The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Genre: Science Fiction
Recommended by: a female senior who is involved in track, Robotics, and Animal Rights
Why would you recommend The Hitchhiker?
The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is very funny, and satirizes everything from the end of the world to digital watches. It is a science fiction novel, and has a cool spaceship. However, instead of using hyperspace or the speed of light, the Heart of Gold runs on improbability–basically, if you know how improbable an event is, the Heart of Gold can make it happen. Because of this, the plot seems to be completely random. However, that randomness fits together by the end of the book into a good conclusion.
Which character do you like best from the book?
My favorite character is Zaphod Beeblebrox. He is the overconfident, two-headed, selfish President of the Galaxy. He decided to become President without knowing why, only to realize that he actually wanted to steal the Heart of Gold. He is this impulsive throughout the novel, and a lot of the things he says are very funny. Zaphod isn’t someone I’d like to know personally, but he makes a great character.
Give a gist of what the book is about in ONE sentence.
Arthur Dent is saved from the Earth’s destruction by his friend Ford Prefect, an alien from a small planet in the vicinity of Betelgeuse.
What made you pick up this book?
One time in Math Research freshman year, the class got sidetracked and someone mentioned that “the meaning of life is 42!” I had no idea what they meant, but then someone else mentioned that it was from a book called The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. I decided that I had to read this book to understand it, and borrowed it from my friend when I got the opportunity.
Who would you recommend this book to?
I recommend this book to anyone who likes science fiction, but isn’t too serious about it. Some of the concepts in the Hitchhiker’s Guide make fun of traditional science fiction concepts. For example, there is a super-intelligent robot that is completely depressed. Such things might get frustrating for anyone who takes the genre too seriously. The Hitchhiker’s Guide is also great for people who don’t necessarily read much sci-fi, since a lot of the book satirizes humanity in general.
1. What’s a favorite book of yours and who’s it by?
2. Why is it a favorite?
3. Is there anything or anyone in the book to which/whom you can relate/connect?
4. Why did you read the book in the first place?
5. What are the themes of the book?
6. What kind of person would you recommend this book for?
* to protect the anonymity of those interviewed, only their initials shall be disclosed
· Interview # 1: M.A.
o I’d have to say my favorite book was the Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan. I know, so done, but still, I liked it.
o Um, the reason I consider it my favorite book is because to me, it really portrays Asian women well, and I found it interesting because the different characters were all in some ways very similar to the women on my mom’s side of the family.
o I’d say the character in the book I can connect to the most is June, or Jing-Mei Woo, probably because I can completely relate to the relationship she shares with her mother, because although her mother (and this is a big part of it) tells her she can do whatever she wants, she also pressures her to do certain things to be able to have bragging rights, like my mother: she does the same thing, like telling me I can go to whatever school I want to, but pressuring me to go to Stuy, then later, asking me why I didn’t apply to Ivies.
o I actually decided to read it because both my sisters and my mom read it, and in a way, I felt that I needed to read it so that I would be able to relate, but when I did read it, I realized that it helped me understand both my mother and my sisters a lot more.
o I’d say the major themes were Asian culture, family (especially relationships between women in Asian families), and the American dream and the sacrifices needed to make it happen.
o Honestly, I’m not sure if guys would find it the most interesting read, or even be able to grasp the full meaning of everything. I guess I’d recommend it for any woman, but if you want me to be more specific, Asian women, although I fully believe that female immigrants or their families would benefit from this read also.
· Interview # 2: O.S.
o Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.
o Going Postal is my favorite book because it is very funny and has great characters. It is a fantasy book, and a lot of the magical elements make fun of real life and other books. The title itself is a reference to the incidents in which postal workers shot other workers and random members of the public.
o I can relate with the protagonist, Moist von Lipwig. Throughout most of the book, everything around him is out of his control, and this is exactly how I felt about the college application process.
o Going Postal is part of the Discworld series. I found it after having read another book from the series, and since I enjoyed that one, I thought this might be just as good.
o Themes of Going Postal include business, crime, the postal system, industrialization, race, and hope.
o I would recommend Going Postal to people who enjoy fantasy books but get frustrated with more practical questions about the universes in them, and would beI would recommend Going Postal to people who enjoy fantasy books but get frustrated with more practical questions about the universes in them, and would be interested in a book with a more realistic approach.
· Interview # 3: S.K.
o This is just one of them but I really like One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, by Ken Kesey. *Spoilers ahead!* It’s about this mental institution in Oregon or something and is narrated by this Native American guy, Chief, who pretends that he can’t hear or speak for the whole time that he’s in the institution. The main character’s a guy named McMurphy, who gets sent there because he fakes insanity to get out of prison. He’s the biggest nightmare for the warden, the Big Nurse. Over the course of the story he creates a lot of havoc and tries to make the men in the ward a little less scared of the Big Nurse (him and her clash a lot because he tries to defy her.) He also manages to make the narrator admit that he can talk. Towards the end of the story, due to many factors, McMurphy gets lobotomized and becomes a vegetable. Chief smothers McMurphy with a pillow in his sleep before the other men see him so that he dies with dignity. In the end, Chief lifts this table-thing that McMurphy could never lift and smashes it into the window to escape back to his tribe.
o I don’t exactly know why this book is my favorite but I’ve always remembered it. I read a lot of other books in Freshman English but this is the one that always sticks out in my memory. It liked it because it had everything: it was funny, yet made you think, and was really uplifting even though the ending is tragic in a way. Also, the fact that it was told through the eyes of a mental patient made the story seem crazy at times. Even though the plot itself and the stuff that happens are kind of weird and odd and funny, I took this book very seriously. I think of it now as more than just an odd plot and some jokes.
o Well, I think in a way, we’ve all felt oppressed (by parents, teachers, school administrators, etc.), so there’s a basic connection we all have with the inmates, although there are obvious places where there are differences.
o I read it for Freshman English.
o The major theme of the book is definitely the Individual vs. the Establishment, and the power the individual has to control his destiny no matter what. Although, in the end, there’s probably a price to pay but that price is always worth it.
o I would recommend this book for anyone, although high school audiences and older would be best because you appreciate the intricacies of the book more when you’re old enough to fully get it.
· Interview # 4: A.G.
o Catcher in the Rye, by JD Salinger.
o I love it because it perfectly captures those awkward, terrible teenage years without being condescending. Holden’s voice is so authentic and so lovely. I think Holden is the best friend I always wanted.
o I can really relate to Holden. I think he is the angsty teenager that is lurking inside all of us. He does and says and thinks the things we are conditioned not to do and say and think. Throughout the book, he deals with the enormity of growing up and by the end of the book, he really hasn’t come to a conclusion or solved all of his problems. I think that’s how most of us feel at the end of our childhood.
o So it gets hyped as this really amazing book and I think high schoolers across America are forced to read it, but it really is THAT amazing. I read it before I had to read it for ninth grade Freshman Composition–I think it was the summer before freshman year–and I was hooked from the first page.
o The major themes are growing up, childhood, escape, self-discovery, identity, and loss of innocence.
o I think it’s a must-read for all teenagers. But it should be read outside the context of a classroom. I think being taught the book pretty much ruins it.
· Interview # 5: T.Y.
o Bel Canto, by Ann Patchett.
o I really liked the idea of how all these strangers could be brought together at a birthday party in South America. No one, except for Gen (the translator) was able to communicate with anyone else since everyone spoke a different language, but they all connected through music, the universal language. Also, they eventually had to find a way to talk to each other once the house they were in was taken over by terrorists.
o I think Gen made me want to learn more languages because I realized that if I were ever in a foreign country, I would probably not be able to communicate with the locals at all. I be helpless and completely dependent on others in order to survive, like how all the other characters relied on Gen to translate what they wanted to say.
o I read the book in sophomore year in Mr. Garfinkel’s class and immediately I was intrigued because it was a contemporary book that had just come out a few years ago, unlike the other books we read in European Literature. There was a lot of suspense and tension, considering it was a hostage situation, but it was also beautifully written with lots of descriptions and shifts in perspective, so you were able to see the situation through each character’s eyes.
o Overcoming the language barrier is definitely one of the major themes involved. No one spoke a common language, but that didn’t prevent them from helping each other in times of need and becoming friends. Everyone loved to hear Roxane, the opera singer, sing even though they didn’t understand what she was singing, which shows that music transcends all barriers. Other themes include love (Gen falls in love with one of the terrorist girls), music, community, and self-identity (it’s pretty hard to not find out who you are when you’re stuck in a house for months with nothing to do.)
o Anyone who enjoys shows like “Lost,” would like this since an extremely diverse group of people is brought together and they’re forced to cooperate with each other in order to survive. There’s a political aspect in the book too, since the terrorist group is loosely based on a real group from Peru I think (sorry, I can’t remember the name). People who like to read about complete opposites forming bonds and becoming friends or even falling in love would appreciate it.
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