Reflection 7: Non-Fiction

If a book is considered non-fiction, it needs to be one hundred percent true. The definition of non-fiction is, “Non-fiction or nonfiction is an account, narrative, or representation of a subject which an author presents as fact.” The most important part of that definition is that the author presents it as a fact. A fact is true statement. If there are any half-truths, you might as well call it a fictional book. I don’t understand if you make any aspect of the story up, why is it so difficult to make your book fiction? One is not better than the other in my opinion. These labels matter because while reading a particular book, a reader thinks a different way if it is true or not. There might be more sympathy if the characters in the book are real. If you are reading a non-fiction book, you do not second guess the validity of the story. Authors take advantage of readers by throwing in lies or even making up complete stories. I think if Frey lied about one thing in his story he could have lied about many other things that are not necessarily able to be checked.

Book 2 Review 3 Genre

There are a lot of different aspects to the book Keeping Faith which makes it hard to categorize into one genre. If I were to pick a major genre, I would say it is a romance. I did this more by process if elimination than anything else. I know it’s not a mystery, thriller, science fiction or fantasy.  It is just difficult to say it is a romance because others may say it just has romance sprinkled into it. The story does not revolve around this romance. There are a lot of deeper issues in the book that do not have to do with love. One of those would be the relationship a mother and daughter have, and what a mother would do to keep her child. All that aside, I would then further categorize it into a contemporary romance. The characters that end up falling in love deal with modern problems like working with and against the media. The male character has his own TV show and acts as paparazzi to the female character. I could also go as far to say it is a romantic suspense. Mariah Wright and Ian Fletcher have a forbidden love. This type of love is very interesting and keeps readers on the edge of their seat. That aspect leads to a little bit of suspense. On the other hand, the story is not that suspenseful. The definition of suspense is a state of uncertainty or anxiety about what happens next. To an extent, the love part of the story fits that definition. But like I said before, the book does not revolve around the romantic relationship that Ian Fletcher and Mariah White have. This book is a good example of not being defined and constricted by a genre.

Reflection 6: Genres

I think genres can be very helpful. They are helpful to the reader and the author. An author can create a book that is a certain genre and they know exactly what kind of audience they will attract. The reader can pick up a book in a genre specific section and know exactly what they are getting into. They are necessary when it comes to describing a book. Genres put labels on books just like stereotypes put labels on people. The difference between genres is there is no judgement in the label. It strictly tells you what kind of story the book is about. I do not think readers should limit themselves to a certain genre, just like an author should write multiple genres. But it is more difficult for an author to write different types of genres since each genre has its own style. Genres might repel readers. I think particular genres might attract the female crowd more than the male crowd and vice versa. All genres do different things for readers, some take them to a different world, some invoke thinking, while others give good laughs. Genres are key to grouping books into sections and without them, we lose organization in the book world.

Book 2 "Keeping Faith" Review 2: Cover Talk

I talked a little bit about the cover of Keeping Faith in the reflection. It is a very simple cover, but it does its job. It accomplishes the task of relating to the actual story. It almost connects to the story too literally. I think some covers are successful when they lead to individual reader interpretation. This book definitely targets a certain audience. But I think the author, Jodi Picoult, attracts the female audience to begin with. She does not even try to appeal to a different group. She knows the majority of people who read her book are women, and she sticks with it. The cover of Keeping Faith is pink and has a flower texture on it. The texture is very unique and adds a special touch.  Like many books, this one has multiple covers. The one I have is my favorite. The other ones include your typical picture of a little girl. These covers seem to be the stereotypical Jodi Picoult style. She might even use the same little girl in the covers of other books. On my particular cover, the emphasis is less on the little girl and more on the religious aspect of the book. This story has so many different pieces that could be considered important. I believe it is possible to make ten covers of this book. By the looks of it, there are at least five differing covers. The book I own also has a false jacket. It is paperback but it has the extra inside flaps that provide more information. That is also a unique touch. It is like saying the book is classy but it is also practical. I think all the covers do their jobs. It would be hard to create another one because there are already so many of them. Overall, the story is stereotypical which often leads to a stereotypical cover.

Reflection 5: Book Covers

The cover is vital when it comes to deciding whether or not I read a book. I lean more towards the simple, modern covers when I do choose a book by its cover. Covers that contain scenes or pictures are too difficult to interpret and sometimes have nothing to do with the book. It bugs me when I finish a book, and the cover is completely irrelevant.  I also do not like when books have the sleeve covering it. That is really complicated for me and I don’t like dealing with the extra piece. The book I’m reading right now has a really interesting cover. When you look at it, it’s simple and it is easy to relate to the book. But there is a textured pattern on the book that you would only discover if you touch it. It is a really cool addition and sticks out in my mind of book covers. Overall, I prefer more girly book covers. That is probably because I enjoy girly books. Typically, when a cover is manly, the story is about fighting or other manly stuff that I do not appreciate. The cover defines the book. It is up to the individual reader if that is the book they want to read.

Book 2 Review 1: Movie Adaptations

To Keep:

The Hospital Scene

This is one of the most suspenseful parts in the book. Mariah White’s daughter is on the verge of death with no explanation. Mariah was issued a restraining order away from her daughter for evidence to use in court. Mariah White goes against the court order by the advice of her own lawyer, dresses up in costume, and visits her dying daughter. As soon as she hugs her daughter, she wakes up for the first time since she was sick and said “Hi Mommy”. Those words were so powerful and this would be easily depicted in a movie. The emotions would be really interesting to see on the big screen. This scene is a turning point in the book, making it essential in the movie.

Kansas City Scene

When Mariah White and Faith White escape to Kansas City, the notorious Ian Fletcher follows them. An intense and somewhat confusing relationship is formed between Ian and Mariah. This is almost a forbidden love because Ian has been attacking and trying to prove Mariah and Faith wrong for the majority of the book. The formation of this relationship is an interesting twist in the book. It is a major plotline and the story would be lost if the movie were created without it.

Courtroom Scene

This is the part that the whole book leads up to. If the movie did not involve these scenes, the story would be lost. This is the final fight for custody over Faith. It is extremely dramatic and all people involved are verbally attacking each other. There are a lot of interesting points made during the trial that makes the reader think. This is an emotionally packed scene that is essential to the adaption of the book.

 

To Cut:

There are a lot of minor details, like the flashbacks that Mariah has that need to be cut. The book is not about her and her ex-husband's relationship. Readers get lost in the past and is definitely unnessecary and hard to show in a movie.

I would also cut the Catholic parts of the book. The priests can be kept but there are a lot of chapters that explain a lot of the Catholic religion. Those explanations are not really needed for the overall understanding of the book.

Reflection 4: Best and Worst

I don't read very many books, so when a book I read becomes a movie, I make sure to go see it. In some cases, the book and movie work well together. But sometimes, the movie does not complement the book in any way.
Best Adaptations:
Marley and Me
This is the best adaptation that I have personally seen. The book and movie are so similar. The movie provides good visual description that the book was unable to provide. The book is non-fiction so it is easier create a movie out of it, especially if the author can contribute to the accuracy of the movie.
Some People Disagree
The Last Song
The casting for the movie really contributed to the accuracy of the book. The movie provided a good complement to the book. The story was consistant through both pieces which really leads to a great adaptation.
Harry Potter

The fantasy genre is easily adapted from book to movie. I only read the first three books of the series, but I have seen all of the movies. The movies and books corresponded well with each other. The characters were casted perfectly and the famous school of Hogwarts exceeded expectations.

Worst Adaptations:
My Sister's Keeper
The book alone is very well written. The movie was one of the biggest disappointments. For the most part, the movie was good and entertaining. But the ending was completely different and caught me off guard. Accuracy is a big component when it comes to movie adaptations and that is where this failed.
Dear John
 The book was okay so the movie did not have many expectations. The movie was even worse than the book. It had no excitement and I left the theater surprised on the quality of the movie. Any expectations I had, were not met.