13 reasons why

For a young adult literature novel I feel that in the traditional literacy terms sense this novel encompassed them very well. The plot was detailed but not too hard for someone to comprehend what the message of the book is. I liked how even though Hannah is no longer apart of this world the reader can still form a connection with her and her story through her tapes. Almost making one believe that she is still alive. I also liked how through tragedy there was still a coming of age component to it through the character of Clay. Although I enjoyed reading this book I could see how this text could be harder for male readers to connect to because the issues that Hannah was going through were very female related and not really things that males go through or in the same manner anyways. It also plays on the typical new girl comes to school and instantly has a reputation which may or may not be true. The culture verisimilitude of this novel could be hard for some readers to overcome. Young beautiful girl becomes slut shammed based on rumors, when the scope of bullying is much larger than that. But overall I fell like it does a good job of showing how even minor acts can build because not everyone knows what is going on in different people’s lives. This text positions readers to really consider that smaller things have larger impacts than can be expected. It also encourages teens to really be more observant of their behavior and more aware of their actions and how they could affect other people. It challenges young adults to really take a reflection and critique themselves, “have I been treating someone like this”. This text appeals to adolescents because bullying and the thought of suicide have become a major epidemic in our culture today. Bullying is now a national issue that affects everyone. And by making teens look at the bigger picture of bullying it could really instill a change in the way they treat people. On a grading scale I would give this novel an A- because I applaud the idea of getting young adults to reflect on themselves especially around a topic that is very prevalent in our society today. With bullying being such an issue reading about it and creating a connection with a different perspective on the situation could be their very own coming of age. If you haven’t already, check out the website page for this book, it actually has a recording of Hannah and all the tapes. It really can give a better insight and connection to the story. http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/

Two short stories

Tonight I am blogging about two different short stories I read. the first short story is "Words" by Curtis Regan. Although this story was short somehow within the 20 or so pages I was able to connect with the characters. I think because the subject was so serious so sudden the character development happened very quickly allowing the reader to become close to the characters of Andy and Mellisa. At first I did not think that I was going to like the story because lets be realistic here, what teenagers actually address their siblings as "big brother" and "little sister". That to me is so cheesy because real brother and sister do not do that, at least no one I know. But as I got farther along in the story I began to have compassion for the children learning that their mother had died. I wanted to know why Andy was so upset. And I was glad that by the end Andy's perfect reputation wasn't actually so perfect. Because it makes him more relate-able to adolescents. And gives a good message that telling the truth always prevails over living a lie. Although I did like the story, I can see how maybe some cultural differences could make this story hard to identify with. The children come from a wealthy family, where the sons biggest concern was winning and not letting anyone down. The children complain about the apartment they live in because it is on the wrong side of town, even though in the brief description that is given of the apartment it is not small and sounds beautiful. And unlike most children, they wont have the luxury of choosing to either take an inheritance or do what they want to do. But is that such a bad thing? Does every piece of text that is published have to worry about whether or not it can relate to everyone's cultural differences or stereotype? I do not believe so, and for that reason I give this short story an A. Because even though it was based on one specific "stereotype" the message that it ultimately conveys is great.

The second short story I read was by Lisa Rowe Fraustino called "FRESh PAINt". my favorite thing about this short story was how descriptive it was. It was able to paint (see what I did there) a clear picture in my head what each character looked like and what they were doing. I could see the story playing out in my mind like a movie as if I was Susie. The story was heartfelt but I am still unsure of what the message of the story was. Maybe there isn't a message at all, maybe the whole point of the story was simply that, that it was a story. And I am okay with that. I don't need their to be an underlying message in every story I read, most of the time I read to be entertained, not to learn a life lesson. The only position that I could see this text giving to young adults is the curiosity to explore their own family background and get to know their elders. And the mystery of Mamie, Mamie Ellis could pull adolescents into the story. Although now that I think about it, I guess there is a message at the end of the story. How when she returns from college and goes to visit Mamie she has to make the hard decision of doing what is best for Mamie even though she herself will be sacrificing a few brief moments of happiness. Overall I give this story an A as well. Because even though the message was small and at the end the actual concept of being just a story really appealed to me.

Eleanor and Park

My overall feeling of the story is that I loved it. I feel in love with the characters, who they are as individuals and what they stood for. I only have two negative comments about the book. The first comment being that from a writers point of view I personally did not care for the jump in the story line of how Eleanor and Park went from not speaking and just exchanging items to being in love at first physical touch. For as the reader I found myself having to flip back and forth between the two pages because the transition was so sudden I felt myself become lost and confused. My other critique is on the ending. I wanted more from the ending, I felt that the author did such an amazing job through out the whole story of answering all of the readers questions by having the two view points, but that the transition from not talking to each other one moment to being in love the next, one moment she was there and the next she was gone was very sudden. And that Rowell did not answer my question as to why Eleanor was not responding to Park's letters or what happened to her family. Besides those two comments I did feel that the book gave (although maybe slightly exaggerated) an accurate depiction on high school bullying. A quote that kept appearing into my thoughts when reading this book was "be nice to everyone. you never know what someone's story is". Just a random quote that I read on the internet but I felt that this book really encompassed that feeling really well. Because all the students that Eleanor went to school with who bullied her had no idea about her home life and what she was going through. But once they did know however, they ended up lending her a helping hand. For example Tina hiding Eleanor in her garage once she knew who her step father was. The author really showed that quote. That you should think before you speak because you have no idea what someone goes through outside of school. Putting young adults in a position to be more thoughtful before they speak. This text appeals to adolescents because it does talk about the stereotypical bullying but then gives a background of the characters. By telling the story of each character, allowing the reader to walk in their footsteps a connection is formed between the story and the reader. My own personal rating/grade for this text would be an A-. Not fully an A because the transitions between some of the major developments was too fast but the moral of the story and the message that it is sending to teens is very well done and easy to pull out of the text.