O último encontro

Com a chegada do calor, o fim das aulas também se aproxima e o LEIA-MLM não poderia deixar de realizar uma última sessão.

Dia 8 de Junho de 2011, pelas 14 horas, na biblioteca da Escola Secundária Manuel Teixeira Gomes, deu-se a última discussão literária, com a presença dos vários membros o clube, entre os quais professores e alunos, e alguns convidados especiais – dois membros da direção e a nossa querida surpresa.

Uma das nossas professoras deliciou-nos, durante toda a semana, com uma suposta surpresa que se iria dar neste último encontro. Para nosso espanto, a novidade consistia na visita de um professor de geografia, Nuno Baptista.

A verdade é que ninguém entendeu a razão de tanto suspense, até o diálogo ser iniciado. O professor conseguiu cativar toda a biblioteca em meros segundos. Inicialmente, começou por contar a sua experiência como leitor, o porquê de gostar de ler e desfez os preconceitos que insistiam em separar as ciências das literaturas. Seguidamente, explicou o motivo pelo qual escolheu o livro que apresentou – O Malhadinhas de Aquilino Ribeiro. Toda a sala participou com gargalhadas e com as suas próprias impressões de leitura, partilhando momentos de prazer relacionados com literatura.

Algo que impressionou, tanto os alunos, como os professores, foi a vida de Aquilino, contada através da voz do professor Nuno, pois deu uma nova consciência da época Salazarista e também uma nova visão acerca do orgulho pelo nosso trabalho – Aquilino fora uma pessoa muito talentosa, porém, apesar de ser nomeado para vários prémios, nunca aceitou qualquer um deles.

Após uma viagem no tempo, regressámos aos livros, com O Malhadinhas. Segundo o professor Nuno, Malhadinhas era uma personagem complicada, travessa. Este faz uma analepse e conta a sua história, revivendo os momentos de quando era jovem – com a sua navalha e o seu jeito desenrascado. Uma escrita muito trabalhada e muito singular, com uma linguagem muito cuidada, um livro que, segundo o nosso convidado, vale a pena comprar e deleitar-nos um pouco com ele.

Desta forma, foram passadas algumas horas em pleno convívio e prazer. Depois de muita conversa, risos e partilha de impressões de leitura, nada melhor que um belo lanche, oferecido pela nossa escola, para terminar a tarde.

Foi um bom fim de ano para o clube de leitura. Para o ano há mais.

Mónica Nobre 

Morreste-me de José Luís Peixoto

Uma estrondosa confusão de sentimentos, emoções. Um expressar de angústia, mágoa, mal-estar e depressão. Uma aceitação e recusa simultânea de uma morte repentina. Um caminho cheio de pedras e obstáculos a percorrer, um percurso que poderá ser belo, porém muito atribulado, uma viagem sem ninguém para ajudar, pois essa pessoa já foi. Uma queda sem alguém para a amparar. Uma lágrima sem quem a seque… um misto de conversas interiores, que só o inconsciente pode ouvir. Tudo isto numa pequena obra de ficção, em apenas 39 páginas. Peixoto consegue resumir, numa história não verídica, toda a emoção que um romance exige. É tal e qual um frasco de perfume, quanto mais pequeno for a sua embalagem, mais concentrado será o seu aroma, mas forte será, o seu impacto também será maior, tal como o livro.

É uma obra quase inexplicável, que, só lendo, é possível entender.

Mónica Cid

Rabbit Proof Fence by Doris Pilkington Garimara

When I started reading the book, it was impossible to stop. I thought to myself that this was the greatest escape of all time.

Before reading the book, I never thought that could ever do such things to children, even if they were "Half-caste"!

In Rabbit-Proof Fence, award-wining author Doris Pilkington traces the story of her mother, Molly, one of three young girls uprooted from their community in Southwestern Australia and taken to the Moore River Native Settlement. There, Molly and her relatives Gracie and Daisy were forbidden to speak their native language, forced to abandon their heritage, and taught to be culturally white. After regular stays in solitary confinement, the three girls planned and executed a daring escape from the grim camp.

This book can be read by everyone, but in my opinion, I would indicate to people over 16/18 years because it has a great historical environment that need to be understood! The book is relatively small. It has about 160 pages. But for those who do not like reading, there is also the movie but escapes the details of the book as usual.

 Joana Gordine

TO READ or NOT TO READ, that is the question

BOOK REVIEWS - 12º ano, disciplina de Inglês

As "book reviews" que se seguem, são da autoria dos alunos de Inglês do 12º ano. De facto, ler uma obra integral é um dos objectivos do programa de Inglês deste ano de escolaridade. Mas porque a leitura, se possível, deve ser feita por prazer e não por imposição, optou-se por dar a todos os alunos a possibilidade de escolha de uma obra que fosse ao encontro dos seus interesses, em vez de se impor um livro único para todos.

Espero que o prazer que estes jovens encontraram nestas leituras e que decorre das suas palavras, possa estimular muitos outros a percorrer estas mesmas páginas e, a partir delas, construir novos sentidos.

Estela Vieira

(professora de Inglês, 12º ano)

About a boy by Nick Hornby

I read a book called ‘About a boy’, by Nick Hornby, an English writer. The book shows the relationship between two male characters. They are both very different, but they also have a lot of things in common. They don’t know each other and live very different lives. Marcus is 12 years old but acts like an adult and lives a difficult life because of the kids in his school. He is not accepted due to his way of dressing or his musical taste. His mother fell into depression after her divorce from Marcus’s father. Will is the opposite of Marcus, he acts like a teenager although he is already 36 years old. He listens to Snoop Dog and goes to the nicest clubs. He is a womanizer and doesn’t need to work thanks to his father. They live their own lives until they meet. May these characters help each other despite their different lives?

Everybody can read this book. This was the first English book I read and I had no problems reading it. Reading this book improved my English vocabulary. Shouldn’t you want to read in English, read it in Portuguese! This is an everyday story written with a lot of humour. You may already have seen the film but I recommend you to read the book because it is even nicer.

Anne Geerlings
12.ºE

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

To those who are interested in exploring different aspects of life and to those who like to reflect about various matters I recommend reading a Stieg Larsson’s book “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo” the first one from a trilogy. The book doesn’t only tell an interesting story with breath taking moments, which isn’t always easy, but in my opinion the author linked together difficult subjects from our daily lives in a most fascinating way. The author made a story about a mysterious disappearance, which led to a mysterious and appealing investigation and then even related the case to World War II and physical, psychological and sexual violence against women.
This book is perfect for those who realise that life isn’t a fairy tale and struggle to understand aspects of human nature and different ways of adapting to hard circumstances and who ultimately manage to survive.

Viktoria Nestserava

P.S. I Love you by Cecelia Ahern

When our English teacher asked us to read and present a book the previous term, I didn’t know that this work would be so interesting and rewarding. The books I most enjoy reading are usually novels so, when I went to the book store and saw “P.S. I love you” I thought that it should be a nice book to read. I had already heard about this book and seen some extracts of the film, however I can assure you that the book is a far cry better than the film.

“P.S. I love you” tells the story of Holly, a thirty-year-old widower who lost her childhood sweet-heart and husband, Gerry. Like any other couples, they had their fights, but they were usually caused by little things such as: whose time it was to turn off the light before going to bed or who had forgotten to put another milk carton in the fridge. Since Holly was a walking disaster Gerry had the idea of creating The List. According to Gerry, Holly was too distracted and sensitive to ever be able to live without him, so all these things they fought about would have to be documented and organized in a list so that Holly never forgot to do some things and avoided doing others.

For a long time Holly and her closest friends thought that this List was just a private joke, however, when Gerry died, Holly soon found out that he was serious and had left her a List with envelopes that would gently guide her into her new life without him, each signed “P.S. I love you” and containing a very important message.

This is a book that shows the importance of friendship and love and reminds us to always say I love you to the ones that we truly care about because some day it will all be over and we won’t get a second chance. It also shows the power of family and the difficulties a person goes through when one of our dearest ones passes away.

I really liked this book because it is a very funny though sad story that makes us cry in some passages and laugh really heartily in others. It is very easy to read and well-written. If someone asked me, I would say that I truly recommend this book, especially to a female audience that like heart-warming novels since this book is about a love that never dies.

"Their plan had been very simple: to stay together for the rest of their lives."

— Cecelia Ahern (PS, I Love You)

Inês Metello