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The Kite Runner
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One of the most enjoyable parts of this book was how the author was able to weave the history of Afghanistan into the story of The Kite Runner. I found it educational to read about the people, culture, and history of a country that I had up to this point little understanding of. I learned about the Hazara people, the cultural differences of marriage and courtship of the Afghan people. The country's invasion by Russia and then the subsequent take over by the Taliban. I even did a little research after reading the book hoping to learn a little more about the country's history. Very educational and eye-opening.
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The Kite Runner
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Hosseini did a masterful job of incorporating the history and culture of Afghanistan into his book. Afghanistan has and continues to have very real problems that the world needs to be made aware of, and his book takes a small step in the right direction in bringing a small amount of that knowledge to people.
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The Kite Runner
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Baba is a well respected business man in Afghanistan who prides himself on independence and hard work. Amir was a disappointment to Baba while they were living in Afghanistan for several reasons: 1. Baba's wife and Amir's mother was killed giving birth, something Baba may have held Amir accountable for 2. Amir wasn't athletic or interested in things that Baba was interested in.
Amir pleased Baba by winning the kite tournament (the one area of passion the two shared). This was evident by Baba's incessant boasting of Amir's accomplishment to the family. It seems like Baba was more please with Amir when the two moved to America. Baba was proud that his son was going to college and Baba was also proud of his son's marriage. I think they became friends because Baba had no friends and a lower social status in America which finally allowed Baba accepted his son for who he was.
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Lord of the Flies
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An allegorical novel means that the story being told has meaning beyond the story itself. Its characters, events, and plot can have a deeper meaning.
The novel has important symbols such as the transition from civil and good to evil and lawlessness in the painting of the faces and separation of the group. The plane crash is a symbol of man's destruction. Each character can represent a different faction of society.
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Outliers: The Story of Success
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I think Gladwell needs to change the name of his book from 'Outliers: The Story of Success' to 'Outliers: The Story of Extreme Success'. Or maybe this is implied in the word outlier. Either way, I agree with WikiSysop that for the most part we make our own opportunities and achieve success through hard work and dedication, but the kind of success Gladwell is primarily speaking of is extreme success like The Beatles or Bill Gates. This type of success is largely out of reach for anyone...no matter the talent or work ethic.
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Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America
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I think the author was way to picky and had way too high of expectations. I can't believe she refused to split rent with a roommate. Little things like that discredit her book.
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1984
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There are many modern day examples. Communism seems to mirror in ways the 1984 government Orwell created. I also think about the United States phone tapping authority in an effort to thwart Terrorism. In the future we will increasingly be faced with decisions that will pit our liberty against our security and safety, but how far is too far.
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Outliers: The Story of Success
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I think that the Asian domination of many industries such as the automobile industry, manufacturing industries, tech gadgets, etc. is a tribute to their culture of hard work and persistence. Asians, in general, seem to me to be a very detail oriented people who spend tremendous amounts of time and energy tweaking and improving solutions trying to inch things close to perfection. I think this is directly related to the culture that came out of growing these wet-land rice fields where careful detail had to be paid in order to make sure the rice paddies were level, that there was just enough water and fertilizer, and that the right type of rice was planted to mitigate risk and maximize reward.
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The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
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The 7 Habits book can help people to change if they are willing to put forth the effort necessary. The book was compiled after years of observation, research, and study and has some great information in it. I think that if people will practice the principles Dr. Covey has outlined that they will ultimately become more effective. But on the same accord, just reading the book will do little to nothing to change someone.
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Outliers: The Story of Success
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"It is not the brightest who succeed. If it were, Chris Langan would be up there with Einstein. Nor is success simply the sum of the decisions and efforts we make on our own behalf. It is, rather a gift. Outliers are those who have been given opportunities--and who have had the strength and presence of mind to seize them."
(p.267)
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