Blog 6: Mary Roach Convocation

                        Mary Roach, the author of Spook, visited Stockton soon after the freshman class finished reading her book. It was quite interesting to see the author’s views on her own work, especially when she says that she didn’t mean to upset the audience of her book with the ending. I never thought that an author would disagree with his or her own ideas, since the must edit their own work so many times. Mary Roach, through her sarcastic and humorous personalility, certainly got her point across.

After reading the book, I can’t say I was pleased by the conclusion, “What the hell. I believe in ghosts.” After discussing the blunt ending in seminar, I learned that everyone else felt the same way. However, Mary Roach apologized for the ending during the convocation, which none of us were expecting at all. She explained that the way she worded the ending was definitely misleading.

As the readers of the book, we thought she was just throwing all of her studies out the window, simple because it’s easier to say she believes in ghosts. After a whole book of going from place to place, scientist to scientist, she disregarded it all. However, Roach explained that she regrets using this statement to close the book.

In addition to discussing the book, the audience of the convocation learned quite a bit about her personality. Having read her book, I was definitely able to see her as a sarcastic person. However, I didn’t think her sarcasm was used well in the novel; for a topic as controversial as the afterlife, there is hardly room for joking. At the convocation, I was able to determine her personality much easier. Her sarcasm and light personality certainly makes her as unique as she is.