Sidebar Articles

See below for national parks video assignment.
Keep studying for grammar and completing journals.
The following is optional extra credit (1 full page DONE CORRECTLY).

What's not on the sidebar is available from me. As we are short on time, I don't want to waste time explaining multiple articles. Some of them are shorter than others, but all are written expressively and well and have a greater meaning that the author has found. That is what you are to be looking for. Write only about these 2 things - not what the story is about. I picked it; I know what it is about.

These are summaries of all of the articles that you CAN read for credit. You do not have to read all of them.
1. The Crocodile Hunter by Terri Irwin – The story of how the Crocodile Hunter and his wife met is a tale of love, happiness, and the reflections of how one person can change the life of another person. Not just that, it’s the story of a person that we all know (the Crocodile Hunter) and an even more human reflection of who he was.
2. Shooting an Elephant by George Orwell – The story of how Orwell served as a police officer in Burma and was asked to “do his job” despite the fact that he was morally repulsed by his title. In the midst of this, he is faced with the responsibility and the hate of those that he serves in his quest to metaphorically and actually kill a rampaging elephant.
3. Lonely at the Top by Steve Friedman – a magazine article where the author expresses his desire to get away from society and philosophically convene with his true self, but in the end, he actually just finds that his true self is more about his Family Guy DVDs than it is about classic literature and nature.
4. The Write Stuff by Buster Olney – a Yankees beat writer (I can be fair and balanced!) recounts a nostalgic tale about growing up to love baseball as told from memories of being the expert autograph hunter.
5. A School for Warriors by Marcus Luttrell – The beginning of his Navy SEAL training. If you find yourself at Barnes and Nobles, you can also read chapter 5, which is the end of his SEAL training. I have a tremendous amount of respect for people who can do physical, intellectual, and social things that I can’t. Luttrell is to be admired for all that he went through to protect US freedom as well as to become the best that he could be.
6. An Apostle of Basketball Jesus by Bill Simmons – The best humorous sportswriter in the business. While Peter Gammons writes incredibly in a straightforward factual manner, Bill is all about Boston area nostalgia and pop culture references in reminiscing about growing up as a Larry Bird fan. I can definitely relate since my dad is every bit the Bird fan that I am the Mcgwire fan.
7. Orchid Fever by Susan Orlean – This is the New Yorker story that became the book entitled The Orchid Thief, which later became the Nick Cage / Charlie Kaufman movie called Adaptation. A good story for rare flower lovers, true crime aficionados, or future psychologists as John Laroche is definitely a “unique” character.
8. You Are Here by Chuck Palahniuk – The author of Fight Club completely agrees with your teacher when it comes to the concept of selling life gone awry stories for cash. Unlike your teacher, he can relate from his real life experience about the concept of going to conventions to sell stories while also telling about the hit or (mostly) miss world of becoming a famous writer.
9. What I’ve Learned by Bryan Anderson – A former Army soldier recounts the horrible tale of losing 2 legs and his left arm in an IED explosion that almost killed him. Nevertheless, instead of being miserable and dejected, Anderson finds strength and purpose in life despite having only 1 limb left. If I could be this positive, my life would be much better than it is. Anderson is a true hero in every form.
10. My Summit Problem by Aron Ralston – The followup to the video that we watch in class. Aron finished the 14ers! Yep, it’s just another chance to read about my personal hero, but alas, any opportunity to be inspired by the toughness of Aron is a good thing.
11. The Truth About Barry Bonds and Steroids by Mark Fainaru Wada and Lance Williams – This is an excerpt from Game of Shadows, the sports altering tell all that combines ethics, sports, criminal justice, and the quest for greatness into one horrific expression that sees the end of any perception of baseball, track, and football’s innocence.
12. Cannibals at Cowboy Wash by Jennifer Marlar and Richard Marlar – If for no other reason to say that you learned “crap” today, you can see how molecular biology applies to archaeology and solving riddles written in history.
13. Death of an Innocent by Jon Krakauer – the tale of Christopher McCandless that became the book and movie Into the Wild expresses how a young man gave up everything to live by a higher moral purpose while becoming Nietzsche’s Uberman in the remote Alaska wilderness. His death gives way to questions and tragedy in the life of all of those that it touches while all the while inspiring people to live by their own power instead of drowning in a sense of entitlement.
14. The Noble Experiment by Jackie Robinson – I could never imagine having to sit back and endure racist garbage without retaliating for a 3-year period, but Jackie took it all in and carried the future of sports integration and civil rights on his back until 1950 when he safely paved the road for all future athletes of non-white races. This autobiography tells about how he came to be faced with the question and the challenge that came before him.
15. A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson – The final chapter of this book details what it means to walk in the woods and what constitutes success. Bryson and his out of shape former high school friend Katz traverse the Appalachian trail in the outback of Maine and wrestle with the decision of what it means to have hiked the trail in this mix of humor and purpose in life story.
16. Amy’s Mom, the Fairy, and the Hedge Clippers / For the Birds by Laurie Notaro – Laurie is basically your friend that just can’t get it together, but still is a good-hearted person with an incredible ability to storytell. These 2 humorous accounts reflect her dealings with her 2 neighbor kids whose misadventures show her a humanity that she otherwise had no knowledge that she had.
17. September 23, 1989 by Chuck Klosterman – From his classic novel Fargo, Rock City, Klosterman takes you on a narcissistic and nostalgic journey to the time that his bank screwed up and deposited additional money in his account. Since it was a large sum of money and it kept finding its way into his account in greater quantities and because he inquired about this twice and it still happened, Klosterman did what any kid would do – spend the money on the subconscious orders of Gene Simmons’ lyrics! I think you can imagine where it goes from here.
18. Hip Hop Planet by James McBride – A jazz loving sociologist reflects the hypocrisy of his lack of understanding of hip hop and proceeds to come to terms with its validity through its history.
19. The Learning Curve by David Sedaris – Have you ever overestimated your talents and abilities because the price is right? David Sedaris did when he took a job as a creative writing teacher at an adult training facility. While his writing is hilarious, his ability to educate students is less than stellar. You can guess where this is going from here.
20. Excerpts from Songbook / Excerpt from High Fidelity by Nick Hornby – A music loving Brit writes fictionally and in retrospective of music’s place in his life. High Fidelity was a movie starring Jack Black and John Cusack and this section discusses how making a good mix tape is an art and how it needs to be planned out. Yes, it’s a subtle attempt to get you to understand how papers need to be planned.
21. Introduction to the Civil War series by Shelby Foote – anyone who can write about one topic in super detail for 20 years and create the definitive resource on the topic is worth listening to or reading about. If for no other reason than to see the 2 greatest compliments that he received, this article is well worth reading.
22. Chapter 1 from I Was Right on Time by Buck O’ Neill – That I never got to meet Buck is one of the things that I can’t take back, but I do have his book, his bobblehead, and his video reflections in the Ken Burns series, so I can remember how much he contributed to getting fellow Negro Leagues players into the Hall of Fame at Cooperstown. This chapter is the altruistic tale of a man attempting to get his fellow teammates into the immortality of baseball’s highest shrine. For the tales of Satchell Paige that are reflected by the kindly old grandfather, this chapter is well worth the read.
23. The Aunties by Anne Lamott – reflections of a woman concerning her coming to grips with the fact that she is no longer a young woman. Nevertheless, her understanding and love of her body is greater than the teenagers who conform to society’s acceptance of what beauty is – while all the while loathing their place in the world. An alternating vision of laughter and the sadness that many people have been reduced to.
24. This is How We Lost to the White Man by Ta-Nehisi Coates – The complexities of Bill Cosby’s recent political speeches are reflected amidst the world of African American identity politics and history. This article is from the Atlantic, and while it is long, it provides an introspective journey into the author’s understanding of the misunderstood comic and social activist.
25. Ty Cobb by Al Stump - For those who like to read about dysfunctional people, Cobb was the most ornery scumbag to ever achieve on the baseball diamond. For all he did on the field, he betrayed everyone in life. This is the story of Stump having to get the info for Cobb's biography and the ordeal that he went through.
26. Mexico's Other Border by Cynthia Gorney - The effects of Mexico's other border on illegal immigration is told compassionately by National Geographic. There are many good articles and essays on the topic of immigration and before people condemn the U.S.'s policy, it is the belief of this teacher that you need to understand all sides. In this, I have a really good Edward Abbey article I would be willing to share with you if you are interested.
27. Man's Search for Meaning by Victor Frankl - What it meant to see, experience, and survive a concentration camp and somehow come away with a clearer purpose in life. Frankly is another of my personal heroes for his decision to choose to live.
28. The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe - What it meant to be a fighter pilot and NASA astronaut in a time when prop planes were moving to jet planes and WW2 was taking place all around the pilot in question. This is the first chapter that romanticizes the danger and the glory of pushing the envelope and fighting the demon in the sky.
29. Ghosts of the Eck by Charlie Adams - Adams is a local enthusiast for all things Berks County. He is especially knowledgable on stories of the paranormal. Many students like these things, and therefore, reading his expressions and connections to this could be very beneficial.
30. Jarhead by Anthony Swofford - Not for the easily upsettable. Not a politically correct watered-down account of what it's like to be a Marine, but rather the last few pages of a book that describes what it feels like to train to be a Marine, to go to war, to see the true expression of war, and to know that said Marine never got to "fire a shot." In the end, this is for better or worse. You decide based on Swofford's words.
31. Breaker Boys by David Fleming - The greatest game ever played by the Pottsville Maroons and Notre Dame 4 Horseman. Football and local history combine as evil forces conspire to ruin Pottsville's chance for the first ever NFL championship after Tony Latone and crew change the face of the game forever. One thing you'll come to see quickly is that this isn't your NFL. Soon to be a movie, but before that, it should be a must read for you!!
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