Friday, August 26, 2011

Sparkfest Tertius!! (thats Latin, btw. I figured I'd use something besides Spanish for once)

Okay, so I actually didn't know what I was going to post for my last Sparkfest entry, up until a couple hours ago. But then I watched The Adjustment Bureau ( good movie, not at all what I was expecting, but I liked it), and didn't get around to typing this up until now. At 11:30 at night. When I only got 5 hours of sleep last night ( wait.... this morning, actually).

Don't you just love procrastination?

Anyway, so this time I'm not really following a specific question ( and if there actually was a question for this, I don't know what it would be), soooo... I'll just jump right into it.

Okay, so if you've been around with me for a while, you would know that I gave a review for the book Divergent about a month ago. In case you don't feel like reading the review, I loved it. For a lot of reasons that I won't say now because I've already said them in the review and that would be pointless. Except for one thing.

I loved the message. Throughout the entire book, Tris is being pushed to be brave, and is being told to "Be brave", but all of the types of "brave" she needs to be are different. She is being pushed to be cruel, merciless, and strong: to be brave. She is told to have no fear: to be brave. She is told to be selfless: to be brave. She is told to act in spite of her fears: to be brave. And she must keep going even while her world is falling to pieces: she must be brave.

All of these are different views of bravery. And quite frankly, some of them aren't even true. One of my favorite parts of this book was to see Tris try to come to terms with what true bravery is. And while she was doing this, I learned too. I learned of new concepts of bravery I had never thought of before. And I thought. Alot.

Veronica Roth took a concept, a virtue, that in some ways has been warped by society. And she showed us what it really is ( and in a heck of a way, too). She showed me that bravery isn't about being the strongest, the bravest, and certainly not the cruelest. It isn't even about having no fear. Sometimes we think that we must overcome our fears, to squash them out of existence. WE DON"T HAVE TO. We just need to act in spite of our fears. Another thing I loved was that there was a point were Tris' life is just falling apart, and she just wants to sit down. And cry. And give up. To not have to go on anymore. But then she realizes that she must listen to what people have been telling her. And that she must be brave, brave enough to continue facing life, even when it no longer seems possible.

Haha, okay, so if I go any further, I might accidentally give something away, so I'll just leave you with that ( and hopefully a burning desire to read the book ;)

Anyway, so what do my deep thoughts on bravery have to do with the Sparkfest? Because while other books have made me want to share a message with the world, Divergent went beyond that. It made me want to share something that people haven't heard before, or maybe have forgotten. To show them new sides to things they thought they knew. I don't just want to share a good message that we've all heard a million times in a million different ways. I want to say something new. Something different. Something true.

And I want people to remember it.



Okay, so what about you guys? Have you read a book out there that had a unique message that truly inspired you, or got you thinking? Has a book ever made you re-evaluate your life? Answer below!




10 comments:

  1. That's what I loved about Divergent, too. And I think it's awesome that it went beyond that for you and made you reach for a higher truth...that sounds really cheesy to me, but come on, it's late.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Lovely post Rachel. I think there are a lot of books that have influenced me, or made me look at things in a different way. That's the beauty of reading I guess:)

    ReplyDelete
  3. I find that most books inspire and set the ol' brain cells into overdrive. But literature that makes me re-evaluate my life, is more of a rare find. THE TIME TRAVELER'S WIFE by Audrey Niffenegger is one of those gems. I was totally blubbering by the end, and had a new appreciation for my hubby and the fact that he was in the here and now.

    I'll have to add Divergent to my reading list!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hi Rachel:

    I have been thinking about my most inspirational book a lot lately, because I am directing a show based on it and I can't talk about it without tearing up. As a young girl this book shaped my view of the world and the core beliefs I hold to this day. A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle - it not only just a great story, it's publishing 50 years ago changed YA as we know it today. Can you tell I am passionate about it? :) Divergent is officially on my list now - glad to be on the Write Campaign with you!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I saw "The Adjustment Bureau"! It wasn't what I expected either, but I thought it was really good. Now I want to read the story from which it was based!

    The Diary of Anne Frank and The Outsiders by S.E.Hinton inspired me and got me thinking about the world and how I fit within it! There are others of course, but those are the first two that popped into my head. :)

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hey Rachel, apparently my comment got lost, but...I gave your blog the Leibster Award. :) All the details can be found at my blog, concretepiecesofsoul.blogspot.com. Congrats on a wonderful blog! :D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Every time you talk about this book I am reminded of how I want to read it, augh! Great commentary on it, and a fantastic spark!

    ReplyDelete
  8. That does sound like a really awesome take on bravery! As for me, there are a lot of books I've read that inspired me or got me thinking. My favourite author for this by far, though, is Jodi Picoult. She tackles REALLY tough, "touchy" subject matter and the coolest thing about her is that her novels force you to look at these subjects (which almost everyone has a strong opinion about) from every angle, not just yours. They may not necessarily change your mind, but they definitely leave you with more sympathy for the opposing side.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Hi, Rachel! Thanks for visiting my blog!

    A Christmas Carol makes me re-evaluate my life each year.

    I gave you a Shout-Out today! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. wow thanks for all the comments guys! I'll need to check out those books!

    Kate Swenson, A Wrinkle in Time is actually my mom's favorite book! And I got pretty excited when I found out your a director, because I have a brother whose into that too!

    ReplyDelete