M.E.A.T. Blog

Hey guys, it’s Andrew! It’s already almost the end of the year; it feels like it went by so fast. For my final blog post, I’ll be reviewing When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalathini, an autobiography published following the author’s inevitable passing to cancer. I hope you enjoy. When Breath Becomes Air is a far cry from what you’d normally expect from a story, even among other autobiographies, in the sense that he wrote the memoir with the full knowledge that his life would be coming to an end. His reflections on his life are heavily based on this fact, and he confronts his mortality all throughout the book. Kalathini opens with a short prologue running through some of his recent memories. We’re right there with him as he learns of his terminal condition, and we watch his pain as he’s forced to accept that everything he’s worked for is about to come to an end. He then transitions into a more linear recollection of his experiences, starting from childhood and stories of his homet...

(spoilers) The Chronicles of Narnia  have always been one of my favorite series, a collection of classic high-fantasy novels I've read and loved as a child (the motion picture adaptations, too). After sorting through my dusty bookshelves in quarantine, I came upon my old copy of the  Voyage of the Dawn Treader , the third installment in the series. It's been years since I had last picked it up, and I was curious to see how the story as I would see it now compared to my rosy ten-year-old memories of it.  In this volume, the story follows the two youngest siblings, Edmund and Lucy, and their bratty cousin Eustace Scrubb. The three are magically transported to the fantasy land of Narnia, in which several hundreds of years have passed since their last visit. The three board King Caspian's ship the  Dawn Treader  (the same Prince Caspian from the last installment) and join him on his voyage to the unknown eastern waters in search of seven lords banished by his...

HEY GUYS, it's Ethan. The Mezzanine by Nicholson Baker is a book written about a modern man’s thoughts during a simple, ordinary day at his job. While this book was written in 1988, it still seems scarily true when read in today’s perspective.  The Mezzanine takes place in an ordinary city, where the main character, the narrator, resides and works. The main events of this book take place after a simple walk to the store, on his way back to his office (which is on a mezzanine). The ‘plot’ of the book takes the reader through the narrator's mind, as his mind wanders throughout basic, yet extremely detailed recounts of his day. There is no real flow to this novel, however everything seems to wind together.  The concept of this book is difficult to grasp at first if you have not read it, however it is really basic. The whole book consists of the thoughts of the main character, as he ponders upon every little detail, which seem insignificant to the outer world, but very...

Since the libraries closed, I haven’t had the chance to read many new books. Instead, I decided to search my house for books to reread. This is a list (not in any particular order) of my favorite childhood books that ended up in my permanent collection.  Harry Potter series by JK Rowling:  The Harry Potter series has been my favorite book series for a long time. I first read this series when I was 7 and have reread it many times since. In case you don’t already know, Harry Potter is a 7-book series about an 11-year-old boy (Harry) who was raised as a Muggle (non-magic person) in a Muggle family, but discovers he is an immensely famous wizard. His parents, Lily and James Potter, were killed by the magical world’s biggest enemy: Lord Voldemort. Harry somehow survived Voldemort's killing curse, and over the course of the series, he learns the skills necessary to defeat Voldemort at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Accompanied by his be...

**NO SPOILERS** Hello, everybody. Because of all of my newfound free time at home, I have had plenty time to read the fantastic book: Murder on the Orient Express . To preface my review, I would like to mention that this classic story also has many movie adaptations, however I have not seen any of them, but if they do the book any justice, I’m sure they are good. I made the decision to read this book after thinking about my past experiences reading mystery novels, such as Sherlock Holmes, and how they leave me at the edge of my seat when I read them. Needless to say, this book did not disappoint. My review: I am sure you have heard of this book, and have a basic idea of the plot, but if you don’t, here is a brief explanation of the plot: The book takes place on a train (named the Orient Express), in which many interesting characters temporarily reside in. One night, the train gets stuck in a large snow storm, so it must stay in place. The next morning, to everybo...

Quarantine has found me lazing around the house almost 24/7, giving an ample amount of time for various hobbies, with a notable portion dedicated to reading. A few weeks ago, I decided to revisit William Kamkwamba’s autobiography “ The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind,” a book I read around two years ago when I received it as a gift. Kamkwamba retells his life-changing experience of terrible famine in his home country of Malawi, and the innovative path he took to combat his critical situation and save his family. It’s the story of how the inventiveness and drive of a fourteen-year-old boy created a windmill from scratch to bring electricity to his village, his rise against seemingly insurmountable odds. “The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind” opens with an energetic prologue describing the moment when the culmination of his efforts finally reaches fruition, and he triumphantly stands at the top of his contraption. Kamkwamba then brings the reader back to the past, the start of his journey, and ...

​ ​ The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielson is the first books in a medieval trilogy about royal schemes and dangerous conspiracies. It was filled with twists and turns that created a suspenseful network of lies and masked identities. The False Prince is set in a typical medieval kingdom ruled by a corrupt monarchy.  The kingdom is divided when suddenly, the king and his royal family are poisoned and die. To stop the impending war, a clever court noble, Conner, conceives a devious plan to create a puppet prince to plant a heir onto the throne. The main character is an orphan named Sage, with quick hands a a knack for pickpocketing. He is roped into Conner's schemes, competing alongside two other boys to be chosen as Conner's puppet prince. However, Sage is levels cleverer than the other two, and knows Conner is up to no good. But his life is on the line in this dangerous game -- he either plays his part, or dies. However, there are many overused and familiar tropes woven...

By Malcolm Gladwell Reviewer: Miriam Arend I began reading Outliers because I had read every book I checked out from the library and needed a book to take with me to a somewhat boring event. Although I was not keen to read it at first, I eventually did and found it to be interesting. I almost never read nonfiction because, in my opinion, most nonfiction books are extremely uninteresting, but Outliers surprised me. Gladwell has written many other scientific books that I might be interested in as well after reading Outliers. This book contains data, but Gladwell uses many stories in his writing, so for me reading this book felt like listening to a talented speaker at a science fair. Outliers argues that we as a society need to recognize other factors beyond those we typically mark as indicative of future success. Focusing only on sheer intelligence and ambition has limited our view of everyone who could truly be successful. Each chapter examines one particular person, study or g...

In December of 1996, terrorists crashed a party hosted by a Japanese ambassador in Lima, Peru. What began as a celebration of Japan’s Emperor Akihito’s birthday quickly became a nightmare. Hundreds of the high-profile attendees, including officials and businessmen, were taken hostage for over four months, until they were ultimately freed in a raid by the Peruvian Armed Forces. The fiasco became known as the Japanese embassy hostage crisis, and was the direct inspiration for Ann Patchett’s award-winning novel, Bel Canto. I picked up Bel Canto last week, and found myself quickly immersed in Patchett’s eloquent writing and intriguing premise. Though heavily based on the true story of the hostage crisis, she tweaks the plot and takes artistic liberties so that the tale becomes one of her own imagination. A central focus of her story is the idea of opera as a transcendent force, one that soothes and brings people together. With this idea in mind, Patchett brings in her main character:...

  (warning: spoilers) I just finished reading Ready Player One by Ernest Cline, and it is the best book I have read for a long time. Avid readers of my blog may be aware that I usually post reviews of older classic books, but I can safely say this newer, modern style of writing was a breath of fresh air for me. Cline’s style of writing is concise, yet extremely descriptive, and he never rambles or mentions unnecessary details.  The plot of Ready Player One surrounds a young boy, Wade Wyatt, and his adventures through a hyperrealistic interactive virtual reality simulator called the OASIS. The year is 2044, and the creator of the OASIS, James Halliday, has recently died. Before his death, he made the grand decision to leave his entire legacy to the one person who completes his virtual easter egg hunt inside the game. Shortly after the reveal of this information to the public through the release of a video made by Halliday, hoards of people begin studying Halliday’s interes...

The Selection  by Kiera Cass is set a dystopic society organized in caste systems, and revolves around a love story of two teens, America Singer and Prince Maxon.  The novel is about a process called the Selection, a lottery for thirty-five girls to travel to the palace and try to win the prince’s heart. This Bachelor-esque setup amid a royal backdrop, full of glittering jewels and fantastic gowns creates a fairy tale setting for a classic love story. Our brave protagonist America Singer comes from a family of artists, and has an independent and creative mind to show for it. She is rebellious and stubborn, and stands strongly by her own values instilled by a hard life growing up poor, and her struggles especially highlighted by the sordid and excessive lives of the arrogant upper castes. Upon entering the Selection, she already had a lover – her childhood friend, Aspen. She also had a plan, and it didn’t involve Prince Maxon or marrying into the upper castes. However,...

Reviewer: Miriam Arend Warning: Spoilers  Last summer I read The Hate U Give (also by Angie Thomas) and really enjoyed it. I recently read Thomas’s second novel, On The Come Up, and thought it was just as interesting. While On the Come Up is not a sequel to The Hate U Give, the book is set in the same fictional neighborhood, Garden Heights. None of the characters are the same, and the plot is extremely different, but Thomas does reference Khalil (a central character from The Hate U Give) a few times throughout the novel. Thomas’s experience as a former rapper strengthens her portrayal of the protagonist in her second novel. Overall, I would give On The Come Up a 4.8 out of 5. I enjoyed reading it, although there were some aspects I didn’t like. The book shares a similar theme with The Hate U Give, and both raise awareness about the challenges faced by young African Americans, especially in inner-city areas. The book flows well and the plot isn’t co...