So Much Closer by Susane Colasanti shows how unhappiness is a very common feeling when your family is broken up, especially when someone you love leaves your life. Divorces are very common 'solutions' to marriage problems nowadays, but if you have a kid, do you truly realize how badly it affects them? Their whole world has just been turned upside down and they are expected to just hit the ground running? Brooke's mood took a turn for the worst when her parents separated, and he dad left them for another woman. Though she found something else to focus on. The love of her life, Scott Abrams. As soon as Brooke worked up the courage to talk to him, he announced his moving to New York City. This didn't stop her though, she packed her bags and against her friends' better judgement, moved to Manhattan to live with her dad. They 'coincidentally' ended up in the same neighborhood, and at the same school. Brooke needs him to be happy again because she has had one too many traumatic, sad experiences for a girl her age.
In the beginning of So Much Closer Brooke knew that her parents weren't happy together. She heard them fighting, and even caught her dad cheating. "I decided to sneak downstairs and see if mom looked mad. Except I didn't find mom down there. I found Dad. And Justine, my babysitter, kissing. I don't know if mom knew about it...People destroy your trust. Then they leave." Brooke was very unhappy with her father, who wouldn't be? She couldn't believe that he did that to her mom. She immediately lost trust in him.
Towards the middle of the story, Brooke had gotten over her dad and accepted the fact that he was a terrible person, who cheated on her mom and left them. She was unhappy and angry with him and life in general. Though she her love for Scott Abrams was stronger than her hate for her dad, so she moved to NYC to live with him, all to get closer to Scott. This shows how Brooke's character isn't very intelligent or thoughtful. She told her mom who had basically raised her on her own, that she wanted to leave her and go live with her dad who had done nothing but damage. This must have broken Brooke's mom's heart. Brooke didn't realize this though, and she moved anyways. She left her friends and life behind. But when Brooke went to school, and saw Scott, he didn't even recognize her. Brooke realized her mistake. "I shouldn't have moved. This was a ginormous mistake. I'm all alone. I don't even know where anything is. I'm a total outsider at school. I don't know anyone. Scott doesn't count. He didn't even recognize me as first. I'm obviously thinking about him way more than he's thinking about me..."
Then in the end, Brooke realizes that just because Scott said a few words to her before he moved, doesn't mean he was in to her. And that being around Scott at school wasn't worth leaving her mother and friends, and it isn't worth it living with her dad who is never around. She has pushed people away that have tried to include her in things. All she could focus on was Scott, but it seems as that was a mistake. "And the girl sitting next to him. Who is touching his shoulder. He's with her. They're together. He's here with another girl." Apparently Brooke's angry attitude is visible to other characters as well. ""Yeah, Scott said you were like that." "Like what? "You know. Angry."...Whatever. So I'm angry. You would be, too, if your dad left your mom for another woman." Now Brooke has nothing, no friends, no Scott, and no happily married parents. Not all of these things are her fault, but if she had thought before she acted she would at least have some friends and her mom to rely on.
I think that Brooke has a right to be depressed and angry. But to fix this, she needs to move on. Yeah her dad cheated, but that wasn't her fault and there is nothing she can do about it. Moping around doesn't solve everything. Also I think that she is a little reckless and crazy. She really should have thought of the outcome before moving her life. It never occurred to her that Scott might have another life, after living in NYC for the summer. She really needs to think before she acts. I think that this book, probably really touches some readers, who parents are divorced. They can relate to what the character is going through, and see how she moves on and resolves her problems. A divorce is a significant problem in our society today, and I think that is a very large reason for why Susane Colasanti wrote it.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Reading Response to Take Me There by Susane Colasanti
The book, Take Me There, by Susane Colasanti shows that everyone experiences love in good ways and bad, but no matter how you encounter it, love is what unites us. Though love can seem tricky or nonexistent, it has most likely been right in front of you all along. Colasanti shows this by making Rhiannon, a main character, fall in love with her best friend James, and Nicole, another main character, fall in love with her boyfriend that she broke up with. Love can also make you do crazy things such as abuse. It can change who you are in good ways and bad ways as well. Take Me There shows how the characters change throughout the story, and come to learn these lessons.
In the beginning, Nicole, James, Danny, and Rhiannon are all pretty stubborn about there beliefs about love. Nicole is sure that she loves her math teacher, Mr. Farrell, and that he loves her back. For instance, "I can’t even remember ever having this much fun with Danny, just sitting around talking and laughing like there’s no one else you’d rather be with…Mr. Farrell says how he loves the energy here.” She also believes that she is never going to talk about what happened during her childhood with her mom or anybody. She does not want to get back together with Danny. I think balancing all of these things is tough on her, she is trying to keep everything inside. James is still in love with Rhiannon, his best friend, even though he won't admit it yet. Danny has no doubt that he can get Nicole back, even though she dumped him. Rhiannon is still hung up on her ex-boyfriend, Steve, who is now going out with Gloria, who bullies Rhiannon. Nicole's friend Sheila is in love with her boyfriend, but he is abusing her. For example, “I get that he’s hot and all, but what I don’t get is why she’s doing this to herself. Like, how can they have anything in common? I mean, I know love makes you do crazy things, but this is ridiculous. Sheila is the one person who’s totally put-together every day and super cheerful even early in the morning and always has her projects done like two days before they’re due, and know she just walked in looking like a truck ran her over.” I think the author is trying to show what kind of crazy things love can make you do, and how overwhelming it can be. Also Susane Colasanti might be trying to show how dangerous and sometimes even life threatening it can be.
Towards, the middle of the story the characters seem a little more loose about their feelings and a little less stubborn. The author is trying to show that although it's nice to love someone, and have them love you back, you need to be able to take control of your own life and make your own decisions. It also seems like the characters are getting a little more trustworthy of each other. When I was reading this book, I wondered, "What is Susane Colasanti trying to teach her readers about love? Does she like it? Was she abused and that is why she showed two of her characters getting abused?" I think Colasanti is all for love as long as you are careful with it. People's feelings are very delicate. I also think that she wants her readers to know how scary and common sexual abuse is. It is a problem that can't always be avoided but can be stopped, as long as the victim speaks up.
Then at the end of the story, all of the characters are open about their feelings. They are not afraid to just go for it and live a little. Rhiannon took revenge on Gloria. She also kissed James and finally moved on from Steve. Such as on page 207, "I sort of lean back into him. Like I’m melting into him. And in that instant, I finally know what it feels like to be whole. I’ve been wishing for my life to get better. Now I realize that James can take me to a place where everything’s the way it should be. He can definitely take me there. So when I turn around to face him, I don’t think about it at all. I just kiss him. And he kisses me back." Nicole talks about her childhood and how her dad sexually abused her when she was a kid. "There was this one night when she came home early. From her bridge game. And I heard her coming upstairs. And then…that’s when he let my room. So she saw him. She saw him leaving my room…After she found out…that’s when we moved here…That’s why the got divorced. My dad abused me.” Nicole figured out how reality would never let her and Mr. Farrell be together, and she gave Danny a second chance. Sheila moved out of her abusive boyfriend's house and got her life back together. The story resolved perfectly, which in my opinion is a little unrealistic especially when involving love, but Susane Colasanti did a great job. There were a lot of perspectives along with problems in this book, and I truly loved reading it.
In the beginning, Nicole, James, Danny, and Rhiannon are all pretty stubborn about there beliefs about love. Nicole is sure that she loves her math teacher, Mr. Farrell, and that he loves her back. For instance, "I can’t even remember ever having this much fun with Danny, just sitting around talking and laughing like there’s no one else you’d rather be with…Mr. Farrell says how he loves the energy here.” She also believes that she is never going to talk about what happened during her childhood with her mom or anybody. She does not want to get back together with Danny. I think balancing all of these things is tough on her, she is trying to keep everything inside. James is still in love with Rhiannon, his best friend, even though he won't admit it yet. Danny has no doubt that he can get Nicole back, even though she dumped him. Rhiannon is still hung up on her ex-boyfriend, Steve, who is now going out with Gloria, who bullies Rhiannon. Nicole's friend Sheila is in love with her boyfriend, but he is abusing her. For example, “I get that he’s hot and all, but what I don’t get is why she’s doing this to herself. Like, how can they have anything in common? I mean, I know love makes you do crazy things, but this is ridiculous. Sheila is the one person who’s totally put-together every day and super cheerful even early in the morning and always has her projects done like two days before they’re due, and know she just walked in looking like a truck ran her over.” I think the author is trying to show what kind of crazy things love can make you do, and how overwhelming it can be. Also Susane Colasanti might be trying to show how dangerous and sometimes even life threatening it can be.
Towards, the middle of the story the characters seem a little more loose about their feelings and a little less stubborn. The author is trying to show that although it's nice to love someone, and have them love you back, you need to be able to take control of your own life and make your own decisions. It also seems like the characters are getting a little more trustworthy of each other. When I was reading this book, I wondered, "What is Susane Colasanti trying to teach her readers about love? Does she like it? Was she abused and that is why she showed two of her characters getting abused?" I think Colasanti is all for love as long as you are careful with it. People's feelings are very delicate. I also think that she wants her readers to know how scary and common sexual abuse is. It is a problem that can't always be avoided but can be stopped, as long as the victim speaks up.
Then at the end of the story, all of the characters are open about their feelings. They are not afraid to just go for it and live a little. Rhiannon took revenge on Gloria. She also kissed James and finally moved on from Steve. Such as on page 207, "I sort of lean back into him. Like I’m melting into him. And in that instant, I finally know what it feels like to be whole. I’ve been wishing for my life to get better. Now I realize that James can take me to a place where everything’s the way it should be. He can definitely take me there. So when I turn around to face him, I don’t think about it at all. I just kiss him. And he kisses me back." Nicole talks about her childhood and how her dad sexually abused her when she was a kid. "There was this one night when she came home early. From her bridge game. And I heard her coming upstairs. And then…that’s when he let my room. So she saw him. She saw him leaving my room…After she found out…that’s when we moved here…That’s why the got divorced. My dad abused me.” Nicole figured out how reality would never let her and Mr. Farrell be together, and she gave Danny a second chance. Sheila moved out of her abusive boyfriend's house and got her life back together. The story resolved perfectly, which in my opinion is a little unrealistic especially when involving love, but Susane Colasanti did a great job. There were a lot of perspectives along with problems in this book, and I truly loved reading it.
Monday, October 8, 2012
Reading Response to "Am I Blue?"
Bruce Coville's short story "Am I Blue?" teaches readers that it takes courage to accept yourself for who you are even if your identity is unsure. When you do accept yourself you can be so much more self-confident and less scared of other people's opinions. Coville does this by showing Vince, the main character of his short story, to be unsure of his sexuality and being tormented for being unusual, when really being gay isn't unusual at all.
In the beginning of the story, Vince was being bullied by Butch Carrigan because he thought Vince was gay, as well as interested in "jumping his bones." This is significant because it shows that people can be so afraid of abnormality that they feel the need to mess up that person's life. This is common in reality, so much that some victims have committed suicide to escape the harsh torment.
Towards the middle of "Am I Blue?" the author shows that Vince hasn't fully accepted himself and that he is scared of being seen with Melvin, his gay fairy godfather, because he doesn't want people to make assumptions and pick on him again. Vince does this by thinking, "How much trouble is it going to give me to be seen with this guy?" Vince still doesn't want people to think he is gay even though he is not sure if he's gay or not. He still feels different from everyone else and isn't enjoying it, who would?
At the end of Bruce Coville's short story, Vince used courage to accept himself as having an unsure sexuality. He got a little help from Melvin when he used his second wish to turn every gay person blue and found himself a lighter shade of blue meaning that he wasn't fully gay or straight. He also found that about one third of the people he saw were some shade of blue, including Butch Carrigan. Vince accepted himself by saving his third wish for when he really needed it like when he met, "...the girl of his dreams. Or Prince Charming. Whichever." Vince made the first step towards more self-confidence and less hiding.
Vince used courage to accept himself. He had some help from his fairy godfather, Melvin. He faced the fact that he might be gay and he might not. Hopefully Vince can avowedly state his sexuality as being uncertain. Now as a worldwide goal we need to accept Vince and all gay people like Vince accepted himself, and it all starts with you.
In the beginning of the story, Vince was being bullied by Butch Carrigan because he thought Vince was gay, as well as interested in "jumping his bones." This is significant because it shows that people can be so afraid of abnormality that they feel the need to mess up that person's life. This is common in reality, so much that some victims have committed suicide to escape the harsh torment.
Towards the middle of "Am I Blue?" the author shows that Vince hasn't fully accepted himself and that he is scared of being seen with Melvin, his gay fairy godfather, because he doesn't want people to make assumptions and pick on him again. Vince does this by thinking, "How much trouble is it going to give me to be seen with this guy?" Vince still doesn't want people to think he is gay even though he is not sure if he's gay or not. He still feels different from everyone else and isn't enjoying it, who would?
At the end of Bruce Coville's short story, Vince used courage to accept himself as having an unsure sexuality. He got a little help from Melvin when he used his second wish to turn every gay person blue and found himself a lighter shade of blue meaning that he wasn't fully gay or straight. He also found that about one third of the people he saw were some shade of blue, including Butch Carrigan. Vince accepted himself by saving his third wish for when he really needed it like when he met, "...the girl of his dreams. Or Prince Charming. Whichever." Vince made the first step towards more self-confidence and less hiding.
Vince used courage to accept himself. He had some help from his fairy godfather, Melvin. He faced the fact that he might be gay and he might not. Hopefully Vince can avowedly state his sexuality as being uncertain. Now as a worldwide goal we need to accept Vince and all gay people like Vince accepted himself, and it all starts with you.
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