Week 2-February 21

Pick out a passage that strikes you as particularly profound, interesting, makes you think or upsets you. If the passage is really long then focus on one smaller part, the essence of it. Why of all the words and passages in this book, did you choose this one? What is the author's message, and what does it mean to you? If this question makes you think of a book you have previously read, use that one. Always be sure to include the title of your book in the answer.

"Lucille let out a long sigh. She took the cigarette out of her mouth and drowned it in one of the Dixie cups.She pushed her chair back and stood up, wincing a bit as she straightened her knees. 'All right, Mr. Swift, you're gonna get your wish. We're gonna take you to a place where you'll have plenty of folks to chat with.'

'Where? Washington?'

She chuckled. 'No this is a place a bit farther south. A lovely little spot called Guantanamo Bay.'"

This statement just makes me mad. This man, Mr. Swift has classified information that could make or break a case and they (The FBI) is threatening to send him to Guantanamo Bay. This won't accomplish anything. Yes, he is withholding information from the FBI. Yes, withholding information is a federal offense. But David Swift was the only person that was trusted with the information, and David Swift is the ONLY person who knows what to do with it. I chose this passage because it was the turning point of the book.

Week 1- February 14

What would life be like if you were best friends with the protagonist of your book? What kind of life does he or she lead? Would this be a positive or negative relationship? Would your family and friends approve of this person? Be specific.

In the book The Final Theory, the protagonist is David Swift. Hans Kleinman was a colleague of Albert Einstein when Einstein was working on his Unified String Theory. David Swift was one of Hans' students. Hans is brutally tortured. Once David got to the hospital, his college professor whispered a long sequence of numbers in his ear, seconds before he dies. Since then, David has been chased by the FBI and terrorists trying to get these numbers that could release some information to nuclear weapons.

If I were friends with the protagonist, I would be extremely intelligent. I would also live a life of science. David Swift works for NASA. I wouldn't imagine that he has much free time. Therefore, I would pry be his colleague. This would be a positive relationship. If my family and friends knew the story behind him, they would approve. But if they just knew that he is the most wanted person in all of New York, they wouldn't.