Life is a farm

I love love love teaching this. All my students got into this. Even the ones with the lowest reading level. It isn't my personal favorite, but as far as teaching goes, I think I would dub it fav.

This book brings up the richest discussion topics. Students become so invested in the characters I think they forget they are animals. Which, is part of the brilliant point. I can really say with confidence, that I think Orwell is one of the greatest writers of all time. I hate to say he, Dickens, and Tolstoy are the top three (all white, all male, pretty lame), but that's truly how I feel.

The most striking part, when Pilkington congratulates Napoleon for having his lowest animals work the hardest and receive the least amount of food. Sweet Miko pointed out that this political theory is how the good ol USofA was built. We are a nation built on that exact same concept.

Pigs.

End of the Game

Ender's Game took me way to long to get through. I started it this summer by the pool, and just finished it at the new year. I just didn't see anything valuable or exciting at the beginning, but once I got to about page 70 I was at least curious to know how it ended.

Why though?
1st - I knew Ender would some how win
2nd - I figured the racism wouldn't let up and it was super annoying me
3rd - I don't really like Sci Fi
4th - I hear Card is a homosexual hater, go figure since his book talks about naked boys every ten pages. Really, I'd guess he was gay if I didn't know better. So the homophobia totally makes sense.

There is a religious plug, but it connects in no way to the LDS Church. I knew a boy who served in Card's ward while on a mission and he said he was "disappointed."

I'd imagine Card is a weirdo, super conservative, recluse. I wish he'd go back and take out the racism (as it adds nothing to the book) and fix the typos and TERRIBLE grammar. And as others say, he spends a ton of time on the middle portion of the story and not enough on the ending. Just felt a little backwards. Plus, the ending ending isn't really needed at all. I felt very much like he was just setting up the story for a series. Which is lame.

Okay, enough complaining. I still manage to give it a couple stars. It wasn't like I wish I'd never read it, I'd just never read it again, nor will I ever recommend it to someone (or tell my friends he is LDS).