When Breath Becomes Air(Round 5)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about today is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. I have finished reading the book.

Subject

    I really enjoyed the topic of this book. It is definitely a very heavy topic to write about. The author did a great job of presenting the material and illustrating their point. He really showed how he went from being in perfect health as a neurosurgery resident and telling his patients about their severe illnesses to becoming a patient with terminal illness himself. However, the writing was unnecessarily dense and hard to read sometimes. I agree with what the author said about not being worth it to save a patient from death only to have them paralyzed without full brain function. The value this book has for society is to help people make peace with death and perhaps understand cancer a little. What I think should be changed is that they should have added a couple more chapters with his wife Lucy's point of view. The last chapter is written by her because he was unable to finish the book. She talks about his final stages of death and what happened after, but I would have also liked to see what she was thinking during the process of his diagnosis and treatment.

Audience

    It would be hard to say something in opposition to this book, because there is nothing really to oppose. The book doesn't really have opinions on a certain subject. It's more of a memoir of his life and ideas about life and death mixed in there.

Purpose

    I think the author achieved their purpose in writing this book. He wanted to inform people about his story and battle with lung cancer, and he succeeded. He also wanted to help people face their mortality, and he succeeded in that too. In college, he pondered the question, "What makes life worth living?", and he answered that through this book. The relationships he made, his daughter, his fierce battle against cancer, all made his life meaningful.
Speaker

    I would ask the author(if he was still alive) how he stayed relatively calm, or so it appeared even after the realization that death could be near. If I were to write about this book, I would applaud the author for being able to write such a clear, focused memoir that preserves his life and personality even after he is gone. Much of this book, he wrote while experiencing pain, nausea, and fatigue, and it is amazing how determined he was to finish the book. The book itself is also quite engaging, and he uses just the right amount of medical terminology.

When Breath Becomes Air(Round 4)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. I am 171 pages into this book.

Subject

    One part of the novel is when the author wants to return to neurosurgery. With his tumor shrinking slightly, but his life expectancy still uncertain, he struggles to get back to the operating room after leaving because of his cancer. He knows that neurosurgery is a really tough job, and it would be easy to stop, but moral duty compels him to go back. Over the next six weeks, he focuses his physical therapy on building strength to operate for long hours. He limits himself to one case a day with another resident available to back him up. The first day, he has to lie down after feeling faint. However, in the next few weeks, his strength slowly returns, and he is able to operate again. This relates to the overall theme of the book of grappling with illness.

Audience

    This book is for anyone, really, so that when they are near the end of their life, they can face their mortality. It can really help you change your perspective on death and what it means to have lived. A sub-group would be people with a terminal illness who are actively facing their death and might die in the next few months or years. The author himself looked death in the eye and never avoided the possibility that he could die.

Purpose

    "The tricky part of illness is that, as you go through it, your values are constantly changing. You try to figure out what matters to you, and then you keep figuring it out. It felt like someone had taken away my credit card and I was having to learn how to budget." (p. 160)

    This quote is indicative of the novel and its purpose because Kalanithi wants to show the personal struggles of someone with a terminal illness whose life had changed so drastically. Before his diagnosis, he was perfectly healthy and intelligent, but everything changed suddenly for him.

Speaker

    The author is insightful, but wordy. The prose is beautiful, but I had to read some sentences a few times to understand. Kalanithi is motivated and determined. He wrote this entire book to keep his memory alive. He did neurosurgery, which is hard even without cancer, after his diagnosis because he was a fighter.

When Breath Becomes Air(Round 3)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. I am 133 pages into the book.

Subject

    This book applies to my life because I have always been scared of getting cancer or some big illness and dying. This book dives deep into those fears through the eyes of someone who has faced it head on. I also experienced a few months of my life where I felt dizzy in whatever I did. I had to quit many of my activities and slow down my life. This is similar(but not as bad) to the author having to change his life after being diagnosed with cancer. He had to stop doing neurosurgery and had to lie down often because of searing back pain.

Occasion

    If this book was written 20 years ago, the author's cancer treatment might have been different. This is because the pill he is eventually prescribed, Tarceva, was only approved in 2004. Also, some of the surgeries he uses on his patients might have been different because in the last 50 years, neurosurgery has been improved to become more effective and less invasive.

Audience

    If the reader is young, they might not be able to fully understand the book, and what the author is trying to say. They also might not understand the complex words and the references to famous authors in the book.

Purpose

    If the book was turned into a movie, some of the material, like his early education and some of the patients he sees during his residency, would have to be cut. Also, it wouldn't be as effective as a movie because you wouldn't be able to see his insight into his experiences. His commentary on the ethics of neuroscience and facing death are the core of the story. The movie would not be the same as the book.

When Breath Becomes Air(Round 2)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. I have read 98 pages of this book so far.

Subject

    We are learning more about what the author did at medical school and residency. We also learn that he gained a deep understanding of life and death even before he got diagnosed with cancer. He experienced deaths while working in the emergency room to save lives. He tells us about moments where he had to make decisions between the patient dying, or living a life with their body paralyzed and only eating through a tube. He strived to treat each patient with care and explain their diagnoses in terms they could understand. 

Occasion

    The author wrote this book at the time he did because he knew that he might die. He wanted to document his life and put his feelings into words because what he was going through was so profound. He went from telling his patients about their surgeries and risks of death to becoming a patient himself.

Audience

    I think the author is really trying to speak to people that are going through medical school. He urges doctors to understand what patients are going through and explain it to them thoroughly. He also is speaking to people in general about what neurosurgeons go through, and what it feels like to walk the line between life and death.

Purpose

    The book is very informative on the intricacies of what it takes to be a doctor. I am learning a lot of new medical terms. The story is also entertaining, as he fills it with funny anecdotes from his journey through college. There are also many stories about patients with brain cancer and how he treated them, so we learn a lot about neurosurgery and neuroscience.

When Breath Becomes Air [non-fiction] - Round 1

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is When Breath Becomes Air, by Paul Kalanithi. It is about a neurosurgeon who is diagnosed with lung cancer in his final year of residency. He dies at the age of 37. I have read 43 pages of this book so far. I chose this book because my cousin recommended it to me. I also want to learn more about cancer. I think I will continue to read this book and write about it.

Subject

    This book is an autobiography. It is about a neurosurgeon named Paul Kalanithi, who is entering his first year of residency. He starts to experience back pain and weight loss. At first, he and his doctor think his symptoms are due to aging and work. However, as his symptoms get worse, he gets a scan and is diagnosed with lung cancer. Then, we flash back to his childhood and college years, during which he studied both literature and human biology. He talks about his journey through medical school and treatment for his cancer. He talks about what it means to be alive and dealing with death. 

Occasion

    The book was written in 2015 and was posthumously published in 2016. I don't think the year influenced this book because it is solely about the author and his battle with cancer. It is his personal memoir which he wrote because of his diagnosis of cancer and being faced with death during his treatment.

Audience

    I think the audience of this book would be people who want to learn more about lung cancer and read about it in length from the perspective of someone who actually had it. Also, people who are looking for inspiration in life might read this book. The audience could also just be people who want to read this book for entertainment.

Purpose

    The purpose of this book is to show people that life is short and that things can change at any moment. The author wants us to live life to the fullest and understand how precious life is. He wants to show us how it feels to have death looming over you.

Speaker

    The author is Paul Kalanithi. He originally lived in Bronxville, New York, but moved to Kingman, Arizona when he was ten. He gained a deep love of reading throughout his teenage years. He went to Stanford and studied both English literature and human biology, but found himself drawn to psychology and neuroscience. He died in 2015 at the age of 37. He has a wife named Lucy and a daughter named Elizabeth.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 5)

Book Update/Coming of Age Connection

    I am reading To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, it is about Jem and Scout being attacked after Maycomb's Halloween carnival. After the trial of Tom Robinson, Bob Ewell threatens Atticus, but ends up going after his kids that night. Arthur(Boo) Radley saves them, and the kids realize that he is actually a nice person. One characteristic of a coming of age story in this book is Scout psychologically maturing. She learns to empathize with other people. For example, when she is at Arthur Radley's house, she tries to see her actions from his point of view.

Characterization

    I would be friends with Jem Finch. He is brave and kind. He is protective of his younger sister. He believes in equality and can't stand racism and unfairness. He would impact my life because we would go on many adventures together and explore Finch's Landing.

Characterization 2

    A character who is different from Jem is Bob Ewell. He is a mean and racist man. He tries to convict an innocent man for rape, and hits his own daughter. However, it doesn't seem plausible to me that he is as lazy as described in the story. 

Setting

    I think the author did a good job with world building. It was hard to remember exactly what places were near each other, but I got the general idea of the layout of Maycomb.

Conflict 

    I think the main conflict of the book is thought provoking and interesting. I enjoyed seeing Atticus Finch stand up for what he believes and prove Mr. Ewell wrong. However, I think the conflict could be resolved better because Tom did not have to die. 

Connection

    My family friend Ashwini would like this book. She just finished studying to be a lawyer. She also really likes reading. I think she would really like Atticus and things he says to Jem and Scout.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 4)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, the book is about the trial of Tom Robinson and the racism that exists in Maycomb. One example of a coming of age characteristic is struggling with the knowledge that the adult world is complex. Because of the trial, she learns that juries can be unfair and that evil people like Bob Ewell can get away with their crimes.

Characterization

    Scout's father, Atticus, has influenced her the most. He teaches her and Jem how to respect people and treat everyone equally. He tells them, "You'll see white men cheat black men every day of your life, but...whenever a white man does that to a black man, no matter who he is, how rich he is, or how fine a family he comes from, that white man is trash." Atticus strives to teach Scout about injustices in the world and wants her to understand right from wrong. Atticus also teaches her important lessons she will use throughout her life.He tells Scout, "You just hold your head high and keep those fists down. No matter what anybody says to you, don't you let 'em get your goat." Atticus clearly influences her because she doesn't try to hit anyone for saying something about her dad after that.

Characterization 2

    A character my family would hate is Bob Ewell. He lied about Tom Robinson raping his daughter, tarnishing Tom's reputation. He also beat his own daughter, which is horrible and unforgivable. He is racist towards black people. Ewell also spits on Atticus and curses at him after the trial, showing that he is an angry, malicious man.

Setting

    The time period that the story is written in is the 1930's. This is similar to our time period because people say we might go through another Great Depression, which was the big event of the 1930's. Our time period is also different from the 1930's because we don't have segregation laws anymore.

Conflict

    An internal conflict that Jem is facing is that he is angry that the jury was unfair and did not step up to save Tom Robinson. People in his town are racist and will always believe a white man over a black man. Today, the American South is still a racist part of the country. A lot of white people in the South today don't understand the impact of slavery that still makes it harder for black people to get ahead today.

Connection

    An issue raised in the book is an innocent person being punished for a crime that they did not commit. This still happens from time to time today. People are given life sentences for something they didn't do. Thankfully, now our courts treat all people the same and most people understand that no one is less of person because of their skin color. We are also reviewing cases with new DNA evidence and acquitting innocent people who are sitting in jail.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 3)

Book Update/Coming of Age Connection

    The book I am reading is To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee. So far, it is about the trial of Tom Robinson, who was accused by the Ewell family of raping their daughter. Aunt Alexandra has come to visit and wants Scout to act more ladylike, though Scout despises the idea. One coming of characteristic in the story is having an education outside of school. Scout learns a lot about the injustices of life through Atticus. Also, when Calpurnia takes her to her church, Scout learns how black people worship at church.

Characterization

    A character I would like to interview is Atticus Finch. 
1. How do you stay so calm when other people say bad things about you?
        I would ask him this because Atticus always seems to keep his cool when Scout complains that someone said something bad about him. Also, he doesn't seem to care that the whole town thinks he's crazy.

2. Do you think Aunt Alexandra is a good influence on Scout?
        I would ask him this because he always acts nice to her but it seems like he would rather not have her at their house.

3. What made you decide to become a lawyer?
        I would ask him this because Atticus is passionate about his job and there must have been something in his life that pushed him to study to become a lawyer.

Characterization 2

    The story might be different if Scout, the main character was a boy. Aunt Alexandra wouldn't be so obsessed with making Scout behave like a girl. Also, she wouldn't have gotten "engaged" to Dill, and their friendship might be different. The relationship between Scout and Jem would change too. They would be brothers, and that might make them closer.

Setting

    If this story took place in our present, things would be a lot different. First, there are no more segregation laws so there would be less racism in the story. Atticus defending a black man would be completely normal and wouldn't solicit rude remarks from the residents of Maycomb.

Conflict

    Scout just made the decision come out of hiding and run to Atticus after following him to the county jail. The advice I would have given her is not to run out because she doesn't know the people who are talking to him. She might also get hurt by the strange men. I would tell her that there is a reason that Atticus didn't tell her where he is going.

Connection

    I would jump into the story in the part when the trial starts. I would like to see the trial of Tom Robinson and Atticus in action. The story would change with my arrival because it would be strange to see an Indian person in the 1930's in the United States. 

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 2)

Book Update

    The book I am writing about is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, the book is about the Finch family living in Maycomb County.There is talk about Atticus's case defending a Negro. One way this book illustrates the characteristics of a coming of age story is her transition from having lots of freedom to having to follow rules and social norms. She used to be able to do whatever she wanted at home to having to follow school rules and do what the teacher tells her.

Characterization

    Two characters in my novel are Jeremy "Jem" Finch and Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. I know they are siblings because they live together and have the same last name. Jem often bosses Scout around but she plays along. They are very close and Jem always looks out for Scout. When she wants to go to the Radley house with him at night to retrieve his lost pants, he tells her not to come to protect her.

Characterization 2

    A character is telling this story using "I". Her name is Scout and she is thoughtful, but whiny at times. We get to hear Scout's thoughts on various topics, and we learn a lot about her town from her explanations. 

Setting

    A main location in the story is Maycomb County in Alabama. This location is important to the plot because many of the conflicts involve the residents of Maycomb and their personalities. 

Conflict 

    An obstacle Scout faces is getting into a fight with her family member who is one year older than her. He calls Scout's father, Atticus Finch, a n----- lover, and she starts to get mad. She punches him in the face, and when the parents come he blames it all on Scout and doesn't tell them what he said about Scout's father. Scout is extremely frustrated that all the parents don't believe her and that Uncle Jack thinks she broke her promise to him not to say bad words. However, later she tells Uncle Jack her perspective of the fight. Scout overhears her father talking about it to Uncle Jack and learns that she has to learn how to keep her temper because things will get harder as the trial starts.

Connection

    A part of the book I feel strongly about is when Jem angrily cuts Mrs. Dubose's camellias with Scout's baton. Atticus tells Jem to go apologize to Mrs. Dubose, and she makes him read to her every day after school. At first, I thought Mrs. Dubose was evil and racist, and even if she is those things, she was struggling with a morphine addiction. I admire her effort to try and get off the medication before she died.

To Kill a Mockingbird(Round 1)

Book Update 
    The book I am writing about this week is To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee. So far, it is about the main character, Scout Finch, along with her brother Jem Finch and their friend Dill Harris trying to get the mysterious Boo Radley to come out of his house, which is thought to be haunted. Scout also goes to her first year of school, which she hates. There are not any coming of age characteristics in the story so far. 

Characterization
    The main character and narrator of the story is Jean Louise "Scout" Finch. She is 6 years old. She is very smart and is ahead of her class in reading and writing, which her first grade teacher doesn't like. She also sticks up for other students, and tries to explain to her teacher the ways of Maycomb, and why Walter Cunningham cannot accept her money.

Characterization 2
    The main antagonist of my story has not been revealed yet. However, Nathan Radley could be considered an antagonist. During Jem, Scout, and Dill's final attempt to get Boo's attention, they are able to get into the Radley. When Jem starts to climb up the porch, they see a figure in the yard that attempts to shoot at them. Another antagonist could be Miss Caroline, Scout's teacher. She doesn't like that Scout already knows how to read, and punishes her.

Setting
    One significant setting in the story is Jem and Scout's backyard, where they play games with Dill, their neighbor that is visiting Maycomb for the summer. They also act out parts from books they have read and even try to to act out Boo Radley's life story in their backyard. They have a tree house that rests 'between giant twin chinaberry trees. Another significant setting is the Radley house. Scout, Jem, and Dill try multiple times to get Boo Radley to come out of the supposedly haunted house. It is gray with rotted roof shingles. There are oak trees in the front and pecan trees that are said to have pecans that could kill you.

Conflict
    A major conflict the main character faces at the beginning of the story is getting in trouble with her first grade teacher, Miss Caroline, on the first day of school. The problem starts when a student named Walter Cunningham does not have a lunch and the teacher tries to give him money to buy some. He stays quiet, so Scout tries to stick up for Walter, a poor farm kid whose family does not take money from anyone. Already mad at Scout for knowing how to read before starting school, she hits Scout on the knuckles with a ruler and makes her stand in the corner of the room. This causes Scout to resent school and her teacher.

Connection
    The parts of the story I liked were when the kids tried to get Boo Radley to come out. It was fun reading about their antics. I was also wondering if Boo Radley would actually come out and if Scout, Jem, and Dill would get caught.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban(Round 5)

Book Update:

    The book I am writing about today is Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, by

J.K. Rowling. I have finished the book. It is about Harry Potter and his friends Ron

Weasley and Hermione Granger in their third year at Hogwarts growing up together and

facing the threat of Sirius Black. They figure out that Sirius Black is actually not evil and

that Peter Pettigrew, who was disguised as Ron's pet rat Scabbers, was the one who

betrayed Harry's parents.

Characterization:

    I would be friends with Harry Potter. This would impact my life because I usually

wouldn't go and try to defeat evil people, like Harry, Ron, and Hermione do. I usually

mind my own business and stay quiet, so being friends with him would be quite a

change. He would make me more adventurous and brave because I would sneak

around with him in Hogwarts and go on trips to Hagrid's house with Ron and Hermione.

I would probably also go along with him and Hermione when the try to reverse time

and save Buckbeak and Sirius Black.

Characterization:

    A character that is different from Harry is Professor Severus Snape. He is thoughtless

and cruel. He doesn't like Harry because he reminds him of Harry's father James, who

he hated. At times, he seems implausible to me because he unfairly targets Hermione

during Potions class. I also didn't understand why he sought Dumbledore's approval so

much. Snape probably acts the way he does because he never got over being bullied as

a child and having a prank played on him by James, Sirius, Peter, and Remus.

Setting:

    I think the author did a great job with world building. The world that the characters

live in is very descriptive and engaging. Almost all of the story takes place in one

location, Hogwarts castle and its close surroundings, but the author creates a clear

picture of where everything is in relation to the castle. I could imagine where Hagrid's

house would be, and the Whomping Willow, and what the Quidditch field looked like. I

would definitely want to live in this world and be a student at Hogwarts because the

students learn so many interesting things. 

Conflict:

    The main conflict in this book was epic and shocking, with many plot twists. I think it

is resolved very well when Hermione and Harry go back in time and help Sirius Black

escape. The time travel part was very well thought out and surprised me when I

thought I had it all figured out.

Connection:

    I think my dad would like this book. He likes science fiction and time travel books, so
I think he would enjoy the time travel aspect of this book. He isn't really into magic, so
I think this would introduce him to the amazing world of Hogwarts.