These Books Among Us

If you ever went to school with other people, you probably saw bullying. It may have happened to you, or a friend, or a classmate, but it was there. It seems like it has always been there. No matter where you turn in literature or film or television, there seems to always be an underdog that the "popular kid" will pick on, belittle, and physically hurt. So this is in our media and our real lives. Obviously. So what is this post about. Well, I can tell you it's not going to be a mushy post about me talking about my experience with bullying and it's not going to necessarily be me calling out people who have bullied, no matter how much I want to. No, this post is going to be directed at the people who stand by. Now before you exit out of this tab, let me just tell you that I am not going to lecture you and tell you that you always have to step up and intervene in the most direct sense. I am not telling you that you must be the hero and get yourself hurt for someone...

Hey guys! Two posts in one week? Who is this strange new Dana? (It's low key because I felt bad that I didn't post last week, so surprise!) Okay, hear me out on this post. I know a lot of you reading this do not necessarily disagree with me. We all love our favorite prime time shows and blockbuster movies. But for some reason, when a person loves their favorite best selling book (and tries to get others to read it and love it as much as they do) there is a more negative reaction from the book community. I am in no way saying that people are not entitled to their own opinions. I respect that fact and want others to feel comfortable enough to share those opinions whenever they choose. But once an opinion turns into trying to control what their peers enjoy, that's when it becomes a problem. I am sure you have gone through this yourself once or twice in your lifetime. You'll be so excited to share this cool new thing you've found out about and then be shunned by y...

I have talked a lot on this blog about the connections between society and the fictitious narratives we as humans create out of our circumstances. Most people think of the historical moments going into their television shows. Say during President Obama's presidency, many people saw African American presidents portrayed in their favorite television shows and movies. This is just one way the present can alter our fictions. But some are more frightening than that. I am talking about the Rise of the Dystopian novel. The first dystopian novel written was The Time Machine by HG Wells and it was ahead of its time. Where many of the more popular dystopian novels are about the fears of society, the Time Machine is the fear of the other and of technology. When you read The Time Machine, you will see people who are not the stereotypical 1895 England person. They are "savage" but they are also the future. Is this a fear of technology taking the world back to it's primitive na...