A Summary Statement About This Book: This book is about a boy who moves to Alcatraz island with his family, causing his whole life to change.…
Mixing locations and time periods allowed Díaz to create a novel with high political and cultural significance. The characters challenge the social norms of their place and time, for example Lola presenting herself as a “Banshees-loving punk chick” to the dismay of her mother, and in a completely different time period Lola’s grandfather doing the unspeakable and challenging the rule of the Dominican dictator (54). For characters like Beli and Abelard, Oscar and Lola’s grandfather, their storylines draw on the impact that the government, especially the ruthless ruler, Trujillo, has on their lives. Further down the line though Oscar, Lola and Yunior do not have to live under a harsh dictatorship in the Dominican Republic, they do have to cope with the always-increasing social pressures of growing up in America as Hispanic immigrants, exhibiting the deviations in social and cultural aspects of life as time…
An autobiography about gang days in LA. Rodriguez explains his horrible life as a gangmember in the latino slums of Los Angeles. The first chapter deals with his uprigning. His brother Hosé, later known as Joe, does not speak english and is thought by the teachers not to admid to anything.…
Everyone has a role model. For some people it is a celebrity, for others it is a family member, and sometimes it is just a random person you know. For Paul, in the book Tangerine by Edward Bloor, that person is Luis. Luis’ actions positively affected Paul by allowing Paul to become a harder worker, braver, and finally deciding to stand up to Erik.…
THE BOOK IS SPLIT IN TWO HALVES. THE FIRST PART IS ESSENTIALLY THE BACKGROUND STORY OF GARCIA AND HIS TRAVELS. I BELIEVED THIS PART TO BE LEAST EFFECTIVE BECAUSE IT DID NOT HAVE A GREAT DEAL OF THE AUTHOR’S OPINION OR EMOTION INVOLVED.THE SECOND HALF IS THE AUTHOR'S DEFINITION OF THE TRUE HARD WORKING MAN, AN INDIVIDUAL TRULY WORTH HIS SALT. IT FULLY ENCOMPASSES THE MAIN POINT OF THE STORY…
Then the story starts to talk about each of their own lives, including family, school, and friends. Each of them came from a troubled area and had a tough childhood. They each had their own personal family problems and also had money problems that made their family lives harder. Each of them did not think they would go to college because of the fact that college costs money and they did not think that they had enough money to get that far in…
This book was in the middle of his career followed by man other accomplishments he was involved in Chicano Movement of the 1960s and 1970s making the publication of his book in between of all his great accomplishments. This book is great and very detailed story of every struggle that Chicano people went through and till this day continue to go through the story Always Running is just one example of the many different struggles that people go through to become equal in the eyes of others. I loved the book and look forward to reading the continuation in “It Calls You Back” also by Luis J.…
In "Catch the Moon", Luis, the main character, changes throughout the short story. Luis is a male student at Central High and has been in trouble ever since he started attending the high school. After his mother's death, Luis organized a "social group." The group's members were mainly high school age guys who found amusement from harassing the local authorities. His social group lead him to take part in activities that he wouldn't have before his mother past away. For example, the group broke into a house and Luis was sent to juvenile hall for six months. After returning home he had to work for his dad for six months. His dad's business is called "..........." At the beginning of his six months working for his dad, !!!!!he wished he would have served his whole term at juvenile hall!!!!! Luis realized that he became distant from his dad…
When first learning that we had to read Enrique’s Journey, I was not as excited as others in the class. I really didn’t think that I would enjoy the book, or learn anything from the book or the characters within the book. But once I started reading this book I couldn’t put it down and in a weird way I wanted there to be a sequel just so I could find out about Enrique and his family now. That being said there were many lessons, trails, and tribulations in this book that I do not think that many if any of us will ever understand. The first idea that I thought was great about this book was that the author, put her self into Enrique’s shoes and went on his journey just as he did. I understand that she was not in as much danger, due to the note from the consulate, but she was still in danger non- the less and just taking a journey like that must put ones whole life in perspective. We live in a society where most if not all of us take living in the United States for granted, so Sonia Nazario stepping into a world that she is not comfortable and relaying this story to all of us is eye opening and should make all of us thank who ever it is we believe in that we are in the United States and have the opportunities that we have. There were also other specific examples in this book that has made me feel the way I do about this book. The first one is just the amount of determination and love that was in side Enrique to get to his mother at age 16. Here in the States for most age 16 is a time of joy, time to get your license, enjoying high school and hanging out with friends for the most part. But Enrique with just a phone number on a piece of paper sets out on a journey that most American children at age 16 could not even fathom. Enrique goes through so much, that it is hard to understand way didn’t he just give up. For example hopping trains and failing seven times,…
For a year and two months Rodriguez dealt with his broken family. Freshman year was when Rodriguez came to his breaking point, he had attempted suicide many times. “I used to wear my tuxedo that I wanted to be buried in at night because if felt ready to die.” Lost and confused Rodriguez looked for a way to escape. To him, running away was the only option…
His parents give him a lot of support by giving him puzzles to solve to reach his goals. He also uses strategies. The first strategy he uses in his story is imagery. He uses this strategy to explain to the readers how he got inspired by one of his classmates makes a big difference. “One of my co-workers called her over, gently sat her down and typed the letter.It was a simple act.”(pg.163,para.16).Another strategy he uses in his story is all caps. He uses this in his story to explain how his father would’ve said at his graduation speech.’I TAUGHT HIM TO WORK HARD AND TO RESPECT OTHERS AND LOOK WHERE HE IS NOW (pg.160,para.2).” The last strategy he uses in his story is figurative language. He uses this strategy to show how today’s small act of kindness can change the world forever.”Today’s small act of kindness can become tomorrow's human…
I choose this book because my friend, Elsy told me to pick this book. This book it was good, you could say, average. Not only because it no romance like twilight, but a person as in bay wanting to be with her family. When you are family no one gets behind or forgotten. One quote that I like was “I have tried to be righteous all my life. Yet I have never been content.” This parts means for me is that some people try to fit in, or cause no harm. This is what Rio was trying to do, no harm. I believe we should let it go and be…
He connects with the reader in many different ways. By reason, emotion, and credibility. He has reasoning behind his life. Where he came from and his initial background. He describes what is going to come of this world by using supported magazines. Emotionally, he grabs the reader by showing how he felt when people would judge him. Also by how it can hurt other people. The credibility he uses is by describing his life struggles. Arboleda says that he traveled the world when growing up seeing different races, cultures, ethnic backgrounds, and societies. Explaining the struggle he went threw had the readers attention from the beginning. When explaining ones life to another is very personal and had to be hard for him to share. Arboleda, being an assistant professor has enough courage to explain his life. Him being so different with so many different backgrounds growing really had a tole on…
He lives in a raggedy apartment with his mother, they have no car and he helps pay the bill by selling drugs to the neighborhood kids. I personally find this story to be realistic as I have associated myself with teenagers similar to Diaz. The story has me thinking about what effect does living in a rough environment like Diaz have one someone as they reach adulthood? Does it make them want to make a change in their life? How similar is a middle/upper class teenager’s acting out as opposed to someone who grew up in basically “the ghetto’? Why wasn’t there a teacher or someone at Beto’s and Diaz’s school to take under their wing so that they both walk down a positive path in the future? Lastly, why did Diaz named the story Drown? Personally I think it’s a symbol as they referencing how Beto is somehow afloat (going to college) and Diaz continues to drown (doing counterproductive…
It also provides information on his background and upbringing, beginning with where he grew up on St.Vincent Street in Trinidad. He describes this place to be a blast of fun during the period which he grew up. He was the only child for his mother and was raised by her along with his Aunt. He did not meet his father until he was 17, this happened while walking on the road, the recognition was almost instantaneous. They began communicating, awkwardly at first but they eventually developed a close 'father-son' bond. The lack of a father in his early stage, in my opinion, was maybe the single best thing that could have happened to him. This was one of the main reasons in which I believe he built so much character from a tender age, much of which stayed with him throughout his life. Another main source of character was his mother, Stella Fowler, who was a woman of extreme discipline. Even though his birth was somewhat unplanned, with the love that he got from his mother, it could not have been more if there were two parents. An incident at school (St Mary's) that involved a teacher calling him a bastard taught him even more discipline and self control and molded what will appear to be a great man.…