"Let me tell you about it."

I just finished the book, and I couldn't wait to blog about the power of the book. I am not even sure where to begin. I have tears welling up in my eyes, and I want to go and hug Melinda. I want to tell her that everything is going to be okay, and that the healing process takes time.

Even though I am a loud person, sometimes I can't find the words to speak about what I am thinking/ feeling. I also feel that I am the only person dealing with these issues. But Melinda finds the strength in nature and art to help find her roots to start speaking out. When she knows that other girls have gone through similar situations she is empowered and when she knows that someone who is close to her could get hurt she is moved to act.

I am a huge fan of the teacher/student relationship that Mr. Freeman and Melinda have with each other. I love this quote:
" Think about love, or hate, or joy, or rage--what ever makes you feel something, makes your palms sweat or your toes curl. Focus on that feeling. When people don't express themselves, they die one piece at a time. You'd be shocked how many adults are really dead inside--walking through their days with no idea who they are, just waiting for a heart attack or cancer or a Mack truck to come along and finish the job. It's the saddest thing I know" (122).
This quote rings extremely true and personally in my heart. What are we living for? Why don't we truly express ourselves? This reminds me of how Pastor Mark, said that the symbol of Christianity is a mark of pain, hurt, and suffering. Life is not easy. Sharing your feelings and thoughts with others is not easy, but we push through the blockage, because even a stream will find its away around a damn.

My two favorite aspects of the book are Melinda's thoughts and how she uses metaphors and similes to compare people to animals. She paints such a beautiful picture of everything for the reader. Her thoughts are biting, stinging, hysterical, and most of all powerful. I wish that she would have used an animal metaphor at the end of the story to describe her self; however, her growth through nature is beautifully articulated. I am able to related to Melinda because I too grow from observing and being in nature. Trees are life bearing, homes, givers of oxygen, wood, nuts, and shade. They are also strong, stable, and flexible. My favorite yoga pose is the tree.

Melinda's story is extremely powerful, but I know that it rings true in many lives. A story like this would give other girls and guys the power to speak up against what has happened in their lives that they think is wrong or sinful. I have never personally experienced anything like this, but it is imperative to share this book and Melinda's story.

I was laying in bed the other night thinking about the book and I look up and on my bulletin board behind my bed I have a pin that says "Speak up about Speak!" These there is this great website that lets people talk about their thoughts and reactions to the book. http://speakupaboutspeak.blogspot.com/

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

This week I am diving into another one of Laurie Halse Anderson's books. I will leave a post about Winter Girls as soon as I finish with Speak.

The front graphic of the book, a teenage girl in the midst of a forest or maybe a solitary tree has always made me inquiry about the text written inside. The title of Speak along with the graphic makes me think of a tree whisperer. This sounds corny, I know, but that is what comes to mind. When I opened up to the first page and started reading, I realized that the setting in the typical high school, and that the main character, Melinda, is the victim as she describes herself as a "wounded zebra". Anderson gives Melinda great language to describe her surroundings and the actions of herslf and others. My favorite characteristic of Melinda is her choice of animal metaphors to describe people.

Animal similies and metaphors thus far:
-describes her self as a "wounded zebra" (5).
- hairwoman (English teacher), "I can't decide if she had pissed off her hairdresser or is morphing into a monarch butterfly" ( 6).
- "Mr. Freeman is ugly. Big old grasshopper body..." (10). Mr. Freeman is the art teacher.
- "...Heather geeking around me like a moth" (19). Heather is the only person who is nice to her at school.
- Speaking about Rachelle her ex-bestfriend. " She waves her hand in the air and you find yourself thinking of young chimpanzees" (20).
- On multiple occasions Melida refers to an animal in her stomach. "An animal noise rustles in my stomach"(28). " There is a beast in my gut, I can hear it scraping away at the insides of my ribs" (51).

Melinda also has a hysterical personality who always likes to point out the irony of situations. I find myself laughing hysterically at the depiction she gives. Describing her art class she states, "He'll rant for the rest of the period, forty-three minutes. The room is warm, filled with sun and pain fumes. Three kids falls dead asleep, eye twitches, snores, and everything" (31). I am amazed at her sarcastic attitude towards much of school life; yet, I am predicting that this is just a cover. Something happened over the summer where multiple people got arrested and it is all her fault. She hasn't come out and said what exactly it is yet though.....I am dying to find out!
There are other seens when Melinda describe her teachers, I just need to make sure that I do not wear hideous dresses or have multi-color hair!! This makes me want to know what my students think of what I wear!!

With in the first 10 pages, the reader finds out what the tree represented on the front comes from. Mr. Freeman, the ugly artsy grasshopper, states, "Welcome to the only class that will teach you how to survive" (10). He then continues and says,
"Why not spend that time on art: painting, sculpting, charcoal, pastel, oils? Are words or numbes more important than images? Who decided this? Dose algebra move you to tears? Can the plural possessive express the feelings in your heart? If you don't learn art now, you will never learn to breath!!!" (11). What a powerful statement. I would argue that an English class would teach a student more about survival than an art class; yet, I am biased!

I can't wait to read more.
I will leave off with this quote, which is becoming my new facebook status!
"Homework is not an option. My bed is sending out serious nap rays. I can't help myself. The fluffy pillows and warm comforter are more powerful than I am. I have no choice but to snuggle under the covers" (16).

Dear Friend...

This story is not what I was thinking it was going to be about. This is an ordinary book about an ordinary boy. He is the epotimy of the average high school student. I was hoping for a different kind of book, but now that I have finished, I see the importance of this coming-of-age story. One must be in the right mind frame to read this book, it is almost like a self help holistic book that looks at a simple life that is on a constant emotional life roller coaster. We might want to run from our worries and troubles, but just like in Charlies situation it always comes back to haunt us. Many of my friends have claimed this as their favorite book, because of the relatablity and of the connection that they can feel through Charlie.This book would be great for any high school student. Another aspect that would motivate students would be the aspect of the pop culture that is embedded into Charlie's letters.

I think that I would have been friends with Charlie. I want to be like his teacher Bill that sees the potential in Charlie and helps him see and understand him self through books. What a paradox! Charlie is reading books that he can relate to their main character, while at the same time the reader (me or you) can relate to Charlie! :D

Some notes that I wrote down while reading this last part of the book include:
- guilt (92). The reader is able to completely feel for Charlie. He wants to try and be happy but he cannot force himself to be. Everyone has felt guilt at one time or another.
- Family and friends are extremely important to Charlie they are his life lines.
-Charlie is sentimental (111). Even though he cries a lot he is able to share his emotions with others. Crying is an outward sign of emotion, when one cries it is because the person wants others to know that they are sad/upset. This is an innate emotional reaction.
- French fries make everything better when you are a kid. Mmmm....
- Ha! Charlie is hilarious!! "I'll blind you"! Go get them Tiger!!
- Charlie gives us his way of rating a good film. If you don't feel different after watching the film then it wasn't good. (124).

I can't wait to teach this book!

Love That Dog

This week I noticed that Charlies story in The Perks of Being a Wallflower was getting sad. I was not up for reading much of this book. So, I decided to take a break from Charlie and his letters and read a different type of book.

Love That Dog by Sharon Creech is a simplistic book of poetry from the perspective of Jack, an elementary school boy who loves his yellow dog. Jack, like most writers does not want others to make fun of him and so he has his teacher post his work anonymously. The story line is simple, but touches the hearts of all readers who love their dogs. Another great aspect of this book is how much that Jack respects the writer, Mr. Walter Dean Myers. The respect for this writer is clear, because Jack writes a poem that is modeled after Walter Dean Myers poem Love That Boy.

I read the expert from Hate That Cat at the end of the Love That Dog. My favorite quote is"You can't just alliterate and onomatopeiate all over the place, can you?". Jack writes extremely well, and uses his poetry to help him deal with the loss of his yellow dog.

"I feel infinite" (33).

My predictions were right when I guessed what a "wallflower" was. Charlie is an outsider looking in, and through his letter writing, I feel like the wallflower to Charlie's life. I feel obligated to read his letters and give him adequate time, because he is similar to all of us and deserves to have time dedicated to him. I enjoy the ordinary letters because it is easy to connect and relate to, and I am starting to warm up to Charlie. "You see things. You keep quiet about them. And you understand" (37.) Yes, my role as reader and friend of Charlie is to do these things; to be a wallflower.

I love the theme of family and acceptance through out the 1st half of the novel. For instance, Charlie loves his family and wants the best of all of them, especially his sister. He does not tell Bill, his teacher, about his sister being abused by her boyfriend for no reason. He wants the best for her. " I do worry a lot about her. She is my sister, after all" (49). Not only does Charlie want to fit in with his family, he wants to fit in with Sam and Patrick. His two best friends make him feel complete. My favorite seen is when they are all riding in Sam's truck and the three of them are silent but listening to the song. When the song is over, Charlie states, "I feel infinite" (33). What a feeling, almost like when you accomplish a goal or win a tournament that you have shrived to accomplish.

I was sad for Charlie when Sam told him that she loved him. I can't wait to find out what happens between them, because it is unfair to play with Charlie's emotion, especially when she is dating someone else.

What makes this book extraordinary is the fact that Charlie is just like every other teenage. He wants to have friends and fit in. He wants to know how "it works" and he wants to be loved. This is an extordinary book about ordinary life occurrences.

I am going to make my own mixed CD of Charlie's music that he makes for Patrick! I also want to make a reading list recommended by Charlie! :)

Meeting Charlie

I have only read the first few chapters of part 1, but thus far I am a fan of Charlie and his comical stream of consciences. He is a down to earth teenager who has fears and emotions similar to other characters. The difference is that he is willing to express them more than hide and suppress the visible emotion. I like how honest Charlie is with his reader, especially when he confessed that he is afraid of attending high school. Thus far we know that Charlie does have the outsider view of his sisters romance life and that he is strong to have beat up a bully at school.

I enjoy the letter style writing that Charlie engages the reader in. Letter writing is a personal interaction between the reader and the intended audience. These letters about Charlies life make the reader feel as thought we have an outside perspective. As if we are investigators and reading the secrete communication of two friends. Similar to how a teacher might read a note passed between two students .I am not sure who the "you" who Charlie speaks of, or even if I will ever find out. But thus far, it seems as though Charlie is writing these letters to the reader making the reading transaction a different experience for each person.

Yet, I am extremely interested in who this person is. The only critiera that Charlie has for writing to this paticular person is that they will listen, understand, and that the person did not sleep with another person at a particular party even though they could have. I am highly curious!!

Charlie is an extremely in-depth character and I cannot wait to find out more about his life!

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chobsky

Before Reading:

Teacher perspective-
1) What is a wallflower?
2) If I could understand what a wallflower is, than I could come up with some "perks" of being one.

Reader perspective-
A wallflower is someone who stands at the edge of the dance floor with their backs pressed up against the wall so that they are not seen. The person wants to make an appearance or they were forced into coming to the dance or else they would have stayed home. A wallflower is probably someone who is considered unpopular or extremely smart. Maybe termed as a social outcast. The term "wallflower" is a metaphor for an actual flower that hangs/ sits on the wall that is not always noticed or cared for, but is important to the mood of the home area that it inhabits.

The perks of being this person are the outsider view. Instead of being part of the action, the person is viewing the action and know everything that is constantly going on. This could also have draw backs, say if you were witnessing crime or violent act, and the person believed that they were destined to be this wallflower...

This brings up a question: If you are considered to be a wallflower can you break that stereotype?