2021 TOKOH NILAM KARISHMA (1)

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SENARAI KANDUNGAN
1. PROFIL DIRI
2. RESENSI BUKU
3. PENCAPAIAN AKADEMIK
4. ANUGERAH KURIKULUM DAN
5. ANUGERAH KO KURUKULUM
6. NILAM

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NILAM-01

PENCALONAN
PEMILIHAN CN TOKOH NILAM ZON 2021

USTP : AMPANG / BANGI / CHERAS /
KAJANG / SEMENYIH

KATEGORI PENCALONAN: Tandakan (√) di ruang yang berkenaan

BAHASA MELAYU BAHASA INGGERIS

SEKOLAH
RENDAH

SEKOLAH /
MENENGAH

A : BUTIRAN CALON

1. Nama : Karishma Manjindar Randhawa

2. Tahun / Tingkatan : 4 Pintar

3. No Sijil Kelahiran / Kad 050920140010

Pengenalan :

4. Alamat Sekolah : Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Sungai

Long, 43000, Sungai Long, Selangor.

5. Alamat Rumah : No.12A, Jalan Pinggiran Mahkota 3, Taman Pinggiran
Mahkota Cheras, 43200, Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

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6. Jantina : Lelaki Perempuan /
7. No. Tel. Sekolah : Tiada Faks :
8. No. Tel. Rumah : E-mel Murid : m-6516908@moe-
dl.edu.my

B. MAKLUMAT KESIHATAN Tiada / Ada

(Tandakan (√ ) pada ruang yang berkaitan)

1. Mengidap sebarang penyakit khusus

2. Jika ada, nyatakan jenis penyakit :

3. Jenis darah : B+

4. Butiran maklumat keluarga yang perlu dihubungi jika berlaku kecemasan :

5. Nama : Balbir Kaur a/p Joginder Singh

No Telefon : 016-350-4869 Hubungan : Ibu kepada calon

C. KRITERIA KELAYAKAN CALON

(Calon mestilah terdiri daripada murid Tahun 5 / Tingkatan 4 yang menyertai program NILAM)

Tandakan (√ ) pada kotak yang disediakan. Kosongkan jika tiada.

1. BAHAN YANG DIBACA

1.1 Bilangan bahan bacaan yang telah dibaca. /
(sekolah rendah minimum 360 bahan / sekolah menengah minimum 288

bahan)

Nyatakan jumlah bahan bacaan 400

1.2 Komposisi minimum bahan bacaan yang dibaca dalam Bahasa Melayu /
(60%) bagi peserta kategori Bahasa Melayu.

(sekolah rendah minimum 216 bahan bacaan / sekolah menengah

minimum 173 bahan bacaan)

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1.3 Komposisi minimum bahan bacaan yang dibaca dalam Bahasa Inggeris /
(60%) bagi peserta kategori Bahasa Inggeris. /

(sekolah rendah minimum 216 bahan bacaan / sekolah menengah

minimum 173 bahan bacaan)

1.4 Pernah membaca buku-buku karya agung oleh penulis-penulis
terkemuka seperti Othman Puteh, Usman Awang, A.Samad Said,

Shakespeare dan lain-lain

2. CIRI-CIRI PEMBACAAN BERKUALITI /
2.1 Telah menyertai pelbagai aktiviti galakan membaca

2.2 Mempunyai ciri-ciri kepimpinan dan minat membaca yang terserlah. /
/
2.3 Berkebolehan untuk membimbing dan menarik minat rakan lain untuk
membaca.

PERAKUAN
Dengan ini disahkan bahawa maklumat di atas adalah betul
Tandatangan:

………………………………………….
(Pengetua / Guru Besar)
Cop:

Tarikh : ……………………

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BORANG KEBENARAN IBU BAPA / PENJAGA
PEMILIHAN TOKOH NILAM ZON USTP 2021

Saya Balbir Kaur a/p Joginder Singh ibu kepada murid yang bernama Karishma Manjindar
Randhawa daripada Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru Sungai Long bersetuju untuk
*membenarkan anak saya atau murid di bawah jagaan saya ini menyertai program dan aktiviti
Pemilihan Tokoh NILAM Zon USTP…………………………….. 2021 yang akan diadakan pada …………………...
di atas talian.

2. Saya faham bahawa pihak penganjur telah mengambil langkah-langkah yang perlu untuk
menjamin keselamatan anak / anak jagaan saya, oleh yang demikian saya tidak akan mengambil
sebarang tindakan mahkamah kepada pihak penganjur atau pegawai yang berkaitan sekiranya
berlaku sesuatu yang tidak diingini semasa dia mengikuti program tersebut.

………………………………………………..
Tandatangan ibu / bapa / penjaga
Nama : Balbir Kaur a/p Joginder Singh
Tarikh : 29/06/2021

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NILAM 04

FOLIO CALON

PEMILIHAN TOKOH NILAM ZON
2021

NAMA : Karishma Manjindar Randhawa

KATEGORI PENCALONAN: Tandakan (√) di ruang yang berkenaan

BAHASA MELAYU BAHASA INGGERIS

SEKOLAH RENDAH

SEKOLAH /
MENENGAH

A : BUTIRAN CALON

1. Nama : Karishma Manjindar Randhawa

2. Tahun / Tingkatan : 4 Pintar

3. No Sijil Kelahiran / Kad 050920140010

Pengenalan :

4. Alamat Sekolah : Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Bandar Baru

Sungai Long, 43000, Sungai Long, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

5. Alamat Rumah : No.12A, Jalan Pinggiran Mahkota 3, Taman
Pinggiran Mahkota Cheras, 43200, Kajang, Selangor Darul Ehsan.

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6. Jantina : Lelaki Perempuan /
7. No. Tel. Sekolah : 03 90753549 Faks :
8. No. Tel. Rumah : Tiada E-mel Murid : 0390753784

m-6516908@moe-
dl.edu.my

B. MAKLUMAT NILAM 400 /
1. Jumlah bahan dibaca : BM BI

2. Pertandingan Anugerah NILAM yang pernah disertai : Peringkat negeri

Peringkat sekolah Peringkat daerah/bahagian

/

C. REKOD BACAAN PROGRAM NILAM

1. Buku rekod bacaan Program NILAM yang lengkap dan disahkan oleh
Guru Besar/Pengetua

2. Laporan pencapaian rekod bacaan NILAM murid

D. DOKUMEN SOKONGAN (KURIKULUM & KO-KURIKULUM) /
1. Salinan keputusan Peperiksaan Akhir Tahun 2020 /
2. Salinan keputusan PT3 (bagi yang berkenaan) /
3. Salinan sijil penyertaan/kemenangan aktiviti ko-kurikulum

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E. AKTIVITI GALAKAN MEMBACA

(Senaraikan semua aktiviti galakan membaca yang disertai oleh calon. Sila buat lampiran
jika ruang tidak mencukupi. Sertakan salinan dokumen yang telah disahkan)

Aktiviti Jawatan / Peringkat Tahun
Bil Kedudukan (Sekolah / Daerah / 2020
Negeri / Kebangsaan
Persatuan / Pertandingan
SEKOLAH
1. PROGRAM JOM BACA PESERTA
PESERTA
SERENTAK 10 MINIT PESERTA
PESERTA
2. KUIZ PAMERAN BERTEMAN SEKOLAH 2021
PESERTA
SEMPENA BULAN RAMADHAN PESERTA
PESERTA
3. PERTANDINGAN BICARA BUKU SEKOLAH 2021
SEKOLAH 2021
4. KUIZ PAMERAN BERTEMA

SEMPENA HARI RAYA
AIDILADHA

5. KUIZ PAMERAN BERTEMA SEKOLAH 2021
BERSEMPENA HARI RAYA ANTARABANGSA 2021
ANTARABANGSA 2021
AIDILFITRI

6. PERTANDINGAN SASMO
2021

7. PERTANDINGAN EURASIAN
SPELLING BEE 2021

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MEIN KAMPF

TITLE : MEIN KAMPF

AUTHOR : ADOLF HITLER

GENRE : BIOGRAPHY, AUTOBIOGRAPHY

PUBLISHER : FRANZ EHER NACHFOLGER

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED : JULY 18, 1925

PAGE COUNT : 720

PRICE : RM79.90

SOURCE : PERSONAL PURCHASE FROM BOOKSTORE

SYNOPSIS

Mein Kampf (German for “My Fight” or “My Struggle”) is a 1925 autobiographical
manifesto by Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler. His work describes the process by which
Hitler became anti-Semitic and outlines his political ideology and future plans for
Germany during the course of the Second World War.

In Mein Kampf, Hitler used the main thesis of “the Jewish peril” which posits a Jewish
conspiracy to gain world leadership. The narrative describes the process by which he
became increasingly anti-Semitic and militaristic, especially during his years in Vienna.
He speaks of not having met a Jew until he arrived in Vienna, and that at first his
attitude was liberal and tolerant. When he first encountered the anti-Semitic press, he
says, he dismissed it as unworthy of serious consideration. Later he accepted the same
anti-Semitic views, which became crucial to his program of national reconstruction of
Germany.

Mein Kampf has also been studied as a work of political theory. For example, Hitler
announces his hatred of what he believed to be the world's two evils:
communism and Judaism.

In the book Hitler blamed Germany's chief woes on the parliament of the Weimar
Republic, the Jews, and Social Democrats, as well as Marxists, though he believed that
Marxists, Social Democrats, and the parliament were all working for Jewish

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interests. He announced that he wanted to completely destroy the parliamentary
system, believing it to be corrupt in principle, as those who reach power are
inherent opportunists.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

This book is a very heavy one with ideologies that are extremely unpopular, especially
among citizens of today’s world. An interesting benefit of this book to me, personally,
was that I was able to get further insight into Hitler’s life and was able to gain new
perspectives about the way he saw the world and about the Second World War in
general. It is a known fact that from the years of 1939 to 1945, the entire world
threatened to collapse with yet another world war triggered by the Germans, Italians
and Japanese that required strong forces to band together in ending the war altogether.
And, indeed, one of the leading forces initiating and steadily gaining popularity
throughout this entire period would be Adolf Hitler. This book in particular did contain
some very profound sayings and beliefs that I deem applicable to today’s society and I’ll
get into that in a while.

That being said, the book heavily promotes and disseminates ideas of racism, anti-
Semitism, segregation and mass murder in the name of nationalism. It is considered to
be a highly controversial book and was only made available to the general public
around a decade or two ago, simply because of how impactful and influential some
beliefs within the book were, spreading fear in worldwide citizens that it may sway the
public in the wrong direction in the sense of political opinions. One more downside to
this book is how fabricated it is in general. It has to be noted that Hitler was a self-
centered, psychopathic narcissist who wanted to gain power and fame, no matter the
cost. He wasn’t highly educated and clearly had unexplainable political and racial
biases. And therefore, it comes off as no surprise that he did in fact make up lies about
his childhood, his upbringing, his rise to power and his service in the army for the sake
of garnering sympathy and painting himself in this light of a natural born hero who has
come to redeem Germany from its economical recession due to the repercussions
faced by the country after the First World War.

I’ll have to admit that, as a history geek myself, this book, even though supremely long,
did captivate me and had me at the edge of my seat flipping the pages vigorously in
order to at least comprehend and make sense of what was going through Hitler’s mind
causing him to cause the Holocaust and the Genocide that threatened to diminish world
peace.

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MY THOUGHTS

In general, I’d like to stress that this book was not a waste of my time as it helped me
understand and see the events that unfolded during the late ‘30’s to mid ‘40’s through
the lens of the man that was deemed diabolical and a monster by all people alike. In a
way, I was able to see how passion and determination plays into achieving personal
goals and motives the way it did for Adolf Hitler. His confidence on stage and his
charisma that had caused for him to sugarcoat his devilish beliefs to the public had
garnered him the fame he has even until today.

However, the apparent racism and disgusting stereotypes he had lived by and
dedicated his entire life to left me absolutely mortified at the audacity of this man to
make such bold claims, and to get away with it too! I, personally, didn’t fancy the style in
which this book was written either. It was repetitive at times, incredibly selfish with a lot
of self-praise, wandering, illogical and filled with grammatical errors, all pointing towards
a half-educated man.

It there’s anything I’ve learned reading this manifesto, it is that not everyone deserves a
platform to voice out opinions and we, as a people need to continue to forever uphold
the democratic parliament that we have today to maintain peace. It should be up to us
to ensure that the leaders in charge unto whom we’ve entrusted our futures and lives
should be chosen wisely and observed and analysed critically to prevent the riuse of yet
another Adolf Hitler.

A quote I picked out from the book and quite personally fancied would be, “He who
would live must fight. He who doesn't wish to fight in this world, where permanent
struggle is the law of life, has not the right to exist.” It is indeed exaggerated and
overblown, but the bottom line is that we have to fight relentlessly for what it is we
desire. I’d rate this book a 4 out of 10.

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TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

TITLE : TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD

AUTHOR : HARPER LEE

GENRE : SOUTHERN GOTHIC, BILDUNGSROMAN, COMING-OF-AGE STORY

PUBLISHER : J.B. LIPPINCOTT & CO

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED : JULY 11, 1960

PAGE COUNT : 281

PRICE : RM49.90

SOURCE : PERSONAL PURCHASE FROM BOOKSTORE

SYNOPSIS

To Kill a Mockingbird takes place in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, during the
Great Depression. The protagonist is Jean Louise (“Scout”) Finch, an intelligent though
unconventional girl who ages from six to nine years old during the course of the novel.

The story, told by the six-year-old Jean Louise Finch, takes place during three years
(1933–1935) of the Great Depression in the fictional town of Maycomb, Alabama, the
seat of Maycomb County. Nicknamed Scout, she lives with her older brother Jeremy,
nicknamed Jem, and their widowed father Atticus, a middle-aged lawyer. Jem and
Scout befriend a boy named Dill, who visits Maycomb to stay with his aunt each
summer. The three children are terrified, yet fascinated by their neighbor,
the reclusive Arthur "Boo" Radley. The adults of Maycomb are hesitant to talk about
Boo, and few of them have seen him for many years. The children feed one another's
imagination with rumors about his appearance and reasons for remaining hidden, and
they fantasize about how to get him out of his house. After two summers of friendship
with Dill, Scout and Jem find that someone is leaving them small gifts in a tree outside
the Radley place. Several times the mysterious Boo makes gestures of affection to the
children, but, to their disappointment, he never appears in person.

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Judge Taylor appoints Atticus to defend Tom Robinson, a black man who has
been accused of raping a young white woman, Mayella Ewell. Although many of
Maycomb's citizens disapprove, Atticus agrees to defend Tom to the best of his ability.
Other children taunt Jem and Scout for Atticus's actions, calling him a "nigger -lover".
Scout is tempted to stand up for her father's honor by fighting, even though he has told
her not to. One night, Atticus faces a group of men intent on lynching Tom. This crisis is
averted in an unexpected manner: Scout, Jem, and Dill show up, and Scout
inadvertently breaks the mob mentality by recognizing and talking to a classmate's
father, and the would-be lynchers disperse.

Atticus does not want Jem and Scout to be present at Tom Robinson's trial. No seat is
available on the main floor, but the Rev. Sykes invites Jem, Scout, and Dill to watch
from the coloured balcony. Atticus establishes that Mayella and Bob Ewell are lying. It is
revealed that Mayella made sexual advances toward Tom, subsequently resulting in her
being beaten by her father. The townspeople refer to the Ewells as "white trash" who
are not to be trusted, but the jury convicts Tom regardless. Jem's faith in justice is badly
shaken. Atticus is hopeful that he can get the verdict overturned, but Tom is shot and
killed while trying to escape from prison.

Despite Tom's conviction, Bob Ewell is humiliated by the events of the trial, Atticus
explaining that he "destroyed [Ewell's] last shred of credibility at that trial." Ewell vows
revenge, spitting in Atticus' face, trying to break into the judge's house
and menacing Tom Robinson's widow. Finally, he attacks Jem and Scout while they are
walking home on a dark night after the school Halloween pageant. Jem suffers a broken
arm in the struggle, but amid the confusion, someone comes to the children's rescue.
The mysterious man carries Jem home, where Scout realizes that he is Boo Radley.

Sheriff Tate arrives and discovers Ewell dead from a knife wound. Atticus believes that
Jem was responsible, but Tate is certain it was Boo. The sheriff decides that, to protect
Boo's privacy, he will report that Ewell simply fell on his own knife during the attack. Boo
asks Scout to walk him home. After she says goodbye to him at his front door, he
disappears, never to be seen again by Scout. While standing on the Radley porch,
Scout imagines life from Boo's perspective.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

To Kill A Mockingbird was admittedly one of the best reads I’ve ever had. I loved the
style in which it is written where it becomes conspicuous from the very beginning that
the author, Harper Lee is an amazing story-teller. This incredible talent made reading
this book even more digestible and enjoyable.

This book covers dark themes, such as southern life and the racial segregation that
comes along with it, rape and sexual assault, gender roles, loss of innocence and both
written and unwritten rules within the constitution. On their own, it would initially come

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across as gaunt and depressing, but I was impressed at just how the author managed
to inject humour and brilliance into this piece of work so as to make it easier to relate to
the characters and follow through and comprehend the plot. This book also came with
its own lessons, such as to preach tolerance and reject the systemic racism within
American communities that also can be applicable to us Malaysians, taking into
consideration how we are a multiracial society that lives together in harmony and peace.
In fact, this book was so good that in 2006, British librarians ranked this book before the
Bible as “one every adult should read before they die”.

The downsides of this book, though almost 0, would most definitely be how heavy in
nature it is. It calls for its audience and readers to be open-minded in accepting the
themes explored throughout this book.

MY THOUGHTS

I have an infinite number of thoughts about this book that I’ll try to condense here. Ever
since I laid my hands on this book, I couldn’t wait to quickly indulge in the little world in
which this book is centered. This book was hyped way beyond belief, and it delivered
and lived up to my expectations.

Topics such as racism, segregation, biased partiality or even sexual immorality and
sexual assault are among the topics that are most prevalent in today’s day and age and
need to be discussed and prioritised by citizens of the world alike, and this book does
just that so elegantly and systematically. And that isn’t an easy feat to pull off, making
me believe that this book was way beyond its year and very much applicable to our
society today, albeit written in the year of 1960.

Reading this book also made me realise that I was watching all these events unfold
through the lens of a 6 year old who goes on to turn 9 by the end of the book, and thus I
noted the trauma that comes with witnessing and being exposed to issues so
significant, like justice and racial partiality at such a young age, maturing her in the
process.

In a nutshell, this book provided me with new insights on some of these very pressing
matters and made me question my own beliefs and standings as I journeyed through
the life of Scout alongside her. It made me thoughtful and introspective, made me look
deep within myself to recognise the problematic ideologies I’d been fed growing up, and
how they contribute so greatly to these problems. My favourite phrase from this book

would be “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point
of view … Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” I’d rate this book a 10

out of 10.

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LET ME CALL YOU
SWEETHEART

TITLE : HER BEAUTY WOULD BE THE DEATH OF HER, LET ME CALL
YOU SWEETHEART

AUTHOR : MARY HIGGINS CALRK

GENRE : MYSTERY, SUSPENSE, FICTION

PUBLISHER : SIMON & SCHUSTER

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED : MAY 1, 1995

PAGE COUNT : 320

PRICE : RM18.00

SOURCE : PERSONAL PURCHASE FROM BOOKSTORE

SYNOPSIS

It's a minor accident that brings prosecutor Kerry McGrath to the plastic surgeon's office
with her beloved daughter, Robin. But even as the doctor assures Kerry that her
daughter's scars will heal, she spies a familiar-looking beautiful woman in the waiting
room and is seized by an overpowering sense of deja vu. When, on a return visit, she
sees the same haunting face -- on another woman -- she has an intense flash of
recognition: it's the face of Suzanne Reardon, the "Sweetheart Murder" victim, killed
more than ten years ago The case resulted in a guilty verdict and life sentence for
Suzanne's husband, Skip. But for what possible reason would Dr. Smith be giving his
patients the face of a dead woman?

As Kerry immerses herself in a fresh investigation, she is catapulted into the strange
and ominous territory of those so obsessed with beauty they'll kill for it. Each new piece
of evidence she unearths reveals a disturbing cache of questions. Not only does
everyone involved want to keep the case closed, it's clear somebody will stop at nothing

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to keep it sealed forever. As she delves deeper she finds she's wrestling with a force so
sinister that her own life -- and her daughter's -- is threatened with increasing peril....
Interweaving fascinating characters with deeply daring, staggeringly unpredictable plot
twists, Mary Higgins Clark reminds us that she is, indeed, America's Queen of
Suspense.

DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES

What I loved about this book for sure would be how it’s beautifully and systematically
written throughout and how the suspense builds up as the book reaches the plot,
making me sit at the edge of my sit as I flipped through the book in it’s entirety.
This book weighs in heavily on a deluded and psychotic plastic surgeon who exploits
women’s insecurities to turn them into beautiful creatures that he’d then prey on. What I
loved about this book is how it took the unconventional route as opposed to other
thrillers and mysteries in the sense that the protagonist of the book who was
investigating these crimes had no suspicion whatsoever in regards to who the
mastermind pulling off these heinous crimes were, and in the end, when she did find
out, I love how it was expected giving all the evidence she had accumulated but still
came off as a shock nonetheless.
An apparent disadvantage I noted of this book’s and probably my only complain, would
be that there was no way we could relate with the main characters portrayed in the
books. None of them had conventional or seemingly boring occupations or lifestyles that
made it easy for the viewers to relate to and comprehend well.

MY THOUGHTS

I personally adore this book and I’d read it again without any doubts or hesitations just
because of how well-written it was and how much I enjoyed it. The character
developments combined with the writer’s excellence in conveying across the different
scenarios and settings in each different chapter made it a brilliant book to engage and
indulge in. The writer also explored a theme that is extremely contemporary, beauty. I
love how the writer stressed the importance of body positivity and striving to live a
healthier life in our natural bodies without the interference of cosmetic surgery. All in all,
I’d rate this book an eight out of ten.

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DAVID COPPERFIELD

TITLE : DAVID COPPERFIELD
AUTHOR : CHARLES DICKENS

GENRE : NOVEL, BILDUNGSROMAN

PUBLISHER : BRADBURY & EVANS

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED: NOVEMBER, 1850

PAGE COUNT : 624

PRICE : RM62.80

SOURCE: PERSONAL PURCHASE FROM BOOKSTORE

SYNOPSIS

The story follows the life of David Copperfield from childhood to maturity. David was
born in Blunderstone, Suffolk, England, six months after the death of his father. David
spends his early years in relative happiness with his loving, childish mother and their
kindly housekeeper, Clara Peggotty. They call him Davy. When he is seven years old
his mother marries Edward Murdstone. To get him out of the way, David is sent to lodge
with Peggotty's family in Yarmouth. Her brother, fisherman Mr.Peggotty, lives in a
beached barge, with his adopted niece and nephew Emily and Ham, and an elderly
widow, Mrs Gummidge. "Little Em'ly" is somewhat spoiled by her fond foster father, and
David is in love with her. They call him Master Copperfield.

On his return, David is given good reason to dislike his stepfather, Murdstone, who
believes exclusively in firmness. David has similar feelings for Murdstone's sister Jane,
who moves into the house soon afterwards. Between them they tyrannise his poor
mother, making her and David's lives miserable, and when, in consequence, David falls
behind in his studies, Murdstone attempts to thrash him – partly to further pain his
mother. David bites him and soon afterwards is sent away to Salem House, a boarding
school, under a ruthless headmaster named Mr Creakle. There he befriends an older
boy, James Steeforth, and Tommy Tradles. He develops an impassioned admiration for
Steeforth, perceiving him as someone noble, who could do great things if he would, and
one who pays attention to him.

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David goes home for the holidays to learn that his mother has given birth to a baby boy.
Shortly after David returns to Salem House, his mother and her baby die, and David
returns home immediately. Peggotty marries the local carrier, Mr Barkis. Murdstone
sends David to work for a wine merchant in London – a business of which Murdstone is
a joint owner. David's landlord, Wilkins Micawber, is arrested for debt and sent to
the King’s Bench Prison, where he remains for several months, before being released
and moving to Plymouth. No one remains to care for David in London, so he decides to
run away, with Micawber advising him to head to Dover to find his only known remaining
relative, his eccentric and kind-hearted great-aunt Betsey Troodwood. She had come to
Blunderstone at his birth, only to depart in ire upon learning that he was not a girl.
However, she takes it upon herself to raise David, despite Murdstone's attempt to regain
custody of him. She encourages him to 'be as like his sister, Betsey Trotwood' as he
can be – meeting the expectations she had for the girl who was never born. David's
great-aunt renames him "Trotwood Copperfield" and addresses him as "Trot", one of
several names others call David in the novel.

David's aunt sends him to a better school than the last he attended. It is run by Dr
Strong, whose methods inculcate honour and self-reliance in his pupils. During term,
David lodges with the lawyer Mr Wickfield and his daughter Agnes, who becomes
David's friend and confidante. Wickfield's clerk, Uriah Heep, also lives at the house.

By devious means, Uriah Heep gradually gains a complete ascendancy over the ageing
and alcoholic Wickfield, to Agnes's great sorrow. Heep hopes, and maliciously confides
to David, that he aspires to marry Agnes. Ultimately with the aid of Micawber, who has
been employed by Heep as a secretary, his fraudulent behaviour is revealed. (At the
end of the book, David encounters him in prison, convicted of attempting to defraud
the Bank of England.)

After completing school, David apprentices to be a proctor. During this time, due to
Heep's fraudulent activities, his aunt's fortune has diminished. David toils to make a
living. He works mornings and evenings for his former teacher Dr Strong as a secretary,
and also starts to learn shorthand, with the help of his old school-friend Traddles, upon
completion reporting parliamentary debate for a newspaper. With considerable moral
support from Agnes and his own great diligence and hard work, David ultimately finds
fame and fortune as an author, writing fiction.

David's romantic but self-serving school friend, Steerforth, also re-acquaints himself with
David, but then goes on to seduce and dishonour Emily, offering to marry her off to his
manservant Littimer before deserting her in Europe. Her uncle Mr Peggotty manages to
find her with the help of Martha, who had grown up in their part of England, and then
settled in London. Ham, who had been engaged to marry Emily before the tragedy, dies
in a fierce storm off the coast in attempting to succour a ship. Steerforth was aboard the
ship and also died. Mr Peggotty takes Emily to a new life in Australia, accompanied by
Mrs Gummidge and the Micawbers, where all eventually find security and happiness.

David, meanwhile, has fallen completely in love with Dora Spenlow, and then marries
her. Their marriage proves troublesome for David in the sense of everyday practical
affairs, but he never stops loving her. Dora dies early in their marriage after a
miscarriage. After Dora's death, Agnes encourages David to return to normal life and his
profession of writing. While living in Switzerland to dispel his grief over so many losses,
David realises that he loves Agnes. Upon returning to England, after a failed attempt to

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conceal his feelings, David finds that Agnes loves him too. They quickly marry and in
this marriage, he finds true happiness. David and Agnes then have at least five children,
including a daughter named after his great-aunt, Betsey Trotwood.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

One of the many benefits of reading this book is the wisdom every page offers.
Throughout my continuous and relentless reading of this book, I hadn’t encountered a
single page on which there were 0 wise words or remarkable actions that solidy the
characters’ personality. This book was not a boring one, rather on the contrary, it was
jam-packed with constant drama, adventures and bold expeditions.

Another thing I personally liked about this book was just how descriptive everything
was. It was as though I, myself were also there and present alongside David
Copperfield on his mighty adventures. I loved how I was able to connect on a personal
level with the characters and I fancied the diversity of writing techniques I picked up
throughout, all thanks to the ultimate brilliance and diligence of Charles Dickens.

Although it was a great book, all in all, it was excruciatingly long to get through and
there were multiple repetitive parts within the book. Admittedly, this is justified as in the
mid 1800’s, editing facilities were scarce, if not even unavailable.

MY THOUGHTS

David Copperfield so happens to be one of the first movies I can remember watching as
a kid, or at least as far as my memory can go back. I recall being absolutely in awe of
and enamored by the complexity of the film. I instantly urged or at least cried to my dad
to buy me a copy of the book. The book didn’t fail me at all, it made me even more
elated as I studied David’s life and witnessed his terrific character and psychological
development.
I absolutely adore David’s relentless and passionate nature. He had to face so many
challenges growing up, from being brought up in a broken home to then being tortured
further on in his teenage and adult years by the very few people he acquainted himself
with. But, through all that, he never once threw in the towel, instead he allowed for these
challenges to shape and mold him into the very successful writer he became.

I aspire to be as brave, as bold, as strong, as stable and as risky as David Copperfield.
He died a fulfilled and mature man because he was never averse to the idea of
constantly learning, educating and experiencing. This book holds a very special place in
my heart.

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One of the beautifully written phrases by the legend himself, David Copperfield within

the book that has stuck with me would be “I never could have done what I have done, without

the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on

one object at a time.” I rate this book a 100 out of 10.

FOUR FRIENDS

TITLE : FOUR FRIENDS, A NOVEL

AUTHOR : ROBYN CARR

GENRE : ROMANCE NOVEL, CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE, PSYCHOLOGICAL
FICTION, DOMESTIC FICTION.

PUBLISHER : HARLEQUIN MIRA

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED : 2014

PAGE COUNT : 370

PRICE : RM6.00

SOURCE : PERSONAL PURCHASE FROM BOOKSTORE

SYNOPSIS

From Robyn Carr comes the story of four friends determined to find their stride.
Ultimately, they’ll discover what it means to be a wife, mother, lover, friend and most
importantly: your true self.

Gerri can’t decide what’s more devastating: learning her rock-solid marriage has big
cracks, or the anger she feels as she tries to repair them. Always the anchor for her
friends and her three angst-ridden teenagers, it’s time to look carefully at herself. The
journey is more than revealing, it’s transforming.

Andy doesn’t have a great track record with men, and she’s come to believe that a
lasting love is out of reach. When she finds herself attracted to her down-to-earth
contractor, a man without any of the qualities that usually appeal to her, she questions
everything she thought she wanted in life.

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Sonja’s lifelong pursuit of balance is shattered when her husband declares he’s through
with her New Age nonsense and walks out. There’s no herbal tonic or cleansing ritual
that can restore her serenity or her sanity.
Miraculously, it’s BJ, the reserved newcomer to Mill Valley, who steps into their circle
and changes everything. The woman with dark secrets opens up to her neighbours, and
together they get each other back on track, stronger as individuals and unfaltering as
friends.

ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES

One of the prominent advantages of reading this book would be how practical and
realistic everything within this book was. For a romance novel, there were no out-of-the-
ordinary mystical and magical love stories jotted down by Robyn Carr. All the stories felt
so real and prevalent in our society and community. I absolutely adored the practicality
and realness of everyone of the stories.

I also liked the little snippets of psychology lessons I got from the book. There were
always explanations provided as to why a certain person may act a certain way in a
relationship, be it in a friendship, marriage or even in an acquaitanceship. I managed to
procure a lot of new insights as to how to maintain relationships that I can absolutely
apply in my home life with my parents and siblings.
A disadvantage of this book would be the way it was written out. I didn’t fancy how the
stories were unorganised and all jumbled up. It was discombobulating as a story would
smoothly transition into a different one with no apparent correlation. But, other than that,
I have no complaints.

MY THOUGHTS

I adore this book as it was entertaining and in its own way, educational. I loved how the
author stressed that relationships are what keeps people afloat. “No man’s an island”,
we all know that much, but sometimes we all have tendencies to fly solo and not get
anyone else involved in fear of being an annoyance or a burden. Robyn Carr shows
through her work that this exact behavior is self-destructive and I related to that.
As a student in the Science stream, studying from home amidst this pandemic, it’s been
hard to stay as motivated as I was before and there have been days where I wanted to
just give in and go to bed, but having my mum as my confidante did wonders and I now
know how to manage my time better. This just manifests my earlier argument.

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I also liked how real the author kept things with her characters. I could relate to every
character and place myself in their shoes, a quality that’s so significant when reading a
book. Most characters in romance novels are often aloof, too drunk in love and too
childish, but this book was a breath of fresh air. The characters in this book realized that
they had to work things out to make things work. They were mature about their
problems and didn’t shy away or try to press them down deep, waiting for them to
magically disappear.
I appreciate the maturity of the characters. I’d give this book a 10 out of 10 for its sheer
excellence in communicating today’s main problems in such a delicate manner. I’d like
to share a quote from the book that stuck with me, “The statistics on sanity are that
one out of every four Americans is suffering from some form of mental illness.
Think of your three best friends. If they're okay, then it's you.”

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SEKIAN

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