 The Freedom Writers Diary / The Freedom Writers with Erin Gruwell
(Movie: Freedom Writers)
This is the story of twenty-three year old Erin Gruwell and her method of dealing with ghetto-bound, at-risk, ninth grade students. The students' diaries, some quite graphic in their descriptions of their personal lives involving abuse, reveal what often occurs in life in urban America when children grow up without love and guidance.
The Positronic Man / Isaac Asimov and Robert Silverberg
(Movie: The Bicentennial Man)
Robot NDR 113 (renamed Andrew) is your standard household robot but is soon found to possess an artistic bent and a sharp and keen mind. His quest is to be declared human in all respects but due to laws regarding the nature of robots, his positronic brain cannot be replaced so Andrew appeals to the World Court. A very insightful view on what it is to be human from the perspective of one who is not.
 The Kite Runner / Khaled Hosseini
(Movie: The Kite Runner)
An unforgettable novel about friendship and loss. Amir, son of a wealthy Afghani and Hassan, son of the family servant, spend most of their childhood as inseparable friends. As the world would have it, father-son loyalties, a rigid class system, and the horrors of war take their toll on the lives of both boys and their families.
Into the Wild / Jon Krakauer
(Movie: Into the Wild)
Chris McCandless, a recent college graduate, leaves his comfortable home to find his own world. Taking odd jobs here and there, he renames himself, Alexander SuperTramp, and makes his way to Alaska. Four months later, his starved body is found in an abandoned bus. Was it a death wish? On a page torn from the book, Taras Bulba, Chris wrote an SOS: "I need your help. I am injured, near death, and too weak to hike out of here. I am all alone, this is no joke." Read the tragic story of Chris McCandless.
Oil! / Sinclair Lewis
(Movie title: There Will be Blood)
This Upton Sinclair classic from 1927, is a tale of greed during the boom and bust days of the oil industry. We follow 25 years in the life of self-made oilman, J. Arnold Ross, through the eyes of his son, Bunny. Bunny meets 16-year-old Paul early in the book, who has run away from his family's farm. Much of the book then revolves around these characters and their experiences of the world from their different vantage points — Bunny's world of wealth and Paul's world of the working man.
 Love in the Time of Cholera / Gabriel Garcia Marquez
(Movie: Love in the Time of Cholera)
Imagine love at first sight. But due to circumstance, your love marries another. Unable to forget her, you continue to follow that person's life for 50 years. This is the story of Florentino Ariza and his escapades as he does just that. Experience Marquez's eloquent style of writing which portrays humor, serenity, and passion.
The Club Dumas / Arturo Perez-Reverte
(Movie: The Ninth Gate)
A stirring thriller involving a hunt for rare books, one of which is said to have been written by Lucifer himself.
The Ruins (Movie: The Ruins)
A chilling yarn about a group of college kids heading to an archaeological dig to help a friend find his brother. The group stumbles onto a hill in the Mexican jungle where evil lurks and a carnivorous vine dwells. Don't miss it. |
