3rd Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Magical Thinking by Augusten Burroughs. St. Martain's Press, 2005. Genre: Non-Fiction Memoir

Magical Thinking is Augusten Burrough's third book about his life. Unlike his first two books Running with Scissors and Dry , Magical Thinking consists of several short essays about Augusten's life. At first they seem scattered with bits of pieces from his adulthood and childhood, but then they evolve into his adult life with stories about his job in advertisement and just about trying to live a normal life in New York. The essays also begin to chronicle his crazy dating life, and near the end his life with his life-partner Dennis.

"Augusten Burroughs's new collection speaks to the devil in us all... As with fellow essayist David Sedaris, Burroughs writes about anything that his wonderfully warped mind desires." - Time Out New York

Unlike Augusten's Running with Scissors which chronicles his very abnormal childhood and Dry which tells Augusten's story as a recovering alcoholic, which are both written with a straightforward storyline, Magical Thinking is written in short essays. Although this could have meant the book was choppy and had no sense of flow, this wasn't the case with this book. All the essays flowed really well and after the first couple sentences each essay made you fell like it was just another chapter in a regular book. Augusten's take on the world with a semi-pessimistic, eccentric feel, and his dry honest sense of humor make Magical Thinking another Augusten Burroughs classic. When Augusten writes he holds nothing back, making his work raw, funny, and addicting.

"But while all of this was happening, I was still home in my apartment with Dennis and our dog, Bentley, sitting at my computer and writing, like always. Nothing had changed except that I now gave interviews and posed for pictures which I hoped looked better than the actual me. I still didn't go to literary parties or art gallery openings. I didn't suddenly have a posse of fashionable friends with famous last names. I continued to wear the same dog hair-covered sweatpants around the house for two weeks at a time"(206).

When I was younger I had seen the film adaption of Running with Scissors and although I thought it was alright, I wasn't really into it. A couple years later I found the book that the film was based of off and instantly fell in love. Burroughs writes in a way that makes you say "I've felt that way before!". His work makes you laugh and draws you in and just leaves you wanting more. Although I was reluctant about reading a bunch of essays, I'm really glad I ended up picking this book as my ORB.
Also, Augusten's background inspires me. He grew up in western Massachusetts and his experiences in Running with Scissors occur ed in Northampton. During the last chapter in Scissors, Augusten even lived in South Hadley. And when he moved to New York at a young age with no formal education beyond middle school, he still managed to make a life from himself and become a famous author. It's been an old dream of mine to move to New York City and become a famous author, and after seeing that Burroughs could do it with all these setbacks it makes me feel like I can do it too.

Santiago and the Sea of Struggles

At one point or another we will all face struggles. In my life these struggles can range from a tough algebra problem to simply getting out of bed. It doesn't matter who you are, or what you do or what walk of life you're in. Everyone has obstacles they need to overcome. In the Old Man and the Sea Santiago faced many struggles, among those was his old age, catching the fish, and bringing the fish to shore.
Santiago's old age was a definite obstacle he needed to work around. It was a struggle that made all the others harder to endure. Santiago mentions many times how he is old and aching when catching the fish: “You’re feeling it [the pain] now, fish,” he said. “And so, God knows, am I” (56). If Santiago was in the prime of his life the pain wouldn’t be as bad as it was on his sore, aged muscles.
As Santiago has to go through the catching of the fish, his aching old body reminds him of how the encounter could have been much easier with the boy. This is seen when he says: “I wish I had the boy. To help me and see this.” No one should be alone in their old age, he thought” (48). Santiago wishes he still had the boy frequently in the story and it is not only useless since there is no way he can come help at this point in the story, it is also hurting the old man. “What ifs” and “I wish...” do nothing to help you when you are faced with a problem, they just remind you how things could have played out while distracting you from performing your best with the resources you actually have.
Catching the fish was one of the more obvious struggles Santiago faced. The fish was quite large, evident when it jumps out of the ocean and the old man says in disbelief: “No, he can’t be that big” (90). The marlin’s size represents an obstacle because it also represents its strength. It was the marlin’s strength that kept him out at sea for days taking a toll on Santiago’s already aching, aged body. Because he was out at sea for so long, Santiago had to rely on raw food, a limited supply of water, and a short amount of sea to keep him going against the marlin. It was also the marlin’s strength that pulled the old man further out to sea making the task of bringing it to shore once it was finally caught even harder.
While reading the novella I fell to the assumption that once the marlin was caught, bringing it to shore would cause no hassle other than being lengthy in time since Santiago was so far out into the sea. I did not take account that there would be sharks attacking the marlin that would swim away having taken a piece of the fish, the prize that Santiago had struggled for days with to receive.
Since the marlin was too large to fit in Santiago’s inadequately sized skiff, it had to be dragged alongside the boat to make it to shore putting it in the path for dangerous shark attacks. Not only were the attacks an obvious obstacle since Santiago needed to protect his prized marlin, it also created future obstacles since fighting off the sharks caused the old man to break or lose important fishing supplies. Santiago acknowledges both of these obstacle when he says to himself: “He [the shark] took about forty pounds,” then thinks “He took my harpoon too and now my fish bleeds again and there will be others [more sharks]” (103). Losing all his fishing supplies creates a future obstacle because after the great marlin fiasco, Santiago will still need to continue fishing to support himself. And since he lives in near-poverty and does not have the money to buy new supplies which leaves him empty handed for future voyages.
You can't run away from obstacles, eventually you'll have to face them. And although it seemed like there was an obstacle around every corner, Santiago faced each and every one of them with strength, courage, and perseverance. And although he did not return to shore with the prize he set out to get, he did return with one thing; the knowledge that he faced every struggle like a man and fought admirably until the end.

Deceiving Love

Sitting in the passenger seat of a beat-up Cadillac, the road spread out in front of Renay like an open book. To most an open road symbolized freedom, adventure, and hope. But to the doleful Renay Blake, it might as well have symbolized the end; the end of a 5 year relationship, the end of lifetime friendships, the end of any hope that her senior year of college would end up even close to the way she wanted.
It all started with Greg, her boyfriend of 5 years and the driver of the car Renay was in. Although Renay and Greg had managed to cruise through their relationship with nothing but some minor speed bumps, lately things had changed- for the worst. Greg had been making mysterious phone calls in the middle of the night and leaving for hours on end, then always being secretive of where he was. Greg was usually loquacious but recently he seemed laconic and detached from all his conversations with Renay. And when she tried to get through to him he just rebuffed her and shut down completely. Renay was confound, she didn’t know what was happening or what she had done to be allienated. All she knew was that everything was wrong.
And then there were her best friends from high school, the girls she grew up with, the girls who were her sisters. It didn’t feel like sisterhood anymore. Whenever Renay hung out with her friends they were always super secretive, whispering and giving each other looks, never letting Renay in on what was happening. One of the girls Brooke was being especially bitchy. More than that, she was being plain trulucent. She wasn’t a really great friend to begin with, she was always vilifying people and starting drama. The others just stayed friends with her because they were all childhood friends. But recently Brooke was crossing the line. Whenever Renay would ask what the other girls were whispering about Brooke would whip her head around and exclaim “Just stay out of it Renay!” and none of the other girls would stand up to Brooke or say anything about it. Renay didn’t know what she did to provoke her friends to act that way.
To top it all of Renay had been kicked out of the group’s senior trip. A couple weeks ago Renay had asked the girls about where they were going and Brooke sneered “Myrtle Beach.”
Renay was surprised. “Weren’t we supposed to all decide on the place together?”
“The people who are going did decide on it.” Brooke had said, with an expression on her face that said she was serious.
“What?” Renay whispered.
“You’re not coming with us.” Brooke said bluntly. “Why don’t you just go with Gregory?” she muttered under her breath.
So Renay did go with Greg. Even though the two had been distant they decided on a nice quaint trip to Cape Cod, and Greg booked a hotel, picked the date and everything. Renay was surprised- she usually had to make all the plans, and when she asked Greg for his input ‘Whatever you want to do’ was usually his unhelpful response.
Even though it had been nice of Greg to make all the plans Renay was still unhappy. She sat in Greg’s car enroute to the Cape and could only think of the worse- what she thought was inevitable.
It’s over. Renay thought to herself. He’s taking me here to break up with me. Renay sighed and rested her head against the top of the car door and tried to look at the landscape passing by to get all the acrimony and bad thoughts out of her head. She tried to act sanguine but she couldn't. She still felt morose.
Renay was an all around average girl, brown eyes, wavy brown hair, and a winning smile. Although she was blessed with a good heart she was also cursed with an overactive mind- always thinking 'what if', predicting the worse and overthinking the simplest situations. And although she tried to make herself be optomistic, she always ended up making a mountain out of a molehill in her mind.
Then after we breakup there’ll be no one left for me, Renay concluded. I know they all think that I spend too much time with Greg or that I’m ignoring them or something like that. God, I promised myself that I wouldn’t turn into one of those girls. And it was all for nothing. After this vacation I’ll be left with absolutely no one.
“Babe, we’re here.” Greg said, nudging Renay’s elbow with his. Renay looked around in confusion.
“This isn’t the hotel...” She said. It was beach overlooking the ocean with a scenic lighthouse placed perfectly near the shore. “What are we doing...?” Renay turned to see her boyfriend laying a red and white checkered table cloth on the sand and taking out a bottle of champagne.
“What’s happeni-”
“Just sit down.” Greg said with a smile Renay couldn’t refuse. She was so confused but she joined her boyfriend and curiously watched him pour the champagne.
The sun had almost finished setting and the moon was making its first appearacne of the night. The sun was trying to stay alive in the horizon but it was being destroyed by the dark abyss of the night sky. It was all very romantic but Renay couldn’t ignore her initial thought that she was being dumped.
Greg turned to Renay. “Renay...” He started.
“Greg I’m so sorry!” Renay said jumping to her feet. “I don’t know what I did or what happened but I’m so sorry!”
“Renay, nothi-”
“I should have helped you with whatever was wrong, I should have been there for you, and I am so sorry if it was all my fault...” Renay was now pacing on the checkered blanket.
“Rena-” Greg tried desperatly to quell his girlfriend.
“I’m just so sorry Greg, I don’t know what’s happening and to top it all of my friends ar-” Renay stopped pacing, stopped talking, and almost stopped breathing.
“Greg,” she said slowly. “Why are you on one knee?”
Greg gave his girl a sheepish smile and pulled out a jewlery box out of his back pocket.
“Renay,” He said slowly. “Will you marry me?”
Renay’s heart skipped a beat. “So wait.. you’re not... we're not... breaking up?”
Greg’s face fell. “Of course not!” He exclaimed. “Why would you think such a thing?”
“You were making all those phone calls and disappearing for hours...” Renay kept going on. “And you wouldn’t talk to me Greg..”
“Renay I was going ring shopping!” Greg said. “And I was calling all my big brothers, they’re who I go to talk about all this stuff and they’re so far away right now.” Greg sighed. “And sorry if I wasn’t being myself, I was just so nervous.” He sighed again and looked up into Renay’s eyes. “This needed to be perfect.”
Renay laughed a little. “It all makes sense now.” She said. Her face soon fell again. “Except for now my friends hate me...”
“What?” Greg said. “That wasn’t part of the plan...”
“What plan?” Renay asked.
“Your friends, they were all in on this.” Greg said. “I told them to say they were leaving you out of the trip so you’d come to the beach with me...” He smiled. “They didn’t really go on the trip without you though, they just said they would. And I went to them a lot for advice and suggestions, so if they were acting weird and surreptitious, they were probably just discussing the things I told them.”
“But Brooke was being so...mean!” Renay said.
“When isn’t Brooke mean.” Greg said. “I don’t see what you and your friends see in her. Anyways she’s probably just jealous because she thought her boyfriend Doug was going to propose to her...”
“But he ended up dumping her instead.” Renay finished his sentence. The two of them laughed. They held each other’s hands just smiling and staring into the other person’s eyes.
“Renay... it gets really uncomfortable on one knee.” Greg said jocularly.
“Oh Greg!” Renay laughed and got down on her knees to be eye level with her boyfriend. She gave Greg a kiss that knocked both of them down on the sand. “Yes!” she yelled, and the two kissed again.
“I love you Renay.” Greg said.
“I love you too Greg.” Renay said finally content with the way things were.

Second Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher. Penguin Books 2007. Genre: Realistic Fiction

Thirteen Reasons Why is a book about a girl, Hannah Baker, who kills herself. Before she does, she records tapes of the reasons she killed herself- and the people who had a part in the reasons why. The book follows Clay Jensen, a former classmate and co-worker of Hannah, who also had a crush on her, as he listens to the tapes and unravels the reason of Hannah's death. He journeys across town, stopping at the landmarks that Hannah mentions and realizing how people affected her in ways he could have never noticed, and also learning how he was part of the thirteen reasons why.

"Heave but compelling (probably the scariest for parents), Asher's novel asks us to look at how petty cruelty can deal crushing blows." - Miami Herald

Thirteen Reasons Why is Jay Asher's first novel and in my opinion a great beginning to his writing career. Asher really saw the world through a teenagers eyes, and brought up topics like drinking, partying, rumors, bullying and sex, as well as rape, and death.
Asher also told the story through two pairs of eyes. We hears Hannah and how she remembers and experienced things, and we also hear Clay as he finds out the truth and is shocked as how they differ from the rumors. Clay's point of view was very interesting, he was shocked, mad, upset, the way he reacted and responded to the information he found out from the tapes really made the novel more enticing.

(Hannah's voice from the tapes are in italics and Clay's thoughts and words are in print)
" I've never hit anything or anyone before, and already, just tonight, I've wanted to hit Marcus with that rock.
But everyone turned away. No one asked if there was a problem.
Why? Where they being polite?
Was that it, Zach? Were you just being polite?
Zach? Again? With Justin on the first tape, falling on Hannah's lawn. Then interrupting me and Hannah at Kat's going away party.
I hate this. I don't want to find out how everyone fits together anymore." (142-143)

I thought that Thirteen Reasons Why was a great book. It really shows you how things that people say and do can affect people in ways you don't know, and provoke them to do things we couldn't imagine. Hannah's story was a snowball affect, lies started rumors, leading people to get the wrong impression of her, which lead to even more. Also, by bringing together topics that teens are used to like partying and drinking and combining it with topics like rape and suicide, things that teens thinks 'happens to other people, that would never happen to me or people I know', really shows that these things can happen to anyone, and we all need to be responsible for our actions.

The concert that was worth a million words.

During a generation of teenagers and adolescents who tend to judge you for who you are on the outside than the inside, it’s hard to figure out what's valuable and what's not. Are those $200 Ugg boots valuable? Or is the feeling you get when you land your first back-handspring more valuable? Do we have a right to tell others what is and isn't valuable? Or do we even have the authority to decide for ourselves?

I step out of Laurens house into the soft breeze. Even though its summer I can feel the cool wind on my arms and legs. I skip into her front yard, keeping moving so I can stay warm. Out of the back pocket of my denim shorts I pull my little green camera.

The metal is cool and scratched from having being dropped so many times. And even though it’s been through rough times, my camera still manages to turn on, the light turning green and the LCD monitor flashing on. I raise the camera up to the sky to take a picture of the cloud forms above and the faint click goes off. The image flashes on the screen and I pull the camera close to my face to evaluate the picture I have taken.

People think you need big expensive cameras with huge lenses and millions of functions to be a good photographer. When really, all you need is the drive and a working camera. Sure it would be nice to have a big expensive Cannon or Nikon. But at that moment I am completely content with my lime green $150 Fujifilm.

Lauren and I wander around her yard passing the camera to one another. We search for any scene or piece of nature we find interesting and immediately take a snapshot of it on the camera. We then decide to broaden our expedition to the rest of her neighborhood and soon wander to the nearby woods. The woods lead us into a beautiful field. Our curiosity takes us to new places and my camera comes with us, documenting our journey every part of the way.

Lauren and I sit on top of her parents’ car eating burgers, sipping Snapple and taking goofy MySpace pictures. From our perch we can see everything, from the teens getting arrested for underage drinking to the middle age folks singing along to the old tunes they grew up with. We look longingly at Gillette Stadium which seemed to practically be calling out at us.

Lauren's parents tell us that it’s time to go in. We quickly jump of the car and walk to the stadium. Once inside, we then had the chore of climbing what seemed to be the endless stairway to our seats. After we made it to the top I can see the entire stadium and am in awe at seeing how many people were there. Among our peers Lauren and I are probably the only ones who really appreciated the work of “old musicians” so it was kind of surreal seeing all the fans coming together to see the great show. Lauren and I waste no time trying to find a t-shirt vendor so we can buy some souvenirs. As soon as we are finish purchasing our shirts we hear the sound of a piano playing a familiar tune. We share a look of terror that we're going to miss the opening of the show and race back to our seats with no regards to who we knock down on our way. As soon as we are in view of the stage we share a sigh of relief that Elton John and Billy Joel had just stepped out and we hadn't missed anything. We cheer along with the rest of the stadium as the song finishes and Billy and Elton stand up and hug each other.

The rest of the night is pure bliss. Elton has his turn playing his old tunes and then so does Billy Joel. Lauren and I enjoy every bit of it; from singing along to all the songs we knew to laughing at the wild blonde in the seat next to us who had had a bit too much to drink. We nicknamed her Deborah. The bright blue sky above has turned to darkness and the temperature had dropped since when we first arrived, but we don't notice between our sing-alongs and swaying with "Deborah" to a slow ballad. The finale is the best. The two artists face each other on with two pianos and perform their greatest hits together. I sing along to Bennie and the Jets, my all-time favorite Elton song. The last song played is Piano Man. Lauren and I stand up, sway, and sing along with the rest of the stadium. The sound of the whole arena singing along with the two legendary musicians is the perfect end to a perfect night.

I value both my camera and the concert I attended. My camera lets me cultivate a hobby of mine-photography. Although it isn't the best of its kind, I use it to my best ability and still manage to get some pretty nice pictures. Through my photography I get to express my feelings and talents with all my friends.

I also value the concert I attended. I was very fortunate that Lauren's parents got her concert tickets for her birthday and even purchased an extra ticket so she could bring along a friend. If it wasn't for that happening I might have not ever got to see the concert. I value the concert because it let me see two of my favorite artists live which was a very exciting experience. Being in the same stadium as Elton John one of my idols is something I still can't believe I experienced to this day.

Although my concert night and my camera are different they are also very similar. They both let me enjoy two of my favorite activities- taking pictures and listening to music. They also both let me bond with my good friend Lauren. Along with being a very amateur photographer with me, she is basically my only friend who really appreciates the work of Elton John and Billy Joel.

If you expected me to answer the questions in my introduction I'm sorry to disappoint you. The truth is, I really can't determine what is valuable and what isn't. I don't think anyone can truly say that they have the authority to do so. Maybe life consists of all the really valuable things and all the lesser-valuable things coming together to make up who you are. And maybe instead of trying to judge what’s the most valuable we should just go on living our lives and appreciating everything that happens to us because chances are there probably is some value to it.

First Quarter Outside Reading Book Review

Model by Cheryl Diamond. Simon Pulse, 2008. Genre: Memoir

Model is the true story about Cheryl Diamond’s early life as a model. Cheryl went to New York at sixteen to become a model. Her life consisted of go-sees, runways, and dealing with the characters and attitudes that came with the people in the modeling industry. She had to live on her own and at the tender age of sixteen, grow up and take control of her life.
"A job by job story of a street-savvy young woman navigating New York's cutthroat modeling world." LA Times.
Model shows how Cheryl made good decisions and carried herself with grace in an industry where people will do anything to get booked. She breaks the typical stereotype of the stupid ignorant model, thinking every decision through and coming back with witty comments and comebacks for every situation. She can find humor in every situation which isn’t hard with all the crazy characters and egos that come with being in the modeling industry.
Although she acts with wisdom beyond her years you can still tell that Cheryl is a teenager by the way she writes. The description and vocabulary isn’t especially extensive or over-the-top. You can tell that her real job isn’t being an author. Still, Cheryl grabs the attention of readers with her witty comebacks and her explanations on how New Yorkers and people in the industry all act. Her teen-like way of writing also helps other teen girls relate to her. If the story was told by the point of view of someone older I’m not sure if I would have liked the book as much.
“I stood in the middle of the studio with a stupid grin on my face, amazed that three people-adults, no less-had shown up to take my picture. Then, thinking I should at least try to act cool, I wiped the smile of my face and watched Erica, who was unzipping a large black suitcase. It was filled with every imaginable variety of makeup.” (13)
I would say that I have a love hate relationship with this book. On one hand, the book contains an inside look on the modeling industry diminishing any stereotypes written by a girl who seems fun, smart, and a cool person. On the other hand, the book does fall a bit flat. It is a little misleading, on the back it makes you think that Cheryl was living alone at 14 when really she was living alone at 16. Also, the horrible disastrous thing that happens to Cheryl that ‘end her career’ isn’t really that bad and could have been handled better. So in conclusion, it’s a decent book that could have been better

An unexpected friend.

A Child Called It-David Pelzer
The Absolute True Dairy of a Part-Time Indian- Rowdy
Setting: David Pelzer's school

David could hear the sound of sneakers against the gym floor as he walked out of detention. He heard the buzzer ring signaling the end of the basketball game.
From the hallway David heard the announcer say, “And that ends the game! Home team score 64, a close victory over the visiting students from Wellpinit High with 58! Good game!”
The gym doors opened and the crowd slowly trickled out. The game was supposed to be some sort of big deal, a school from some Indian reservation was coming to play a school that was only used to playing teams from prominently white suburban towns like themselves. But David didn’t have time to think about all of that, he just wanted to leave the school before the kids noticed he was there.
“Hey guys, its Pelzer smellster!” David heard a kid say from behind him.
“Let’s go see what’s up with him!” Another kid said.
David picked up the pace and tried to get away from the bullies.
“Why would he even come to the game...no one likes him!”
“I bet he was in detention again for stealing other kid’s lunches. What a tool!”
“I know, what a loser! Hey Pelzer, slow down, we just wanna talk to you...”
David heard the laughing die out as he ran out of the school from the back entrance. He didn’t know what he was doing, running away from the bullies at school would just get him home faster, where he would have to face an even bigger bully, his own mother. David was so frantic and confused he didn’t notice the kid coming out of the back gym exit and ran right into him. The kids bag fell on the ground and the items inside fell out.
“Sorry,” David mumbled. He looked up at who he ran into and was terrified to see an angry Indian staring back down at him. He had a huge build, but even worse piercing eyes that said sorry just wasn’t going to cut it.
“You need to watch where you’re going kid!” He said. He shoved David, and David ended up on his side on the cement with a tear in his pants. He cringed, not only because the fall hurt, but because these were one of his few pieces of clothing, and his mother would definitely not be willing buy him new ones.
As Rowdy, the Indian, bent over to pick up his belongings he stole a glance at David lying on the ground. He did a double take when he noticed the bruises alongside his leg, now noticeable because of the tear in his pants. He looked at the rest of David. He was very skinny with bruises and scars all along his arms and legs.
From the ground David could see Rowdy looking at him with a dazed look on his face. He quickly got up from the ground and scrambled away from the scene.
“Hey...wait up!” Rowdy called after David. He didn’t know why he was calling after a perfect stranger, but he felt like they still had unfinished business.
“What’s your name?” Rowdy asked firmly.
“David.” David answered meekly.
“Oh...so what happened to you there?” Rowdy asked pointing at a particularly large bruise on David’s arm.
“Oh, accident.” David said quickly. A little too quickly. Rowdy tilted his head.
“Umm...what happened to you?” David asked, redirecting the attention away from him. He motioned toward a series of bruises along Rowdy’s arm and neck.
“Oh...Uh..Same. Accident.” Rowdy said, also quickly.
The two of them stood there, next to the brick wall of the school, staring at each other, just taking each other in. They both knew that none of their injuries were from accidents. They knew that the other person was aware of that. But they didn’t feel like covering it up. Standing there in the cool autumn air, Rowdy and David both knew that even though they seemed different to each other at first, they both were more similar than anyone could imagine. And without saying a word, the two of them made a connection that only someone who was as damaged as they were could make. And they realized that they weren’t alone, that the person standing in front of them could have it just as bad, and maybe even worse, than they did at home.
Rowdy’s basketball coach called him in the gym shortly after that. And David remembered that he better make it home soon before his mother got suspicious. But the two of them never forgot each other, or that day that reminded them they weren't alone.