The Notebook Book Trailer

Made By: Ashley Clark, Caroline Backs, and Edy De Arco

Book Adaptations: The Notebook

The second book that I read for best sellers was the Notebook. I had already seen the movie many times and it's definitely a favorite of mine, but when I read the book I was a little let down. The movie went way more in-depth and had a much greater amount of content than the book. But it made sense because the book really only has at most about six or seven scenes total. In The Notebook Allie and Noah rekindle a lost love from when they were young adults. The movie adaptation included the entire initial romance between the two lovers. Of how they met, fell in love, and then how they were forced onto separate paths. But the book only hints to the past. Leaving the reader with holes in the history between Allie and Noah.

Since there are so few scenes in the first place I would not cut any of them, just make alterations. They are all vital to the plot of the story, however, I would perhaps alter the first half of the book. It took the book about 80 pages to get to the action so I would definitely shorten that portion. This is the time when Allie goes to find Noah back in their hometown of New Bern. It took the two about two days to finally rekindle their love for each other. I would cut out the side conversations and move straight to the action.

Another scene I would alter is when Allie's fiancee discovers that Allie was trying to meet with Noah. In the book I found that part in general to be very unbelievable because nobody would just jump to the conclusion that their fiancee was out with another man. Especially since Allie was characterized as being very loyal. So that surely doesn't match up. Instead, I would have Allie go back to her fiancee (like she did in the movie) to confess to him of what she had really been doing.

The movie's addition of the romance between young Noah and young Allie turned out fantastic. But it did change some things that I don't think were the best choices. For example, the movie made Noah seem very bold and made it so that he had to chase Allie down to get her to date him. In the book he was described as being very shy and soft-spoken. The chase never occurred either, the two just naturally fell in love. Nothing forced, and I liked that. The movie also portrayed the couple as fighting a lot, and I guess it does add more action, but I still believe that all the fighting could have been omitted. Again, their love was supposed to be natural, nothing forced.

Two scenes that are essential to the book are the first and the last. Both are about Allie and Noah as an old couple. Allie had Alzheimer's and Noah would read to her in the retirement home to help her remember him and their love. The movie also did a fantastic job as portraying the two as senior citizens.       The movie kept a lot of quotations from the book in these two scenes. One of my favorite is in the beginning when Noah is introduced to the reader:

“I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”

The first scene in the book is vital to the plot because the whole plot revolves around Noah telling Allie the story of their love to get her to remember. So almost the entire book is a flashback. It's very important for the reader to know this. The last scene is also extremely important because it's when Allie remembers Noah even though she has Alzheimer's. The doctors say it's impossible for her disease to reverse, but the fact of the matter is that their love was so great that it had the capacity to create miracles. And it did.

Escaping the Labyrinth: Looking for Alaska

Looking for Alaska is a riveting novel about the adventures of Pudge, the Colonel, and Alaska on the campus of Culver Creek Preparatory School. Self-destructive, Alaska Young, completely unraveled during one late night of drinking, in which led to her tragic death in an unforgiving car accident. Pudge and the Colonel - left broken themselves – attempted to piece together the events leading up to her decision to drive off campus and leave. Was it Suicide? Were they the ones at fault? Where was she going? These were all questions the asked relentlessly throughout part two.

The readers, the fanatics, the enthusiasts are now able to experience this hunt and actually look for Alaska themselves through geocaching.

ge·o·cach·ing

verb

1.      the recreational activity of hunting for and finding a hidden object by means of GPS coordinates posted on a website.

Objects and clues will be placed in each location leading up to the solution of Alaska’s death. The readers can take however much time necessary to complete the scavenger hunt. For example if they wish to experience this investigation as they read the book. This is available. The first location starts with the first and most devastating of events from part two: the realization. During this event the Eagle comes to Pudge and the Colonel’s room to tell of the news from the previous night, referring to Alaska’s terrible death, and how sorry he was from the line of events. So the reader will start out on the Looking for Alaska website and listen to an audiotape of the Eagle and his news. Then, the line of events starts there, a set of coordinates will be displayed below the audio file, and finally the journey has begun.

During these line-of-events the reader will go to all of the places that Pudge and the Colonel went to: the funeral, Alaska’s dorm room, etc. In each location there will be a sheet of paper stating the GPS coordinates for the new location. At every location there will be a wooden box with quotes and items inside that were found in that location from the book. For example, when the reader goes to Alaska’s dorm room, there will be a multitude of items. One of the items will be Alaska’s favorite book by Simon Bolivar who’s last words were, “How will I ever escape this labyrinth?”. Finally at the end - after all the clues have been found - the reader will have the satisfaction of going to the site where Alaska passed, whether it be on foot or by car, the reader decides. At this location a mass amount of quotations from before Alaska’s death and objects in her memory will be found. In conclusion to the journey on single excerpt from after her death will be found, larger than the others, “I would never know her well enough to know her thoughts in those last minutes, would never know if she left us on purpose. But the not-knowing would not keep me from caring, and I would always love Alaska Young, my crooked neighbor, with all my crooked heart.”

In between every event you have the choice of either attending class or skipping – to get the full effect of the novel. The only class listed is Religion’s Class. Every class period there will be about a five to ten minute lecture about life and the questions surrounding it. Most will be references from the book, but other concepts are extras that have been mentioned in other John Green books. A couple of the contemplative questions that will be asked during this worldwide search for Alaska includes, “What happens when we die?” along with the question “Without pain, how could we know joy?”. At the end of the scavenger hunt you will be left with a slip of paper with a single essay question: “how will you personally escape this labyrinth?” You have the option to write. You have the option for discussion. If you decide to write an essay you can share it with the world, send it to John Green, or just keep it for yourself.

Looking for Alaska is a very contemplative book. It brings about many questions and thought provoking statements. This geocaching experience is meant to encourage a higher level of thinking and create a journey for the reader as if they were actually in the book. The interactive aspect of it will draw in new interest for the book itself and to John Green book’s as a whole.

What is a book?

A book is a concrete form of literature – or at least should be. Our modern-day society wants to acquire more and more with more convenience. For example say, the kindle? But the reality of the matter is if we surround ourselves with digital this and digital that, then we aren’t being surrounded by anything at all. We aren’t just data on a computer, we are human beings. So we should be surrounding ourselves with concrete, physical objects instead of codes being emitted from computer systems. A book has a cover, a back, pages in between, and stories imprinted onto all three. With a nook you can’t flip through the pages, you can’t highlight or write on top, you can’t rip it up if you hate it, and you can’t display it on your bookshelf if you love it. Then, what happens if a database crashes or your kindles get a virus? Will our vast selection of books disappear into thin air – maybe as if they weren’t even there to begin with? Does this ring a bell? Well, that’s what I’m getting at. A book is not just a concept, idea, or train of thought. A book is something you have, own, lend, and borrow -- physically hold.

The evolution of acquiring a book has gone from going to libraries/book stores, ordering off amazon, to purchasing off amazon. First we cut the journey from the comfort of our home to the bookstore, then even the wait for the book to come in the mail. Everybody talks about how it’s not the destination that matters, but the journey right? Then why are we carving ourselves shortcuts through society? The effort it takes to get a book has been reduced, so the appreciation of the book has been lost. This is a very sad occurrence. The mass production of books has even stopped. Literature is being handed out like digital candy and just as easily being thrown away. If this process continues, I fear that books will become faceless entities of the past.

Why Do I Read?

I read for a multitude of reasons. The more popular being that I just enjoy reading for entertainment or to learn. But the main reason I like to read is to hear the thoughts that go on inside other people's heads. When you read books, you get a glimpse into the lives of others. You see the wisdom and knowledge they've acquired over the years. This feature is more prevalent in poetry, that's why I love poems so much. The Wild Iris is by far the most insightful book I have ever read. Every line dripped with hidden meanings waiting to be uncovered. Other great books with insight include Looking for Alaska, Skinny, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Because I am Furniture, etc. I find that I learn more about life in books such as these, than I could ever have absorbed in any old textbook. A great concept that i've grown to love was in the form of a quote in The Perks of Being a Wallflower: "we accept the love we think we deserve." I never quite understood at first, but then the idea grew and grew along with material from other books and written works.