Not A Good Read

            I am reading a book I don’t like very much, Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer. I think what I don’t like about the book is Jonathan Foer’s style of writing, I find it very difficult to follow.  The first paragraph of the book is talking about tea kettles and the next paragraph is talking about microphones.  I don’t see the connection between the two things and it wasn’t clear in the book either.

            Another aspect of his style that makes it difficult for me to get into his story is that he doesn’t use paragraphs.  His writing seems to be like a person’s thinking, a person who has lost their mind.  I have been taught that paragraphs are for a new idea or topic, so a reader can take a break.  In his style of writing a topic seems to change at random with no reason or connection.  He also doesn’t use new lines for dialogue.  This style of writing goes against what I have learned in grammar.

            I prefer to read a book that follows one storyline from beginning to end in time order.  In Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, Jonathan Foer jumps from one storyline to another.  In no time at all he goes from a little boy telling a story to an old man telling a different story.  This book reminds me of the way Ender’s Game was written.  I had a hard time following that book too because it’s time frame jumped around a lot.  Opposite to this style I enjoyed the way Peak because it was a continuous story and easy to follow.  I am only going to finish this book because my group is reading for class.  I am so unhappy with this book I will not read any other books by this author.

I am Not A Mountain Climber

            Before reading Peak by Roland Smith, seeing the world from the top of a mountain seemed pretty interesting.  I have been able to have a view of the land from an airplane but from the top of a mountain would be completely different.  I think it would feel like standing on top of the earth.  The book has helped me realized that this is not a trip I would like to take.

            I don’t think I would have enough patience to do the climb properly.  I am a person who likes to move forward trying to reach my goals.  To reach the summit of Mount Everest, Peak climbed up one day, stayed there to acclimate himself to the altitude and then the group had to return to camp for a few days to recovery.  I know this is necessary to do but I don’t know if I would have enough patience to do the climb up and then down repeatedly.

            I can understand the need to adjust to the thinning air because I have been in altitude and felt the thin air.  My family and I went to Colorado to ski.  We skied the Colorado Rockies; the mountain not the baseball team.  After we got off the chair lift, I had a hard time catching my breath.  The summit of Mount Everest is about 29,000 feet above sea level and I noticed the difference at only 1000 feet.  Although the view would be great, Peak has already been working on the climb for 7 weeks and is only at stage four.

            During Peak’s 7 week experience he has already learned a lot about himself and he hasn’t reached the summit.  Peak has learned how to take care of himself since he has spent very little time with his father.  His father had taken responsibility for him to keep him out of jail but then did not help him much during the climb.  Through these seven weeks Zopa’s opinion of Peak’s effort has changed.  Zopa now thinks that Peak will reach the summit.  Since I do not have the patience to be a climber but I am enjoying the experience of reading this book.  Roland Smith’s style of writing is very descriptive and I often have the feeling of being on Mount Everest with Peak and the rest of the climbers.

Peak and His Challenges

            Reading Peak by Roland Smith has made me realize how secrets, sickness and the weather can affect one person’s life.  During Peak’s challenge to be the youngest person to reach the summit of Mount Everest he faced all these obstacles. Peak faced these obstacles in a short amount of time but reading the book made me think about the times I also was affected by these things.

            Peak finds out the pain of secrets when he learns that his father didn’t rescue him because he wanted to help his son.  Peak’s opportunity to spend time with and get to know his father comes with a price.  He feels used by his father when he finds out that his father rescued him because he wanted Peak to be the youngest person to reach the summit because the climb would help Josh become rich.  The secret that hurt me was when a team mate stole my brand new ipod and blamed it on a stranger.  I think both Peak and I were shocked when we realized we were lied to.  In both cases it worked out fine, I got my ipod back and Peak stayed in camp and was determined to complete the climb.   

            In another challenge Peak questions whether or not he will be able to make it to the summit when he starts to get sick.  He wakes up one morning to find his throat very sore and while trying to give an interview he finds he has no voice.  I remember when I was in the first grade and got pneumonia.  Not only did I have to stay out of school for a week and I liked school then, I was sick for Thanksgiving and didn’t get my feast.  For both Peak and I these sickness were due to getting tired and run down.  I know I learned from my mistakes and I look forward to seeing if Peak can stay healthy enough to complete the climb.

            Sometimes challenges come from things outside of our control, like the weather.  During the climb a blizzard hits and Peak has to go searching for his father and two other people.  The search team finds Josh and the other two after a long search.  For me the blizzard happened on my seventh birthday and my family wouldn’t drive to my house to celebrate.   My mom invited some friends and neighbors over and I had a good time.   Since Peak found his dad and I had a good time I guess good things can happen when you don’t expect them.

            The events of Peak’s climb bring back memories to me.  Both Peak’s and my life have been affected by secrets, sickness and the weather and I think everyone’s would be.  Do you have any memories of secrets, sickness or the weather and how they changed your day?

Peak and His Dad

            I am sure glad that my parents were not Joshua Wood and Teri Marcello.  If they were I could have had a strange name like: track, run, teach, math or gym.  Well I guess Gym would not have been bad until people realized how it was spelled.  Peak Marcello of Peak by Roland Smith was given his special name because of his parents’ interest in mountain climbing.  My parents did give me a special name but at least it was just my father’s name.

            I would like to be like Peak Marcello in other ways though.  I think it would be great to go on an adventure with my dad.  Peak got to climb Mount Everest with his dad.  When he made it to the top he became the youngest person to ever climb Mount Everest.  Although I may not have had such an adventure with my dad, I have been lucky enough to spend a lot of my first 14 years of life with my dad and go a lot of places with him.  Peak hadn’t seen his dad for several years before the court allowed him to go live with him.  Peak missed his dad and didn’t feel like he knew him.  I know my dad and he knows me.

            It is more than just not knowing his dad that I found strange.  As they are getting to know each other, Josh tells Peak to call him Josh and not dad.  I think that this makes him more like a big brother than a father.  I can’t imagine what it would be like now to try and get to know my dad. 

            Reading Peak has pointed out that not all families are alike.  Each family has good times and bad times.  It took Peak getting arrested and an injured faced in order for him to get the opportunity to get to know his father.  But because of his difficulties he has the opportunity of a life time, a chance at an adventure and a father.  I enjoy reading the book and think I would like to do a mountain climb one day, maybe even with my family, but I will skip the arrest and plastic surgery on my face and keep my sometimes annoying sister and parents.