Judith Guest
Paperback | Pages: 263 pages Rating: 3.91 | 18032 Users | 975 Reviews
List Books Conducive To Ordinary People
| Original Title: | Ordinary People |
| Edition Language: | English |
| Setting: | Lake Forest, Illinois(United States) |
| Literary Awards: | Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize (1976) |
Interpretation In Favor Of Books Ordinary People
Once, when my middle child was 7 or 8 years old, I was listening to the usual rhythm of her saying her evening prayer, when she surprised me by adding, “And Lord, please remember, when I die, I want to come back as a horse. Amen.” I laughed out loud at her prayer, but then I immediately realized my mistake, when I saw her face. She wasn't joking. I switched gears quickly, got serious, and said, “Honey. I don't get it. Why are you asking God to bring you back as a horse?” She answered very matter-of-factly, “Being a person is too hard. I don't want to come back as one, next time. Horses know exactly what to do and they have more fun.” Well, how can anyone argue with THAT? She's right. A horse eats, it drinks, it sleeps, it plays, it procreates, it eliminates, it dies. The horse's trajectory is ruled by nature. It does what a horse does. The end. But, humans. Sigh. Humans. Humans have strayed so far from the caves, our code for being human has become lost to us. Gone are the days of “Ugga, Ugga, Ugga” and all of our problems were solved. Gone are the days of the finger point to the vagina, the penis, the fire, the meat, the water, the baby, the sky, the ground. Our fingers used to do the talking, and I bet we were a HELL of a lot happier, too. (I've pointed my finger at Viggo Mortensen's penis in an earlier review, and nothing happened. It's like all the magic's gone.) But, I digress. Now, depending on culture, religion, geography, and social and economic status, the code can be completely different for each person, and chances are, the human code for YOU is close to impossible anyway, and you feel as though you're failing every day. Nobody's role is simple, these days. Not even a kid's. It used to mean minding your manners, respecting those who were bigger than you, treating each day as a surprise package, waiting to be opened. . . this is the age of perfection, kid. Everybody try their emotional and physical damndest. Strive, strive. Correct all defects. Correct all defects. Don't show weakness. The code for humans is so complicated now, it seems based on a pursuit of perfection we sought for ourselves, but had no realistic basis. We have holy texts that guide us to be good, but none that I'm aware of that ask us to be God. But we ain't Divine, people. And most of us are doing a lousy job of being perfect, but an excellent job of being miserable. And no make-up or yoga pants or juice cleanse or private college or grad school or Paleo diet or test scores or attractive spouse or clever children or 2-car garage or 4,000 square foot home or Mercedes Benz or colored hair or bank account or successful career or skinny ass or perpetual smile is ever going to make us PERFECT. Because we're ORDINARY, people. And as far as I'm concerned. . . the sooner we head back to the caves, the better. I'm headed to mine right now. (I'm trading in my overpriced yoga pants for leopard skins, and Viggo M's ass better be waiting for me). My daughter says she'll carry me on her back.Specify Regarding Books Ordinary People
| Title | : | Ordinary People |
| Author | : | Judith Guest |
| Book Format | : | Paperback |
| Book Edition | : | First Edition |
| Pages | : | Pages: 263 pages |
| Published | : | October 28th 1982 by Penguin Books (first published 1976) |
| Categories | : | Fiction. Classics. Contemporary. Psychology. Young Adult |
Rating Regarding Books Ordinary People
Ratings: 3.91 From 18032 Users | 975 ReviewsNotice Regarding Books Ordinary People
I read this book my senior year in high school. I picked it up off of my dad's bookshelf. I have since reread it and it remains one of my favorites. The family and friendship dynamics are good and the themes are universal. There is an honesty about all things (including depression and relationships) that the main character has that is striking. It could be a fairly quick read, but I still feel that it has a lasting impact.The movie, to me, is not as good as the book. I almost always think thatI read this book for my summer reading and although it was enjoyable, it just took me SO long to read it. Once I put it down, it took a lot out of me to pick it up and read more. That's not really saying it was bad... because it wasn't. Once I did pick it up and was reading it, I enjoyed it and it went a whole lot quicker. However, thinking back on it, there's really no plot. It's mainly just character growth and development. It didn't have too much going on yet it was still 260 pages. I feel as
Once, when my middle child was 7 or 8 years old, I was listening to the usual rhythm of her saying her evening prayer, when she surprised me by adding, And Lord, please remember, when I die, I want to come back as a horse. Amen.I laughed out loud at her prayer, but then I immediately realized my mistake, when I saw her face. She wasn't joking. I switched gears quickly, got serious, and said, Honey. I don't get it. Why are you asking God to bring you back as a horse?She answered very
I found it hard to get into the book, I think this was because of the switching perspective, sometimes it took me some time to figure out which of the two you read along with. I expected the parents would part their ways earlier in the story. For myself I didn't like the garne of the book, for the story it was. You got the change to feel with the characters. For a shorter story like this I feel like something has to happen earlier in the book, it took a long time before something actually
I wish I had the skill to truly analyze what makes the difference between a book where the author tries to manipulate the readers emotions and only gets an hmm how sad from me, or worse, eyerolls, and a book that has me glued to the pages and leaking tears. All I know is that this is one of the latter. In spite of a story that is almost all character, with almost all events taking place within those characters thoughts and emotions and in their interactions with one another, and in spite of a
I really connected with this book. It was emotional on many levels, and brings a very realistic perspective to love, loss, and anxiety. Despite these heavy themes, it also manages to uplift, and feels like a cozy blanket to me. I knew the book would be better than the movie, so wanted to start here first.
Great book. This was one of the most all time depressing reads for me. (first read it as a kid). But it is still a wonderful book. The movie too was incredible.
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