The Westing Game

In The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin, sixteen seemingly unrelated people and their families are invited to the desirable new apartment building, Sunset Towers. They are gathered by a lawyer to be told that they will be split into pairs—and each pair will have the chance to inherit the 200 million dollar estate of the deceased Samuel Westing. The will states that Westing was murdered, and the murderer is one of the heirs. Many of the heirs have never even met the illustrious Mr. Westing, and those who have do not have any fond recollections. Each pair is given a set of clues, each pair driven by the lure of a vast fortune. The only catch is, the answer to the clues is the murderer. 

The book is told through a series of chapters told in 3rd person, centering around a different heir every time. I admired the writer's style. She perfectly paced the book so that the reader is always in suspense, arising another conflict each time one was resolved. I especially enjoyed the way the writer scattered the clues throughout the book, so that the reader is trying to solve the death along with the characters. The writer also gave a strong character to each air, making them more relatable amongst the action and mystery. Overall, I would highly recommend this book to everyone- it's plot is expertly told with amazing technique.  

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland

In Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, by Lewis Carroll, Alice is plunged into numerous mind-bending situations. She manages throughout the book to remain logical and level headed. Under the duress of being accused of stupidity and threatened with decapitation by an abundant supply of enjoyably ridiculous and puzzling characters, she remains remarkably calm. For example, in the book, Alice's size is constantly changing. To be in a strange world with no idea how to get home and have your body shrinking and growing would be maddening to many people—but not Alice. While falling down a seemingly endless pit, she considers whether she will end up in New Zeland or Australia (the opposite side of the world from Britain), showing how she uses her head in times of distress.

What is really amazing is how young Alice is. At seven, she can think more clearly than many adults. As Alice comes face to face with ones such as the Duchess and the Mad Hatter, she shows more wisdom than many her age. While sometimes her worries seemed a bit meaningless, as shown when after falling down a rabbit hole she worried about people thinking her strange when she asked what country she was in, in the majority of the book she shows resilience and resourcefulness, managing to navigate a world of strange things and strange people. I think the reason why she has remained famous for decades and decades is her endearing and unwavering character.

Am I Blue

 "Am I Blue," by Bruce Coville, shows the reader that discrimination can be embodied in both emotional and physical harassment and can result in many negative outcomes for its victims. Discrimination is harmful, and wrongfully tries to repress people into conforming to society's norms.

In the story Vincent,  the main character, is struggling to define his sexual identity. Butch Carrigan, along with some of his other peers, think that he is gay and resent him for it. Butch shows the least compassion, and bullies him with discriminatory comments and actions. For example, he says " 'You little fruit! I'll teach you to look at me!' " leading to Butch pushing Vince into a puddle. Vincent is bruised and wet, along with feeling embarrassed and hurt, showing that discrimination effects people badly. Another example of its negative effects is when Vincent first meets Melvin, his fairy godfather. Melvin is kind, but Vince is so used to cruelty from people like Butch that he lashes out and tells Melvin to leave him alone. If discriminatory actions against someone  escalate, that person's disposition can be affected, as shown when Vince automatically assumes that someone he doesn't know is unkind.

In some cases, fear of discrimination causes people to try to hid who they really are, and attempt to conform into the stereotypes of their occupation or position in society. The republican congressmen speaks out against homosexuality, calling it "the great crime of being gay," when in fact he himself is homosexual. Many Republicans are homophobic, so the congressmen was trying to make himself into a "typical" republican, probably to gain support from voters, and to avoid judgement in his colleagues.  Another situation where someone tried to conform to the status quo was when Vince finds out that some of the football favorites for the Super Bowl were gay. Sports are an aspect of stereotypical masculinity, and being gay is commonly seen as non-masculine. The football players pretend to be strait to avoid discrimination from their fans and coaches.

 All in all, being discriminatory is an action that should be discouraged and prohibited. It makes people feel that they are wrong for being themselves, and should do their best to be "normal." By bullying someone for something they can't help, like race of sexuality, you are subjecting them to emotional torment. The results can be disastrous, and lead the victim to depression or, in extreme cases, suicide. People should show compassion and stand up for someone being harmed by something they can't control—something part of themselves. After all—we're all human.