"The Girl Who Fell From the Sky" by Heidi W. Durrow

I’m reading The Girl Who Fell from the Sky by Heidi W. Durrow.  The story is told from the perspective of 3 different characters, but it is still mainly about a girl named Rachel. She had a lot of issues in her family, starting with her mother being white and her father being black. This makes it difficult for her to fit in with the black community or the white community, and she finds herself very lonely. In addition, Rachel’s parents separated when she was very young, and she was very poor. Her father is in the army, and her mother was killed, so she moves in with her grandmother, who is follows very old fashioned and conservative traditions. The book goes through from when Rachel first moves in with her grandmother to when she is a teenager.

I am more than half way through this book, and Rachel has changed a lot, but in some ways she is the same. In the beginning, when she was younger, she was very innocent and naïve, and shy around everyone. She was very respectful towards her grandmother, and always polite, as well as attentive in class. However, now, in the part that I am up to, Rachel is about 16 years old and she is very different. She is very disrespectful to her grandmother, and she does not try as hard to succeed in school. I think that this change has taken place because even though she has gotten older, Rachel still has never made very many friends. I think that Rachel is just very lonely. However, it is partially her fault because she never really makes an effort in school or outside of school to make friends. She is never very friendly to other kids. But I do think his could be a psychological or social issue because of the accident.

It can be interesting when a book is told from the perspectives, but I don’t think that it works well for this particular story because Rachel is the main character and the other characters’ perspectives are only about Rachel.  Also, none of the other characters know each other, so it doesn’t really make sense for there to more than one narrator. The reader is only meant to care about Rachel. I think that maybe if the author showed more than one side of Rachel's situation, then it would make sense. But all of the narrators tell very similar accounts of what happened, so it can make the story seem very long and tedious.

I personally cannot connect to Rachel very much, especially because I do not find her a very likable character. I find her a little bit stuck up, and at this point ungrateful of everything that her grandmother has done for her. Her grandmother sacrificed a lot to accommodate for Rachel. She allowed her stay in her house, and uses her own money to support Rachel because Rachel's parents did not leave any money. I like that she is not perfect, which makes her more real, but everyone has good qualities as well as flaws. And the author could show if there is a reason that Rachel acts like this. 

All in all, I don't think this book is written very well. I think that the author could add more details, and focus on just Rachel's perspective of the issue. I don't relate to Rachel because I can't really understand where her emotions are coming from. However, I like the plot of the story, and, the author does a good job showing he different perspectives, even if I don't agree with them all. 

"The Perks of Being a Wallflower" by Stephen Chbosky (Caution: SPOILER ALERT!)

Right now, I am reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobosky. It is about a 16 year old boy named Charlie who lives in the suburbs in the early/mid 90's. The book is told in the form of letters from Charlie to an anonymous person in whom Charlie is confiding. He tells about his life, his struggles and difficulties, things he is scared of, relationships that he has with other characters, questions about the world, and anything else that is on his mind. The reader is sucked into Charlie's world, in the way he is describing it to this anonymous person. We learn pretty much everything, but occasionally Charlie writes that he cannot share a certain piece of information for the privacy of his friends and family.

I am about half way through the book, and so far i really like it. I the author does a great job capturing the main character, Charlie's voice and the way he thinks. This allows the reader to understand Charlie better and it makes it easier to empathize and feel closer to the character. He describes situations in the way Charlie would see them. For example, "I am sitting in my bedroom now after a two-hour ride back to my house. My sister and brother were nice to each other so I didn't have to drive." This line strikes me as particularly Charlie-ish because it is referring to a previous situation in the story, and Charlie made the cause and affect connection between the two events. Also, the way he phrased it, a little choppily, captures Charlie's voice and tone.

The many of the events and anecdotes described in this book share a similar theme of growing up, figuring out who you are, and making the best of what you have. This includes different relationships that Charlie has with different people. For example, Charlie felt very close to his aunt Helen. He loved spending time with her. One of his best memories was when she babysat for him, and let him stay up late so that they could watch  Saturday Night Live together. However, unfortunately she passed away in a car accident. Charlie was, obviously, very sad that she died. He had a special bond with her. "She was the only person who gave me hugs besides Mom," he once said about her. He had to see a psychiatrist after she died, and he had a lot of emotional instability.

Charlie also has a very special relationship with his English teacher named Bill. He talks to Bill about everything that is going on in his life, and feels extremely comfortable doing so. He trusts Bill, and Bill trusts him. English is Charlie's favorite subject, and Bill gives Charlie extra books to read and do papers on because he is more advanced than the other students. I think that one of the reasons why Charlie enjoys talking to Bill so much is because he is an adult Charlie can trust who isn't part of his family. I know that often helps me talk about my feelings, and it helps many others as well. Bill helps Charlie figure out what he is feeling and how to cope with it.

Another important relationship that Charlie has is with this friend Patrick. Patrick was a couple years older than him, but he was still Charlie's best friend. He was also Charlie's fist real friend. He is helping Charlie discover himself. Patrick is also someone he can confide in and someone he can trust. Also, Charlie has a crush on Patrick's sister, Sam, who is also one of Charlie's good friends.

In the beginning of the book, Charlie's relationship with his sister was not very good.  They had many rough patches, and fought often. I think she was pretty mean to him. Often times, when he tried to help her, she would just ignore him or yell at him to leave her alone. However, now they seem to be getting closer as time goes on, especially now in the book, because she just found out that she is pregnant. She doesn't want to tell their parents, so she is depending on Charlie, especially since her boyfriend dumped her. This has brought Charlie and his sister closer. In the book, Charlie says "And that's when my sister started hugging me. She just hugged me tight and wouldn't let go. So, I hugged her back. It was weird, too, because I've never hugged my sister." Their relationship is evolving, and I predict that by the end of the book they will be very close.

I believe that, possibly with a few exceptions, all relationships change over time, even if it is very gradual. They could change for the better or for the worse, but either way they will somehow change. Imagine you don't see you best friend for a year. Most likely, the next tine you see them, they will be different, which will probably change your relationship. In my experience, in order for a relationship to stay strong it needs a little wear and tear to keep it strong. And often, the change is for the better.

"How Did You Get This Number" by Sloane Crosley

Right now, I am reading How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley. It is a collection of essays of short stories about Sloane Crosley's life, filled with witty humor and a clear author's voice. Sloane Crosley is now living in Manhattan, but she grew up in the suburbs of upstate New York.

Her stories are about her young adulthood in Manhattan, and some are about her life growing up as kid and teenager. She includes details and anecdotes that many different kinds of people can realte to, but especially girls. For example, in the story"If You Sprinkle," Sloane describes how when she was younger, she really wanted to be friends with the popular girl in her grade, named Zooey. "Alas, taking stock after each chauffeured trip to the movies and each sleepover, I calculated too many failed jokes, too little volume control, or too much forced mysterious silence on my part. Or, worst of all, zero attention from Zooey." I can definitely relate to the feeling of not belonging, and trying hard to become part of a group. I think at one point or another, everyone has tried to be someone they aren't to gain attention from the "popular" group. And often, at least in my experience, you end up feeling awkward and needy.

Sloane Crosley is a very real person, with flaws, cringe-worthy moments and pet peeves just like the rest of us. I love her stories because she tells about normal, everyday life, which makes it more interesting, even more funny. She does a fantastic job with details, anecdotes, and quotes to give the reader a clear image of the situation. One description that I love is "My new roommate was a tall Korean hipster who answered the door in a man's flannel shirt. She had mis-judged the buttom-to-hole alignment, leaving one swath of cloth farther below her belt than the other. But she couldn't be bothered to start over. She wore black jeans and no shoes." The choppiness of these sentences somehow make it flow more, in a artsy, poetic kind of way. I gives me the perfect image in my mind, from the setting to what this character looks like, right down to the bottom of her feet.

Even with the humor and wit, the author always clearly has a serious theme in each of her short stories. I haven't finished the book yet, but one of my favorite stories in this book was "Take a Stab At It."It was about Sloane's plans after college graduation to move into an apartment with her friend Mac. She dreamed of designing the spacious apartment with low rent. She describes the tiny, crooked, cramped apartments of her friends and how hers would be different.  But, in the end, her ideal arrangement does not work out. The rest of the story is about her trying to find a new roommate, and once she finally finds one, dealing with her strange habits.

The theme of this story was to make the best with what you have, and to not be discouraged when things don't go the way you plan or expect. In this story, Sloane is paying much less then her roommate and his parents for their apartment, and she is starting to feel guilty about it. "I had to get out... maybe we could, you know,  see other roommates." she told Mac. "Fortunately, Mac accepted this." She postponed her fantasy and searched for other more affordable roommates. She made a sacrifice and just went with the flow.

It seems to me that Sloane Crosley is looking back on these situations and refreshing her own memory as she writes (and probably exaggerating a little bit). She laughs at her own mistakes and flaws, I think it is good to be able to laugh at yourself. It shows that you are comfortable with who you are. Sloane also uses her stories to guide her readers into making the right decisions.

"Am I Blue?" by Bruce Coville

The short story Am I Blue? by Bruce Coville was about a sixteen year old boy named Vincent (Vince for short) who was trying to figure out his sexual orientation.  In the story, he is getting bullied by Butch Carrigan, a classmate and the antagonist, when he meets his fairy godfather Melvin. Melvin was described as "a tall slender man with dark hair, a neat mustache, and a sweater slung over his shoulders. He was kind of handsome--almost pretty..." He helped Vince figure who is, who he wants to be, and how to accept himself.

One of the main themes that I noticed in the story was not to be afraid of who you truly are. Another is not to judge people based on their identity, or because of how they identify themselves. The author gets these messages across to the reader by using Melvin as his "microphone," and using dialogue between Vince and Melvin to state and represent what he thinks about homophobia and, as phrased in the text, "gaybashing." "Gaybashing is a special issue for me," Melvin told Vince. I believe that Bruce Coville also thinks that homophobia has to stop. For example, when Vince asked Melvin about having to hide the fact that he might be gay, Melvin replied, "It doesn't have to be [that way].  If gay people hadn't been forced to hide for so long, if we could just openly identify ourselves, there would be plenty of people you knew that you could ask for advice. Everybody knows gay people; they just think they don't." Bruce Coville is saying that society not accepting gays is what made them "hide" and not show their identities. He is saying that what people don't realize is that different people are all around them, and that they are still humans, and all humans are equal.

The other major theme is not to be afraid of who you are. The author conveys this by showing how confident Melvin is in himself, and how much pride he feels in being who he is. In the beginning, the author portrays Vince as being a little bit confused about his identity, and afraid to be who he really is because of what others may think of him. But towards the end, after Melvin teaches him that there are more people like them than he thought, he becomes much more confident and accepting of who he is. The last paragraph of the story is "I've decided to save it [the wish from Melvin] for when I really need it--maybe when I meet the girl of my dreams. Or Prince Charming. Whichever." Vince is now much more at peace with himself, and open about his identity and personality.

After reading this story, I felt that it could be relatable to almost any child or teenager, because all young people are trying to figure out who they are, where they are going to fit into society, and what they believe in. Stereotypically, when you are a teenager is when you learn most about yourself and what determine your future, which is one of the themes in this short story. "I didn't mention  that I had been trying to figure that out the same thing [whether he was gay or not] myself for over a year now."Melvin helped Vince determine his sexual orientation by giving him a "gaydar," which enabled him to see who was gay because the gaydar made gay people appear blue to whoever had a gaydar. It showed Vince that there were more people like him than he may have realized.

Am I Blue? could also be relatable to anyone who has been bullied based on their identity, physical characteristics, or other attributes that they can't control. Or someone who is concerned with what others may think if them. For example, Vince said "With Butch and his crowd already calling me 'faggot' and 'fruit,' walking around with a guy like Melvin was going to help the situation.' VInce was worried that those kids would think he is gay, and make fun of him for it if he is hanging out with an openly gay man like Melvin. He was worried about what the consequences would be in sharing his identity.

All in all, the author used Melvin to display his ideas and opinions, or as his "microphone"to the reader. He think that everyone needs to embrace their true self and identity, and not base it on what others might think. He shows that we should not judge people because of who they are. If you can't accept yourself, then you won't ever be very comfortable with your surroundings. It takes a lot of bravery and courage to really be yourself, and it takes even more to to embrace it and be confident in who you are.
It takes a lot of bravery and courage to really be yourself, and it takes even more to embrace it.