Book XXIV: The Sea-Wolf, Jack London, 1904, 284 pages
“Life is a mess. It is like yeast, a ferment, a thing that moves and may move for a minute, an hour, a year, or a hundred years, but that in the end will cease to move. The big eat the little that they may continue to move, the strong eat the weak that they may retain their strength. The lucky eat the most and move the longest.” London is by far one of my favorite American authors second maybe to Thoreau. His own personal struggle for survival and thirst for adventure translates right into his writing making for some of the most realistic and insightful fiction I have ever laid eyes on. In the Sea-Wolf he challenges the reader with idea of Darwinism and civility as applied to the human spirit. Basic plot line is that a well to do gentleman dandy finds himself stranded aboard a brutish sealing schooner and is forced by the hand of a ruthless captain to work as the ships cabin boy in order to earn his keep. He must cast away all of the morals and teachings of a civilized society to survive. I am not going to tell you any more. Sea-Wolf will take you on an epic journey and harsh look at the human animal as a whole. I highly recommend giving it a read.
For our next book, XXV lets embark on The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins. I know its rare that I buy into popular reading. Especially those that have been hyped up by both the media and made into a movie. Luckily I live under a rock, by choice and rarely go to the movies. Mauriello recommended it to me and being a person who’s literary opinion I truly respect I am giving it a read. Also I scored at a thrift store yesterday for fifty cents. Got to love a bargain.
Surfing Ruined My Life 