There are some books that once you read them leave an impression on you for the rest of your life. Then there are some books that become part of your childhood once you read them. The book Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell is both of these things. Eleanor is a bigger girl with big red hair and even stranger fashion. Eleanor moves to a new school and has to ride the bus every day to school; this is when she meets Park. Park is the only Asian kid in the school and has always felt different. Throughout the story, Eleanor and Park fall for each other and learn about themselves. Eleanor and Park go through so many challenges of growing up and going through high school together, however, the biggest challenge is Eleanor's stepfather. Read the book Eleanor and Park to find out if the two can overcome the challenges of life and love or if they break apart over time. I went into the book knowing it was meant for people about my age or a little younger so I didn’t expect much. I thought it was just going to be a silly book about two kids growing up and had close to no expectations. I was quickly proven wrong about my original thoughts. The book is meant for a younger audience but it is anything but a silly little book. The book made me think a lot about how different people are treated in high school and if I was in their situation if I could even overcome it. Reading this book while I was also in high school was the perfect time to read it because there were so many times when I put myself in their shoes and I truly don’t think I could have done what they did. I have always tried to fit in and I don’t like being the odd one out so for Park to give up on his old friends to hang out with Eleanor even though she is the weird kid and I wish this weren’t true but I don’t think I could do that in high school. I went into the book thinking I was too old to read a book like this but now I realize I was the perfect age to read this book and for my opinions to change for the better. As I said earlier this book really changed my opinions on myself and others around me. Looking back I don’t have close to anything in common with Eleanor or Park. The main challenge around Eleanor is her messed up family but I couldn’t relate to that if I tried. My parents are still happily married my two brothers love me and I don’t have nearly any of her family problems. I also have close to nothing in common with Park. I am not a minority by any means I am a straight white woman and have never really felt out of place as Park did before he met Eleanor. Though I have almost nothing in common with these two characters they still changed me in ways I never thought would happen. The book changed the way I looked at others and the way I perceive others around me. I have started to think about my classmates for what they do and not what they look like or for their family. There are so many people that you just make a judgment on without thinking. Some of these judgements are rude and some are just harmless thoughts that you have. For example, some of my peers wear off-brand clothing and I have judged them for it. It wasn’t anything harsh but in my head, I started to think about them differently. Until I read this book I never realized that I took a person's clothing into consideration about their personality way more than I should. I have started to look at people for who they are and not for what they wear. This book has truly changed me for the better based on my perception of others and the way I simply see people. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to read about Eleanor and Park when I was in high school allowing the full impact of the story to affect me. -Clara H.
0 Comments
Have you ever felt out of place in your own skin? Dumplin’ is all about a girl named Willowdean Dickson. She works at a fast food restaurant called Harpy’s. Working there, she meets Bo. Bo is a jock from private school. But, Bo soon transfers to Will’s school. When she starts falling for Bo, she is shocked to see him like her back. “Beautiful, he says. Fat, I think. But why can’t it be both at the same time?” Will makes the abrupt decision to enter her town's local beauty pageant, the “Teen Miss Blue Bonnet” pageant. Her mom, the director and former winner of the “Miss Teen Blue Bonnet” pageant, is shocked to find out that Will enters the pageant. The story takes you through Will’s point of view of her journey through the pageant and self confidence. The author urges readers to think beyond stereotypes and focus on what you think of yourself instead of what others think. Will has a best friend, El. I was surprised when they let the pageant come between their friendship. Will and El both entered the pageant for different reasons, raising a disagreement. They had been friends since they were 5 and they let their opinions come between them. The writing of the book had a lot of Southern “slang” which is expected knowing the book is based in Texas. It was fun but also challenging to figure out what all of their explanations meant. It was also fun to read it in my head with a southern accent. I learned many lessons from this book. I learned that my opinion about myself is more important than others. I learned that if I want something to change, then I have to do it myself. I have also learned to never assume you know what someone else is going through. This book has made me have more empathy for others. I have learned that just because someone is different, that doesn’t and shouldn’t define them. It also taught me to be more confident in and about myself. In the words of Willowdean Dickson, “Every body is a bikini body.” by Rachel M. Written by Julie Murphy, the book Dumplin’ is centered around Willowdean, a plus-sized Texas teen. Willowdean works at a local fast-food joint where she meets Bo, a cute, preppy athlete who she later learns will be transferring to her school that fall. She begins to develop a crush on Bo, and he begins to show interest in her. Instead of finding self-assurance, Willowdean begins to lose her confidence and wonders why he would like a girl like her. She is dubbed “Dumplin’” by her mom, who happens to be a former beauty queen and the director of the Miss Clover City beauty pageant, which takes over their town every year. She decides to enter her mom’s precious pageant in part to gain back her confidence, and in part protest, which eventually develops into a full bore revolution when other class outcasts beginning following in her footsteps. I found it interesting how even though Dumplin’ takes place in a high school setting in rural America, Willowdean still has an extensively different life than me. One of the most considerable differences between Willowdean and I is her struggle with maintaining a healthy weight and how that has affected her everyday life. I think everyone has at some point felt self conscious about their appearance or body, but with Willowdean, her weight seems to be a constant factor hanging in the back of her mind. Because she is much larger than most other girls her age, things as simple as going swimming or shopping are a huge struggle for her. Because she has had so much experience with teasing and bullying over her size, she has a very hard time trusting people, even if they have good intentions. Throughout the novel, Willowdean has to learn to ignore the haters and keep her self-worth high. She thinks to herself in the book, “Beautiful, he says. Fat, I think. But can’t I be both at the same time?” She can’t deny that she is overweight, but she can realize that size and appearance aren’t everything. This book made me process how destructive negative comments can really be. We never really know what’s going on in someone’s life, and it’s not okay to share our own opinions if they are going to tear someone else down. Just because someone looks or acts differently than you, it doesn’t mean that they are any less in need of support. Also, it really made me think about the importance of self-worth and how you can’t love someone until you learn to love yourself. Willowdean struggles being in a relationship, until she realizes that just because she’s bigger than most other girls, she’s still beautiful. I realized that you should never worry what others think of you, because your own opinions matter so much more than anyone else’s. Kendra B. |
AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
All
Archives
November 2022
|