Book Review: Firestorm

     David Klass's book, Firestorm, thrilled me with edge-of-your-seat action scenes throughout the whole book. Once I picked it up, I did not want to put it down. In fact, I read about half the book the first day I checked it out from the library.

     One main reason I really enjoyed the book was the style of writing. The book is written in a high school senior's point of view, an 18 year old teenager. The book is full of sarcasm and witty one-liners, which really gives you the feeling of being there with the main character. The writing style adds depth, and also gives you a feeling of connection, as I myself am a teenager, and I feel like I would react about the same if I was in his shoes.

     The characters are very in depth, each having their own personality. Klass makes a very big distinction between the characters he has and one he is introducing, while Jack might be a strong, witty teenager, his companion is a smart, critical thinker that gets them out of some tough spots. This adds a variety to the book, which is refreshing as some I have read have almost cut-out characters, hardly varying on the writing and persona of the characters. This adds a realism, making the characters seem more real instead of just fiction heroes.

     This book really relates with the current issues on the economy. The book makes points on wildlife, and how important it is to preserve what we have now before it is too late, adding detail on commercial fishing, which reduces not only the fish population, but the very ecosystem they live in, destroying giant reefs that are a very large part of ocean life, without reefs there would not be as many different species as there are today. The book almost has a doomsday quality on the preservation, believing that if we humans keep doing what we are doing to the planet, we are going to ruin it to the point of no return, to where we cannot fix the problems we have caused, making life on Earth very hard on us.

     If I would recommend this book to anyone, I would choose Phoenix, a close friend of mine who would most likely enjoy the book. The pace is fast, there is a lot of action and some very steamy parts, which adds some relief to all the fingernail biting. Overall, the book was a great one, and I currently am reading the second in this trilogy.

War Is...

War is needed, protecting our rights.
War is hell, scarring hearts and minds.
War is death, losing lives and friends.
War is honor, fighting to write our names in stone.
War is money, circling around armaments and soldiers.
War is strength, trusting the people you fight with.
War is pain, lasting wounds that do not go away.
War is hard, causing many to become shells of what they once were.
War is cold, caring not about who fights or gets hurt.
War is change, ending lives and nations.

Remembering 9/11

     I cannot really remember what happened on September 11, 2001. I was only 6. What I can guess though, is that I stayed home from school, and was celebrating my birthday, when my parents saw on the news that the attacks had happened on the World Trade Center. I was probably not told exactly what happened, just bits and pieces to keep my curious mind at bay. Later, now that I know what happened, I remember it as an attack on the United States of America, and I know that I will not forget it.

Unknown Soldier

Show me what it's like

to dream in black and white

So I can leave this world tonight

A soldier, fighting for his country, knows he is never alone, for he has brothers fighting with him.

Shown from the eyes of a soldier, who has started to lose all emotion, just fighting mindlessly, and he gets wounded. He is sitting there writing  this song from the hospital bed, wanting to die.

This song connects with me deeply, I know one day I will be fighting also, and he is just feeling like he let his people down, just another uniform. But he doesn’t seem to know that he has others that care about him, who don’t want him to die even if he feels differently.

I’ve had the dream of being a soldier for 8 years, and I’ve had people tell me I will never make it, and I’ve had people that say if I try hard enough, I can. And I am sure that one day I will be on the front lines.

Ive had that feeling that I was alone, that no one cared, but lately I’ve found people that do, and I have the motivation to be able to pursue my dreams.

Humanity

LIFE

Love as much as you can
It will set you free
For the people around you feel the same
Even if you think you are alone

Not Alone:

I group with the others
Singing the songs together
And I now have hope

Afterlife

What happens to a soul?

Does it fly away
like a baloon?
Or drift solemnly
like a wandering boat
Or group together
like a colony of ants?
Maybe it just stays there
like a moss-covered rock

Or does it just disappear?

*Censored* Need to tell *Censored* *Censored*

    Government censorship is a problem. Not only does it keep us from knowing what is going on in our military now but it also makes our military personnel feel under appreciated. I have personal experience, not from censorship but just a feeling of being under appreciated. I am in Civil Air Patrol, an Air Force auxiliary, and almost no one knows what Civil Air Patrol is! Anyway, family members and friends of military personnel should pay attention to this especially, as it affects you also. During Vietnam especially there was a lot of censorship on military news, most of what came in through the newspapers were lies for propaganda purposes, in order to keep the civilians happy back in the United States, where it didn’t work since it was still high in protests. It goes against our right for freedom of information, blocking the information from us and keeping us from knowing anything. Also, keeps citizens from joining the military, as they don’t know what they are getting into and are afraid.
    We should combat this, fight censorship as we do have a right to know this information, pepole say censorship is fine, it keeps our enemies from knowing our tactics and other things, but that is fine. We aren’t just splaying it out on the internet for everyone to see, just keeping our citizens informed, and that would help keep our military personnel happy. Everyone should join this fight, protest against military censorship, we have a right to know.