Stephanie Trinidad

Review – Haruki Murakami’s Underground The people of terrorist attacks, which stem from breaches in the security of a city or nation are often the last to be seen when reading about the securitization of the world. Often times their voices are left out by those who seek to understand their story, and the impact it has on the security of the survivors. Haruki Murakami’s book Underground seeks to give a voice to the people affected by the attack on the Tokyo Subway in 1994. The first part of the book was originally published in 1997, with the testimonies of the victims of the sarin gas attack, the second part was published in 1998 with the testimonies of those involved with the cult Aum Shinrikyo. The translation came out two years later giving the world a look at the victims of a crime that most didn’t know about. 

Book Review: Battle Royale Slam Book             Book to movie adaptations aren’t a new genre of film, many books have been adapted into film during the short history of cinema. Although many have caused controversy over the years none have caused such a stir as the adaptation of the cult novel Battle Royale . The story of Battle Royale is simple but also devastating, a group of 30 students are trapped on an island with collars on their necks, they must kill one another until one is left standing as the ultimate victor. In The Battle Royale Slam Book: Essays on the Cult Classic by Houshun Takami edited by Nick Mamatas and Masumi Washington [Haika Soru; 2014; San Francisco; 185 pgs; $14.99; ISBN” 978-1421565996] is collection of essays analyzing the impact of not just the novel but the movie and Japanese manga as well. Mamatas and Washington brought together writers from every spectrum to show that the cult phenomenon th...

Synopsis: Jebediah has a secret that will change his world forever and send his people into space. The Amish world of Alabaster calls upon an ancient promise to escape destruction. Then end up on a cargo ship bound for the stars. But they are not the only cargo on board. Some of it is alive...or used to be. Now, with vampires taking over and closing in on the Amish refugees, these simple believers must decide whether their faith depends upon their honored traditions or something even older.

            Novels written during a period of time depicting the hardships of those eras become voices of those who lived through them. Lydia Chukovskaya’s novella “Sofia Petrovna” is that kind of work. The story’s protagonist and title character lives her life as normally as she can while caring for her only son Kolya. When he’s arrested the heart of the novel is Sofia’s endless attempts to find out why, and how to get him out. As a historical narrative as well as a work of literature the novel is a kin to many novels written during times of great strife.

            Women’s roles during war varies depending on the task at hand, whether it’s combat or as support but during a war such as the American Civil War the role that they would play is very different. Women weren’t allowed to fight for god and country during the Civil War and their roles were restricted to staying at home and caring for their family or if they were lucky enough to secure a job working for the war as a nurse. For three women they took their roles in the war as soldier, nurse and observer and all would document their experiences during the war.

            “Sometimes we see the Civil War in movies and imagine these neatly aligned rows of men with muskets, walking in line to shoot each other. In reality the things that fascinated me were how absolutely ruthless and violent so many engagements were, how much suffering and how men were not prepared.” [1] The American Civil War was one of the greatest known wars in United States history. The fight between the Northern Union States and the Southern Confederate States that would last just over four years and would see countless battles. The Southern States wanted to secede from the Union because they wanted to expand slavery to the western states but the Northern States wanted to abolish slavery. The war was caused because of mounting tensions between the North and the South. Southern states believed that if they had the right to join the Union than they had the right to withdraw and so eleven states seceded from the Unio...

         When the paperback edition of Zadie Smith’s On Beauty came out in August 2006 I was working as a cashier for Borders Bookstore on Park Avenue in New York. When you work at the register for any retail company that sells anything that would be deemed entertainment the cashiers quickly notice patterns in customer buying habits and can easily influence what the customers buy by recommending the hottest selling title at the time, even without ever picking up the item themselves. So at the time even reading Smith’s book wasn’t going to be a priority to me. Fast Forward to 2013, the book has finally made it to the to-be read/read pile of massive books that have been put in front of me because I went back to school in the fall of 2012 a year after Borders closed due to bankruptcy. When I look back to when I was selling these books en mass to now when I have to read it for class I can now see why it would appeal to those who brought i...

Book: Leviathan Author: Scott Westerfeld Official Website: Westerblog Synopsis: Prince Aleksander, would-be heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne, is on the run. His own people have turned on him. His title is worthless. All he has is a battletorn war machine and a loyal crew of men. Deryn Sharp is a commoner, disguised as a boy in the British Air Service. She’s a brilliant airman. But her secret is in constant danger of being discovered. With World War I brewing, Alek and Deryn’s paths cross in the most unexpected way…taking them on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure that will change both their lives forever. I didn't really want to write a book review but I guess if I'm gonna read as much as I do and put it in my scrapbook might as well tell you all about whether I like the books or not. Review: I have never read anything by Scott Westerfeld I know he wrote the Uglies books but I was never intrigued by them. What caught my eye about this b...