Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson describes Mo’ Meta Blues as a memoir but that may lead you to believe that he writes about a more specific time period in his life than he does. In Mo’ Meta Blues, Questlove describes and discusses his entire life up until 2013, when the book was published. The book starts on Christmas Eve, 1973 and goes on from there. Mo’ Meta blues is not just a chronological account of Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson’s life. It is the chronological account of a musician and music-lover’s life. Throughout the book, Questlove flips through his record collection. He describes the memories he associates with certain pieces of music and what those associations mean to him. Anyone who loves music will identify with this aspect of the book and anyone who loves hip-hop or, more specifically, The Roots, will be entertained by Questlove’s stories.  Richard Nichols, The Roots’ co manager has small written pieces throughout the book in the form of footnotes to set Questlove straight when his memory leads him astray. This book is not a piece on philosophy although sometimes it may seem as though it tries to be. Questlove touches on some philosophical ideas that he relates to his experiences but this is not what makes the book great. What makes the book great is the way Questlove describes his relationship with music and how that relationship changes over time. Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove is a fascinating book for anyone who loves music although the reader will find that Questlove’s occasional dive into the meaning of his experiences is a little slow.

As this book is chronological, the beginning of the book is mostly about Questlove’s relationship with music through records. He begins his relationship with music as a listener and appreciator rather than a major contributor, even though it is emphasized that he has been playing music for essentially his entire life. Questlove describes how he began playing the drums on Christmas Eve, 1973. This was clearly an important memory for him as the memory was one of his first and incredibly detailed. Ahmir specifically remembered the music that was playing in the background as he walked down stairs and saw the drum set sitting under the Christmas tree. He writes:

Donny Hathaway’s second album was playing in the background, the self-titled one with the covers of ‘A Song For You’ and ‘Magnificent Sanctuary Band’...I made my way over there. Of the four instruments, I gravitated toward the drums. (11)

Just a page later, Questlove describes an experience he has when he jumps out of the bathtub and runs straight into the radiator. Not only can he recall the song that was playing when he hit the radiator, he can recall the part of the song. Questlove describes Curtis Mayfield’s Freddie’s Dead this part as “ the modulated bridge where the horns come in” (12). For anybody who grew up with music, I think this type of memory is relatable. Specifically, being able to identify the music that was playing in the background (assuming music was playing) when something formative occurred. One may not be able to recall the music playing in the background as well as Ahmir Thompson can but music was always part of Ahmir Thompson’s experiences and for those who love music, it is descriptions like this in Mo’ Meta Blues that make the book so enjoyable.

While much of the Mo’ Meta Blues is spent describing Questlove’s experiences through music, some smaller parts of the book are spent on reflection. These opportunities taken for reflection seem squandered as they ask and attempt to answer questions one could write an entirely new book on, are rather vague, and are only loosely connected to the rest of the book. The added metaphors to these reflections do not clarify the point being made and even make it more confusing. This is particularly apparent towards the end of the book when Questlove attempts to reflect on his life so far (that is what the books about after all) using the shapes of the drums and drum sticks as inspiration.

Will the circle be unbroken? That’s not the only circle that’s a question. Every circle is. Lines are statements. Arrows are especially emphatic statements. They divide and they define. They count up and count down. Circles are more careful. They come around again. They overthink. (144)

This could have been a great addition if it connected with the rest of the book. It seems as though Questlove connected these thoughts to the book in his head and neglected to write that part down.

Mo’ Meta Blues is certainly worth the time. It tells the story of a man and his transition from appreciator and observer of music to active participant. He describes experiences and stories, not necessarily one-hundred percent factually but how he felt they occurred. This connects you to the experiences and to the author in a way which makes the book all the more enjoyable. While the reflection and contemplation of Questlove’s life so far may fall short, it does not tarnish the rest of the book. Anyone with a strong connection to and love for music should read this book.

Mo’ Meta Blues: The World According to Questlove

by Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson and Ben Greenman

Published June 18, 2013 by Grand Central Publishing Company

288 pages

Memoir

Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim

David Sedaris

Written in 1968, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? has a clever plot and intense imagery that takes the reader on a journey through the future. Philip K. Dick writes in the futuristic tense, which in his case, is only 1992, however the story can still be applied to the future of the human race. This science fictional novel was written with great care, and although it is hard to understand what is going on during some points of the book, there is always a suspenseful plot twist and rich storyline to fill in the gaps.

Philip K. Dick is arguably the most influential writer of science fiction. He was born in Chicago in 1928. His interest in metaphysics and theology fueled his lifelong interest for writing, mainly science fiction. Philip K. Dick has published forty-four novels, and over a hundred short stories. His work is so influential, interesting, and popular, that some of his work has been made into films such as the famous, dystopian Blade Runner. Philip’s questioning ability of the world around him sparked his creativity and he was able to produce intuitive and analytical novels that seemed to capture the environment that surrounded him with a fictional twist. Although he was a drug user for a large portion of his life, his thinking capability is showed in his work, and his famous Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? makes the reader think philosophically.

This post-apocalyptic story is set in the year 1992 after World War Terminus, a nuclear war that nearly destroyed the Earth. Humans were ushered by the United Nations to flee the planet and travel to Mars with the promise of an android. Human genetics of the humans that did remain on the planet had been altered by the radioactivity. Those humans that decided to stay lived in broken-down or destroyed buildings and survived however they could manage.

The overall story follows the life of bounty hunter Rick Deckard, who is sent out to retire six escaped Nexus-6 android models. He is sent out to administer the Voigt-Kampff test to the android suspects, which tests the android’s empathy. Once the empathy test confirms the lack of empathy, Rick Deckard destroys the android.

The other half of the story also follows the life of John Isidore, who houses and helps the fugitive androids survive in the comfort of his own home in the ruins of his building. John Isidore genes have been affected by the radioactivity, so he is not the most intelligent person. He can not sense the danger of an android when it comes close to him, and instead befriends the very androids that Deckard is spending so much of his time searching for.

In this book, animals of all types have gone extinct and the ones that remain are instantly valuable. Because of these rare animals, so many people result to having an android animal to be higher on the social hierarchy. When a real animal is purchased, it is an extraordinary event, and the family that purchased it is congratulated. The benefit of a having an android is that it is extremely difficult to tell the difference between a faux and genuine animal. When surrounding units see that someone has acquired an animal, a greater level of respect is given to that person. This is a very important part of the book, although when the topic is initially introduced, it is both a bit confusing and a bit strange to the reader. It is a refreshing idea, however, and adds a lot of originality to the novel.

This book is enjoyable because the story switches between the two main characters and gives the reader the perspective of both polar opposite sides of the story. The characters are convincing and stick to their personalities throughout the book. It is easy to follow the mindset of both characters, which creates a better understanding of the relationship between the war, animals, and the characters.

This book is a unique science fiction novel, and anyone who enjoys reading this genre would most likely enjoy reading this book. It definitely involves the science part with colonization of other planets, robots, and delves into the difference between androids and humans. It helps the reader grasp the concept of how the future might be dominated by robotics and androids. I would say that this book should probably be tackled by young adults, because the vocabulary is rich and the storyline jumps around.

Because of Philip K. Dick’s unique writing style, his captivating ideas are harnessed through the use of futuristic concepts. This book is a challenge, but once the beginning is tackled, the book is an effortless read.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Philip K. Dick

Doubleday

210 pages

Science Fiction

The background of my creative piece is the title of the book written in binary code over and over. There is a sheep because the main character, Rick Deckard, owns a sheep, and because of the title of the book.

The book Perfect by Sara Shepard, is a New York Times bestseller that inspired a tv show in ABC family, called Pretty Little Liars. The series of Pretty Little Liars contains a total of 16 books. Each of them contain unique titles that amplify their plot. In other words, the cover page usually tends to give a hint of what the book might be about. Sara Shepard is an American author who currently lives in Philadelphia. Her Pretty Little Liars series was inspired by her upbringing in Philadelphia’s Main Line. Sara Shepard is well known author that is famous for writing entertaining yet simple novels. Pretty Little Liars is not the only novel series she’s written, she has also written “ The Lying Game”, “Heiresses” and many more. Shepard is an author that inspires herself from actual events. She’s got the habit of sub creating new novels from old ones, which create a never ending book series that leaves everyone wanting more every time.

Since Perfect is a book from the Pretty Little Liars series, I think it’s important that we establish what the series is about. Pretty Little Liars is a story about five teen girls, Spencer Hastings, Hanna Marin, Aria Montgomery, Emily Fields, and Alison DiLaurentis. These five “best friends” fall into a deep hole after their head leader, Alison goes missing. Years later, all four of them try to live with the absence of their so missing “friend”, while fighting the guiltiness that drowns deep inside them. After Ali goes missing, they start to receive text messages by an anonymous sender “A” that threatens to reveal their secrets out to the world. Throughout the series, the girls fight the mysterious identity of “A”.  

Perfect in particular includes a taste of Alison’s last days before she goes missing, after three years. The book tends to portray continuous flashbacks back and forth. In Perfect, all four ex best friends encounter disappointments, confusions, discoveries, accomplishments, and struggles after Ali’s disappearance. Old characters make presence inside the book, and all these characters are unconditionally attached to the main characters which make the book very intense. The organization of book is divided into 37 chapters. Each chapter changes point of view. For example, Spencer might tell the story on chapter three while Aria tells it on chapter five. The point of view is definitely something that changes very frequently inside Perfect. The thing with Perfect is that it’s not written in a very fancy or high quality writing. It’s written in a very simplistic way that produces high quality entertainment. This book is without a doubt a very suspenseful and dramatizing experience. Almost to point of where it becomes addicting yet 100% satisfying.

Overall, on a scale from 1-10 I would give this book a perfect 10. I started the book around the middle of September and finished it before September finished. I literally spent hours and hours reading the book. It almost gets in the way of doing your daily routine. Once you start the book you can never put it down, which is why I finished the book so early. I’ve never actually watched Pretty Little Liars, but I knew it was out there so that’s why I chose this book. Everytime I get a book into my hands I tend to put it back in like a week, with Perfect that wasn’t possible. It’s so addicting. Once I finished the book, Sara left me wanting more. That’s why I didn't hesitate on picking up the next book. I don’t think I could actually pick a part that I didn't like. Sara tends to very descriptive with her writing, which is why I enjoyed this book.

If you’re a reader that enjoys drama, romance, suspense, non fiction, mystery, and a  bit of comedy, than you’re going to love this book. Just by reading one book, I automatically knew that I wanted to read more. On most novels, authors tend to start in a particular part of the series of where the reader is clueless about the characters/plot because of the lack of background information in a every book. With this book, I picked up very quickly, which made it more engaging. I tend to pick up novels that deal with suspense and mystery. Some of the novels tend to be very slow pace. Pretty Little Liars in the other hand, continues throughout time very quickly. The text inside Perfect is very simple yet satisfying. Once you pick up the book, you’re not going to stop. I guarantee it.

Title: Perfect

Author: Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperTeen

Date Of Publication: August 21, 2007

Number of Pages : 320

Genre: Realistic Fiction, Mystery/Thriller

Looking for Alaska is not the regular boy-meets-girl love story with all the smoking, drinking, sex and money. It wasn’t all about all those interesting things, it had common teenage drama, just more juicer. It made you think back on your own life and decisions. I’m a person that mostly read books that are urban. Non-urban books would have to be requested to me, so reading Looking for Alaska was a big, fantastic change. it helped understand the loss of an important person and learn how to accept others and their choices. The overall setting of the book is the characters attending a boarding school, that definitely divided the poor and rich, which they talk a lot about in the book. They call the rich kids the “Weekday Warriors”, because they go to school during the week, but then they go home to their nice houses every weekend. Mr.Green also introduce common teenage rituals like pranks, parties and crazyt bets.

John Green was born August 24, 1977 in Indianapolis. Three weeks after his birth his family moved to Michigan, Alabama then finally settled in Florida. He used his own personal adventures to put into Looking for Alaska. Green has spoken openly about being bullied and how it made his teenage life miserable. Want to know how he got the idea to write The Fault In Our Stars? John actually worked at hospital as a student chaplain while he was enrolled at University of Chicago Divinity School, although he never went because his experience of working with children with life-threatening illness inspired him to be an author and later on write The Fault In Our Stars.  He won multiple Awards for his books in his career. In 2007 Green and his brother, Hank, started video blogs to communicate on Youtube. Through his videos he caught the attention of a community called the nerdfighters, they raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to fight poverty around the world. John and Hank continue to upload video twice a week on their youtube channel : vlogbrothers. Green has been a finalist twice in the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. Last but not least Green’s books has been published in more than a dozen languages.

The main character, Miles “Pudge” Halter was not popular at all back in his hometown in Florida. His life become the complete opposite of what it use to be. He has friends now, and experience things he never thought he would come face to face to. The one person that gave pudge a reason to make Culver Creek, his boarding school, a great place was the emotionally confused, mysterious and beautiful Alaska Young. They grew an undefying attachment towards each other. Alaska was a closed person about her personal life, yet she was so outspoken and straight forward on her beliefs and what she thought. Pudge and his roommate, the Colonel, not his real name, become close as friends also. Colonel was the take charge friend and believed that he should be loyal to his friends and they should be loyal back no matter what. He didn’t have much back home, but his heart was bigger than anything and he loved his mother more than anything in the world. He is not as forgiving as Pudge, but he soon learn how to be.

The importance of reading a young adult book is the similarities you have with your own life. The author just gets what your going through and put your thoughts in ways you can’t express on your own. I think the reason I connected with this book is because it caught me at a questionable time in my life. I was having mixed feelings and didn’t know the direction I was heading. One question that is going to come up a lot in the book is how to escape a labyrinth you are out in, a labyrinth is like a maze. And I took and, and still do, that question with me through my everyday life. No matter if it was me and my mom arguing, stressed about school, whatever it was I found a way to face it and actually deal with it instead of running away from it then having to face it or deal with it again later. The confidence of the character and the strong will they have for their opinions made me stronger for mine.  

Looking For Alaska by John Green

Publisher : Dutton’s Children Book

March 2005

221

“Diary of a wimpy kid” is an illustrated novel By Jeff Kinney. When he was growing up, he didn’t want to write children’s book, his dream was to be a newspaper cartoon artist and publish his own comic strips independently. In 1998, Jeff Kinney came up with the idea of a book titled “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”, a story about a middle school boy named Greg Heffley. Jeff had been working on his book for nearly eight years before publishing it. It was first advertised on a website called funbrain.com. Surprisingly, it had more than 80 million visits, and had around 70,000 kids reading the book. The book attracted many young audiences due to it's cartoonish illustrations. His first book was released on April 2007, and was the New York Times bestseller, it even said so on the bookcover itself! Also during this time, Jeff also created Poptropica.com, where he still continues to express new ideas everyday for the next children book, all of which is sequels of “Diary of a Wimpy kid”, because the fan base is huge and still supports it. Jeff loves his own idea of this book and wants to still make it accessible to many people.

The author connected his own childhood dreams into the book, and then compares it to his own autobiography about his earlier period of his life. Which also explains why there was a comic strip references in his book where Rowley, a character in the book wanted to do school comics, but was rejected by the protagonist saying his idea will be bad. Only later to disprove his assumptions by making him the most popular kid in school. “There was a pretty obvious drop in quality once Rowley started doing the writing. And believe it or not, Rowley’s drawing skills are worse than his writing skills. I told Rowley maybe we should come up with some new ideas, but he just wanted to keep writing “Zoo-Wee Mamas.” Then he packed up his comics and went home, which was fine by me. I don’t really want to be partnered up with a kid who doesn’t draw noses, anyway.” Pg. 170. Stories that reflect everyday reality of a school child pulls in the reader, while reminding him/her the jokes and tricks that are still relevant in his/her life which may have occurred before or after the making of this book.

“Diary of a wimpy kid” isn’t about the regular children’s story where with morals at every turn, it’s about childhood dreams and common mischief. Jeff Kinney and other people they will face ahead in life. Like when he wanted to do when he did grow up, but never could have, and he reference this in the book in a mature manner. He mentions a lot of these problems so purposely and well placed in the book, incidents like vandalism and terrorizing the neighborhood, hurting someone purposely in an accidental way, peer pressuring someone, and then being jealous of something they did you avoided them to accept. We will always be envy of someone or something because of their superior ways, common parts where he is referencing things in the book he may have or you might of experienced in life, then compares it in smaller part in pages, such as how small voices can be spread with ideal fiction about a molded cheese. By comparing the things we have nostalgia or scars,  about or learning how others deal with it makes the interests or curious readers wants to read more because of we don’t know how to understand or how to deal with the same situation Greg is facing. Even in Rowley’s perspective, we might not agree with our peers 100% of the times to make a good argument. Which may lead to frustration.

What really makes this book interesting is not that it refers readers these common things, but its how it turns phobias, peer pressure, and disrespect into something that isn’t necessarily true, into a self story he faced and fear and making it a cheap animated thrill he overlooked in. The book is about an average middle school boy named Greg Heffley, that tells his story in his Diary, where creativity comes to life by his own drawing, which he expresses in a very mannered detailed way, like how he told his mom he wanted a journal and not a diary. He spots out the main things he did or events that happened during his daily life, which typically occurs in common areas which readers will get used to reading from different perspectives. Some places including, school, houses, outside, and holidays. There are recurring character, along with the main protagonist Greg Heffley, and his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, incase you were still wondering about them earlier. There are other important characters besides the main protagonist. His family are what leads to tension, like his older brother, Rodrick Heffley who is a troublemaker. He’s a perfect example of how a immatured teenager who hangs out with his friends most of the time and picks on a younger brother, frankly being Greg and causes conflict. And there is Manny Heffley, the young delinquent who doesn’t know any better and often leads to mistakes to lead others to blame for.

The good and bad things that happens in life, in which is read of a narrative tone that is spoke mostly in a first person view, comic gimmicks to exemplify cheap appropriate stereotypes, like how kids can be creative, make fake rumors and be very immature with other superiors to highlight what problems people faced and how they tend to avoid danger. Most of which are reflections on what certain consequences are and the things you may face or decide that can lead to other shenanigans, (or you can be totally ignorant like me and not realize any of these). Like molded cheese and how you can get the cheese touch, this part of the book deals a lot of drama and causes excellent tension and ending climax on how stories are brought up with embarrassing faintly whispers of ghastly murmurs, which are commonly brought up. That kids don't play on the playground anymore (which they tend to avoid being mistaken for) a common misconception of a molded cheese lying on the school’s basketball court. The only context given to Greg is that if you touch it, you will get the cheese touch and people will start passing it to whoever touches them, which will make others avoid the victim until it passes on to another host, which will lead to others avoiding you for whatever they believe. This is an example of common stereotypes and other misconceptions, like if girls touch boys, they could have the cooties. The author implies in this part that it’s fun remembering the things we used to believe and make something that may have impacted us in our youth about some phobias we were too young to understand, into an inside joke to a world. The book was made to attract more of young readers due to it’s non complex cartoonish style of black and white novel with illustrations, but it’s not weighed down with deep metaphors and brings up things older audiences can appreciate.  I was 10 years old when I first read this book and still remember the whole thing because of it’s non-complexity and joy that was brought up. It’s a fun book to read because it has pictures.

The Time Traveler’s Wife

The book The Time Traveler’s Wife is a young adult fiction novel by Audrey Niffenegger. This was the debut book by Niffenegger and was first published on January 1, 2003, but was also made into a movie in 2009. The movie received several awards, and the book received the Exclusive Books Boeke Prize. The author, Audrey Niffenegger, is currently writing a sequel to the Time Traveler’s Wife, and it will be published soon. Niffenegger was born on June 13, 1963 in South Haven, Michigan. She is a writer, artist, and academic.

The Time Traveler’s Wife is a romance and science fiction book for young adults. The two main characters, Henry and Clare, share an extraordinary love story that seem to be quite impossible. The story of these characters start when Henry, the mysterious librarian meets a smart, beautiful, and creative art student, Clare. The love story between these two seems impossible with many hardships and challenges that come along their way because Henry is a time traveler, but the bond of love keeps them strong. Henry’s disappearances are spontaneous and unpredictable, while Clare is patient and understanding. As they try to live a normal life like other couples, they are always threatened by a force that can not be controlled or stopped by human force or will.

The book takes on a different perspective than other books do in romance and science fiction. Yes, there are books that are science fiction and romance, but this book was written in the perspective of two people, Clare and Henry. Because of this structure, the readers are able to see the personalities and thoughts of the two main characters very easily. Additionally, each chapter is split by mostly a linear time period. Throughout a chapter, there would be different times to signal how much time has passed after the preceding event; this makes it easy to see the time that have passed and the important events that have passed before the next significant event.

Another observation to note is that sometimes, the characters would speak in French. This makes the book seem more realistic because it shows the characters’ interaction in a different language.

Lastly, there is a lot of foreshadowing in the book. This makes it more intense and engaging because it makes the reader want to read more and find out what happens later on. Honestly, the most beneficial approach to take while reading is keeping track of the foreshadows because these can be useful towards the end of the story.

Although The Time Traveler’s Wife is a very engaging, there were some times when the author could have done better. For example, sometimes there was not enough details about what was happening. The book was confusing at times as to why something was happening and why it was important because there wasn’t enough explanation for a course of action or an event. Another being the author sometimes including events that were not really necessary for the book’s plot itself. On the other hand, there were many elements of the book that absolutely exceeded expectations. The book had many foreshadowings, but not all of them were obvious, so she was able to surprise the readers towards the end of the story with something her audience did not expect. However, with the obvious foreshadowings, the author was able to keep the readers in engaged by making them want to know what happens later on in the plot. Finally, the mysteriousness of the book made everything very skittish. In a sense, this idea links to the foreshadowing - it makes the book more mysterious. Not only was the book mysterious, the main character was also very mystifying. Henry was very unpredictable. He is spontaneous and unpredictable, and his personality and his time traveling are what made the book very compelling. The book makes the readers constantly want to read more and know more about what happens in the end. This book did a very good job at keeping the reader’s attention the whole time.

This book is very outstanding because it had a combination of romance, science fiction, and a little bit of mystery. A amalgamation of these genres make The Time Traveler’s Wife the most extraordinary book. The book was engaging the whole time, so the reader would not have to worry about reading a boring book when he or she starts the story. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading romance or science-fiction books. However, I would not recommend it to anyone who doesn’t feel comfortable reading explicit books that have a lot of uncensored sex scenes. Since the book values the theme love, there are many sex scenes.

Title: The Time Traveler's Wife

Author: Audrey Niffenegger

Publisher: Zola Books

Date of Publication: January 1, 2003

Number of Pages: (Ebook, special edition) 518

Genre: Science Fiction, Young Adult, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary

For my creative piece, I made wings because I think it symbolized the book. After Henry's feet amputations, Clare made him wings. She didn't want him to be trapped again; she wanted Henry to be able to fly away and feel freedom.

A beautiful campus. Enthusiastic employees. Endless money. Complete control of the internet. All the resources and initiative to change the world.

Welcome to the Circle.

Mae Holland had lived a boring life. She graduated college with a degree in psychology and no ambition. She returned to her hometown, and worked in a burlap cubicle in a utility company. Mae’s roommate in college Annie, on the other hand, jumped out of college and into a high-up job in the “the only company that really mattered at all”: The Circle. When Annie pulls some strings and Mae is offered a job, she cannot help but accept. “My God, Mae thought. It’s heaven.”

Mae falls deeply, blindly, in love with The Circle. She went from nothing to everything, and so she couldn’t tell anyone no. Her feverous naïveté is overwhelming. And, as the book progresses, increasingly frustrating. As Mae falls deeper into the Circle, as new screens are added to her desktop, she encounters things, blips in the “perfection” of the Circle. But each time, instead of stopping and rethinking the Circle’s dystopian philosophies, she is convinced (and convinced easily) that it is all for the greater good. So desperate to move closer to the Circle’s inner circle, Mae throws herself at the philosophies of the Three Wise Men, the idiosyncratic trio that started the Circle. She goes so far as to introduce catchy phrases that capture The Circle’s new age, with no sense of how much influence they could have:
SECRETS ARE LIES

PRIVACY IS THEFT

ALL THAT HAPPENS MUST BE KNOWN

Mae changes the world. And if it was not obvious from the start, Eggers makes it abundantly clear that she did not change the world for the better.

Of course, the foundation the The Circle’s philosophy, the unadulterated pursuit of knowledge, is not inherently bad. In fact it’s often a very noble pursuit.  From the eyes of an everyday consumer, all of the Circle’s goal appear to be good. The Circle encourages politicians to go “transparent” to eliminate political corruption and backroom transactions. They install small “SeeChange” cameras all over the world to catch criminals, keep an eye on one’s home, check how the waves are for surfing, and experience Kilimanjaro or The Eiffel Tower or the Galapagos Islands without ever having to leave your sofa. Mae’s friend (and lover) Francis develops a child tracking chip to prevent kidnappings and child abductions. PastPerfect tracks one’s family history, and gives one access to every file, letter, photo, bill and transcript that has touched their bloodline.

The process, naturally, is what is corrupt. SeeChange cameras allow random people to spy on Mae’s parents. The child tracking chip allows for helicopter parents to truly take control. The PastPerfect reveals dark moments in Annie’s parents’ past, aiding her fall into a catatonic psychosis.

Dave Eggers gives a stomach-churning take on what it means to have too much of a good thing. The Circle fictionalizes a philosophical debate that has existed since the very beginning of the Internet: what are the boundaries of our privacy? What does it means to have an online identity? Where should we draw the line between “real” life and our “online” life? Who am I?

The Circle’s commentary on the nature of identity is its strongest quality. What does it mean to be alive in a digital age? Traditionally, identity is defined as one’s collection of thoughts, perceptions, feelings, actions, and discourse. We each have an inner narrative, a life-story, tracks on which we move through the universe. So what happens to this fundamental narrative when every aspect, every thought, feeling, action, is shared with the world? The Circle took Mae’s narrative and made it external. Turned it into a collection of things, materials, likes and dislikes, people she smiled at, parties she attended. Ultimately, the fault of The Circle is not the deconstruction of privacy, or the monopolization of the tech industry, but rather the destruction of self. Without a barrier between what you know and what everyone else knows, there is no distinction between one individual and the next, and the world, although it may operate with machine-like perfection, has lost all diversity. Egger’s has produced the most realistic apocalyptic fiction - and it is terrifying.

One fault in Dave Eggers’ process is his lack of research. As a reader with little to no knowledge of computer science, Eggers’ ad-libbed technologies seemed wholly realistic. However, to a programmer or engineer, there may be faults in The Circle’s “Unified Operating System” and “Retinals”. I would not suggest this book to anyone would be frustrated by technical ambiguity.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is curious possibilities of the future. Someone who participates in modern debate about about privacy, human connection, and freedom. Someone who does not mind being afraid.

~~

The Circle By Dave Eggers. Fiction. 491 pp. Alfred A. Knopf/McSweeney’s Books.

Where do I even start? Oh my, this book is amazing. “Deadly Reigns,” by Teri Woods is an urban suspense thriller. I could not put this book down at all. The plot, characters, the writing style, everything about the novel made me just want more. “Deadly Reigns,” is one of three books based on the Reigns family. The setting of the book takes place in Texas. The Reigns family consist of Princess, Damian, and Dante Reigns. Princess Reigns, ruthless, dangerous, and conniving, & does anything to get what she wants. Damian Reigns, intelligent, humble, too dangerous, and knows what he wants. Dante Reigns, dangerous, manipulative, murderous, and gets what Damian wants. Overall, this book gave me what I was looking for. The description, the characters being relatable, the plot itself being captivating, it all engaged me as a reader.

The Reigns family has been targeted by many groups, such as the local police, CIA, and FBI, but all have failed. The Reigns Family is drop dead gorgeous, wealthy, educated, closed off, and protected. As far as anyone is concerned, The Reigns are impenetrable. Damian Reigns, is the head of the family. Damian is a Harvard graduate in Business and own the family enterprise worth billions of dollars. Damian is handsome, mild mannered, and strategic. Dante is his brother. Dante is a Princeton graduate with a degree in psychology. Not only is he handsome, but he’s hot-headed. Their older sister, Princess. She’s beautiful and smart, too.  You might be wondering, if these siblings are educated, come from a good home, why are they being targeted by the CIA & FBI...Well to answer your question, not only does the family own most of Texas, due to the number of restaurants, laundromats, local business, and buildings they own, they are the largest drug distributor in the South.

The FBI has been trying to take down the Reign’s Cartel for years, but have failed miserably. As their last resort, they send in one of their finest agents, to penetrate the family. Grace Moore. Grace is young and beautiful and believes that she can get the job done. Grace is sent in to seduce Damian, as Jonel. In addition to the FBI, their sister, Princess is gunning for Dante and Damians head. She wants the Empire, and will stop at nothing to get it back. As far as Grace is concerned, can she get the job down, without falling for the Head of the Cartel himself?

Teri Woods did an amazing job writing this book. I could honestly not put it down. Her writing just captured me. I felt like I became a character in the book. An expert from the book read,

Dante emerged from the black H2 Hummer. WEaring black sunglasses, a black suit, a long, black, trench and black, leather gloves, he looked sorely out of place in colorful, sunny, south Florida. He didn’t give a shit.

His business here today would be brief, as he had come to Florida for one single purpose: to kill the man who had sent the assholes on jet skies. It was business, but at the same time, it would be a pleasure.

Reading this, I could see exactly what I was going on. I could imagine his facial expression and his surroundings. Everything about the book just said yes. I had to keep reading until I was finished.

As far as the rest of the story and plot is concerned, you have to read it to find out what happens. The Reigns family is powerful and has an endless amount of resources. However, as the war between the FBI & The Reigns, the FBI become desperate when agents start to go missing. Therefore, resorting to Grace to finish the job, and take down this family. But Damian and Dante are no fools, but neither are the FBI. So, can the Reign brothers outsmart their sister, the FBI, and Grace?