Thursday, January 29, 2009

My current reading

Hi Mrs. Segal and everyone,
I am currently reading two books,
1. An Imperfect Offering by James Orbinski- he is a member (or perhaps former member) of Doctors Without Borders describing the humanitarian work he participated in in Rwanda, Zaire, Peru, and other places. Very interesting, compelling story but not great in a literary sense.
2. Lighter reading, Born Standing Up, by Steve Martin which is a short memoir about his early career and the evolution of his standup comedy act. A fun read, brings back good memories of him before he went in other equally satisfying directions in film.

I am thinking about using books like Orbinski's as options for summer reading assignments for my Honors World History class.
Happy blogging!

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Hi Mrs. Segal,

I'm very excited for this next quarter. My period 5 English class will read from a list of "classics". We will post our commentary and maybe some photos as we go!

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Greg Mortenson made a promise and with tireless determination he was able to keep it. Greg, an experienced mountain climber, failed in an attempt to climb K2. When descending the mountain, he became separated from his climbing partners, became ill and disoriented and ended up stumbling into a remote village in Northern Pakistan. The villagers nursed Greg back to health and in appreciation he promised to return and build a much-needed school for the village children.
What struck me the most about Greg’s story was his profound respect for the culture of the villagers. He adapted to their life and was adept in learning their languages. His profound humanitarian efforts spread from building one school, to building many. With the help of many from the villages and cities of Northern Pakistan and the financial help of numerous Americans, he fulfilled his promise time and again.