Brady Bryan
Books are amazing. They allow the reader to delve the world that the author has written for them, and sometimes, this leads to emotional connections being formed between the reader and the world before them. This can even cause the reader to draw parallels with the book and reality as the book may make some slight pokes at politics (satire), society, or the archetypal family structure. Books that specifically focus on aspects of reality as their theme in such a way that it acts as a metaphorical "door" into the lives of real people and how their circumstances influence their way of life are referred to as "mirrors, windows, and sliding glass doors." One book I have read that serves as a "mirror" was Knock Knock: My Dad's Dream for Me by Daniel Beaty and Collier Bryan. The book is about a young African-American boy who lives with his mom in a bustling city. The boy insists on waiting for his father who has left him when he was younger. He spends most of his days returning from school drawing and writing letters to his dad telling him about his day and what he has learned. He eventually receives a letter from his dad telling him to practice becoming a functioning adult and once the boy became an adult, they meet each other and embrace. For me, this book is a "mirror" and has impacted me because my father has also been physically absent for half of my life. The only ways that I could come in contact with him were traveling to New Jersey over the summer and calling each other over the phone. Another book I have read which is a "sliding glass door" was Brothers in Hope: The Story of The Lost Boys of Sudan by Mary Williams and R. Gregory Christie. It is about two brothers in Sudan that struggle to survive in a civil war that has left countless other Sudanese people dead. As bodies pile up and all resources dwindle, the boys fear for their lives. While many of us reading this book are unable to personally relate, we can still imagine what it is like to live without the luxuries we have today. By reading this, I (along with other readers) felt a strong urge to donate time, energy, and resources to support the third-world countries as they are more unfortunate than we are and we should at least sympathize with them. In addition, I have read Tacky the Penguin by Helen Lester and Lynn Munsinger, which is a "mirror" to some and a "window" to others. The book is about an eccentric penguin named Tacky who, unlike the rest of the dull, boring penguins, lives a fun life and completes tasks in his own, entertaining way. It emphasizes being unique and standing out among a crowd of like-minded individuals which is a trait that some can resonate with, some can hope for, and some find a foreign concept. As for someone who would rather have their own style and flair that others cannot imitate, it strikes me as a "mirror" book, and has encouraged me to continue leading a life that I deem worth living by my own standards. It is important to have a diverse range of books, but we mustn't forget about the books that incite introspection in all of us. Not every book has to be as deep as the "Read Woke" movements, but should be easy for the reader to resonate with.
0 Comments
|
AuthorBrady B. is quite familiar with blogs since he had to frequently post on his blog in 6th grade. Although its been a long time since then, he still knows what a proper blog should look like. Archives
January 2020
Categories
All
|