The book Dark Trail, By Hiram King, is about the journey of a freed slave who is trying to find his family. Bodie Johnson (the main character of the book) has little to his name. The only thing that he has in life is his family. However, they were packed onto a slave train when the Confederates started losing the war and shipped farther inland. Bodie is determined to find his family and will stop at nothing until his quest is finished. If he can't find them, he'll die trying. Bodie's mind and body are tested throughout the book as he travels West on his trusty steed to seek out the ones he loves. During his lonesome travels, Bodie thinks about the possibility that he may arrive too late, after all, the train has a three or four month head start on him. He meets many strange and new people along his path, some nice, others not so much. He gets jumped and shot at multiple times and always seems to be attracted to trouble. Another battle that Bodie faces is one of his own mind and heart. Bodie meets a girl named Deedee in the midst of his travels and falls in love but is forced to leave her in search of his family. Throughout the book, Bodie faces an unthinkable amount of hardships, but doesn't stop for even one minute or think about giving up.

Now that you're finished with your book

When you finish a book, you should have a reaction to being done. (Besides relief). Sometimes, that reaction is a wish that the book hadn't ended. Once in a while you might want to hurl it across the room because you're so upset at the way it ended! You might also feel as if there were some questions left unanswered.
In this reading log, I'd like you to pretend you have just run into the author of your book somewhere in his or her world or yours. Set the scene, (coffee shop, racetrack, orbiting in space....) and then have a dialogue with the author in which you pose a question or let him/her know what you think about it.
The point of this post is to answer this question in a creative way: If you could meet the author of your book now that you are finished, what would you say to him or her?

Have some fun with it!

The Road

The Road is definitely a physical journey. The protagonists are a father and his son. They are traveling through the charred and barren lands of America, trying to make it to the coast. The father claims that they will be safer once they have reached the coast. The last half of the quote, "The dream can also be one that involves hardship, slogging through a forest, paddling down a river, confronting suspicious people, living in a hostile place, testing your adaptability, hoping for some sort of revelation", fits this book exactly. The father and son must scavenge and salvage anything and everything possible that they come upon. The father trusts no one and believes that no where is safe. While struggling against the winters of the apocalypse, the father must also struggle against his mistrust and rotting mind.

Lucky T

The book Lucky T takes us on a journey through India in the eyes of a young teenage girl. The book explores a whole new culture, different clothes, different religions, and a different environment in general. Some of the very first things she notices when getting off the plane in Calcutta India is the men at the airport with machine guns, and how everyone seemed to be speaking a language she could not understand. Driving through the city she notes that “there were literally thousands of people. Pedestrians walked around in droves… shouting to one another across the street.” She was overwhelmed by how many people were in India, and also by how diverse they were. The people wore anything from suits, to polo’s and saris to jeans. This book paints a picture in your head around every corner, depicting the journey being laid out in front of the protagonist. It is the internal journey however, that is the important part.

Before Carrie sets off on her adventure to India she is extremely superstitious and self-centered. The whole reason she went in the first place was not to join the Help India program to make a positive difference in the world, but to get back her lucky T. Instead of letting go of the T-shirt she convinces her mother to let her go half way around the world to find it, by convincing her that she really wants to help in the Help India movement. Later on in the book, however, she discovers that bad luck might not have been the worst thing in the world, because it leads her to India where she finds love, and a passion for helping others. While it may be easiest to live your life with the comfort of good luck, it might not always mean you will have the most fulfilling life. Her views at the end of the book are so much different about her lucky T, that when she finally finds it she doesn’t take it back. When she finds her shirt, it is on a poor little girl living in a shelter. She is bruised from being beaten by her uncle. It is then that Carrie realizes that even if the T-shirt is good luck, that this little girl needs it more than she does. It took her traveling halfway around the world to realize that she was lucky all along, and that someone needed that hope more than she did. At the end of her journey she is no longer superstitious and selfless, completing a complete transformation.

Lucky T

The book I have chosen to read is called Lucky T by Kate Brian. The story is about Carrie Fitzgerald, who believes that her only source of good luck is from her favorite T shirt that her father gave her. Through an unfortunate string of events Carrie’s lucky T is accidently donated to the Help India movement by her mother. That is when her luck starts to unravel. Not being able to live with extremely bad luck, she travels to India in search of her lucky T, but what she ends up finding in the end is much more important. This book is not only a physical journey, but a mental one as well.


I chose this book because of the diverse settings and culture within the book, and how easy it is to relate to a girl my age since it is written about a girl the same age as me. My favorite passage so far is found on page 273 when she reaches her mental turning point. “Carrie had been blessed with a lot of luck that summer, both good and bad, and the result of it all was- she was happy.” She finally realizes that good luck isn’t everything, and being over lucky might lead you down the easiest path, but maybe not the most rewarding one.

In the book "Into the Wild" Jon Krakauer dictates the journals of Chris McCandless' journey through the Alaskan Yukon. McCandless met people from all walks of life and often wrote the encounters in his letters and journals. He inspired those people and also grew connections with his passersby. An often topic he would write about is how people could be completely content with conformity and the same old way of life. He believed that his true goal was to go against the grain and live out of the ordinary. McCandless took the initiative to change his life and live on the wild side, because he believed living like everyone else was like cheating who he really was.
McCandless wanted to challenge himself and experience what it truly ment to be alive. He believed that life was a test and he was willing to put all he had into making his life worth something. He wanted to be overwhelmed with the passion of adventure and experiencing new and different things. McCandless even said the encounters and experiences he went through made him out of the ordinary and allowed him to have "a new and different sun" everyday of his life.

The Road

The characters in my book are most definitely being tested. The protagonists are a father and son and they are trying to make their way to the coast of the United States after an apocalyptic event had occurred. It hasn't exactly become clear yet what they are searching for but all the reader knows is that the father finds it extremely important to get to the coast because he feels they will be safer there.
The Road fits in perfectly with the second half of the quote:

"The dream can also be one that involves hardship, slogging through a forest, paddling down a river, confronting suspicious people, living in a hostile place, testing your adaptability, hoping for some sort of revelation"

The father and son are constantly travelling through hostile territory and confronting suspicious people. Around every corner is danger and they are no doubt going through a series of tests every day. Hostile territory and suspicious people aside they have to constantly be searching for clean food and water and ammunition just in order to stay alive.

Tom V's Assignment

In, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, the main characters are on a journey throughout the United States on acid, freaking out as many squares as possible. The book describes a journey that is both physical and spiritual at the same time. The regiment of druggies is lead by a charismatic character by the name of Kesey. He leads his group (dubbed the Merry Pranksters) with a large schoolbus he had purchased and re-modified to be as physcodelic as possible. The bus had a large hole cut in the roof, functioning similar to a large sunroof, a whole array of speakers and mics wired into different areas and a Day-Glo paint job. While traveling cross country in this monstrosity, the Merry Pranksters experiment in increasing amounts with acid and speed and other such nonsense.
This book relates to the quote because the travelers have a somewhat clear dream of what they think their adventure is. It’s only somewhat clear in the way that they themselves have a perfect vision, but since their high off their rockers the “normal” people have no idea what they’re on about. Also in the way that the travellers are not only “looking for a revelation”, they believe they have found the revelation and are traveling to promote it.
And of course the whole book heavily discusses the hardships involved in being a free spirited gypsy/hippie/drug advocate. Of course you have to deal with the fact you have no home, no one who loves you, no known purpose in this world, and your self-destructive drug habits. Plus you have to constantly listen to people remind you of all these things 24/7!
Being a physcodelic-pioneer is a very demanding job. The job itself entails dreaming almost nonstop, and being an outcast. So it seems in all aspects that this quote is perfectlly describing the book, The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test.

The main character of Going Bovine, Cameron Smith, is definitely being tested throughout his journey. On this trip, he is looking for someone. The person is a certain “Dr. X” who has a cure for his sickness, Creutzfeldt-Jakob, which is the human equivalent to mad cow disease. A strange angel dressed in fishnet stockings and boots appears before Cameron to tell him of his mission: “You’ve got to find Dr. X, get him to close the wormhole before the planet goes up in flames. Before everything is obliterated.” While on his journey, he also has to avoid scary fire gods and a knight dressed in a black metal space suit with a sword.

This quote describes Going Bovine perfectly. Throughout Cameron’s travels with his friend Gonzo, they go through cities, like New Orleans. They travel along a road in Mississippi alone for a while before they’re picked up by some suspicious characters that Gonzo classifies as “possible serial killers.” But instead, they’re just a crazy happiness obsessed-smoothie drinking-bowling cult.

“Travel is mostly about dreams.” This part of the quote says a lot about Going Bovine. It seems like everything is a dream to Cameron. The travels to New Orleans and Mississippi seem like they shouldn’t be happening to Cameron. He doesn’t know if he’s still in the hospital with his family and nurses or if he’s really seeing Dulcie, the punk-rocker angel. Either way, he’s not giving up on his mission to find the cure for his disease.

In The Perfect storm, The main characters are the crew of the Andrea Gail. They are Robert "Bobby" Shatford, who was embarking on his last trip on the Andrea Gail to pay off child support from his former marriage, and would later settle down with his fiance, Christina Cotter. The cook, Dale Murphy, also had a failed marriage however he and his former wife remained close after the divorce for their three year old son. Alfred Pierre was a Jamaican from New York who is very shy but respected for his work ethic. James Sullivan, or "Sully," is well known in Gloucester for saving his entire crew during a storm at sea. He embodies the stereotypical Gloucester fisherman. He is tough, and callous, and it is evident in his speech, personality, and behavior. Michael Moran is considered to be the "different" character, as he has an inconsistent personality and is often enthused then reserved. The Andrea Gail is captained by Billy Tyne, who had a failed marriage with Jodi Tyne. Billy Tyne is well respected as a captain and for fishing success.
The quote in which we are responding to relates to my book in that each of these characters motives are similar, and differ in many ways. The culture in Gloucester, Massachusetts is that of a poor, working class society. The greatest source of profit is its fishing industry. Every crew member on board the Andrea Gail was in search of profit to make a living, or in Bobby's case, to pay off child care and start a new life with Christina. The crew is not in search of revelation or a test, they are in search of profit.
The life of a fisherman is that of hardship. Being a fisherman from Gloucester is a prestigious honor and is something each of the crew take great pride in. Gloucester men are known for their perseverance and determination, regardless of the consequences at hand. They have endured hard storms, and have lost countless battles with them. For each of the members of the Andrea Gail, it is a challenge they are willing to pursue.

More road musings

One writer said, "Travel is mostly about dreams—dreaming of landscapes or cities, imagining yourself in them, murmuring the bewitching place names, and then finding a way to make the dream come true. The dream can also be one that involves hardship, slogging through a forest, paddling down a river, confronting suspicious people, living in a hostile place, testing your adaptability, hoping for some sort of revelation."

In this post, apply the quote to your "road" book. Is the author/protagonist hoping for some sort of revelation? Being tested? If your book is more of a psychic quest than a physical journey, you still should be able to find a connection.

Your post should be lengthy and meaty. It also should be well-written and edited for such things as punctuation and spelling.

I'm looking forward to reading these Monday. Don't forget that your book should be read by Tuesday.

Dark Trail - Hiram King

The book I'm reading is called Dark Trail by Hiram King. I chose this book because after reading what it was about, it sparked my interest. It also won an award so I figured that it would be a good book. From what I have read so far, the book has passed my expectations. It has great dialogue and a pretty cool plot line to go along with it. One example of dialogue and the realistic characteristics of all the characters on page 25. The main character, Bodie, ventures into a town and buys some food for his horse. While there, the man in the general store shows great hospitality. He tells Bodie that "Corn's in the barrel there. Two bits' worth is one bucket. If you was to git more, I wouldn't notice it." Bodie declines his offer, but I believe that by adding such dialogue to the story, the imagery is much more clear.

The Road - Ethan

I chose The Road, by Cormac McCarthy. I chose it because it was recommended to me last year. I sort of blew it off until this year when I saw it on the list of suggested "road" books. It is exceeding my expectations by a lot; it's not at all what I expected. One passage that particularly struck me as significant (and there have been a lot of them) was on page 111, "They walked through the streets wrapped in the filthy blankets. He held the pistol at his waist and held the boy by the hand. At the farther edge of town they came upon a solitary house in a field and they crossed and entered and walked through the rooms. They came upon themselves in a mirror and he almost raised the pistol. "It's us, Papa", the boy whispered, "It's us."

Into the Wild

I am almost done reading the book Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer.

When I picked this book I knew I would enjoy it. I not only saw the incredible movie but have read the book once a few years ago. As I read this book for the second time I was amazed how ill prepared McCandless was in picking certain essentials to survive the Alaskan wilderness.

I enjoyed the characters that influenced him through his journey and how he returned the favor. McCandless changed the lives of the people he crossed before his unfortunate death and I believe that is something that should be recognized. In my opinion the first 2 to 3 pages seemed to be the most interesting to me. I can imagine how I would feel if a man with a gun, that I didn't know, was trying to get a ride from me. It seems that I personally wouldn't have stopped to pick him up. I would definitely suggest this book to anyone who enjoys reading travel books and the struggle for enlightenment.

The Road

The book I'm reading is The Road which was written by Cormac McCarthy. I chose this book because I have seen the movie and would like to see the difference between that and the book. I actually had a couple of passages really hit me. At one point in the story, the father says to the son, "You forget what you want to remember, and you remember what you want to forget",(Pg. 12). Another passage is about the father's belief of dreams. "He said the right dreams for a man in peril were dreams of peril and all else was the call of languor and of death",(Pg. 18). These passages hit me because there the moral lessons of the book, and I believe they are true.

The Road by: Cormac McCarthy

I'm reading The Road by Cormac McCarthy. There is not really a big reason that I chose this book. I wasn't sure which one to pick and Ms. Lannin suggested it to the class... So I chose it. It is about a father and son who are trying to travel south to the coast. It takes place in the future after an apocalyptic type event took place. The father is under the impression that by making it to the coast they will be able to survive. At the current part I am at in my reading, they are attempting to make it past the mountains in the middle of winter.

A significant part in the text so far that really hit me was when they came across an old vending machine with a coke in it.

"He took the can and sipped it and handed it back. "You drink it", he said. "Let's just sit here." "It's because I won't ever get to drink another one, isn't it?" "Ever's a long time" "Okay," the boy said.

This part really spoke to me because before he tried it the boy had never had a coke before. And it's the little things in life like a small can of coca-cola that we take for granted in life.

The Perfect Storm

I am reading The Perfect Storm, by Sebastian Junger. I chose this book because I've always been attracted to the sea, and stories about the sea. Another reason why I was attracted to this book is its relevance to my family. The story is about Gloucester fisherman, and both sides of my family all live in Marblehead, Massachusetts, which is in close proximity to Gloucester and has the same deep tradition in fishing and maritime. In the first few chapters I've read, not much has happened that really moved me. The introduction however really sets the pace of the book by describing how a bottle was found in the ocean with a note inside of it. The date was from 1896, and it told of a ship and a crew that was facing an inevitable end. The sailor wrote about how his crew mates were responding to it. I find this moving in that the feeling must be so helpless, knowing your ship is sinking and no one is there to help you.

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, Tom's book

The title of my book is The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, by Tom Wolfe. The story is about a crazy physcedelic drug pioneer who gets out of jail, and then plans to travel the country spreading the word about a new frontier. He travels with his band of “Merry Pranksters” and speaks about what is known as the Acid graduation. At this point in my reading, I feel like my brain has been repeatedly beaten with a jar of mayonnaise. This book is wild and confusing.

I chose this book because it looked the most interesting on the list of books Ms. Lannin suggested. I thought it sounded funky and hip, and I had no idea what I was getting in to. So far this book is insane and it feels like i’m watching an abstract painting from the 60s through a kaleidoscope. So in a twisted way, you could indeed say this book is meeting (and surpassing) my expectations.
A passage that pretty much sums up this book goes as follows, “the San Fransisco symbol of “bad”- thousands of neon-magenta martini glasses bouncing and streaming down the hill, and beneath them hundreds, thousands of people wheeling around to look at this freaking crazed truck we’re in, their white faces erupting from their lapels like marshmallows-streaming and bouncing down the hill.” Do you have any idea what any of that gibberish means? That’s what I thought, and that is only from page 1! This essentially sums up the entire book as far as I’ve read. It makes your mind hurt. As in, it literally causes you to experience pain while you are reading it.

Going Bovine - Brittany's Road Book

Going Bovine is a fiction novel by Libba Bray. I chose this book as my "road book" because I like fiction best. Also, the book is witty and creative and takes a serious issue and essentially, puts a light hearted spin on it. The main character, Cameron, can't take anything seriously, so when he finds out he has a rare disease, he has to go on a search for the cure. He takes along with him a friend named Gonzo and a garden gnome. In this travel, he goes to New Orleans, through mythical places, and maybe even a parallel universe.

Even with all of the fiction and humor, Going Bovine reveals some real thoughts about life. This quote asks one of these questions about life.

"'Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul.' Emily Dickinson. Why must we die when everything within us yearns to live? Do our atoms not dream of more?...Tonight, I embark for other worlds. Searching for proof. For hope. For a reason to go on. Or a reason to end..."

I used this quote from the book (page 73) because you don't really have to analyze it too much to get the meaning. Why must we die, when all we really want to do is live forever? The person speaking this quote is saying he will travel (literally or not) to find proof of if it's worth searching for hope, or if it's all a lost cause.

Tom was here. AMERICA!

First independent reading log for your "road book"

By Thursday's class, I would like you to post the answers to these questions about your "road book." It would be nice if you answered all the questions in 1-2 coherent paragraphs.

1. What is the title of your book and who is it by? (Please feel free to attach a photo of it to go with your post).

2. Why did you choose this book? Is it meeting your expectations?

3. Share a significant passage you've read so far (tell us the page # too) and say why you were moved to choose it.