Angela's Ashes 1-6-12

This week I read Angela's Ashes. Even though I have only read about 60 pages I can still tell that it will be a sad book that includes many difficulties of living in poverty. The book started out with Frankie and his family of four living in Brooklyn, NY in the 1930's. He is about 4 years old and has a brother who's 2. His father was born in the northern part of Ireland and is an alcoholic that gets drunk almost every night and doesnt have a job. His mother, Angela is a beautiful young woman also from Ireland who came here and got pregnant with Frankie and was forced to marry his father, Malachy. From the start, Malachy had an "odd manner" (according to Angela's cousins) and was a mean young man, that couldn't have turned into anything good. And Angela's cousins were right, because by the time his second son was born he had turned into a complete drunk. Not long after Malachy was born (their second son) Angela gave birth to 2 twin boys, Eugene and Oliver. The father now had to support 5 other people. Realizing he needs to shape up, Frankies father gets a job, and for about a month, every week on Friday he comes home with wages and Angela is able to finally pay the Italian grocer, and feed her kids. But on the 4th week, he doesnt come home at all. He is out drinking and once again he is back to his old habits.
        For the nest couple weeks Malachy continues to get drunk almost every night and sings Kevin Barry all night. Soon, Angela gives birth to a beautiful baby girl, Margaret and Malachy cannot let go of her. He gets a job again and for about 7 weeks he is sober and instead of singing Kevin Barry every night he sings the Leprechaun Song to Margaret. For those 7 weeks the family is happy again but at the end of the month Margaret passes. Both parents are shocked, their baby girl was the best thing that ever happened to them, and a couple weeks later Angela's cousins come visit again. They see the trouble they are in, and suggest that Angela and her family go back to Ireland. So Angela, Malachy and the 4 boys get on a boat to Ireland and go visit Malachy's parents. However, the poverty in Ireland is just as bad as America and they are forced to go find a place of their own, only to realize that they have no money and are stranded in Ireland.
     Angelas Ashes has been very good so far, and I am excited to see what happens next in the memoir.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

This week i read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, by Sherman Alexie. It was pretty rough book, showing the difficulties of Juniors life. For example, how his older sister runs off to Montana and then dies from a fire started in her camper, and how poor his school is and how he is bullied because of his stutter and lisp that he has because of a birth defect. Arnold goes through a lot of scarring, painful things, and the author does not sugar-coat any of it.
       The book was based on Shermans Alexie's life, and most of the things that occur in the book do really happen. His sister does really die, and he does have a stutter and lisp. All and all, I think that it was amazin that the author shared his stry with us. I'm sure it was difficult growing uo where he did and it was hard to out it down on paper.

persopolis 2

For the past week, I have read the sequel of persopolis. This book is the same thing as the last, but focusing more on the adult part of her life. Instead of showing the difficluties of grwoing up, it shows more of the experiences she has had as and adult. For example, moving to Austria and having different types of roomates, having different boyfriends. As she moves from place to place, it also shows how she grows apart from her family more.
         She realizes the downside of having a life of her own, and wishes she were around more at certain times like when her grandmother passes. She has different nightmares about her grnadma scolding

This I Believe

Margo Johnston 705                                                                                     November 8, 2012

“This I Believe” Essay

When I was about 6 or 7 years old, I went to my first funeral. The women who died, Linda, wasn’t a blood relative, and we weren’t even close with her husband, but we still went. I can remember seeing the woman’s brothers and sisters and nieces and nephews. I can remember looking at pictures of her and noticing how young she looked. How unexpected it must’ve been. When I saw Linda’s kids, I tried to put myself in their positions, but it seemed so weird. But when I thought about it, I realized how it was just as good a chance for it to happen to my family as it was to theirs.

            Though the death didn’t really have an affect on my family, it did change my view on it. I’ve always loved my family, but going to the funeral made me realize how important family really is. When I got home I remember immediately wanting to spend time with my family, as if it was going to be the end of the world. Instead of going out and having a big reunion with my cousins and aunts and uncles, I chose to stay in and hang out with just my parents and sister. It wasn't the same as a big reunion, but it made me feel thankful for my family.

            A couple months after the funeral, my cousin Nikki was diagnosed with cancer. It was a big deal to my family especially because Nikki had just had a baby and had recently gotten married. Even though it wasn’t a bad case, and we knew nothing too bad would happen to her, it still brought my family together. It taught everybody how you could lose somebody at anytime, just like how Linda’s family lost her. I had already known how important family was, but not my other relatives. In a couple of months Nikki was better than ever and pregnant with her 2^nd child, as if nothing had ever happened.

            Going to that funeral really helped me understand the importance of family, and how anything could happen at any time. The funeral will always be in my mind and I will now know how important it is to stay close with my family, just like I did when my cousin got sick. That is why I believe in family.

Persopholis

This week I read, "Persopholis" Its a graphic novel based on a true story about a young girl living in Iraq in the 80's when there is a war going on. Its about how difficult it is living in a city with war and chaos and at the same time, growing up as a normal young girl. Throughout the book you see how she changes, and the phases she goes through, the different friends she has, and the different experiences she has as well. It shows even the littlest scenes that happen in her life, that might seem unimportant but are also very honest and realistic.
      Even though it is a graphic novel, it really teaches you something about what life was like in Iraq and is not what most graphic novels are. It is almost scary at some points, but also very realistic. I've already read it twice but I feel like a got a lot more out if it this time and learned a lot more than the other times. I enjoyed it and am planning on reading the sequel.

Revolt of the Evil Fairies

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Margo Johnston 705                                                                         November 9, 2012

Revolt of the Evil Fairies Essay

“Revolt of the Evil Fairies” tells the a story of a young boy that tries his very hardest to get the lead role in the school play. Unfortunately, he fails. Not because he was bad, but because he was black. However, through out it all, in the face of terrible adversity, both before and after he didn’t get the part, he was always determined.

Even though the protagonist tried his very hardest, his effort never paid off. The main character would have done anything, but he knew he was “doomed from the start” because of how segregated and racist society was in the 1940’s even within an all black school.  What society was in the south back then was completely different then what it is now, because good people like him couldn't do what they wanted. The protagonist mentioned, “I made the best grades in my class, I was the leading debater, and the scion of a respected family in the community, but I could never be Prince Charming because I was black.” Even if he was a perfect example for a good Prince Charming, he could never reach his goal.

The protagonist never changed his goal on the inside, but would still do anything on the outside if it helped him get the part. It was almost as if his determination was blinding him from what he was doing. For example, the author mentioned, “Yes, and I purloined my sister’s can of Palmers Skin Success.” Even if he did try to change his identity, it just showed how much he was determined to get that part, and stand up for what he believed in. And even though he still didn’t get the part, after doing EVERYTHING he could, he still kept working.

Even though the protagonists ended up not getting the part, he still tried his very hardest in what he was doing. Just as he secretly predicted, once again he was stuck with the head of the evil fairy role, but in some ways that make him even more determined. It was as if the story had grown larger than just getting the role. He says, “I threw my soul into the part and made the Head Evil Fairy a character to be remembered.” He wanted to show the teachers and the school that they had made a bad choice by not choosing him. And even though he was disappointed about his part, he wasn’t going to let Leonardis mess up the play by hitting him. After the fight he realized that he doesn’t need to change himself or try to act different to be in the play. He might not have solved the problem in the best way but he stood up for himself. And despite the fact they had to bring the curtain down, he still did the right thing and finished.

In conclusion, the story starts out as with a little dark skinned black boy hating trouble with discrimination. It doesn’t end that way, though. By the end of the short story, the author has shown what it was like for the protagonist and what he did to “revolt” against the adversity. He realizes its okay if he is not light skinned and perfect like Prince Charming, according to his old fashioned teachers. And he shows the power of determination.

Go Ask Alice

I am almost finished with "Go Ask Alice" and she has changed a lot since the beginning of the book. Her views on drugs go up and down throughout the book. But halfway through book, you could tell it wasnt going to end well. She says herself in and entry from January "After you've had it, there isnt even a life without drugs..." After the first time she had drugs over the summer, you might've thought she would just go home and go on having her normal life, but she doesn't. When she meets Chris and Richie, she was sucked in. By the end of the book, shes turned into different person that has experienced horrible things. By her last entry, drugs has robbed her from her family, her friends, and a normal teenage experience.

Go Ask Alice

Lately i have been reading "Go Ask Alice" and i have been enjoying it a lot. In just the 40 pages that Ive read, its already been almost a year and i can already see her see her starting to change. In the beginning of the book, she was a sweet girl with 3 best friends that had all the problems a teenager usually has, boys, being popular, being able to look nice, and keeping their grades up. But now after having her first experience with LSD i can tell it will not be her last. Just 4 months she said she said "Oh happiness and joy and elation, mother has promised me that I can spend the summer at Gran's!" but now shes saying shes "already bored out of her skull" By the end of the summer, I can imagine her being a completely different person. She even said that she was "glad I was one of the luckly ones", talking about how some of the drinks had LSD and some didn't. I'm excited to see what else happens to her and how different she may become.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

So far in the book, Perks of Being a Wallflower, we have learned a lot about Charlie, the protagonist. In the beginning, it seems like he was just a lonely kid that was mostly ignored by his family and people at school. But now, being almost finished with the book, I've discovered that hes a lot more interesting then that. We've seen that him and his family have troubles of their own. For example, we've learned things about both of his parents families. Like how his moms dad has never really been very kind to his kids, and isn't very emotional. Or how his Aunt Helen got sick and died in a car crash, while getting Charlies birthday present. And how he feels it was all his fault that she died and that he had a special relationship with his aunt. But Charlie isnt the only one with problems. We've also learned about Sam and her boyfriend Craig, who we all know is too selfish for Sam. All in all, "The Perks of Being a Wallflower" has been a great book, and I cant wait to see how it ends.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

I am half way through "Perks of Being a Wallflower" and I'm enjoying it a lot. One of my favorite things about it was how it is written in letters. I'm sure the author must've had some trouble doing this, since the letters all have to be in past tense, and all of it is pretty much just re-telling what happened. Another thing i like about the book is how mysterious is it. "I will call people by different names or generic names because I dont want you to find me" says Charlie in the book. I'm about half way through the book and I still have no idea who Charlie is actually writing to. Its almost as if Charlie is writing more of a diary than letters. But hte style of writing int the only good thing about the book. The topic is simple, but still very interesting. It's a sweet story where a little nerd starts to make friends and actually start to be liked and not become such a "wallflower".  Though I still have a lot left in the book, I can tell I'm going to enjoy it a lot.

The Outsiders (entry #1)

        For the past couple days, I have been reading, "The Outsiders" By S.E. Clinton. Even though I'm just barely half way through the book, a lot has happened. Before a few chapters ago, I thought it would just be a normal book about a rivalry between two gangs, and maybe at one point in the book they would have a huge gang fight and in the end they'll just go back to normal, but I was very wrong. The author has completely made a huge turn in the opposite direction. After what seemed like a normal night at the movies, the characters Ponyboy and Johnny we walking home when all of a sudden some of the Socs (the rival gang) jump out of know where and 10 minutes later Johnny is telling Ponyboy that he killed one of them. All of a sudden they;re out in the country hiding from the police. It was a big choice for the author to choose to have such a twist, but it was a smart one. If they hadn't chosen to do that, I'm sure the novel would've never succeeded the way it did, and would've never have become the American classic it is today. Even though I am just half way through the book, I can tell it will get better and better.

Girl, Interrupted

       For the past week, I have been reading "Girl, Interrupted." I really enjoyed this book because of how different it is. I loved how she really connects to the character (aka herself) and really puts you into her shoes. The characters are so interesting and unique, one second they seem like perfectly normal people, another their shouting and slamming doors and making a big fuss. I would never be able to do what she did. After reading the book, I realized she didnt make all of this up, but that this really happened to her. Being forced to go to a mental hospital and having to live with people like Lisa, Daisy, and Georgina would scare me to death. And then, on top of that that having to write a book about it and having to re-visit all the memories about living in te hospital seems unimaginably difficult to me. All together I think Susanna Kaysen did a great job on describing what her life was like living in a mental hospital, and nobody could've done a better job.

Summer Reading Response

     Over the summer, one of my favorite books that I read was, "To Kill A Mockingbird." I really enjoyed this book because I learned a lot from it. One of my favorite things about the book is that you can read it at almost any age and still understand it. Even if you are 40 years old, you can still learn a lot from it, and it seems like you get more out of it every time you read it. Also something I found interesting was that even if it is a book that can teach you a lot about writing, the book can also teach things about history. In fact, "To Kill  Mockingbird" would be a perfect book to read if you were focused on learning about the south in the 1930's.  Another thing I learned from this book was how different it was in the southern part of America then. For example, When Scout and her father, Atticus were talking about the trial about Tom Robinson, they mentioned that it was a law that all people guilty for rape were charged with the death penalty in the state of Alabama. I knew that the south was a horrible place to live then, with completely unfair rules, but I didn't expect them to be that bad. Another thing that I learned form "To Kill A Mockingbird" was the different writing styles. I noticed that throughout the book the perspective changed between older Scout telling it from the past, and younger Scout telling it from the present. All and all, Harper Lee is a great story teller that can write books that teach you all sorts of things.