Reflection #6

My Favorite Genres

Some of my favorite genres that we discussed today are the thrillers and even though we didn’t really talk about it too much, romance. I tend to lean towards these because both are exciting and normally are books that you can’t put down. I like books that keep you wanting to know what happens next and I normally find that with the thrillers and romance books. I don’t think my reading taste has changed too much over the years because these are the books I’ve always picked to read. The only difference is that I don’t stick strictly to these genres anymore. I’ll branch out and try others, like the Hunger Games or Harry Potter, but I always find myself going straight back to these two. I normally stay away from the science fiction or fantasy novels because those just don’t interest me. I like stories about things that could actually happen. I find genre labels extremely helpful because I know what I like to read and what I don’t. If I had to start a book just to find out it’s about magic or science, I would be frustrated. I like walking into Barnes and Nobles and going straight to my section, and knowing that I’ll like what I find.

Review #2

The cover of 13 Reasons Why

I think that the publisher choose the colors of gray and black for 13 Reasons Why because it’s a dark book. It’s about a girl’s suicide message and if the cover was happy and cheerful it wouldn’t fit the tone of the book. The cover also shows a girl on a swing, and I never really got it until today. It’s from a couple of parts in the book, but the main character, Hannah loved the swings at this nearby park. Many of the people she talked about in her tapes and her shared a memory there. The summary on the back is really good at getting the audience’s attention. It introduces Hannah and that she killed herself, but it makes the audience want to know why she left the tapes and especially why Clay received one. It does a good job at not giving too much away, but also at drawing the reader in. If I could change anything about the cover I would probably show a couple of tapes because that’s what Hannah used to record herself. Another cool option would be to show a 13 faces, each looking guilty or upset. They could represent the people who Hannah mentions on the tapes. I would still keep the gray tones or have everything in black in white in order to keep the dreariness that comes with reading this book. I don’t think 13 Reasons Why was the best book I’ve ever read, but it definitely made me think. I feel like I could reread it and still feel the emotion I did the first time. I finished the book in one day, so that just shows that it was something I couldn’t put down. I had to know what why Clay was on those tapes. This was a great read and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.

Reflection #5

Judging Books by Their Cover

I know I shouldn’t do this, but I judge book by the covers. I most likely won’t read something if the cover doesn’t interest me. Certain book covers that look futuristic or look like a fantasy novel, I stay far away from. Anything that has a vampire or werewolf, I tend to move right past as well. The things I do like the read are books with realistic people on them. Not a scene from the movie, I don’t like those covers, but maybe a cover with people flying a kite or running away. I like things that look like they could actually happen. The book cover for Two Way Street is a good example because it extends over both sides. On the front, is the main character and on the back is her boyfriend. I like it because it gives you an idea of what the book is going to be a about – a couple on a road trip, going through some trouble. Another cover I like is the cover of Along for the Ride because while it does show the cropped feet that Karen Heller talks about, it has bright colors and just looks like a fun read. I feel like the cover of a book can say a lot about it and that’s why I have specific things I look for on the cover, to guarantee that I’ll like the book.

Review #4

Adapting 13 Reasons Why

I think since most of Thirteen Reasons Why is an “audio recording”, it would make it difficult to be put on the big screen. The filmmaker would probably have trouble finding someone who could capture the emotion and draw the audience in all with their voice. A way to make this work is to have Hannah Baker narrating the flashbacks, but also show them as well. Instead of just following Clay around town, they could cut back to the scenes to show what she’s talking about. One scene they’d have to keep is the opening scene where Clay receives the tapes and how he reacts to hearing her voice for the first time. I feel like this was one of the most important scenes because it’s just days after her death and he’s hearing her voice for the first time since. It’ll be eerie and sad, but if they find the right actor to play Clay he can show just how important it is for Clay to keep listening. Another scene I think is essential to keep is the scene where Hannah cuts her hair. It’s a big thing for her and it’s the point where she decides that she’s going to commit suicide. I think that the hair cutting symbolizes her last cry for help and it’s important to show that she really didn’t want this to happen. Another important scene to include is the where Clay finally learns from Hannah’s messages and runs after the girl in the hallway. It’s the turning point for the book because Clay learned from Hannah’s death and you can see that with his actions. I really can’t decide on anything to cut from the book. Each of the characters was important because they contributed to her death and the audience needs every reason to hear why Hannah decides to kill herself. If they make a movie out of this book, it would be important to include just about everything.

Best and Worst Film Adaptations

Best and Worst Film Adaptations:

A small collection on which movies I thought were really great interpretations of books and some that weren't so great.

Good Interpretations:

Harry Potter Series -

Harry Potter was not only a fun read, but also an interesting movie series as well. Seeing the spells and the places the students would travel to, really made the books seem much more clear. I do think the movies missed out on key points from the book, but overall they did a nice job at making the highly loved fictional characters become real.

A Walk to Remember -

When I first saw the movie I remember thinking that the actors chosen to play Jamie and Landon were spot on. A good actor choice can really make or break a movie. Even after reading the book and knowing exactly what was going to happen, the movie captured my heart as well.

Hunger Games -

The movie was good at showing intense fight scenes and things the author had invented in a new way. I had my own idea of what they would look like, but when the movie came       out, it made everything much more clear. 

Bad Interpretations:

My Sister's Keeper -

My Sister's Keeper had such a great twist to the ending that you'd never see coming. In my opinion, the ending made the book. The producers changed the ending and I think it ruins the movie entirely. Now, if I hadn't read the book, I'm sure I would have thought the movie was just fine. But having those great expectations from the book only made the movie look bad in my eyes.

Dear John -

Dear John had the same problem as My Sister's Keeper. The book had a great ending, only to be changed when the movie came out. I didn't like the new ending and thought it really took away from what the book had to offer.

Project Number One - Go Ask Alice

Go Ask Alice: Comparing the book to the movie

I was sitting at home, trying to figure out the best way to do this project when I searched for my book, Go Ask Alice, on Google. I hadn’t realized when starting the book that it was also a movie, but was pleasantly surprised to find that YouTube had the complete movie available to watch. 

The movie was filmed in 1973, just two years after the book was originally published. Being set in this time frame, especially so soon after the book was written, brought it to life. The slang and the diction that could only be found in the ‘70s, made it feel more natural, than if it was filmed today.

The 1973 Movie

Overall, I thought the movie was a very good representation of the book. While it included some parts that the book did not have, I thought they were necessary. For instance, the movie added scenes that really portrayed how much of a struggle it was for someone with a hard core addiction to acid, amongst other drugs, to quit them. I thought the book was lacking this. When reading the book, it seemed that Alice was able to switch on and off her addiction, almost effortlessly. She would have a relapse, leave, then come back and have everything be fine. Never once talking about the emotional difficulty she went through to be off the drugs. I found this unrealistic. The movie also included scenes where Alice talks to a priest. He’s the one who persuaded her to call her parents and go back home. I really liked this scene because it portrayed Alice at her weakest point, and struggling with her inner self on how to survive. The priest, who is played by Andy Griffith, talks to her about calling her parents so she can go home. When she protests, he says, “It’s there or die.” This scene was needed in order to show Alice that if she doesn’t give up acid, she’s going to die. When hearing it as bluntly as Andy put it, it made the difficulty with addiction much more real.

2006 Version of Go Ask Alice
(Another was originally published in 1971)

Like any movie, it was lacking some key points that the book had. The movie was very vague about what happened when Alice took the drugs. While some of the details in the book are vulgar, they’re real and are necessary to the plot. They show just how much drugs change a person and I thought the movie was missing that emphasis. 

The New York Times says, “[Go Ask Alice is] a document of horrifying reality.” Knowing that the book is based on an actual diary, reading the words made you feel like you understood her world and seeing the movie, made you feel like you know her. Despite the fact that both were created over 35 years ago, the things in the book and movie still apply to today. In the end, because of this connection, I found the movie as timeless as the book.

Weekly Review #2

Last 45 pages of book -

I noticed that the author, who’s anonymous, has a very strong voice throughout the piece. In fact, I even noticed that as Alice moves on through life, the voice changes with her, adapting to her situation. For example, when she’s living with her parents in the beginning of the book, even though things aren’t the best at times, she writes in a happy go lucky way. After heading to the party where she takes drugs for the first time, I noticed that her preppy attitude leaves her, and instead enters a girl with a pessimistic outlook. She complains about the family she once was so happy to have. She runs away, more than once, to start life on her own. Yet every time she returns, so does her naïve personality. I noticed that every time she’s away and using drugs, she changes not only her character, by doing things she’d never do sober, but by changing her voice in word choice, attitude, and diction. Since the book is in diary format, it was easy to hear her talking; she was pouring her heart out onto the pages. In fact, Alice kept the notebook locked away in a container for fear that someone would read her secrets. That just goes to show that when she wrote about her life, she didn’t hold back, especially how she was feeling or thinking. That’s why I think her voice/ tone is so strong in this book. It’s really coming from her heart. Not to mention, this book is based off a real diary. When you think about the fact that these words didn’t just come from an author’s head, but from real life experiences, it makes the story more real. Actual thoughts and feelings come across the pages, altogether developing the voice in the book.