book reviews
Book reviews for scholastic growth; read material from the world's top educators with our collection of novels, memoirs, biographies, philosophical texts and textbooks.
Understanding Infinity
One of the more prominent themes behind Jorge Luis Borges’ anthological series Labyrinths is the idea of infinity. In “The Circular Ruins” infinity is a dreamscape thought into existence by men who dream of other men’s reality, endlessly creating worlds and universes for each other, and idea also discussed in “The Garden of Forking Paths” also shows the existence of infinite number of realities. The short story “The Library of Babel” also flirts with the theme of endless possibilities in an infinite world, as does the protagonist state, but shows that “The Library of Babel” gives the reader an exact record of all things it calls infinite in its hollows, therein indicating a finite integer in the process quantifiable by its inhabitants, indicating in an end to the architectural design of the Library itself, but what does the structure itself look like? Many scholars, architects, artists, and mathematicians of “The Library of Babel” have produced many blueprints of the design of the hexagonal space filling the short tale’s universe but cannot seem to agree on a specific shape to this marvel of architecture. But what if one could infer, from the reading of the story, that the Library may be conceptualized as a tower that spirals upwards and downwards for an exceptionally long time, too long, in fact, for one person to traverse the entirety of the structure? Does such a design hold up with the language Borges uses in his own conceptualizing of the Library, also?
By Omar Al-Mahmeed4 years ago in Education
Safely in Sarpedon
Named for its protagonist, “The Stone Boy” tells the story of nine-year-old Arnold as he learns to survive his community’s judgment of him after he accidently kills his older brother during a pea-picking trip to the fields of his family’s farm. Arnold learns to symbolically turn himself into stone to distance himself from the people in his life, making him inert and emotionless. The title becomes a powerful metaphor for how Arnold reacts to other people’s perceptions of him, making him a stone version of himself—cold and unfeeling, absent of emotion—yet still able to retain his boyhood. Ironically, Gina Berriault revivifies inanimate objects within “The Stone Boy” with human qualities through uses of lyrical simile; which begs the question: how does Gina Berriault’s title “The Stone Boy” draw a connection between human emotion and the personification of inanimate objects with human qualities through her use of simile? Does this connection between Arnold’s symbolic emotional petrification show that he is both living and non-living; able to still act straightforwardly in the face of his brother’s death while still retaining his humanity and boyhood?
By Omar Al-Mahmeed4 years ago in Education
The Ragtime & Gone With The Wind and Cold Mountain Books Review
Book reviews Ragtime is a novel written by El Doctor. It was first published in 1975. This is a historical novel. A work of historical fiction based on the events of 1902 to 1912. The novel revolves around a wealthy family living in New York.
By Mehedi Hasan Shawon4 years ago in Education
Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing Books Review
The name Shakespeare is a popular and recognized name for children and adults around the world. For Example, Hamlet, Romeo and Juliet, and of course Macbeth. He has written some creative works that are still entertaining people today. The play Macbeth is one of his most popular works. The play is special in both good and bad aspects. There are some interesting plots in the play which will make you enter into a happy and painful environment.
By Mehedi Hasan Shawon4 years ago in Education
King Lear & Twelfth Night & Julius Caesar Books Reviews
"King Lear", a tragedy drama, was written by William Shakespeare. It is based on the mythical Lear of Britain King Lear relinquished land and power to his two daughters and became destitute and insane.
By Mehedi Hasan Shawon4 years ago in Education
Paradise Lost and The Merchant Of Venice Books Review
One of John Milton's epic poems is "Paradise Lost". It was first published in 1667 and the epic was based on a biblical story. At first, it was published in ten volumes, but in 1674 the second edition was published in a total of 12 volumes.
By Mehedi Hasan Shawon4 years ago in Education
The Top 5 Books That Every Student Should Read
There are many books out there that you might think are interesting but feel like you can’t read them due to your busy schedule or lack of money. I will help you to make easier for you that which books you should read.
By Aashuu Mughal4 years ago in Education
A book a day, keeps the stagnation away
It is not a replacement but an adjunct! A few years ago, in the midst of my research on leadership, efficiency, business, and productivity I discovered that there are tools where you can listen to books in their entirety or their summaries. In fact, it is one of the current trends in which books are not only available in physical or digital format but also in audiobooks.
By Alexandra Sousa4 years ago in Education
