50 Book Challenge

44 TUESDAYS WITH MORRIE Mitch Albom (USA, 1997)



Class: Death and Dying

The true story of the last days of Morrie Schwartz, a sociology professor dying of Lou Gehrig's Disease, seen through the eyes of his student and friend.

Curiously enough, considering that I had to read this book for my death and dying class, I don't think it taught me a lot about death. I simply could not believe that Morrie was so calm and positive despite the deterioration of his body and his imminent death. I'm not saying the writer or Morrie were liars, but I could not fully enjoy it, it was too much for me. Moreover, I sometimes disagreed with his understanding of life and its meaning, some of his comments about love and family were, to me, over-simplistic. However, I did enjoy Mitch Albom's writing style quite a bit. The structure of the book is very original and the metaphors he used were great. I guess I need to read The Five People You Meet in Heaven.

2/5

45 HUIS CLOS (NO EXIT) Jean-Paul Sartre (France, 1944)



Class: Theatre History Part II

"Hell is other people"
Two women and a man are stuck in a room with no exit. They now have to face each other, their past, their choices and who they really are.

This play is of course an illustration of Sartre's existentialist views. I still do not like his writing style (who does?) but I have to admit I tolerated it more when I was reading the play than when I read extracts from his philosophy books. I'm not a huge fan of Sartre but a large portion of the ideas that are mentioned in this play are the ones I strongly agree with, mainly those that have to do with choice, anxiety, atheism and the whole idea of "existence precedes essence". As I said, I have never been a fan of Sartre yet being in America and therefore surrounded by people with strong religious beliefs, makes his theories more valuable to me.

Anyone who wants a basic understanding of existentialism should read this play.

2,5/5

Title: Alex Cross's Trial
Author: James Patterson & Richard Dilallo
Rating: 4/5
Book: 54
Pages: 380 pgs
Total Pages 19,442
Next up: Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger

This was a good read. It breaks my heart to know that lynching actually happened and it makes me mad that hate crimes still do happen. This book took me on a rollercoaster of emotions. Sad, angry, nauseated, etc. I would recommend this one to everyone!!

xposted to 50bookchallenge, 15000pages and bookworm84

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46 WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF ? Edward Albee (USA, 1962)



Class: Theatre History Part II

George and Martha invite a young couple to their house. But as they drink and chat all of George and Martha's family secrets are revealed. The truth is, Martha and George are as remote from the ideal 1950s couple as possible.

This is one of the best plays I've ever read. The dialogues are simply brilliant. The sharp language, the rhythm, the despair, everything is great. And the ending does not disappoint!

4,5/5