Ella Minnow Pea - A Novel In Letters

Have you ever taken your vocabulary under serious consideration? Statistically, the average person only uses about 3,000 words on a regular basis. Out of the approximate 60,000 words people are likely to know relatively well, that's not a lot. To make it worse, many people find themselves accustomed to a limited vocabulary in some sense. Some choose not to curse or swear. Others may speak entirely in slang or refined speech. The term "word poverty" has been thrown around recently in regards to the fact that many English-speakers do not employ a majority of the language in their everyday speech.

Even so, how often do we take the time to think about what we say before we say it? "Think before you speak" is a well-known saying, but is usually used in reference to what you say, not necessarily with which words you say it. I definitely struggle with taking the time to think about my speech before it comes pouring out of my mouth. Certainly, I rarely take the time to ponder over my vocabulary unless I'm writing a term paper. It's just not something we are forced to think about on a regular basis.

Now, imagine something a little more challenging: using words made up of only particular letters of the alphabet. Take the letter e, for instance. It is the most commonly used letter of the alphabet, and I've already employed it twenty-four times in this paragraph alone. If I took it away, I'd definitely have to take the time to consider my word choice and how else I might write what I am trying to convey to you.

In Mark Dunn's book, Ella Minnow Pea, he creatively engages such a challenge among the residents of the fictional island of Nollop. The island, named after Nevin Nollop (supposed creator of the pangram, "the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog"), is a rather picturesque place that has not been permeated by such advanced technology as computers or phones. In fact, the people there immerse themselves in the liberal arts and are quite passionate about the elevation and refinement of language.

But this happy setting is soon turned on its head when the statue of Nollop (underneath which are tiles that form the aforementioned pangram) in the town square loses one of its letter tiles. The island's council takes this to be a sign that the fallen letter should be removed from all written and spoken language. But, as more letters begin to fall, and the consequences for using the banned letters become more severe, the island soon finds itself under a plight of serious authoritarianism. To keep their entire language from becoming obsolete, the community must produce a pangram that is shorter than the one of Nollop's creation before time runs out.

The series of events leading up to this dilemma are portrayed in Dunn's book through missives between various characters. As more letters fall, Dunn omits them from the correspondences, creating an intellectually intriguing story with rich vocabulary and witty characters. Not only does he explore the expansive abilities of the English language to convey meaning, but he also delves into the potential ability our language has to alter a society's entire belief system. It would be a sad day when our words were censored not only for their content, but also for the letters that make them words to begin with. But this is a challenge the citizens of Nollop face, one which has intriguing solutions.

I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book when it was first published in 2001. I was drawn to it because of the interesting way it was written, with missing letters and multiple meanings behind what was said. But considering I was eleven at the time, I don't believe I fully understood all of the political and social implications the book covered. When I reread it recently, I found those aspects just as intriguing as the literary facets of the novel, prompting me to write this post.

While this book may not suit everyone's taste, it brings up a number of interesting issues that we don't encounter every day. It's also a short and easy read - at least until you have to start deciphering letters at the end that contain worse vocabulary and spelling than the average text message. I would definitely recommend this book to you, or at least ask you to consider the words you are using and what impact they truly can have.

How to Buy a Book

Buying a book can be hard for even the most seasoned readers. You might end up spending more money than you would make in an entire week or, even worse, you could buy a book that really wasn’t worth the time and money you spent on it. In order to avoid such traumas, here are a few problem areas you can bypass completely, just by being prepared.

1. Assess your budget.

I know that when I am buying books (whether the shopping trip was planned in advance or a spontaneous urge when passing a store) I have a bad habit of blowing my entire budget on the purchase of an enormously large stack of books. For myself — or any other passionate reader, I'm sure — a bookstore is heaven on earth, and there is no price that is too much to pay for a good read. However, this isn't the local library where that huge stack of books has absolutely no influence on your bank account. While those book prices may have seemed like a reasonable bargain at the time, there is nothing less rewarding than the realization that you don’t have enough money to make the gas light in your car disappear because those exalted green slips of paper have just been exchanged for the white and binded sort.

So, how do you prevent such unpleasant dilemmas? The first step you must take is to assess your budget. How much money do you have to spend? You need to decide this before going into the store. You don't go grocery shopping when you're starving, because everything looks amazing. It's the same concept with books. You have to walk in knowing exactly what your limit is to prevent the inevitable urge to binge on the first shelf of paperbacks you come across. Once that step is completed, you have an even harder decision to make: how much money are you able to expend (without completely destroying your budget)? The difficulty comes when you are forced to separate the ideas of what you want to spend and how much you can afford to spend. It's a difficult task, I know. Sometimes the answer is even heartbreaking when you realize that a new hardback just isn't going to make it into your hands this month. But once you’ve determined your budget you are well on your way to a few relaxing hours in another dimension.

2. Consider your options.

When setting out to buy a book, you want to analyze your prospective purchases and decide on what you’re really looking for. Planning ahead may seem entirely pointless (and unless you’ve got a specific title and author in your mind, planning may fly out the proverbial window once you’ve arrived at the bookstore), but it does tend to lead towards less time spent in the store and more time enjoying your books. I understand the joy that comes from simply walking along the rows of books with no set plan in mind. The unique mix of solitude and fellowship that books provide is a peaceful quality many bookstores offer. Why else would they have plush chairs to curl up and lose oneself in?

Only, at the moment we're not talking about the experience. We're trying to get the best possible read from limited means. So, you have a few choices to make: you have the chance to choose from a variety of sources and follow whichever path seems most appealing. Generally, books tend to be classified by whatever subject can be related to another book. These subjects are grouped in opposite pairs (fiction and nonfiction, historical and contemporary, education and recreation, comedy and tragedy, etc.), making your selection process much simpler in the long run. Find a genre that appeals to you and go from there. If you have an author you know you like, looking up authors or books that are similar is also a safe way to find a book you'll enjoy. Since books may also be purchased used, you have the additional option of expanding your original budget and doubling your amount of purchases should you choose to buy books that aren't new.

3. Brace yourself.

The trick is to go into the store focused on what you want and ready to face the bombardment of what psychologists refer to as subliminal advertising. Merchants know your mind, they know what sells, and they are ready to throw anything at you in order to convince you to buy their book. You’ve already fought half the battle in deciding your budget and choosing the general layout of your purchases. Now is the time to stick to your plan and find the books worth buying.

There are just a few things to keep in mind while perusing (or rushing through) the books at your store. First of all, don’t be fooled by sales. While buying one book and getting the next half off is certainly a good deal, those books are not always what you’re looking for. Be ready to do a bit of digging to find a good catch in that section. You shouldn’t settle for a mediocre read just because it fits well into your budget.

Second, try to focus on what you want, versus what looks nice. Bestsellers are definitely going to catch your eye when you enter the store, but if you constantly convince yourself that a book must be good because someone else says so, then you’re in for a rude awakening. You might want to consider that book after you’ve gone through the initial list of books you know you want to buy. That way, you won’t find yourself at home wondering why you thought that new book was more important than the newest installment of the series you’ve been following.

And finally, don’t be afraid to hold back. While I am certainly guilty of handing over my money to a bookstore without a second thought, there is something to be said for the person who is able to resist the urge to buy more books than they should. Only buy those books that you are certain you would come back for if you had, say, forgotten your wallet at home. Those are the ones truly worth spending your precious money on, and they are the books that will satisfy your urge to read (at least, until the next paycheck comes around).

4. Pay attention to details.

Don’t forget to keep a list of those mediocre books you considered in the store and eventually passed up. After all, what did you think libraries were for?

Expression > Suppression

I recently had a debate with a friend about types of suppression, so I thought censorship to be an appropriate topic for today's blog post. I'm sure at some point in our lives we've all encountered some kind of censorship. While it is easy to believe that we are more free nowadays than ever before, many aspects of our lives are still partially in the hands of others. Some censorship we take with a shrug of our shoulders and a blasé attitude, such as movies or songs that are edited in public forums then produced in their unrated format elsewhere. Then there are some that more people feel obligated to  resist; this is especially apparent in political and military spectrums.

But one particular form of censorship that worries me, one which I believe too many have begun to tolerate, is the banning of books. Books have been banned for countless reasons throughout history; this is nothing new. Yet, despite the many freedoms we fight for in our country, more and more people seem to think that they have the right to put their own boundaries on freedom when it involves literature. Schools do it to students, parents do it to children, the government does it to people...where does this end?

Now, let me make a distinction. I can already see some of you jumping our of your chairs in outrage because I mentioned parents censoring books their children read. They have every right to censorship, right? I mean, children don't know their own minds until the exact second they become an adult at eighteen. I hope you all can read the sarcasm. I agree that some texts are more age-appropriate than others and that parents should use discretion for when their children are exposed to them. But their children should still be exposed. Deciding whether a book is suitable at a certain age and bowdlerizing a child's literary experience are two very different things.

I remember wanting to read Dave Pelzer's A Child Called "It" when I was eight years old. It was all over the news at the time and I, being an avid reader, felt I should see what all the hype was about. When I asked for the book for Christmas, my parents did not get it for me. Instead, my father gave me To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee, a book that remains my favorite novel to this day. The book came with an inscription inside of the cover that read, "To my dear daughter: I realize this is not the book you asked for this Christmas, but I felt you should read about the good in people before you have to deal with the bad. I love you very much. Merry Christmas." While I did not get the book I wanted (and didn't wind up reading it until I was in 9th grade), I appreciated my father for being honest. Now that I am older, I can certainly understand why my parents thought an eight-year-old was not ready to read a book that involved severe child abuse in a very real and non-fictional form. I did not understand this at the time, but I accepted it. Why? Because my parents did not try to hide it from me, or censor it. They confronted it and, while still making the decision for me, did it in a way that respected my right as a reader.

Many parents and schools do not take the route my parents did. They ban books for any reason under the sun. If their authority on the matter is opposed, guess who most often wins the battle? It is a sad truth, one which not only infringes on rights but dilutes the knowledge which we are trying to instill in our youth. What does it say when we encourage them to seek knowledge, but then limit the resources from which they can learn? That is essentially what is being done. I couldn't possibly begin to delve into all of the ludicrous reasons that have been produced for officially banning a book; there are too many to discuss. However, I can guarantee that you would be shocked by some of the books that have been banned: books with strong literary merit, books you read when you were younger, even the dictionary itself. Although we can argue that some hearts are in the right place when they are doing this, it's still wrong. Not only that, but by banning a book, many are petitioning to have it removed from a curriculum, local library, or bookstore. It is no longer a personal choice - doing this can lead to the book's removal from all places in as large an area as an entire district. By forcing its removal, people are encouraging local stores and libraries not to buy it, which in turn can lead to it no longer being published at all. The chain of events moves from personal censorship to public suppression.

Since 1982, one week each year (beginning the last week of September) has been dubbed "Banned Books Week" during which people try to raise awareness of book censorship. Libraries around the country promote "challenged" books of the past and encourage people to read a banned book. Also included is a list posted by the American Library Association (ALA) of the top banned books of that year. For last year's Banned Book Week, the ALA posted the following:

"There were 348 challenges reported to the Office of Intellectual Freedom in 2010, and many more go unreported. The 10 most challenged titles of 2010 were:

And Tango Makes Three, by Peter Parnell and Justin Richardson
Reasons: homosexuality, religious viewpoint, unsuited to age group

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie
Reasons: offensive language, racism, religious viewpoint, sex education, sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group

Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Reasons: insensitivity, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

Crank, by Ellen Hopkins
Reasons: drugs, offensive language, racism, sexually explicit

The Hunger Games (series), by Suzanne Collins
Reasons: sexually explicit, violence, unsuited to age group

Lush, by Natasha Friend
Reasons: drugs, sexually explicit, offensive language, unsuited to age group

What My Mother Doesn't Know, by Sonya Sones
Reasons: sexism, sexually explicit, unsuited to age group

Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America, by Barbara Ehrenreich
Reasons: drugs, inaccurate, offensive language, political viewpoint, religious viewpoint

Revolutionary Voices edited by Amy Sonnie
Reasons: homosexuality, sexually explicit

Twilight (series), by Stephenie Meyer
Reasons: sexually explicit, religious viewpoint, violence, unsuited to age group"

While I'm sure I am not alone in finding some of the reasons legitimate in the context of society - I do not support racism, drug abuse, etc. - I do not consider them reasonable excuses to ban books. I don't believe there exists a reason to ban books. We are far from being able to extinguish book banning entirely. But by making people more aware of it and the effects it can have on our society, I think we are taking a big step towards a future of literary freedom.

Ray Bradbury famously said, "You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them." His words are full of truth and the application is simple: do not let others determine what you read or don't read. Make that decision of your own account and it will be one of the best choices you ever made. I urge you to look up a list of banned books on your own and choose a book from it you would like to read. Read that book. Protect that book. And protect our right to read those books before our next generation of youth finds themselves in a society akin to Oceania (George Orwell's 1984).

What book were you surprised to find on a banned book list?

Technorati

For those of you who don't know, Technorati is a site where you can register your blog. It's kind of a database of blogs, if you will. I'm using this post to verify my account there, so feel free to check it out and claim your blog if you write one! :)

{ 8FTK82GSNEP9 }

Happily ever after?

I'm sure you've heard the saying, "Happy endings are only found in books." It's a pretty cynical way of looking at life, but let's run with it for a moment. If you take fairytales, trashy adult fiction, or even a typical teen novel, you're likely to find a clichéd ending where the guy and girl have fallen in love, circumstances have changed in their favor, and they live...well, happily ever after.

We're taught as we grow up that, should any story begin with the telltale words, "Once upon a time..." a happy ending is to be expected post haste. In fact, nowadays there are many people who wouldn't pick up a book if it didn't have some suggestion of a possible romance or relationship. But does this expectation of eternal happiness, this semi-unreasonable ending, water down a book that could be potentially notable? Does a story need only a beatific conclusion to capture its readers' hearts? Is a juicy romance what we really yearn for, and therefore what we seek to find in the books we read - books that can provide the happy endings not always found in life?

Now, I'm not averse to a good romance. In fact, I enjoy books that end well; I get a feeling of resolution when stories have those tidy endings where everything works out and the characters probably lead content lives beyond the end of the novel. It's a good feeling. But I don't think it's a necessary feeling. A good author appeals to our emotions -  all of our emotions. An author should be able to make you feel giddy on one page and heartbreak on the next, but that shouldn't be where it ends.

As I have mentioned before, the magic of writing is that it opens up another world for you. And, while the story may not be real life, the characters should still seem real. Unless you're reading a science fiction novel that includes a race of mindless robots, or a thriller filled with brain-dead zombies, you should expect characters to have a range of emotions that goes far beyond love and a zeal for romance. Some of the best books out there give you those feelings and take them away. Why do we still love those authors after they've just raised our hope, crushed it, and then helped us move on? Because they did all of those things successfully and you feel a sense of contentment for having experienced it with them. Nicholas Sparks and his fondness of killing off major characters after we learn to love them is a perfect example of this. There is so much respect to give an author who can connect you so strongly to a character that does not really exist.

It's true when they say that it's easier to smile than to frown. The same goes for the emotion - it's easier to feel happy, giddy, or in love than it is to feel depressed, hopeless, or scared. A book that encompasses all of these emotions should be cherished just as much as one with just the former, if not more. I dare you to pick up a book this week that does not have a guaranteed happy ending. Find a story with an undeterminable conclusion and expect the most from it - you may be surprised by what you find. Happy endings are not bad things, but limiting yourself to that particular type of novel can be detrimental to your experience with the printed word. So challenge yourself with something a little different and let me know how it turns out!

What's your stance on happy endings?

Harry Potter and the Decade of Magic

Although I own and enjoy a wide variety of book genres, one particular group reigns supreme in my collection: fantasy. If books take me to another world, then fantasy novels take me to another dimension. While not everyone may agree with that sentiment, I think anyone who loves books can understand the joy found in pushing the endless boundaries of the imagination. For me, fantasy has always fed that desire. So, what better way to begin this journey than with one of the most consuming fantasy franchises of my generation?

Harry Potter is practically a household name nowadays. If you haven't heard it, you've either been living under a rock for the past ten years or you're too old to realize that your grandchild's favorite "hairy potter" isn't someone who crafts things out of clay. I was fortunate enough know about Harry Potter right when it began. I received Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the first book in the series) when I was eleven, and the subsequent novels were each released when I was about the same age as the main characters. This unique experience allowed me to see the events of the novels through the same eyes as Harry, Ron, Hermione, and friends.

For you rock-dwellers, here's a basic synopsis of the seven-book series that spurned an entire fandom of Harry Potter lovers. The books, written by J.K. Rowling, focus on an orphan named Harry Potter who learns that he is a wizard. Harry discovers that there are two worlds, magical and muggle (non-magical). Soon, he leaves home to attend a wizard boarding school named Hogwarts, where students are taught magical skills. During the ages of eleven through seventeen, magical children attend school; each book in the series  documents one of these years in Harry's life.

There is one reason Harry is so special in this new magical world: he survived a deadly curse, cast by the deadliest wizard in the world, Lord Voldemort. This evil wizard creates most of the major conflict throughout the novels, in his attempt to fix his mistake and kill Harry once and for all (as well as take over the entire world). As Harry, his two best friends (Ron and Hermione), and countless others battle with school, dark magical forces, and just growing up, Harry also has to deal with the revelation that it is his destiny to kill Voldemort, since Harry is The Boy Who Lived.

Now, some of you may be rolling your eyes by now. And I admit, this watered-down version of the plot sounds like a typical, predictable movie I could find at the local dollar theatre every couple of months. But Harry Potter paved the way for young adult novels in more ways than one. To start, these are full length novels - the longest is 870 pages. I know many adults who wouldn't bother with such a lengthy book. As a future teacher, I applaud any author that can convince an adolescent to read a book that long and enjoy doing it! Also, contrary to the simple summary I just provided, the books are exceptionally intricate; the plot is woven into every detail of the novels. There are more characters with recurring roles in the story whom Rowling makes you care about and relate to than I could count on all of my fingers and toes. Plus, the story is just so incredibly interesting, with new terms, new people, new ideas...

In short, the Harry Potter series created a magical world with which we could relate. And when I say we, I am including adults. One of the primary reasons that I believe this series has become so loved, aside from the outstanding writing, is how relatable it is. The main characters are school-aged, but the troubles that plague them are not age-restricted. Also, Rowling does not insult the intelligence of adolescents by watering down anything in the novels. If I had just now picked up a Harry Potter book for the first time, I may not relate to it in the same way, but I can guarantee it would win my heart with both literary merit and a captivating story.

Over the years my favorite book in the series has changed a few times. For a long while, it was Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, fourth in the series. That changed both when the sixth book (Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince) was published, and when the release of the fourth film sort of ruined it for me - this just proves once more that the books are alwaysbetter than the movie adaptations! But after a trip to London in 2009, during which I was able to acquire the entire series in their original form, I once again fell in love with the book that started it all, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

I have a lot of personal ties to these books, and J.K. Rowling will always be one of my top five favorite authors. But, I feel I must stress that it is not the books alone that have carried me on this journey. I will say this again and again: books are more than just a story, they are an experience. Becoming a part of the character's lives, interacting with others who are passionate about the same book, feeling the need to be a part of something as big as what you've just read - these are the things that keep drawing us back for more, the reason why reading is an addiction that cannot be quenched. 

Harry Potter's life was an avenue that took me through a new world. But the road does not end there. It only ends when we stop finding joy in the possibilities. The "what ifs" in life keep us from running out of steam and books offer us an endless number of roads to take to find out what would happen if... Don't let life stop you from taking the time to explore your mind and find hope in the potential of something. It's what keeps us young.

What books have had an impact on your life?

Cracking the spine...

The urge to read a book - and I'm talking an actual, hold it in your hands, turn the page yourself, printed on paper book here - is slowly losing its luster for many people. The age of technology has run rampant among our generation; I can personally attest to this. I love technology and most everything that comes along with it. I probably use my smart phone hundreds of times throughout the day without even thinking about it, not to mention the laptop that is practically attached to my hip. I use a professional digital camera to foster my photographic inclinations and listen to music on any number of electronic devices.

But one technological trend that I cannot go along with is e-readers. Believe me, I've tried. I received a Kindle as a Christmas gift almost right after they were first released - my love of books is no secret among my family and friends. But contrary to what was expected, I hated that e-reader. Now, don't get me wrong; I wanted to like it. For a tech-savvy girl like me, the idea of carrying around thousands of my books anywhere I went was highly appealing. It was the culmination of two of my loves, books and technology, with endless possibilities. All of that, put into one pretty, electronic package? Sign me up!

After a week of torture (I did give it a fighting chance) I couldn't stand to have it anymore. The treasure of holding a new book for the first time was robbed from me. The excitement of discovering a used book and smelling its musty ancestry was nonexistent. The experience of that first opening of the book, of cracking the spine and anticipating the new world I was exposing myself to - gone. The bittersweet joy of holding that last page lovingly in my hand, of cherishing the end of an emotional journey, was impossible to achieve. That cold, harsh piece of plastic was one of the worst literary experiences I've ever had.

I don't dislike people who use e-readers. In fact, I sold that Kindle to my mom a week after Christmas and she absolutely loves it. I still find them to be amazing technology, even if just for convenience's sake. However, there is no way they could ever replace an actual book. I think my above comments sufficiently demonstrate my love of books. That's really only scratching the surface, but you get the idea. Reading a book is not just about convenience for me: it's an experience. The entire thing, from cover to cover, is a part of what makes that book special. Even those annoying dust jackets that bend weird and always get in the way have a special place in my heart.

I feel like the overall community does not feel as I do. I consider that to be a tragedy. So, I will attempt to rekindle (ha ha) that love for the printed word through this blog. Here, I will write about books I have read, books I haven't read, experiences with books, endless hours spent in bookstores, endless hours spent curled up with books, the actual words themselves, and any other book-related topic that tickles my fancy. Ultimately, I hope this inspires you to pick up a book and enjoy it.