O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

Alexandra Bergson has lived on the land and worked it since her father's death. Sixteen years later, she is the most prosperous landowner on the Divide, a valley that stretches across the Nebraska prairie. She has three brothers, a childhood friend, and a beautiful friend. Her love of the land keeps her through the hardships that come.

So sad! Cather makes everyone so real, and it is much worse when trouble comes to them than in average books. I spent a good fifteen minutes after I finished it staring at the wall, because I could see it in my head. Alexandra is the feminist, the woman who can stand on her own and prospers, but she is still human. Even Cather, who was a civil rights activist, could not say that when women were independent they were perfectly happy.

Zero: the History of a Dangerous Idea by Charles Seife

Zero- cultures have feared it, banned it, revered it, and finally accepted it. It is infinity's twin. The Church believed it first to be heresy, then to prove God's existence. It is the number that is needed for calculus, the math of nature, but also is the center of black holes. Seife explores the number's history, from Aristotle to Albert Einstein and beyond.

Very good. It was very interesting- the Greeks didn't like zero because it didn't fit in with their philosophies; Christians didn't like it because they thought it was contradicting God's nature; but the Mayans' first day of each month was the zero-eth day. It was all about religion. The Hindus worshipped it as part of a god, Shiva. It's like Copernicus- when we think something messes with our doctrine, we try to ignore it and call everyone who believes in it heretics.
Believe in zero.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Feet of Clay by Terry Pratchett

Something is wrong in the city of Ankh-Morpork. Two old men are found dead, the city's ruler is poisoned every night, and golems, the city's clay slaves, are smashing themselves to bits. Sir Samuel Vimes, Commander of the City Watch, is in charge of the investigation, but even he is having a hard time....

Good. Terry Pratchett has a lot of imagination, but I think that sometimes it gets in the way of his writing. This is one of his more articulate books. It made me think: the city likes its golems because they can't talk, they work without pay, food, or board, and they work fast. Definitely slavery. And so they get extremely worked up when Dorfl is given words. Maybe we have a lesson to learn on slavery, folks.

Go NaNoWriMo! (National Novel Writing Month)

Hooray for NaNo! In November, thirty days, the goal is to write fifty thousand words. This is my second year, and I'm getting pretty exited. Yay!

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I'm working on getting my reporting skills back up to standards. Bear with me. Sorry.

long time no see

The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., edited by Clayborne Carson
King was born in the late twenties. He grew up in a segregated, racist America, where his family could not vote and had no rights and their friends lived in ghettos. When in college, he read Marx, Lenin, and Nietzsche looking for the answer to the social evils he lived with. He found it in the nonviolence of Gandhi, and throughout his ministries for rights for blacks and the poor, he always used this doctrine. He founded the movements that led to the outlawing of segregation, black votes, and open housing. He was and is an inspiration for America.

Very good. I have never heard of all that MLK did, and it made me think. Lots of it made me mad and sad. How different would America be if we resorted to nonviolence? Maybe we wouldn't have had messes like Korea and Vietnam and Iraq. What would we be like if things were still segregated? Maybe I'd think minorities were trash. What can we do about social problems? Maybe we could buy less stuff and donate the rest, or give what we already have to Salvation Army. Maybe we can help streetkids get homes. Maybe we could take meals to sick people. A man came to my school one time. His was the first black family in Norman, and they lived on the 'wrong' side of town. They lived through some tough times. I've got black friends. What if they lived like that? Would I do anything about it? I hope I would have. We need to act more on what he taught- the Gospel, love and grace and community and hope. Maybe if everyone did, we'd all be better people and have a better country. We should try.

The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkein

In the Beginning was Eru, and he made the Valar, who in turn made Arda, the world. But Morgoth was prideful and began to destroy the others' work and make his own evil things. Feanor, dwelling in the Blessed Land, makes three jewels, called the Silmarillion, and Morgoth seizes his chance to begin a war that will last for two ages and more.

Very good. Possibly my favorite Tolkein. I do wish, though, that it were less...complicated. There are a lot of people in that book, and most of them have at least two names, and then all their names translated into Sindarin or Quenya- the elves' languages. Very complicated, awesome giants. So it was confusing. And there seemed to be a lot of people going mad and killing people needlessly. There was a lot of killing in general. Naturally, I was not overjoyed with this. The whole thing was rather Norse. But you should still definately read it. All the better because it's hard to find.

School started Thursday. A good first two days. I hope it keeps up.

West into the Night by Beryl Markham

An autobigraphy: Markham grew up on a farm and horse-training place in British East Africa. When she was fifteen her father had to sell their land and she moved north, and trained horses for races. After she had one a major race with the horse Wise Child, she met Tom Black, a pilot. He taught her how to fly.

Very good writing. Africa! I'll go there someday. Zimbabwe and Cairo and Kenya and Victoria Falls. I think I would like to fly someday, too. Markham writes so well, I was there. Saw the Atlantic underneath me and heard the motor die. Saw Buller and the boar. Read this book.

Anna's birthday is today. We're going to the OKC zoo.

Skybreaker by Kenneth Oppel

Floating 20,000 feet above the rest of the world is the Hydrion, a ledgendary airship containing huge amounts of treasure. Lots of people are willing to kill to find it, but only one person in the world has its coordinates.

Good. Not as good as Airborn, I think. Not as interesting. Maybe too unbelievable. This probably sounds weird coming from someone who passionately defends King Arthur and dragons, but this book is sci-fi, and should have some...fact? I don't know what to call it.

Making zucchini bread today. This is the second round of making zucchini bread with a 16 inch vegetable. Never seen one so big.

Airborn by Kenneth Oppel

Matt Cruse is pretty happy with the life he has- a cabin boy on a nine hundred feet long, fourteen-story high luxury passenger ship, one that doesn't have to worry about gigantic freighters plowing the ocean. It sails eight hundred feet above them in the sky. Then one night he spies a hot air balloon whose pilot speaks of creatures totally real and utterly mysterious.

Very good. I really don't think of airships very often. I guess they were only around for about twenty years, and ended with the Hindenburg. But the author must have a really good imagination- cloud cats, airships, light as air! Especially recommended for pirates and sci-fi people.

"Lighter than air, that's our Mr. Cruse."

School starts tomorrow for Norman Public and Ou; Thursday for me! Ha! ha!