Title of the Book: An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness
Author: Kay Redfield Jamison
# of Pages: 219
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Review:
Kay Redfield Jamison is haunted by manic depressive illness, or as commonly known as bipolar disorder. She tells of how normal she is on the outside and shows how mad she is on the inside. Starting in her adolescence, you will be taken on her rollercoaster called life, of literal ups and downs.

The mood throughout the book is very light. Full of hope. Even when Jamison is talking about her depressive states, you can tell that there is always hope.

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to know what is going on inside the head of madness. What it actually means to be bipolar. I believe that everyone should know the definition of any mental illness and also know that it is a real thing. This book should be read by those who are curious about what mental illnesses are and how they affect others.

Hugo Fonck - Into Thin Air

Hugo Fonck
Title of the Book: Into Thin Air
Author: Jon Krakauer
# of Pages: 301
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Review:
Could you handle climbing Mt. Everest? At over 29,000 feet above sea level, the human body cannot survive for an extended period of time, even with significant acclimatization. At that altitude, you are leaving the troposphere behind and at an altitude where the air is just 1/3 as thick as it is at sea level. Blood runs dangerously thick through your body as it tries to carry as much oxygen as possible. This is the cruising altitude of jet traffic - and the highest peak in the world. This fact has driven hundreds in modern history to try and stake their claim on top of the world. Many have died in their attempts, and 'Into Thin Air' explains a personal account on a tragedy that unfolded high on the mountain and the first ever of its kind in May of 1996.

This non-fiction novel follows the events surrounding the May 1996 Mt. Everest disaster, where many climbers perished during a breakdown of communication, leadership combined with a harrowing late-day storm high on the mountain. This book is explicitly non-fiction because Krakauer was there - he was a member of a commercial climbing team that was attempting Everest that year. He was taking the challenge himself to write a story for Outside magazine on the perils of high-altitude climbing. However, the story ended very differently as a disaster unfolded with the other members of his team after Krakauer successfully completes his summit attempt.

This emotional experience takes readers through a destructive tapestry and brings them to the forefront of the tragedy that unfolded tensely at the top of the world. Krakauer's unique style of creating connections, deep self-analysis and flawless reconstruction of events allows readers to see into the tragedy beyond what Krakauer simply saw on the mountain. His perspective allows readers to realize the truth and circumstances of what went wrong.

I would highly recommend this book to anyone who would enjoy a thrilling story of tragedy and survival in one of the most desolate places on Earth. This book is eye-opening into the true power of motivation and the drive of the human mind to achieve what most rational thought would rule as impossible.

Title of the Book: A Long Way Gone
Author: Ishmael Beah
# of Pages: 221
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆

Review:  In Ishmael Beah's A Long Way Gone, dark subjects of murder, pillaging, and the destruction of childhood are portrayed through an eye opening journey of one boy and the painful path he is forced upon. Ishmael Beah's tragic life story begins in a small happy village in the jungle of Sierra Leone. At the young age of 13 after living happily in his village, the Sierra Leone Civil War fought between the Revolutionary United Front and the traditional government came upon Ishmael's front step. After the fighting got to his village Ishmael was separated from his family and stranded with his friends. The group went from village to village looking for their families until the army catches up with them and conscripts them into fighting. For the next two years Ishmael loses his humanity as he viciously fights in a ruthless bloody war and succumbs to the endless drug use. At the age of 15 UNICEF workers get Ishmael out of the war and into a rehab center where he can start to rebuild. Through the riveting telling of this tragic story, truths about our own humanity and the meaning of having a childhood are revealed. Ishmael fantastically details his journey through a mastery of first person narrative. When Ishmael must overcome a PTSD flashback at a school dance, one of which he recalls sacking a village during their school dance and hearing their screams, it becomes clear how broken and lost poor Ishmael had become. The unheard of subject matter is unlike any other book you could come across especially at such a first person perspective. The novel will take the reader on a beautifully disturbing trip through growth and spiritual rehabilitation and what it means to be alive. While the violence keeps the reader enthralled it comes to the rebirth of Ishmael that intrigues and indulges the mind of the reader. Ishmael's story is one to cherish and pass on to keep the efforts to restore the lives of those whose childhoods were robbed from them. Overall I believe anyone interested in war books or books urging the readers to desire a change in the world will delve into this book. I highly recommend it.

Title of the Book: “Into the Wild”
Author: Jon Krakauer
# of Pages: 224
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆


 Review:

 “Into the Wild” by Jon Krakauer is a book about the art of pushing yourself to the limits and surviving. It is a story like no other, about a young man and his vision of what human life should be. It gives readers insight of what a nomadic life truly looks like. 

“Into the Wild” is the type of book that makes you wonder if you have what it takes. Chris McCandless gave himself a roller coaster of a life, simply by leaving the american materialistic life behind. What makes this book unique is the similarities between the writer and person of interest. Krakauer and McCandless had the same love for the outdoors and adventures. Krakauer’s knowledge of how nature’s fascinations have a tool on a young man’s soul, makes for the perfect storyteller. 

  The mood of the book is dark and adventurous. Because the author spends a lot of time talking about McCandless's motivations and dysfunctional behavior. It’s more adventurous while Chris McCandless is hitchhiking around the West, because he is having fun and taking risks. Towards his journey in Alaska, the mood changes into being lonely and depressing, because of the isolation he endured during that time.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves biographies about ordinary people and their not so ordinary lives. I think the best thing about this book is you walk away with a true story you won’t forget. 

Title of the Book: Into thin Air
 Author: Jon Krakauer
 # of Pages: 364
 Star Rating: ☆☆☆

 Review:

Jon Krakauer begins Into thin Air at the top of Mount Everest. Krakauer’s recollection is not chronological by any means. It is organized by location on Everest, and specifically altitude. Krakauer is a journalist and it was his career which funded his expedition. Motivation to climb Mount Everest held a different meaning for each individual climber. For Krakauer, it meant fulfilling his childhood dream. Into thin Air is not just any personal account though. Krakauer began his journey with more than he ended it with.

At first glance, Into thin Air was just another transcendentalist non-fiction book. But, the author has a completely unexpected lens. He does not romanticize standing on top of the world. In fact, Krakauer does the exact opposite. Krakauer refers to his his fellow climbers as “clients” and other teams as “commercial expeditions.” His voice is sarcastic and pessimistic even when the section is informative. At times his negativity was even humorous. The comedy was what got me through the first half of the book, because the mountain climbing jargon was even slightly boring.

I found the book more compelling towards the end as he describes the more tragic part of Everest: descending in the storm. The inverse relationship of climbing higher into the atmosphere and depleting mentally and physically ends at the summit of Everest. Suddenly, Krakauer and the other people became more relatable. The effects of oxygen deprivation is very clear throughout the last quarter of the book. However, after reading responses from the other climbers to Jon Krakauer’s book, I lost some respect for it. Specifically, Sandy Pittman’s survival story was celebrated until Jon Krakauer’s article momentarily ruined her reputation as an athlete.

Despite it’s faults, Into thin Air is definitely worth reading. It is simply uniquely written and successful. Do not make a snap judgement about the book based on the first half though as there are definitely sharp switches in voice to keep you as a reader on your toes.

Title of the Book: Into the Wild

Author: Jon Krakauer

Number of pages: 251

Star Rating: 4 out of 5

Review: Human kind has a true calling. When the human race first was made what was the true calling of its species. To live, survive and thrive in nature, or it it to conform to a society of rules and expectations of living. There are many people that go through life doing things because they are told to do it that way but, there are people that live there lives only to find what makes them happy. In the book Into the wild there is a man by the name of Alex that starts out as a college student that graduates from Emory University in Atlanta. He lives his life “normal” but then makes the decision to leave everything and travel in his bus. Alex McCandless before leaving mails his family his college transcripts and leaves a note saying that he is leaving and will never see them again. Alex takes off to Nevada where he gets his car struck and broken in a flood. He then starts to travel on foot to his next destination with a backpack. Alex then hitchhiked to lake tahoe in California and then continues to the Cascade mountains. Alex moves to the idaho panhandle where he meets two people. Jan Burres and her boyfriends Bob quickly make friends with the couple. Wile Alex is traveling his parents go to Atlanta to find him and then quickly find out he has left and his apartment has been abandoned they shortly find out he donated $24,000 to OXFAM instead of using it for a law degree. They also found Alex’s Car abandoned where it was damaged by the flood. Still walking Alex travels to the Arizona where he buys a canoe. He continues down the Colorado river, Lake Havasu, Bill Williams River, Colorado Indian reservation, two wildlife refuges and the U.S Army Yuma Proving Grounds. Finds big trouble from waterfalls and comes close to dieing. Hunters find him and drive him the the gulf of California. Alex back in the canoe encounters very large winds and almost drowns. After this experience moves back to the US but gets caught and arrested in jail for 1 day. Camps out and buries his backpack in the sand. He then hitchhikes to Las Vegas. Still moving Alex moves to Bullhead City Arizona where he works for McDonalds and lives in a RV a man named Charlie over watched. The rights to Jan Buries from Bullhead about seeing him because they were not far from him in California. Alex quickly hates his job and the people so leaves to surprisingly show up and Jan Buries campsite. Alex then hitchhiked to mean a very nice man named Franz a old veteran. A month later tells Frank that he is living on the streets of San Diego and Franz pick Alex up and drives him to his house. Franz and Alex seem to bond and be good friends. Alex then finds a job at Westerberg’s grain elevator in Carthage. There we was described as not technically smart. A girlfriends described him as intriguing and that he just wanted to be happy and was the only person to chase his dreams. Leaves for Alaska and makes some stops along the way. Buys a gone and finds a truck driver to take him to Alaska. Finds a but to stay at and lives off the land. Rights in his journal weak and hungry but still high spirited. Gets trapped and stays on the bus. Rights a note on the bus “extremely weak, Fault of pot seed. A lot of trouble please help. Alex then dies and is found by hunters. Franz who was awaiting Alex after Alex told him he's living his life not to the fullest and not being free wants to join him when he returns. But finds out he passed away. This was hard on Franz because he lost a son before and wanted to adopt Alex. This devastated Franz. This book in unique because it shows how people have been living sheltered lives and not living to what they truly want to be in life. The writing style in different because it's a man telling what he thinks having researched everything. The most devastating moment for me was when Frank found his friends had died. This made me sad because of the amount of heartache Franz has went threw. Many people will enjoy this book because it has a deeper meaning to it. It also has you questioning different lifestyles and is also just a fun book to read

Title Of Book: The Glass Castle Author: Jeannette Walls # of Pages: 289 Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆ Review: The Glass Castle is a remarkable memoir looking into the past of a peculiar, but none the less, loyal and a loving family. Within the first 3 pages it is evident this story is to be one full of unsuspecting turn of events. Jeanette Walls takes her readers through her journey of a less than substational childhood full of unpredictable hardships unimaginable for a girl so young to overcome. The Walls household was one that was of a unique nature to say the least. Rex Walls,the father of the family, while exciting and charismatic was inebriated majority of the time leaving his wife and kids in constant wonder of what he were to destroy in his next rampage; In combination with a free spirited mother who was unconcerned with the responsibilities of motherhood, the Walls children were left to fend for themselves. The children had an undying loyalty to one another and were always there to support one another. Jeanette does an impeccable job of taking the reader deep inside the ride and allowing for one to be able to truly get an understanding of her life’s journey and what it had entailed. Her writing made insightful interpretations by the reader flawless. The story truly stimulates the deepest parts of imagination and empathy while still maintaining a With determination and a great sense of what they did not want to be in life the children all worked their way to a new life in New York City. The memoir is truly breathtaking and takes the reader on an unforgettable emotional rollercoaster. A great read for those inclined to experience a thrilling, heartbreaking, inspirational piece that leaves you with an entirely new perspective on poverty and the world we live in.