My vote for next years book

I believe that the book we presented "My Most Excellent Year" should be incorporated into next years lesson plans because of how much diversity it deals with. Some people don't understand how their reactions to certain situations can be deterimental to the mentality of the person telling their news, but this book really shows us how to not make diversity a big deal, yet it shows us how to treat people as people and not judge them. We can learn alot from the kids in this book. It would be a great opeining book because it is a quick read but it also incorporates an abundance of information without shoving it down the students' throats. The way they write it shows us a different type of text as it shows conversations via chats and e-mails which makes it more interesting because we all write like that and we can relate to it. My vote is strongly for My Most Excellent Year, A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, and Fenway Park!!

My Most Excellent Year

Auggie is a complex character as he is very intelligent but rather shy at the same time. As the story progresses we find that he is gay, which is rather seemingly looked over in this book which I find is fantastic. The fact that the book is not centered around the child coming out to the world is a strong point, it shows how the other characters react to the situation and how they are so welcoming of it. They are friend with Auggie because of who he is, not his sexual preference. With all the diversity we face today it is refreshing to have a book who doesn’t exploit those who are different, but one who welcomes them in with open arms. TC Keller is a character who is revealed as a sort of drawn back and hurt character. We find out that his mother has died and he lives with his father. The subject of his mother and her death is one which is VERY off limits. Not even Auggie is allowed to discuss this with TC as he is still very heartbroken and saddened over the whole ordeal. He carries so much pain from her death that is makes it hard for him to open up to people and trust that they too will not leave him or hurt him in any way. I think that the reason that he is so close to Auggie is that he poses no threat to TC, he likes men not girls, there will be no competition for women, no battling it out over who likes who, not disputes over dates or anything. Being friends with Auggie is safe, something comfortable and reliable. On to the final major character in this book the lovely Alejandra. She defines the girl who is idolized throughout high school. She is elegant, beautiful, witty and extremely smart. She has been raised in a house of royalty yet she does not carry that mentality that she is omnisciently better than everyone. She has been raised in a position to respect everyone even though her fiery temper and question asking can get in the way of her charming demeanor. She is in quite a culture shock when she transfers to this little Massachusetts town and begins school. She has grown up in a place where everyone shares the same experiences of entertaining famous guests and sharing in the stories weekend get a-ways that her new classmates only dream of. She comes from a life of privilege but her parents have done a good job of also making her humble.

Overall I really LOVE this book! I think that EVERYONE should read it, it deals with so much diversity, it shines light on it but does not make a big deal of it. It deals with diversity like eveyone should and I believe it's a great example of how we all should act, even if we don't agree with what's going on you can still act adult about it and treat people like true human beings. it's an excellent book!

In The Shadow of No Towers about the Author

The author of this book lived through 9/11 in a different manner than what I experienced it in. he was actually in New York when the planes hit. Through out the graphic novel There were many changing perspectives and I was very confused by this at first as I could not see how he could know what was happening in so many places at once but as the novel progressed I understood where he was coming from. When people go through a traumatic event they usually tend to remember every deatil about every event that occured during that time, where they were, what they were doing, weather, clothings, sentences down to pauses that people might have said. I remember coming out of my room at 6:15 in the morning before I was to get ready for school and hearing the distraught tone of my mom's voice as she told me that a plane had just hit the world trade tower, I watched it on Tv and listened to the reports on the radio as I rode the bus to school. It had not really occured to me the significance of the event until we all got to school. We didn't do anyting that day except watch the news and discuss what was going on. when you are fed all that information after the fact what you actually saw and what you remember may be something different. For instance, I cannot accurately remember if I saw the second plane hit the tower or if I remember it because I've seen it so many times on videos that are on the internet or some of the replays that the tvs were playing at the time. I think that when i began to understand this is when I got into the book, maybe the author is going through the same thing, maybe what he thinks saw was something his mind conjured up and he is trying to decipher what is actually remembered. But overall I'm glad we had to get through this novel, it was a growing experience for me. Even though I didn't like it i would still recomend it.

In The Shadow of No Towers

At first I really didn't like this graphic novel because of all the narrations and the fact that there was so much to interpret and so much to try and understand. The narrations made it hard for me to follow because you would get into one thought and then you would have to quickly move on to something else, which is something that I am not use to in books, you are given atleast a little warning or a closing when you move from one thought to another. There was also a lot that you could leave to imagination, lots that you could infer about and come up with you own conclusions. I am the type of person where if you want me to catch something I would like to see it straight up, I don't mind inferences but there was so much symbolism that I thougtht it was overtaking. So when we first started this book I was not very interested, the text was dense and it was like pulling teeth, but as the illustrations progressed I found that I was more into the book and I could relate to the what the pictures were showing me more, I could place myself in the text and understand what the author was trying to depict within the graphics. I found that the more I could relate to the pictures the more I got into the book. It is definatley not something that I would have read on my own or rather picked up on my own. But I can see it's pertinance to this clas and why it would be a good introduction to interpreting graphic novels.

Fight Club

This move is a display of male testosterone. But more in depth it shows how men you would not see as the fighting type can assemble themselves in such a way that they would become a fierce group of men. It could be preceived as a cult-like group as they meet but are never talked about. The mere mention of the club is enough for exile. People were in such an uproar due to the fact that it could be happening in any city and no one would find out until it was too late. It makes a person wonder what they are missing, if they see signs around them which point to a cult and miss them. there is always a possibility. At the same time there are also signs which me may see blatently and pass as normal, such as tattoos or bumper stickers which are representational of the gang or cult status. The fact that these men live for pain, seek it, and thrive for it says alot about the demented nature of cult holders. Why would you seek pleasure in having your jaw broken or having your cheek bones cracked? I hate it when I get a paper cut, let alone letting someone intentionally pummel my ass.... it would definatley not be something that I would be interested in. But the move brings a harsh reality to us and shows that with enough persuation, secretive nature, and intreguingness anyone can be suaded by what others may think to be normalicy. But over all the move rocks because you get to see a whole lot of Brad Pitt, even though he sleeps with that leech marla.... barf..... :D

Non Required Reading

This book is geared toward high school kids who are bored with reading. I can see why this book would be used as an aid to get these people to read more, the book is light hearted, not too serious and quite entertaining to read. Most books that we are required to read in high school are drawn out and boring. They are to teach us about the history that literature has and the way that our society has progressed it our writings. But most of what we are required to read is nothing short of boring. We, as high school students, do not really care to decipher the meaning behind Romeo and Juliet or even try to understand the nothing short of eccentric language. They seek freedom and the right to figure out things as they see not as someone tells them that they should see it. High school students are force fed so much information that eventually they shut off to the idea that they have an opinion on what they are learning. If they fall behind the norm it is their job to catch up and stay on track with the rest of the students. This book allows students to reach out and develop their own thoughts and minds. I believe that it would make them more well rounded students to formulate their own opinions and have the ability to discuss them with their teachers to gain a better understanding of the book. If I would have been able to sit in class and have the ability to discuss all the interesting readings we had to do it would have helped me find a true meaning to the book and would have helped me understand how to recognize that what is hidden within the book is not necessarly whats just on the surface. I say "Go, Non Required Reading!"

Water for Elephants

I absolutely adored this book. The story of Jacob and all of the adventures he was a part of made you dive into the book and read as much as you could as quickly as you could. This is a story of finding oneself after a tragic incident takes the lives of Jacob's parents. He is in his final semester attending a very prestigeous university to become a vet just like his father and due to the car wreck both his parents are in he cannot handle being in college anymore so he leaves. What breaks this for him is that his parents have financed everything they own to keep him in college and his father had been taking payments of foods or caned goods for taking care of their animals which were in need of veterinary care. Jacob blames himself for what has happened and so he runs away. This is the beginning of one of the greatest adventures of all time. He ends up joining the circus and is treated very badly, he does all the grunt work and is not apprecaited by anyone at this point. But he soon finds his niche as someone finds out that he is actually a vet but has yet to complete his final exam. He becomes the head of care for the animals and when they acquire an elephant Jacob is very happy. He can see the love and intelligence in the elephants eyes but Rosie is mistreated by August the leader of the show. They soon find out that she understands a foreign language and that is how they communicate throughout the remainder of the book. This book is an excelent book and it shows how through trials and hardships how some things, even small, can come of it, good things in light of all the bad. It was such an excellent book that I've had my mom and sister both read it and several others as well!

My Year of Meats

My Year of Meats. This is definatley a bookt aht I would not have chosen on my own to read. However boring and depressing I found it in the beginning I found that I really enjoyed it as the book progressed toward the end. The book is filled with an array of controversies that we face on a daily basis. We have to battle with the pressures of work, try to ballence as we see fit between what our boss says and how we are going to mamage to get the job done. We also have to maintain a social life dealing with the pressures of a relationship and trying to stay in controll of our own lives. I find that Akiko has lost all sense of self in the beginning of the novel being consumed by her culture and the marriage to her husband. It has also been overtaken by her and "John's" yearning for a child and his hateful and abusive ways. The more he is abusive the greater need she finds to change her life. In the end of the novel she becomes a strong woman, leaving behind the traditions and the customs that she know for a life she wishes for. It might not be the most ideal or perfect life but it is more ideal than the one she is living. Also, Jane is a woman who is lost in herself and does not have an identity. She wants to be one of the guys but also keep a separate identity to define herself. she wants to have a child but is unable. she researches the production of meet and find that they are pumping it full of antibiotics and drugs that are fatal to humans and makes children mature at a very young age due to the hormones being pumped into the meet. The end of the novel was great because there was resolve to each situation. Not necessarly a happy or perfect ending but we were given an answer to the question of who these people were and set their lifes back on track. It was a very intreguing book.

Balto, wish it had an ending!!

Balto by T.C. Boyle is a short story which, along with many classmates, left me at a wall with no where to climb out. I found myself wondering "What the hell happens to the girl? Is she in trouble, did her dad get the wrap for this, what hapened?!?" It left me frustrated and bewildered, but as I thought about it, that is what creates this story, it's the reason that we still wonder about it. This is not the typical story, there is uaually mass conflict internal and conflict with the world round; there is also resolve at the end of the story, but not this time, now we have left everything to the imagination. I almost sympathise with the father because to me he seems lost. It feels as if his wife has left him and the burdon of being a single dad is more than he can handle, he is frustrated, hurt, torn, heartbroke, and completely alone. He tried to fill his void with another woman, Macey, but even she is not enough. He is still so hurt by everything that he turns to alcohol, he turns into a said 'sauce monster'. He completely demolishes any self hope or strength he may have left. When he gets so drunk he cannot drive he stoops to his ultimate low and requests that his daughter drives the small distance to their house and on her way clips a small boy on a bike. This all falls on the father's shoulder as they sit in the courtroom, the lawyer hounding the little Angelle making her feel more like a prisoner than a victim in her fathers deadly game. I appreciated this story and I would actually really like to see an ending damnit!!

Alternate Ending

The trek off the mountain was a doldrums of angry thoughts. How could someone be so inconsiderate? Edwin’s mind was racing, “That inconsiderate prick, you’d think that Jack would get over himself and realize that his book was promoted by me, not by his stupid tactics, the least he could do is give me some money!” Edwin was in such an empty anger his mind has wandered away from the fact that he had to go home to her. That prissy little thing of a person he called a wife. His hatred began to build as he neared their home. His stomach churned with the thought of little sticky notes scattered in a seemingly endless pattern around the whole house “clean houses promote good self images”; does anyone actually believe this crap? Evidently Jenni did and this was enough to make Edwin want to throw her out of a moving car. It was all the same when he meandered through the door of his under stimulating life. She came bouncing in to greet him, hair perfect as usual, with the latest of the weight loss videos blaring in the background. Without saying a word, she smiled and handed him a sticky note, it bluntly said “Upstairs, I’ll be waiting!” Cleverness, she was sure that she was going to get her away yet again, but what happened next would astonish her. After reading the note Edwin, in a vicious rage, shouted “NO! I don’t want to go upstairs, sex with you is well… just too perfect. I don’t like perfect, I HATE perfect! The way you strut around voicing how fat you are and expecting a rebuttal from me well I’ve had enough. The mere thought of you makes my blood run cold, my veins would rather tear them selves out of my body than see the sight of you. I hate your perfection and I hate your damn cat!” He left is an angry panic, he could not think straight and didn’t care about what he said. Jenni just stood there, awestruck by the man who just walked out of her life. Tears began to obliterate her mascara as she ran for the phone. Her next call would define the remainder of her once perfect life. Two rings and an answer, “Nigel?” she was greeted by nothing but silence.
“Can’t you go any faster?” Edwin threw yet another snide comment at the taxi driver. “Listen pal, you’ll get there soon enough, another outburst like that and I will dump you on the side of the street!” Edwin had not expected that kind of retaliation from a man of his stature. The cab driver looked depleted in every way. His thinning hair and sunken in eyes made him look as though an internal parasite was eagerly sucking out every ounce of integrity he had remaining and made him appear to have death following his every move. Deep wrinkles deceived his age and the constant coughing was enough to make Edwin’s teeth itch. The cab reeked of smoke; the smell crept into his cloths and laced itself within the stitching of his pressed jacket. Only two more blocks and Edwin would reach his new fait. The cold air slapped him in the face as he threw an over paid amount of money at the ghastly cab driver but he didn’t care, all he could see was the tattered steps that lead to May’s room. The thought of it being 3:30 in the morning didn’t matter, this was urgent, no way it could wait another three hours. He raced through door and up the stairs, hesitated to gather the hidden key May had long forgotten she had showed him, and burst through the door to her apartment. He let out a loud cry of her name and sprinted with incredible speed into her bedroom. He passed the couch where they had last been together, the magazines and papers have been cleaned up but memories still lingered around that couch. In a mad panic May was scrambling for any item to defend herself from the nameless, faceless intruder who beckoned her name. Unable to locate something suitable for defense, the man was upon her. The smell of forcefully smoked cigarettes, alcohol, and the outdoors loomed May to realize it was indeed Edwin. Stricken with shock she called to him, “Edwin, you are a mess what is wrong? Are you ok, how did you get in here?” She has more questions but they would not get a chance to be voiced; Edwin grabbed her face and even in the dark of night knew where to find her Crayola red lips and he passionately kissed them. Holding on to emotions long over due for expression, he began to weep. Apologies flooded out of him for hurtful times in the past, for neglect, and for the endless comparisons to his bitch of a wife. Unable to wrap her mind around it, May grabbed his hand and began to kiss him. “Perfect”, Edwin muttered out of breath and covered in a humid sweat. “What are you talking about,” May ask in disbelief. “It’s perfect, the sex, I’ve never felt that kind of emotion, ever. You are it May, the one who makes it all worth while, I’m sorry for not seeing it for so long, I’ll make it up to you, I swear.” For the first time May could see the sincerity in his eyes as he spoke of his feelings for her. This time she wouldn’t let him leave; neither from her apartment, nor her life.
It had been about three months since Edwin had seen the ex-wife he despised and the day he saw her would be her last day here. With the world in a certain nostalgic state he would be able to commit this distraught crime, plead his innocence and walk away a free man. The killing of Jenni was definitely premeditated, but the killing of Nigel was more for sport. There they were, he felt the acid building up in his stomach threatening to jump into his mouth in a spew of hatred and pure disgust. They were pining over each other, in the throws of passion, tangled sheets pinning them to the bed like chained monkeys. This was Edwin’s cue to act and he did. Years of taunting by Nigel flew out of Edwin’s fists, one blow landing on top of another. A loud shot pierced the once romantic atmosphere and shattered the night air like a baseball through a glass window. When he has finished with that little weasel, he turned to Jenni. He made her pay for all the times she made his imperfections real, the way he always felt inferior to her, and for keeping that damn cat around. Here it was, the future was in his hands, and he ended her future.
Case pled he walked away a free man, the jury was in touch with their emotional side that day and felt all the pain both inhumane individuals had caused him. But there was one more person to take care of, with Jack already dying of cancer time would take its toll. Mr. Mead, the words seemed like to pinch the corners of his brain and tangle them into the shape of the nasty mangled ponytail that Mead had always sported. Walking into Panderic that day was the first time Edwin had ever sported a smile and it was for just cause. He strutted through the halls, hunting down Mr. Mead like a pack of hungry wolves on the last remaining straggler in a herd of elk, and he was upon him. “Mr. Mead,” Edwin’s voice sported a sense of dominance and authority. “I’m going to make this short Mead, I hate your ponytail and you have been demoted. Hope you like pushing papers because that is all you are going to be doing for the remainders of your weed smoking life!” In one fell swoop, Edwin grabbed a pair of scissors, viciously cut off the long silver strands of mangled hair which faithlessly hung from the oily scalp of his former boss. With a smile of pure jubilance, Edwin handed the hair to Mead, pushed him down into his new cubical amongst all the other miserable editors and left. No more words were spoken, with a snide smile on his face he climbed into the drivers seat of his new Mercedes, kissed his Crayola queen on the lips and headed off to do what ever the hell he pleased.