Chuck Liddell is a tiger with an attitude like no other. Since an early age, Chuck was put into violent situations where he found himself extremely upper handed. Chuck had a natural flair for fighting, because he always strived to better himself, a fight was a challenge that he was always able to rise up to meet. This is a real interesting book that is motivating and helps to understand the mentality of MMA (mixed martial arts) fighters. Much of the book is about battling conflicts within your life. One of the greatest things in the book is that it tells you to listen to your mother and stay true to your family. It really teaches you values about how you don’t need to live in the greatest town ever, to be a star.
“What’s not to love about Chuck Liddell? He has transcended the sport to become a cultural icon. He is the guy for most guys, a real-life hero in a world of spoiled, whiny poseurs, Arnold without the script." – ESPN THE MAGAZINE
This book to me was a very different experience because it was the first time that I have actually read an autobiography. I know that that sounds a little preposterous and silly but it’s true. The way that he phrased his sentences and his word usage really makes you want to bow down to him. He uses imagery to make him seem like a god in the eyes to his opponents. To the reader I’m sure that he can have the same affect. Chuck does a good job putting fear into the minds of his opposing team, this is mental toughness. He talks about mental toughness, and how you need it to get by in harsh sports such as MMA. Chuck Liddell, sporting a short cut Mohawk, standing 6 feet and 2 inches, and having a tattoo etched into the side of his head, is big into mind games.
I have read biographies before, but the ideas and tone of the book is so different because of the way that he puts himself out there. Instead of having someone else judge him, he judges himself.
“When I walk out of the tunnel, I can see the lights, hear the music, feel the crowd, but it all begins to close off as I near the cage. By that point I’m thinking, I’ve been training hard, it’s time to focus….everyman is born with a fight-or-flight instinct, and mine is to fight. It always has been.” – Chuck Liddell
This book has really shown me how hard people work to become champ. I really liked it because it was all about Chuck Liddell… and he is the man! (That also explains how I feel about the author)
Monday, December 8, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
First Quarter Book Review
After the Second Civil War, Connor, Risa, and Lev are on a quest to save their own lives from being unwound. In Cincinnati Ohio, where every person is an obstacle, the challenge to stay unnoticed can be quite difficult when everyone’s out to find you. Unwinds aren’t wanted in society, and are only needed for their body parts. To stay alive until your eighteenth birthday is a challenge, a dream, and a distant hope for these teens.
On the back of my book, there aren’t any quotes so it is hard for me to express the way that people feel about the book. I’m sure that people love it as much as I did.
This book had an unusual writing style in the sense that ever chapter changed names of who the chapter involved. The book itself is written in third-person omniscient. This phrase means that the narrator of the book knows everyone’s thoughts to contribute to the story line. Using third-person omniscient is a smart idea for this book because there are so many details; it would be hard to read every person’s thoughts and expressions without it. Neal has a way of writing about objects and ideas before he explains them fully. In the beginning of the book, he provides you with just the bare minimum of information for you to understand the basic plot.
This book is really not like any that I have read before, it is unique to me. Although I don’t read the most ever, I have read enough to know that this book truly sticks out from the others in creativity.
“The mother is nineteen, but she doesn’t feel that old. She feels no wiser, no more capable of dealing with this situation, than a little girl. When, she wonders, did she stop being a little child? The law says it was when she turned eighteen, but the law doesn’t know her.” – PG 53
This book has inspired me to think out of the box in many areas and aspects in my life. The ideas that this book puts forward really makes one think about life and how you should value what you have. This author’s captivating ideas, dialog, and descriptive diction captured my attention and made me a fan after the first chapter. Neal Shusterman has changed my perspective on certain values that I had and my standards for a good book have just raised a couple ranks thanks to him.
http://myspace.com/connorunwind
http://myspace.com/risaunwind
On the back of my book, there aren’t any quotes so it is hard for me to express the way that people feel about the book. I’m sure that people love it as much as I did.
This book had an unusual writing style in the sense that ever chapter changed names of who the chapter involved. The book itself is written in third-person omniscient. This phrase means that the narrator of the book knows everyone’s thoughts to contribute to the story line. Using third-person omniscient is a smart idea for this book because there are so many details; it would be hard to read every person’s thoughts and expressions without it. Neal has a way of writing about objects and ideas before he explains them fully. In the beginning of the book, he provides you with just the bare minimum of information for you to understand the basic plot.
This book is really not like any that I have read before, it is unique to me. Although I don’t read the most ever, I have read enough to know that this book truly sticks out from the others in creativity.
“The mother is nineteen, but she doesn’t feel that old. She feels no wiser, no more capable of dealing with this situation, than a little girl. When, she wonders, did she stop being a little child? The law says it was when she turned eighteen, but the law doesn’t know her.” – PG 53
This book has inspired me to think out of the box in many areas and aspects in my life. The ideas that this book puts forward really makes one think about life and how you should value what you have. This author’s captivating ideas, dialog, and descriptive diction captured my attention and made me a fan after the first chapter. Neal Shusterman has changed my perspective on certain values that I had and my standards for a good book have just raised a couple ranks thanks to him.
Project- Myspaces for certain characters:
http://myspace.com/levunwind
http://myspace.com/connorunwind
http://myspace.com/risaunwind
Friday, October 3, 2008
The Victory Music
In my introductory paragraph, I am supposed to inform you about value… but the true question is do you value my opinion enough to listen to me? If you continue to read, you obviously value my opinion enough to carry on, or I have kept your attention long enough through a captivating question, in which was rhetorical to begin with. The true idea behind the question is that moments, ideas, and opinions all have value just as physical objects have financial value. But who should be the one to say that financial value is worth more than valuing something of idea? Value is purely an abstract concept created by humans.
-=-=-
My foot pressures against the matted steps of the bus leading up to the driver. My fingers slip into the right pocket on my favorite cargo shorts. Now I have found my silver bus pass that awaits my grasp every school morning. The pass allows me to continue on my voyage to the back of the bus. Dragging steps bring me to my destination and the bus jerks forward. The boy in the seat in front of me is taking his daily morning school ride nap.
-=-=-
By now my hands have made it into my left pocket of my cargo shorts to reach my lime green savior from silence. I gradually expose my iPod, unwinding the coiled headphones. The perfect buds fit my ears with a tight bond. My right thumb releases the HOLD, and taps the menu button. The backlight shines upon the bus ceiling almost appearing like I’ve revealed treasure in a cartoon. My eyes adjust to the magical luminosity and I can see the blue streak scroll down and select music, artist, and the acacia strain. My finger now relaxes as the music travels through my head and I hold back the lyrics that are now so familiar.
-=-=-
I watch out the window at the passing trees embellished with leaves of orange, red, and gold while music beats bounce through my head. We arrive at school and it is time once more for the perfect feeling to leave. My iPod returns to its pocket, and I walk off the bus into the chilled air of October.
-=-=-
The words slip out of the ref’s mouth and we both hesitate before the interaction. “WRESTLE!” Our arms clasp together and our eyes met for a split second. He could spot the determination in my glare, but I could see the fear in his eyes. I forcefully snap him down to the unforgiving mat. His breathe is beginning to pick up and I can feel his heart jumping every other beat. Chop the arm, hold, spin, breakdown; I can only hear the coaches’ words in a sea of wrestlers. Almost as though Coach was whispering directly into my ear, everyone else vanished. I feel myself beginning to sweat, but it is incomparable to the streams of sweat pouring off of my opponent. He is slippery, but my grasp is too firm for mistakes.
-=-=-
I toss him horizontally over my body, and I can feel his back rest on the mat for a few seconds and tilt up. I can sense the terror in his movements and I power burst through his leverage and tilt him vertically against the sweat marinated mat. The ref’s hand never took such a lengthy time to hit the mat before the pin. The victory was well deserved and the title of Youth Western Massachusetts Champion was awarded to the right man; me.
-=-=-
In my life, I appreciate different things for similar reasons. I value my iPod with extreme intensity not only because it cost me 200 dollars, but because it provides daily entertainment on the bus and at home. My iPod is not just an insignificant electronic device to me; it is a large part of who I am. When I have difficulty sleeping, waking up, or even concentrating, my iPod can comfort me into success.
-=-=-
I truly value my victory leading to me becoming YWMC for my weight class for the reason that It gives me something to brag about, and the exact moment I pinned my opponent, I knew my hard work had paid off. The feeling of success from a well deserved goal is one of the best feelings you can have in my opinion. Every time that I remember that victorious moment in my life thus far, I cannot wait to see what life has in store for me in the future.
-=-=-
The memory of victory in comparison to my iPod is different no doubt, but how different is it? To me, the thought of overcoming a hindrance gives close to the same feeling of listening to a brutal jam on my iPod. In both cases, my easily released adrenaline pumps through my veins. All together, what I personally value in life is most likely different from what you value… but who really values your opinion anyways, right?
-=-=-
My foot pressures against the matted steps of the bus leading up to the driver. My fingers slip into the right pocket on my favorite cargo shorts. Now I have found my silver bus pass that awaits my grasp every school morning. The pass allows me to continue on my voyage to the back of the bus. Dragging steps bring me to my destination and the bus jerks forward. The boy in the seat in front of me is taking his daily morning school ride nap.
-=-=-
By now my hands have made it into my left pocket of my cargo shorts to reach my lime green savior from silence. I gradually expose my iPod, unwinding the coiled headphones. The perfect buds fit my ears with a tight bond. My right thumb releases the HOLD, and taps the menu button. The backlight shines upon the bus ceiling almost appearing like I’ve revealed treasure in a cartoon. My eyes adjust to the magical luminosity and I can see the blue streak scroll down and select music, artist, and the acacia strain. My finger now relaxes as the music travels through my head and I hold back the lyrics that are now so familiar.
-=-=-
I watch out the window at the passing trees embellished with leaves of orange, red, and gold while music beats bounce through my head. We arrive at school and it is time once more for the perfect feeling to leave. My iPod returns to its pocket, and I walk off the bus into the chilled air of October.
-=-=-
The words slip out of the ref’s mouth and we both hesitate before the interaction. “WRESTLE!” Our arms clasp together and our eyes met for a split second. He could spot the determination in my glare, but I could see the fear in his eyes. I forcefully snap him down to the unforgiving mat. His breathe is beginning to pick up and I can feel his heart jumping every other beat. Chop the arm, hold, spin, breakdown; I can only hear the coaches’ words in a sea of wrestlers. Almost as though Coach was whispering directly into my ear, everyone else vanished. I feel myself beginning to sweat, but it is incomparable to the streams of sweat pouring off of my opponent. He is slippery, but my grasp is too firm for mistakes.
-=-=-
I toss him horizontally over my body, and I can feel his back rest on the mat for a few seconds and tilt up. I can sense the terror in his movements and I power burst through his leverage and tilt him vertically against the sweat marinated mat. The ref’s hand never took such a lengthy time to hit the mat before the pin. The victory was well deserved and the title of Youth Western Massachusetts Champion was awarded to the right man; me.
-=-=-
In my life, I appreciate different things for similar reasons. I value my iPod with extreme intensity not only because it cost me 200 dollars, but because it provides daily entertainment on the bus and at home. My iPod is not just an insignificant electronic device to me; it is a large part of who I am. When I have difficulty sleeping, waking up, or even concentrating, my iPod can comfort me into success.
-=-=-
I truly value my victory leading to me becoming YWMC for my weight class for the reason that It gives me something to brag about, and the exact moment I pinned my opponent, I knew my hard work had paid off. The feeling of success from a well deserved goal is one of the best feelings you can have in my opinion. Every time that I remember that victorious moment in my life thus far, I cannot wait to see what life has in store for me in the future.
-=-=-
The memory of victory in comparison to my iPod is different no doubt, but how different is it? To me, the thought of overcoming a hindrance gives close to the same feeling of listening to a brutal jam on my iPod. In both cases, my easily released adrenaline pumps through my veins. All together, what I personally value in life is most likely different from what you value… but who really values your opinion anyways, right?
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