The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Post 3

I finished the book, and I can't believe that Junior is fighting with Rowdy because of racism. Rowdy called Junior a white lover. I'm relieved that at the end of the book, Rowdy and Junior make up, and they become friends again. I find it very said that Junior's grandmother and sister died. The end of the book is filled with a lot of good and bad things, like the stuff I said a few sentences ago, and Junior making the varsity basketball team. My favorite part about the book was the illustrations, like the comparing a dancer to a chicken, and his "final freshman year" report card illustration.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Post 2

Junior just threw a book, which hit his teacher, because of his anger that the reservation cannot afford new books. This was caused by him realizing that the book he's using was also used by his mother. This got him suspended. His teacher visited Junior, and Junior apologized. Junior is now going to a school called Reardon, a 'white-people school'. I'm realizing that there's a lot of racism in this book. Rowdy and Junior started fighting, which is kind of sad, because they were best friends.

The Absolutly True Diary of a Part Time Indian

At the end of this book I found it very entertaining. It was funny and still told a good story. It was nice that Rowdy and Junior got along in the end. Although Rowdy must have been pretty mad at him especially after he jumped higher than Rowdy and stole the ball from him. But they had a nice (I guess) conversation after the game. A big part of this book was with alcohol and how the Indians loved it. It was pretty much the whole reason for this book. It was what lead people to give up and made them unhappy and killed so many people. It was what made Rowdy tough and what drove Junior away from the rez.
Overall the book is superb.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian Post 1

I just started this book, and some of the characters I've met so far are:
1. Junior (I don't know his real name yet, his mother called him Junior when the Oscar was dying.) -- The main character of the story, born with a brain defect that caused other physical defects.
2. Oscar -- Junior's (late) pet dog, his 'best friend', got sick and Junior's father shot him, to end his misery.
I've also learned that the family is in poverty, as are most of the people on the reservation. They've just gone to the powwow and Junior got beaten up by some thirty year old triplets, so Rowdy, Junior's best friend, shaved the triplets' eyebrows and cut their hair.

The Absolutly True Diary of a Part Time Indian

Half way through the book is pretty funny. I don't see how Penelope is going out with Junior. Or how Junior is good at basketball after everything he has been through. I am surprised that Rowdy sent Junior to the hostpitale after being his best friend and the only good thing in his life. Also Rowdy protected him for a while and said himself that Junior was sensative but Rowdy is probably just upset since the only good thing in his life was just taken away. Junior is very perverted and, as Mr. P said, is the only Indian that has any hope. For this, the Indian were right to call him an apple and it is really a compliment in disquise.

Deadline part three

I have finished the book and I loved it! However I didn't think that I would like it at all in the beginging because it had a lot of fooball and football words that I didn't get but in the end I think it was a really good book that teaches a meaningful life lesson. Life is too short so live it up! I really liked the speech at the end but I kept hoping throughout the book that there would be a huge twist and Ben would somehow live through his cancer but sadly that didn't happen. On the bright side, Ben's death didn't depress Cody enough to keep him from playing football in college. Over all this was my second favorite book and I really enjoyed it despite the sad ending

Deadline part two

I didn't really get why Dallas got so mad at Ben when he told her about his illness. I understand that she would be upset that he is going to die and leave her but I don't think she should have gotten mad. If I were her I would have been glad he told me so I wouldn't be so shocked and hurt when it happened. I really hope they explain who Hey-soos is because he knows everything that's going to happen but wont't tell Ben. Ben thinks that Hey-soos could possibly been himself but if it were like a spirit version of himself wouldn't he tell him? Thats how confused I am with this spirit guy right now! But I also think it could be like God or something.

Deadline part one

I really like Ben Wolf, I think it is so brave of him to accept his illness and continue on with his life. I don't like the fact that he isn't telling anyone about his illness but i guess if he wants to play football and do everything to make his life fulfilling, he can't be having treatments and other surgical procedures holding him back. I also see that Ben and his brother, Cody, are really close and I think he will be extremely depressed when Ben dies. Ben is taking lots of risks and he is reaching all his goals. I think that the author wrote this book to say that life is short so take risks to reach your goals or you will never persue your dreams.

Double Take: End

The end of the memoir makes me like the book a little better. Although I would have liked to see Kevin and Beth end up together I think it was a more realistic thing to do. They probably still contacted each other by email. If I went through that then I probably would most likely still want to talk to that person especially because they made each other happier. I think that Kevin taking pictures of people that glanced at him even for a second either in the picture or prior to him taking it made him realize that him having no legs doesn't just effect him by the constant looks of people feeling bad for him but it also interferes with the people who see him. When I was little I once saw a man with no legs and I just stared at him not because he looked different but because I was interested, I didn't judge him in my mind because I was too little to understand the judgment in our world today, I saw him as someone brave. Kevin got pictures of not just adults but children and I would be most interested in seeing the pictures with children because their faces are harder to comprehend, whereas an adults face will probably come off as them feeling bad for Kevin.

Double Take

I know see Kevin as a totally different person when Beth is in the picture. She makes him nervous and he forgets about the way people stare at him. It is very sweet that they travel together and she doesn't mind that all he does is take pictures of people that he walks by. They may not even be looking but as long as they some how make him feel like they are watching him he will still snap a shot. Nearing the end of their time together Kevin starts to notice people acknowledging him as if he were some sort of beggar. This gets him very upset but Beth calms him down. It is very sad when they have to part because this makes him very sad the whole way home, and instead of being angry at the people who show sorrow for him he learns to live with it because he knows there is no getting around it. The looks he gets are not acts of kindness because he has no legs but because he just lost his girlfriend.

Glass Castle End

Once they got to New York and Jeannette was in college everything seemed good and everyone was happy (besides Maureen). Jeanette had a very good life and I was surprised that she left Eric. She still had a good life though. I thought it was very thoughtful of what Dad did with the $1,000 she gave her. It was nice that Dad died the happy and was the man he always was, even when he was dead since he checked out Rex Walls style. Also I feel that the mom, in a way, was right about who has their morales mixed up.

Glass Castle First Half

The parents, in my opinion, are terrible. Although they do have good morals and are very family oriented, they are crazy and give there children a horrible life. Dad is too drunk and prideful to keep a steady job which males the kids have to steal food to keep from going hungry. And Mom is too selfish to even sell the ring the kinda found for food.

When they were at Battle Mountain I thought it was good that Mom got a teaching job at the school and that the kids helped her do well. I didn't think she should have let the kids run wild and paddle her daughter just to keep her job. I also thought it was amazing all the things they were able to find here and should have tried to actually make money off of it instead of keeping it for self esteem

When they got into Welch I thought it was funny that they were placed in special need classes considering how much better they were in the school at Battle Mountain. Although they did well in Welch and had a home but there were too many criminals and other troubles.

My Sister's Keeper End

That was very sad. When the dad got to the accident I couldn't believe what happened. So shocked about it. I finally understand why Anna did what she did but I don't know if I would have done the same thing. It was nice that Kate lived though. And Cambell's dog didn't do something as interesting as I thought. I was surprised by the judges decision although it didn't really matter. And it was really sad when they talked about how the mom went crazy.

I also find it ironic that after Anna finally got what she worked for she ended up using it to accomplpish the same thing that she would have.

I thought the book was O.K. Because there was just too much usless information that dragged the book out and made it boring.

My Sister's Keeper First half

After reading half way through My Sisters' Keeper I thought that Anna was being absolutely ridiculous. She should be happy to give her life to help save her sister and she only has to give a kidney. Also if she didn't want to do it she should have talked it out with her parents or, if she was intimated by them, should have just wrote some kind of letter. Instead she goes to a lawyer and sues them! Although Anna does have reasoning to not wanting to do since her sister will probably die anyway she should still take the risk to help save her.

Jesse seems like the hidden child. No one really cares about him or pays attention to him. I think his parents gave up on him way too easily. With everything his parents do they consider Jesses' well being last.

Cambell is strictly business and I am anxious to find out what his dog does.

Kate's condition seems terrible and I don't think she will live.

Speak- Mel

Mel;s character is interesting..She is quiet yet dominant. Even though she doesn't speak very often, she has a bold mind. And when she finally speaks at the end of the book, she holds her own. After Andy locks her in the closet, she realizes she has to use her voice. She is a truly different character..

Double Take-Overall

Kevin wanted to share his experience and he should be given a lot of credit for traveling to so many places on his own without having any legs. I connected with him when he said he found himself staring at others. When he was taking pictures in Sarajevo and saw people who lived there and that they had no arms, or other severe injuries he wanted to know what happened to them. He realized that it was just human nature and he was no different than anyone else. I don't think it's a morbid curiousity, but more of an interest. All together I did not find the book very interesting and it was difficult to keep going on, but being able to relate to some situations made it much easier.

Deadline

I have finished the book and I like it overall. It's upsetting that Ben never lived to graduation. But I wrote the speech that he wrote was really good. It was nice of Ben to mention Sooner in his speech. Also, it's amusing that Ben was still trying to get the town to change the street to Malcolm X Street. It was great that the town actually did it. The book never went into detail about "Hey-Soos", unfortunately. But I found that this was a really great book.

Double Take

As I continue reading Double Take I see myself losing interest. I enjoy listening to Kevin's stories about life as he grew up without legs but it seems to be getting harder to read. I really enjoyed the last 2 books but for some reason I just can't get into this one. I hope that if i just take my time by finishing the book, I can understand it better and become more into it. I really hope that the ending is interesting because I am almost finished but if I can't get into it, it will take me a lot longer than it should.

Deadline

I am almost done with Deadline. I'm glad that Ben decided to share the news of his illness with others. I thought that Cody would have taken the news worse. I didn't like how Dallas became angry with Ben though. His parents seemed calm, but upset about the news. I'm curious to see if they will further explain who "Hey-Soos" is because I find it a little confusing. I'm also curious to see if Ben will make it to graduation.

Speak\Glass Castle\My Sisters Keeper

Now that i finished reading all 3 of the stories on the reading list i can see a lot in common in with each story. All of the 3 girls have difficult families to live in, none of them are happy until the end, they face a problem that no matter how it ends someone will be unhappy. On more of positive note all three of them have someone who is on their side, they are all strong good people, they have the courage to stand up for themselves and their independent.

Overall the characters reminded me of sisters put in 3 different stories.

Speak

I'm more than half way done with the book. I really like it, but some of the parts are kind of confusing.. At first I didn't understand why Mel was so afraid of Andy Evans, but then I understood. I also have a question about it: when both parents are meeting with the principal and the guidance counselor, the dad says that every time he brings Mel "up here" she won't speak, etc.. Are the parents together or divorced?

The Glass Castle ENDING

I thought the end of this book was very sad. I couldn't believe that their sister Maureen got sent to jail and then moved to California. I also thought that the part when their father called Jeannette and told her to come to his house and he ended up telling her that he was dying. That was very sad. I liked the ending when the mom, Brian and his family, and Jeannette and her family all had Thanksgiving dinner at Brian's house and they made a toast to their father. Overall, the book was really interesting and I really liked it.

The Absolutley True Diary of a Part- Time Indian

I have now finished the book and i would have to say it was my favorite of the three books. This story basically had a happy ending. He is destined to become a basketball star. Also he is destined to be a "nomad" as rowdy says and travel the world, never settling in one place. Also in the end him and rowdy become friends again in their own weird way. The book simply ended with them playing basketball together and not keeping score.

Overall this book was great. The author was very funny and i kept laughing throughout the whole book. I also liked how he would repeat something several times in different ways. Also the plot is just amazing, i mean how many times do you hear a story about an Indian boy going into white society and becoming such a good basketball player and being so all around successful. Also rowdy was a very interesting character. He was the toufest kid on the rez because his dads an alcoholic who beats on him all the time. All though he does not show it i think that he is really troubled because of his whole life. When junior leaves the reservation he does not know what to do so he gets extremely mad at him but later on he comes to find that he needs junior because he is the only person that understands him. This was an amazing book.

The Glass Castle

This story was no quick read in my opinon, there was a lot to this plot. I was happy to read when the kids were able to get away from their parents and move to New York. It was sad when the father died but to be honest i never like him, he always was the person stopping the family from loiving a suggessful life. If i was his wife i would have taken Jeanette's advice and left him so that the kids could be in a safe environment to grow up in.

The adventures and the tresures that Jeanette found out in the desert makes me want to go there my self to see if i would have the same luck.

Speak End

The story had an interesting plot that made you want to keep reading to the very end. I was very happy that Melinda is able to gather her courage and stand up to Andy Evans in the end when she gets cornered. I would have to say that my favorite character in the story would have to be the Art teacher Mr.Freeman his is really the only character who is truly nice to Melinda besides David. Mr Freeman has his own conflict with the office because he want to give everyone an A, this adds to his character because like everyday people he has is good days and his not so good days.

Double Take

I have reached about page 80 in the book and I am enjoying it. I feel really bad for Kevin because he had to go through a lot of trouble as a kid. He could never really fit in because he couldn't do the things the other kids could do but it also made it worse when people started making fun of him. I felt really bad while reading the part where he was being bullied on the playground. I can't believe a little kid would actually beat him up. I don't know how he deals with not being able to play sports like all of the other kids at school.

The Absolutley True Diary of a Part- Time Indian

I'm now about half way through this book and it is getting really interesting. I think it is really surprising that he is basically dating the beautiful white girl. They are so different but they both want the same thing. They both want to get away and they are both dreaming bigger then they are supposed to. And now they even know that he is poor but roger and Penelope still accept him. Then, he tried out for basketball and because he kept trying and was a great shooter he made the varsity squad. but of course his first game is against his old high school on the rez. They are all chanting that he sucks when he arrives and when he enters everyone goes silent then turns there back, except rowdy who just wants to play and kill him on the court. When junior finally does get sent onto the court, he steals the ball and is going for a layup when rowdy knocks him out by elbowing him. He gets a concision and has stitches from when someone threw a quarter at him. While he is in the hospital his coach comes to see him and they stay up all night sharing stories and basically bonding. He is being accepted more and more in the white world!

The Glass Castle - End

I honestly do not know what to say about the Glass Castle. While generally there was a happy ending (which is depressingly rare in the real world) when things finally seemed to be looking up, poor Maureen was slipping through the cracks. Personally I feel, because she was the youngest, she should have been the primary concern, way before her parents who have had their entire lives and millions of opportunities to straighten out their lives. I was sick of the parents showing up and bringing their children down after they had established better lives for themselves. When they finally got a place of their own off the streets, they still managed to let one of their kids unhealthily become mentally damaged to the point that she winds up stabbing her own mother.
Throughout the story I really felt that it was the mother fanning the flames to all the families problems. I agreed with Jeannette's statement that their father would be fine if he just had a strong women who didn't let him push her around. Not only did the mother not do anything to help Rex overcome his drinking problem, but she aided to it. When Rex had finally managed to stay clean and sober for a while, his wife pressured him to rejoin her on the streets where, everyone knew, he would not be able to stay on the waggon.
By the end I still wonder how Maureen ever made out in California, if she was able to pull herself together by getting away.
All in all I find it both inspiring and astonishing that for the most part the members of that positively corrupt family made it out okay and are all living relatively normal happy lives.

The Glass Castle

Almost done with The Glass Castle and I have come to several conclusions. First off, both of the Walls parents are not parents at all. The father always drinking away their money, and letting poor Jeannette seduce men twice her age so they could win back the money Rex lost. Also Rex let his own son get sexually assaulted by his own mother, then refused to do anything about it. Next the wonderful mother let her daughter get sexually assaulted by her uncle, and once again the parents contributed to the wonderful pattern of doing nothing. When Jeannette back-talked to her parents and said neither of them were acting like parents.

I was very relived when Lori and Jeannette decide to leave to New York. I hate the mother for crying because she wishes it were her leaving, and I hate the father for taking the money they all saved. I hope Brian and Maureen will be okay still with their parents. Hopefully Lori and Jeannette eventually figure out a way to bring them to New York too.

The Walls parents are just selfish, the moment they stepped foot in Welch they completely changed. They were never a family to be nominated to be parents of the year, but after they moved they seemed to completely loose all compassion for their children. After moving to Welch they no longer moved when things go tough, they made their children cope with it, endure their parents mistakes and lack of responsibilities. When the mother refused to pawn the ring because she thought she needed a self esteem boost I was ready to loose it. The mother didn't need to selfishly hang on to a ring her children dug up in the back yard, she needed to sell it and buy food for her starving children who were eating out of school garbage cans. Also there was never a real reason the mother couldn't work, she needed to control her emotions and provide for her family. Also the father needed to stop acting like a pathetic seventeen year old and realize how much he was hurting the family. He was right when he said the family was falling apart, I just wonder if he realized that it was his fault.

The Absolutley True Diary of a Part- Time Indian

I am about 70 pages into this book and it is really interesting. The family is really interesting because of the alcoholic dad and the mother that used to be. Also the sister stays in the basement the whole day when she used to be really smart and a great writer. And the kid was born with water on his brain and had to have surgeries that he was not supposed to live through. Also his best friend is an extremely strong and mad kid who also has a drunk dad. Then he throws that book at the teacher and he comes to talk to junior. now he tells junior that he needs to leave the reservation or else he will never amount to anything. So that's exactly what he does, he goes to a white school where everyone just stares at him and makes fun of him until he punches the "alpha dog" in the face, then most respect him but the hot girl in the school still does not.

The Glass Castle

I find the family in the glass castle to be very interesting, obviously. Often while reading I forget that it is not a work of fiction. Only a third of the way through I have already come to the conclusion that Brian has pretty much lost all respect for his father. Whether it is because he knows what his dad's friends Ginger does with him, or because he drinks all the family's money away I have yet to conclude. In many ways the family is fantastic, but also in many ways they are not a proper family. The parents sadly do not know how to not pick favorites, the father plainly stated who his favorite was, and the mother obviously likes her eldest daughter Lori the best. Poor Brian and the youngest are left unfavored, but the youngest is luckily to little to realize it.
Another aspect of the story that worries me is the relationship between the parents. At one point the father almost ran the mother down with his car while she was alt east nine months pregnant. Not to mention the other time the mother wound up dangling out the second story window, however I do believe that she did climb out herself.
For the most part I find the parents tactics on raising their children unique but beneficial even though they seem unconventional. However in certain scenarios, such as the father taking his severely burned daughter out of the hospital before she was completely healed, then again she did make a full recovery. Also the fact that the father was teaching his six year old and younger children how to properly use a pistol, even though it did eventually come in handy.
Now that I think about it the parents really have yet to be wrong. Everything that I've read that seemed like it was crossing a line did turn out for the better, after a while there is no such thing as a coincidence.

Deadline

I am a third into the book. I like it so far. I think its good that Ben wants to live his life normally. However, I think he should have at least told his brother Cody because they are really close. I feel like it will backfire on him somewhere later in the book. I like how Ben is trying out for football, like he always wanted to. I wonder if the cancer is going to catch up with him and if he'll be in pain during the football season.

Glass Castle

I am almost finished with the book and I like it. I think it's weird how Jeannette moved to New York City and she's only going to be a senior in high school.. I can't wait to see what the end will be like..

Double Take

I am halfway through Double Take overall I find it a little boring. I usually like to read books that relate to me in some way but I just can't seem to find something that I can relate with. Although it is an interesting plot line I still don't find it very interesting. Maybe as I go further into the book and he travels more and gets different reactions from people I will learn to like it. The very beginning of the book i found Kevin to have an interesting story, that he is healthy but he has no legs. I would find it unfair to live life like that but he seemed to make it work when he found something he was good at, skiing. I ski too but I do not do it on a team nor do I travel around the country and world to do it.

TATDOAPTI #3 Comments

As i said it is a good book. I would recommend it to anyone who doesn't mind crude humor in its almost lowest form. Other than that read at your own risk.

TATDOAPTI #2 Story reflection

My personal favorite. I enjoyed it when Junior bested Rowdy on the basketball court because he had it coming. The whole plot line of, oh look the Indian boy didn't give up and he accomplished something was a bit cheesy but nice. However due to this plot line there are two morals that conflict in my opinion. One (this is the one most people would see), dont give up and believe in your self and you can accomplish anything. And two (the one i saw only after watching a Ricky Gervais comedy act), of your a repressed Indian throw a book at a white teachers head and you will magically accomplish things. Now i realize this is a bit strange but it is a moral that you can pull out of this book.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian #1 Character Reflection

Not many characters in this book. I will comment on them as follows:

1. Junior-he has a good heart and the will to do things but he is a big perverted wimp.
2. Mom-has a heart of gold but a weak will. Hardworking?
3. Dad-a drunk. could have done better but chose not to
4. Rowdy-a big jerk. Should get a swift kick.
5. Penelope-a prep. Not my favorite person. Much to selfish i mean she barfed to stay skinny and then accepted sympathy.

I know there are more but these are who i have decided to comment on.

The Glass Castle #3 Comments

Over all a good albeit strange book. If you like interesting biographies this is your book. Other than that, it is a good drama. I personally like it but i usually do.

The Glass Castle #2 Story reflection

This was one messed up book if you will. We start with a family always on the run from the feds in the southwestern U.S. They go from town to town avoiding payments for housing and such. They finally settle in a town called Battle Mountain. A cozy little poverty stricken town with some unscrupulous characters like Billy Deel. Then after a shoot out Deel vs. Lori they pack up and move to Phoenix. After a few uncomfortable encounters here the move to Welch, West Virginia. Living with their Grandparents at first is kind of nice with Grandma being a bit strict but after the parents go back to Phoenix to get some stuff the three kids are forced into the basement after an uncomfortable confrontation with grandma. The parents come back and move in to a dump where after a while Lori, Jeannette, and soon everyone else moves to New York City where everything goes happily for a while until Maureen stabs someone, the father dies and no one speaks to each other for a while. The End.

The Glass Castle #1 Character reflection

The characters in this book are completely insane. The father, an ex-air force man is to eccentric to raise a family properly. He tried to hit his wife with a car when she was pregnant because she was overdue. That is insane. The mother on the other hand is a whiny, do nothing go with the flow person. This just doesn't work out in family life. Now, the older sister, Lori at least has her priorities straight. Go to the big city and get a good job. This is at least normal. Jeannette is another down to earth individual although she is usually the one who helps other people instead of herself which is good if she doesn't want to go anywhere. Then there's Brian. The tough guy, the brave one. He is again another semi- normal person in his family. Finally Maureen. The little brat who always wants everything. Look what it go her. A ticket to jail for stabbing her own parent. Those are the crazy characters of the Glass Castle.

My Sisters Keeper #3

I know i have already wrapped up the book but i need one more blog on it so here it is.

My Sister's Keeper. What a turmoil filled book. The shock i felt at the end when it was Anna who died probably should have been overwhelming but it wasn't. I am not a very emotional person so it didn't hit home all to hard. So, she died but sure everyon dies at one point or another. She just did it earlier than most. This may sound super cold but it is what i feel on the matter of death. Take it or leave it, i dont care.

The Glass Castle end

I just finished the Glass castle and the ending was decent. Starting of i was happy that the whole family left Welch and came to New York. The parents however continued to be lazy and decided to be homeless even when there were plenty of jobs. Even when the dad got a job and a house the mother persuaded him into moving back out on the streets. Brian, Lori, and Jeanette all got promising jobs. Maureen however was not doing well at all. After she moved to the city she stayed with Lori then went to the parent who lived in a broken down apartment. She couldn't keep a job or a boyfriend and when asked to leave the house stabbed the mother. After getting arrested she move to CA to start over. Brian became a cop and now has one child. Jeanette is a writer along with her husband John. Lori was an artist just like her mother. The father Rex Walls died of a heart attack after getting a rare disease from a fight with a drug dealer. It is amazing how they came all this way from sleeping in boxes to living big houses. I am finally finished with the reading.

The Glass Castle:Welch

I just finished the part about Welch, West Virginia and it made me wonder why they moved there in the first place. I mean all the fights and racism isn't exactly the best setting to raise children. Now I know why the Jeanette's father was a drunk and where he got his bad behavior from. Once they moved out of the house i was glad that they got away from Erma house because that shack is better then living with a racist and drunk grandma. Even when they had enough money the parents continued to make bad decisions. For instance, Jeanette and Brian found a diamond ring and instead of selling it for food and clothes money their mom decided to keep it. The dad spent most of their money on booze and cigarettes leaving them with no money for food. And when they barely had enough money for food their dad got a caddy and decided to keep it instead of selling it for food money. Lucky enough for the Jeanette and her sister Lori they got to move away to New York and got to start a new life without the bad influence of their parents.

Glass Castle

I am about halfway done with the book...I find it really and truly odd that the Walls family lived through such insane obstacles and challenges and all different kinds of happenings.. As I read I have to keep reminding myself that the story is real and the author lived through all of it..It's crazy. They were really nomadic and it's interesting to hear or read about the desert and Pheonix and Battle Mountain. It's a really crazy but interesting book..I like it

My Sister's Keeper - End

The fact that Anna wins the case just to die in a tragic car accident right after, then have all her organs cut out of her (her kidney of course going to Kate) is ironic to a point that I do not think anyone would have been able to predict. With all things considered it was a relatively happy ending, Kate survived, Jesse made something positive out of himself, and Anna saved Kate in the process of her tragic passing. As harsh as it sounds, I think Anna dying instead of the expected passing of Kate occurring was actually a preferred result for the family. Sadly it seems no one ever really looked at Anna as just another child of the family, but a cure for Kate. That is what she always was, not a child, not part of the family, and not equal to Jesse in importance and especially not equal to Kate in importance. Her parents did love Anna of course, but not to the extent that they should have.
Also after Anna's death I feel everyone was all too quick to pronounce her dead and cut out all her vital organs. Any other family would have hung on to Anna and wished for the miracle of her recovery. Poor Anna was overshadowed by everyone hopes of Kate;s miracle recovery. To the point of it not even crossing any ones minds to look at options or hope for options of saving Anna.
On a side note Camble and Julia got married, I swore to myself about halfway through the book that if they didn't I would forever hate the book no matter what else happened. Julia and Camble just had to wind up together, they had to much history that neither of them ever overcame even thought they hadn't seen each other in years.

My Sister's Keeper - Kate

For most of the book Kate seems like a fairly simple character, considering all the complex behavior of her two siblings. It is not until the very end that you find out Kate had a secret part which she played in Anna filing the lawsuit. I admire Kate for wanting to take a stand like that, to make it her decision when she was going to go. She was tired to the temporary fixes that were, in the long run, breaking her down even more. The very fact that Kate was mature enough to come to grips with the fact that her time might have been up automatically made her far more advanced than her mother was in any given situation. Kate decided she was done and realized the risks and discomforts that were being inflicted on Anna, which made her pretty much the only person who thought of Anna throughout the whole thing.
Considering the whole book was technically about Kate, I assume this because she was on every page, you find out very little about her. It is not until the end in her point of view that you really see her and her thoughts. The thing is you really only learned about how she felt about Anna after she died, you learned nothing about really how she was as a person or her feelings on anything else. Kate's mind was pretty much a complete mystery, I find it hard to understand why she was pretty much the only main character without a point of view throughout the whole story. The only real touching an character exposing story you read about Kate is her experience with Taylor. Taylor was the other cancer patient that Kate had a connection with for a while, until he died after only being with Kate a short amount of time. It was heartbreaking and reading about Kate go through the stages of grief was eye opening for her to what it would be like when her time came.
Kate was a complex character, but unfortunately very unspoken for in the story so the reader got very little insight on her feeling with the all the events.

My Sister's Keeper - Jesse

In My Sister's Keeper, the character Jesse was an arsonist. While for the most part Jesse seemed very irresponsible and purposely rebellious I definitely think deep down there was more to it. A huge irony was the fact that while Jesse was setting the fires, his own father was the one putting them out. At face value it seems that makes Jesse's behavior a cry for attention, but when you think about how extreme his behavior is you see there must be more to it. In the beginning when Anna describes Jesse's living arrangements as their parents just not wanting to deal with Jesse's constant misbehavior, seems like that must be a dream some true for an eighteen year old living at home, but his actions speak differently.
Being the older brother of the girl dying of cancer had to be hard. Being the sibling that didn't match blood or bone marrow types and couldn't save hi own sister had to harder. Not to mention the mother, Sarah, didn't help in the least. Instead of her child diagnoses making her a better mother, she just used it as an excuse to be selfish and to act emotionally younger than all her children. One of the flashbacks in the story consists of Sara randomly falling into a self consumed depression and decides she pities herself too much to take Jesse to the orthodontist or to get cleats, a perfect example of how Jesse quickly fell to the dark back round where his parents forgot him and the fact that he had needs too. Of course you can't blame Kate being sick for how Jesse became so neglected, but blame the parents, particularly Sara, for letting their other children slip so deep beneath the cracks. Jesse wasn't a bad kid, he was just put on the back burner all his life and after a while it had some undesired affects on him.

The Glass Castle

I am now about halfway through the book and the fact that this is an actual true story suprises me. I can't imagine living the lives these kids are currently living. Their dad is such a bad example to the the kids. An example of this is the fact that he is teaching them to use a guna at the age of 4 instead of learning how to ride a bike. They would have a better life if the dad and mom were conservative with their money and could keep a job. Dad is also being chased by the police so they would have to keep moving. i hope that soon the kids can leave the house so that they can live a better life than the one they are currently living.

The Glass Castle Ending

I have now finished this book and i found it very interesting. I thought that Jeannette had found her place in the world and would be spend the rest of her life with Eric in New York. However then her dad died and everything changed for her. Even though he was a horrible dad she still felt very sad and it drove her to leave Eric and to move. She also suddenly had the urge to stay on the move. When that finally died down she settled down in the country with John.

There was also the Moureen issue when she went crazy because of drugs and booze and stabbed her own mother. After she was arrested and sent to a correctional facility the whole family got into a whole fight over whose fault it was that this happened and that tore the family apart even more.

Overall I thought that the parents were horrible. The alcoholic dad that was never there for his kids. And the mother who is too focused on herself and her artwork that will never succeed to take care of her kids. the dad always used all the money for booze, don't get me wrong he had his moments where he was a great father, but there where very few. The mother also could get a job to support her family but she didn't want to. She could also have sold her million dollar land in Texas which would support the family for life and more. Both parents were very smart but never used it and really seemed like they just didn't care.

Even though they had horrible parents the kids still turned out great, well other than Moureen. Brian became a police officer which his dad of course hated, but he loved the job. Lori became a successful artist like the mother. And Jeannette became a good news reporter but eventually an author and wrote this book. Its amazing how kids of an alcoholic dad and a mom who doesn't care can turn out so great.

Deadline

I just finished reading the book and I enjoyed it very much. I am very surprised at how everyone took the news of Ben dying, especially his brother Cody. I wish he could have had a better relationship with Dallas but she was angry that he waited to share the news. I would have also liked to know what ever ended up happening with his parents because it never really explained how they actually reacted to it. Also, it never shared who "Hey-Soos" was and that would have been something people probably would have liked to have known. It was sad at the end especially with what happened to Sooner and Ellen. But overall, I really liked the book.

The Glass Castle

I am now more than half way through this book and it has gotten alot more interesting. Battle mountain was very interesting and was also really the first time the kids had to fend for themselves. After that they went to Phoenix. In Phoenix they had a nice big house which had been given to them by the mothers mom. They also had inherited some money which left them pretty well off for a while. They even had bikes and the father had a steady income. This is why i don't understand why the father lost his job and they decided to move out of this big house that they owned. Not just that they decided to go to a small town where Rex's parents live. And they weren't exactly the nicest people in the world. The grandpa was not that bad and neither was Uncle Stanley, but the grandma was insanely mean. She did not treat the at all right and forced them all to stay in the basement. And once the kids parents left to recover their stuff it got worse. She tried to sexually assault Brian and when Lori fought back they were banished to the basement. Once the parents got back they yelled at Lori for striking her family and the whole family was kicked out of the house. Now I do not agree with this because why should Lori and Jenny get yelled at for protecting their brother. There is alot more of this type of thing starting to occur. I believe this will be what tears the family apart.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian

I finished this book and it had a pretty good sense of humor. Besides some of the few depressing parts such as the death of his dog, grandma, sister, and dads best friend. I enjoyed how they made him and his best friend reunite at the end of the story. The story had a constant message that alcohol was bad. The deaths of his sister, grandma, and dads best friend were all cause by alcohol. also his best friends dad was an alcoholic and beat him which made his child a bad kid. Junior(the main character) had a dad who was an alcoholic and on christmas day he left and got drunk and only gave Junior $5 for Christmas. I also liked how the author had junior start as a hated made fun of kid and made him the star of the basketball team at his new school. I would of like if they devolped more characters other than Junior and his best friend rowdy.

The Glass Castle

I think it was a great idea for Jeannette and her sister to move to New York City. At that point in their lives, their entire family was falling apart- it wasn't like it was when the children were little and they were living in the desert. It was time for a new stage in Jeannette's life without her parents there to ruin it. Living in Welch was as bad as it could get for them.

At this point in the story I really did not like the parents and the way they acted toward their children. Especially the dad. But I do have to commend them for alwas staying togther and their mom not leaving their dad. Although he was a chain smoking drunk, she never left him and never made excuses for him.

I found it very humerous that the parents moved to New York City in that old battered van that broke down in the middle of the highway. Their Mom's spirit for adventure never wavered, even after all four of her children moved to NYC without her. I think that Lori made the right decision when she decided to kick her mom out of her apartment. The whole point of them leaving Welch to go to the city was to leave their parents and start lives of their own.Having her mom live with her was just waying her down and making her stressed.

All and all, I found this book very enchanting and interesting to read. I think that Jeannette writing about her own life was a great topic for her book. Although life or the Walls' was not easy, they found a way to salvage what they had and make it into something great. Out of all three books I hadto read this summer, this one was definetly my favorite.

The Glass Castle *Welch*

I have just finished reading the section were the family stayed in Welch. I don't like Welch at all, the children are forced to live under terrible conditions. When they first moved there and they had to stay with their grandparents, they had to live in the cold basement and were harassed by the grandmother everyday! Sometimes when the kids "misbehaved" she wouldnt feed them or occasionally she would even hit them. Once they moved out they found a miserable house that was blistering hot in the summer and ice cold in the winter months. This house had 3 rooms, no indoor plumbing, a tall, dangerous staircase that they would often fall down, and since they had little to no money they could not afford electricity. They barely got by in this house starving with no money, until Lori, Jeanette, and Brian took it upon themselves to take care of each other. Now Lori is working on getting a scholarship to go to an art college in New York, Jeanette is growing in her writing career and getting a job on her own in hopes of earning enough money to follow Lori to New York, and Brian, even though he doesn't have any plans to go to New York, is doing different jobs to help raise money. Maureen has become very dependent on the neighbors and is not interested at all on helping to collect money. Their dad is completely against them moving away from Welch and into the big city and he does everything he can to keep them from leaving, he even smears Lori's project that will win her a scholorship to a college in New York. Even though he is trying to keep the kids home his plan ultimately fails and Lori heads off to college. Now Jeanette is ready to go and is looking forward to the adventure ahead.

Amanda*

my sister's Keeper page (7-

Deadline

I've reached the middle of the book and so far I'm enjoying it. I find Ben to be a very stubborn person. All of his dreams are coming true but it's only because he's taking chances since he knows he has very little time to live. I feel like he would have never tried to do the things he's done if it weren't for his 'deadline'. No one knows he's dying so he could have been living his dream even if he wasn't going to die.

I still think that his brother, Cody, is going to be angry after finding out that Ben has known he was going to die. They seem to have a close relationship so i think he's going to be angry at himself and at Ben.

Double Take Ending

Overall I found this book very interesting. Kevin really give a unique perspective to how is life is like when he is in public. He had/ has a very tough life but really does make the best of it. I can really admire how he decides to travel around the world with his money that he won at the X Games. That shows how serious he really was about his project and how devoted he was to his love for traveling.

Double Take Pt. 2

I really love this book so far. I find that Kevin is an extremely brave person because he is going around the world to take photos of other people on his other project. I never knew that he went to th3e x games and won a silver medal. He must have been very proud.

The Glass Castle

I just finished the book and it's good overall. However, I think Jeannette should have been more strong willed against her father and shouldn't have given him money when he asked. I'm glad that Lori had decided to go to New York City and that Jeannette and Brian followed. I go to New York City at least twice a month, so I know how it is there and I love it. It's odd that her parents found living on the streets fine. Also, I think it's sad that her father died of a heart attack.

The Glass Castle: Beginning

I have read a little of this book so far and honestly I'm a little confused. The first chapter showed her being mad at her mom and I assume her dad also. Then it goes into her childhood. obviously she does not hate her parents yet but they do have an odd life. It seems like the father is very smart but is into some bad stuff. It also seems like the mom is pretty smart but neither of them really use it. And they are definitely not afraid to break to law. It also seems like the dad is almost obsessed with making these crazy contraptions which will probably never work. But so far the book is interesting and keeps me wondering.

The Glass Castle

The children found life nice in Phoenix at first. But Rex lost his job and the inheritance money disappeared, so they found themselves struggling again. I feel bad for Jeannette, Brian, and Lori because they always end up struggling. It was horrible of their dad to ruin their Christmas too. I think it was nice that Rex decided to join his family on their trip to Welch last minute, instead of just letting them go. Welch seems like a horrible place to live. I felt bad for the Walls when Erma kicked them out and they had to live in an even worse home.

My Sister's Keeper

I finished the book and I loved it! Even though the ending was sad, I felt that when Kate was able to live her life freely, it was truly amazing. Anna would have wanted what happened to happen. I loved the book..

M

Double Take Pt. 1

I really do like this book so far. I didn't know what to expect when I began to read this book, I never read to much of this type of book. I really do admire Kevin he doesn't have self pity for himself and if he does he certainly doesn't show it he isn't one of those people who just gave up because they had a tough life; he really challenges himself and I like that.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: The End

Once I learned the truth of why Charlie always acted as if something was wrong, I actually started to like the book. As i was reading it I found it very strange the way he acted and the way he saw things .That night at Sam's house when he had the dream about his Aunt Helen really triggered something in his brain. He remembered what his Aunt Helen used to do to him. And instead of being depressed about his Aunt Helen going out to buy him a second birthday present he was glad, because he was set free and didn't have to do those things they did. Thanks to Sam Charlie remembered the things he did, I noticed that I only dream about things I went through that day and because of Sam and Charlie's "interactions" Charlie was able to remember what his Aunt Helen did to him. Knowing the whole back round on Charlie's whole past help me to recognize that I actual liked the book.

Speak Finished

As I kept on reading this book, the more interested I had gotten. At the beginning, I thought it would be about a girl and her life problems, but as I got later on into the book, I found out that she, Melinda, was raped. I also judged her in a "bad way" because she was too quiet and if I went through that, I would have been very open about the whole situation. After the party, she was too afraid to tell anybody, and I would feel that same way too, walking home alone, just being raped by a guy. Then when she started to go to school, freshman year, her closest friends wouldn't talk to her, because after the incident with him, she called the police, but didn't say anything into the receiver.

But at the end of this book, the guy who raped her, was really a senior at her school, named Andy Evans. But when her former ex-best fiend rachell starts to date him, she finally has the guts to tell her about that day. When she finally believed her, she ditched him at the senior prom. During the last few weeks of school, Andy Evans had come into her little comfort place at school, and physically /sexually assaulted her, but she fought back and found her voice. It would have been very hard to tell an ex-best friend about him. This book was very fascinating and I could relate to some her problems during her school time.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower: Charlie

Charlie is very intelligent. I know this because he got straight A's his freshman year. And his English teacher said he was the best student he has ever had. He thought that when he was giving him the extra assignments and all the books to read.
Charlie cares about people, and respects them. Like for example Sam, he is in love with her inside but on the outside he makes sure he stays away because that is what Sam wants. Although Sam says he wasn't being a good friend to Patrick when he let Patrick kiss him and drink all night. Charlie was naive, he didn't know he should have done anything otherwise. He lived through bigger issues than having a break up.
Everyone in Charlie's school pretty much saw him as a freak, but that's because they don't know what Charlie lived through. They don't know the truth so they shouldn't have the right to judge him.
Charlie supports his whole family. He loves his sister dearly, and that shows because when he saw her in trouble when her boyfriend hit her he saw it as a cry for help and told Bill who told his parents. He wants the best for her and obviously doesn't think she deserves to be hit. He believes in his brother, who is a football player in college, he wants the very best for him. He respects his father when his father tells him to go, he does. And he loves his mother so much he's willing to give her a present on his birthday, just to show how much she loves him.
He tries to please everyone instead of himself, he wants everyone to be happy except for him, even Sam says so. Even when he kissed Sam instead of his own girl friend he felt guilty about it to the point that he didn't want to go anywhere. All he did was apologize.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Starting the "Perks of Being a Wallflower" I wondered what was so special about this boy who was going into High School. He seemed like a regular student who was smart, and read a lot. He seemed like he had a normal family. He went through a hard time, yes, because his friend died, which definitely affected him in some way, but nothing too significant to make him stand out more than any other High School student.
Charlie, as he calls himself, meets Patrick and Sam, who are both seniors at his High School, like his sister. I found it normal that he thought an upper class-men, like Sam was beautiful, that just seems typical to me. I thought he was a gentlemen when he listened to what she said when she said she couldn't like him like that. Patrick and Sam were his real only friends and with out them I don't think he could have possibly made it as far as he did.
I am not going to lie the book did start to confuse me, I wasn't sure what was going on but I did see foreshadowing. Like the story of how his mother and aunt used to get hit by there father, and his Aunt Helen was molested by a family friend.
The one thing that did suprise me was how he kept going back to the death of his Aunt Helen. Sure peoples aunts and uncles die everyday but why was he always going back to her grave when he felt lost? Especially because he mentioned the time when his Aunt Helen slapped him, it wasn't made clear just yet why he always talked about her.
Through out the book there is a lot of talk about parties, drugs, relationship problems, etc. which could have effected Charlie in some way, but I still didn't think that is why he was going through such a weird time.
Bill, Charlie's English teacher seemed like more of a friend than a teacher, but I think if Charlie didn't have him he might not have made it as far as he has. For example Bill was the one who gave Charlie all those books to read which, most of the time, kept Charlie's mind off of crying all the time.

The Glass Castle

I am now done with the book and I liked how it played out. I'm glad that Jeannette has a good life in New York now. If you think about the course of events through the story Rex could have built "The Glass Castle" if he didn't waste his time and money on alcohol and cigarettes. I wasn't really surprised when Jeannette told him he was never going to build the Castle.

I couldn't believe that Jeannette's mom inherited land worth a million dollars. It doesn't make sense that she didn't sell the land especially when her family could have used it when they needed it.I would have felt betrayed and probably would stay angry at her for a long time. What's the point of having land when you're never going to use it? It just shows that she doesn't really care. She would rather keep a piece of land that she won't use instead of selling it in order to keep her family healthy and in tact.I never thought that this book would end up how it did. Overall, I really liked the book.

The Glass Castle

I feel bad for Jeannette and her family when they had to leave Phoenix for Welch. Also, I thought that there was a connection between the animals and Rex in the zoo. I think it would have been pretty cool, but scary to pet a cheetah though. Jeannette thought of it as a big dog, and it showed how fearless she is.
Nothing went well ever since the family moved into Welch especially living with Erma. She was a really bad person in my opinion to treat family like that. The fact that the school wouldn't put the kids into a good program because they didn't understand each other was a terrible idea. He judged them right away instead of giving them a chance at showing their gifted since that information needed was not their. he should have given them some sort of written exam so they would both understand what the other meant.
In my opinion that family didn't fit in with the other people wherever they went most of the time. It caused more problems. (Phoenix,they got rocks thrown at them.)

Speak

This book i would have to say is one of the most funny books i have ever read. The topics the author brings up in the story are very funny and believable such as the First 10 Lies That a High School will tell you.

Pages 5-6 of Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

THE FIRST TEN LIES THEY TELL YOU IN HIGH SCHOOL

1.We are here to help you.

2. You will have enough time to get to your class before the bell rings.

3. The dress code will be enforced.

4. No smoking is allowed on school ground.

5. Our football team will win the championship this year.

6. We expect more of you here.

7. Guidance councelors are always available to listen.

8.Your schedule was created with your needs in mind.

9. Your locker combination is private.

10. These will be the years you look back on fondly.

I am interested to find out how many of theses if any are what a hear at my Freshman Orientation and how many if any are not true.

The Glass Castle

The parents, despite their problems were gifted. Both of them can teach in so many different ways and in the most important of subjects. Many kids can't get an education like that if any at all, but they were worse off than most families. I have known many people throughout my life who were like that and it's scary. They were like nomads, they would get up at any time pick up and leave. I can't imagine living like that, even though it's a case for survival.

Deadline Ending

this book like i stated in my other posts had many twists and turns that i didn't see coming. I didn't expect ben to tell everyone that he was going to die. I fully expected that he was going to die suddenly and it would take everyone by surprise. I felt bad for the mother, she was woman with serious mental issues and no one did anything to help her with a therapist. The only person who did was ben and during the book he didn't even bother to even talk to her. I was happy that cody is going to BSU and will be a football quarterback. Overall I would give this book a 7 out of 10.

The Glass Castle

In the beginning of the story, Part II, I really respected the parents and thought that how they were raising their children (education adn structure wise). They made them very smart and strong. This was when they lived throughout the desert and the father did not drink. But once the part in the story came where the father starts to drink heavily and not come home and stuff like that, I start to not like both the parents because of the father's drinking habits and the fact that the mother is not trying to take responsibility and stop him.

The entire story for me goes downhill when they decide to move to West Virgina. Right away their life their is terrible, from having to live with the abusive (physically and sexually) gradmother and uncle, to going to a school where they did not fit in, to being bullied constanly by the neighborhood children. After moving out and into their own home and the mom getting a steady teaching job, you would think that life has turned around for them, but ti doesn't. It's this part of the story that makes me so angry at the father and mother.

I think it is just so terrible that the father would rather spend the little money they have on his own booze and baring, and the mother is just a hopeless wreck that will not take any responsibility for ANYTHING. The house is trash and the parents don't even care that this is happening.

The part that really really made me upset in the book is when the dad steals money from his children. Lori and Jeannette and Brian were saving up whatever they earned for 9 months and the dad just steals it all for booze! I find that absolutely terrible. Plus, he destroys Lori's sculpture and puts her down. I couldn't even take reading that part! And before that the dad brings Jeannette to a bar to get malested by some guy! That's absolutely terrible.

At these times in the story, I sometimes get mad a Jeannette for the choices she makes. Like when her dad asks her for her precious money just to buy booze. I get mad when she gives it to him without fighting and giving in. I can't stand it! But really, so far its a really great story and I love reading it!

The Glass Castle

pgs. 271-328

I'm glad that Jeannette is living a good life in New York. Her father might have had enough money and time to build the Glass Castle, if he wasn't wasting all his time and money on alcohol. I was no surprised when Jeannette told him he was never going to be able to build the Castle and she was right.

I can't believe that Jeannette's mom inherited land worth a million dollars and never sold it to have money to support her family. If I were Jeannette in that situation, I would have been hurt and betrayed. Betrayed that her mother had known how much the land was worth and never sold it. She never sold it to 'keep it in the family'. What is the point of having a great deal of land when you are never going to use it? Also hurt because that would make me feel like my own mother doesn't care. She would rather keep a piece of land that she never saw instead of selling it in order to keep her family healthy.

I think the father would have lived longer if he hadn't drank and smoked so much.

When I was reading the book in the beginning I didn't understand the title. But now I understand the Glass Castle is referring to Jeannette's father's 'dream house', a glass castle.

The Glass Castle

pgs. 201-271

I thought it was admirable of Jeannette to sacrifice her babysitting job to Lori. She did this so Lori could get to New York and get an apartment and job. Then set everything up for Jeannette to get there. If I was in Lori and Jeannette place when they realized their own father had stolen the money they had saved up to escape to New York, I would have been furious. They worked so hard and saved so much money, then their father stole it, probably to go buy more beer.

When Jeannette joined the Wave (the school newspaper) it really shaped her image that everyone looked at, at school. She was treated as a celebrity for the first time when she was asked to interview the man that broke March I. This could also be a possible job opportunity for when she makes it to New York.

The Glass Castle

pgs. 101-200

I felt bad for Jeannette when the family had to leave Phoenix to go to Welsh. I think that the Wallses were better off in the adobe house.

I thought the dad really connected with the animals at the zoo. What he did with the cheetah was amazing. If I were in Jeannette's shoes when she pet the cheetah I would have been terrified. But Jeannette treated it as if was a big dog. That must have really shaped Jeannette as a person who wasn't scared easily.

Everything went down for the family moving to Welsh and living with Erma. The school wouldn't let Jeannette and Brian be in the gifted program, just because they were different and the principal couldn't understand them and they couldn't understand him. He shouldn't have just judged them right away instead he should have given hem some sort of written exam so they would both understand what the other meant. Also Jeannette was being bullied by another girl then Erma kicked the family out of the house ( Erma was feeling Brian, and Lori hit Erma for it).

I think the Walls family didn't really fit in with the other people in the community so they were often shunned. In Phoenix, they got rocks thrown at them by local kids. Even thought the Wallses were different it was no reason to throw rocks at them.

The Glass Castle

pgs. 1-100

I think that even though the Walls family has little to no money they had it better off than most families. The parents, even though the father drank heavily, were very intellectually gifted. Both of them are able to teach their kids various sciences and literature better than the school. Some kids aren't able to get an education like that. But they were also worse off than most families. Every time money got tight the family packed up and left. They were like nomads. I can't imagine living like that, just leaving a place. That would be very hard especially if I were attached to a certain place/house.

What I found interesting so far was when Jeannette went to the hospital then checked out 'Rex Walls style'. Which basically meant leaving the hospital without paying. I think this is a drastic way to save money. I mean what if Jeannette wasn't fully healed or the people in the hospital tracked down the family and demanded they pay, what then?

Venus was a creative idea for Jeannette's birthday gift. Other presents could get lost, stolen, broken, or old but Jeannette will always be able to 'have' Venus.