Over the long break, students found their own ways to keep themselves busy. Whether students were picking up extra shifts at work, having late nights with friends or family, settling down to watch movies or pick up a new book to read, students were looking for something to fill their time. Here are a few books that some students read over the break:
“Tuesdays with Morrie” by Mitch Albom – Rachel Smith, a third-year Social Studies and History Teaching major, read this memoir during the winter break and found it particularly enjoyable. She explained that throughout the memoir Albom, through the main character Morrie, pushes for readers to focus on the connections between themselves and others rather than materialism and to focus on embracing who they are and to live their live authentically. “Tuesdays with Morrie” focuses on Albom’s experience of reconnecting with his college professor, Morrie Schwartz, after a series of unfortunate events in his life and in Schwartz’s. The memoir recounts the lessons that Albom learns while spending time and caring for Schwartz, whose condition worsens as his ALS progresses.
“I loved this memoir because it teaches so many life lessons that I believe everyone can relate to and learn from,” Smith stated.
“Tender is the Flesh” by Agustina Bazterrica – This small but intense horror book was picked up by Avery Grobe, a third-year Communication’s, Art’s, and Literature (Teaching) major, during the winter break. The novel follows a dystopian world where animals are now unsafe to consume due to a virus, and the world has resulted in creating human meat processing plants. “Tender is the Flesh” creates interesting commentary on humanity, compassion and capitalism as the narrator, a worker at a human meat processing plant, Marcos, brings home one of the “breeding” females. Readers follow Marcos as he begins a sexual relationship with the female which he names “Jasmine,” who becomes pregnant and eventually gives birth to his child at the end of the novel.
“I found it pretty thought provoking about how controlling the government can be,” Grobe stated.
Personally, I read “Tender is the Flesh” a few years ago and I had similar sentiments. Now with current events, I think that this a great book to read as a reflection of morality and compassion in current world. The novel raises interesting concerns of what happens when we begin treating groups of people with inhumanity and how it can spiral into horrific situations.
“Hikikomori and the Rental Sister” by Jeff Backhaus – This was an interesting novel that I picked up during the break. The novel follows the point of view of Thomas, who locks himself in his son’s room shortly after his death and cuts himself off from social interaction including his wife, and Megumi, a young Japanese woman that is hired by Thomas’s wife to try to get him out of the room he has enclosed himself in. “Hikikomori and the Rental Sister” follows Thomas’s and Megumi’s interactions as they begin to open up to each other, slowly at first but eventually to them sharing their grief and parts of their lives with each other. I believe that this novel portrays connection in a unique way where both Thomas and Megumi give up parts of themselves they have kept hidden to create new connections and memories together.
I would recommend this novel to anyone that is looking for a novel that tries to answer how to find connection, even if you are fighting against issues that make connecting with others difficult.
