Reader's Book Reviews: The Giving Tree, Fahrenheit 451, A Son Of The Circus, Me Talk Pretty One Day

The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein

My parents read this to me when I was young before bed and when I learned how to read, I read it back to them. This book was important to me because it was one of the first books I ever read. The Giving Tree was an impactful book for me because it taught me the moral that people will always be there for you when you are alone. Although that is the main message for children reading the book, I realized a sub-theme when reanalyzing The Giving Tree. The boy in the story completely uses the tree for everything and when she has nothing left he comes to her expecting sympathy. It is representing unconditional love even when its not deserved. This book is important to me because it shows my progression as a reader by finding undercover themes.

Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury

I read this book in middle school many times. This book was impactful to me because it helped me understand the importance of reading retaining knowledge. The book mimics the same statement that TV and electronics are ruining our minds and generations today don’t read books anymore. The dystopian society could be giving us a glimpse of our future without books.

A Son of the Circus by John Irving

I read this book in middle school because my dad wanted me to try it and I complained because it is really long and massive. I ended up finding the book very interesting due to all its creative storylines.

This book was important for me because it was one of the first real adult books for me at that age. I cared about the characters and I was able to recognize themes and literary devices more clearly.

Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris

I read this book in high school for my AP Language summer homework and I really enjoyed it. This book is important to me because it is still one of my favorite books to read. Me Talk Pretty One Day is a collection of short essays written by Sedaris about his life growing up. His humor is shown throughout the book and is very well written in perfect one-liners. What I liked about this story was that I was never bored unlike other books I usually have to read for school. It was constantly entertaining and never serious. I can read almost anything but what this book shows about me as a reader is that I have to be interested in a story in order to thoroughly analyze it.