On John Green
Jake Capriotti, Photo Editor
Why is it that between late 2013 and mid-2015 it seemed the internet had a collective crush on John Green? I will admit that I was one of the many who read “The Fault in Our Stars” (and my awkward freshman year self did take a girl I liked to see the film adaptation), but in revisiting the novel, what was the draw? Why did most of us fall into this trap for this book, and equally, for the man behind the book? Why, I ask you? I am genuinely baffled.
On “Pride and Prejudice”
Arvind Sriram, Sports Editor
Honestly, is “Pride and Prejudice” that great of a book? In my opinion, it’s pretty overrated and nothing frustrates me more than the ending … so cliche.
On “In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories”
Helen Wajda, Deputy Opinion Editor
I’ve always gotten scared easily but even so, innocently stumbling across “In a Dark, Dark Room and Other Scary Stories” — a collection of short scary stories — as a kindergartner was a traumatic experience. This collection might be meant for children, but there should definitely be a warning that these stories are seriously dark to prevent scaredy cats like me from reading and enduring months of nightmares about ghost children asking for a ride home and my future spouse’s head being held on only with a green ribbon and falling off whenever they remove said ribbon (don’t even get me started on this one). Can I look back now and see that I was being slightly dramatic when I refused to even go near the section of the library where this book was after reading it? Yes. Am I still slightly triggered when I see green ribbons to this day? Also yes.
On “Little House on the Prairie”
Alexandra Chan, Multimedia Editor
When I was six years old, my parents gifted me a set of “Little House on the Prairie” books. I was obsessed. The paperback spines began to fray, and my mom taught me how to protect them in plastic wrap. Every time we moved houses, I refused to throw them out even though I hadn’t actually touched them in ages. I got curious one day and looked them up online. To my horror, I finally understood the stories’ racist depictions of Native Americans, the manifest destiny-esque desire to settle the West, and the hero-worship of successful homesteaders, even against the pretty mild regulations by the U.S. government. The autobiographical fiction was edited by the author’s daughter, who was largely considered the grandmother of the U.S. libertarian movement. I wonder what other things I enjoyed as a kid are actually terrible.
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