A Year of Reading: My Top 3 Books of 2013

     This past year of 2013, I read many amazing books that taught me so many life lessons and inspired me throughout the year. I read all different genres of books ranging from science fiction to nonfiction and from young adult to adult books that dealt with all kinds of issues. It was very hard for me to pick my favorites since so many of the books I've read have made a difference in my life and I've found many of them so interesting. But looking back through my ELA notebook and reflecting on my reading life, a few books clearly stood out to me as my favorites. The three best books I read in 2013 were The Outsiders, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Wonder because they all taught me important lessons that I now use in my own life through the unique perspectives of the main characters.

     First, one of my top three best books of 2013 is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton because this book opened up my eyes to the different aspects of society and how people can struggle with day-to-day challenges that other people aren't even aware of. It also taught me a lot about labeling people and how people can struggle to break out of being categorized as one thing or another. In the text, the main character, Ponyboy, grew up being raised by his older brother and living in the bad part of town in Oklahoma in the 1960s, where people were classified as either poor "greasers" or rich "socs".  Throughout the text, Ponyboy references himself as an outsider, wanting to be on the inside. Because he's a "greaser", he is excluded from most of society, but the whole book he fights to be on the inside. Ponyboy secretly wanted to fit in with his peers at school, and not be held to the expectation of being who everyone expected him to be-which was a gangster "greaser" who liked violence and being tough. Ponyboy wanted to be accepted for who he was and not be labeled as a "greaser" because he was poor, or a thug because he hung out with tough people. Ponyboy wanted to fit in with his peers at school who were richer and lived in nicer parts of town; he wanted to make something of himself and be more than just labeled as a "greaser" for his whole life. Reading from Ponyboy's perspective and reading about all the hard experiences he's gone through made me think about how lucky I am to grow up in the nurturing environment I'm in. I know that all kids both back in that time period and today don't have the privileges I have, and can be judged for being different than most other kids. Also, the theme of not labeling people reminded me of the movie The Breakfast Club, where all the kids had a specific label they were called during the movie. In real life, kids can be labeled just like this as one thing or another when really, like Ponyboy, there is so much more to them then their label. Overall, this is one of my favorite books because it taught me about seeing people past their labels. 

     Secondly, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safar Foer is one of my top three books because I learned a lot about dealing with my emotions from the main character Oskar's experiences. For example, during the book, Oskar goes on a quest to find the lock that matches a key he found in his deceased father's possessions. The key intrigues him and he goes on a journey, meeting lots of new people such as Abby Black that affect his life and teach him, as well as the reader, different life lessons. These characters Oskar meets teach him and the reader about standing up for yourself, staying strong, and never forgetting the important people in your life. Additionally, in the book, Oskar struggles with facing the reality of his father's death. In the text, Oskar searches day by day for the lock the key fits even though it seems like a hopeless case just because the key was his one last connection to his father. And even though things didn't work out like he planned, Oskar persevered and never doubted himself. However, in the text, Oskar learns to understand that not matter how hard he tries, he'll never get his dad back. From Oskar's effort and determination to find the lock, I learned about how you should never lose hope in the people you have loved, even if you have lost them. And from his acceptance of the loss of his father, I learned in order to move on, you don't' have to lose hope but you do have to accept reality. 

     Furthermore, Wonder by R. J. Palacio is one of my top three books because it taught me about accepting every one no matter how different they may seem on the outside. For instance, in the book, the main character August has a distorted face that often scared other kids away despite his great personality. Many kids made fun of him, ignored him, and played cruel tricks on him. But he ignored the kids and stayed optimistic, no matter how mean the others were. Two kids, Summer and Jack, saw August's inner beauty and befriended him despite what anyone else thought or said about him. And in the end of the book, all the kids accepted August because they saw how wrong they were to think he wasn't like all other kids just because his face looked a little different. The way August was eventually completely accepted into society when he started as a complete outsider taught me about how judging people for looking different is wrong, and about how you should accept people and embrace them for who they are, and not how they look. This book also taught me about not caring what other people think. In the text, the kids in the school make up a fake disease that August has, similar to the cheese touch in Diary of a Wimpy Kid, that makes none of the kids want to go near him. But even though most of the kids at school won't even willingly go within three feet of August and some make noises if he goes near them, August ignores them. Even when one kid accidentally touches August and runs to wash his hands, August keeps his pain on the inside so that the other kids don't see it bothered him. He tries to keep on a brave face, and the way he controls himself even while the kids are so cruel to him inspired me. From August, I've learned that it shouldn't matter what anyone thinks about you but yourself. As long as you believe in yourself, it doesn't matter what anyone else says or does to bring you down.
     In conclusion, The Outsiders, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Wonder were the best three books I read in 2013 because no matter how old or recent they were, all these books taught me timeless lessons that have inspired me throughout this past year. The Outsiders taught me about not labeling people. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close taught me about dealing with your emotions; specifically dealing with grief and overcoming sad times in life. And lastly, Wonder taught me about accepting everyone no matter how different they are on the outside, because they could be the nicest person on the inside. All these books have taught me important lessons and have shown me the world from three very different and unique perspectives. Going into the year 2014, I've made a lot of New Year's Resolutions for myself such as keeping grades up and being nicer to my sister. And one of the resolutions I have made is to make sure I always remember and value the lessons I have learned from all my 2013 reading. In this new year, I hope to learn even more through my reading and find new lessons to use in life. Overall, The Outsiders, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, and Wonder were the best books I read in 2013 because they have made me a better person by teaching me lessons I can use in my own life.