In the beautiful state of Washington there is a town called Snohomish. In the town of Snohomish lies a great, grassy field. Upon the field there sits an air-conditioned trailer stocked with necessary amenities such as Gatorade and a veggie platter. Inside the trailer you will find a half-asleep, fuzzy-headed guy wearing an old, white v-neck shirt. Yep, that’s me.
This morning I woke up in Oceanside, California and hopped on a flight bound for Seattle. During the flight, I finished the last half of a book called, “The City of Ember”. A while back I saw a preview of a movie called by the same name. The small bits of the plot I gathered must have stuck with me because months after I had seen the preview I came across the book in a well known book selling establishment, and in my desperation for free in-flight entertainment I snatched the book off the shelf. With only a few hundred pages and rather large font it is an easier read, but I’ve never been one to be intimidated by a book meant for minds a bit younger than my own so I read on. The plot is fairly simple, There is a city called Ember whose only light comes from massive floodlights raised high over the heads of the several hundred inhabitants of the town. There is no sun, nor moon, nor stars. The sky is blackness. All around the city there is blackness. The town holds no trees, or grass, or hills. There is just the city itself with its buildings and storehouses and pale people living their pale lives. And there are problems in the city. It is old. It is breaking. It is dying, and the generator that makes life possible in Ember is on its last leg. Soon there will be no light left to live by. But in the midst of the gloom there is hope. Those who built the city hundreds of years earlier have left instructions explaining how to get out. They had been lost until now…
Without going into too much detail (I wouldn’t dream of spoiling it for you). This book, whether the author meant to or not, was quite the spiritual allegory. Now, I am the last person to try to discover some obscure hidden meaning within a book. I tend to love the story for the story itself. But this books message seemed to out front to ignore. A world shrouded in darkness, the end inevitable, a solution so clear yet so ignored, and all it took were a few people with conviction to believe and to hope. A little cheesy? Maybe. A little familiar? Yes, at least I think so. If you got a few extra hours on your hands read it and let me know what you think about it. In fact, what are you guys reading? Anything interesting? Fun? Exciting? Moving? Let us discuss!!!!
So like I said before, I’m in Washington. I’m playing a summer festival here. I think I go on about 10:00 PM which is about three hours from now. Wish you all could be here!
See ya
-p
Okay, I read this book years ago, and I thought it was pretty good. As to your question, is you ever read this, you must read Harvard Heart of Gold and The Writer of This Book. It was written by Dustin Aguilar, who lives here in North Texas, and it’s also pretty simple and short, but definitely a must read
So yeah, I decided to look through some of your older blog posts and out of nowhere (literally nowhere?) I see this book cover, and I’m like: “I read that book!” Hahahaha. I decided to pull out my own copy and read this blog post with it. I thought it was a pretty interesting book myself. Kind of stoked I read a book that you also decided to pick up. Not sure the sequels to the book are /as/ good, but definitely worth a try.
Hey Phil. I had seen the same trailer back aways and it also had stuck to me as trailers often do; I’m a sucker for them. I just recently saw the movie and don’t know if you have already or not. But I definitely recommend it. I’d definitely say its geared for an older kids age group but anyone with half a soul can enjoy it as I did.
The whole story does seem to have the shroud of spiritual struggle and is definitely one of hope. Its a rare gem of a movie thats just generally uplifting and entertaining. While not some kind of epic or blockbuster it is captivating and interesting and personally I loved it.
But definitely see it when you get the chance.
-Dean
Hey Phil thanx for the suggestion I’m picking it up tomorrow. And I plan on reading it quickly.
God bless you always.
The description you gave was very vivid… and sounds like a cool book with a cool story. If I see it on the bookshelf at borders I’ll pick it up. I read “IRRESISTIBLE REVOLUTION” by Shane Claiborne a few months ago and it transformed how I look at other people. anyone, friends, homeless, classmates, students, elderly, coworkers, bosses, others in authority, kids in africa, everyone… It’s about living a radical lifestlye of love and I’d be surprised if you haven’t heard of it b/c your attitude and lyrics are almost in sync with what Claiborne talks about in the book. And the first chapter is almost a verbatim story of the christian sheltered childhood i grew up in, along with many of us. Pass on anymore good reads you find!
~Delaina
I haven’t read Beloved yet… So, I don’t know. I’ll look into the novel though before I read it. I am not surprised that any book would be on a reading list at a liberal arts college though, like mine. So, i suppose i’ll see.
I am planning on being a high school Enlgish teacher and hopefully a professor someday teaching the works of the lovely Jane Austen if you couldn’t tell that I love Jane Austen. haha. I also want to write. I write poetry, music, political pieces, reviews, and of course I have to write papers for my english classes, but I love to write. I’m currently working on my future thesis on Jane Austen. I have 40 pages written so far… you basically have to write a book for a Doctorate in English. haha.
Hi Britney,
My husband was an English major. Good for you. He enjoyed his schooling and learned tons that now really helps us in homeschooling our kids. I remember him saying that he chose to opt out of reading Beloved. I am curious about your reaction to it. My husband is not a person that would normally choose to do that, and it ended up not really affecting his grade. He said he felt sick when he read it, and wondered why sometimes these sorts of books end up on reading lists.
What do you plan on doing with your major?