Blog Post Review of Sylvie :)

URL for Sylvie's Blog Post on "Blonde Roots": http://thedaffodilgirl.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2013-01-25T05:09:00-08:00&max-results=7

After reading through at least sixty blogs I decided to write about Sylvie Freedman's blog post on "Blonde Roots" by Bernardine Evaristo. Sylvie first described in great detail all about the book and what I needed to know in order to understand what she had to say. As part of her blog post Sylvie went on to discuss the theme of the story. Her theme became the love for external beauty in this society.  

Sylvie discussed how society thinks that skinny fingers are "ugly as sin", and she found it curious. I definitely agree with Sylvie's point of view because of the society we live in. In today's culture, models are dangerously thin and the rest of society is trying to become as thin as possible. In this society where the Africans enslave the Europeans as slaves the theme that we see today is completely switched around. Maybe this author has a double meaning, and that if we are fat or thin, no matter what, someone in society will judge us. 

Sylvie also discussed how dolls are a symbol of perfection. When the main character, Doris was a child she played with dolls that are the classic blonde and blue eyed dolls we have in today's society. In this twisted world these new European slaves are given dolls that are slightly obese and have "wooly hair" and "bangles". This contradicts everything we see today, and Sylvie wanted to note that so we could understand how we would see things if we were part of Doris's world. Sylvie then went on to discuss the weight people want to be.

In today's lifestyle girls want to be a size zero to two in jeans, but in this society it is a sign of wealth to be overweight. Sylvie described how women love to feast and then show their obesity because it shows that they are on a higher status in society. Sylvie then went on to explain that neither of these techniques work well for the people. Sylvie stated, "I don't really know if either one of these is better than the other. They both hurt their bodies in different ways". 

I really enjoyed Sylvie's analysis of "Blonde Roots" because she truly accentuated the societal difference and it seems that Sylvie really wanted to make a point. Sylvie stated that this was probably the message wanted to send and it's very clear that Sylvie understood the theme of this book right from the start. I truly agreed with everything Sylvie said and I loved the blog post. 

"Cut" by Patricia Mccormick

In the book "Cut" by Patricia Mccormick it tells the story of a catatonic (someone who can no longer speak after a traumatic event) cutter girl named Callie. Throughout the story it gives away hints that her brother suffers from a severe form of asthma that keeps him in the hospital. This results in her father having to work more hours and he cannot spend any time with Callie. This causes Callie to feel some sort of separation from her father, which may have lead to her cutting. I've read about this book in several articles because this book was banned from many school libraries.

I do not agree with the position on banning this specific book. So far in the book you can sense the struggle Callie feels because she wants to tell everybody all about how she feels but cannot. She also shies away from everybody and does not include anybody in her private activities. I feel that people who are suffering from insecurities or any type of borderline personality disorder (such as cutting) find strength in this book. They know that someone out there feels the exact way they do and that hopefully they can get through the addiction.

People ban books like this because they feel that it is promoting the act of self injury when it truly is not. The author would definitely not write a book about promoting suicide, and if she did no one could possibly publish that. There is probably a cliche lesson at the end, you cannot get through this alone or you'll get through it, no matter what. Personally I find that if Callie committed suicide or some terrible act such as this, it would have a more dramatic affect on the audience and make the reader feel that they should stop whatever they are doing since it hurts the people around them.

I feel that they should not ban this book because it is a spread of awareness around the globe of what we need to fix in today's culture. People who may also suffer from Callie's addiction of cutting may also find the ability to connect with her and save themselves. This book is not a ridicule of the others who suffer from other illnesses such as anorexia or trichotillomania, it is to help show that those people are normal, but they were damaged in this terrible way. This is why I feel that "Cut" by Patricia Mccormick should be removed from the banned list.

"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult 3

The book is about a school shooting caused by one of the high school students, Peter and how the entire town copes with the tragedy. It is a very fascinating book because at the very beginning the plot seems so simple but as you read on you discover the plot is very thick. The author uses a very interesting technique where she brings back a flashback so you can help understand the story. Then you realize how important that flashback is, when it becomes a secret that is a key part of the plot. It's almost like a diary and you keep going back and forth throughout the pages. Using this technique Jodi almost is telling the lesson that things shall come back at you if you keep them hidden, which all the characters do. 

Jodi also uses the technique of changing the point of view at the drop of a hat. It seems that Jodi uses this change of character to keep the plot enticing and exciting. The whole time I want to stay in one certain point of view but then it changes and I want to read more and more so I can find out what exactly occurs with that certain character. Then I'll read the next five to six paragraphs from another character view and then it abruptly ends and the cycle continues. I think that this is a very intelligent technique that will keep the reader reading 438 pages where almost nothing is happening, which is completely true of this novel. 

"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult 2

In "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult, the plot continues. The book is about students and many other people in a little town who were affected by a mass shooting in a school. Most of the time the author discusses the minds of two victims. Peter Houghton, the shooter and Josie, a patient suffering from PTSD. While reading this book I thought about the victims of the shooting in Newtown, Connecticut and how they are dealing with the tragedy. While reading this I can't help but think about the shooter and how he may have been lead to commit such a crime.

Peter in the story actually suffers from PTSD. While he is being interrogated he explains that he was the victim all along and the people who he shot caused him to feel pain. Peter feels that the people who caused him harm deserved their fate. I wonder if maybe the shooter in Newtown felt that he was a victim of some type of crime and things went downhill from there or if he had some grudge against schools from when he was a teen or child. I feel that people, when they are classified as mentally insane, do these harmful deeds because in their twisted mind it makes sense. In Peter's case he thought that killing all the people who did him harm was the true way to solve the problem, but violence is never the answer.

In Josie's case she is also suffering from PTSD. She doesn't really want to leave the house and is completely devastated and raw from the death of her beloved boyfriend. I feel that this character is a lot like the mothers who were affected in Newtown. Someone who they loved so much was taken away from them on a completely ordinary day and they could not stop or save them. These people can go insane because they somehow feel that the death of their loved one was their fault, but in the end they need to accept that the tragedy happened and that they couldn't have done anything. Josie is struggling with the concept that she didn't save her boyfriend, but I know all wounds must heal, so she will soon be okay.

I think that the author is truly telling the story of a town in crisis after a tragic mistake. From watching the news on Newtown, I feel that Jodi Picoult is trying to show us all the different sides in a tragedy. I think she also wants us to see everyone's perspective and the different ways we all deal with grief. I believe that this is incredibly insightful and such an amazing book. Whomever is reading this needs to read this book.

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult

"Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult is about a judge named Alex and her daughter Josie who are victims of a mass shooting that occurred at Josie's school.  Josie struggles with self esteem issues, like every teenage girl yet is one of the popular crowd. Josie wants to be perfect so bad that she has lost herself by being friends with this fake group of people. The only person she truly finds comfort in is in her boyfriend, Matt. While this is going on Patrick (from Perfect Match) gets the call and shows up the school too late, as always. Patrick finds himself always too late.

I think the message of "Nineteen Minutes" is to be yourself you have to do what you have to do to make sure you are the person you want to be or are. Josie for example; wants to be herself but has lost herself in the crowd. She has very obvious depression at the beginning of the book and keeps a bag filled with narcotics so she can commit suicide at any point. Yet Josie does not stop and say to herself, "let me be friends with people who actually interest me", instead Josie just goes to her boyfriend for comfort who truly changes her mind. If Josie and her boyfriend breakup she might just go off the edge because she may lose sight of who she truly is.

Patrick is another character who is suffering from doing what he knows is right and being himself. Patrick always has the feeling that he shows up too late and cannot prevent crime, he only corrects it. It seems that all he wants to do is stop one single crime before it becomes worse, which is what he does in the school shooting. The only problem is that Patrick only slightly decreases the amount of fatalities instead of preventing the shooting all together. Patrick did not follow directions and was able to save students, yet he still feels unaccomplished.

I believe that Jodi Picoult wants to teach this specific message through different ages. This way different audiences can engage and feel empathy towards the character that is most like themselves. I think that the author wants to show that Josie is completely helpless without some guide of direction to let her know, it's okay to be yourself. With the character of Patrick she wants to show that you need to follow your own lead in order to commit justice, you just have to trust yourself. This is what I think one of the messages is in "Nineteen Minutes" by Jodi Picoult.

The Wild Things by Dave Egger

"The Wild Things" is a story loosely based upon the children's book, "Where The Wild Things Are". It tells the story of a boy named Max who has a very distant and unusual relationship with his sister and mother. Max struggles with being normal and he desperately wants his mother to be happy and for his sister to accept him. It seems though that Max may struggle with some sort of ADHD which prohibits him from acting "normal" according to his sister. I really want to focus on his relationship with his sister since that seems to be a very big issue in the book so far.

Max wants his sister to notice him, just like any other little brother would. As his sister, Claire grows up she wants Max to leave her alone so she can just be with her friends. Max does not understand this concept and plays a practical joke on Claire which results in her being extremely furious with Max. Max doesn't seem to realize that what he does to Claire that may be mean or annoying will result in a consequence. It seems that Max may have ADHD because when Claire yells at him he becomes very confused and describes that he cannot organize his thoughts. This may lead to him non-purposefully annoying his sister.

I believe that Max is a complicated character wishing that he could understand his thoughts and understand his relationships with others. I think that if he truly understood what consequences he would always face no matter what he did, he would realize that he is just an annoying little brother and his sister believes she's too cool for him. Max is also a very interesting character because he watches people and observes how they live but never tells anyone if they are doing something wrong. Max is almost a wallflower in this sense. This is Max's relationship with his sister and why he is such a complex character.

I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak

SPOLIER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!! SPOILER ALERT!!!

"I Am The Messenger" by Markuz Zusak is about a man named Ed Kennedy who doesn't really live life until he gets a set of aces. The cards list names and addresses, where he goes and sees the good deeds he must perform in order to make their life better. Soon Ed becomes obsessed with the idea that he is helping other people and cannot wait till he receives the next ace. Ed lives a complicated life with his dog named Doorman, his crush (Audrey) and his two friends Marv and Ritchie. Ed throughout the book expresses his love for Audrey, yet Audrey tells Ed that she doesn't go through longterm relationships.

I found Audrey to be the most interesting character in the book. Audrey suffers from an inability to love. Throughout the story the reader learns of Audrey's persuasive ways to use men for their looks and make sure she doesn't truly have any feelings for him. By using men as toys, Audrey doesn't have to go through heartbreak or guilt when her relationship ends. Audrey knows that Ed has a huge crush on her but she denies his love because she doesn't want to fall for him or make him feel terrible.

As Ed continues his adventure by doing these good deeds, Audrey soon discovers that she is starting to fall for Ed. Ed soon grows to be a very interesting person instead of just watching his life go by without participating. Audrey falls for Ed's curiosity and courage, she soon realizes that she needs to abandon her guard and let herself go. Finally at the very end of the book Audrey tells Ed that she will stay with him forever and the book has a happy ending.

Audrey was such a fun character to read about because she learned a valuable lesson. As I continued to read the story I soon realized that Ed and Audrey learned the same message You should always let your guard down because sometimes that keeps you from living. "I Am The Messenger" was just as amazing as "The Book Thief" except the ending was slightly rushed. I really loved the book and even though you know the story, I recommend that you read it.