Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare

Here is the first of three reviews by Bryan, guest reviewer from Mr. Relyea's CD class, 8th grade.

A Pair of Star-Crossed Lovers take their Life.

Do you believe in love at first sight? One of his most famous tragedies, Romeo and Juliet, insists that Shakespeare believed.

While a bloody feud between two families, the Capulets and Montagues, rages on in the streets of Verona, Romeo and Juliet, a pair of star-crossed lovers take their life. This story contains many complex themes ranging from infatuation to true love, from loyalty to betrayal, and from honor to bloodlust.

Surprisingly, Mercutio, a sub-character was more appealing to me than Romeo, the protagonist. Romeo has extreme emotions: he is in love at one moment, in despair the other, and repeats the whole process again. Such inconsistencies show how Romeo is essentially flawed. In contrast, Mercutio plays the wit and “life-of-the-party,” who remains a loyal friend to Romeo. Although he seems like a trivial character throughout most of the play, at the moment of his death, we are able to measure the true intensity of his character since the play’s entire tone changes with his untimely death.

I highly recommend this masterpiece to anyone interested in the romance of the classics, for this book is the best of what Shakespeare can offer.

Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck

From Bryan, guest reviewer in 8th Grade:

What would drive a man to kill his only best friend? The play-novel, “Of Mice and Men,” written by John Steinbeck, explores this very theme.

This book is about two lonely wanderers moving from one job to another in order to achieve their shared dream. One is Lenny, a big man who doesn’t know his own strength, and George, a small but quick man who always takes care of his big friend. The book is set in the Salinas Valley, California during the depression era. The main theme of the book is about testing the limits of true friendship.

I reread this book, because it was a short, yet captivating novel. The scope of the play is limited, which allows it to contain universal messages about friendship, loyalty, and the lure of the American Dream. I chose to reread this play, because I wanted to pick up on the subtle details that foreshadowed the tragedy that occurs at the end.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in tasting the clear style of Steinbeck, one of the greatest American authors of our time. I also recommend this book to people who interested in a tragic ending to a beautiful dream.

Their Eyes Were Watching God

From Bryan, guest review from 8th Grade.

“Their Eyes Were Watching God,” but was God watching them? This is the question that all readers ponder after finishing “Their Eyes Were Watching God,” an African American classic, written by Zora Neale Hurston.

In this novel that follows the life of an independent woman named Janie, who goes through three marriages and many obstacles before she finds what she was looking for. Set in the post-slavery era, it deals with themes such as racial and sexual discrimination.
In the beginning the book, we trail the footsteps of a woman dressed in dirty denim overalls with an air of mysterious grief. As she enters town, the words “Tea Cake” and “running away” are audible from the sudden flutter of talk from the neighbors, but she walks defiantly into her old house. The disheveled woman was Janie, the protagonist of the story, and through the retelling of her life story to her friend, Phoebe, the mystery of Janie and her life’s journey is slowly unveiled.

I recommend this book to anyone interested in the post-slavery era, because this book presents a vivid and faithful picture of the black community of this period.