Announcements from the Library

Semester I due date: January 18

All library resources are due on January 18, 2012. Please be sure to return all outstanding material so Mrs. Dama can close off the system for the exam break. Thanks!

Posted on Tuesday 10th of January 2012 11:07:11 AM by K. Marsh

Ebooks now available in your digital library

Students may now access 62 new ebook titles in the Glenforest Digital Library. Please follow the instructions below: Go to the Library tab Click on Search Library Catalogue In the search bar, type Gale password: student Have fun!

Posted on Friday 18th of November 2011 11:11:13 AM by K. Marsh

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Put together here are books lists and recommendations by the school for avid readers. Enjoy!

Why read? Click here to find out: Gotta Keep Reading

BOOK REVIEWS

It Could Never Happen To Me

Michelle Richards

We are drawn to books for many reasons: the author, the cover, the content, a recommendation from a friend, a rainy day … and sometimes we miss a good book because no one bothered to tell us about it.

It Could Never Happen to Me is not a book you should miss. Michelle Richards is an up and coming Canadian black woman who published this book when she was only fourteen years old. It was her first novel and one of the proudest moments of her life.

The teacher librarians of Peel had the honour of meeting Ms. Richards last week and we were so impressed, we made sure to bring a copy of each of her books back to the Glenforest Resource Centre for our students to enjoy.

It Could Never Happen to Me is a story about sex, betrayal, trust, growing up, being a young adolescent female in this contemporary world while dealing with shame, confusion, and the consequences of situations that only some of us have experienced but all of us can envision in our own lives. The main character, Keisha Morgan, is a compelling protagonist because she is so believable. Like most young girls, she is beginning to feel passionate and sexual, enjoying the attention of boys while remaining naïve to the magnitude of intimate sexual relationships, especially those that make us a bit uncomfortable. When Keisha has to deal with inappropriate advances from her stepbrother, whom she finds very attractive, the reader feels her dilemma in struggling with right and wrong behaviour. However, we ultimately understand that "no one has the right to take advantage of our bodies; 'no' means 'no', and laws weren't made to be broken" (Introduction, Richards).

This novel is recommended for any high school student who wants to read a realistic novel about sexual activity and abuse among young teens. It Could Never Happen to Me drives home the very message so obvious in its title: it can and will happen to you unless you are prepared and informed about your rights and your choices.

Atlas Shrugged

Ayn Rand

Called the magnum opus of the great American writer Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged is approximately 645,000 words and one of the longest books written in any European language. The book explores a number of philosophical themes that Rand would subsequently develop into her philosophy of Objectivism. Atlas Shrugged was voted the most influential book in readers' lives after the Bible by Time Magazine in 2008.

The theme of Atlas Shrugged is the role of the mind and the morality of rational self-interest – or in other words, the value of selfishness. The main conflict takes place when the ‘individuals of the mind’, the leaders of society, go on strike, refusing to contribute their inventions, art, business leadership, scientific research, or new ideas of any kind to the rest of the world. The strikers believe that they are crucial to a society that exploits them, sees them as evil for their accomplishments and the wealth they rightfully earn, denys them freedom, and fails to acknowledge their right to self-interest. The gradual collapse of civilization is triggered by their strike, the only cure being the respect of private property and a life of laissez-faire capitalism. As the plot suggests, Atlas is an allusion to the figure from Greek mythology punished by Zeus to bear the weight of the heavens on his shoulders.

Atlas Shurgged is a manifesto of Rand’s unique philosophy, expressed in a variety of topics, including sex, politics, friendship, charity, love, among many others. Ultimately, she argues for absolute liberty and views any form of state intervention as fatally flawed. Instead, she advocates independence and individual achievement bound by a ‘rational’ moral code.

The profound and unique ideas of Rand’s philosophy is oftentimes contrary to the conventional doctrine of the day, e.g. her views on selfishness (or rather, rational self-interest) and sex, but she exemplifies her philosophy well through the actions of her characters and the intriguing plot. Filled with passages that make you think, this is not a book to miss.

Name: Margaret Jiang
Date: June 4, 2008