Currently being the only reader and the first reviewer of this book is thrilling! Alright, let's start.
So, this book is literally a conspiracy theory itself.
Silas Orven is a man, a supposed time-traveller, who appeared in a private Facebook group in about 2024-2025 if I remember correctly. In that group he claimed that he came from the future to try and edit the timeline because humanity in his era of the future is having massive problems. If you can "edit" the timeline, it creates a new variable. Our current actions, if they are different, can create a new result and new future timeline. At first, people mocked him, trolled him, dismissed him completely. But when he began accurately predicting specific events, people were stunned and began taking him far more seriously. Some even started idolizing him and treating him like some kind of divine figure, even though he repeatedly said he wasn’t a prophet or anything divine and that no one should worship him. The guy became a sensation, basically.
So in 2025 he published this book and then completely disappeared. No one knows where he is. No one can identify him. His name doesn’t even show up in any global database. Some of his most devoted followers genuinely believe he went back to the future, where he came from.
I read the book, and it’s incredibly well-written. Some parts are genuinely disturbing; his descriptions of the future and the era he comes from are pretty terrifying. It's pretty dystopian. It’s impressive how he explains how time travel supposedly works, and he even touches on several taboo topics like Hitler, aliens and their origins, why they abduct humans, as well as God, the Bible, the Qur’an, who built the pyramids and why, whether humans will achieve eternal life, what happens after death, and so
A Critical Review of Humankind
Rutger Bregman’s book Humankind is one of the books that questions negative ideas about human nature and makes readers think. For many years, many people believed that humans are naturally selfish, bad, and only care about themselves. However, Bregman does not agree with this idea. According to him, human nature is not as dark as people think. Instead, people are more willing to help each other, understand others’ feelings, and do good things. In the book, the author supports these ideas with many examples from wars, psychology experiments, history, and biology. One of the best parts of the book is that it gives hope about humanity. Still, when I finished the book, I did not only feel admiration. On one side, I was happy to read it because it made me think differently. On the other side, some of the author’s ideas felt too optimistic to me. Because of this, the book was both interesting and questionable for me.
One of the strongest parts of the book is that it makes people question ideas about human nature that many accept without thinking. Today, we often see violence, murder, wars, and fights on television, social media, and in the news. After some time, people start to believe that the world is full of bad people. At this point, Bregman asks an important question: If humans were really bad by nature, how could societies survive for so many years? A big part of human history was shaped by helping each other, working together, and surviving together. From this side, the writer’s ideas are important and meaningful.
His ideas against the belief that humans are naturally wild are especially interesting. Today, when someone behaves badly, people sometimes say, “Did you grow up in a cave?” However, Bregman says that hunter-gatherer societies were not as violent as many
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum tells the story of Dorothy, a young girl who lives in Kansas and is suddenly carried away by a cyclone to the magical land of Oz. After her house accidentally kills the Wicked Witch of the East, Dorothy learns she must travel to the Emerald City to ask the Wizard of Oz for help returning home. Along the way, she meets the Scarecrow, who believes he lacks a brain; the Tin Woodman, who longs for a heart; and the Cowardly Lion, who wishes for courage. The group travels together, facing various challenges before finally reaching the Wizard. He promises to help them only if they defeat the Wicked Witch of the West, which Dorothy ultimately does. However, when they return, the Wizard is revealed to be an ordinary man using illusions. Despite this, he gives Dorothy’s companions tokens that help them recognize they already possess the qualities they desired. In the end, Dorothy learns she can return home using the magical power of her silver shoes, realizing that her greatest wish has been within her reach all along.
From a literary perspective, the novel explores themes of self-discovery, identity, and the importance of inner qualities over external appearances. Each of Dorothy’s companions symbolizes a human trait "intelligence, compassion, and courage" and their journeys reveal that these qualities are not granted by others but already exist within them. This idea reflects a central message of the novel: people often underestimate themselves and seek validation from external sources instead of trusting their own abilities. The story also examines the contrast between illusion and reality, particularly through the character of the Wizard, who appears powerful but is ultimately just an ordinary man. This suggests a subtle criticism
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway tells a story that feels simple at first, almost like something you could explain in a few sentences. An old fisherman goes out to sea, catches a great fish, and loses it on the way back. But as the story unfolds, it becomes clear that this is not really a story about fishing at all. It is about endurance, dignity, and what it means to struggle in a world that does not always reward effort.
The novella centers on Santiago, an old Cuban fisherman who has gone eighty-four days without catching a fish. In his village, he is seen as unlucky, even defeated. Only a young boy, Manolin, continues to believe in him, although he is no longer allowed to fish with Santiago. This quiet isolation shapes the emotional atmosphere of the story. Santiago is not just physically alone at sea; he is also set apart from the people around him, living on the edge of relevance.
When he finally sets out far into the Gulf Stream, determined to break his unlucky streak, he hooks a giant marlin. What follows is a long, exhausting struggle that lasts for days. The fish pulls his small boat deep into the open sea, and Santiago, despite his age and pain, refuses to give up. What is striking here is not just the physical challenge, but the way Santiago thinks about the fish. He does not hate it. He respects it, admires it, even feels a kind of kinship with it. At times, he speaks to it as if it were an equal. This changes the nature of the conflict. It is not a simple battle between man and nature, but something more complex, almost like a test of worth between two noble beings.
When Santiago finally kills the marlin, it feels like a moment of triumph, but that triumph does not last. Sharks are drawn to the blood of the fish and begin to attack it.
Normal People
There is actually nothing to say about the book, as it doesn’t have any engaging passages or a real plot. We are reading paragraphs about two friends who don’t have any emotional connection with each other but who are only attracted to one another sexually. I mean, normal people have feelings, daily routines, and sometimes interesting dialogues, but these two have absolutely nothing in common, neither daily routines nor any interesting actions happening in their lives.
I chose this book because of its simplicity; it was a good choice for my language level, but there was nothing interesting or appealing in terms of the story or the characters.
It’s good to see new writers doing interesting things, and even if I’m a bit distant from the bestseller shelves or new writers, I’d like to give this book a chance and maybe break my prejudices. Unfortunately, I didn’t like the book and saw it as a waste of time. Saying that makes me a bit sad because Sally Rooney seems to be a courageous person who raises social awareness about what is happening around the world.
I’ll still keep my distance from her books, but I hope that won’t last forever.
I’m really happy that I read this book at this time of my life—it makes me feel good. I used to think it was only a children’s book. I saw it in my friends’ hands; it was even given as a gift to my younger brother. But I didn’t have one.
Now I have read it in English and I just finished it. Near the end, I started to like it more and I understood its message. Trying for something, not giving up, and working hard… On this way, a person learns to be with themselves, and this is a very nice feeling.
Sometimes we feel tired or hopeless—this is normal. I think feeling all these emotions is a very good thing for a person. And if we understand them and still do something, we are really lucky.
