The Collected Works of Sara K. McDonald

For the entire extent of my brief existence, I have been homeschooled. And this, in the McDonald family at least, means writing alot. Very few people outside of my immediate family have ever read the collected works of Sara McDonald... until today. Here I present them to you; the fruits of my long sojourn in higher education. May they bring you much joy.

Essays:

Causes of the Civil War: A short essay dealing with a few of the many theories as to the real cause behind the War between the States.
Inflation: A short essay intended to clarify what inflation really is. Written shortly after I finished an economics course. Exciting stuff, my friends.
How Lord of the Rings Has Changed My Life: I know what you're thinking. But it's not as corny as it sounds. Awhile back, my mom told me to find an essay topic off of a real college entrance application, pick one of the essay questions, and write the essay. I was in a playful mood, so this is what resulted. My mom was a little surprised, to say the least...
The All-or-None Law of Skeletal Muscle Contraction: I see that glassy-eyed stare. Only read this essay if you have taken high school anatomy. Otherwise, don't hold me responsible for the results.
1960's Advances in Quantum Physics: A brief essay I wrote for my history credit this past year. It gives a bit of an introduction to quantum physics and looks at recent advances in the field.
Stalin: A short biographical essay on Joseph Stalin's rise to power. Not a terribly great guy.
Saddam and the War in Iraq: A rather hot-blooded anti-Saddam Hussein essay written awhile back. I don't write stuff like this very often. Enjoy this brief sample of my hot-headed, arch-conservative alternate personality.
Versailles: Treaty or Armistice?: An essay examing the many reasons why the Treaty of Versailles, which ended World War I, proved ineffectual in promoting peace and restoring relations with Germany.

Research Papers:

Station X: A paper delving into the amazing British code breaking project at Bletchley Park during World War II. A collection of scientists, cryptographers, chess masters, and crossword puzzle enthusiasts came together there to help crack the seemingly unbreakable German code, Enigma. Thanks to the work at Bletchley Park, the Allies won the war, and the first modern computer was developed.
The French and American Revolutions: One of the most interesting projects I ever undertook was to research in depth the histories of the French and American Revolutions, comparing and contrasting them. Both astonishing similarities and drastic differences came to light. This paper is the result of my research.
C.S. Lewis: I suppose this kind of falls under the heading of a research paper. It's actually a speech I wrote about the life of C.S. Lewis. Fascinating man, that one.
Victoria, Queen of England: A fairly extensive biographical research paper on Victoria. What else can I say? I wasn't the one to choose this topic. Personally, I find her pretty boring, but we can't always have it all our own way, eh?
Winston Churchill: A speech I wrote for my government class this past year. Winston Churchill is one of my favorite statesman. He has that wonderful British sense of humor...

Book Reviews:

The Holiness of God: I reviewed The Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul as part of my Bible credit this past year. It's an excellent book. Read this for a preview.
The Law: A review of The Law by Frederic Bastiat. I wrote this for the TeenPact Missouri essay contest and it won second place in the state. It takes a somewhat controversial view of Bastiat's writings, which may upset some of you. Don't say you weren't warned.
Lilith: This is a pretty recent one, a critical review of the book, Lilith, by George MacDonald. It's a fairy tale for grownups, and an excellent read. The review is still a bit rough. One of these days I'll find time to revise it. When that happens, I'll post the final product here.

Miscellaneous:

The First and Only Short Story: This cost me untold hours of agony to write. It's basically a tribute to P.G. Wodehouse, incorporating many of his classic themes, plot lines, and jargon. Hope you like it. You won't get another one.