THE WIZARD OF OZ (1900)

The Wizard Of Oz, we’ve all seen the movie but have we actually read the book?
This book is more than musical numbers and munchkins; it’s a classic American tale about self-esteem. This book is not classic simply because of the date, it’s classic because of it’s appeal to all ages, life lessons, and overall fun/joy of reading it. This book is about Dorothy Gale, a young girl who has been separated from her aunt and uncle in Kansas and thrown into a magical place full of witches, lions, and tigers, and bears. Scared to death, Dorothy seeks a way out. Her ticket out is Emerald City, a magical place where the Wizard Of Oz grants “wishes”. On her way to Emerald City, Dorothy encounters a cowardly lion, a stuffed scarecrow, and a tin woodsman. Those three have personal human imbalances and seek help from the wonderful Wizard along with Dorothy. As they go to the city they’re each individually and as a whole challenged. Witches, flying monkeys, and some pretty amazing shoes all play a part in the final chapters of the book. The group gets to the Wizard and made discover a troubling secret. This secret helps them to look inside themselves and find who they really. When it’s all said and done Dorothy is home and yet another happily ever after occurs.

I thought this book was amazing, I’ve watched the Muppets and Frances Gumm remix this classic a billion times. I liked this book because it’s relatable, Dorothy’s’ feelings of loneliness and fear are easy for me and any teen to relate to. The three “creatures” from Oz represent human nature to me. The scarecrow represent the humanly need to be intelligent and our ignorance of things unknown.. The lion represents the fear we as humans carry with us and how it tends to consume us. The tin man represents, in my opinion, humans constant need to receive and give love. I interpreted this book more internally because of constantly reading or watching the story and getting the same thing. When reading this book I re-read it and took mental note of character and my feelings. It’s important to empathize with stories such as this because if you don’t, a childish understanding of the book becomes prevalent. My favorite character is Dorothy because it’s all on her. She makes major decisions and leads the group, a natural born leaders are fearful yet forceful and I love that. I recommend this book to all the future leaders of the world and someone who loves to run away with their imagination.