Book Review: Call of the Wild

Last night, I finished Jack London’s “Call of the Wild.” It was great, to say the least. London did an amazing job of giving the main character, a dog called Buck, human qualities without losing his animal instincts (one of the main themes of the book). Buck’s journey is riveting, and the reader gets attached to each character he meets along the way. Emotions run rampant throughout the book: love, hate, anger, joy, affection, pain and loss.

Each scene is beautifully described and the emotions of the animals speak clearly to the reader, who will no doubt cringe at ever challenge Buck faces and breathe a sigh of relief when he overcomes. London’s knowledge of the dog-sledding community is so great that he was able to portray the humans and animals with great detail to make them real to the reader.

The underlying mythical quality to the story puts the book in it’s place in history, and is a great read for young adults and older adults. I am eager to read more of London’s work.

Book Review: The Fountainhead

It took me all summer, but I finished The Fountainhead last week!

If there is a self-help book out there, this is the one. Ayn Rand’s views on human nature and the raw characters of man are hauntingly real. If there was a book that changed my view of humanity, or just put it into words for me, this is the one.

The timing of my reading couldn’t have been better. Rand emphasizes the importance of the individual (a very big theme in my yoga practice) and the importance of creativity for the sake of self, not to please the masses. This ideal is something that transcends into my field, journalism. Though Rand is critical of the profession, I believe her points can be taken to better the profession and practice of journalistic integrity.

I also loved the term “second-handers” to refer to those who live their lives second-hand…their self worth comes from the acceptance of others. I love living life first-hand!

Good Quotes:
“We are poisoned by the superstition of the ego. We cannot know what will be right or wrong in a selfless society, nor what we’ll feel, nor in what manner. We must destroy the ego first. That is why the mind is so unreliable. We must not think. We must believe.” Part 2, Chapter 13
“Independence is the only gauge of human virtue and value. What a man is and makes of himself; not what he has or hasn’t done for others. There is no substitute for personal dignity.” Part 4, Chapter 18