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Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Yellow Raft in Blue Water by Michael Dorris
Geographies of Home by Loida Maritza Perez
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mojha Kahf
Sula by Toni Morrison
The Girl in the Tangerine Scarf by Mojha Kahf
Black Ice by Lorene Cary
Who Will Tell my Brother by Marlene Carvell
Voices from Chernobyl by Alexievich and Gessen
Does My Head Look Big in This? by Randa Abdel-Fattah
True Notebooks by Mark Salzman
The Botany of Desire or In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan
Stiff by Mary Roach
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy
Ironman by Chris Crutcher
Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez by Alan Lawrence Sitomer
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
Dark Dude by Oscar Hijuelos
Mexican White Boy by Matt De La Pena
Warriors Don’t Cry by Melba Pattillo Beals
Forgotten Fire by Adam Bagdasarian
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah
Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples
Ask Me No Questions by Marina Budhos
Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
Where Courage is Like a Wild Horse by Sharon Skolnick
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
The Chosen by Chaim Potok
How the Garcia Girls Lost their Accent by Julia Alvarez
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Fast Food Nation by Eric Schlosser
Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks
So the Wind Won’t Blow it All Away by Richard Brautigan
Freakonomics by Steven Levitt
Columbine by Dave Cullen
A Step from Heaven by An Na
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
"Ask Me No Questions"
ReplyDeleteNikki K
The book starts out with the muslim family driving up to Canada with the hope of starting anew life and applying for asylum. The family consists of a mother and father and their 2 daughters Nadira and the eldest Aisha. Nadira would live as Aisha's shadow. Aisha was perfect. she had stright A's and was a very good speaker. She was also a candidate for validictorian. Nadira on the other hand was over weight and an average student. When the family reached Canada they were rejected due to the many other people who fled there for a fresh start. The family has no choice but to go back to the US borders with there expired visas which cause the father to go to prison. The new plan is for the mother to stay with the father in a shelter. Nadira and Aishe have to go home and attend school as if nothing happened. No one knows about them being an illegal resident, not even their closest friends. Since there parents arent home, they live with their Auntie and Unlce until they recieve official news about their father being released or deported.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
ReplyDeleteUmer G.
The book basically starts out with a young girl, Mariam, who lived with her mother in a small town outside of Herat. Her father’s name was Jalil and he lived in Herat and ran a theater. Mariam's mother was a slave at Jalil's house and got pregnant and they never got married. Jalil used to come to meet Mariam every week and Mariam really looked forward to it. At the absence of Jalil, Mariam had decided to go meet him at Herat and to see her other brothers and sisters for the first time. Her mother committed suicide as soon as she found out that Mariam had left to Herat.
Jalil and his three wives had chosen a man, Rasheed, to marry Mariam and take her back to Kabul where he was a shoemaker. Rasheed was very nice with Mariam at first but eventually got very harsh. He beat her every day for the smallest reasons, for example: less salt in his curry.
Then this story talks about a girl in Kabul, Laila, whose parents had died because of a bomb that blew during the Russian invasion. Mariam had kept Laila with Rasheed and her for a few days. Rasheed then gives Mariam two choices, either to tell Laila to go somewhere else or to let Rasheed marry her as a second wife. Rasheed then married her and they had a girl, Aziza, while Rasheed was expecting a boy. After the girl was born, Rasheed was harsh on all three of them and beat them every day. Mariam and Laila decided to run away but got caught by the police for not being with their husband and they were sent back home. When Rasheed found out about this, he gave both of them a harsh beating and broke their teeth.
Tariq, Laila's old boyfriend who had moved away to Pakistan before Laila's parents died, had returned and Laila was secretly meeting with him. Zalmai, Laila's son who was born a couple years after Aziza, tells Rasheed about Tariq. Rasheed then prepares himself to give both Mariam and Laila a beating. While Rasheed beats Mariam, Laila hits Rasheed with a shovel and kills him. They hide his body and knowing that they will get caught, Mariam stays behind and takes the blame on her while Laila and Tariq with both children run off to Pakistan and live there for a few years. The novel ends with a move from Pakistan back to Kabul and them living happily.
"True Notebooks"
ReplyDeleteAlan R
This book is about a writer that starts to work at a Juvenile Center. He has three students and he wants them to write honestly despite the errors in their papers. This book has many interesting stories of the students and their views of the world. I like this book because the things they write are true and honest. You want to keep learning about these kids and why they are in Juvi. Tell their side of the story and their feelings about their mistakes.
"Ask me no Questions"
ReplyDeleteJason M.
The story starts off with a 14 year old girl named Nadira. She is driving in the car with her older sister Aisha, her Mother, and her father Abba. They are driving up to the Canadian border to apply for asylum. Canada is a place that they all thought they would go and then everything would be fine again.
Aisha is sort of like the "perfect daughter" in Nadira's eyes. She is a top student, and she is going to apply for Valedictorian of her graduating class. Nadira is very jealous and very opposite of Aisha. Nadira doesn't have the same interests as her sister. Aisha sort of keeps their family in check.
As they reach near the border, they are stopped by an Officer. This is a problem because Nadira and her family all have expired visas in America. They are denied at the border, and soon after, their father gets arrested. Their mother is going to stay in a shelter, and both Nadira and Aisha have to go back and live with their Aunt and Uncle. Nadira and Aisha start to live a hard life. They need to somehow come up with money to bail Abba out of jail. They try everything they can. They need to make things right for their family.
“Dairy Queen”
ReplyDeleteMarie C.
The book begins with D.J. Schwenk talking about her family farm in Red Bend, Wisconsin. D.J. is fifteen years old and life at home is not so “picture perfect.” The Schwenk family does not communicate well with one another. Her mother is barely home since she works as a teacher and a temporary. As for her father, he has a hip injury, leaving D.J. to do most of the farm work. D.J. has two football playing older brothers, Win and Bill; however, they are in college and have not been home since Christmas break because of a fight they had with their father. At home, Curtis, D.J.’s younger brother has never said a word to anyone to the family unless it was something important. Its summertime and D.J. is working hard on the farm along with Curtis.
One day, Brian Nelson, quarterback of the Hawley football team shows up at the Schwenk farm to help out. No matter how much work she needs help with, D.J. does not appreciate having Brian around. To D.J., Brian is conceited, spoiled, lazy, and somewhat ignorant. Suddenly, Jimmy Ott, Brian’s coach and good family friend of the Schwenks, asks D.J. to help train Brian to get him ready for the football season. As both of them think this idea was a crazy suggestion, they both decide on trying it out.
While working together every day, D.J. and Brian form a friendship. They share things about each other that make D.J. have second thoughts about Brian. When she is with Brian, she does not tell him entirely everything (how she really feels and other comments she keeps bottled up). Spending all her time training and working with Brian, D.J. and her best friend Amber begin to drift apart.
After finishing the training with Brian, D.J. has an idea of joining the football team at Red Bend High School. First, she has to keep it a secret from her family, especially her father. She wonders how much of a chance she has for being a girl even though she is well-experienced through her brothers.
"A Long Way gone:Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
ReplyDeleteMatt M.
The book starts off with the main character Ishmael Beah fetching water from a near by stream for his family. He lives a simple life and the war in West Africa has never touched the village that he lives in. The war is between government troops and rebel troops or as they are better known RUF. When the war finally reaches him and his family the entire village is forced to flee or be killed. His simple life is shattered and his new life is a life of pure suffering with little to no kindness shown to him. As he flees he is separated from his a family a family he will never see alive again. Both the rebels and government uses child soldiers therefore children or early aged teenagers like Ishmael are killed on sight with no question asked. Half way through the book and there are countless attempts on his life. The problem is that he is starving but he cannot go in to villages or he will be killed so he must steal food to live and if he is caught he dies anyway. I have a feeling their will be no happy ending for this book.
"A long way gone: Memoirs of a boy soldier"
ReplyDeleteRon N.
The book is about a twelve year old boy named Isamael Beah, who lives in Serra Leone, Africa. A village called Mogbwemo. He enjoys dancing and rapping with his brother Junior and his friend Talloi and they plan to go to a talent show together. They walked sixteen miles to get to their destination, a town called Mattru Jong. They stayed at their friend's house for the night. The next morning, Ishmael was told that the Rebel troops have invaded his hometown, Mogbwemo. They waited and waited for the news to come to what has happened to his village but they didn't hear anything. He decided to go back to his village along with his brother Junior and friend Talloi. They are about to go on a journey that will change their lives.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
ReplyDeleteJamie J.
Near the city of Herat lives a young girl named Mariam. She lives with her mother, Nana. Nana is a very cruel woman and a horrible mother to Mariam. She has seizures and doesn't take medicine for it. Mariam wanted to go to school, but Nana refused saying that Mariam just needs to stay home. Jalil is a very rich man, and is always kind to Mariam. He has two separate lives. One with his three wives, their children, his expensive car, and his mansion. The other is when he visits Mariam on Thursdays. Before Mariam was born, Nana was a servant in Jalil's house. Nana then got pregnant, and was fired from her work. Though, Jalil made a house for Nana to live in.
Mariam is very attached to Jalil, her favorite part of the week is when he comes to visit her. She stands outside waiting to run up to him. He tells her stories of when she was a baby and the trips they took. Nana laughs at Mariam for believing his stories and says they are all lies. Mariam ignores her and keeps idolizing him. As she grows older she longs to be part of Jalil’s family and demands to see her brothers and sisters. Jalil has never disappointed Mariam before, and it’s a shock when he doesn’t come to pick her up to see the family. She’s determined to walk to Heart and to visit him. Nana once again thinks Mariam is foolish that Jalil will accept her. She tells Mariam that she could die from her seizures and no one will be there to help her. Maria disregards her and goes to Heart to Jalil’s house.
Mariam is not welcomed at his house. She’s not allowed in, and the servants tell her that Jalil isn’t home. Her faith still stands, and she waits outside his house for two days. When the chauffeur tells Mariam that Jalil needs him to drop Mariam back at her house, she runs into the garden hoping to find him. She sees somebody in the window for a flash before they close it. It was Jalil. Then the chauffer drags Mariam to the car to go home. Mariam feels like a fool, and she doesn’t have the same respect. When she reaches home, she sees her mother hanging from the ceiling.
After the funeral, Jalil takes Mariam to his home to live there. Mariam doesn’t speak to him, and she doesn’t want to be there anymore. She sees now that Nana was right, and Jalil could never be the father she wanted. The wives aren’t happy that she is there because she is a disgrace to their family. Soon, Mariam is requested to join them for a family meeting. They have decided that Mariam should marry for she is fifteen years old, and that is a supposedly good time to marry. Although, the wives' children are also fifteen and they are going to school and then college, and then getting married. She begs for Jalil to let her stay, and he says she needs to. She realizes now that she has no one in her life. She can't even look at Jalil and is miserable. What's even worse is that they already arranged her marriage to a forty year old man. Here she begins her life. She's on her own, and her whole life has crumpled to pieces. For fifteen years, she has been so attached to Jalil, and believed that he wanted her in his life.
"Stiff"
ReplyDeleteParus B.
This a non-fiction book talking about cadavers and explaining what happens to them after we die. It surprised me to see what kind of reactions our bodies have after death and what the cadavers are used for. In an odd way this book amused me with the writers sense of humor. The writer, Mary Roach, goes back all the way to medieval times talking about cadavers and different surgeries on them to now. It's also shocking to see how far mankind has come. In the first half of the book, Mary Roach talks about her visits to hospitals to look at cadavers and observe with the other surgeons. There are a lot of things we don't know about the human body. For example, the human head is about the same size and weight as a roaster chicken, and a lot of cadavers are used as crash test dummies for cars. Roach takes her knowledge about cadavers and splits up the chapters in the book about different methods they were used for in different periods throughout time. Further in the book, she explains what really happens when you donate your body to science. I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in learning interesting facts about humans and having a laugh while reading.
"Dairy Queen"
ReplyDeleteRouen F.
The beginning of the book starts out a 15 year old teenage girl named D.J. who lives in Wisconsin. She has a father who is still recently recovering from a hip injury and spends all his time trying new recipes in the kitchen. D.J.'s mother is a teacher and always hides behind her work at school. Her two brothers went off to college to play football. D.J.'s younger brother is basically a mute and is busy with baseball. For D.J., it would be nice if any of them would help her. Since her father is unable to do heavy work because of his injury, D.J. is forced to work at the family's farm and milk the cows thirty-two times twice a day and seven times a week.
One day a family friend coach sends a football star, Brain Nelson, to help out on the farm. However, the boy doesn't want to work. He then compares D.J. to a cow. Cows "go along doing what they're supposed to do without complaining or even really noticing, until they die." D.J. becomes furious. But soon they start to work together and become friends. The coach asks D.J. to be Brian's coach for the summer. She agrees and her life begins to change.
"How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents"
ReplyDeleteDanielle K.
I've been reading this book for a while; i liked it at first ,but later i started disliking it. The way the author puts her sentences are weird. For example: she always says "the mother, the father," like we don't know who she is talking about. Maybe it's just they way the book was translated or something but it's annoying me. I also don't care for the order she chooses to tell everyone's stories. They aren't in order and some of the stories are confusing and also disturbing. I don't like much family conflict in the books I read. I really enjoy fiction books with fantasy aspects and humor. I usually don't care for biographies or documentaries, or any of that sort. I don't think I can finish this book. It's confusing and horrible.
"Stiff"
ReplyDeleteMarty P.
Stiff is a non-fiction book, written by Mary Roach. It is about the interesting lives of cadavers. I know cadavers aren't alive, but that not what i mean when i say lives. I am talking about what happens to dead bodies when they are donated or decomposing. The book has a slightly humourous approach to it, which helps with reading, when dealing with such a gross topic. The book gives you an understanding of why bodies donated for science are necessary for important studies. It can also be grossly detailing of how it describes the process of decomposition. For example, "See the skin on his fingertips there?" Says Arpad, "The liquid from the cells gets between the layer of skinn and loosens them, as that progresses, you see the skin sloughage, they call it skin slip." This book is not one of my favorite books to read, but it is very interesting so far. I can not predict on what note the authour will end this book, because it has been pretty random.
"Ask Me No Questions"
ReplyDeleteGlady Mae M.
This story started with a Muslim girl named Nadira and her family driving up to Canada. Nadira has one sister named Aisha which is the eldest one.Nadira's family wants to live in Canada and start a new life, but there is a conflict which is they have expred visas. The Muslim family is hoping that they could live in Canada without anyone knowing that they have expired visas. But the family failed because they got rejected when they arrived to Canada.Nadira's dad had to go to prison and her mom had to go with him.Nadira and her sister Aisha had no choice except to go back to the US borders. Nadira and Aisha had to live with their auntie and uncle and go to school without anyone knowing that they're illegal resident. In the end of the story they got a news that their father got released and diported. I like this book because people that has the same conflict would know what are they going to do if they read this book.
"The Glass Castle"
ReplyDeleteRenee K.
The novel starts out with a flash forward into the narrator's life. She is a well-rounded woman who is on her way to a party in a cab when she sees her mother digging through a dumpster. My first thoughts were that the main character somehow made it to be this successful person and just turned her back on her homeless mother, but as I read on, the book read differently. It turned out that her mother and father both choose to be the way they are. The novel then is told from the very first memory that the narrator can remember; when she was three years old and got lit on fire while cooking hot dogs in her family's trailer. When taken to the hospital, barely making it out alive, the nurses are shocked that the little girl's mother would let her near a stove alone at the age of three. I think that future events in this novel are going to be similar, where the mother lets the children do things on their own so they can finally make a life of their own in the future without anyone's help.
"Ask Me No Questions"
ReplyDeleteGrace F
The book begins with a family from Bangladesh that lives in New York City and are legal US citizens. But after 9/11, things began to change and they are accused of being illegal citizens. Nadira and her sister Aisha, along with her parents move to Canada to search for a safe place to stay. Her father is then arrested at the border and Nadira and Aisha must go back to New York CIty without their parents. When they get back they are not allowed to tell anyone what has happened and must stay with their aunt and uncle until their parents return. Nadira and Aisha face many problems while they are in New York City because they have opposite personalities. Nadira is a very awkward, shy girl that isn't very good at anything. While Aisha is a tall and skinny girl who is extremely smart. Although Nadira and Aisha don't get along, they find a way to save their parents. They will do almost anything for their parents and even talk to people that they would have never thought to talk to. They must learn to take care of themselves and work together to make sure that their father will not end his life in jail.
CONTINUED
ReplyDeletenikki k
This book so far is upsetting to read about innocent people get treated like a threat when all they want to do is live a life where they can succeed in college and do activities that everyone does.
Quinn Lawson-hall read the book "True Notebooks" by Mark Salzman. His personal opinion on this memoir was that he really enjoyed how it related to a younger audience. The was the author didn't fabricate the language of the kids really caught Quinn's attention. Quinn also enjoyed the realism the book portrayed in the lives of troubled youths.
ReplyDeleteThis book was about a man who volunteered to teach a writing class at a juvenile detention center, it shows how the writers relationship with his students changes as he continues to teach the class. he becomes attached to his students and his outlook on "gangstas" and "vatos" changes into a bonding affection.
obviously Nathaniel Hall was basically Quinn Lawson-hall in "Less Gangster" in my humble opinion.
This book also shows how kids environments changes how they act and how they view life. While in juvi some kids re-evaluate their life and want to change, but they still have to face the penalty of their actions. this book really shows how ones environment changes forms and changes their identity, and Quinn liked that.
Mrs. graham said not to summerize..
im reading this and alot of people summerized.
just sayin
adios, french toast
over
" The Glass Castle"
ReplyDelete- Hirangi P.
This non fiction book tells the life of the author Jeannette Walls childhood and her adult life. The novel started off as Jeannette was on her way to a party. On her way to the party she spotted her mom out the window digging in the dumpster. She told the taxi driver to stop and she took a better look at her to see if it was actually her mother. She was paranoid that her mom would she her and yell her name so she tried to hide herself and told the taxi driver to take her home. When she got home she felt bad and thought things over. She got in contact with her mother through her moms friend. They met and talked. Jeannette wanted to help her mom get her life back together again but her mother kept refusing to seek any help from her. She said she and Jeannette's father are doing fine by living on the streets.
Then the novel changed directions and started telling the story of Jeannette 's past. Jeannette had an older sister named Lori and an younger brother named Brian.
When Jeannette was three years old she use to cook hotdogs on the stove while her mom was in another room painting. Her mom thought she was mature for her age. One day she got burned and the flames went up her clothes and reached to her eyelashes. Her parents took her to the hospital and kept her there til she got better. They took Jeannette one day out of the hospital and ran away from there so they didn't have to pay the hospital bills. They got home and their dad told them to grab everything they need to SURVIVE! They left that very night. They were on the road constantly running away from their troubles.
Jeannette tells us how her parents aren't perfect and have odd ways of showing their love towards their children.
She also tells us that her dad was ONCE sweet and worked hard for his money but after the death of one of his kids, he started drinking and couldn't control his anger and fought with their mother almost everyday.
"Sula"
ReplyDeleteCamille F.
This book starts off explaining how the neighborhood of Bottom in Medallion, Ohio started off and how a man from Bottom, named Shadrack, came back from the war and invented "National Suicide Day" on every January 3rd. On this day, he walks around the town with a bell and a rope and yells out to the neighborhood that they should kill each other or kill themselves. the reason he does this is because he is afraid of his own death but by doing this, he feels less afraid. Then the book begins to talk about a woman named Helene who has a daughter with Wiley Wright who is from Medallion. They named their daughter Nel, but as she grows up, Wiley Wright begins to have affairs with her mother and leaves them. Later, Nel becomes friends with a classmate named Sula and the author starts to telling the story behind her. Sula came from a family goes through a lot. I found it interesting though because it talks about the struggle Sula's grandmother had to go through in order to help her family, especially being of African-American decent. Nel heard stories that Sula's grandmother had laid by a train track in order for the train to run over her leg and in that case, would get kind of like insurance help. she would get money from the government. Nel and Sula grow up and Nel gets married to a man named Jude. Later Jude and Sula end up going behind Nel's back and have an affair.
"Getting Mother's Body"
ReplyDeleteJonathan P.
The book starts off in a way that caught my attention, with the main character Billy Beede in her boyfriends car doing "intimate" things with him. It gave me an insight on what the book was going to be about. This book is about a 16 year old irresponsible girl going through the hard times of her life, for she's poor, pregnant and her mother has died. As I've read, basically the conflict in this story is that this still very young girl learns that her mothers grave which is a state away in Arizona is about to be bulit upon and she realizes that there are some important memoirs of value buried along with her. She needs to get to it before her mothers rich boyfriend stops her to continue the constructions. With the pregnancy and the urgency to get to her mothers grave, this book had me keep reading as I still am.
A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier
ReplyDeleteThe book starts off with the main character Ishmael Beah fetching water from a near by stream for his family. It is a very interesting book. So far I am enjoying it because I want to know what happens to Ishmael and I want to follow him on his journey throughout the book. I think more people should read this book. When i looked at the cover it didn't seem so interesting, but it didn't let me down once i started reading it.
-Adrian T.
"True notebooks"
ReplyDelete-Ashely O.
"True Notebooks" starts off by an author who wants to write a book for teens and wants to get a real feel about going through the things that these teenage offenders. And with out the real detail he cant get his book right. So he decides to visit a writting class at L.A's Central Juvenlie Hall. And what he came for, he found. He was amazed to hear what he hear, very mnoved to hear the teenagers stories, it was eye-opening to hear from people who are barley heard. Through out his time in the juvenile hall he had changed his whole view on people who are involved in gangs, he can now see that he fight battles everyday and have it hard to even go through a whole day without getting into a conflict with other people in gangs.
"Freakonomics"
ReplyDeleteFredi J
At the beginning this book is pretty "wierd" it doesn't really have any main characters or start with a plot, it talks about one thing and it would compare it with another. It's a very good and interesting book.It has many great facts and things that will really get you thinking. its highly addicting, as soon as you start reading you cannot stop. This is the first book I have read that is not with any characters or has a setting or plot. I really think the author is a genius, I was surprised with many of the things he said, but when I thought about it I agreed with him. This book asks many questions to you, which has never happened before with any of the other books I have read. I recently began reading this book and I got pretty far. I really enjoy this book.
"Ask Me No Questions"
ReplyDeleteRandy T.
This novel starts off with a Muslim family from Bangladesh who lives in New York City, not only that but they are also legal US citizens. Ever since the 9/11 incident people blamed their whole family for being illegal citizens. This was the starting point of change in there life. 14-year-old Nadira, her sister Aisha, and her parents had decided to move all the way up to Canada to start a new life. I could see that Nadira is kind of jealous of her sister Aisha because she was the daughter in the family who was top of her class and the one that is going into graduating class. As they drive towards the border of Canada there family gets stopped because they have expired visa in America. What happens next is that Nadira’s dad gets arrested and Nadira and her sister are forced to go back to New York to live with their aunt and uncle. While back in the city they face many hard situations. They have to try making money and also try to get their dad out of jail.
the glass castle
ReplyDeleteDarin R.
the glass castle is a very nice and realstic story. so far, i really like the way the author approaches the ideas. i am always excited to know or find out the reason that the girl is emberessed from her parents. the story is really good and i keep wanting to read it and find out what happens next. even though the main character is emberessed to show her parents to her friends, she still wants to help them and not see them in the street. the parents are trying to hide it and act like they are living a good life but the kids still dont believe it and want toi help their parents. i am excited to read more and find out the story behind the problem that made ther family split up/
"True Notebooks"
ReplyDeleteYoung K.
"True Notebooks" begins story with the author Mark Salzman entering steel-framed door the Juvenile Hall classroom. Mark Salzman was the teacher of this classroom. Before I read deep enough I though those youth criminals or students cannot write anything, even they do they will not write seriously. However this book proved me that I was wrong. Even though their language was rough they truly wrote their honest story. In the story they tell us how wrong they have been lived, but they also tell us how much they regret and how much they want to leave the Juvenile Hall and live better life.
"True Notebooks"
ReplyDeleteMedina P.
This book so far is really good and makes you want to know whats going to happen next. It's amazing how bad there lives are, but how slowly they start to change with someone helping them by there side. Sometimes you need that extra push to make you realize that theres possibility. The author shows how patience can help you a lot when your dealing with an enviroment of attitude and carelessness. These juvie kids realize that sometimes changing your life is for the better and putting the past behind you is a new start. This book just makes you realize that you should open your eyes and know that you have it good and you should apprectiate it.
"Does My Head Look Big in This?"
ReplyDeleteNashrah N.C.
This book is about a Muslim Palestinian girl named Amal who decides that she will start to wear the hijab (head scarf) for good. This is a tough decision since she lives in Melbourne, Australia and goes to a high school where there aren't any other Muslims. She is bound to get some negative responses and get called some unpleasant names such as "towel-head." Even her school principal is displeased that she is doing something so scandalous and that it doesn' go with the school uniform. Although she is a sassy girl who can think of great comeback comments to anyone who bothers her, her courage fades as she decides to wear the hijab and goes out into the public. She starts getting overly conscious about what other people are thinking when they look at her, especially her long time crush, Adam. As the story goes on, however, she begins to feel comfortable with her scarf and feels protected because she feels more connected with god.
I did not really like the book because the author's style of writing wasn't that interesting. I also thought all of Amal's struggles were very stereotypical (every Muslim right of passage story is like this). I didn't find anything new or interesting. I also felt skeptical about how a girl who used to wear shorts can suddenly go to wearing a hijab (it is possible but very unlikely).
"The Kite Runner"
ReplyDeleteVidhu V.
This book is about two friends in Kabul, Afghanistan, named Amir and Hassan. Amir's mother died when she gave birth to amir and his dad raised him without a mother(did'nt marry again). Hassan is actually Amir's half brother but he didnt know that. He was raised as baba's (amir's dad) servants son and hassans mother went with someone else. So Amir's dad hired a nursing woman to feed Amir and Hassan. They were born kinda like the same time,so they were fed from the same breast. They took their first step on the same lawn in the same yard, And under the same roof,
Amir and Hassan were best friends. Since Hassan was baba's servants son, Hassan would do anything for Amir and he is really good at slingshot. Since hassan was treated like baba's servants son everyone call him a Hazzara( the low class people).Since Amir does not have a mother Rahim khan use to help him a lot. Rahim khan was baba's friend. He use to encourage Amir whatever good things he do. Rahim Khan was a really good helper for Amir. Amir and Hassan was like best friends but Amir use to hassan tease hassan sometimes just for fun. Hassan does'nt know how to read and write. Amir teached him how to read and write. he use to read stories to Hassan that he really liked. Amir's dad is the wealthiest person in Kabul and he was so nice to everyone. Hassan and Amirs were like best friends, but one day the world around them changed......
Amir came to U.S. and his life in America was so good. He gets married to a girl named Sooraya and they were living a happy life. One day he gets a letter from his uncle that hassan wrote for Amir.
Amir was proud that he taught Hassan how to read and write. The letter was about how was Amir, how does he look now, does he got taller, how is life and all the new things about Hassan too. In his letter he said that he got married and got a son. And he kept a picture of Haasan and his son. After reading the letter Amir felt like crying because only because of him Hassan left. If he didnt do that Hassan would still be with him. Rahim Khan told him the story about what happend to Hassan and his family. Hassan got married. His wife's name is Farzana. He also got a son named Sohrab. Hassan and his family had returned to Baba's house as a caretaker at Rahim Khan's request. One day the Taliban ordered him to give it up and leave, but Hassan refused, and was murdered, along with Farzana. Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not really Hassan's father. Hassan was actually the son of Baba, therefore Amir's half-brother. Finally, Rahim Khan tells Amir that the true reason he has called Amir to Pakistan is to go to Kabul to rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab,from an orphanage.
Amir tells Sohrab of his plans to take him back to America and possibly adopt him, and promises that he will never be sent to an orphanage again. After almost having to break that promise (after decades of war, paperwork documenting Sohrab's orphan status, as demanded by the US authorities, is impossible to get) and Sohrab attempting suicide, Amir manages to take him back to the United States and introduces him to his wife. However, Sohrab is emotionally damaged and refuses to speak or even glance at Soraya. This continues until his frozen emotions are thawed when Amir reminisces about his father, Hassan, while kite flying. Amir shows off some of Hassan's tricks, and Sohrab begins to interact with Amir again. In the end Sohrab only shows a lopsided smile, but Amir takes to it with all his heart ashe runs the kite for Sohrab, saying, "For you, a thousand times over."
"The Kite Runner"
ReplyDeleteVidhu V.
This book is about two friends in Kabul, Afghanistan, named Amir and Hassan. Amir's mother died when she gave birth to amir and his dad raised him without a mother(did'nt marry again). Hassan is actually Amir's half brother but he didnt know that. He was raised as baba's (amir's dad) servants son and hassans mother went with someone else. So Amir's dad hired a nursing woman to feed Amir and Hassan. They were born kinda like the same time,so they were fed from the same breast. They took their first step on the same lawn in the same yard, And under the same roof.
Amir and Hassan were best friends. Since Hassan was baba's servants son, Hassan would do anything for Amir and he is really good at slingshot. Since hassan was treated like baba's servants son everyone call him a Hazzara( the low class people).Since Amir does not have a mother Rahim khan use to help him a lot. Rahim khan was baba's friend. He use to encourage Amir whatever good things he do. Rahim Khan was a really good helper for Amir. Amir and Hassan was like best friends but Amir use to hassan tease hassan sometimes just for fun. Hassan does'nt know how to read and write. Amir teached him how to read and write. he use to read stories to Hassan that he really liked. Amir's dad is the wealthiest person in Kabul and he was so nice to everyone.but one day the world around them changed......
Amir came to U.S. and his life was too good. He marry's a girl named Sooraya. They were living a happy life. One day Amir recieves a letter fron Rahim Khan that was written by Hassan.Amir was proud that he taught Hassan how to read and write. The letter was about how was Amir, how does he look now, does he got taller, how is life and all the new things about Hassan too. In his letter he said that he got married and got a son. And he kept a picture of Haasan and his son. After reading the letter Amir felt like crying because only because of him Hassan left. If he didnt do that Hassan would still be with him. Rahim Khan told him the story about what happend to Hassan and his family. Hassan got married. His wife's name is Farzana. He also got a son named Sohrab. Hassan and his family had returned to Baba's house as a caretaker at Rahim Khan's request. One day the Taliban ordered him to give it up and leave, but Hassan refused, and was murdered, along with Farzana. Rahim Khan reveals that Ali was not really Hassan's father. Hassan was actually the son of Baba, therefore Amir's half-brother. Finally, Rahim Khan tells Amir that the true reason he has called Amir to Pakistan is to go to Kabul to rescue Hassan's son, Sohrab,from an orphanage.
Amir tells Sohrab of his plans to take him back to America and possibly adopt him, and promises that he will never be sent to an orphanage again. After that, almost having to break that promise and Sohrab attempting suicide, Amir manages to take him back to the United States. However, Sohrab is emotionally damaged and refuses to speak or even glance at Soraya. This continues until his frozen emotions are thawed when Amir reminisces about his father, Hassan, while kite flying. Amir shows off some of Hassan's tricks, and Sohrab begins to interact with Amir again. In the end Sohrab only shows a lopsided smile, but Amir takes to it with all his heart ashe runs the kite for Sohrab, saying, "For you, a thousand times over."
"A Step from Heaven"
ReplyDeleteNashrah N.C.
This story is about a young girl named Young Ju who moves to America from Korea. Through her hard times in korea with her drunken and violent dad, she only saw her family genuinely smile whenever the subject "Mi Gook (America)" came up. Therefore, Young Ju starts to believe that Mi Gook must be heaven where she can go meet her deceased grandfather and be happy. This assumption changes as she arrives at America and she does not like what she sees. her grandfather isn't there and her grandmother from Korea hasn't come to meet her in heaven either. She has to drink something new in America called Coca Cola which burns her throat and she has to start calling her uncle "Uncle Tim" when she is used to calling him "samchung (Korean for uncle)." She asks her relatives about why heaven isn't what she expected and they say that it isn't heaven and her grandfather and grandmother won't be seeing her soon. They say it is a place where she can start a good new life and have many opportunities and says that it can be considered a step from heaven.
This is all I have read so far but I expect it go into more detail about when Young Ju goes to school and struggles with speaking English and getting bullied or something along those lines. I got interested in this book because I have an obsession/interest in Korean culture and I thought it would be fun to read a book with some basic Korean words in it that I already understand.
"True Notebooks"
ReplyDeleteJermaine R.
Mark Salazar gives you the point of view from kids in juvenile centers. He helps you to realize that not everyone has all the opportunities that allow them to grow up and become successes in life. These guys have messed up lives which is why they were in certain situations that landed them in the juvenile hall in the first place. Most kids don't know what it's like to grow up without a mom and/or dad and to feel alone. so it's nice that Mark gives the feeling to the story that would allow some kids to imagine how it would be to grow up as one of the juveniles.
Does My Head Look Good In This? is an inspiring book for everyone especially for
ReplyDeleteus teenagers who can’t stand up for ourselves and what we believe in. It also
inspires and educates us how to keep in mind that our own morals and values are
very important to follow and stay true to them.
When I read this book, the character’s story really inspired and touched me in many ways
although we have many differences in life. It’s a story of a sixteen year-old girl named Amal Mohamed Abdel-Hakim. She is an Australian-Palestinian-Muslim. As a Muslim girl, she makes a very daring decision to wear hijab full-time. It means to wear it all the time not just occasionally. It is not an easy decision because she lives in Australia where not everyone is Muslim. And she transfers to a private school that is not a Muslim school where she has to deal with some snob students and her ultimate crush, Adam Keane, who is a high-profile guy and interested to her too. She faces all her fears that people might discriminate or judge her just because of her appearance. But despite of all the prejudice and temptations with her mom and friends’ support, she stands up for herself and what she believes in.
"Does My Head Look Good In This?"
ReplyDeleteHyacinth L.
Does My Head Look Good In This? is an inspiring book for everyone especially for us teenagers who can’t stand up for ourselves and what we believe in. It also inspires and educates us how to keep in mind that our own morals and values are very important to follow and stay true to them.
When I read this book, the character’s story really inspired and touched me in many ways although we have many differences in life. It’s a story of a sixteen year-old girl named Amal Mohamed Abdel-Hakim. She is an Australian-Palestinian-Muslim. As a Muslim girl, she makes a very daring decision to wear hijab full-time. It means to wear it all the time not just occasionally. It is not an easy decision because she lives in Australia where not everyone is Muslim. And she transfers to a private school that is not a Muslim school where she has to deal with some snob students and her ultimate crush, Adam Keane, who is a high-profile guy and interested to her too. She faces all her fears that people might discriminate or judge her just because of her appearance. But despite of all the prejudice and temptations with her mom and friends’ support, she stands up for herself and what she believes in.
I'm sorry I forgot to write my name on my first post.
J Sancen
ReplyDeleteTrue Notebooks
i really think this book gives you a very vivid feeling of not only what the guys go through in the juvenile hall, but also what their life was like on the outside. the amount of violence and neglect they went through is truly immense and i can't imagine ever feeling the way they have. i consider myself lucky just by not having the amount of negative peer pressure they had to face and couldn't do anything about it.
True Notebooks
ReplyDeleteRushda Hawa
True Notebook is a very inspiring and a great book to read. Its very interesting that in the beginning where mark tries to figure if he should go teach at the juvenile. so to help him out he made a pros and cons list. there were good things about and bad things. as we keep reading we see different characters in the book express their feelings by just writing. Kids who used to be in gangs, and some kind of violence have so much feeling on the inside for them to just let it out on paper. i love how the author tells them that they can write about anything they want. the suprising part is that they show so much feelings to him and that he has inspired them to write. the kids in juvenile say that they want to change and didnt mean for any this things to happen for them to end up here and they actually mean it too. the part that i loved reading the most about this book are the things that the kids wrote in the book. it makes me wonder so much that kids our own age right now have so much feelings and that path that makes them do all the wrong kind of things is so different. they have so much feelings and they all write it down in a notebook, which helps them out so much. this book is truly amazing and i wouldnt mind reading this book over and over again. i cant wait to keep reading the other half of the book because i know for a fact that it will get more and more interesting. Mark salzman is truly an amzing person to those kids, he has helped them learn and grow up a lot!
Glass Castle
ReplyDeleteBilega B.
The novel Glass Castle starts off with the main character Jeannette when shes on her way to a party in a taxi cab and she sees her mother digging in a dumpster. Jeanette doesnt want to her mother to see her and call out her name to be embarrassed so she ducks down in the taxi. She communicates with her mother through her mothers friend. Jeannettes mother and father both like living this way: digging in dumpsters for valuables. they think that its such a waste when people throw out valuable and usable things. Jeannette constantly tries to help them but they always refuse cause they dont have a problem with the way they live,
A Long Way Gone
ReplyDeleteChristina Smith
A Long Way Gone was one of the greatest books ever. Ishmael the main charater,was a brave and strong little boy. His town was attacked by rebels and everyone went running around while shootings and killings took place. Ishmael, his brother, and four friends, escaped and made it to another town. Before they knew it that town was attacked and every town they went to afterwards. One by one Ishmael's brother and four friends were picked to join the rebels. Ishmael was left alone to survive. This book was really touching and had a surprise every time I turned the page.
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
ReplyDeleteRontiva Randle
The Novel Glass Castle begins with the main character Jeannette on her way to a party when she sees her mother digging in a garbage dumpster. Jeannette is embarrassed at this point and ducks so her mother won't call her name or for any fact see her. This disappoints me because why would you get embarrassed by the person that gave birth to you?, it's not like her mother is "Homeless" she just chooses to live her life that way and Jeannette needs to except that a love her mother for who she is.
A Long Way Gone
ReplyDeleteChristina S.
I have finished reading the book,and I really loved it. I would never be able to go through all the things Ishmael did. This book had a well discription for everything that went on. As I was reading the book I was imagining everything that went on. This book was very inspiring to me. If there was a second one out I would definetly read it.
Stiff by Mary Roach
ReplyDeleteBrandon B.
The book Stiff by Mary Roach is a non-fiction book about everything cadaver related. A cadaver is a dead body. So when I say it deals with everything about a dead body, it deals with everything. Dissections, crimes involving cadavers, crash test dummies, bullet testing, cannibalism, ways to dispose of a dead body, and much more. This book tries to present it's information in a humorous way. This is because the topic of death, dying, and dead bodies can not always be pleasant. So the author tries to make it better to read. The author recalls some of her personal experiences firsthand with cadavers and scientists associated with cadavers and she tries to fill the reader's mind with this very unknown subject of dead bodies. I recommend this book to anyone looking for a different read. This book is very odd. I do not recommend this book for someone who is expecting a novel.
Jessica Gaode
ReplyDeleteTrue Notebooks by Mark Salzman
I’ve only gotten half way though True Notebooks and I already know that I love this book. This is one of those books that you have to read everything to understand what is going on. I’m not one to read every word on page so it kind of surprised me when I did. This book is about a writer who volunteers at a Juvenile Hall, a place he never expected to ever be. As he keeps on with his writing class at the Juvenile Hall he learns more about his students and their life’s as gangers. Everyone in this book seamed like real people with real problems. This book has gangers that sound and act like real gangers. I liked this book because of how real this book sounded.
"The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez"
ReplyDeleteDalia D.
I didn't read the whole book yet. But as far as I've read I can tell that this book is so interesting. Sonia Rodriguez faces a lot of problems in her life as an American whose parents are illegally here. I think I can relate myself to her (although my family and I are legal residents!) Both Sonia and I want to be the first one in our family who graduates from college and suffer as our parents do. And we both help our mothers in the house (so do our siblings). So I really like this novel.
"Warriors dont cry"
ReplyDeleteNathan C.
I am 25 pages away from finishing the book within a 3 day period. Every page theres something new. Just what the kids went through in this book is un bearable i would have given up. Its amazing how dedicated they were for doing this. They chaged the world with 9 african american children going into a huge white high school. they could have easily died. I didnt know they would have so much security and even the army there. But its disapointing that the army was there just so nobody would be murdered. Only 2 students actually helped them. Again this is a great book its a non stop read. I enacourage everybody to give it a shot.
"Dairy Queen"
ReplyDeleteMarie C.
I have to say, “Dairy Queen” was one book I couldn’t put down right when I had started it. It was such a page-turner! D.J. Schwenk portrayed such determination throughout the book. She is one inspiring teenage girl that had sacrificed most of her time to work on the farm for the sake of her family. I truly believe that she was suitable for the football team. The different relationships she had with other characters in the book had changed little by little as you read near towards the end. There were some secrets that were revealed, secrets you wouldn’t realize unless you’ve “read between the lines.” When I finished reading the book, I wanted to learn more about her future; such as her relationship with Brian Nelson and wanting to know if her and her family started talking to her brothers again. Furthermore, I would recommend this book to anyone because it gives you an influential story about a girl who changes her life by working hard, and being able to open up and communicate to her peers and family. After reading this book, I’d like to finish reading the rest of the “Dairy Queen” trilogy.
"Stiff" Continued
ReplyDeleteMarty P.
In my continuing of the book Stiff, i have found out more and more things about cadavers that i never wanted to know. One thing is the the U.S. armed forces recieves cadavers to test their weapons stopping power, and new types of amunition. When this happens, they will usually cut off a part of the body, yes, just a part, and shoot at it through a weapon, then check the results. Another intresting thing i read was that for forensic researching they will have controlled areas to simulate murder scenes. There will be bodies laying outside on different surfaces and in different stages of decay. One last thing i read that i have to say is amazing is how they test the damages done to people in an airplane crash. All i have to say is it involves dropping a body from a very tall height. I have not finished this book yet, but i would recomend reading this book if you like to learn weird intresting things
Ask Me No Questions
ReplyDeleteGrace F.
After reading this book, my opinion on 9/11 has definitely changed and I feel that I have learned a lot after reading this book. Before reading this book, I didn't really realize what struggles people from Bangladesh and other countries had gone through after 9/11. I now realize how hard it was for them to even survive and I feel I would never be able to survive if I were to be put in a situation similar to Nadira's. Nadira and Aisha go through so many conflicts throughout the book, trying to find a decent lawyer, trying to find someone who they can trust, and in the end, trying to get their own father out of jail. I have never been put in any situation like theirs and feel great empathy towards both characters.This book caught my attention as soon as I read the summary at the front of the book. This book was exhilarating, courageous, and unbelievable and I would definitely recommend it to anyone.
"Ask Me No Questions"
ReplyDeleteJason M.
I thought the book "Ask Me No Questions" was a really great book. It showed me that a person could really change and become someone completely different from who they were when disaster strikes their family. Nadira and Aisha had to go through their father being put away in Prison, and not seeing him or speaking to him for months. They worried sick the whole time and imagined the worst. Aisha (Nadira's sister) was so strong and so in control of her life, and then started to fall apart and not care anymore. This book also showed me that anybody could stand up and be strong, no matter how old/wise you are. Nadira was able to go see her parents and straighten everything with her father out on her own. I couldn't believe when I was reading that a 14 year old, who has been put through so much, was capable of doing something so brave and being a leader for her family. "Ask Me no Questions" was great. Everyone should read it.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
ReplyDeleteUmer G.
Adventure, Helpfulness and Simplicity can be understood by reading the book "A thousand splendid suns." This extravagant book has been one of the best books I have ever read. This book talks much about an ordinary girl who has many problems in her life and struggles to overcome them. At the same time, it tells the story of another girl who has completely a different girl and then coming towards the end joins both of their lives into one. It tells us the real meaning of simplicity and helpfulness. This book is a very well written book which has the capability of attracting a reader as soon as he/she goes through the first page. I have read this book and I surely loved it, And you will too.
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
ReplyDeleteUmer G.
Adventure, Helpfulness and Simplicity can be understood by reading the book "A thousand splendid suns." This extravagant book has been one of the best books I have ever read. This book talks much about an ordinary girl who has many problems in her life and struggles to overcome them. At the same time, it tells the story of another girl who has a completely different life and then coming towards the end joins both of their lives into one. It tells us the real meaning of simplicity and helpfulness. This book is a very well written book which has the capability of attracting a reader as soon as he/she goes through the first page. I have read this book and I surely loved it, And you will too.
True Notebooks
ReplyDeleteRushda Hawa
Blog #2
True Notebooks was an amazing book. I liked it a lot. It changes a lot of the kids. They realize the mistakes that they make and would want to go back and fix them. Mark Salzman truly helped out the kids in juvenile. He made them like writing, when half of them didn't even care about school or even liked to write. To tell you the truth I hate to to write too, but if I was stuck in juvenile and forget about home and think that you're in juvenile, I wouldn't mind writing at all. Some parts of the book was sad because some of the kids were sentenced in jail longer because their court apparel didn't go as well. The kids really want to change their future, but if they are in juvenile they will not be able to do anything about since they haven't left juvenile. I love how the author changes their lives and makes them want to be good again. I would give this book 9 out of 19. This book is amazing, and changes other peoples lives.
uhhhhh.... i read mexican white boy. this is tj.
ReplyDeletethis book is amazing. its about this kid named danny who spends the summer with his Mexican relatives in National City because his mom who is white is living in San Francisco with her boyfriend.he tries to fit in, he feels like an outsider because he doesnt speak Spanish and because hes smart and goes to a private school. Hes too white to be Mexican but at school hes too Mexican to be white. he meets this one girl and like right away he gets a crush on her.He loves baseball and he's an amazing pitcher, but he loses his control under pressure and he has no idea why. All Danny wants to do is run away to Mexico and find his dad. which left him and danny thinks its because hes white. He knows everything will be better once he can see and talk to his dad again. oh yeah and he makes a best friend who is half black and mexican and share some interests. but what i like about danny is that he throws gas and can hit bombs. i play baseball and i can relate to him because i throw hard and can hit bombs too. what i also like is that in the beginning he he swindles these kids with his friend to make money off a kinda homerun derby type thing . i dont really read much cause i dont like reading but this book was a pretty easy read so far so i recommend this book to sports lovers.
Gabriel "God-Like" Carrillo!
ReplyDelete(is reading)
"True Notebooks"
Uhh, yeah, this book is basically about the author preventing kids getting into a gang and getting kids to get out of a gang. This book REALLY reminds me of these two books by former Latin King member Reymundo Sanchez, "My Bloody Life" and "Once A King, Always A King" one or both of them should be summer reading books too... Haha. But yeah, "True Notebooks" means a lot to me since it's a helpful book, unlike many books on the summer reading list. Mark Salzman really wanted to reach out to the teens, he obviously greatly cares about the youth. Even more since he was a teacher at a juvenile center. This book has been keeping me interested ALMOST as much as how Reymundo Sanchez' books kept me interested. Since this book is made to help out this wounded generation's youth, I don't really see any downside/cons to it. I like it all. The world needs more books AND people like Mark Salzman and Reymundo Sanchez so there'll be less gang violence and more love. Books and people like them really show what difference they can make in kid's lives who think they're "hard" or who think they're "down". I hope I didn't "summarize" at all.
Uhh, yeah... That's it.
Make "My Bloody Life", "Once A King, Always A King", and/or "Lady Q: The Rise And Fall Of A Latin Queen" summer reading books please! They're really good and helpful like "True Notebooks"!
GET MONEY!!! :P
"A Thousand Splendid Suns"
ReplyDeleteJamie J.
This book was very depressing throughout the entire book. The words were incredible and it made feel when i read it. There were so many struggles that it actually made me really upset. Seeing their determination was what kept me reading.I knew that i wouldn't be able to go through what they did, and it was mind blowing to read about their survival. It wasn't predictable, and it kept catching me off guard. I thought about the decisions Laila and Mariam made and i wondered if i would have made the same. Like when they killed Rashad, i questioned if that was a smart idea because of the consequences. This book somehow had the happy ending, and it was a relief to find that they lived peacefully afterwards.
"Dairy Queen"
ReplyDeleteRouen F.
I actually ended up liking this book. DJ is a character who some girls can relate to because she's brave and daring. The author wrote this book pretty realistically so that you know what it's like living on a small farm and town. In the town DJ lives in, she goes out for the football team. However, how often is it that you see a girl on the football team? But I admire her for her courageousness for going for the team. DJ is like a heroine that makes us all cheer for her in the end. I also liked the book because of the romantic feel. I would recommend this book to anyone who has free time to read. (:
Nikki K
ReplyDeleteAsk me no questions
this book made me be more grateful of my life. i never realized how lucky i am to be able to do my everyday activities without hiding who i really am like Nadira and Aisha in the book. they were illegals afraid of getting caught any day. i am allowed to be who i am in front of everyone, while they cant even tell their best friends about their father in detainment. i also have more empathy for the whole 9/11 incident. Innocent people like the family in my book had gone through such a hard time. thinking their life in america will be better but got their hopes up. but i was happy to read that in the end they family does have a happy ending. overall i enjoyed reading the book. my only negative opinion is that at times it felt like the book was going no one. very boring in the middle because you are just waiting for something interesting and shocking to happen. but i do recommend reading this book.
"Stiff"
ReplyDeleteParus B.
Not to my surprise but I actually enjoyed this book. With it's unique and somewhat disturbing facts about humans cadavers, this book managed to keep me in a humorous mood while reading. This book also took me through the life of Mary Roach and as she writes the book based on personal experiences. One thing I really liked about the book was the different ways Mary Roach can explain things. For example, she took me back to a medieval time period to modern day today learning about different type of surgeries done by different type of surgeons. I gained a lot of knowledge from this book without trying to learn. I also liked how Roach detailed her book to make you feel the same repulsive things she felt when experiencing it. I recommend this to anyone looking for a unique and interesting book.
"The Glass Castle"
ReplyDeleteBilega B.
Im pretty amazed by what this family of five goes through. They move to so many place and have different kinds of adventure everytime they move. I especially love Jeanette's character; shes so mature even when shes at the age of three. At the age of three she gets burned really bad and she doesnt make a big deal about it, she toughs it out and moves on. another thing that i was surprised about was when her and her family were on the road and the car door opens and she flew out of the car and rolled down and got bruised and stuff pretty bad. This book is really good. if you like reading books about adventure, definitely read this because they "live" in so many places and they have endless adventures.
"The Kite Runner"
ReplyDeleteVidhu V.
The book was really interesting. It made a feeling to read more. The book was more about the connection between families and how to fight for their own lives. When I read the book, it made me think if I was the person instead of them them I would have certainly killed myself of something. It was just amazing how they got through such a great problem. The book clearly identifies the value of loyalty, devotion and the fragile relationship between friends. We can also see some hardships and culture's of Afghanistan and can see how people go through life changing experiences. I do suggest to read this book, It's amazing!
"Freakonomics"
ReplyDeleteFredi Jara
I am really glad I chose this book, it had soo many questions that I just really enjoyed answering. It really got me thinking, I was not able to put the book this book done, it asked me something and I just got lost in thought. I couldn't believe this was the first book I read in this format. This book had a large amount of information that really came to use for me. This book may have been confusing in the beginning, but I began to understand it more. When I understood it, I realized it was an amazing book. I enjoyed many parts of this book, My favorite part was when it asked you why and how did the crime right go down as soon as abortions became legalized. If this has you thinking already..read the book!
"True Notebooks" Blog #2
ReplyDeleteYoung K.
The "True Notebooks" by Mark Salzman was one of the most interesting books I ever read. So far I haven't finished reading the book yet, due to my slow reading skill and this blog thing by this midnight. However this book is the one which makes me really want to read more and more. To say what I liked about this book, I liked this book from the beginning. I mean I like the idea that "SOMEONE" went to juvenile hall to have writing class with them. Even though he started the class because of his own benefits but it is not an easy things to do. He also changed children thinking and gave them courage and relief that somebody is with them. One more thing I liked about this book was that everyone was honest in that class room. Writing is hard thing to do, but they did it with honest and sincere heart. I'm going to enjoy this book and I hope others will enjoy this book too when they read.
"Ask Me No Questions" Randy Tran This book made me feel that i should be thankful for everything i have because Nadira and Aisha have gone through so much in there life. They face many situations such as hiding there own identity just because people would say something after the incident of 9/11. I also feel guilt for there family and also for the families of people who have gone through the same situation. Nadira has to even tell her best friends lies just because people are obviously being racist. If she were to tell someone that she was muslim everyone one in her community would most likely disown her and tell her racist things such as "go back to your own country."
ReplyDelete"Ask Me No Questions"
ReplyDeleteGlady M.
This book is about the Muslim family who wants to migrate and start a new life in Canada but the problem is they have an expired visas.THe main character here is Nadira which is the youngest one.In this book Nadira and her sister Aisha are going to have some struggle because of their parents being arrested because of the expired visas. I already wrote most of the summary in my first one so I will just discuss what else I like about this book. I like this book because it opens people up to the hardships of Muslim, Indians, Bangladesh and other Middle eastern immigrants. I also like this book because it has vivid details and it's short.
Medina P. True Notebooks
ReplyDeleteAs I got further and towards the end of my reading I realized not to take life for granted. This book is so inspiring and something that people need to see in order to realize that life doesn't come to your advantage a lot of the time. Every choice you make has it's consequences and the way you cope with your actions gives you your results. It's amazing how one man reaches out to change someones life. These boys come from backrounds that we wouldn't neccesarily consider normal. With the struggle and crimes they come to the point where they realize that they need to stop living in the past and start living for the future. This book was amazing and a good wake up call.
"The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez"
ReplyDeleteDalia D. Blog #2
"The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriguez" is one of my favorite novels. It's an amazing and so realistic book. Sonia suffers a lot to accomplish her goals. but while trying to do that, accomplishing her goals, her mom keeps her a step away!
I wanted to talk about the book's most important values, and I thought that the most important one is Family "La Familia" and that's because it's Sonia's family who keeps her far away from accomplishing her goal of being the first person from her family to graduate.
I really think that other people should read this book. It's a really good ONE!!
A Long Way Gone
ReplyDeleteRon Nipas
Blog #2
The Book A Long Way Gone is a wonderful book to read. It surprised me how Ishmael's simple life changed into a whole completely different life. I couldn't believe that this happened in real life and that he survived the war between the Rebels and the Government in Africa. I like how the book was clearly written and you could almost picture yourself in the story. I would recommend this book for everyone, it's an easy read and the story is just astonishing.
"Warriors Don't Cry"
ReplyDeleteBetsy Benny Blog #2
I recommend everyone to read Warriors Don't Cry because it is so inspiring of how the Little Rock Nine went through the conditions they had to face at Central High. They are really brave to go to an all white school especially Melba. Even though Melba didn't graduated from there, her gandmother taught her a lot about passive resistance. This story shows that the power of the whites start to fail after the Little Rock Nine enter school. I was so surprised how the school was so secured with the amrmy inorder to protect the children from being hurt. I am inspired by how Melba's grandmother explains to her how she is a warrior in God's war and no matter what happens, she has to accept the pain. Also how some of the students in the school try to help others from being trouble. I learned that family is really imortant especially for Melba's family for helping her out in her intergrated school. So once again everyone should read this book.
“Does My Head Look Good In This?”
ReplyDeleteHyacinth L.
Blog#2
As I read this book, the main character, Amal, captured my heart because she’s very true to herself. It’s amazing how she stands up for herself and rights by wearing hijab all the time despite of all the prejudice and temptations she has to face. I also like how she’s very loyal to her friends and supports them in any circumstances they have. And I salute her for respecting her parents unlike other teenagers.
I would like to recommend this book to everyone because it’s very inspiring, and it’s just easy to read!
"Stiff" and or "Dairy Queen"
ReplyDeleteDanielle K.
Im sorry, I didn't write a response yesterday, I was busy most of the day and my internet was slow and wouldn't up load the comment. Anyway, I have been reading "Stiff". Im liking it. It's cool. I didn't know that it was actually a non-fiction medical book. But the stuff that I have read so far is interesting! I have to cram so much stuff into this weekend; it's over-whelming. Im afraid I won't be able to complete the book and write the paper. Also, Im afraid I don't know how to write the paper. I don't think it has a main character and that every chapter is of a different scenario with cadaver parts! I will try to accomplish my assignment! Im regretting that I left it off so much! I might have to find "Dairy Queen" and dedicate tomorrow to managing this project.
-Have a grand weekend!
"The Glass Castle"
ReplyDeleteRenee K. Blog #2
I like the direction that the book is going in. At first it illustrates how the parents raise their children from place to place with, in my opinion, bad parenting. But it is written with no real opinion in it so it makes the reader think their upbringings are right. When, in reality, their father raises his kids as if they are a lot wiser than they actually are.. they're just kids and he talks to them like adults. They also never explain to their children what else is out there in the world; they only talk about their life and how their way is always right, and I think their way of raising children wasn't completely right.
"the glass castle"
ReplyDeleteDarin R.
i really like the book. i love the way that it keeps getting exciting and events are always full of action. the one thing in this book is the way that the parents are raising the children. they are raising them in such a bad way. they keep traveling from place to place which is really affecting the kids social life and they keep trating them in a bad way. they are getting them used to bad things and let them do very dangerous things. this is making them a little stronger as peple i guess but it is still dangerous. i always want to read more and find out what's going to happen next. im really excited and hope that the book has a good ending!
J Sancen
ReplyDeleteTrue Notebooks
this book is really really interesting because mark is very descriptive, yet i have to say that i give the credit of why this book is so good not to Mark Salzman, but to the guys that wrote their narratives with wearing their heart on their sleeves. this guys didn't hold anything back when writing their feelings down, which is very surprising. i expected for mark to be mistreated by them constantly and consistently, but instead he got attached to all of them and produced a great book of him and young adults who deserve another chance at success.