˜”*°•.˜”*°• my reading journey •°*”˜.•°*”˜

In Chronological Order:

✧*。The Autobiography of Malcolm X as told to Alex Haley, 262 pages out of 466 (finished) ๑๑๑๑

✧*。Prentice Hall Literature World Masterpieces, 70 pages (ongoing) ๑๑๑

✧*。Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris, 419 pages ๑๑๑๑

✧*。The Sun and Her Flowers by Rupi Kaur, 256 pages ๑๑๑

✧*。Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur, 226 pages ๑๑

Total pages read: 1233 pages total/ 31 days= about 39.8 pages per day.

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˜”*°•.˜”*°• reflection •°*”˜.•°*”˜

Did I cheat? Yes, a little. But this is my reading ladder, and I get to include whatever I want. Muahahahahah. (In case you are wondering, I was referring to Prentice Hall Literature World Masterpieces, aka the giant, thick textbook that we are studying in LA.)

Now, onto the actual reflection…

I started off March pretty strong. I was reading books back-to-back at a fairly steady pace and, thanks to my writing-based classes, I kept to my daily reading schedule. But then, this friendly pandemic called “COVID-19” came into the picture and interrupted my peaceful life. At first, it didn’t seem too bad; I got to do a lot of things, such as sleeping for more than 6 hours, knitting (and giving up on knitting), and cleaning my room after who knows how long. But then, the situation got worse. The numbers skyrocketed, and I was like, “Oh, crap.” It didn’t help that my dad was extremely invested and kept up-to-date on all of the (negative) news, theories, and politics surrounding it, or that he enjoyed sharing the new (negative) information. So much for a relaxing spring break. The good ol’ trusty book dealer, the library near my house, closed in the middle of March. Now, I don’t mind reading ebooks— they are convenient and easy to access— but when they are on the same device as some other apps that could definitely kill time faster and distract me, they usually lost. I checked out Wuthering Heights in hopes of reading it, but gave up after the first chapter or so; I just couldn’t concentrate on the text. Even though my reading rate is high at 39.8 pages a day, it did not reflect how little I actually read. Similar to how a little kid went through their Halloween candy in the first week, I went through a lot of poetry. Sure, it boosted my reading rate, but it was supposed to be a treat. But maybe we all need a sugar-high at times when we are feeling low. 

My top 3 books were The Autobiography of Malcolm X (as told to Alex Haley), Cilka’s Journey (Heather Morris), and The Sun and Her Flowers (Rupi Kaur).

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˜”*°•.˜”*°• review time •°*”˜.•°*”˜

✧*。The Autobiography of Malcolm X

Very rarely do I read autobiographies— I think the last time that I read one was in eighth grade. Because February’s book club book was Malcolm X for Black History Month, I thought I’d give it a try. Right off the bat, I noticed that it took me a while to read the chapter, which was odd, as I am typically a fast reader. This book is the type of book that makes you stop and think. Not because you have to analyze the text and read in between the lines, but because it was written so strongly. Malcolm X has a very powerful voice and style that backs up his strong beliefs, and if you weren’t careful, you could be swayed by his opinions. He uses a lot of repetition in his speeches and knows how to persuade his audience. Even though I didn’t agree with some of his ideas— and mind you, he had a few not-very-good ones— the way he explained his thought process behind them somehow made it make sense. I could see where he was coming from. He was born into an environment filled with hate and racism, and he had a right to be angry at his oppressors. As a colored person, Malcolm X was denied a place in society; therefore, he dropped out and turned to drugs and illegal activities. Strangely enough, it was good that he got arrested. In prison, he taught himself how to read and write, and he developed a knack for speaking. Malcolm X then devoted himself to spreading his ideas of fighting against racism and the Islamic faith on behalf of his inspiration and leader, Elijah Muhammad (who turns out to be a bad guy, much to his disappointment). This book shows his growth from someone who is naive and hateful to someone who is wise and loving, and I do recommend it. 

✧*。Cilka’s Journey

The first book that I read by Heather Morris was The Tattooist of Auschwitz back in December/January, and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately placed a hold on Cilka’s Journey. In the sequel, it focuses on Cilka Klein’s survival in the Vorkuta gulag in Sibera after being (wrongly) charged with “aiding the enemy” and suspected of being a spy for the Nazis. Whether this book is historical fiction or not (there is a lot of controversy over this, which I found out after), the main character built was very inspiring and strong. I mean, this teenage girl survived three years of hell in Auschwitz, only to be sentenced to 15 more years for something she couldn’t control. It was infuriating how she was blamed for being raped, and even more so when one of her block mates tried to use her past as blackmail. But despite the circumstances, she did not lose her sense of humanity and continued to risk her position in order to supply her friends with extra rations and even medicine. Like The Tattooist of Auschwitz, I particularly liked the plot and the events, as well as the acts of heroism and (mostly) happy ending. Whenever Cilka recalls something from her past, the memories flow smoothly and I can keep up with it. However, I felt detached from the story at times, and even though the events themselves are heartbreaking, I did not feel as emotional as I should have (like with Night)– this was due to the writer’s style.

✧*。The Sun and Her Flowers

I’ve heard of Rupi Kaur and her popular poetry multiple times, but I never got around to reading it. It just so happened that The Sun and Her Flowers was available for a week, so I decided to give it a go. Although it wasn’t very bad (or very good), I was a little disappointed because there was a lot of hype over her writing style. I suppose it’s unique, with the modern poetry and simplistic drawings, but it was underwhelming to me. There were a few good pieces here and there, but most were similar to something I’d write in my notes app at 3 am (which isn’t exactly a compliment), or didn’t make much sense. That being said, I do appreciate the themes of self-love, getting over grief, and empowerment, and how it is told in stages of growth (like a blooming flower). In my opinion, The Sun and Her Flowers was a huge step-up from Milk and Honey, which I read after, so props to her for improving on her second book.

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˜”*°•.˜”*°• goals •°*”˜.•°*”˜

Because I probably have nothing to do during this lock down, I aim to do more reading. Self-help books seem fitting for these times, so Why We Sleep (Matthew Walker), Digital Minimalism (Cal Newport), and Psycho-Cybernetics (Maxwell Maltz) are on my “to-read” list, along with Death of a Salesman (Arthur Miller) and To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee) for LA. I may not read all of them next month, with my shortened attention span and very messy brain, but I will try.

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˜”*°•.˜”*°• rating scale •°*”˜.•°*”˜

๑ =  almost regret reading, not worth my time

๑๑ = not my cup of tea, kinda sucks  

๑๑๑ = alright, would read if very bored

๑๑๑๑ = enjoyable book, would recommend

๑๑๑๑๑ =  ohmygosh it deserves ALL the cookies and love!!

 

Credits to Mariam for the rating scale, thought it would be fun to include. 🙂