Digital Fortress by Dan Brown

This book was definitely a thriller and it made me want to keep reading throughout the course of the book. I love Dan Brown's writing style of switching to different character's narration and the suspense he creates after each chapter. I did have a little hunch that Trevor Strathmore was behind everything because he wanted to get closer to Susan but I never would have guessed that he was North Dakota and he hired Hulohot to kill Tankado and he was so selfish that he wanted to be able to unlock Digital Fortress to get closer to Susan.

I really enjoy books that just fly by because they're so intriguing and this is definitely one of those books. This was also a great book to read because you really didn't know what was going on until you got to the end of the book and pieced the puzzle together.

The Reader

I found some connections in the book to some of my classes. Connections that occurred in the story and in global class include the fact that missionaries, like Mr. Brown, were sent out to villages such as Abame to share the gospel and spread the language and culture of the west. The missionaries built a church and slowly began to preach about who God and Jesus are. Not only did the villagers believe the white man’s ways were foolish, they also killed other fellow villagers who converted to this new faith. Missionaries such as Reverend James Smith took a different approach in trying to spread the gospel. He was extremely strict and was completely closed minded to the village culture.

I enjoyed how the book showed the struggle of growing up and the challenges a son faces with his father. Nwoye faced his hardships in trying to win his father’s love and he never met his father’s expectations. This must have been so hard for Okonkwo to see because I’m sure that all he wanted was for his son to end up with a successful life, unlike the life he had growing up with his pathetic father.

I am also very glad that I picked up a completely different region of the world to read about and I got a glimpse of the traditions and cultures of African society. I learned that yams were an extremely important crop because it’s hard to prepare. I became more knowledgeable about the different goddesses and spirits (such as Ani the earth goddess and the source of fertility) the Africans may have believed in to explain natural phenomenons.

--The Reader

Things Fall Apart

Currently, I'm reading Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe and I'm reading this book for Global. This is a book about the events that take place in African villages (yeah I know, a place we don't really talk about in our daily conversations nowadays). The main character is Okonkwo. Okonkwo grew up with a father named Unoka; a lazy and irresponsible man who drank excessively and was known throughout the village to be the person who owed the most debt. Okonkwo grew up with a poor father figure and thus was further motivated to work hard in life for the things he wanted so that he wasn't looked down upon by others. Okonkwo finally made a name for himself when he wrestled a man called the Cat who had been undefeated and unbeatable. Oh and if I forgot to mention, if there's one things loved more than all the rest, it's achievement. From that point on, the book shows different conflicts that arise in the villages

So far a lot has happened but I'll tell you my thoughts. It's a pretty interesting book. The thing I like is that the book has a mix of an African folktale and a traditional story. It's a fairly fast read and I'm enjoying it...

The Reader