How 9/11 changed books (and the world)

You know, I can't really say 9/11 affected me personally at the time.  I was six, and more confused than anything.  When I saw my mom crying, my assumption was that my great grandfather had died, not that the worst terrorist attack to ever occur on U.S. soil had just happened.  When I watched the towers collapse on live TV, my biggest regret was that now that perfect tourist trip to New York I'd planned from one of my mom's travel guides was never going to be complete.  I don't really remember the political climate before that September - I was six - but I do remember looser security regulations in the airport.  Other than air travel, which I rarely do now anyway, the change I notice the most?  The books.

Jackie's Wild Seattle?  Protagonist's little brother's best friend's father died, traumatically.  Everlost?  The Twin Towers live on in the land of the dead, inhabited by children's ghosts.  Not to mention the countless little references in every book that even mentions New York City, much less those actually set in it.  I understand the tragedy of the thing.  I understand that over two thousand people died, and that thousands more were left to grieve.  I understand the tragedy on the human level.  But what I can never understand is the way the America everybody grew up knowing died that day.  The best-loved America, invulnerable America, was shattered; and it hasn't come back, as I understand it.

How is that going to change my generation?  I have no idea, and I doubt anyone else does, either.  Books like Cory Doctorow's Little Brother have us pegged as more savvy, curious, rebellious, and powerful than any that's come before, but I don't think that's the whole picture.  Part of it, maybe, but not all.  We're also more uncertain, and downright scared.  We know you can't take anything for granted, and we've seen a darker side of humanity than anyone would like to admit there is.

In books, even dystopian novels (the sudden popularity of which could arguably be linked to 9/11 in and of itself) people generally learn that you can't fight hate with hate, the world becomes a better place; at least for a little while.  In real life, that doesn't seem to happen.  It's funny, in a sick, sad, kind of way, as The Onion's "God Angrily Clarifies 'Don't Kill' Rule" reiterates.  In real life, we start wars, judge innocent people for their religion, and books are threatened with burning.  In the words of Heinrich Heine back in 1821, "Wherever they burn books they will also, in the end, burn human beings."  And they already have, sort of; in the horrific case of Balbir Singh Sodhi, a Sikh man shot outside his Mesa, AZ business for "looking like a Muslim".

I guess what I'm trying to say is, nine years ago, the world changed in ways we can't even begin to comprehend.  Books changed, too, like they always will when something affects us that deeply.  We can never forget that, but I hope we can find it in our hearts to forgive.

Have a 9/11 post?  Please link to it below, so we can share and remember, always.

Choosing your major for you and only you (Guest post by Najela Cobb)

Hey, my dear blog readers!  Remember that call for guest posts I put out my first day of college?  (I'm still looking, by the way, so feel free to respond!)  I'm even having trouble finding the time to schedule the guest posts - *headdesk* - but now I'd like to share the wonderful post on choosing your major that the fabulous Najela Cobb of Brave New Adventure wrote for me.  Take it away, Najela!

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Choosing your major for you--and only you!
Maybe you're a bright eyed and excited high school graduate about to start college for the first time. You have a general idea of what you want to do in life, but you aren't sure what major will get you there with the least amount of pain.

Or maybe you've been in college for a while. You've been through several round of midterms and finals and if you go through this series again, you are going to go insane. It's time for a change.

Whatever stage you are in college, whether deep in the trenches or just starting out, picking a major is probably one of the most important things you can do in your college career. Or at least, that's what people tell you. The most important thing about choosing a major is not the major itself, but how you use it. My mom works as a social worker, even though she got her degree in business education. A former coworker of hers had a degree in geology which is almost as far away from a social worker as one could get. It doesn't matter what you major is, you have no idea where it will take you in the future.

Make sure you're choosing your major for all the right reasons.  If your parents want you to be a doctor, your sister is a lawyer and you're tired of living in her shadow, or your friends are all majoring in history and you don't want to be alone, don't not pick or change your major for these reasons. If you have a passion for a subject, can see yourself making a career out of it, and/or are genuinely interested in it, choose that subject as your major. Don't worry exactly worry about the future at this moment in time. Remember that it doesn't matter what your major is, just how you apply it.

Follow your passion, but be practical. Do your research and gauge whether you can sustain yourself with your major.  If you want to be an author and you want to major in creative writing, see how other authors conduct their lives. I think the best thing you can do is try to write something on a schedule with something people can see outside of workshop. Can you write on a deadline? Can you market yourself and your story? Can you handle not so savory reviews? If so, great. If not, work on it. If you want to be a doctor, get an internship working at the hospital. Can you handle blood? Can you deal with patients who aren't in the best of moods? Last year I worked in a hospital and I hated it.  Make sure to try out some of the careers in your major by getting a job, volunteering, or getting an internship while you're still in college. If you like it, good. If you don't like it, try something else. College is the place where you work on things. You don't to get a degree and hate what you do in life. And sometimes the most obvious majors, such as majoring in pre-med if you want to be a doctor, are not the best choices for you personally. What skills can you learn in a different major that you can apply in your expected career?

If you don't know what you want to do, go to college as a undeclared major. This way you can test drive several classes and find your passion in the process.  When it's time to declare a major or if you're changing a major, don't choose whatever major you think would be the easiest. Creative writing is quite easier in some ways than Neuroscience. Don't expect whatever major you choose is going to be easy. Each major is hard in it's own way. So even though I'm not dissecting sheep brains, I'm dissecting stories for critique and reviewing them. The work and subject matters are vastly different, but the amount of work and effort required is still the same. 

Be prepared to compromise with your parents. This is the hardest part of choosing a major. Your parents or whoever are pressuring you to do one thing, but your heart is leading you do to something else. For me, my mom wanted me to do neuroscience. She believed that I could do it and I know I could have done it, but my heart wasn't in it. I liked neuroscience, but I wasn't in love with it. Explain this to your parents. This is where your research will come into play. Tell you parents what jobs you plan to do in your desired field. Tell them that you can live comfortably doing something you love. It's not always about the money or the prestige. Sometimes its about the simple things like bringing a smile to someone's face. Imagine if someone asked you to do that job for free.
Would you still do it? Would it even feel like work? If the answer to both is yes, congrats, you have found your passion.

If your parents say no to your suggested major change, to be honest, (while they get a say because 90% it's their money you are spending), it's not their choice. They had their chance and they have to live with their choices. This is the chance where you are allowed to make your own decisions and live with the consequences. When I told my mother I was considering changing my major from neuroscience to psychology/creative writing, she looked at me like I was crazy. I told her my plans and she advised me against it. I still changed my major regardless and I am glad I made this choice.

Be prepared for comments like "I still think you could have done [insert major here]" from time to time. They might not understand now, but they'll come around. Then again, they may never get over it. Prepare yourself for that as well. I told my mom after I changed my major, there was nothing she could do after the fact. I do that with my mom all the time because she has a tendency to freak out more when I tell her beforehand. You know your parents best, so break the news as you see fit. What if you can't change your major for whatever reason? Consider adding a double major or a minor. I changed my major from neuroscience to psychology, but I decided to add creative writing at the last minute (a quarter before my graduation actually) because I had a passion for it.

Here's some last minute odds and ends before you pick or change your major. Talk to your college advisor to make sure you get all the right paperwork.  Make sure you take classes in your proposed major, or you might not even be allowed to change your major if you wait too late. Don't change your major too many times or you might max out your alloted unit allowance (check with your school to see what this number is). Don't wait too late to change your major. I waited three years before I changed mine and now everything I'm doing is damage control on the havoc science classes did on my GPA.

So the top three things I hope you get from this post on choosing/changing your major are to:
1) Research your major and what it can be applied to.
2) Follow your passions, but be practical.
3) Be prepared to compromise.

I wish you success in all your educational goals.

If you're in high school, what do you think you'll major in? If you're in college, what's your major? Have you changed your major? If so, from what to what? If not, why not?

Bio: I am officially a 5th year undergraduate aka a super senior double majoring in Psychology and Creative Writing. I have just received the green light to apply for an MFA program for creative writing and hope to get accepted for the spring quarter. I am an avid reader and a struggling writer and I blog about my life at bravenewadventure.blogspot.com