Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2015 - (Page 36)

off the shelf This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff Review by Michael Shen It is 1955 when 10-year-old Tobias and his mother, Rosemary, leave Florida to flee her abusive husband. After Rosemary's dreams of mining for uranium in Utah fall through, the two move to Seattle and settle down in a dilapidated boarding house with two other women. Feeling that he finally has a stable home, Tobias, now calling himself Jack, uses the opportunity to create a new personality for himself. However, in part because Jack is so unruly, one of the women is intent on finding a husband for Rosemary and invites a procession of suitors to court her. When Rosemary decides to marry a bellicose man named Dwight, Jack is transplanted once again to a small town called Chinook in the Cascade Mountains, where Dwight lives with his three children. In this alien household, Jack is constantly tormented by Dwight. At one point, Dwight demands that he spend every night in the utility room husking chestnuts with his bare hands. After his coerced assimilation into Dwight's family, Jack's life is suddenly full of contradictions. He hates this new life but doesn't tell his mother. He joins the Boy Scouts but does not live the oath he takes. He dreams of a successful future but does nothing to pursue it. Rather than face the truth of his situation, he contrives elaborate lies about himself that only he can believe. One of his most obvious disguises is the spotless Boy Scout uniform that suggests he is a model of moral ideals while obscuring the delinquent he has become. Within Jack's unique and idiosyncratic journey, readers will see similarities to their own paths as well as those of their peers. Wolff masterfully depicts the kid he remembers with descriptions so clear that readers hear every sound, see every action, and even smell everything Jack encounters. So vivid is his imagery that reading the memoir feels less like reading than experiencing it. Together, we are disgusted by Dwight, scared of the expectations that come with maturity, and lulled to lethargy in the most crucial of times. We not only bond with Jack-and Wolff-over the course of this retelling but also discover a piece of ourselves in his character. 36 imagine And that might be why the journey is so hard to take. Refuge does not come easily for Jack; just when there seems to be hope, it is woefully whisked away. From family and religion to Boy Scouts and classmates, nothing in Jack's world is stable. Overnight, close friends become dangerous enemies and siblings become scheming rivals. Near the end, the situation becomes so unbearable that Jack must move again, this time to live with one of his friends. In a desperate final attempt at sanctuary, he forges his grades and recommendations and applies to several prep schools. This Boy's Life explores the dangerous alleys of boyhood and along the way exposes the irritation, indignation, and anxiety-but also the delights-of adolescence. Wolff creates so lush a depiction that readers will feel the insatiable pull to surge ahead in the rush to liberty as well. n Michael Shen is a freshman at Princeton High School whose passions include fencing and public forum debate. He has completed both the Creative Nonfiction and Critical Essay courses with CTY. In his free time, Michael enjoys painting and going to town with his friends as well as planning out his ideal college life. Also recommended And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini This thoroughly absorbing book centers on the love of a brother, Abdullah, and sister, Pari, who are separated when Pari is sold to a wealthy couple. The novel shows the effects of this action on different people and throughout generations. Although the story is told from multiple points of view, the same themes resonate through every important event in the novel. Without even realizing it, readers will make connections across characters and continents, and the effect is lasting and profound. -Ahmad Aamir, 15, Pakistan Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs Before 16-year-old Jacob's grandfather dies, he gives Jacob a cryptic message that he has to travel to a remote island off the coast of Wales to understand. There, Jacob discovers the home described in the book's title-an orphanage for children with extraordinary abilities-and also learns that he has a peculiar ability of his own. -Nicole Getty, 16, FL Jan/Feb 2015

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2015

Big Picture
In My Own Words
Land & Sea
Going Full Circle with Ocean Conservation
At Home in the Water
Diving into Marine Science
Ocean Views
Becoming a Steward of the Seas
Engineering for Ocean Health
Selected Opportunities and Resources
The Wonderful World of MOOCs
Super
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review: UC San Diego
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - January/February 2015