28 The Voyager
Entertainment
June 2017
What’s on your Nightstand? We asked staff and faculty members what they were reading. The response was overwhelming! This may be a recurring feature in 2017-2018. Thank you to all who responded! Mr. Kevin D’Antonio Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Grey
The Picture of Dorian Grey is one of those books that I read over and over again. Oscar Wilde’s style of writing is just as dramatic as he was, and I love it. The Picture of Dorian Grey is something of a psychological thriller, set in Victorian London and following the increasingly sinister life of a wealthy nobleman, Dorian Grey. It’s an interesting study on the bounds of morality, and what money and good looks can allow a person to get away with.
Mr. Terry McSweeney William Shirer’s Rise and Fall of the Third Reich
Rereading parts of William Shirer’s Rise and Fall of the Third Reich. Shirer’s recollection of the rise of the Nazi party in Germany and World War II the authoritative text on events inside of Germany from 1919 to 1945. He lost favor with historic revisionists who denounced his support of the Soderheim, or special path the Germany took, but aside from his opinion on that issue the rest of the book is thoroughly researched and of immense importance.
Mr. Alec Sherman Gumption by Nick Offerman
Nick Offerman is an actor, humorist and woodworker more widely known for his role as Ron Swanson, on the NBC Show, Parks and Recreation. As much as I enjoy his acting, the humor in his writing keeps me laughing throughout each chapter. Gumption highlights twenty-one figures from our nation’s history, from Benjamin Franklin and Teddy Roosevelt to Willie Nelson and Conan O’Brien. It combines history with humor and covers such topics as, religion, politics, woodworking and handcrafting, agriculture, creativity, music, philosophy and fashion. Each chapter tells a story of an individual’s display of gumption which is meant to influence you to examine your own gumption and react accordingly, so that we may all end up with a little more decency.
Mr. Casey Christy
I’ve recently gone back to the classics, finishing To Kill a Mockingbird and nearly completed Catcher in the Rye.
Ms. Sheri Lattimer Finding Alaska by John Greene
One of my students suggested it. The story is set at a boarding school in Alabama. The main character is a junior in high school, who is looking to find himself. His new surroundings make his life very different and it changes him in a variety of ways. I don’t want to give the plot away, so enjoy the read…. P.S. Alaska is a girl not the state. Happy reading! Ms. Lattimer
Mr. Paul Bryan Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Description: This is a short novel about a web designer who leaves the field due to the recession to work in a bookstore. He soon learns that this is no ordinary bookstore as the only customers come to borrow strange cryptic texts filled with garbled nonsense. He along with his partner in a budding relationship attempt to unravel the mystery using
all of the resources available in modern times.
Mrs. Liz O’Keefe Unfair: The New Science of Criminal Injustice by Adam Benforado Whether you think “Black Lives Matter” or “Blue Lives Matter” or both, this book will change the way you look at justice in America. It turns out that some prosecutors break the law, eyewitnesses can be wrong, and what you look like has more to do with whether or not you are found guilty than the facts. Benforado has science to back up all of his claims, and presents common sense solutions. The book is fascinating, but I can only read a chapter at a time, because the facts are so frustrating.
Mrs. Susan Pomerantz Glimmer Train and The Long Story
I’ve been reading literary magazines lately to see what’s out there that my students might like, and to gauge the field because I am trying to get more of my own stories published. Right now, I have a copy of the latest issue of Glimmer Train and the latest issue of The Long Story, the publication in which I am first-time published! These magazines and journals publish stories that are written in a wide range of styles and topics.
Ms. Amy Cooey Bert and John Jacob’s Life is Good. The Book. How to Live with Purpose & Enjoy the Ride.
This book was given to me as a gift. It focuses on optimism and shares personal life experiences.
Mrs. Jackie Mancinelli Adnan’s Story: The Search for Truth and Justice After Serial by Rabia Chaudry.
This is a true-crime book. It’s about the court case of Adnan Syed, a 17 year-old boy who was accused of murdering his high school ex-girlfriend. He has been imprisoned since 1999 based on little to no evidence linking him to the crime. He has recently been granted a new trial because he is believed to be innocent.
Mr. Greg Sipp Outside Magazine
Ms. Iris Llewellyn “Rules of Civility”
(Women’s neighborhood book club book) and “Inspiralize It!” (cook book about how to make pasta, noodles out of zucchini, I’m trying to get skinny (!), hope springs eternal)
Kevin Crawford The Black Rose by Kevin Callahan
Kevin Callahan is a former writer for the Courier Post and wrote his first book which is available on Amazon. The story takes place down the Jersey Shore in Avalon and Sea Isle. It is about a young man’s experience playing pickup basketball and integrates life lessons, faith, and personal development. The book has been fun for me to read since I know the author, many of the locations the story encompasses, and it is relatable to many of my own life experiences.
Disney remakes are here to stay By KAYLA GAGNON ‘17 Special to the Voyager Nowadays, it seems Disney just cranks out live action versions of their classic films. In fact, they’re even planning up to eighteen more remakes, with movies like Lion King, Mulan, and even Winnie the Pooh. Remaking classic movies or TV shows isn’t a new trend; it’s the same nostalgia that has brought about another Ghostbusters movie, a sequel series to Full House, and a sequel/remake of Terminator. Nostalgia has garnered a pile of money for these Disney remakes. 2010’s Alice in Wonderland brought in $1.025 billion in from the box office. Maleficent made $758.5 million, Jungle Book made $966.6 million, Pete’s Dragon made 143.7 million, and Cinderella made $543.5 million. More recently, Beauty and the Beast has made $400 million worldwide at the time this article was written. From a marketing perspective, targeting nostalgic viewers has paid off, and based on the number of remakes in the works, Disney intends to ride out this wave until people get completely sick of them. When Disney first dropped the teaser trailer for Beauty and the Beast remake, many noted that it had many similarities to the trailer for the original 1991 film. This, of course, was done on purpose. Based on past trends with their other reWhat makes makes, the nostalgia-infused marDisney so special keting has been successful in attracting audiences to theaters. is how they take Thankfully, Disney has made the material they some small changes to some asfind and make pects of the classic film to interest a new set of people. For example, changes to it. Belle is an inventor, instead of her father. And LeFou is gay. Even with these small changes, many of the film’s classic moments, like the ballroom scene, are kept. It’s great to see them go back to the movies that solidified Disney in popular culture, but there are others who still want them to do what they do best: make original stories that take its audience on a journey alongside their main protagonist. Old and new Disney fans have mixed opinions on the live action remakes. Some enjoy the nostalgia and fond memories that come from seeing beloved moments come to life, while others claim that this is a sign that Disney is losing its originality. That’s not true. In fact, Disney has released plenty of original movies with their remakes, like Frozen, Moana, Wreck-It-Ralph, Big Hero 6, and this year’s Oscar winner Zootopia. But are these original movies really “original,” and is the source material the remakes come from “original”? The classic Disney movies everyone knows and loves comes from fairy tales, like Beauty and the Beast and Cinderella. To use more recent examples, Frozen, is loosely based on The Snow Queen by Hans Christian Anderson (the author who wrote The Little Mermaid). Wreck-It-Ralph is heavily inspired by classic video games, and Moana has its origins in Polynesian mythology. What makes Disney so special is how they take the material they find and make changes to it. They create original characters and form a compelling story. This is what makes them “classics. ” So by making remakes, Disney isn’t exactly losing their original formula. Based on their success at the box office combined with the overwhelming positive response to Beauty and the Beast, it looks like these remakes will be around for a long time, or until audiences are no longer interested in them.