Forever Odd

A man who some is considered crazy has a reasonable mind track if you get to hear it. Sure he may think shoes are the best job but that’s because everyone needs shoes. That may seem crazy and he is a weird guy but that’s because he sees dead people. This man’s name is Odd Thomas. “I see dead people. But then, by god, I do something about it.”

The plot isn’t the most well designed plot. In between the beginning and the middle there is a long section where nothing really happens. It kicks back in the middle when Odd confronts the antagonist.  Dean puts an action scene at the beginning to get the reader’s attention. After the middle you can’t put the book down because of the suspense and action. It’s relatively simple: a man is dead, a boy has been kidnapped, and a hero goes to save him. Along the way he find the kidnapper and must confront her to justice

The characters are amazingly developed. The main character Odd of course sees dead people creating the plotline but he also has many other features. He doesn’t like guns because of a traumatic childhood so he talks his way out of trouble, he uses humor in the direst of circumstances, he makes very fluffy pancakes, and he was once in love with a girl named Stormy who died in the previous book in a shoot-out. He has a father-figure, Chief Porter who is head of the police, kind, and keeps Odd out of trouble. A boy named Danny was kidnapped by Datura. Danny is deformed, “His left hip is deformed. The right leg is shorter than the other. The right tibia thickened and bowed as it healed from a break. His right ankle contains so much excess bone that he has only forty percent function in that joint.”  He is also a huge nerd when it comes to life and he is friends with Odd. Datura is a woman who is described as “the succubus [who] is a demon in exquisite female form” (Koontz 191). She lures Danny to her and kidnapped him so she could meet Odd. She wanted him to use his powers so she can see ghosts. Unfortunately it doesn’t work that way. You can tell each character has his or her set of persona to describe them.

The book is a thrilling and suspenseful book that will keep you on your toes. The characters are developed. Of course there is some humor to Odd’s train of thought. Overall it is a great book that you can read that will make laugh at some points and focused at others. This book for some will be difficult to put down.

My Top 5

Fiction vs. Non-fiction

I have always thought of non-fiction as the whole truth. I would think text books, dictionaries, and encyclopedias.  If we start adding half-lies and twists to stories then is it really true? The more we add the less non-fiction it is. If we base a story on a real life situation it is still fiction because it is only based on that situation. If you change just a few details it could dramatically affect the plot. The plot is the main idea we want to keep. If we change that then that minor detail wasn’t so minor. If it doesn’t affect the plot then it’s just for show and effects. But changing anything about the book would make the audience skeptical. Stretching one thing in a memoir will change what people think their background is and give them the wrong ideas when they think they’re right. Three months in prison instead of several hours like in the book A Million Little Pieces can really change a person and their personality And the outcome of the story. Causing someone to die in a train accident, as said in the same book, is different than knowing about it and feeling for it. Causing death for someone else is mentally and emotionally scarring and they would develop differently as a character. And if that character were to develop differently, then the story from that point on would be different making it and untrue story. I wouldn’t consider A Million Little Pieces non-fiction because there is to many flaws.

Genre in the Classroom

                    I think we should teach genre fiction at a young age then move slowly towards literary fiction as high school nears. If we teach genre fiction to kids in 3^rd or 4^th grade it could build a foundation for a love towards books. This way we could show them the fun of reading without the stress of analyzing it. As they get better and better we could move towards literary fiction allowing them to not only like books but to get an understanding on how to read and write books as well. The further they progress through school the more literary fiction that will be taught. When they reach high school it will mainly be literary fiction but they still can incorporate independent reading for genre fiction.

                    Literary fiction is important for those who wish to go above and beyond in reading and writing. Genre fiction is more for fun and entertainment. There needs to be a balance between the two. Genre is for keeping people entertained and enjoying fiction while Literary is for teaching specifics and understanding.

                     I agree with Melissa Thomas’ idea to teach fantasy in classes but too much of a good thing isn’t a good thing. Fantasy can be taught at an early age for those who haven’t found a love in books or developed life lessons yet. Later years they would read on their own and wouldn’t need to be explained be someone else.

"Odd Thomas" Book Trailer

Adaptations

             The black room scene that we performed in class appears to be very important. I have not finished the book but the room seems that it will reappear towards the end of the book. Because of this I don't think this scene should be changed in any way. There is a scene where Odd is being chased in a church. This scene would not only be an action scene in which a movie can use be also mentioned later in a realization. That is another scene that shouldn't be changed. When he finds a dead body (not going to tell who) in his bathroom he must dispose of it before he gets framed by someone else. This scene creates shock, confusion, and excitement so it should be kept the same.
             The beginning of the book is a narration of thought which would be very difficult to reproduce in a movie. My guess is that they left it out of the actual movie and I don't blame them because they don't need it all that much. There is a moment after pisposing the dead body where there is a pack of coyotes in between him and his car. This scene is only used later as a simile during a stare down so I don't see much of a point to it.

The Book Thief

                 There was a girl named Liesel who stole a lot of books because she loved to read. "I try to ignore it, but I know this all started with the train and snow and my coughing brother. I stole my first book that day. It was a manual for digging graves and I stole it on the way to Himmel Street." At this point she couldn't read but once she reached her foster parents, her new dad taught her how to read. She got better and better until she was through the whole first book. She learns the value of words and now can't live without them.

                There was a library burning happening but she managed to save one book. "He reached over and grabbed hold of The Shoulder Shrug. "No explanation was required. It was obvious that the girl had stolen it from the fire." She had stolen her second book. This new book not only gave her another book to read and learn about new words but also lead her to be a thief. She stole a variety of things, mainly food though, but she would snatch a book when she'd get the chance. She and her best friend Rudy would try to get away with a bunch a small heists.

                She made a friend that had constant nightmares. He was a Jew (by the way this took place during the holocaust) so he lived in constant fear in the basement of Liesel's house. "The book was red, with black writing on the spine. The Dream Carrier. She thought of Max Vandenburg and his dreams. Of guilt. Surviving. Leaving his family. Fighting the Fuhrer." When she saw the book she thought it could help him with his dreams and so she read to him. Eventually he did get better and he thanked her when he did. When she got it she also thought about her own nightmares from when she was seperated from her family.

                All of these books were read by Liesel to improve her skills and to progress through her life. The resembled connections to her past and doors to her future. If the author could reproduce these fictional books the public could get in more depth what inspired Liesel to move through her unfortunate life. People could continue the series as they imagine Liesel thoughts while reading the trilogy. It will keep people reading because there are more books to become even more in depth than the original. The even make it a bit more appealing we could see them all four books together as a Book Thief Combo Pack.



This is an example of a what the trilogy

would look like.



               It could be sold like a trilogy just like   other series. And the combination makes it  cheaper, convenient, and affordable. This would not only make it an addition to the original but also possible a popular purchase for those how have read the original. For those who haven't heard of the book they'd probably hear about it after this.