Little Known Facts about Well Known People by Dale Carnegie - Summary by Chady Elias

This summary was written by Chady Elias, second runner up at the reading competition and translated by myself.

In this book, author Dale Carnegie chose to explore the depths of the lives of renowned world figures looking for special personality traits that distinguished them and enabled them to leave their marks on history. Below are some of the most notable figures Dale discusses.

 

"Most of the important things in the world have been accomplished by people who have kept on trying when there seemed to be no hope at all"

First, there is George Byron; the Romantic poet who had great impact on nineteenth century's literature. Insanely loved by dozens of women, he loved them back and left us thousands of poems and love letters.

As for Albert Einstein (born in 1879), the scientist who revolutionized science with his theory of relativity, we learn that he had difficulties at school and suffered a lot because of them. As an adult, he turned out to be as exotic as his own theory. For instance, he despised fame, wealth and luxury and avoided interviews with journalists. Over 1800 books have been published around his theory while he on the other hand only needed one sentence to convey it ... He often wore old wrinkled clothes which he didn’t even bother to iron. As for shaving, he always claimed doing it in the bath tub because using two kinds of soap, one for shaving the beard and one for bathing made life too complicated. He was a happy man who claimed his happiness was due to him not wanting or needing anything in life: “I don’t seek money, or titles or recognition and praise, what makes me happy is to play the violin, to work and to go on short excursions on my small boat”.  He even admitted that once at the train station, the ticketing officer pointed out to him that he had a serious problem with numbers and accounting.

Lenin, leader of the Russian Revolution was born in 1870. He was seriously "depressed" in his youth and never participated in any sort of athletic competition. He wrote one of his manuscripts in prison using yogurt instead of ink to avoid being caught. To reveal the content, his followers had to soak the pages in hot water. In 1917, he became the ruler of Russia and confiscated all private properties redistributing them to farmers after chasing away their original owners. Russia knew famine at those times, to which Lenin’s initiative was to refuse adding sugar to his Tea because others were not able to have it. He had absolute power over Russia; ruling more or less alone, working 20 hours a day. He was a hard fighter who wouldn’t allow himself to be stopped at anything, learning even to write with his left hand when his right one got paralyzed.

Gandhi, the wise man from India, was born in 1869. He was poor yet he was stronger than any Millionaire on the earth. He grew up in a time full of hatred for the English. He then studied law in London and became a lawyer. The first time in court, he trembled and his knees shook so bad that he was forced to sit. He was not successful carrier wise when he was young, but he later knew a huge success and made a lot of profit. He was however incapable of enjoying his achievements because millions in his country were suffering from poverty. He consequently chose to vow his life to poverty and also adopted a little girl to raise as his own.
He did not ask for anything for himself. All he ever wanted was to die for others to live and he was indeed granted what he aspired for when he was assassinated in 1948.

William Shakespeare, England’s greatest poet and playwright was born in 1564. He got married at the age of eighteen to his mistress, eight years his senior. This was the tragedy of his life because he never loved her and he was forced to marry her only because they were caught in bed together. Shakespeare always warned readers not to marry older women. He lived most of his time in London, and only spent little time with his family visiting them once a year.  Shakespeare’s parents, his sister, his daughter and granddaughter were all illiterate. At the age of thirteen Shakespeare was forced to leave school and work with his father on the farm. He looked after the cattle, milked cows, made butter as well as tanned leather. He then guarded horses and carriages at the doors of theaters. Eventually, he was to act in a play and quickly become a leading master in play writing and show making.
He died very rich but did not leave anything in his will for his wife except their used old matrimonial bed. He was buried in front of the pulpit in the church because he had the money to make it possible! With Hamlet, King Lear and The Merchant of Venice, Shakespeare has become immortal.

Joseph Stalin was born in 1879. His mother used to regularly take him with her to church, light a candle and pray that one day he becomes a priest who devotes his life for the service of religion. As planned, he studied theology but everything in his life took a turn the day he read Karl Marx's “Capital: Critique of Political Economy”. He joined the Social Democratic party in 1900. One may admire him or despise, but one thing is sure, one cannot ignore him. I personally find it difficult not to respect a man who devoted his whole life for one goal!He revolted against poverty  and was sentenced for eight years for standing up for this cause.

When he became the supreme ruler of Russia, he did not live in the Imperial Palace; home of the nine czars that ruled for sixty years before him. Instead, he chose to live near the palace, in a small apartment that was inhabited once by one of the czar's servants. He hated appearing in public and being in the presence of strangers. On the other hand, he was fond of clothing and style. No one is infallible, he used to repeat but "the virtue of a man is to have the courage to admit his own mistakes and fix them".



Leo Tolstoy, Russian novelist and philosopher indulged himself in his youth with life pleasures. He later on dedicate himself to  the teachings of Jesus Christ. Early in his life, he faced too much difficulties to the point of despairing his tutors. After thirty years nonetheless, he wrote the greatest stories the world would ever known namely, "War and peace" and "Anna Karenina".
He was on a totally different pace with his wife when it came to luxury, fortune, glory and social success. He hated all the aforementioned trivialities of life as he preferred to refer to them, while she worshiped them. Not surprising for her to turn his life to hell after he gave up his intellectual properties right and authorized the Russian people to print his books free of charge. He tragically died at eighty two years old while trying to flee his wife. Indeed with no where to go to, he contracted pneumonia and passed away in a railway station in the presence of his daughter as well as photographers and journalists from around the world!



Egyptian queen Cleopatra inherited the throne of Egypt at seventeen years old. She ruled along her brother until she was deprived of her rights and was forced to flee to Syria. When Julius Caesar invaded Egypt, she decided to meet him and arranged for a fishing boat to transport her and her maid. She managed to get in his palace by hiding in a bag of goods. She instantly conquered his heart the moment she got out of the bag and sang and danced for him.  He then helped her overthrown her brother and monopolize the throne. She went back to Rome with him and publicly continued their affair. A son, "Caesarion" was born of their union. After the assassination of Julius Caesar, she moved back to Egypt where she met Marcus Antonius, the emperor with whom she would fall in love with and give birth to three children. Octavius' ​​troops defeated the armies of the Marc Anthony committed suicide when he was mistakenly informed that Cleopatra was captured and taken as a prisoner. Cleopatra followed his steps and killed herself after learning of her lover's death. What a sad end for a woman at the peak of her life, a woman who was madly loved by two of the greatest men in history...

Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO Reading Award 2014

For their 65th anniversary, the Lebanese National Commission for UNESCO organized a reading competition for readers over 25 years old. I couldn't believe it when my friend Ms. Katia informed me about it, but I instantly knew that I needed to participate, if not because of the tempting financial award, at least to meet the people who have finally thought of honoring the readers for once, and not only the writers as it is custom. Also, I decided to participate because I was eager to meet other book lovers in Lebanon and this was the perfect opportunity.

The competition rules were simple: One must read three, four, or five books in any language, summarize them and discuss them in an oral interview. We were free to choose our own books and so I picked the following:

(Click on link to check them out) 

La nostalgie heureuse by Amélie Nothomb because she's my favorite author. Summary

Carnival by Rawi Hage because from the very first page, I knew I would adore this book. Summary

We by Yevgeny Zamiatin; a friend's recommendation and I absolutely loved it. Summary

The fault in our stars by John Green because everyone was talking about it and it was about damn time that I read it. Summary

Nemesis by Philip Roth; a friend's recommendation and I absolutely hated it. Summary

Believe it or not, I won the first prize and it felt amazing! Turns out reading pays, and it pays really well. Not that I needed any reason to read, but it is such a heartwarming thing to know that our society now acknowledges readers for their passion.

The best moment of this whole experience remains the ceremony where I got to share this happiness with my family, friends and teachers. I have also decided to share with you the speech I have prepared for the occasion because it tells my story with reading, how it began, my influences, and where it has taken me. Hope this inspires you to go back in time to retrace yours. Looking forward for your feedback.

In the mean time, please feel free to go through the pictures and the speech at your own convenience.

Cheers

With my mother Mrs. Evline Jobran and thesis advisor Dr. Hala Ghali-Muhtasib

 

 

With the two persons whose presence meant the world to me: Mr Souham Samia director of Saint-Joseph de l'Apparition High School Saida, and Sister Eugénie 

 

With the Jury members, the minister of education and the other contestants

  With my aunt Mrs. Amal Fakhoury and husband Mr. Moussa Ghandour

 With my uncle Mr. Kamal Fakhoury and wife Mrs. Mona Fakhoury

THE SPEECH

          في البداية اسمحوا لي أن أوجه كلمة شكر إلى كل العاملين في وزارة الثقافة وعلى رأسهم معالي الوزير الأستاذ ريمون عريجي. كل الشكر أيضاً للجنة الوطنية للأونيسكو، لتنظيمها المسابقة، خاصة رئيس اللجنة الدكتور هنري عويط، الأمينة العامة الدكتورة زهيدة درويش جبور، الكتورة كلوديا أبي نادر، الدكتور إدكار طرابلسي، الدكتور يوسف عاصي والسيدة كاتيا ابراهيم على كل المجهود الذي قاموا به لإنجاح هذا النشاط .

       إسمحوا لي كذلك أن أوجه أطيب تحية إلى كل المشاركين في المسابقة، الفائزين منهم والفائزين كلهم، إذ أن التناقض يبدو لي واضحاً بين المطالعة والخسارة . أخيراً تحية إلى كل الحاضرين أذكر منهم الدكتور هالة غالي محتسب المشرفة على أطروحة الدكتورة التي أعدها في الجامعة الأميركية في بيروت، و الأخت أوجيني و الأستاذ سهام سميا مدير مدرستي راهبات مار يوسف الظهور صيدا. تحية إلى أهلي وأصدقائي وأخص بالذكر صديقتي الآنسة كاتيا الطويل وهي طالبة تعد رسالة الماجستير في الأدب العربي وهي التي أخبرتني عن المسابقة وشجعتني للمشاركة بها فلولاها إذن لما كنت اليوم هنا أعيش أجمل لحظات حياتي، لحظات أحس بها منكهة بطعم الفرح والشوكولا اللذان من وجهة نظري يتشابهان لحد كبير في الشكل والمضمون .

       كي تكتمل سعادة اللحظة، سأغتنم الفرصة لأشارككم قصتي مع المطالعة، هذا "العشق الممنوع" الذي لا يفهمه كثيرون كوني طالبة دكتوراه في علوم الحياة، أجري أبحاثاً مخبرية على الخلايا السرطانية في النهار وأقضي لياليّ في القراءة. فالأدب والعلم بنظر البعض خطان متوازيان لا يلتقيان أبداً. لكني لا أوافقهم الرأي، فالقراءة بالنسبة لي هي أكثر من حاجة إنسانية، القراءة تكاد تكون قوة جاذبية بديلة بحد ذاتها، تتنافس و جاذبية الكرة الأرضية لشدّ القرّاء إليها. و رداً على كل من سألني ويسألني لماذا أقرأ، فسأجيب بكلمات جمانة حداد بأني :

 "أقرأ لأتنفس،  أقرأ لأعيش (حياتي كما حياة الآخرين) ، أقرأ لأسافر نحو البعيد، لأهرب من واقع مرير، لأكبت دويّ انفجارات الحرب اللبنانية ]...[ لأضرم نار نهمي وتعطشي، لتتراكم فيّ طبقات من القوة، أقرأ لأناجي روحي، لأسدد لها صفعة.

       أقرأ لأتعلم، لأنسى، لأتذكر،

       أقرأ لأفهم، لأنسج الأمل، لأضع الخطط،

       أقرأ لأؤمن، لأحب ....".

   

    وكيف لا أقرأ وقد ورثت عن أمي جينات المطالعة وتشربت شغفها للكتب بنهم هي التي تلقت خبر انضمام "أمين معلوف"، وهو من كتّابها المفضلين، إلى الأكاديمية الفرنسية بنفس الفرحة والحماس الذين اعترياها يوم إعلان نتائج شهادة الثانوية العامة ونجاح أخي الصغير.

       عذراً أمي لإقحامك في خطابي وتسليط الضوء على بعض طرائفك إلا أني اكتشفت أني ما انتقدت يوماً شيئاً فيك إلاّ ورأيتُني أقلّده لا وبل أبرّره تماماً كما أفعل حين يتعلق الموضوع بهوسي بالكاتبة "أميلي نوتومب" التي غيرت نظرتي للكتب والكتابة من خلال كتابها "ما ورائيات الأنبوب"، فصرت أراسلها بعدما قرأت جميع كتبها وحتى أن بعض تعليقاتي عنها اقتبست في أحد الكتب التي تتناولها . وطبعاً لا أنسى كم حرصت على أن نعرج دوماً على المكتبة في الطريق إلى بيت جدتي لأختار الكتب التي سأقرأها أو ربما لتدعيها تختارني.

       لا أعلم على وجه التحديد من كان يختار ماذا لكن الأكيد أن تلك الذكريات تحمل في طياتها إثارة لا يعرفها إلا محبي القراءة .

       وبعد الغوص في جماليات الكتب، خاصة الروايات الخيالية منها، توضح لي أن القراءة تصقل الإنسان وتحرره وتتغلغل في أعماقه حتى تصبح مضاداً حيوياً للجهل والتعصب واليأس والمصاعب .

       ثم جاءت أول خطوة اتخذتها بنفسي أن انضممت إلى نوادي كتاب أهمها "Lebanon book club" وأوجه تحية إلى رئيسها الصديق "سيمون أبو رضا". انضممت إلى تلك النوادي بحثاً عن أشخاص يشبهوني، أشاركهم أفكاري ونتبادل وجهات النظر متشابهة كانت أو متعارضة وبعدها أنشأت مدونة إلكترونية تُعنى بالكتب فقط .

http://booklovers-bookclub.blogspot.com  هي ثاني مدونة من نوعها في لبنان وصفحة الفايسبوك التابعة لها:

http://www.facebook.com/booklovers.bookclub تضم أكبر عدد من المعجبين مقارنة مع الصفحات الأخرى، وتوالت النشاطات والمشاريع التي أبصرت النور بفضل حبي للقراءة ومنها تنظيم أمسيات شعرية ومشروع قيد التحضير يُعنى بإعادة تأهيل المساجين من خلال القراءة .

   

    وأخيراً كانت مشاركتي في هذه المسابقة التي تعرفت من خلالها على المشاركين الآخرين وكتبهم قبل أن تبدأ جلسة الحوار مع الحكام التي لم تخلو من التوتر إلا أنها اتسمت بأغلبيتها بالعفوية حيث كان كتاب "كارنفال" لـ "راوي الحاج" محور حديثنا إذ أنه برأيي أفضل كتاب قرأته في العام 2013، ومن أفضل الكتب عموماً، فلقد أتقن الكاتب سبك جمله وأولى كُلاًّ فيها عناية أدبية وبلاغية خالصة، ولا يقل المضمون عن الأسلوب رونقاً فهو الآخر مشوق، يأسر القارئ في حبال حبكته، ولا يمكنني إلاّ أن أتوقف عندما ما قاله حاج وهو من أصدق ما قيل في حقيقة الرابط المتين بين المطالعة وقيام الأمم، يقول، وأختتم بكلامه: "لا تسقط الأمم حتى تسقط مكتباتها".

                                                                             وشكــراً

Tips for Writers

I read. A lot. And that is why everyone around me is asking me to read what they wrote and tell them what I think. I honestly feel flattered. But at the same time, it is getting a bit chaotic and kind of too much to handle with my overwhelming lifestyle. Hence, came this post.

The first thing I have to say is that my opinion about your writing style does not matter at all. Why? Because it is based on what I, ME, Moi, Io like to read and therefore my opinion is biased. Different people like different stuff, and it doesn't make a book any better or worse. But since you are asking me, I'll tell you what I personally like to read and how I think writers can improve their writings in six simple (haha for simple) points.

1- The opening and ending sentences are the most important parts in a book. You better not start by a simple statement! Instead, write something memorable, something that would be forever quoted like Tolstoy's opening sentence in Anna Karenina:

"All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"

Now, compare the above quote to the dull lines like, X was born on bla bla bla. It was 3 o'clock when the door rang bla bla bla. When you start writing with the idea of writing to make history, I think you'll turn just fine!

As for the ending. The best ones I have ever read are either: 1- UNEXPECTED endings that happen all of a sudden, out of nowhere and keep you mesmerized as if you were watching a great magician perform one of the best tricks in the world. These endings of course are rare and very hard to come up with. 2- Open endings, which are also unexpected and can give one much to think about after the book is finished. This is kind of interesting because you can make sure this type of ending will always be remembered as it will pop up in various discussions (or fights, depends).  

2- Do not write as if you were speaking. I consider weak, every sentence that sounds like one you would hear in a simple conversation. I like hard difficult literature; sentences that make me pause and ask myself how the hell did this author put these words together and create such a powerful and exotic sentence? Using the simple words and adjectives makes boring sentences (again in my opinion only). How can one achieve this you might ask? Work on your text! Edit it and re edit. Don't write because words are coming out of you. I mean it's excellent that you have the feelings, because it means that you should really write. But instead of just writing what comes out to mind, search for the prettiest words, adjectives, verbs etc. like for instance instead of describing a voice as "soft voice" you can use any of the following words and make an aesthetically pretty sentence.

3- Don't go for the obvious in the descriptions or comparisons. i.e. hair black like the night. We all know by now that black and dark are alike! Billions have been repeating it over and over again. Go for the unimaginable untouchable comparisons. She smelled like Christmas presents and snow (I am not a writer but bear with me ...). How can you achieve that? By simply not repeating what others have been repeating for centuries, but instead imagining and creating your own new ones. If it's new and not obvious, than it already has two advantages. 

4- Include references about books, music, art etc. Make the reader discover a new country with you, a part of history even if you only incorporate a simple paragraph in your story. I am the kind of reader that just loves to discover new books, music or artists. I also like it a lot when the author makes me travel back in history, for a short anecdote about this emperor or that queen, or a certain tribe etc. The book plot does not have to do at all with travel or history, but parentheses like these are just the perfect relaxing escapades. They also enrich the story a lot as well as give idea of your personal musical, bookish or other preferences which is a great way to connect with the reader.

5- AVOID MORALIZATION. You're not better than your reader. Never think otherwise. Instead, give us new and challenging ideas. Make us think about stuff and question the right from wrong. You have the right to make your character as free and as bold as can be. Don't be scared to let him break the rules and taboos to make us question our own. However, I personally don't like books where the author's only strength stems from the expected typical atrocities that a weak main character is facing. However, if the book is very well written, then we can talk.

6- Never write about your own very (very) personal feelings or experiences because most probably you'll be biased. What marked you in life and had the greatest impact on you might seem trivial to others. You might love what you wrote because you have lived it and it meant something to you. But you should always review your book yourself from the point of view of an external objective reader, and then you can decide whether it is really as good as you thought it were or not. Sometimes it can ...

Now that I have said everything I had to say about how I like books, I'll just ask you to forget everything you have read. You are your own judge, always and forever. This is my opinion if you want it. But you should know what makes a good book to you. You most probably read a lot and know by now what you like or dislike. You might like simple sentences, moralization, closed endings and it's totally fine! Write the best book you'll ever read. People will either like it or not. My favorite kind of writers are those who know what they like and who will only write when they are 100% certain that their book will be better than everything they read and liked before.

Good luck writers.

Cheers,

Isabelle





When Mahmoud Darwish Works Get Banned

"Saudi book fair bans 'blasphemous' Mahmoud Darwish works after protest" stated "The Guardian", but I couldn't believe my eyes! What was exactly blasphemous in his works? Couldn't tell, and it wasn't mentioned in the article either. But I definitely know one thing for sure, and that is that the banning is as far as can be from the fair's theme of the year: “Books: An Arch-Bridge Connecting Civilizations”. What a way to ruin a fair's aim, and what a shame to go global for such an achievement! Meanwhile, a reader donated 6 million dollars to New York's public library. Ironic isn't it?

I believe the main reason why I and many book lovers all around the world are outraged by this news has nothing to do with Darwish per se. Even if I am more or less a fan of Darwish, what personally bothers me is that we don't realize that there is nothing more blasphemous than our lack of reading, and oppression of freedom of choice and expression. We, arabs, are among the civilizations that read the least in the world and we still don't get that "The fall of nations and empires begins with the fall of libraries" (Rawi Hage). We still don't get either that literary censorship has always been one of the worst and most dangerous forms of tyranny that societies had to face throughout history.


How is literary censorship dangerous and why should we oppose it one may ask. A detailed answer to this question can be found here. But if you're not in the mood of reading another long text, keep in mind that Socrates was sentenced to death for "his corruption of youth and his acknowledgement of unorthodox divinities" and that the Nazis and the Apartheid regimes among others censored books, I mean burned them in Nazi Germany including works of Einstein (or so I was told during my tour in Berlin). Still not dangerous enough for you to oppose it? Well, many authors have been also imprisoned, tortured or killed by these two regimes (and others), in addition to mass extermination of people proving German author Heinrich Heine to be right when he warned that "Burning books would end in burning humans". Stop the first, and you'll stop the second, it's as simple as that.
  

Of course, the internet nowadays makes it impossible to ban almost anything in the world. But just because we are comfortable knowing that nothing can be truly banned, does not mean that it's ok to sit and do nothing. There is one thing that should always be done and that is refusing to give up our most basic human right: "the freedom of choice". We can also let the people in charge know how we feel about it, and hold them accountable for their actions.


Yours truly,

 

"Beware beware of my hunger And of my anger"
Mahmoud Darwish

La Nostalgie Heureuse by Amélie Nothomb - Summary

Key words: Autobiography, Travel, Japan, Nostalgia

Introduction: "La Nostaglie Heureuse" is an autobiographical story that traces the last trip of Amélie Nothomb to Japan. This country means a lot to this author who was born in Kobe in a family of a diplomat. Amélie was raised by a Japanese nanny "Nishio San" to whom she was and still is very attached. She was snatched from the country and separated from Nishio San at the age of three years, but she returned to it later for work when she was 20 years old and this is when she met the nicest boy in the world that she's ever known as she claims; a boy named "Rinri". He proposes to her, she accepts and then leaves back to Belgium with the intention to leave Rinri and he only discovers the whole thing after she has escaped. Later, in 2000 she publishes "Ni d’Ève ni d’Adam" in which she talks about the story of their engagement.

Tout ce que l'on aime devient une fiction.

Summary: Sixteen years have passed since Nohomb's last visit to Japan. In 2012 a team of France 5 proposes to her to go on a trip back to this country to film a documentary.  Amélie Nothomb accepts immediately. This documentary is the excuse she needed to return back to this loved country for she admits she was incapable to do so before « La pulsion de néant, … cherche à anéantir mes désirs les plus vrais. » « C’est la même pulsion de néant, j’en suis sûre, qui m’a empêchée de retourner au Japon pendant ces seize interminables années. » Once the trip is confirmed, she tries to contact Rinri to reconnect with him. Rinri is surprised but agrees to see her and we discover that he has become one of her most loyal readers. Upon her arrival to Kobe, she is sadly surprised by all the changes throughout the city. And to top it all, she discovers that her childhood home was destroyed by the earthquake. So for the rest of the trip she decides to look  only for the things that have survived and focus on them. Then comes the long awaited moment of her reunion with her nanny. It is sad for her to see how much Nishio San has aged, and to learn that her own children and grandchildren do not visit her. She tries to comfort her by telling her that she is her daughter too, and melts into tears while the two women embrace. A moment later, in the car, she discovers that the whole team shooting the documentary is in tears as well.

Amélie who thought that « Les retrouvailles sont des phénomènes si complexes qu’on ne devrait les effectuer qu’après un long apprentissage ou bien tout simplement les interdire. » now declares that « À présent je pense que les séparations devraient l’être également. »

During the rest of the documentary, Amélie visits her former kindergarten the "Yôchien", which seems to be the only place to have survived the earthquake. She finds a class picture that overwhelms her with happiness for it is the proof she needed to see to make sure that she did not just dream or imagine her childhood memories but that instead she literally lived in these places and didn't invent anything. Amélie heads then to what became the modern city Kyoto and also to Fukushima which was hit by a devastating earthquake a year ago. Tokyo is her last destination, and she feels so good in this city that her answer to the question asked by a reporter on the phone « Quand rentrez-vous en France ? » was « Jamais. » « Je suis une aspirine effervescente qui se dissout dans Tokyo.». She ends up meeting Rinri, revisiting the same places they had known together, talking with him of the past, present and eventually apologizing to him « Rinri pardonne-moi j’étais folle ». Deep inside however, she is now convinced that she does not regret leaving him because with him, she always had a feeling of embarrassment and discomfort and that she still does. For a moment, one is tempted to believe that this journey would end with a lot of nostalgia and melancholy but when the airplane flies over the Everest mountains Amélie is struck by the beauty she sees and ends up swearing that she'd never have sorrow or melancholy anymore « Jure-toi, Amélie, que tu n’auras plus jamais de chagrin ni même de mélancolie ; qui a frôlé l’Everest n’en a pas le droit. Le maximum que je t’autorise, désormais, c’est la nostalgie heureuse».

Nemesis by Philip Roth - Summary

This is a book that I really hated but the last two or three pages were really worth reading. If you're an avid reader, in your late twenties or early thirties and you have heard about it or were planning to read it, I'd highly advice you not to waste your time. Instead you might want to read the below summary for an overall look about the story and spare yourself the boredom I felt. I have no personal issue with the author or anything, this was the first book I read by him but I was disappointed beyond description.

Keywords: Polio, war, love, tragedy, guilt

 The book cover is one of the most appealing I have ever came across, so was the title but the latter wasn't really very linked to the story

Summary: It is 1944 and Newark is having one of the hottest summers. The country is facing both war and a polio epidemic. No one knows what causes Polio and there is no treatment for it yet. Bucky Cantor, a 23 year old lost his mother as a child and was raised by his grandparents. They made sure he gets a very good education and that he grows up to be a very well mannered man unlike his father was. They also teach him to be strong and count on himself. He grows fund of physical training realizing its importance in building one up and eventually becomes a physical education teacher. Despite his physical aptness, being a weight lifter and a javelin thrower, he still fails to join the army because of his poor site. He is appointed however as playground director in the Jewish Weequahic section of the city. Polio has not reached this section. But the disease will burst right after a group of Italians pay a visit to the playground where Bucky trains the kids. Some kids die, others get paralyzed. Panic takes over the families; few stop letting their kids outside the house, others ask for the playground to be shut and some directly blame Bucky for their kids’ illness or death. Bucky’s fiancé Marcia, worried about him, tries constantly to convince him to stay away from the kids in the city. She eventually succeeds at finding him a job with her at the summer camp in the Poconos. He first hesitates because he is the only one to take care of his grandmother but then upon her encouragement, he accepts and quits his job as playground director. Bucky is very affected by the blaming fingers people are pointing at him. He is also affected by the children’s deaths or paralysis not to forget his shame of not being able to join the war. He definitely needed to take a break from his city and this disease and joining his fiancé seemed as the perfect solution. He was also planning on asking her to marry him, after he got the approval of her parents. At the camp, Bucky now a changed man, questions the existence of God, blames him and this has negative repercussions on his relationship with this fiancé. What makes it even worse is the death of his best friend at war. But miraculously, Bucky steps out of his negativity after an encounter with a butterfly and he realizes how much satisfying his job is “there could be no more satisfying job for a man than giving a boy learning a sport. Along with the basic instruction, the security and confidence that all will be well and getting him over the fear of new experience” and decides to go back to his playground director duties. At the same time, some of the kids at the camp, including Marcia’s sister, contract Polio and so Bucky suspects he is the carrier of Polio that brought the disease with him to camp. It turns out to be true, but he survives Polio only to be left with a deformation in his spine and leg with partial disability. He also breaks up with Marcia “I owed her freedom”. In 1971, one of Bucky’s students at the playground bumps into him in the streets and finds out that Bucky never forgave himself for being a Polio carrier, and live all these years alone as means of punishment. To his student and many others however, Bucky the javelin thrower, have always and remained “Hercules”, “the strongest man on earth”, the “invincible”.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin - Summary

Keywords: Dystopia, revolution, freedom, love, happiness

Summary: “WE” is a story about revolution mounted by people living in the “Onestate” which is the only state to exist in the future. This state was established after the 200-Years war between the City and the Country and is limited by a green wall. A benefactor is the absolute ruler of the Onestate and people in it are referred to as male and female numbers. Everything in this state has been calculated to ensure happiness of all numbers and therefore hunger and love, the rulers of the primitive world were both eliminated. All numbers have also been granted equal rights and duties and all their acts performed, including sexual ones are planned ahead and scheduled in a similar way for everybody. On a regular day for example, numbers work the same amount of time, each performing his/her own task, they sleep at the same hour and anyone can mate with a number of his/ her choice.  There’s no place for envy or jealousy in the Onestate. Moreover, no one is allowed to get late to work or lie or disobey. The state is strict about such behaviors and a severe punishment system is established for those who do not follow the law. It is through the diaries of the main character, a male number called D-503, the only mathematician in this state that we learn about the Onestate and all the events happening in it. We’ll also discover as the story continues that contradictory to all expectations, this predicted perfect life is not satisfying to all numbers because the absence of freedom which was purposefully abrogated for there is a negative relationship between freedom and happiness. Free people according to D-503 are considered the savage primitive people, the ancestors of the now civilized, evolved, wise numbers that reside in the Onestate.  Nevertheless, for a group of numbers in the Onestate the “Mephi”, freedom turns out to be more valuable than all the comfort one can offer. To this end, they have elaborated a plan to overthrow the system in this Onestate by not accepting to re-elect the benefactor on Election Day. Their leader; a female number named I-330 also gets D-503 to help them out without him really knowing. D-503 is an engineer that has built an Integral which is a sort of a machine of great importance for the well-being of the Onestate. D-503 has always been a perfect citizen but one encounter only with I-330 was enough to destabilize him. He starts getting dreams, he gets jealous and he is dragged unwillingly into helping I-330. He breaks many laws but is never caught because he is protected by the friends of I-330. He eventually realizes that the world does not end outside the green wall and that many people chose to cross over there for a free life. He also learns that freedom is contagious. Unfortunately, the coup d’état to overthrow the benefactor and liberate the numbers fails, and members of Mephi get arrested. D-503 accepts to be treated of his disease the “dreams” and “imagination” which he thinks caused all his awkward behavior and disobedience. His treatment is some kind of a lobotomy. I-330 on the other hand refuses and she is tortured in front of D-503 who is now indifferent to her. After all the punishment and torture, I-330 DOES NOT GIVE UP and her final message to D-503 and maybe to every one of us is that “The number of revolutions is infinite”, as long as there are numbers, there will be revolutions.