Unlike Mudbound, Cold Mountain was a bit more difficult for me to get into. I just didn’t seem to personally “click” with the characters like I had with the other novel. My mind wandered so much, even just in the first chapter. I’ve read books that were hard to read at first and then got really good, but that wasn’t the case this time. I found myself constantly thinking, “only this many pages left until I finish!” It’s so hard to focus on a book when all you’re thinking about is when it ends. I read with my Kindle app at night time because studying at night helps me retain information. Even so, I could barely focus on the reading. My attention span lasted maybe twenty-six seconds, maximum. I had to be really forceful with myself and trudge through this one.

I didn’t really enjoy how descriptive and in depth Frazier was because it made the book seem to drag on unnecessarily, in my opinion. In some cases, it seems like lots of detail actually makes a book harder to read. I was reminded of The Picture of Dorian Gray because it was difficult to read just because of its intricate and long sentences, and Cold Mountain gave me the same issues. Not necessarily because the sentences were too long, but because of the switches in thought. The book would read about what Inman was doing, then about what he was thinking about, and then another memory of his. I found it confusing at some points, and I’ve had to read paragraphs over again just to grasp an understanding. It wasn’t short, sweet, and to the point. It was a text that hopped back and forth between events in flashbacks and present time.

Perhaps if Frazier’s writing style was different, I would have found Cold Mountain much more enjoyable. It bored me, to be completely honest. I don’t mean to break an English teacher’s heart, but I just couldn’t get into it. However, I did enjoy the changes in point of view. I appreciated it, a lot actually, because the story wasn’t flattened into just one side. Getting a glimpse of Inman and Ada’s side was refreshing, especially with a slower novel.  I wish it would have been more like Mudbound, which had multiple sides to see and connect. I think that, with multiple sides to see, it’s easier to understand a novel because there are fewer questions left unanswered.

In regards to characters, Ada first seemed like a snobbier person. It is then made more understandable that she is very sheltered by her education, and she grieves the loss of her father. Coming together with Inman seemed to change her for the better, and to calm her nerves. She’s a very fearful character, but I feel that having Ruby and her own daughter will keep her more secure.

Inman wasn’t a bad character, either. He was well developed and easier to understand than most things in the book. It’s very obvious that the war impacted him, as he had wished for his own blindness after seeing the blood and gore. Frazier focused on that part of the war more than anything else, which probably impacted the story line all on its own. The time period was easy to understand too, as fallen soldiers had wounds that continued to rot because no one could treat it properly. That’s how it was then, and it’s unfortunate, but the main character pulled through from his neck wound, and that made me appreciate how strong he was.

That may be why the ending was so upsetting to me. In my eyes, Inman was strong and a great character, so it makes me wonder why Frazier decided to cut him off. Ridding of a main or very important character isn’t uncommon, (I’m looking at you, George R. R. Martin), but in this case, I just couldn’t understand it. He survived his wounds and he became one with Ada, but even still, his own daughter will have nothing but her mother’s memories of her father to learn from. It really makes you wonder how long you have yourself when characters can be ripped away in just a page turn.

At the start of Mudbound, my curiosity went from touching the ground to being launched into orbit. Upon reading the summary, I could tell it wasn’t my usual kind of book, and I underestimated it way too much. Hillary Jordan crafted a story that was beautiful and sickening and much too real all at once. The characters seemed alive to me, so real and close to the time period, and often times I felt myself feeling their emotions.

I connected with Laura greatly, especially during the time she lived in the shack of a home she was brought to. I kept thinking about how I would have confronted Henry and how much of an unfair husband he seemed, only to realize that I couldn’t confront him much at all. This was a different time period, during the war, when minorities and women didn’t have all the rights that they do today. Back then, once you married a man, that’s really it. You’re his now. Often, I wondered to myself if Laura would have left at some point, if she even could. I even doubted her love for Henry, especially when the text said that she truly hated her husband at some moment. I grew so frustrated for her in so many instances, I actually started scolding the book and doing that whisper-screaming thing at midnight. In all honesty, Laura’s case made me very grateful for the things that I have today, including my rights.

Hands down, no question about it, Jamie was my favorite character. The charm he was said to have in the book was brought to life. I liked him as soon as I was introduced to him. I pitied him, and I appreciated his kindness towards Ronsel and Laura. Whenever he was being scolded, which was often, I thought of him as a misbehaved pet. I felt like that kind of grandma who tells their daughter or son to leave their grandchild alone when they were being picked on. His drinking problem and nightmares genuinely made me sad, and I actually wished for them to go away. His selflessness was one of the things that made me like him so much. His acts towards Ronsel were a breath of fresh air, because everyone else in the story, besides his own family, were jerks to him. Building a shower for Laura and noticing that she was miserable was also relieving, because Laura deserved to be happy. It seemed that everyone, besides Laura, Ronsel and the children, were hard on him. It was so exciting when the book changed into his point of view, because I was so interested in what he thought and what his plans were. Jamie was a character that was very easy to be drawn to, and I feel that the story would have been very different without him.

Finding out that Jamie had been the one to kill Pappy was a bit of a surprise for me, but it didn’t stop me from liking him as much as I do. I hated Pappy so much. He was such an insensitive, miserable old man, with no respect for anyone. He’s definitely up there on my most hated characters list, along with Dorian Gray and Jack of “Lord of the Flies.” In a way, Jamie reminds me of Basil and Ralph, who were just misunderstood, and the ones around them refused to listen to them. It seems all stories have a character like that, with bright ideas and beliefs with no one to agree to or hear them.

Regarding Pappy, as much as I hated him, I wished to see a bit in his point of view. I wanted to know what feelings were really stirred up in that stubborn man’s heart. There’s no doubt in my mind that he hated Ronsel, unfortunately. However, I was dying to know what he was thinking of Jamie. He was so rude, so cruel to his own son, and I wanted to know the real reason why. I feel that, if we saw Pappy’s point of view, the story would be much different, and maybe he wouldn’t be hated as much by readers. That’s just assuming I’m not the only one hating on him, though.

With Hillary Jordan’s formatting, I got to see many different lives and how they were affected and connected into one whole story. I liked it so much because of the fact that it wasn’t restricted to one person’s side. Seeing how everyone thought and how they felt made all the difference. It filled me with so much emotion, questions and ideas that I enjoyed every bit of it, except for Ronsel’s punishment. That put a metaphorical hole in my heart for a time, especially reading the very last part of the book. Even though it was the end of the story, I wished for his happiness. Mudbound was a work of art, and I’d easily recommend it to anyone who asked.

The simple, three words pieced together to create the question “who are you” will show up again and again in all our lives, whether you’re meeting new people or going into a job interview. Maybe I’m only speaking for myself, but I always feel the need to rehearse who I actually am because I’m always changing and growing.

My name is Taylor Bailey, and looking back now as a senior, I’ve realized how much I’ve changed since I was a freshman at Spring Mills High. I still have learning and growing up to do, but I’m very proud of the person I am today. I was born in Baltimore, Maryland and I lived in Catonsville up until I was about six years old, and then I moved to Arbutus. I lived there for two years until I moved to Falling Waters, and I’ve been in the same house since.

Writing is a form of expression, and I’m certain I’m not the only one who sees it that way. You don’t sit down and force it from your head. You “just write”, and everything you want to say cascades from pen to paper with ease. I believe writing comes to you, not the other way around. Music and books are all creative pieces of someone who wanted to make something beautiful, and the combinations and possibilities are endless. In a story, you can create anything you’ve ever wanted to see, and the characters themselves take on lives of their own. To me, that’s what’s beautiful.

The unexpected changed who I was. I believe this is the best memoir I could possibly hand to anyone to describe myself. The events in my life that appeared while I was off guard are the ones that have shaped me into the being that I am at this very moment. My eyes are now wide open, my vision is clearer, and I see things in others that no one else might notice just with their first glance. I am more connected with people and the mind itself.

I live by a quote by Walt Disney. “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, and dreams are forever.” Adults are just kids grown up, anyway. I still enjoy coloring and finger painting with my younger siblings, creating things from scratch, and my obsession with Disney might be borderline unhealthy. (Seriously, I’ve been to Disney three times and will probably go more, and I watch an original movie marathon about twice a week. I have a problem.)

I’m sure most of you know I’m a singer. I love music, it’s my blood and my bones and my soul. I love my guitar and my keyboard, and I play both daily. Show choir is my favorite thing ever, no matter how stressful it can get. I am the Soprano Section Leader this year, and I’m excited to see my peers and the choir as a whole grow. My favorite place to be is up on the stage, under the spotlights, surrounded by the ones I care about. It’s even better when you have an awesome choreographer and music put together, which is the equation for slaying the stage. I could go on and on for a million years about what Flight means to me. I love it so much.

As far as I go, I’m as simple as it comes. I’ve grown sort of quiet over the summer, but I’m still my happy self. I am filled to the brim with joy about the opportunity to be a part of this class, and I’m so excited to learn and work with everyone.