The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain

Mark Twain

Mark Twain, was an American author and humorist. He is most noted for his novels, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer (1876), and its sequel, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1885), the latter often called "the Great American Novel."

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain is an 1876 novel about a young boy growing up along the Mississippi River. The story is set in the town of "St. Petersburg", inspired by Hannibal, Missouri, where Mark Twain lived.

In the 1840s an imaginative and mischievous boy named Tom Sawyer lives with his Aunt Polly and his half-brother, Sid, in the Mississippi River town of St. Petersburg, Missouri. After playing hooky from school on Friday and dirtying his clothes in a fight, Tom is made to whitewash the fence as punishment on Saturday. At first, Tom is disappointed by  having to forfeit his day off. However, he soon cleverly persuades his friends to trade him small treasures for the privilege of doing his work. Later, he realizes that in order to make a man or a boy covet a thing, it is only necessary to make the thing difficult to attain. He trades the treasures he got by tricking his friends for whitewashing for tickets given out in Sunday school for memorizing Bible verses, which can be used to claim a Bible as a prize. He received enough tickets to be given the Bible.

However, he loses much of his glory when, in response to a question to show off his knowledge, he incorrectly answers that the first two disciples were David and Goliath.

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

Tom falls in love with Becky Thatcher, a new girl in town, and persuades her to get “engaged” by kissing him. Becky kisses Tom. But their romance collapses when she learns that Tom has been “engaged” previously—to a girl named Amy Lawrence. Shortly after being shunned by Becky, Tom accompanies Huckleberry Finn, the son of the town drunk, to the graveyard at night to try out a “cure” for warts with a dead cat. At the graveyard, they witness the murder of young Dr. Robinson by the Native-American “half-breed” Injun Joe. Scared, Tom and Huck run away and swear a blood oath not to tell anyone what they have seen. Injun Joe frames his companion, Muff Potter, a hapless drunk, for the crime. Potter is wrongfully arrested, and Tom’s anxiety and guilt begin to grow.

Tom, Huck, and Tom’s friend Joe Harper run away to an island to become pirates. While frolicking around and enjoying their new found freedom, the boys become aware that the community is sounding the river for their bodies. Tom sneaks back home one night to observe the commotion. After a brief moment of remorse at the suffering of his loved ones, Tom is struck by the idea of appearing at his funeral and surprising everyone. He persuades Joe and Huck to do the same. Their return is met with great rejoicing, and they become the envy and admiration of all their friends.

Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Back in school, Tom gets himself back in Becky’s favor after he nobly accepts the blame for a book that she has ripped. Soon Muff Potter’s trial begins, and Tom, overcome by guilt, testifies against Injun Joe. Potter is acquitted, but Injun Joe flees the courtroom through a window.

Summer arrives, and Tom and Huck go hunting for buried treasure in a haunted house. After venturing upstairs they hear a noise below. Peering through holes in the floor, they see Injun Joe enter the house disguised as a deaf and mute Spaniard. He and his companion, an unkempt man, plan to bury some stolen treasure of their own. From their hiding spot, Tom and Huck wriggle with delight at the prospect of digging it up. By an amazing coincidence, Injun Joe and his partner find a buried box of gold themselves. When they see Tom and Huck’s tools, they become suspicious that someone is sharing their hiding place and carry the gold off instead of reburying it.

Huck begins to shadow Injun Joe every night, watching for an opportunity to nab the gold. Meanwhile, Tom goes on a picnic to McDougal’s Cave with Becky and their classmates. That same night, Huck sees Injun Joe and his partner making off with a box. He follows and overhears their plans to attack the Widow Douglas, a kind resident of St. Petersburg. By running to fetch help, Huck forestalls the violence and becomes an anonymous hero.

Tom and Becky get lost in the cave, and their absence is not discovered until the following morning. The men of the town begin to search for them, but to no avail. Tom and Becky run out of food and candles and begin to weaken. The horror of the situation increases when Tom, looking for a way out of the cave, happens upon Injun Joe, who is using the cave as a hideout. Eventually, just as the searchers are giving up, Tom finds a way out. The town celebrates, and Becky’s father, Judge Thatcher, locks up the cave. Injun Joe, trapped inside, starves to death.

A week later, Tom takes Huck to the cave and they find the box of gold, the proceeds of which are invested for them. The Widow Douglas adopts Huck, and, when Huck attempts to escape civilized life, Tom promises him that if he returns to the widow, he can join Tom’s robber band. Reluctantly, Huck agrees.

Resource : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Adventures_of_Tom_Sawyer

Clive Eric Cussler Books - A Big Collection

Clive Eric Cussler (born July 15, 1931 in Aurora, Illinois) is an American adventure novelist and marine archaeologist. His thriller novels, many featuring the character Dirk Pitt, have reached The New York Times fiction best-seller list more than seventeen times. Cussler is the founder and chairman of the real-life National Underwater and Marine Agency (NUMA), which has discovered more than sixty shipwreck sites and numerous other notable sunken underwater wreckage. He is the sole author or lead author of more than 50 books.

Visit here for this Collection : Books of Clive Eric Cussler

Arunachala Ramana Boundless Ocean Grace 818288084X 9788182880849

Arunachala Ramana Boundless Ocean

Arunachala Ramana Boundless Ocean Grace

818288084X

9788182880849


At the close of the nineteenth century, South India, or at least a part of it, was being slowly introduced to Western civilization, customs and industry, and railway lines were laid connecting important cities. However, life in the remote Parts of South India was exactly the same as it had been centuries ago. During this period if a traveler were to take a Country road from the Temple City of Madurai in South India and Travel westwards, he would have had to pass through one of the most arid areas of India. He would have seen Men Clad in loincloths toiling under the hot Sun to grow a few Grains of corn and millet for their families. Occasionally the traveler might have crossed Green Fields of paddy, where the mode of Irrigation was a peculiar see-saw device used for Drawing the water. The passerby might also have heard the singing of Folk songs by these yeomen, a custom that has all but vanished with the advent of Mechanical farming.

Secret Life Steve Jobs

Secret Life Steve Jobs : A really funny and interesting book…written in a very satirical manner…The life of [Steve] Jobs, his family and friends is so surreal, so larger then life.........

World Teachers Day

World Teachers Day

To make the day more memorable, some books that are coming to my mind are:

Teacher Man: Frank McCourt’s memoir Teacher Man turns our attention to one of his first loves, teaching. He shares his experiences inside the classroom and its relationship with his writing career. Through this lyrical ode to the craft of teaching he remains the most inspirational teacher of all times. This is probably the best teaching memoir ever written.

Letters to a Young Teacher: With Jonathan Kozol, you can recall your childhood days how you used to feel secure in the hands of an adoring motherly teacher. And these letters to a first grade teacher share the joys and excitement of a teacher, how she feels with the jubilant children inside the classroom. This book is like an inspiration for aspiring teachers and like a memoir for the retired teachers.

The New Yorker Book of Teacher Cartoons: A collection of 118 best and funniest cartoons on students, strict parents and the mediators- teachers, this is a treasure for all teachers and students across the world. The cartoons have been published over 80 years in the New Yorker and Robert Mankoff takes a collective view of all the cartoons. Just get delighted with the cartoons and their uniqueness.

What the Best College Teachers Do: This is the most helpful book for all aspiring teachers and also the experts in the profession. Through humorous and touching stories Ken Bain offers you a special lesson that the teachers are considered best not through their lectures or notes, rather through their understanding of the subject they are teaching. They should also know how to engage and challenge students effectively. The book has all insight and inspiration for the teaching profession you are looking for.

Inside Mrs.B’s Classroom: Another colorful memoir of inner- city teaching. Leslie Baldacci takes you inside the classroom and introduces you to the students and teachers. She describes how she built a strong relationship with all her fellow teachers and how her students became her biggest inspiration in life. This book gives you great insight into inner- city schools and how it makes a difference to become a teacher.