Decode the post, and go get Decoded!

Decoded by Shawn Carter took me to places that I haven’t been before while reading a book. With all of the stress of High School academics, extra-curricular activities and trying to maintain a healthy social life, joyful reading has been put on hold for me. I was happy to have an assignment where I read a book that I wanted to read while also being relaxed and stress-free. Decoded was a perfect personal choice reading book for this assignment. It is a book for obviously, any fan of Jay-Z but also anyone interested in music, poetry (through Shawn’s lyricism) and different cultures and backgrounds. It connected the reader not only to “Jay-Z” but it connected the reader to Shawn Carter. I would definitely recommend this book to my friends and family. As weird as this sounds, Decoded reminded me of two books in particular for two different reasons. Decoded reminded me of Pride and Prejudice through the emotion of the writing. Pride and Prejudice has a certain language and emotion in it that is reflected in Jay-Z’s lyrics that he decodes in the book. A lot of the songs Shawn Carter lyrically analyzes are about coming of age and the loss of innocence, which were two main themes of the book I read last year called Catcher in the Rye, so it reminded me of that book as well. While reading Decoded, I was hooked from the start, which is another reason I would recommend this to a friend. Each page was better than the last and the stories and adventures Shawn Carter discussed never ceased to amaze me. Through the excellence that was Decoded, I would love to read another autobiography of a musician or artist, in particular John Lennon. I am a fan of music, I am a fan of art and I am a fan of my emotions being manipulated through thoughtful lyrics. I feel as if an autobiography by both John Lennon and Shawn Carter will fulfill my wants and needs as a reader.