Book Assignment

             I was exposed to the book Nineteen-eighty four in a high school English class.  The book is about a man named Winston Smith who struggles with oppression from the government, who watches their every move, referred to as Big Brother.  At first the book made me uneasy and I did not like the story line, but as we got into it and discussed it in class I found myself reading more quickly.  I discovered many reasons why I liked the book and saw how applicable the book is to real life.  As an adult I have chosen to read books of the self-help nature.  I’m drawn to anything that I can apply to my life.  I also really like the book entitled How to Win Friends and Influence People.  I discovered how much of this book I could use everyday and appreciate the tools I have learned from it.  Both of these books offer insight that is useful and if I am going to pursue reading something I choose to invest my time into something that will help or inspire me. 

            I remember distinctly at 22 years old when I moved to Arizona, where camera speed lights where on every corner, thinking that the government must have put them in to monitor us.  I commonly have these types of epiphanies as I experience politics and work to formulate my political identity such as when president Obama was elected Nineteen-eighty Four periodically stuck out to me, especially when talking about the socialization of healthcare.  This reminded me of how the people in the book were monitored and constantly in lines, as I imagine this allocation of health services to be like. 

            The next book that has been really powerful and inspiring that I was exposed to as an adult is the book, How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie.  As a non-fiction self-help book, that I think everyone should read, the author really came up with a concise plan to helping people relate to others.  The strategy includes six ways to making people like you, fundamental techniques in handling people and how to be a leader.  This book really helped fine tune how I interact with others in society and has been a source of strength in creating relationships.