oh my brothers...

I just finished A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess as my final novel for my science fiction class. Technically, though, I don't believe this novel is actually a piece of science fiction. It is written in a slang of English called Nadsat, which is used by thuggish youths that terrorize innocent people. The novel is narrated by Alex who, along with his 3 "droogs" commit extremely violent and sadistic acts in the first part of this three part novel. Not to spoil anything, but things take a turn for Alex in the next section which focuses on punishment for his crimes rehabilitation. The final section follows Alex as he is returned to the world as a free man, only after completing a series of conditioning treatments. I enjoyed this novel quite a bit. Once I got a grasp on the language I hardly noticed that it wasn't written in standard English.

There is a movie version A Clockwork Orange, however it ends one chapter prior to the completion of the book. This should be considered when viewing the movie, since it drastically alters the meaning of the story as a whole, and practically negates the author's intentions.

7.0/10

399 Points

Narcissus & Goldmund

Written by Hermann Hesse, this novel has been translated from German, it's original language. It tells the story of Goldmund, who leaves the cloister when he is a young man to travel in search for answers to a world that he had previously been sheltered from. His mentor, a monk named Narcissus, cares for him deeply and they depart on good terms. Goldmund learns painful truths throughout his journey, but also experiences great joy as he discovers love and the artistic manner in which he expresses his feelings. The book is simple in writing style but deep in its discussion of finding one's self in a single lifetime.

8/10

515 points

UBIK

I finished Ubik by Philip K. Dick for my Science Fiction class. I knew major plot twists before reading it based on our discussion in class. This took the thrill out of the book for me. It is an interesting story, and I would imagine pretty cool (if you didn't know the plot twists). Dick loses control in the last chapter which is somewhat of a let down. Overall, a semi enjoyable book.

416 points

6.4/10

The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

Deep Economy, by Bill McKibben, is a well-written discussion of how American culture has increased and intensified consumerism to the detriment of local communities. As we buy into the idea of hyper-individualism, we lose the sense of connectedness to those around us. We begin to feel that we don't need the support of others for our survival and we are less happy because of it. Focusing on supporting local economies, in particular local farmer's markets, as the first step towards re-strengthening communities, McKibben makes persuasive and realistic arguments, and even mentions Ithaca a few times throughout the book! I recommend this one to you all.

10/10

472 points

If you ever need to talk someone out of being a hippie...

have them read this book. Drop City, by T.C. Boyle, follows two story lines throughout the novel. On one hand, you have a husband and wife living in the woods of Alaska, surviving on the meat they hunt and the vegetables they grow. Very appealing and a little Little House on the Prarie-esque. And then on the other hand, you have dirty, drug obsessed hippies, living off of welfare, acid-laced Kool Aid, and tofu burritos in California. When the police threaten to arrest them and kick them off their land, they journey to Alaska to "go back to nature," which for them means growing weed in their backyard and living off food stamps. Their encounters with the locals leads to events that the whole book is based upon. I wasn't really crazy about the commune sections of the book. Especially the part where one girl comes home from working at a strip club and then the whole clan gets crabs from their idyllic "free love" beliefs. Yuck.

A quick google search tells me that Drop City was an actual intentional community in Colorado in the late '60s, the first "hippie commune." Although the book is not about this specific community, I'm sure there are many similarities. Even though I wasn't crazy about some of the characters, the book still held my interest until the end and overall I liked it. But I'm also looking forward to moving on to something new.

7/10

697 points