All Quiet on the Western Front, By Erich Maria Remarque-#1

I found out about this book while learning about World War I earlier this year in global. I have heard from many people that it is a great book and definitely a must read. In addition, in global we watched the movie which was pretty good. The combination of these things made me eager to start the book. Unfortunately due to a lot of schoolwork I have been unable to really get into the book but that will change this coming week.
It is a very interesting book. It is about a German soldier and how he struggles to deal with being in war as well as how he never feels the same after he gets home from the war. It is very interesting because there aren't very money books that are from the point of view of a German soldier. In addition, it is a very realistic situation.
So far, not very much has happened. However, we have learned a little bit about what they do in the trenches on a day-to-day basis, as well as how Paul and his friends ended up enlisting together. They were in school together and were pressured by many people including their teacher to join the army after they graduated, which was soon after the start of the war. They experienced extremely tough training and had a tough time getting used to being at war. In addition, they recently experienced the first death of one of their good friends.
I am enjoying the book thus far and am eager to continue reading it.

The House on Mango Street, By Sandra Cisneros-The Complete Book

Recently, I finished The House on Mango Street. I read this for an extra credit assignment for Global. Overall however, I did not really enjoy it. It was somewhat annoying to read because it is not really a story straight through. Instead however, it is written as a first person account of the experiences of a Latino girl living in a Latino dominated neighborhood in Chicago. Throughout the book, the girl tells the reader about her neighbors--she writes their stories (how they ended up living there) and her experiences with each and every one of them. She also expresses a constant desire to move from Mango Street. Her house on Mango Street is rented, and she longs for her family to own a nice, big white house. At one point she describes her ideal house: "Our house would be white with trees around it, a great big yard and grass growing without a fence" (4). She is ashamed of her living conditions and often times lies when people point to her house and ask her if it is hers. The book ends with her writing about how someday she would like to leave Mango Street forever.
The interesting thing about this book is how realistic it is. The story written is one that a lot of people experience. In addition, the stories of her neighbors and why they came to the United States and their situations with their families are also very very similar to real life situations.

Open, By Andre Agassi-Complete Book

I really enjoyed this book. First off, it was the autobiography of my favorite tennis player of all time. He was a great player and the book about him was fascinating.
The book got a lot of hype when it first came out because of the startling revelations written in it. For many tennis players, former players, announcers, and fans alike, some of the things Andre Agassi reveals are unsettling. First off, he explains how he wore a wig during the beginning of his career, and didn't try in the final of a French Open because he was scared that it would fall off. While not very significant, this was very scary to many people. One of his more serious confessions was that for about a year he did crystal meth. Furthermore, when he tested positive for doing so, he lied to the ATP (Association of Tennis Professionals). Another major disclosure that he released was the fact that he hated tennis for his whole life. This was surprising to many because of the way he would speak about the sport as well as the fact that he chose to play it for his profession.
I have idolized Agassi for a long time and people have asked me if his book changed my opinion of him. The fact is that he like many other people, he made a mistake. In addition, it is not like he was taking steroids. Yes, he was taking a drug, however, it in no way enhanced his play. Also, you cannot judge him on just this. He has put in an unbelievable amount of time and money in order to help underprivileged children--he has even started a charter school. The fact that people are suggesting that he give back the money he earned after and his name gets taken out of history for the titles he won after this is ridiculous. He made a mistake but still deserves what he won.
Overall this was a great book. It has a very unique writing style with short sentences. He does a great job of conveying his feelings to the reader. I would recommend this to any sport fan specifically tennis fan.