Ten Thousand Saints...

is a book by Ithaca College's very own Eleanor Henderson, which I read over the summer.  I read it through once when I first got it, and I'm starting to re-read it because I realized that I do not rememeber anything.  Yipee.
I felt that the beginning of the book, before Jude goes to New York, had a very distinct feel.  The two boys were stuck in a rut in their lives, and they just want out.  It felt gritty and dirty; I guess that 'grunge' would be a decent word to describe it.  It felt like they were so disenchanted and restless.  I guess I connected to it really well because that's what happens to me during the summer when there's nothign to do.  I wander around a tiny and boring area, just searching for something, anything to do.

What really struck a chord with me is how Jude reacts to Teddy's death.  That section of the book was so utterly depressing that I had to put it down, and I was in a bad mood the rest of the day.  The image of a best friend rotting away in his bed, not even moving, is so powerful.  Jude just goes into a coma of misery, or even, he becomes completely apathetic to his family, an,d even his personal hygiene
I think when Jude cuts all of his hair off, it's not just a physical change, but it is also symbolic of the change that is about to occur in his life.  He will eventually strip away his addiction to drugs and physical pleasures in order to ascertain a healthier mind and lifestyle.  He cuts his hair because it's all matted and gross because he hasn't take care of it, like his body is, thanks to all the drugs he does.  It could show that, in the future, Jude is going to cut himself off from drugs.

The beginning of the book, before the drugs stop, sounds like what would've happened to Hunter S. Thompson before he figured out he was a journalist.  Wandering around, trying to find something worthwhile, and, of course, getting high at every possible opportunity.

This book is an incredible feat of human creativity; to be able to create an entire world and fill it with people that seem like they could be real.  To make them deal with tragedy in ways unique to their personalities; it's astounding that one mind - albeit, over 9 years - could come up with something that so closely mimics what life was like.

I hope to take many-a-class from Professor Henderson in the future, and I also hope that I can come out of it with a small bit of her knowledge and talent.