The Vow - How different are people allowed to be in this text? Does it assume everyone is happy and good in the same ways?

Throughout the years I have read books about people being different and have friendships dispute those differences. Yet I have never read anything as touching and interesting as The Vow by Jessica Martinez.  The Vow describes the friendship of Mo and Annie, and how when Mo is forced to move back to Jordan because his dad lost his job and his visa is gone, him and Annie figure out a loop hole: marriage. The book first shows the constant teasing and distress Mo experiences because of his differences when he first moved to America in fifth grade. But then in the actual time the book takes place, shows how people accept Mo and understand and love his differences. The book also doesn't assume everyone is good and happy in the same ways.
In a flash back in the beginning of the book, Mo describes his life when he first moved to America. The description revolves around the teasing and bullying he got for him being different. Everyday he would be bullied and be outcasted because he was from a different place and had a different accent and had different customs.  He had no friends and missed home and his old friends. He tried so hard to be like everyone else because he hated being harassed, but gave up seeing that it wasn't helping him. One quote that describes his harassment is: "At first I tried to correct false assumptions one at a time, but I learned pretty quickly that talking back ended in getting shoved against my locker or leveled by a kick in the back of the knee" (Martinez 41). This shows that he was constantly bullied for his differences and slowly learned it did no help.
But thankfully during the actual time that the book takes place, his differences are excepted more. He has lots of friends, is on the basketball team, is smart, and has a good social life.Yet he is still seen as the "arab boy or that iraqi kid". Lots of people still see him different but except that. Annie and Bryce and a few others don't see him different at all; he's their best friend. The quote in the book describes that he will always be seen as different, yet he will be excepted: " It's true though, that at the end of the day he's still the nice arab boy or that iraqi kid, and no amount of time here will change that" (Martinez 4). Nice should be the word we focus on.
Moving on, Mo is happy and good in different ways then a lot of people, and the book shows it. Mo is good at school work and studying and doing well on tests, and Annie is good at art and more creative things. Nobody cares that they're good at different things. Mo is happy when he plays basketball or when he's learning interesting facts, while Annie is happy when she's painting her bedroom mural and working at the ice cream shop. Once again nobody cares that different things make them happy.
The text makes me wonder if in other places when people move to their town or city, do people bully them because of their differences and then discover they like them and don't care that they're a little different.

How does this book help you think about social issues you care about or causes you are committed to? - Eleanor and Park

Tons of books are being written about abuse and poverty. These issues have become popular among teens and they can't seem to get enough. "Eleanor and Park" by Rainbow Rowell satisfies these teens craving. The book focuses on the romantic relationship between Eleanor and Park. Eleanor has a very bad home life; her mother is physically abused by her alcoholic husband and her family is always struggling for money. Park helps her deal with her feelings about her family as he begins to fall in love with her. Reading this book made me care even more those two issues because of the heavy focus on them in the book and how they were explained and presented. That showed me the importance of these issues and how they are a very serious problem in the real world.
Throughout the book, Eleanor's mother gets abused by Richie (Eleanor's stepdad). That being one of the main reasons of Eleanor's passionate hatred of her stepdad. All night long, Eleanor hears her mother screaming, wailing, shouting, and crying. Richie curses her mom out and you can hear the slaps across her mother's face. Their fights are intense and sickening. This happens basically every night. Eleanor even sees the bruises Richie makes on her mother: "Eleanor pretended not to notice the bruises on her mom's wrist" (Rowell 26). Even Eleanor gets abused by Richie. He curses at her and says the most awful things to her and her mother: "FUCK THIS. FUCK ALL OF YOU. STUPID BITCHES." (Rowell 153). Sometime Richie will slap Eleanor. The abuse is a huge issue in the story.
Poverty is also a huge issue in the book. The family is always struggling for money. Eleanor has to wear the ugliest clothes from thrift stores because she can't afford to buy nice clothes from regular stores. At school people make fun of her about it and sometimes it really gets to her, "And she was dressed like...like she wanted people to look at her. Or maybe like she didn't get what a mess she was" (Rowell 8). The family is always struggling to have enough food to eat and to buy necessities such as soap. It seems as if the family never has enough money to do anything, even on thanksgiving they had trouble purchasing all the thanksgiving foods.
So by reading this book I have come to care for the issues of poverty and abuse even more than I had before. The book focuses on these two issues so heavily, I paid so much attention to them, and learned a lot about how the characters felt about these issues and how it affected their daily lives. It showed me that these issues are a serious problem in the real world and that they need to be dealt with. Some people are really suffering with poverty and need to be given money so they can buy food and suitable clothing. And some people are really suffering with abuse and need to be in therapy.
Reading about poverty and abuse have opened up so much for me and have made me care about it even more.

Monday Muses

Since I was a little kid, "Millions of Cats", by Wanda Gag has been my favorite picture book. Every night for months, my mom would read it to me until I fell asleep. As she fell in love with the delightful book, I did also, and to this day, it is both me and my mom's favorite picture book.
I will always remember the cute little illustrations and the friendly story that went along with them. I will always love how exceptionally sweet the book is and all the lovely characters in it. I will always remember the one cat of the millions they kept and how adorable it was.
I book made me want to get millions and trillions of cats! Sadly I couldn't because I was allergic to cats and my dad refused to have one.
The book taught me acceptance of others, no matter what, and how to help something or someone that couldn't help itself. It also taught me how to love a creature other than a human.
Forever and always, "Millions of Cats" will be my favorite picture book.

Banned Books Essay Draft Part 2

All over the country, parents and schools are banning books due to their “intense” issues not thought appropriate for kids and teens. “Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher, happens to be one of these books. The books mentions suicide, rape, rumors, and more which is not seen as suitable for young ages, and many wish to ban it thinking they are “protecting” their children. Personally I think, schools and parents should not ban “Thirteen Reasons Why” due to it's controversial issues, such as suicide, rape, rumors, gossip, and drinking, because kids and teens have a right to read about these issues and learn from and about them in positive ways.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” teaches kids and teens about controversial issues in a beneficial way. The books shows how rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip have an negative effect of the characters in the book. Hannah Baker, one of the main character of the book, commits suicide due to all the rumors and gossip about her, and how she let things happen that shouldn't have happened, such as rape. She makes a bunch of tapes, just before her death, about the thirteen reasons (people) why she killed herself and sends them around to the people the tapes revolve around. As you can see, just by the plot of the book, rumors, gossip, and rape exhibit their negative effects. In addition towards the beginning of “Thirteen Reasons Why”, betrayal is mentioned as a bad thing; “Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings” (Asher 13). This shows that betrayal, even through gossip and rumors, is a horrible thing and can cause the people the gossip is aimed at to feel terrible. Furthermore, in the article, “The Banned Books We Love”: “Taking a look at some of the banned books of our youth, they stand out as important, books that we read because they dealt with important, hard subjects, like death or race or sex, deep emotions, and possibly isolation” (Doll) demonstrates that important books stand out because of their controversial issues, and how they taught readers important lessons. Therefore, “Thirteen Reasons Why” uses their controversial issues to teach negative effects and positive lessons.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” also shows that suicide is a horrible thing and that it should never happen. Over and over again the book reveals Clay's, one of the main characters of the book, pain and hurt about Hannah's suicide. In one scene Clay throws up due to how horrible he feels after listening to one of the tapes. In another scene he cries after listening to a tape. After almost every tape, he feels pain. “I would of helped her because I want her to be alive” (Asher 280) shows how Clay wishes Hannah had never committed suicide. “It became a sick sort of game, imagining ways to kill myself.” (Asher 254) shows that it was “sick” which means suicide is a bad thing that you shouldn't do. It also shows Hannah had come to a place where everything was so bad that suicide was a “game”, and that kids or teens or anyone should never come to this place, and if they need help. Lastly, it shows that this is reality and that sometimes thoughts like this exist and that we should try our hardest to get them out of our heads. Overall, “Thirteen Reasons Why” shows that suicide isn't the right or only choice, even if you feel like it is.

Many schools and parents are uncomfortable with their kids and teens reading about these objectionable topics; however kids should have the right to read what they want to read. “These books don't spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression and death” (Carey) shows yes these topics are dark, but they are reality so therefore kids and teens deserve the right to read about them and learn from them. Even in the article, “Has Young Adult Fiction Become too Dark”, the importance of kids and teens reading about dark and difficult issues is emphasized: “That's why it matters; why, in the name of protecting teens, we can't shut them off from the outlet of experiencing difficult events and feelings in the relative safety and profound comfort of literature. Darkness isn't the enemy. But ignorance always is” (Williams). Also in the video we watched in class, Bill Moyers says that it pains him to see people are telling other people what to read. Kids, teens, or anyone should be entitled to read what they want and shouldn't have other people telling them what to read. Parents and schools might think what they're doing is helpful and right, and that they're protecting their kids, but they're not. They're shielding kids and teens from reality and making them weak. So, even if parents are uncomfortable with the topics being read by their kids and teens, the kids and teens should have a right to read what they want.

Thus, “Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher, illustrates these controversial issues such as rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip, to teach kids and teens in a safe and beneficial way. It shows the world for what it really is and helps the readers be prepared for anything that happen; good or bad. So is it really worth banning this book with all the positive things it offers? Or other books like it? Reading books is the best way for kids and teens to learn about these issues in a comfortable and entertaining way. Why take that away?

Work Cited

Asher, Jay. Thirteen Reasons Why. New York: Razorbill, 2007. Print.

"Salon." Saloncom RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

The Banned Books We Have Loved." The Atlantic Wire. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

"The 'sick-lit' Books Aimed at Children: It's a Disturbing Phenomenon. Tales of Teenage Cancer, Self-harm and Suicide..." Mail Online. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.

Banned Books Essay Draft

“Thirteen Reasons Why”, by Jay Asher, is filled with intense issues not thought appropriate for kids and teens. Schools and parents should not ban “Thirteen Reasons Why” due to it's controversial issues, such as suicide, rape, rumors, gossip, and drinking, because the book teaches readers about these issues to show the negative effects they impact.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” teaches kids and teens about controversial issues in a beneficial way. The books shows how rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip have an negative effect of the characters in the book. Hannah Baker, one of the main character of the book, commits suicide due to all the rumors and gossip about her, and how she let things happen that shouldn't have happened, such as rape. She makes a bunch of tapes, just before her death, about the thirteen reasons (people) why she killed herself and sends them around to the people the tapes revolve around. As you can see, just by the plot of the book, rumors, gossip, and rape exhibit their negative effects. In addition on page 13 of “Thirteen Reasons Why,” it says, “Betrayal. It's one of the worst feelings.” This shows that betrayal, even through gossip and rumors, is a horrible thing and can cause the people the gossip is aimed at to feel terrible. Furthermore, in the article, “The Banned Books We Love”, by Jen Doll, it states, “Taking a look at some of the banned books of our youth, they stand out as important, books that we read because they dealt with important, hard subjects, like death or race or sex, deep emotions, and possibly isolation.” This demonstrates that important books stand out because of their controversial issues, and how they taught readers important lessons. Therefore, “Thirteen Reasons Why” uses their controversial issues to teach negative effects and positive lessons.

“Thirteen Reasons Why” also shows that suicide is a horrible thing and that it should never happen. Over and over again the book reveals Clay's, one of the main characters of the book, pain and hurt about Hannah's suicide. In one scene Clay throws up due to how horrible he feels after listening to one of the tapes. In another scene he cries after listening to a tape. After almost every tape, he feels pain. In the book “Thirteen Reasons Why”, on page 280, it says “I would of helped her because I want her to be alive.” This quotes shows how Clay wishes Hannah had never committed suicide. Another quote in the book on page 254 says, “It became a sick sort of game, imagining ways to kill myself.” This shows that it was “sick” which means suicide is a bad thing that you shouldn't do. It also shows Hannah had come to a place where everything was so bad that suicide was a “game”, and that kids or teens or anyone should never come to this place, and if they need help.. Lastly, it shows that this is reality and that sometimes thoughts like this exist and that we should try our hardest to get them out of our heads. Overall, “Thirteen Reasons Why” shows that suicide isn't the right or only choice, even if you feel like it is.

Many schools and parents are uncomfortable with their kids and teens reading about these objectionable topics; however kids should have the right to read what they want to read. In the article “The 'Sick-Lit' Books Aimed at Children” by Tanith Carey, it states, “These books don't spare any detail of the harsh realities of terminal illness, depression and death”. Yes these topics are dark, but they are reality so therefore kids and teens deserve the right to read about them and learn from them. Also in the video we watched in class, Bill Moyers says that it pains him to see people are telling other people what to read. Kids, teens, or anyone should be entitled to read what they want and shouldn't have other people telling them what to read. Parents and schools might think what they're doing is helpful and right, and that they're protecting their kids, but they're not. They're shielding kids and teens from reality and making them weak. So, even if parents are uncomfortable with the topics being read by their kids and teens, the kids and teens should have a right to read what they want.

Therefore by reading “Thirteen Reasons Why” you learn about issues such as rape, suicide, rumors, and gossip in a safe and beneficial way. So when in the real world you understand what can happen and what to do if it does happen. Is it really worth banning this book with all the positive things it offers? Or other books like it? Reading books would be the best way to learn about these things. Why take that away?

Monday Muses ~ Childhood

Hopscotch at recess

Jumprope after school

Tag all the time.

Cereal for breakfast

Ham sandwiches at lunch.

Food,

food,

and even more food.

Excited for school.

Happy to learn.

No homework.

I actually like math.

Everyone is nice

Everyone is my friend

Everyone has one side

not two

or three

or four or five.

Everyone is happy

all the time.

Nothing bad can happen.

The dark is your only fear.

Mom and dad

they can protect you from anything

and everything.

But now,

There is no more hopscotch

or jumprope

or tag.

I haven't had a ham sandwich for years.

I have no time for breakfast.

I'm not excited for school

Not particularly happy to learn.

Homework is a daily horror.

And math

is indescribably hard.

Some people aren't nice

and not everyone is your friend.

People have many,

many sides.

Everyone isn't happy.

Bad things happen on a regular basis.

And mom and dad,

they can't protect you from anything

and everything

even if you wish they could.

So please take me back

to first grade

to second grade

to third grade

to fourth grade

to childhood

where everything

was absolutely good.

The Carrie Diaries - Theme

Did you ever think that all your relationships would crumble to the ground, shattered and broken? Carrie didn't. The book, "The Carrie Diaries", centers around Carrie Bradshaw as she enters senior year and all the drama that senior year has to bring; boyfriends, loss of a mother, college, friends, and much more. Throughout the year Carrie goes through a lot, and loses a lot of people she never thought she would; her best friend, her mother, her boyfriend, and her sister. The book displays a major theme of, Your relationships might be everything at the moment, and then nothing soon.

Carrie has a lot of trouble having to do with her family during the book. In the beginning of the book we find out that Carrie lost her mother a few months before the book began. This loss literally tears the family a part, Carrie's mother being the only one who kept the girls from fighting and under control. With her gone, now Dorrit, Carrie's younger sister, is becoming a "problem child". As stated in the book, "she's become a real problem child, crying, and having temper tantrums and yelling at me and Missy." Carrie and Dorrit's relationship is falling a part with the constant fighting, when in the past they hardly ever fought and were super close. At a few points in the book Carrie is so done with Dorrit she just says she's done and walks away and doesn't speak of Dorrit or try and help her for a very long time. As you can see, above are two relationships, Carrie and her mother and Carrie and Dorrit, that were everything to Carrie at one moment, and then nothing at the next.

Carrie also has trouble having to due with relationships outside her family, her best friend and her boyfriend. In the start of the book she dates Sebastian and they are head-over-heels for each other. Carrie is super happy and everything in her life is beginning to get back into place. But than she finds out Sebastian is cheating on her and soon that relationships goes from everything to nothing. She breaks up with him and ends her relationship which her best friend, Lali, because she was the one Sebastian was having the affair with. Carrie's best friend. So now Carrie and Lali's relationship goes from everything to nothing. All in all, those relationships show that relationships can be everything, and then nothing.

In conclusion, Carrie has a lot of relationship problems in the book. She learns that your relationships might be everything at the moment, and then nothing soon.