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He ends up getting suspended. He realizes during his suspension that he needs to leave the reservation or else he will end up like everyone else in his reservation, poor and drunk. Here is a little taste of one of his moments where he realizes he needs to leave:

“‘Who has the most hope?’ I asked.

Mom and Dad looked at each other. They studied each other. They studied each other’s eyes, you know, like they had antennas and were sending radios signals to each other. And they both looked back at me.

‘Come on,’ I said. ‘Who has the most hope?’

‘White people,’ My parents said at the same time....

‘I want to transfer schools,’ ...

‘I want to go to Rederan,’ I said.

Rederan is the rich, white farm town that sits in the wheat fields exactly twenty-two miles away from the rez.” (P.45)

The way the author writes is obviously in first person. I think that this is the best way to show the development of the character. You hear all of his thoughts and know what is going on within him. The way Sherman Alexie writes is hard to describe, but I would call it an informal way of writing. He writes in a simple way, like a kid would think or talk which makes it makes it much better when he is thinking or talking because nobody speaks perfect english and this adds a little more authenticity to the characters. Also, it’s easy to read and funny sometimes too.

Sherman Alexie is almost exactly like his character. He grew up on a Native American reservation and was born into a poor family (like most Native Americans). He was born with a condition where spinal fluid was in his skull and it made his head big. He  had surgery and the risk of his brain being damaged was very high but he turned out to be fine. He was also bullied as a kid because of the size of his head. Also just like in his book, he left his reservation school and went to Rederan high school to get a better quality of education.

Good:

One of the best things about this book is that I actually laughed from this book. I genuinely liked it. One cool thing that made the world actually real was the main character, Arnold who is actually Sherman. The book is about his early life and the struggles that he had to go through being born with a deformation that made his head huge. It really shows that people can achieve anything no matter what holds them back. Also the drawings usually add a bit of humor to the situations. They usually make fun of people and he also says that they are his escape from the hard things.

Bad:

I wish I could say something bad about the book itself, but I really liked it. I can relate to and understand what happens to Junior and why he chooses what he does. Some people think that talking about sex and girls in a book is a bad thing (and it was actually banned in a few schools because of that) but that stuff is in everyones life if you like it or not. It’s something that cannot be ignored.

I would think that this book is for almost everyone as long as you can get past some of the sex and language in the book. I don’t find it that bad but it did get banned in a few places so it must be for some people. I think what makes it good for everyone is that everyone was once a teenager and had to deal with the pressures of going to high school for the first time.

Book Info:

Title: The Absolutely True Diary of A Part-Time Indian

By: Sherman Alexie

Publisher: Brown and Company

Date of Publication: September 2007

Pages: 230

Genre: Fiction, Young adult literature, Children’s literature

Chris Tran

Srta.Manuel

Nexus 7, la mejor tableta Android:

Este artículo se trata de la tableta de Nexus 7. Gente dijeron esta la tableta de Nexus 7 es mejor que Ipad. Esta tableta es hecho por Google, un compañía mejor en Los Estados Unidos y el mundo. Por treinta dolares más su puede tener esta tableta. Esta tableta es más caro porque es un modelo nuevo. La pantalla de esta tableta es grande y tener bueno ángulos por un pantalla de cualquier tableta. Esta pantalla es bueno por juegue videojuegos en la tableta. La lista de Best in Tech tuve esta tableta como una tableta mejor. Yo pienso esta tableta es el mejor porque una tableta con una gráficas buena y es bueno por juegue videojuegos. También yo pienso esta tableta va a vender mucho tabletas y hago mucho dinero. En el futuro la tableta y tecnología en todo va a mucho mejor y hago tecnología mejor. El vocabulario que yo aprendí en el artículo es iteración. Iteración es un proceso de repetir un proceso. Yo encontrado la palabra en esta sentencia en el artículo. “La popular mini tableta, la cual fue lanzada el año pasado por Google, sólo ha mejorado con la llegada de la segunda iteración.” (CNN)

Word count: 200

Work Cited:

The first time I read Bob Harris’ “Prisoner of Trebekistan”  I was 12 years old, and in a frenzy over jeopardy. 4 year, and countless books later, it is still the one i come back to time and time again, for its odd connections, and off humor. The book is one part autobiography, one part jeopardy study guide, and one part life advice, that combines in the strangest way possible to form an experience that is visceral, and exciting.

The book proper starts with a brief overview of the history of jeopardy, and how the creator, Merv Griffin came up with the idea. He then jumps into an anecdote of his experience taking the jeopardy test, and eventually succeeding to get on the show. After some humorous faltering he manages to win his first game. He is quickly consumed by his studies, so much so that he stops doing routine things like washing clothes and going outside. This world of learning where different themes and ideas converge to form an overarching narrative of the world at large, is known as Trebekistan.

The biggest draw of “Prisoner of Trebekistan”, is the author’s ability to convey his thoughts and emotions with such clarity that it impacts you on a deep level. The book is at its core, a tale of a small town boy who moves to hollywood, and gets an opportunity to take part in a game that he never imagined. When he wins, you feel every ounce of excitement that he feels. When he is sad you will be brought to the verge of tears. There is never a point in the story where you feel disconnected from him, because even though he is going through so many foreign experiences, he is a very relatable and down to earth “Character”. He makes readers root for him, and want to experience these things with him.

If you have an interest in Jeopardy, the this book was tailor made for you. The author gives insight into how a game of jeopardy works. The author does a good job of showing exactly how playing a game of Jeopardy affects your mind, as well as how your frame of mind affects your level of skill when playing. It shines light on what it takes to be a jeopardy champion, and gives information on why knowing the answers does not guarantee you a win. Most importantly it is packed full of information, that anyone who craves knowledge will embrace wholeheartedly. The things you will learn will span all subjects, and transcend time, ranging from fanciful humor, to serious medical conditions, and they are presented in the most humorous way possible.

And of course you cannot forget Harris’ self depreciating form of humor. After college he spent years as a stand up comedian, and it shows through in every joke, and wisecrack. Harris makes wild and humorous analogies to describe the functions of the human brain. Using humor, and crudeness to memorize important facts is just one of the many tips he gives to set readers on their way to becoming a Jeopardy champion.

None of this is to say that the book is without its flaws. Harris is prone to long tangents that have little to do with the topic at hand, and he has some really roundabout ways of making points. Some will argue that’s the point, making obscure connections in ways that no one would ever notice, but after a while, it begins to seem tangential. Despite being relatable, Bob can also be very unlikable. At sometimes it seems as though he is forcing his self depreciation for a joke, making the entire experience feel disingenuous. Beyond a certain point the satire can become dry, and insufferable.

The biggest weakness of the book is that it is excessively preachy. Almost from the beginning morals are shoved down your throat in a way that tries to be fun, but is ultimately hamfisted. He outlines steps to “Enlightened Jeopardy” which are for the most part very traditionally eastern beliefs, slightly modified to fit jeopardy. He claims that following the path as closely as possible will lead to happiness, yet their are times in the book where following the path his led him to his own disasters, undoing him, and his life at large.  The heavy handedness and irony of his steps make parts of the book almost unbearable.

The author of this splendid book is Philip Pullman. He is an excellent author who won awards for his series trilogy of “His Dark Materials”. He was born in the town of Norwich, England in 1946. He taught english at Oxford Middle Schools for a while until he went on to teach at Westminster College. He tries to write stories that can grab readers attention, but most of his reader are pre-teen and teen. Philip Pullman also wrote other fantastic stories like book 2 and 3 of his trilogy of His Dark Material, Puss in Boots, The Broken Bridge, and The Butterfly Tattoo. The book that I’m doing this book review on is his first book from his award winning series. The Golden Compass is a book that takes you back to the era similar to the Victorian Era that occurred in England; an era where the church rules everything and there are scholars and students who attend Universities. Lyra, a young girl who lives in the university with her daemon, Pantalaimon, likes to lurk around the university and nearby towns. One day, her uncle, an important man, has came to the university to talk to the headmaster and other scholars about a discovery that he had uncovered in this journey in the great North. Then Lyra saved her uncle from being killed by an attempted assassination. Saving her uncle was just the beginning of the chains of many tortuous and dangerous events that Lyra will experience later in the book.  She went through many hardships during some events and also found herself in danger. Events like getting abducted by a lady that commits hideous acts, traveling to the great north with Egyptians to save children from being severed, or risking her life to save her friend’s life. During this grand journey, Lyra has found her talent and unique qualities, qualities that she would soon use to unlock key information that relates to the rescue of these children. Lyra, who is intelligent, brave, and adventurous, has gone through a journey that will change and influenced her life.  

The structure of this book is like any other book, the story has an uphill part which leads to the climax, and then the downhill. The Golden Compass did a great job of grabbing the readers attention on the very first page. Throughout the book, the author used lots of figurative language and adjectives that gives off lots of imagery, which grabs readers attention and makes books more interesting to read. The type of speech that he included in this book caught my attention as well. The speech matches the context of the story and its plot. Since this book has a setting similar to the Victorian Era, the author has carefully set this type of language back into the story to help the readers be aware of the time period that the setting is in. The idea that this book explored was the idea of mixing the Victorian Era and its complex language with a genre like science fiction. This kind of mixture for an idea of book is difficult. Something that happened in the past is really difficult to mix with the idea of futuristic and fantasy ideas (just thinking about it is impossible) but somehow this book had succeed on something that I  assumed to be impossible. This book includes description of the past, but adds futuristic things in its context. For example, a city in the aurora borealis is an example of science fiction that exist in this book. Philip Pullman did a fantastic job writing this book because he has fused two different kinds of genre into one book that’s enjoyable to pre-teens and teens.

The areas in the book where expectations were exceeded was how descriptive it is. While writing this book, the author did a stupendous job being descriptive with all of the action that is occurring in the book. One example was the in the beginning, when Lyra and Pantalaimon was sneaking around the Master’s meeting room. He gave us a very illustrative description that makes us have the feeling of actually being there with Lyra sneaking in the room with her. Other than being descriptive, the book exceeds my expectations by not making the introduction into the setting of the story long. In other books that I have read they took time describing the world that the story takes place. Meanwhile, this book provides us with little context of where the setting of the story is, and instead went straight into the rich details of the action that occurred in the book. The part in the book that fell short of my expectations is at the very end. At the end of the book they left us with a question that I felt remained unanswered. This question I think is not going to be answered until the second book. This question is about the relationship between Lord Asriel (Lyra’s “uncle”) and Miss Coulter (random woman).  The author made a mistake of not being descriptive enough when explaining about the relationship of Lord Asriel and Miss Coulter. There has to be something important about their relationship that Philip Pullman did not describe enough to let me understand why that would lead to the event in the story. The age groups that I think would love this book are kids ages 11-16 because kids at this age would like to read something that is fantasized into a world where there is danger because they love books that have danger, suspense and drama. The reason why older adults wouldn’t like this book is because this illustrates fantasized characters that exists in books for little kids. Characters like witches and talking animals are considered to be little kids favorite characters. But Philip Pullman does such a superb job in coordinating these fantasized characters into a book where it is enjoyed by pre-teen and teenage kids.

• Book Title: The Golden Compass (His Dark Materials: Book 1)

• Author: Philip Pullman

• Publisher: Yearling

• Date of Publication: May 2001

• Number of Pages: 399 pages

• Genre: Science Fiction

Melanie Harrington Q1

Earth Stream

To Kill a Mockingbird Book Review

Harper Lee’s compelling classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, forever touches the hearts and minds of those who read it. Harper Lee created a thought provoking world that would not soon be forgotten. While the genre may be fiction, the book is anything but. It still remains today to be one of the best books ever written and over 30 million copies have been sold worldwide since its publishing date in July of 1960. Upon it’s release it generated a lot of controversy and uproars among its readers. A few aspects of the book are perceived to have come from Lee’s experiences and life in her hometown, Monroeville, Alabama. To Kill a Mockingbird is the only piece of writing she ever published.  It is amazing how someone’s first and only book turned into a worldwide best seller, won the Pulitzer Prize and several other awards and was adapted into an Oscar Award winning movie. To Kill a Mockingbird is still taught in classrooms across the nation today.

Nelle Harper Lee was born on April 28, 1926 in Monroeville, Alabama. Lee developed an interest in writing and literature during her high school years. When she graduated in 1944 she attended the all-female Huntingdon College in Montgomery. Unlike many of the girls who attended, Lee focused less on fashion and boys and more on her studies and writing. It wasn’t until after she transferred to the University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa and enrolled in a law program that she took all of her focus away from writing, when she finally confessed to her family that it was her true calling. Soon after, at twenty-three years old, Lee dropped her law studies and moved to New York City to follow her dreams. With the help and financial support from new founded friends, Lee finished her manuscript of To Kill a Mockingbird in 1959.

This mind blowing novel follows the life of a family living in Maycomb, Alabama in the 1930s. The world may be changing but Maycomb is in no hurry. Racism and gossip are prevalent in this small town. An innocent black man is put on trial by the word of a white man and Atticus Finch, lawyer and single father of two kids, is put on the case. Atticus faces the scrutiny of the town and his family for openly defending a black man and the choices he makes when raising his children. Jean Louise “Scout” Finch takes us through her early years and the events that all add up to the trial, all the while opening our eyes to the many themes brought up in the book.

To Kill a Mockingbird is not based on any one topic in particular. Every event undergone by Scout and her brother, Jem, bring up a new theme for discussion. Childhood, parenthood, innocence, justice, social norms and racism are a few that recur throughout the novel.  Every theme is interconnected and the transitions are flawless.

Society is ever changing. All of the unspoken rules we abide by without question are created and upheld by society. Face forward in an elevator, not back, bring a gift to the host or hostess, don’t take your shoes off unless you’re at home, call before you show up, fill up the gas tank before you return a borrowed car. We follow these rules every day and don’t even realize it. It just comes naturally to us because it’s the way we were brought up. We watched others do these things and assumed we had to as well.

Society and it’s norms force us to do one of two things. The first is to conform into society’s ideal person. This means following all the rules, spoken and unspoken, following trends in style and technology, making sure that you meet every standard and resemble every other person around you, in every aspect, in order to fit in. The second thing society forces us to do is break away and rebel on our own. This means standing alone, being different, and not following the set rules and guidelines to life.

Throughout the book society has an impact on the way people present themselves. Atticus, the wise and very observant lawyer, sees the flaws in the way society is made up but can not speak up about it because it would be frowned upon greatly. The choices he makes when raising his kids are scrutinized by the entire town and speaking out would only cause more trouble. Scout is in a constant battle of fitting her aunt’s idea of a perfect lady. Even Boo Radley, the town shut in, battles with fitting in on a daily basis. On the other hand, the Ewells, the sleaziest white family in Maycomb, actively rebel against society. The children run wild, they don’t go to school, aren’t polite and collect free money like a shelf collecting dust. They refuse to be a part of the black and white sea that is society and instead prefer to make a sea all of their own.

To Kill a Mockingbird is recommended to anyone looking for a good historical fiction or drama book or someone who is interested in one of the topics listed above. Considering there is some mature content throughout the book it is not recommended that children who are not mature enough to handle it read it. Do not force yourself to read this book if you are uninterested. It will ruin your reading experience. Come back when you grow a little older and see how you like it. You won’t ever regret picking up this book if you do and the life lessons will stay with you forever.

Title: To Kill a Mockingbird

Author: Harper Lee

Publisher: J. B. Lippincott

Date of publication: 1960

Number of pages: 384

Genre: historical fiction, drama, suspense, legal

A 2006 award Printz winner, reached number one on New York Times Best Seller List for The Fault in Our Stars in January 2013, and made it into ALA’s Top 10 Best Books for Young Adults. He is John Green. John Green is a young adult fiction writer, a youtube vlogger and an educator. John Green was inspired to write this book because of a youtube vlogger name Esther Earl. She was sixteen years old and passed away from Thyroid cancer. Two years later, he dedicated this book to her. I heard about this book from numerous friends in school, on Facebook, Tumblr, Twitter, magazines, television, just everywhere. I refused to read this book for a long time because those I know who read it, said it was a very sad book about two people with cancer. Hearing that too many times, I had no interest in picking up the book because I’ve watched too many movies about characters with cancer. Book and movies are very similar to me, except reading a book, you are able to repeat certain words or phrases, maybe even lines that could make you think so deeply. And each time I did, it would break my heart because it’s just so upsetting. Finally, one day, I decided to pick up The Fault in Our Stars and read it out of curiosity.

The Fault in Our Stars isn’t your typical cancer genre book. It isn’t your stereotypical teenage love story. Hazel is 16 year old. She’s a quirky, smart, community college student. She is obsessed with her favorite book “The Imperial Affliction” and has a desire to meet the author, Peter Van Houten, one day. She’s suffers everyday from fluid filling up in her lungs by tumors. Gus is 17 years old, he’s a handsome, humorous, charming, brilliant amputee who enjoys most of his time playing video games, reading poetry or hanging out with his one eyed best friend, Isaac. Gus is in a remission of osteosarcoma. During a cancer support therapy group session, Hazel notices Gus staring at her, the two meet and casually become friends. Hazel talks about her favorite book to Gus and he decides to give it try. The two become instantly attached which results to a beautiful, twisted, unpredictable romance.

I didn’t know cancer books can be filled with such beautiful, happy, heart melting memories until I finished The Fault in Our Stars. It’s not filled with constant tragic that you would think. It’s pure mutual love between two people who have limited times and they can make the best out of it. There’s a very beautiful theme of this book which is...value your youth and cherish what you have left because this book does affirm that life is truly and unfortunately short. Of course, in the story, there is pain, struggle and terrible circumstances but it is well balanced out.

The way John Green writes is very powerful. He is able to suck you into the setting with very few characters in the plot. Hazel and Gus were the stars of this story and he can keep it interesting until you are done with the last page of the book. And that is my problem when I read. If I put a book down, it is most likely because it was boring and I got tired of hearing from the main characters. The second I picked up The Fault in Our Stars, I spent the next four hours of my day reading it non stop. Because the characters were so unique and I honestly felt like I was Hazel, myself falling in love with a hot amputee who is attracted to me.

So I’ve read dozens of pretty sad books and I’ve never cried once, until I came across The Fault in Our Stars. That is exactly the reason why I will never forget about this book. I shed my first tear for fictional characters in a book when I finished The Fault in Our Stars. The fact that I actually cried because of Hazel and Gus’ beautiful chemistry for each other, is a big deal to me. John Green was able to make me feel so overwhelmed over these characters on paper, it’s just crazy. After I finished crying, I immediately called my boyfriend of almost two years and told him that I love him and that I appreciate his existence. Sounds pretty sappy, but this book made me realize how I should really value my physically healthy relationship and my own well being.

My favorite quote from this book (not giving away a spoiler, I promise) was when Gus told Hazel “Sometimes, you read a book and it fills you with this weird evangelical zeal, and you become convinced that the shattered world will never be put back together unless and until all living humans read the book.” After I read this quote, I shouted “exactly!” outloud to myself. Why? Because that’s how I felt about this book. This book is so powerful in every way that I just felt like everyone needed to read it. Which is why I chose this book to write a book review on.

In no doubt, I promise you this is a book to remember once you give it a try. Remember to keep a box of tissues next to you while reading it. Don’t worry, these tears will be from enjoying the book, loving the characters, and overall, appreciating a beautiful, well written story by John Green.

Book Information:

Title: The Fault in Our Stars

Author: John Green

Publisher: Dutton Books

Date of Publication: January 10, 2012

Number of Pages: 313

Genre: Young adult novel

Jasir Massey-Campbell

English

Due: 10/25/13

The Prince by Machiavelli

There are many people who crave power, diplomats, politicians, congressman, business owners and more importantly everyday people. The will to be in control is a trait popular among all life. The Prince is a guide to establish a sphere influence and properly maintain a successful government. The renowned author, Niccolò Machiavelli (1469 -1527) born in Florence, Italy has gathered one of the most popular collections of chapters regarding the creation and conservation of a potent government. His assembly of strategic chapters allows a reader to immerse themselves in the mind of one of the most profound political analyst. Each page reveals the techniques and strategy of gaining and keeping political control. Machiavelli extensive research reveals his thoughts on conspiracies, merit, goodness, first impressions, flattery and fortune.The book originally drafted in 1513 in Latin was then republished a few years later in 1532 which is 5 years after Machiavelli’s death.

Machiavelli was an historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, and writer in Florence during the Renaissance. For many years Machiavelli was an official in the Florentine Republic. He had responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He is a founder of modern political science and also wrote comedies, songs, and poetry.He wrote The Prince, when the Medici had power and when he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence.This 16th century writing style, and sophistication of the level of words he incorporates in his piece developed into a poetic language which may take some time to fully understand. There are less than 150 pages yet there are very few who’ve addressed this book as a quick and easy read. Still, well known Universities’ philosophy and political classes use this book because of its deep research. Its is amazing how Machiavelli was able to create a book and still have his knowledge preserved over hundreds of years. He starts his book strong and lays foundation for the tone of the book.

“All states and dominions which hold or have held sway over mankind are either republics or monarchies. Monarchies are either hereditary in which the rulers have been for many years of the same family, or else they are of recent foundation. The newly founded ones are either entirely new, as was the Milan to Francesco Sfroza or else they are, as it were, new members[...]”

A reason that his book is short is because he gets to the point. He supplies the reader with the message he wants to convey and very little of anything else. Machiavelli also chose not to worry about transition. Each chapter is him laying down one point after the other. Chapter after chapter. After chapter one where he talks about the various kinds of government and the way that they are established he dives into the next couple of chapters where he begins describing the subcategories of government.  

I had high expectations for this book and all expectations were met. Even reading this book twice, I am still looking forward in continuing my studies of this book as well as other popular books regarding government. What struck me was how powerful and true this book is. Many of these tactics in many areas of profession are still used today. This showed how precise his research had to have been. This is a reason why he is one of the most important people in the realm of political science. I would suggest to someone who is truly interested in the knowledge this book possesses, to really devote and invest their time on every sentence so that they may fully procure the information. Many who enjoy reading philosophy may also be interested in The 48 Laws or Power by Robert Greene which is a similar book in which it talks about how to build and maintain influence.  Philosophy is important because these skills are not just for people who want to gain economic power but can be used by anyone who seek to gain an advantage over an enemy. The Prince is a good read regardless of what genre is of preference. Even if one may not fully be able to understand all of the ideas, which many still do not, they will be able to find at minimal one thing that could potentially better themselves.

Title: The Priince

Author: Machiavelli

Publisher: Antonio Blado d'Asola.

Date of publication: 1532

Number of pages: 127

Genre: Philosophy

Dave Pelzer's first book in this series is phenomenal. What actually happened to him as a child is hard to imagine. This was a number one New York Times bestseller for months and is an inspirational story. What looked like the best childhood a kid could possibly ask for turns into a nightmare in this traumatic boy’s life. Dave Pelzer wasn’t the only child, he had two brothers he hated because they never experienced the same pain that his mother put him through. As a child, he never understood why his mother hated him so much.

Dave's mother was abusive. Because of her disgusting actions towards him as a child, he had to face the emotional and physical scarring she would bring him. Dave begins facing a battle between the school staff and his own mother. His mother, known as the “evil bitch,” Dave states, instilled fear in him while the school staff tried to comfort and weaken him to tell the truth. Pressured by his environmental surroundings and harsh conditions, Dave begins thinking whether he should run away or not. He has no choice but to try to seek help from his father. After realizing that his father doesn’t want to acknowledge his abuse because of his fear of his wife, Dave decides to take matters on his own hands and make his big decision.

David Pelzer is an inspiration to myself and his book has impacted me because he reveals to the world that not every family is perfect. He also shows how people don’t know what really goes on in one’s family behind closed doors. At a young age, I had to develop a strong mentality and become independent. David Pelzer’s childhood showed that he too had developed these same traits. Despite the abuse, I would say that I’m similar to David because throughout the book he demonstrates perseverance and motivates himself to do great things. This is how I view myself.

David Pelzer’s abuse wasn’t just ordinary. His mother did things such as burning his hand on the stovetop, trying to put him in the oven, and even locking him in a bathroom full of horrible toxicants. This made me wonder the childhood of his mother because such horrific actions done by the mother reflects the idea that she may have in fact been abused or even neglected as a child, herself. I believe in the idea that people inflict pain on other people who are vulnerable because they are angry at themselves and they find pleasure in hurting others. This is my perspective on David’s mother. If she would have been raised correctly instead of being possibly neglected or abused, she would have never tried to hurt David. David’s mother’s childhood is what caused the corruption in her mind and is the essential reason as to why she is numb to others feelings.

Many books have their levels of interest. This book exceeded expectations for many reader’s simply because it is original and I must include that it is a Non-Fiction book. David Pelzer’s is a master of imagery because of his ability to descriptively write and relive the moment. His word choice is phenomenal because he makes the reader feel as if they too can feel his pain. This book was very impressive because of the idea of centralizing the abusive life of ones family into a kids perspective.

Although the book was impressive in a lot of ways, there were parts of the book in which may the book seem less appealing. The book fell off when David Pelzer decided to include his father. As a child, you don’t fully understand why adults act the way they do but this there’s no excuse for the father. I believe that the father was represented as a bad guy in this book simply because he should of known that Dave’s mother was mentally sick. I believe that no matter how careless one may seem, it is in every normal human being’s nature to react to such violence. The idea of David’s mother making him eat his own vomit and having him sleep on newspapers like a dog while the father wants to help but still doesn’t seems a little outrageous.

This book reaches out to an audience who loves Non-Fiction books that pertain to abuse in ones life. This book should be recommended to those who don’t like books that are cheerful and happy but instead is dark and graphic. If you like reading books and include a catalogue of horrible incidents, then you’ll love this book.

A Child Called “It”, David Peltzer, September 1st, 157 pages, Non-Fiction

“Quiet as it’s kept, there were no marigolds in the fall of 1941. We thought, at the time, that it was because Pecola was having her father’s baby that the marigolds did not grow.”  Who’s Pecola? How did she end up pregnant by her father? What the heck do Marigolds growing have to do with any of this? If you're anything like me the start of this book made questions began to pop up in your head. The first sentence succeed in catching my eye. Did it catch yours? This quote is from the book “The Bluest Eye” Toni Morrison. A novel full of lust, love, racism, drama, and american comedy written in the time of the 1940’s.

“The Bluest Eye” is categorized as a fictional novel. The author Toni Morrison, talks about a year in a black girl named Pecola Breedlove life. Pecola is facing the reality of  becoming a pre-teen/teenager. The struggle and shame of her family and how she looks. The story takes place in Lorain, Ohio Fall of 1941-summer of 1942.  It was published in 1970 as Toni Morrison's first novel. This is a very informal written book. Its written in third person, and told mostly by Pecola and Claudia. The smaller characters have some isolated dialogue about their lives as well.

Toni Morrison was born in Lorain, Ohio. Just so happens to be that thats where the inspiration of the setting came for the book. Some of her favorite authors as a child include Jane Austen and Leo Tolstoy. She studied at Howard University, receiving her B.A in english. Then went on to her Cornell University to earn her “Masters of Arts Degree” in English. Morrison has done many things before she published her first novel (in 1970). She taught at Yale University and Bard College. Worked as an editor for New York City headquarters of Random house. Random House is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world.

Along with “The Bluest Eye” Toni Morrison has written “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved.” Song of Solomon won the “National Book Critics Circle Award” in 1977. It was the first book written by a black person to win since 1940. Her book “Beloved” caused 48 black critics and writers to protest the fact that the book did not win the “National Book Award” and or “National Book Critics Circle Award.” the protesting worked and shortly after the book won “Pulitzer Prize for Fiction” and the “American Book Award”

Themes found within this book include racism. Using whiteness as the standard of  beauty. Insest, sexual abuse from Pecolas father and many others. Throughout the book there are many important symbols. References to the bluest eye as symbolizing beauty. Marigolds in comparison to pregnancy. This book is a great read for all ages over fifthteen. It is one of those books you don’t put down, just keep reading and reading. The main tone of the characters include lyrical, and slang from the 1940’s. I strongly recommend this book to all willing to read. this book gives you a different insight on life. Many people can relate to the conflicts that come along as you read. Such as rape/ molestation, school life and struggle with parents, struggle as parents. Morrisons beginning reason for writing the bluest eye was due to the “Black is Beautiful Movement” tried to reclaim African-American Beauty. Some factors of the family dynamic for Claudia came for Toni’s own life experience with her parents.

Toni Morrison is a smart and intelligent writer. Although the bluest eye was not an immediate success its a book that all 14 and up, boy and girl should read. Its a book you won't want to put down. the interest and rise of the story stays constant throughout the entire reading. After reading this book it will give you a different more appreciative outlook on life, yours and the world around you. It makes you think deeper about race, sexuality, social and economical class.

Obama después de el crisis

El pais 10/18/2013

vocab

cierre - shutdown

por suerte- luckily

negar - deny (v)

proyecto de ley

rechazar - reject (v)

miembros - members

esperanza - hope

El mundo sabe sobre el cierre de nuestro gobierno. Personas en todo del mundo saben  que el presidente y los republicanos en congress no realmente estan amigos. Este desacuerdo fue un parte de el cierre. Por suerte, el cierre terminó y lo ve que Obama está ganando.Después del lío que los republicanos hicieron, Obama hice dos cosas importantes, primero fijaba las problemas con su healthcare universal. Muchos de los estados le niegan ese proyecto de ley, y ahora hablador Boehner no esta teniendo la culpa para las problemas con el sito de Obama. Segunda, Obama va a hacer un nuevo proyecto de ley sobre reforma inmigración, Y después del debacle sobre atención de la salud. Pienso que los republicanos van a tratar rechazar todos de sus proyectos. Pienso que nuestro presidente está tratando a hacer un trabajo bueno, y fijar este país pero Boehner y los miembros del Tea Party solamente quieran a hacer más problemas por Obama. Escuché a las entrevistas de Boehner y incluso Bill O'reilly. Si ellos estan los iconos de los republicanos, tengo poco esperanza para ellos.

Julian Makarechi

WATER

10/25/13

Open

He was the youngest of four siblings, but his father gave him all his attention, as if he only had one child to take care of. His dad had already planned out his whole life and that he would be forced to do what his father said. Most kids who become number one in the world at something when they are older, usually are destined to do it or have an inner passion for being successful. Not for Andre Agassi; he never wanted to be one of the best tennis players in the world, he did not even want to be top 200 in the world. He could have cared less about it. His father deemed Andre the “chosen one” out of all of his children. Emmanuel Agassi committed most of his time making sure Andre knew everything about tennis there was to know. Not one day went by that Andre was not being tortured by the rigor of tennis that his father put him through.

The only thing he cared about, or was forced to care about, was tennis; school did not even matter, as long as he was making his father happy by playing tennis. Mr. Agassi would do anything it would take for his son to be pro, even if that meant sending him miles away from his home, family and best friend, Perry, in Florida. After realizing his son could not handle the workload from school along with his hours of daily tennis, he decided to completely forget about school and solely concentrate on tennis.

Emmanuel, informally known as Mike, was a former olympian who never seemed to be the best husband or father, but was still a reason for the triumphant life that Andre went on to have. Andre had so many people to thank; his lovers, coaches and counselors were his team. He would look out for them and they would look out for him. It was as if his coach was on the court with him too--they were teammates.

Whether you know Andre Agassi from his crazy hair, old commercials or battles with Pete Sampras, you probably have heard of him before. Andre wants to tell the world what his life was like and the struggles he went through. He really makes the reader think about the important things and people in his life. Andre wants you to think about when it is a good time to hold back, take a break or go full throttle and give it all you have. What will your priorities be and how will you reach them? When you are criticized or others don’t believe in you, will you stay down or rise up and prove them wrong?

Throughout this book, there are many wonderful dialogues that can really make you chuckle between Andre and his trainer. You can really see how much they love each other through the words; it is almost like you can see what their facial expressions are just because of the style of writing. Andre Agassi uses so many creative and descriptive words that give the text a beautiful flow. The way he depicts his hardships, breakups and injuries is very impressive. You end up thinking that those things are actually happening to you and you know exactly what it feels like. During the recaps and depictions of the games he played, there is so much suspense that you cannot stop reading. He lets the reader know what he is thinking and what his body is feeling in the process of every game in a remarkable way. However, since his style of writing is so realistic, occasionally there is some foul language.

A part that really stood out to me was when he was having a problem with a woman he was seeing. He did a great job of writing everything that was going on in that moment of his life. He gave you all the reasons why he made his decisions and why he knew that he was doing the right thing. Even though that part is one of the saddest parts in the whole book, I loved how Agassi wrote it.

One aspect of his life that I wished I could have experienced more was the relationship that he had with his sister. Throughout the book, she is rarely mentioned and you get the idea that they were not that close. If that was the case, then I wish that he had told the reader about that part of his life more.

People who are interested in reading this book should have a solid base of tennis knowledge in order to understand key moments throughout Andre’s life. Knowing a thing or two about other great tennis players is a plus as well, because it allows you to visualize Andre’s games against those players even better. I feel that if you want to enjoy this book, you should also be patient as you read about his life. Whether all you want to read about is his life as a pro or you think that all the matches get boring, after a while, you need to sit tight and keep on going.

“Open, an Autobiography” by Andre Agassi, published by AKA Publishing, Date of publication: August 2010, 400 pages, Autobiography.