Summer Reading List

As finals and papers bare down on the few days remaining before that sweet three-month freedom called summer vacation, I started to get plans ready for my long awaited leisure time.
One of the things I look forward to the most is catching up on all the reading I put off during the year, and I’m not talking about textbooks. A lot of us haven’t had time to sit down and read a good book in years.
So if you have time this summer to read a book or two, I suggest a few from the list below. A few are from my own summer reading list and others are some I think should be on yours.
Happy Reading.

“The Help” by Katheryn Stockett
After listening to this one on audio book, my mother practically begged me to give it a listen. Over spring break I decided to try out the first few chapters. Needless to say I almost stole her iPod when I had to come back to school. So I bought a copy in the airport terminal and crammed in almost half the book on my flight back. Finishing this book is first on my to do list this summer.
“The Help” tells the story of four women living in the early 1960’s Jackson Mississippi. The story is told from the multiple points of view of each of the characters, allowing us to fall in love with these amazing women one at a time. The story is rich with not only beautifully developed characters, but also a nail biting mystery/drama. Want “The Color Purple” meets “Desperate Housewives?” Trust me. You do.
And I would hurry because it will probably be a feature film within the year.

“Acceptance” by Susan Coll
Acceptance deals with teenage issues of identity, depression, and in the midst, making a decision that will alter your entire life. It really examines the idea of a seventeen year old deciding what they want to do for the rest of their life, and the pressure to succeed. It follows several high school students during their senior year and the challenges and difficult decisions they face.
I read this book the summer before my senior year of high school. I was caught up in the madness of S.A.T. tests and college applications and was nowhere short of loosing my mind. Everybody around me had an opinion except for me.
The tone of this book is perfect for a student lost in transition, whether it is grad school, the work force, or your parent’s basement. Big decisions coming up? Let “Acceptance” put things in perspective.

“Shadow Puppets” by Orsan Scott Card
“The Ender Series” is a fabulous series of books I have been reading on and off for the past four years. They tell the story of a futuristic world where humans do battle with aliens. Except their army is fully composed of children. Genius children who are put through rigorous academic and strategic training in order to create the perfect soldiers and commanders for the most powerful army in the universe. For those of you interested in a sci-fi novel you will actually be able to understand, look no further than here.
It currently consists of eleven novels and ten short stories, most of which can be read independently of each other. As a general rule of thumb, I would start with the first book Card wrote, “Ender’s Game” and go chronologically in the order they were published. If this advice seems strange, that’s because the story of the “Ender Series” is not completely linear.
But don’t feel like you need to tackle every single one. I just give you fair warning of the consequences of falling in love with a book that has 9 sequels.
And after four years, believe me, I would know.

“Lamb” by Christopher Moore
This is another recommendation from mom that I have not gotten to yet. It supposedly tells the story of Jesus through his childhood friend Biff. A lighthearted satire of the life of Christ from his childhood days up until his crucifixion may be just the dose of irony my summer needs.
Those who fear blasphemy should probably stay away however. A coming of age story of young Jesus that is described as “slapstick” will probably not be appreciated by his more faithful followers.
But if you are like me, religiously defunct, this should be right up your ally.

“Eat Pray Love” by Elizabeth Gilbert
This is another book I bought over winter break and never finished. Because of its notoriety and fame I figured I would finally give it a try. It is a true story about a woman who, after an emotional divorce, sets out to far continents looking for the love and meaning missing from her middle-aged world.
I hear the film version for this one is already in the works. So if you have not read it yet, now would be a good time.

“The Lovely Bones” by Alice Sebold
For those of you who saw the movie before reading this book, I apologize. This is one of my personal favorites.
“The Lovely Bones” is a beautiful story about a young girl who was murdered by her neighbor, and must watch from heaven as her family tries desperately to solve her murder. It is a stirring coming of age tale for the friends she leaves behind, and an emotional take on family and love.
You may shed a tear or two, but I can’t stress the amazing feeling hope left after reading this book. Do not be deterred by the heavy subject matter. There is actually much more to happy about in “The Lovely Bones” than sad.

So I thought I could Dance

People have been dancing forever. We danced for the gods, for our ancestors, to celebrate a bountiful harvest or special occasion, and in many cases, just for the hell of it.

There is a show on television called “So You Think You Can Dance” in which dancers compete against each other, much like on “American Idol.” The show is entertaining enough, until the judges and viewers start criticizing beautiful dancers for missing a jump or a turned in foot.

If you asked these dancers why they are on the show, they may say something like how much they love it or how it is an outlet for expression. But if that were true, I would be up there with them.

In today’s world, people dance because they are talented.

We all know them, the kids who have been ballerinas since they were three and dropped out of school to join professional companies. The girl who eats a quarter cup of cheese on her salad. Their feet bleed and they never sleep, all for the love of dance.

But not everyone can have this life. Only the select few, the lucky ones, who are talented enough to compete professionally. The ones who live by an idea that in my opinion, ruined the art of dance. They are the ones with perfect technique.

So where did technique come from? I highly doubt the Native Americans or African tribes were concerned with proper technique. By “technique” I mean the list of rules that all talented dancers must follow, like point your feet or spot your turns. If you ever watch an episode of “So You Think You Can Dance” you will get a big lesson in technique.

Personally, I blame it on the emergence of ballet in 15th century Italy. It began as a dance of the court, and as it spread across Europe it became the first dance with its own rules and vocabulary.

While I have been in and out of class and the stage for over 7 years, I would hardly consider myself a “dancer.” Any talent I possess is pure consequence of hard work and extremely good coaching. I do not pretend to have any natural talent or predisposition for dance. Or any concern for my “technique.”

A longer history of music lessons and choir classes has given me a well-trained ear for musicality and rhythm. But none of that can get you to switch leap.

People who know me now would probably never guess it, but I was a child of the theater during high school. The thrill of tech week and opening night, being the chorus girl. This is where my experience with dance began, when I was fourteen. They were some of the greatest years of my life. But the only downside of doing musical theater, were the other performers.

Only after leaving for college do you realize how silly some things are. Like foregoing homework for late night rehearsals. Like dropping ten pounds in one month and acting like its no big deal. Like loosing track of where the stage ends and the real world begins.

People who perform tend to be a bit over dramatic anyway. They are people who need every emotion they have at their beck and call. It is no wonder why most of them cannot control it. But the unfortunate part is the amount of personal investment performers put into their success. As if some how the ability to hit the high C or triple pirouette says something about their personal worth.

And its no surprise they act this way. Every dance flick ever made has a message reading something like this, “You can accomplish anything if you just believe in yourself and want it badly enough.” There are some obvious flaws with this reasoning.

While confidence is key, just “believing in yourself” is not going to fix everything for you. My bad hip eliminates my ability to do any sort of impressive high kicks or extensions without severe pain. No amount of confidence will fix that.

But because making performing arts a real profession is so competitive, young performers are taught to build confidence. And confidence breeds egos. Big ones.

It is not the sort of person I’m keen on becoming anyway.

So I try to embrace the way I am, to be proud of how much I have improved and how hard I have worked despite my short torso and creaky hips. I love my average abilities and remind myself of this every time I walk into dance class and I see the dance majors whose talent is often far superior to my own.

It is hard sometimes to have a hobby when people assume that because you are dancing, you must be a “dancer.” It is much more easier for young people today to pick one thing and excel at it than to experiment with several different talents. We are raised to avoid the things we’re bad at. The kids picked last for kickball were not the ones who wanted to play the least; they were the least “talented.”

For those of you who have ever wanted to try something new: play soccer, go rock climbing, sing karaoke, or even take a dance class, do not let the “talented” ones stop you. Do not be afraid of failure. Be afraid of becoming someone who never takes risks, or quits because they don’t have a natural turn out.

If you love what you do, talent is never going to really matter.