Jos Diaz
Ms. Chan
Period 3
Interviews
Rebecca Steinberg; student, musician, redhead
What is your favorite book?
Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski
How did you come across the book?
I found it in my apartment. I flipped through it and it looked interesting; I found the word “cunt” used repeatedly, and I thought to myself “this is an author I can get along with.”
What about this book makes it your favorite?
It’s really blunt and unapologetic. Even though it’s really kind of gross at parts and very masculine, it really captures awkwardness and discomfort more than other books I’ve read, like “Catcher in The Rye” or “The Perks of Being a Wallflower.” It’s a lot harsher than Catcher in The Rye, and darker, but has the same feeling of isolation.
What type of person would enjoy this book?
I think any adolescent or even someone older who likes to read books about people whose lives aren’t perfect.
Helen Chen; student, fashionista, art-lover
What is your favorite book?
The Joy Luck Club
How did you come across the book?
I was walking by Barnes and Noble, and they had a big poster. I’d heard about it, so I went inside and bought a copy. I was in the eighth grade, but the themes have stuck with me for all this time. I guess it’s kind of sad that my favorite book is from the eighth grade, but it’s true.
What about this book makes it your favorite?
I feel like there are so many aspects of it I can relate to. For example, my grandmother is an avid mahjong player, I’ve been raised in a very traditional Chinese family and I have a very close relationship with my mother, and with my grandmother.
What type of person would enjoy this book?
Anybody who wants to read a book about a relationship between a child and a parent, and anybody who comes from a traditional Asian family.
Thomas Ansorge; student, policy wonk, history buff
What is your favorite book?
Imperial Life in the Emerald City by Rajiv Chandresekan
How did you come across the book?
I read a review of this book in the Asia Times, then got it from the New York Public Library by placing it on hold and picking it up from the Morningside Heights branch.
What about this book makes it your favorite?
I love the book because it’s so comprehensive and informative. It effectively illustrates the cultural clashes between an occupying power and an occupied people, the difficulty of nation building, and managementt dilemmas faced by inexperienced and unqualified personnel thrust into an unexpected challenging situation. It also does a great job of informing its readers on domestic political process and relevant current world issues.
What type of person would enjoy this book?
Policy wonks and history buffs.
Mark Surya; student, composer
What is your favorite book?
Ulysses by James Joyce
How did you come across this book?
It’s Ulysses. Eventually anyone who reads anything will find it. I’d also already read Finnegan’s Wake and loved it, so I wanted to read Joyce’s complete works.
Why is it your favorite book?
Its basic philosophy is really similar to mine, and I was really impressed in how it could jacknife from humor to really deep emotion in the same sentence. It was the first book I ever read where the language was just as important as what was going on. A lot of this applies to Finnegan’s Wake as well, but that was just so open and unreadable, that, while I really enjoyed reading it, I can’t really consider it my favorite book as much.
What type of person would enjoy this book?
Pretentious people.
Simon Szybist; student, polack
What is your favorite book?
The Street of Crocodiles by Bruno Schulz
How did you come across the book?
It was recommended to me by a camp counselor who told me that it was one of the most enlightening books he’d ever read, so I traded him for it. I gave him The Rum Diary by Hunter S. Thompson in exchange.
What about this book makes it your favorite?
First and foremost, it’s surrealist. His ability to paint these beautiful, colorful scenes on the paper… the stories never really end in a coherent way, and you’re never really sure what has happened at the end but It still amazes you. It’s a book of short stories. To put it shortly, I’ve never read anything else like it. It just really hit me as something totally original.
What type of person would enjoy this book?
The type of person who would like a Terry Gilliam film would love this book. Or, less referentially, someone who can appreciate absurdity for what it is.
Interview I
Name: D.Y.
Recommends: The Sound and the Fury
By William Faulkner
1. What is your reason for reading the book?
I read it for my AP English class and ended up loving it.
2. How do you feel about it, ie. writing style of author, captivating, etc?
I found it very well written, creative, and very interesting because of the different narratives.
3. What is your current year and gender?
Senior (’09) and female.
4. Are you in any clubs or teams?
Yes. I used to be the editor for the photography section for the Spectator, member of the photography club, and a member of the Key Club and ARISTA.
5. What factors do you look for when choosing a book, ie. if you have a preference for a certain genre, what do you look for in it?
I generally like fiction. I don’t really have the attention span to continuing reading books I do not enjoy so the material must be riveting.
Interview II
Name: A.K.
Recommends: Los Funerales de la Mama Grande
By Gabriel Garcia Marquez
1. What is your reason for reading the book?
I love Marquez and his short stories. In addition, I want to practice my Spanish.
2. How do you feel about it, ie. writing style of author, captivating, etc?
It’s an incredible book -it combines social criticism with profound insight into human nature.
3. What is your current year and gender?
Senior (’09) and male.
4. Are you in any clubs or teams?
Yes, I am the founder of Open Voices (not an official club).
5. What factors do you look for when choosing a book, ie. if you have a preference for a certain genre, what do you look for in it?
I try and look for books by authors that are well known or are renowned as amazing writers.
Interview III
Name: P.H.
Recommends: Alanna
By Tamora Pierce
1. How do you feel about the book, ie. the author’s style of writing, is it interesting, etc.?
I found the book to be very interesting -it was the type of story that keeps you reading on.
2. What is your year and gender?
Senior (’09) and female.
3. Do you have any particular hobbies and are you in any clubs or teams?
My only hobby is drawing (anime-themed art). I am not in any clubs or teams.
4. Has the book influenced your mentality (your views of anything) in any way?
Not that I know of, no.
5. What do you look for in a book, ie. if you prefer a certain genre, what qualities do you seek in it -ratings, recommendations from others, length, etc.?
I read primarily from the fantasy genre. The books must contain well-developed characters and have an interesting and original plot.
Interview IV
Name: J.L.
Recommends: The Stranger
By Albert Camus
1. How do you feel about the book, ie. the author’s style of writing, dense, controversial, etc.?
I thought Camus wrote in a very refreshing way because of the lack of melodrama in his writing.
2. What is your year and gender?
Senior (’09) and female.
3.What hobbies do you have? Are you in any of the school’s clubs or teams?
I write short stories on my own time. I am in ARISTA, Strive, and the DDR club.
4. Has reading the book affected your mentality (your way of thinking) in any way?
Yes, I care less about everything.
5. What do you look for in a book, ie. if you prefer a certain genre, what qualities do you seek in it -ratings, recommendations from others, length, etc.?
I generally look for works of fiction and longer books so that I can have something that lasts for a while.
Interview V
Name: YYW
Recommends: Pride and Prejudice
By Jane Austen
1. How do you feel about the book, ie. the author’s style of writing, dense, controversial, etc.?
At first, the book appears to be a simple romance novel “…marry well …marry rich…” The story makes a bittersweet unexpected turn as it becomes a social struggle for the Bennet’s and Charles Bingley as the barriers between the two families tears Jane and Bingley away. This is only part of the story however, as the book is centered on the non-existent yet not-quite-so relationship between Elizabeth and Darcy.
2. What is your year and gender?
Senior (’09) and male.
3.What hobbies do you have? Are you in any of the school’s clubs or teams?
I play a lot of Japanese role-playing games (different from just RPGs… look it up) and watch anime sparingly as I am preoccupied with games usually. I am currently trying to get into other genres such as action/hack and slash (Devil May Cry) and shooters (Metal Gear Solid) but JRPGs still remain my favorite. Although I cannot say I have a single favorite game, I would probably have to say that Persona 3 and 4, Xenosaga series, Valkyrie Profile series, and Final Fantasy VIII and Tactics (the original, not advance) are among those that are replayed the most. I am also currently trying to learn to draw (anime-esque, with more realistic proportions and shapes). Reading doujinshis seem to help with this. I was in the school’s DDR and Super Smash Brothers Brawl clubs but have since quit both. I do help StuyStrive with printer cartridge recycling at times.
4. Has reading the book affected your mentality (your way of thinking) in any way?
It makes me wonder about the mindsets of people from previous generations and how deep the social stigmas carried by these people have permeated through today’s society.
5. What do you look for in a book, ie. if you prefer a certain genre, what qualities do you seek in it -ratings, recommendations from others, length, etc.?
I do not read often, but when I do (voluntarily, not assigned or whatever), they would have to be realistic fiction in the least. Philosophical writings are also great, provided that they are written in modern English. I suppose romance novels interest me as well, as long as it isn’t too heavy on it (Pride and Prejudice is an excellent example).
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