Artemis Fowl

My independent novel is the self-titled first book in the Artemis Fowl series. There are currently six in the series that have been released, with a seventh set to come out in June or July. I have actually read the first five, but it's been probably two years since I finished the fifth, and I think I started the first in fifth or sixth grade. It's one of my favorite book series ever, and with a new book coming out, I want to reread the series so that I can get reacquainted with the books and remember all of the details and plot twists.

The book is about a filthy rich and incredibly intelligent criminal mastermind who happens to be 12 years old, I think. He has stolen many a priceless piece of artwork and decides that he wants to expand his boundaries. To do this, he tries to steal the treasure of the fairies, who, along with the rest of the magical world, live underground. He kidnaps a fairy police (LEPrecon) officer, and the story is about his cunning battle of wits with the magical "underworld". I don't remember a lot of details, so I am really looking forward to being able to delve back into this series.

Joy List

Junior really seems to have an epiphany in the second half of the book. He's been struggling to find confidence and to achieve acceptance in Reardan, and the deaths of his family and friend are only complicating the issue. To get over his sense of hopelessness, he creates a list of all the things that bring him joy. I found that to be quite odd. I know everyone has their own way of expressing themselves, but writing out a list like that would not crack my top 100 ideas for curing depression. I feel like if I need to actually take the time to write out the individual things to remind myself what I appreciate and enjoy about life, then I don't fully appreciate them.

To me, if I have to actually write it out, it shows that I have to see it to remember and appreciate it, whereas if I could just think to myself about it, it would show that I don't need to rely on anything else to be happy. It makes me feel like I'm the one in charge, that I decide how feel on my terms, not anyone else. If something truly brings you joy, you should be able to reflect upon it at any time in any place without any outside influence. I'm sure some people who read this will find my logic a bit strange, but that's also the way I feel about the way Junior went about things. I just think that the need to write it out demeans it.

Culture Warrior

When Mrs. Lechtenberg first told us that we were going to be reading The Absolutely True Diaries of a Part-Time Indian, I was thinking, "Oh boy, here we go again. Another stupid book about a guy trying to find himself amidst differing cultures, and how he finds a place in the world. This is exactly why the reason I signed up for this class: to not have to read these kinds of books." And the first couple chapters held true to stereotype: Junior's struggle to figure out who he really is. But I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to see the way the book progressed. Though at times (quite a few, actually) I felt like I had learned way to much about the sexual thoughts that go through Junior's mind, the book really didn't try to "challenge what I believe in." It was really just a story that detailed Junior's struggle to figure out what he wanted to do with his life and the people he met along the way. Reading this book was a much appreciated deviation from books like Things Fall Apart, The Usual Rules, and Chocolate Wars, which I've been forced to read the last two years.

New Kid on the Block

Life must have been pretty tough for Junior after he arrived at Reardan. Besides the fact that his entire tribe essentially hated him, he's the only Indian at the entire school. Heck, from as far as we can tell, he's the only non-Caucasian at the school. He describes how lonely and ostracized he feels for the first couple weeks until the incident with Penelope being bulimic, after which people begin to befriend him. While that may have turned out great for Junior, many new kids aren't so lucky. I've never been the new kid at any school other than the first day of elementary and middle school like everyone else; I've gone to Johnston since kindergarten. Reading this book has really opened my eyes to just how many kids seem to always be by themselves, like the ones who eat alone at lunch. I imagine it's pretty miserable, especially this late into schooling to have to transfer schools to places where people are already established into cliques and have well-defined social groups. The sad thing is that very few people are willing to just reach out to those people, too, myself included. While we all have set groups of friends, many new kids suffer, and I'm not sure that their situations will necessarily improve with time.

Enemies Become Friends

I thought that Sherman Alexie put an interesting twist into the plot by having Roger begin to respect and befriend Junior after taking one in the kisser. It seems like such strange idea that people who get along so poorly could not only make amends, but push past that and become friends, and good friends at that. I remember reading about similar instances in that in various books or seeing it in movies, but I wasn't sure I believed that it was such a realistic thing, rather than just a "Hollywooded" up plot to stimulate readers and viewers. In the last few years, my opinion has changed quite dramatically. In fact, a good friend of mine, Kyle Skinner, and I butted heads quite a bit for the majority of sixth grade when we were in the same class. It was the first time we'd ever met, and I suppose we've matured in the five years since, but it's still hard to believe how easily things transitioned over the years. It really goes to show how we as people can overcome our individual differences if we are just open to the idea. Unfortunately, that openness is pretty rare in today's world with all of the global conflicts that have been ongoing for decades.

No Hope for Improvement?

I find it interesting how Junior was treated by his fellow Spokanes after he left the reservation to go to Reardan. I understand that it's a different, more closely-knit culture, but I was not expecting them to be so hating and spiteful of Junior's decision. Had I been one of the Spokanes, I think I would've been more inspired by Junior's courage to step out of his comfort zone and attempt to make something more of his life. He doesn't want to limit his potential with the poverty, the poor facilities and education, and the alcoholism of the reservation. He wants to do something more with his life, and I find it kind of depressing that he seems to be the only one other than his dead older sister. That being said, I don't know that Mary's decision was as intelligent as Junior's, but at least she met an effort. Junior said he had been to 42 funerals by the age of what, 14? If there's all this death and self-destruction, why aren't other Spokanes making the same efforts to improve their own lives and the lives of their families? And shouldn't they be proud of Junior for being willing to do that when the odds are stacked immensely for him to fail? I don't understand why the mindset of the remaining Spokanes is the way it is.

Chris Cornell

Alright, I'm a huge Chris Cornell fan, whether it be with Soundgarden, Temple of the Dog, Audioslave, or his solo career. I was checking out his website for the first time, and I read through a timeline and a brief biography of his music career. One of the things that really struck me was that while he was with Audioslave, they became the first American band to ever play a free concert in Cuba on May 6, 2005. This just goes to show how music can transcend a lot of boundaries and personal differences. It's too bad that so few things can do the same and that the world is in the situation it's in. But it does shine a little hope that differences can be resolved in the future.

If you aren't real familiar with any of those bands or Chris Cornell himself, he is one of the most accomplished musicians of the last couple decades who's still going strong. He's had triple platinum albums reach the top of the Billboard charts, he's won several Grammys, written music for movies like Great Expectations, Mission Impossible II, and the theme for Casino Royale, and Timbaland, who produced Cornell's solo album Scream, is quoted as saying that the album is “the best work I’ve done in my career.” From playing in Havanna to the Kennedy Center in DC in front of the President, this guy never ceases to amaze me with the music he puts out.