How Do You Judge a Book?

Last night I struggled to get to sleep. I'll bet a lot of you did too, thinking about what the new school year might be like. This is the first time since I began teaching (20 + years ago) that I have not been there for that first day excitement. My mind wandered off to the things we'd share this first week, and I thought about the topic of favorite books. One of my goals for our class is that we share ideas for great books, and even if you haven't found a book that really grabbed you yet, you will this year. There's a book out there for everybody. . . lots of them. I'd have to say my first favorite novel was To Kill A Mockingbird. It was the first time I had the sensation that I was actually sad that there were no more pages to read! I had truly grown to love the characters. That book changed the way I saw things and the way I saw myself. That, for me, is the sign of a great book. Recently I read The Kite Runner By Hosseini. It's a beautifully written story which takes place in Afganistan and tells the story of a young boy struggling to understand friendship, loyalty, and honor in his war torn country. It is richly woven, and when you get to the part where one boy witnesses a terrible crime, you can't put it down. If you click on the book title link, you'll see an insightful commentary by the author. He writes about his relationship with the fictional protagonist (main character in this case) and what it's like to go back home after a number of years - and changes from war. He makes the comment that this difficult journey is made easier because he had already traveled back in his mind's eye through his main character. I thought that was interesting (life imitating art) and reminded me how powerful writing is.
Right now I'm reading A Prayer For Owen Meaney, by John Irving. It also is a story of friendships and family dynamics. (The main characters in all of these books are being raised by a single parent. Isn't that interesting?) Any way, it's hysterically funny in places and very poignantly sad at times as well. I'll bring this book and others to class with me when I come back so that I can share parts of them with you. Until then, happy reading. I hope you get good ideas about what you want to read from each other.