoming, as she describes it, a woman who sits by the window waiting for her husband. Esperanza wants to be independent, she wants a house of her own one day, that she doesn’t have to share with her entire family. I also loved how there were stories about Esperanza’s parents and her family as a whole. Rather than seeing her observe others, readers get to see someone who she really understands.

Ultimately, I loved this book and I can see myself referring back to it as I get older. If this was a required reading for you, I highly recommend taking another look at it, because it truly is an essential book for young readers. My favorite vignettes include, “My Name,” “Marin,” “Hips,” and “Beautiful and Cruel.” If you don’t read the whole book, I recommend reading those at least.

The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

All The Light We Cannot See By: Anthony Doerr

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Anthony Doerr All the Light We Cannot ...

This novel is told from the perspective of two young children during World War II. The first is Marie-Laurie, a blind girl from the center of Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where her father works. The other Werner Pfennig an orphan, from a mining town in Germany who learned how to build and fix technical instruments by tinkering with a broken radio that he found.

When Marie-Laurie was twelve, the Nazi Regime began to occupy Paris, she and her father fleed to Saint-Malo and met her reclusive great-uncle, Etienne. The Museum of Natural History was rumored to own a diamond called the Sea of Flames, under the threat of occupation the museum director created 4 copies of the diamond. He then distributed these to 3 employees and hid one in the museum, but none knew if they had the real diamond. Soon after arriving in Saint-Malo Marie-Laurie’s father is called back to Paris and is arrested by Germans.

As the Nazi Regime, took power over Germany Werner’s talents for technology attracted certain local attention, and at fourteen was recruited to a specialized training program. He sees it as an opportunity to grow and get out of the orphanage that he’s lived in his entire life but his sister worries that he will be corrupted by Nazi propaganda. After 2 years of training at his technical school, he’s documents are falsified to make him seem like eighteen so that he’s able to fight on the front. After 2 years of rising through the ranks, Werner is assigned to Saint-Malo looking for radios, used by the resistance to broadcast their messages.

Marie-Laurie’s uncle begins engaging with in resistance work with the other French townspeople, but he’s agoraphobic so he’s unable to leave the house without intense anxiety. So Marie-Laurie works with her uncle by gathering messages from the resistance for him to transmit from his radio tower in his attic. Werner and Marie-Laurie’s lives begin to further intertwine.

I liked this book, I thought it had a good mix of suspense and historical fiction. I also really liked that one of the main characters has a disability, that is rarely seen in historical fiction. I think if you like historical fiction and has blind representation then this book is for you.

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr is available to check out from the Mission Viejo Library. It is also available to download for free from Libby.

Album Review: Born to Die

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Born to Die by Lana Del Rey was the 5th best selling album of 2012. Released soon after the success of her debut single “Video Games,” Lana’s old Americana aesthetic, emotional vocals, and descriptive songwriting, captured the world’s attention in the album Born to Die. With just 12 songs, she was able to set herself apart from the more positive artists that were trending like Katy Perry, who dominated early 2010’s music. This is most likely why is considered to be indie or alternative despite making pop songs. Here are some of the standout tracks:

Video Games: The song that catapulted Lana del Rey into the mainstream, “Video Games” is a somber pop ballad that describes the archetype of her lover ignoring her to play video games. But instead of leaving him, she decides to keep trying to get his attention. The production is slow and sad, yet hopeful.

Radio: One of Lana’s most commercially successful songs. Lana recalls how after she became famous everyone started praising her, even those who doubted her before. She sings about how her life is “sweet like cinnamon.” This has a typical pop song structure however the production sounds a bit more unique and melancholic.

Dark Paradise: This is another example of Lana’s melancholic style. In “Dark Paradise,” she sings about a lover who passed away. He haunted her dreams and she fears they will not see each other in heaven. She also questions how she is to move on until they see each other again.

Summertime Sadness: This is inspired by Lana’s love for California summers. She sings about enjoying her life and the summer ending is bittersweet because of all the fun times she had. She says “If I go I’ll die happy tonight.” This perfectly describes how the summers satisfied all the experiences she wanted in life.

Lana del Rey is one of the most influential pop artists of all time. Her style has influenced Billie Eilish, Olivia Rodrigo, and Madison Beer, all young up and coming female artists. She is proof doing something different from what is trending will make you timeless. I hope you love this album as much as I did.

Inside Out 2: A Character Review of “Anxiety”

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Inside Out 2, depicts the inner workings of a young girl Riley’s brain using emotions as characters. As a teen, the portrayal of one particular emotion “anxiety,” a cornerstone of teen emotion, intrigued me. A well thought-out depiction can help those who struggle with anxiety feel more understood.

Anxiety is shown as small and thin. She has a wide, unsure smile, has huge eyes, and has hair arranged like a troll doll. When Anxiety and the other new characters join the headquarters of Riley’s brain, there is immediate tension between her and Joy.

Riley goes away on a three-day hockey camp and wants to be liked by the girls. She wants to impress the coach to make the high school hockey team. Joy wants her to focus on spending time with friends and being her usual kind and goofy self. Anxiety takes Riley’s goals, makes them seem very hard, works tirelessly to make sure that they happen, while simultaneously changing the beliefs Riley has about herself. Before Anxiety, Riley believed that she was good enough. But after Anxiety appeared, Riley believed that she wasn’t. I felt that the conflict between Anxiety and Joy was pretty accurate. When we experience joy, it comes with a feeling of contentment. Anxiety doesn’t let us feel content. It keeps us out of present moment and launches us into a situation that doesn’t yet exist.

To prepare Riley, Anxiety asks a group of workers in Riley’s brain to draw potential scenarios and outcomes. They draw her missing a goal, falling on her face etc. To counteract, Joy drew positive images for Riley, like her scoring, making friends, being chosen for the team. However, in the end, Anxiety’s efforts were stronger than Joy’s. I found this to be relatable. One anxious thought truly holds more power than 99 positive thoughts.

The height of Riley’s anxiety appeared in the form of an intense panic attack. Riley was fidgeting, sweating, having trouble breathing. Inside her brain, Anxiety was creating a tornado of panic. I felt that this depiction of panic attack was perfect because of the connection between the body and the brain and how what originally starts as being negative thoughts, translates to a full physical experience. Riley was able to get through the panic attack by deep breathing, which in reality is one of the perfect things to do when you are going through panic attack. When her panic attack ended, Anxiety finally stopped moving, was worn down, and started crying. That is what happens when anxiety takes over, it is exhausting and leads to feeling lethargic and unmotivated.

I appreciate that, in the movie, anxiety was not depicted as a bad emotion, but as a feeling that has a purpose and intends to help keep us safe. Accepting that anxiety in moderation can be powerful in self-acceptance. I feel the audience will leave with better understanding of anxiety, with more compassion for themselves.

Six The Musical Review

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When I was about ten years old and going through a heavy musical phase I discovered Six The Musical and I loved it. Six is about the six wives of Henry VIII (Henry the eighth). He wasn’t a particularly amazing king but he was remembered mainly for his wives and his death. However, this musical is not about Henry. It’s about is wives, Catherine of Aragon, Anne Boleyn, Jane Seymour, Anne of Cleves, Catherine Howard, Catherine Parr. Something most people think is that Henry beheaded all of his wives, which is not true. He only beheaded two of them.

This is actually how the marriages ended between them:

Catherine of Aragon: Divorced because she couldn’t have a male heir and so Henry could marry Anne Boleyn

Anne Boleyn: Beheaded because she couldn’t have a male heir and Henry became interested in Jane Seymour

Jane Seymour: Died early in the marriage after giving birth to a child

Anne of Cleves: Divorced because she didn’t look like her portrait

Catherine Howard: Beheaded

Catherine Parr: Outlived Henry but couldn’t be with the man she really loved

In the musical the women talk about the hardships Henry put them through and they acknowledge how without the six of them no one would know who they are in the form of pop songs. The whole environment of the musical is like a concert and I love that part.

I would give Six the Musical an 1000/10 rating because the women in the musical are so talented and absolutely hilarious.

The Teaching Journey: An Interview With A Grade School Teacher

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This is one of many interviews that I will post. Each post will feature an interview with someone of a specific career. These interviews are meant to help teens find the career that they want. In this post, I will be interviewing a teacher going by the pseudonym of Jane-I refer to myself as Natalie-. Jane has taught lower grade levels such as preschool, kindergarten, first, and second grade. All of this information came from a real grade school teacher, and I hope that this interview allows you to decide if teaching is your true calling!

The Interview

Natalie: What was your inspiration to become a teacher?

Jane: I really love how children learn and I find child development fascinating and I love figuring out how to explain things or how to get children to understand and learn concepts. 

Natalie: Do you truly enjoy teaching? What is your favorite part that makes you love your profession?

Jane: It’s just so magical to watch them learn and grow and have fun and I also love telling them stories. That’s my favorite thing.

Natalie: What is the most difficult part of being a teacher?

Jane: If there are parents who are challenging to collaborate with, that can make it more difficult, and the most challenging thing is the increase in class size. Currently I have a class size of 26. 

Natalie: Since you have taught multiple grades such as preschool, kindergarten, first grade and second grade, which would you recommend? What are the advantages and disadvantages of each grade?

Jane: Every age and grade has advantages and disadvantages, and most teachers find something to love in each grade. I love kinder and I taught it for a long time so I could tell you about the advantages and disadvantages of five and six year olds. It’s a magical age where they are figuring out a lot of things such as social emotional growth as well as academics, but there is also a lot of academic growth. Children are all very different. Part of teaching is finding their strengths and building their confidence. One of the disadvantages of teaching this age is that they have lots of energy.

Natalie: What kind of classes or courses would you recommend for aspiring elementary school teachers?

Jane: Aside from required courses such as child development, if there is a course on storytelling or picture books I would recommend that, and using math manipulatives.

Natalie: Other than the cost of college tuition to get a degree in teaching, are there any ongoing costs of teaching?

Jane: Yes there are. First, aside from college and graduate school, I pay for classroom items and supplies and I don’t get reimbursed for them. 

Natalie: What would you say is the most mentally challenging part of being a teacher?

Jane: There’s a lot of multitasking and juggling, prioritizing and time management are important.

Natalie: Currently, AI is replacing many careers. Do you believe that in the future, teaching will still be a good career choice?

Jane:I think so, the connection between a human teacher and a student can’t be matched, especially for young children.

Natalie: Is there a good work/life balance in the career of teaching?

Jane: I think it’s tricky especially for new teachers, but they have to mindfully set that goal.

Natalie: If you had to do it all over again, would you choose to teach?

Jane: Maybe…I love teaching. I know I’m good at it and it makes a difference but it is underpaid and underappreciated and exhausting. 

Natalie: Thank you so much for taking the time to be interviewed. I am sure that this interview will prove useful to many teenagers still choosing their path.

What is ASB Camp?

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The Associated Student Body (ASB) is a group of roughly 40 students who, each year, make decisions about a variety of school events. The dances, such as the Hello Dance, Homecoming, Winter Formal, and Prom are great examples of this, but ASB students also play a crucial role in hosting an annual leadership conference at LHHS. At this conference, the ASBs from each high school in SVUSD create and run their own workshops for 7th and 8th graders, teaching them what it means to be a leader and how they can strengthen their leadership skills. On top of this, ASB is in charge of maintaining a positive, inclusive environment in the day-to-day life of their school. With all of this responsibility comes a high requirement of experience and dedication– but where do they learn to be leaders? The answer is the Orange County Leadership Camp (OCL). 

OCL is a 4-day summer camp for rising high school students who were accepted to be part of their school’s ASB. Students attend the program with their high school and for many incoming freshmen, this is their first exposure to the new freedoms (and responsibilities) that high school leadership entails. Students are immersed in several workshops taught by public speakers and learn about how to bring the most to their school through their position in ASB. Since each student in ASB has a specific job title such as Commissioner of Campus Awareness, or Class President, they attend classes that are best suited to their duties. In these workshops, students collaborate with others from a variety of backgrounds and learn how to take on different perspectives to incorporate back at home.

Not only does OCL bring in renowned speakers to train our students, but each school’s ASB chooses two people to lead a mini lesson on a specific event or tradition that their school specializes in. In this activity, known as “Meet the Pros,” every student rotates to a different mini lesson after 5-10 minutes. This process allows students to be exposed to a plethora of creative ideas, such as a senior-only talent show at the end of the year, or a student mental health week,  which can be adapted back at their school. Having small groups of students rather than one or two large ones allows for the audience to ask questions and take in-depth notes, even coming up with ways to improve the event being described. Previously, LHHS taught a mini lesson on our Staff Appreciation Week, in which ASB makes candy necklaces for the staff, writes personalized cards to each of them, and makes them elaborate posters. 

Being such an integral part of their school, it is essential for ASB leaders to establish a community where people can feel like their voices are heard. While much of their learning comes from trial and error, OCL provides these students with a head start to making the school year as successful and enjoyable as possible. 

Marrakesh, Morocco

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Image from https://dunesdeserts.com/en/top-7-things-to-do-in-jemaa-el-fna/

Marrakesh is a vibrant tourist attraction that differs from many other cities worldwide. I spent 6 days in the city in early June and explored its unique culture. Marrakesh is known as the “Red City” due to all of its buildings being red, a distinctive aspect of the city that does not exist anywhere else. The Marrakesh experience greatly differs from other wealthy countries, such as the United States, but is equally enjoyable.

The Big Square, also known as Jemaa el-Fnaa, is the main tourist attraction in the city. It is famous for representing Moroccan traditions and having vibrant street performances throughout the day. Many small shops are close together, unlike anything in the United States. At nighttime, the lights and colors are a spectacular view, my favorite part of the trip. Since Morocco is a developing country, the city is a bit cluttered and dirty at times, including in The Big Square. However, this only gives a different experience to give tourists a new perspective on the world.

To conclude, Marrakesh is a wonderful city to visit and I would highly recommend it. Its lively environment and rich history make it a unique place for tourists. The Moroccan culture, building style, and stray cats are aspects I have never seen before in a country. Traveling helps visitors understand different ways of life in certain areas, and the Moroccan way of life is no short of astonishing.

Society

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A fair society is a society where basic freedoms are protected, genuinely fair equality of opportunity is secured, and, beyond that, the economic structure prioritises the needs of the most disadvantaged.

The ten things that are normalised in this society which makes it worse are…

Having to be busy, lack of sleep, turn things into business, constantly connected to phone, working half to death, caring about celebrities, wasting food, smart phone at young age, paying extreme amounts on health care, the customer is always right.

Six ways we can fix….

  • Making it illegal for political parties to receive donations
  • Making it illegal for the media to report on what’s happening without impartiality
  • Provide state funding for partis, a law where if not a lot of people vote there shouldn’t be an election
  • Make corporation pay their taxes where they earn the money
  • Remove the tax burden from anyone not paid the minimum wage.

The more we notice how our society works, the social classes and what they do to contribute to the world (example:celebrities talking about certain issues), and we communicate with one another in this world… The more we will take it in and notice the faults and fix them, as well as noticing the good things and improving them.

I really hope I worded this in the right manner, and you learned a thing or two. I only wrote this because I noticed a downer/more negative society than usually.