Rash by Pete Hautman
In the late 21st century, American society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free" and life is very restricted. Any physical activity is regulated – Bo runs track, but only with full body armor and a helmet. Emotional issues are also regulated – it is a crime to deliberately hurt someone’s feelings. Bo is pushed too far by a bullying classmate and lashes out. Of course, Bo is the one caught and he is sentenced to jail in the frozen tundra.
The prison warden likes Bo’s running skills and chooses him to be a member of the prison football team – a game played like Bo had never seen before. It is a brutal game with no protective equipment at all.
In the meantime, Bork (an avatar created by Bo in a class assignment) tracks him down and somehow is able to help.
Rash is reminiscent of Holes by Louis Sachar, but without the depth of character and plot development. There are many unanswered questions about plot and character development that leave the reader wondering about the reasoning behind certain happenings. You never quite understand how Bork is able to do what he does – and I think that could have made an interesting sidebar in the plot.
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Inspirational Fiction
Okay, okay, I'm back. I have been reading, really I have. I just haven't blogged about it. All the books I read this month fall into the library's Inspiration Fiction genre. I have never really ventured into this genre. I did listen to the whole Left Behind series over the years. I thought I should, it was so big a number of years ago. But other than that, not much else.
So for this project, I wanted this month to try a broad range of titles. The world of inspirational fiction is changing, growing to demonstrate people living an inspirational life within the more gritty experience of the real world today. The titles I have read this month definitely represent this trend.
In The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, a young Amish girl struggles with the restrictions of her life while preparing for her marriage to the bishop. Interesting look at a part of society that I don't know too much about. The story was, however, a little forced and contrived for my taste. A little too obvious in parts and way too much reliance on miraculous coincidence.
At Home in Mitford, the first in Jan Karon's Mitford Series, introduces the reader's to Father Tim, the village rector, overwhelmed by the daily life and demands of the parishioners he loves so much. It is a quiet and quaint story of the goings on in a small town. An interesting glimpse for a city girl, like me.
The Negotiator by Dee Henderson is the first in the O'Malley Series. This series was first recommended to me a number of years ago by my mom. The O'Malley's are a group of 7 high achieving siblings. They were all orphans in the same orphanage who adopted each other, choosing a new surname in the process. Each book in the series centers on one sibling and their coming to faith in the midst of a very turbulent world. In this book, Kate, a hostage negotiator, finds her faith in the midst of a horrible airplane crash and the crushing health news of a loved one.
Thr3e by Ted Dekker was a typical thriller. It actually kept me guessing for the majority of the book. The ending, which I won't reveal, violated some of the tenants of psychiatric medicine as I understand it (but then maybe I just don't know). The main character is a seminary student, however, the faith in this book was more so an examination of the constant struggle between good and evil. This book is definitely a crossover between inspirational and mainstream thrillers.
I think that there's one more book on my list to read, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I'll comment on it later if I can work it in.
So for this project, I wanted this month to try a broad range of titles. The world of inspirational fiction is changing, growing to demonstrate people living an inspirational life within the more gritty experience of the real world today. The titles I have read this month definitely represent this trend.
In The Shunning by Beverly Lewis, a young Amish girl struggles with the restrictions of her life while preparing for her marriage to the bishop. Interesting look at a part of society that I don't know too much about. The story was, however, a little forced and contrived for my taste. A little too obvious in parts and way too much reliance on miraculous coincidence.
At Home in Mitford, the first in Jan Karon's Mitford Series, introduces the reader's to Father Tim, the village rector, overwhelmed by the daily life and demands of the parishioners he loves so much. It is a quiet and quaint story of the goings on in a small town. An interesting glimpse for a city girl, like me.
The Negotiator by Dee Henderson is the first in the O'Malley Series. This series was first recommended to me a number of years ago by my mom. The O'Malley's are a group of 7 high achieving siblings. They were all orphans in the same orphanage who adopted each other, choosing a new surname in the process. Each book in the series centers on one sibling and their coming to faith in the midst of a very turbulent world. In this book, Kate, a hostage negotiator, finds her faith in the midst of a horrible airplane crash and the crushing health news of a loved one.
Thr3e by Ted Dekker was a typical thriller. It actually kept me guessing for the majority of the book. The ending, which I won't reveal, violated some of the tenants of psychiatric medicine as I understand it (but then maybe I just don't know). The main character is a seminary student, however, the faith in this book was more so an examination of the constant struggle between good and evil. This book is definitely a crossover between inspirational and mainstream thrillers.
I think that there's one more book on my list to read, but I haven't gotten to it yet. I'll comment on it later if I can work it in.
Thursday, August 2, 2007
I'm In
I received your invitation to join your blog. Interestingly, it is now listed as one of my blogs along side my first blog "Random Thoughts" -- I didn't know that would happen. And, so far, the two of us are listed as team members -- neat. I also noticed all the "labels" you set up -- I'm glad I saw them, it will be a reminder for me when I start some serious blogging.
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