Book Report

Becca Barrett Photography

Being dyslexic, reading is a struggle for me. However, I made it a goal to try to continue reading in my post college life. My reading habits are a lot less vigorous than they were a year ago. I am not reading three or four books a class per academic quarter. But I am reading and I am reading books I like.

Here is a mini review of three of the books I’ve read in the last six months:

Of Mice and Men: I have wanted to read this book for a long time. I had heard the phrase “the best laid plans of mice and men” and I have always wondered what it meant. Now I know. The book is about two men traveling in California. They stop and work on farms, trying to make enough money to one day buy their own farm. However, despite their best planning, the two characters plans do not come to fruition.

The Help: I saw the movie previews and thought it looked good. But I missed seeing the movie in theaters and so while waiting for it to come out on Netflix I thought I would read the book. It was FANTASTIC!!! I have not had that much fun reading a fiction in a long time. The story is written from the perspective of three different women in the south in the 1960’s. Two of the women are black and one is white. All three of them are trying to find their voice.

Bossypants: I have been mildly curious about this book since it came out. I loved Tina Fey’s Saturday Night Live sketch about “bitch being the new black” and her Sarah Palin impressions. At the time I had not seen Thirty Rock but heard good things…so I figured, why not read it. The book was laugh out loud funny but it also had some tongue in cheek advice for women working in a male dominated workplace. That was a nice bonus to the book.

Reading Lists and Being Zen

Becca Barrett Photography

It’s my last quarter at UCLA. Last. Done. Finished with school! and for whatever reason, this is the quarter were I have finally learned to manage my life. I’m doing my reading, staying on top of work stuff, finishing homework, having fun and even…relaxing! I’ve taken to going outside, sitting in the sun and reading.

And I’m not only reading school books. I’m reading books I want to read. I’m half way done with Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert and The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope by Jonathan Alter.

I can not tell you how proud and excited reading for fun makes me! You see, I’m really dyslexic (if someone is reading this they are probably thinking “no, duh”). But I’m like, really dyslexic. So dyslexic that my 1st grade teacher told my mom to put me in special ed and not expect me to graduate high school. Apparently my teacher didn’t think I was the “academic type” and my parents should try to encourage me to go into a trade. Being dyslexic has effected me in many ways. I am embarrassed by my reading and writing skills. I sit looking at simple emails for long periods of time, trying to look for errors. I use spell check, I read everything twice, I slow down and think about what I’m writing – and it will still be wrong. My writing will probably always have mistakes and their will always be someone out there who points it out. Which intensifies the embarrassment.

So I rarely read for pleasure. I’m slowly trying to change this and I’m surprised to find it relaxing. It’s good to get caught up in the stories and take some time out from worrying about school, work and life after college. For the first time books are providing me pleasure not stress. I hope it continues.

Please let me know what other good books are out there! I really like biographies 🙂

Summer Reading

1) The Death and Life of the Great American School System: I’m working on a campaign that deals with education policy.  This book is a must read for anyone interested in what’s new in the education policy world…yeah, I know tons of people are interested in that.  But you should be.  This book is also a cool beach read.

 

 

 

 

 

2) Here is a book my dad gave me to read.  Outliers is a great book on how certain people become successful and thus outliers in society.

 

 

 

 

 

 

3) The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud is the book  the movie Charlie St. Cloud is based off of.  It’s a book my friends have been passing around.  It’s a really fun read!

On another side note: my room is almost done!  I actually move back in today.  Pictures and posters still need to be put up though.  I’m so excited!!!