My first book for my independent study was a realistic fiction novel written by Nicholas Sparks, and it was called, "The Guardian". The novel begins by introducing the main character, a recent widow, who is given a puppy for Christmas as one of her husband's last wishes. She begins dating about two years after her husband's passing. The main character, Julie, soon realizes that the one man she would ever want to be with is her late husband's best friend. As they embark on their journey, jealousy begins to turn their lives upside down. I won't give any more away, but it is an exhilarating story full of tragedies and also happiness.
The author included some interesting ideas. Sparks included his thoughts by narrating them as the character's own thoughts. The first quote that captivated me, was about dwelling on the past. "People come in two varieties: those who look out the windshield and those who stare in the rear view mirror." Just take a moment and think about that quote and relate life and its experiences to driving. When driving, you should focus on the road in front of you. You should look for obstacles that may be put in your path, rarely looking behind you. With that said, you should still take a fleeting glance at the road behind you to help you decide how to move forward. When you look back on life, you shouldn't dwell on what happened, you should focus on what you learned from your experiences. That will allow you to move or drive forward in a better way than before. No one should aspire to be a person who only looks in the rear view mirror. If that is all you wish to do, you will soon find yourself in a horrific accident and possibly find yourself physically or mentally destroyed. There was another quote that drove home the point of looking to the future instead of the past, that stated, "Gotta focus on the future, not the past, because that's the only part that's still up for grabs."
Sparks uses his unique voice to share an opinion with his readers on control in one's life. "Most people lived under the illusion that they were in control of their lives, but that wasn't completely true. Yeah, you could decide what to have for breakfast and what to wear, all those little things, but as soon as you stepped out into the world, you were pretty much at the mercy of everyone else around you." This quote is a great conversation piece. Many people may try to rebut this statement, but I believe it to be true. Just when you have your life going down your desired path, someone or something can derail your life tremendously. This has happened to me many times. Just this summer, I was looking to have a great year at horse shows, but my plans quickly changed when my horse got severely injured. I thought I had full control of my life, but I can now say I didn't. Another example is one that breaks everyone's heart, but can still happen to anyone. Drunk drivers who crash into other cars is something everyone has heard about. You can be the best driver, but if someone else on the roads is under the influence, your life is in their hands; they have the capability to end your life. Maybe the best thing for us to do is to admit that we have very little control of our lives and our lives may become dramatically less stressful.
This book may have been about a woman getting over heartbreak and learning to love again, but I got so much more out of it. The ideas that I developed from these quotes will be what I truly remember. That is what we need kids and teens to realize. They shouldn't read to discover an interesting plot, they should read to challenge their thinking and the preconceived ideas on life.
