As the weather is making its transition from winter to spring, so should your reading. No,
I don’t mean more frigid, dense college textbooks that will require you to robotically memorize
page by page without the slightest idea of what is going on. You’re in spring break mode, and
whether you’re soaking up the sun in Cancun or spending the week off in sweats and the
comforts of home, you need that one book that will be able to transport you away from your
reality, without even really moving at all. That is the beauty of good literature. Examples are:
Persepolis – Marjane Satrapi
Originated as French-autobiographical comic, Persepolis is a three-part story that
showcases the life of author Marjane Satrapi and her experience with the Islamic revolution.
Although written in a very casual manner, there are serious themes are embedded amongst
its friendly exterior, such as class conflict, tension between the past and present, and the
abandonment of faith. Don’t worry about being bogged down by seriousness, as there is plenty
of Satrapi’s humor and sarcasm dripping from every page. Persepolis is the perfect balance
of cheeky humor and an intellectual read that would not only keep you on your toes, but also
sharpen your history and literary skills.
Divergent – Veronica Roth
If you’re into the Hunger Games trilogy, this book might tickle your fancy for dystopian
novels. Instead of Panem, the backdrop is set in dystopian Chicago, where the city is split into
five factions, each dedicated to a virtue. There is Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless),
Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), Erudite (the intelligent). As the novel is told under
protagonist Beatrice Prior’s perspective, as a sixteen-year old, she must make the decision to
choose which faction she is to devote the rest of her life to. Nonetheless, Beatrice discovers a
secret which catapults into plot twists, changing the course of her fate. Divergent includes
heartbreaking betrayals, important decisions, and of course, a dash of unexpected romance.
My Week with Marilyn – Colin Clark
If you’re into reading something more relaxing and less mentally turbulent, My Week
with Marilyn might be the book for you. Colin Clark, who describes of his experience breaking
into the film industry, writes My Week with Marilyn as he works as a “gofer” on the set of “The
Prince and the Showgirl.” This film unites the earnest boy up close and personal with the lovely
Marilyn Monroe. Pressured from the workings of director Sir Lawrence Oliver and the rest of the
world’s great interest in her, Marilyn decides to escape away, escorted by Clark himself, for a
week with the true Marilyn. This enchanting biography charmingly illustrates Marilyn Monroe’s
more emotional and vulnerable side that rest of the public tends to overlook. Colin Clark
captures the essence of the person that lies beneath the glamorous lifestyle of the lovely Marilyn.
If you weren’t a Marilyn Monroe fan before, you might turn into one after reading this
biography.