The Jazz Age: Great Gatsby Review

As usual, I was lost in the magical writing of another great author, F. Scott Fitzgerald, in his book, The Great Gatsby. The Jazz Age was F. Scott Fitzgerald's assigned name for the more commonly named "Roaring Twenties", the early twenties, right before the Great Depression. The twenties was a time of flapper dresses, dancing, jazz, lavish parties, and well massive amounts of money being spent. Fitzgerald portrays a handful of characters in this book as greedy, self centered people. Nick, the narrator of the story is a fixed character, which means he does not really change, and he does not have a main want in the book. Jay Gatsby on the other hand is focused on one person, but I will not say who. The other characters, like Tom, Daisy, and Myrtle all have an extremely materialistic want. The Great Gatsby had the most vivid, juicy descriptions, and it amazed me how Fitzgerald could write about such horrid people, and make me sit back and say "what beautiful writing."

The Great Gatsby had themes hidden through out the pages. Two main themes that stuck out among the more minuscule were selfishness, and love. Being selfish to me, should be one of the Seven Deadly Sins. Each character, besides Nick, was focused on themselves to the point that lives were shattered, literally. Some of the characters lied to get to where they wanted to be, some were abusive, some cheated, and some committed countless crimes just so they could be considered part of the elite.
Love was also somehow, a part of this novel. Jay Gatsby loved one of the characters so much, that it turned into something unhealthy, and dysfunctional. He was borderline desperate to be with her, so he did some things he normally would not have done to get her back, to make her understand that she should be with him. Love should be able to breathe, and not be rushed. Trying to win someone back will most always, combust.

The use of description, and vivid words throughout the novel were in depth, and well, pretty. Fitzgerald used colors to describe feelings, and issues, so I really got a hold of what emotion I should try to understand at that current moment. I honestly would say the characters were not very well developed, because Nick was the narrator and Nick could not read minds, but the use of quotes in The Great Gatsby made me feel as if I was there spying. I felt entertained reading this book, and I felt like taking a step out of my life bubble for a moment to recognize the selfishness I carry, and present to other people. I realized many of the wants I desire are really selfish. How about wanting to HELP other people who are less fortunate than me? How about wanting to get a good job so I can maybe teach people what I know, and helping them in their future, or so I can write for a living and make people think?
His writing formed these thoughts, and I dub F. Scott Fitzgerald an extremely GOOD writer.

Connections: Whew! Jay Gatsby carried a lot of those around with him. There are so many connections in The Great Gatsby. I took a lot of text to world connections because the characters could very well be people I know. People in the world tend to be selfish, which is a shame. There is a difference between loving yourself, and being selfish. Too many people I know cannot figure out the difference. The Great Gatsby reminds me of Shakespeare works, because of the over exaggerating endings that prove very important points.

I truthfully loved this book, because the writing kept me on the edge of my seat, and I learned a huge lesson in the end. Killing two birds with one stone is always a plus. I recommend The Great Gatsby to people who enjoy an intelligent, entertaining, colorful, FAST read, and who can appreciate history, like The Jazz Age.

Beautiful Boy by David Sheff: Review

David Sheff invited me into his life, and the struggle of his son's drug addiction with his memoir, Beautiful Boy. David Sheff discovers a bag of Marijuana in his 12 year old son, Nic's, backpack, and at the age of 17, Nic is hooked on Crystal Meth. David checks him into countless rehabilitation centers with no luck and continuous relapses. Beautiful Boy had a tight grip on me from the first page to the last with Sheff's vivid detail, and strong writing style.

There could be many different themes of Beautiful Boy, but the one main theme I caught was a parent's unconditional love for their child. No matter how many times a child lies to a parent, or lets a parent down, the parent will most likely always give the child another chance. I struggled with Nic's character because he made me so angry. David Sheff continued to try to help him through out the entire book, but Nic never seemed to clean up his act. Nic continued to metaphorically slap his own father in the face with his nonchalant attitude. Then, I remembered that drugs cause people to lose themselves. Nic was behind a dark veil, and his true personality was beneath a giant shadow of syringes and lies. David understood that Nic was not himself, and Nic needed support and love to rise above his addiction.

David Sheff's writing style took my breath away. He invited me inside of his families life, starting with Nic's birth. I laughed, I cried, I became angry, hurt, let down, hopeful, proud, etc. David Sheff wrote down his soul in Beautiful Boy. I felt the joy he felt when Nic was doing well, and I felt the heart shattering pain when Nic would runaway and later on relapse after rehab. The style was excellent, and when I read a story, I want to escape into that place. Beautiful Boy did that for me.

The setting was a new world for me, since I reside in the South. The Sheff family lives in the Western part of the United States, around areas like San Francisco. Drugs and struggle creep around these large cities in abundance, and Nic kept getting pulled under. But so many beautiful things are around these areas. A therapy for Nic was surfing, and bike riding. Growing up, David Sheff and Nic would surf and hike, bike ride, and camp. David did not want Nic to lose all of his child hood.

Beautiful Boy should create all kinds of connections for people. For me, I thought about my own family, and how the Sheff's are very different, but very much alike. Every one most likely has a relative with a drug addiction problem, or an alcohol problem. It's not uncommon at all. The pain that drugs and alcohol create for families is like a wave crashing over, destroying so many things in it's path. People should read more books, essays, memoirs, etc. about drugs and the tolls they have taken on families.

I recommend this book to anyone who has been let down by a family member, but still continues to fight for them, and to love them unconditionally. This book is for anyone who appreciates good writing, and a good story to take them away. Beautiful Boy contains legitimate facts and research about USA's worst drugs, and the precautions to take for a family member who is using. Beautiful Boy by David Sheff is worth the read, I assure you.

Barbie Girl, Material World.

What fuels this era?
What fuels children in toy stores?
What fuels drug dealing rappers?
What fuels scheming, high paid lawyers and businessmen?
...
The material things.

People in our society have a tendency to live in a fantasy world full of big cars, nice clothes, and lots and lots of money. Every one wants to wake up in the morning and smell their Benjamin Franklin's and stretch and yawn in front of their full length, bay windows in front of a man made pool.

Material things transform cute, little toddler girls into raging, mad, make up dripping, daddy's money spending, nice whip driving feminine pyschopaths. TV focuses on the women and men who were either born into a wealthy family, or stumbled blindly across a massive fortune.
The only doctors, lawyers, politicians, etc, who are in the limelight are usually dirty, and as a result of being dirty, they're making dirty money.

It's a shame to be materialistic. When the brand name of a person's clothes begins to matter more than the thoughts they produce, there is a massive problem. MAY DAY, MAY DAY.

Writing this, I realize I'd rather my doctor, or lawyer, or therapist have very nice clothes on than the Wal Mart special. I realize I'd rather be pampered while in their care, than not. But at the same time, I'd rather them have a doctorate than have a rich family background.

Material things don't create the person. They high light the person. Material things flatter people, and make them more glossy; more respectable at times.
But at the end of the day, material things can disappear, and all thats left is the person.

People mean more than material things.
Instead of focusing on what that girl is wearing, or what that guy is driving, we should focus on what that girl is doing for herself, and what that boy can offer the world.

Girls: Stop living as a Barbie girl in a material world.
Boys: Stop living as a Ken doll.

Barbie and Ken have issues just like you and me.