Catcher in the Rye: I felt that The Catcher in the Rye was a very compelling novel that can bring out strong reactions because of its content. My reaction was both negative and positive because I really liked how the character of Holden had a very independent view on childhood and life. However, it did get annoying at times when he kept calling everything “phony”. After reading the book, I always gave Holden’s perspective on things a second thought. The book also impacted me because of its originality and outlook on the world and reality. Although, I was kind of disappointed by the ending, after I thought about it, I believe it was actually a good fit for a story like this.

First They Killed My Father: When reading First They Killed my Father, I constantly had the feeling of sadness and hopefulness. I felt bad that all those things were happening to such a young child and I would keep hoping that Loung Ung’s life would get better. However, unfortunately it didn’t until the very end. I probably wouldn’t have ever read this book if I didn’t have too. Nonetheless, I am glad I did because it was a very eye opening story with what happened in Cambodia. Overall, I believe that it was a powerful novel that was worth reading.

Inherit the Wind: My favorite thing about Inherit the Wind was that it was “short and sweet”. It had all the components of a good story packed into a small book. I liked how the events in the book are true and actually happened in real life and that I was able to experience it through words. I agree with Sara on how it was surprising that so many people believed in Darwin’s theory, and yet there were still many that were ready to go against it. Although this book wasn’t one of my favorite books, I still liked how it showed us the concept of the “right to think” and the meaning behind it.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream: A Midsummer Night’s Dream was the only book that I had really high expectations for. It was the only one that I actually wanted and was excited to read. I really liked how there were a lot of characters and how they all came together at the end. However, I thought the characters’ journey throughout the play was not as interesting as I thought it would be. It was funny at times, but I felt like the scenes in the play went by too quickly and I was hoping that there would have been more to it.

My Antonia: To be honest, this book was definitely my least favorite out of all that we have read in class so far. Although it seemed interesting at first because the author seemed like a very unique person, the book actually turned out to be rather boring. However, I did like the way that Willa Cather wrote in a lot of detail and the way she described scenes. I also liked how the book started out and ended, but I thought it dragged on a lot through the middle of the novel. Overall, the actual meaning of the book was interesting because it showed us how one’s life progresses from childhood to adulthood.