Tahsinur Rahim, Grade 12
UWC-USA
A book that I genuinely love is called The Pearl. It was written by John Steinbeck, whose novels mainly centred around the economic problems of society and rural labour. Some of his famous works include Of Mice and Men, East of Eden and many more. He came from a family of moderate means and worked through school at Stanford University. He would win several literary awards including the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. He died on December 20, 1968.
I first read this book back in grade 9, and normally I do not really like reading school novels that we have to read to improve our English literacy skills. But this book was a bit different. It was the first book that got me captivated and hanging from the edge of my seat. The story had such a deep meaning and a good reflection of greed and materialism in society.
The book follows as such: A family of three, the man of the family, who is a pearl diver, finds a rare pearl. He dreams of selling the pearl for large amounts of money so that he can move his family up the social and economic ladder, such as being able to afford his only child's education and being able to afford a wedding for him and his wife. Eventually, the word gets around town and everyone wants that pearl, which descends into chaos and tragedy.
The book is full of thrilling moments that caught me off guard and on edge. One part of the book where it gets really dramatic is when the infant child gets sick, so he’s taken to the doctor, only for the doctor to turn him down because of the family’s low wealth and racial background. Later on, the doctor would hear about the rare pearl that the family has in their possessions, so he would go visit the baby and give him “medicine”. That medicine turns out to be poison, and the doctor tries to hold him ransom by only offering treatment for the pearl.
It is moments like these that really make me emotionally invested in the book. I never felt twisted or tilted by a character before reading this book. I remember chatting to my friends about the doctor and just badmouthing this character. The book has a good plot that kept me reading the book every day. The only downside is that the ending was somewhat predictable, and I could honestly see the ending coming a mile away. Nonetheless, the book is a good read, and I would recommend this short, 90-page book to anyone who wants to kill an hour or two for reading.
Bibliography
Prize, N., 2022. The Nobel Prize in Literature 1962. [online] NobelPrize.org. Available at: <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1962/steinbeck/biographical/> [Accessed 6 August 2022].
Steinbeck, J., 1947. The Pearl. London: Penguin Books.
Image Courtesy: https://patricktreardon.com/book-review-the-pearl-by-john-steinbeck/
I first read this book back in grade 9, and normally I do not really like reading school novels that we have to read to improve our English literacy skills. But this book was a bit different. It was the first book that got me captivated and hanging from the edge of my seat. The story had such a deep meaning and a good reflection of greed and materialism in society.
The book follows as such: A family of three, the man of the family, who is a pearl diver, finds a rare pearl. He dreams of selling the pearl for large amounts of money so that he can move his family up the social and economic ladder, such as being able to afford his only child's education and being able to afford a wedding for him and his wife. Eventually, the word gets around town and everyone wants that pearl, which descends into chaos and tragedy.
The book is full of thrilling moments that caught me off guard and on edge. One part of the book where it gets really dramatic is when the infant child gets sick, so he’s taken to the doctor, only for the doctor to turn him down because of the family’s low wealth and racial background. Later on, the doctor would hear about the rare pearl that the family has in their possessions, so he would go visit the baby and give him “medicine”. That medicine turns out to be poison, and the doctor tries to hold him ransom by only offering treatment for the pearl.
It is moments like these that really make me emotionally invested in the book. I never felt twisted or tilted by a character before reading this book. I remember chatting to my friends about the doctor and just badmouthing this character. The book has a good plot that kept me reading the book every day. The only downside is that the ending was somewhat predictable, and I could honestly see the ending coming a mile away. Nonetheless, the book is a good read, and I would recommend this short, 90-page book to anyone who wants to kill an hour or two for reading.
Bibliography
Prize, N., 2022. The Nobel Prize in Literature 1962. [online] NobelPrize.org. Available at: <https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/literature/1962/steinbeck/biographical/> [Accessed 6 August 2022].
Steinbeck, J., 1947. The Pearl. London: Penguin Books.
Image Courtesy: https://patricktreardon.com/book-review-the-pearl-by-john-steinbeck/
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