“Hate ricochets, but kindness does to,” a theme that echoes throughout this story (Roe 178). The venom that these characters face is strong and at times overwhelming, but the perseverance and enthusiasm of the characters is just as tenacious. A List of Cages by Robin Roe is written through the perspectives of two high school boys, Julian and Adam, and their story of coming together. Julian's parents died in a car crash, leaving Julian alone. His mentor and only friend, Adam is an older individual that Julian finds solace in. Adam finds out that Julian’s guardian, his uncle, has abused Julian to the point of submission. Julian's abuse leads to Adams intervention and reinforcement as they persist on to fight the evil in Julian’s life. The author shows the reader that anyone can get through tough times, no matter the difficulty. Any wall can be scaled. A List of Cages was one of the most riveting stories that I have ever read. What happens to Julian throughout the story had me in utter shock. There were many points where I had to put down my book, stop, and try to comprehend what was going on, or just let the horrors of what I just read sink in. I think the part that shocked me the most is the fact that this could happen, and how grounded in reality the story felt. It changed my view on Decorah especially. I think of the horrors that Julian endured, and I think,“this couldn’t happen in Decorah.” Our town doesn’t see very many people struggle through tough times like Julian does. If something like that did happen, our perception of our community would alter considerably. I think what the author showed me is that anything can happen to anyone. Julian didn’t ask to be abused, but he unfortunately succumbed to the torture. But also the author accented his comeback and Adams assistance to help Julian back. I think in this story, Adam represents us, the reader, the normal person. Julian on the other-hand is the special case, the case that sticks out. Adam is the helping hand to the fallen friend, the one to dust off the dirt and get them back going again. Reading this book did many things to show me who I want to be: The harsh tortures and abuse that Julian suffers made me stop, but the response and comeback of Julian and Adam left me inspired. What I pull from this story is that no matter what happens, I can bounce back, or help someone come back. I think of it as Newton’s third law of physics. For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. No matter how hard someone hits, no matter how deep the cut, you can comeback hitting just as hard. What this book made me think about is how I can help others that struggle. I learned to strive to help others on, to look on the bright side of life. An analogy I like to quote is, “There is always a light in the darkness,” always a hand to help you up. This book gave me the ability to look for the positive, and to know that someone will be there for you. Like Adam helps Julian, there is always someone to help. Whether I am the helping hand, or the one in need, A List of Cages has taught me the lesson of perseverance. By Mitchell L.
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The time period of World War 2 is not easy for Japanese Americans. They have been sent to internment camps in fear that they still have loyalty to Japan. That is what happens to Yuki Nakahara. Yuki has pledged full loyalty to America, but other American people still don’t trust him. He decides he needs to prove it by enlisting in the United States Army and fight against the Germans. He convinces his friend Shig to enlist with and after about a year of training, they set sail to Italy. Yuki is part of the Japanese American regiment known as the 4-4-2. The regiment is put through countless seemingly impossible battles, because the generals believe that the 4-4-2 is less important than other regiments composed of white soldiers. Yuki does very well in battle, but loses many of his friends that he met in training camp. This book is told by the author, Dean Hughes. I think Hughes wants the reader to know how the Japanese Americans were treated in America and the Japanese American soldiers fighting in the war. It’s something that people need to know so we can learn from it and not let history repeat itself. One part of the book that both challenged me and surprised was when Yuki returns home from war. He is taking a train back to the internment camp that his family is currently living in. the train stops in Denver for an hour, so Yuki decides to get a haircut. When he enters the barbershop, the barber says, “Sorry soldier, but we don’t cut Jap hair here. You need to turn around and walk back out that door”(Hughes 229). Before returning from war, Yuki had received a purple heart and a silver star for going above and beyond the call of duty. He was wearing those medals on his uniform when he walked into the barbershop. To me, getting a purple heart and a silver star is proving loyalty to your country. But the barber just thinks of Yuki as another Jap that he can’t trust. This book helps me realize that at the end of the day, no matter what race or religion, we are all Americans. Everybody has the right to live in this country with the same rights as anybody else. They should not have to risk their life, go through the horrors of war and receive a life threatening injury, just to get a haircut.Also, after reading this book I have a new perspective of World War 2. I always that that our white American soldier fought back and defeated the Germans for the United States, which did happen. But I had no idea that there was an entire battle regiment composed of all Japanese American soldiers, and that they were a major help in winning the war. Without the 4-4-2, who knows how the war might have changed or ended. By Galen I. I, personally, have never been discriminated against because of my race, gender, or sexual orientation. But for Sana Kiyohara, an Asian American girl living on the west coast, this does not even come close to a true statement. Early into the story It’s Not Like It’s a Secret by Misa Sugiura, she moves to California and starts life at a new school with new people. Sana ends up falling for a sales clerk at some big furniture store during the summer. When Sana recognizes this same girl going to her new school, she quickly joins the cross country team to be near her, and become friends. In the long run, Sana and Jamie fall in love with each other. But Jamie is Mexican. And, this isn’t the only thing on Sana’s mind. She starts to believe that her dad may be having an affair with another woman, and Sana thinks her mother doesn’t know about it. I think what surprised me most about this book is how much racism and stereotyping Sana actually encountered. Such as when she was at a party and just dancing, “‘Omigod, Sana, you look like a freak yelling for the Midwest now!’ … ‘I mean, you do not look like a Midwest farmer’s daughter!’” It was shocking how many characters in the book actually used stereotypes, even those of the race or background that they were stereotyping. Authoritative figures would unintentionally point these things out, or just notice them, and act upon that. When Sana first started going to her new school, the first person she talked to was a “goth” or “emo” boy named Caleb who sat behind her in her math class. Right away, Caleb noticed, not only was she new, but Asian, and automatically thought, even told her, that she was going to end up in the group of Asian girls, which was basically just a group of three Asian girls. Sure enough, the girls came over and snatched her up. All of the girls in that group would use stereotypes and racism, about and even against themselves. That really proved what I had been thinking, which was that people had been influenced so much by society that they were using racism and stereotypes against themselves, and thought that it was not only right to do so, but that the stereotypes were correct. After reading this book, I realized just how much society can impact people. How even authoritative figures can sometimes fall into the traps of stereotyping and racism. Because sometimes it’s easier to generalize people based on a obvious physical characteristic, instead of actually getting to know that single person for who they are. This book really has changed several aspects of my perspective. It causes me to look at some things differently, and some people, and think of what, maybe, they might have gone/been going through. It makes me wonder, if I was in their shoes, how I might react to stereotypes and racism towards me. As a caucasian girl, I haven’t had to deal with these, because I am an unintentionally “privileged” white girl. But if I were someone of a different background, race, ethnicity, social standing, or sexual orientation, I wonder, would I be treated the same? By Jordan S. Two people who fall madly in love live polar opposite lives, yet still find a way to communicate with one another and see each other. The book, Like No Other, by Una LaMarche, is about two teenagers, Devorah and Jaxon, who’d seem to live similar lives to someone who doesn’t know them. They’re both 16, they go to the same school, and even live in the same neighborhood, even with all of that in common, they live more opposite lives than anyone could probably imagine. The author switches perspectives from each of the main characters, Devorah and Jaxon, every chapter throughout the whole book. The author wants readers to see that even with drastic differences and both internal and external conflicts in the way, two people can still come together. This could be applied to individuals, groups of people, or even whole nations. At the beginning of this book, I thought, “No way these two people can ever be friends.” On page 76 in the book, Jaxon says “My mother used to say that no one knows what's going on in a stew but the pot and the spoon” (LaMarche). Jaxon said it to Devorah because he never could never fully know what’s going on in her life, because she’s the only that would ever know the whole truth. The whole beginning of the story is almost set up to make you think that they are going to hate one another. As the story evolved along with Devorah and Jaxon’s relationship, I began to realize that they have much more in common than I thought; they get along very well, and they like and care about each other very much. Throughout the book, the author has chapters that seem like Devorah and Jaxon have completely changed their minds about one another, but then you realize this is just the author’s way of making readers realize how strong of a relationship the two individuals have. After reading this book, I realized that I could be much more open-minded about other people who are very different from me; whether that be that they are a different race, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or gender than me. The book made think I should try to expose myself to more people who are very different than me. Many of my friends are very similar to me: white, Christian, grew up in small-town Iowa, and mid to upper-mid class. There isn’t much diversity in my school or in Decorah in general. Fortunately, my parents have made it a point to teach and expose me to people who are drastically different than me. Usually, this has been through travel or the internet. I think this book will help me a lot in the future to make a point of exposing myself to very diverse communities, ones that are very different than me. By Justin R. Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina is about two latina girls’ battle over swishy butts, in which Piddy Sanchez, the character telling the story, seems to be losing. Yaqui Delgado doesn’t like that another latina has joined her school, and she definitely doesn’t like that Piddy catches the eye of her boyfriend. Piddy tells her story as she goes through life dealing with jealousy of her best friend, loneliness, and growing up. After being beat up and videotaped without a shirt on, Piddy realizes she can’t let a bully take over her life and finally takes a step up. This book tells a very realistic story, in which Meg Medina reveals what it’s like to be bullied. My favorite part about this book is that it’s not just about bullying. It’s not a stereotypical bullying story- in fact, it’s the most interesting bullying story I’ve ever read because the characters are Spanish. What I notice is that this book has a ton of conflict pouring through it. Piddy is being bullied, trying to find out who her father is, and also dealing with having her best friend move away. This really surprised me because the author captures so many emotions in such a beautiful way. Piddy is afraid of Yaqui, longing for her father, and also jealous of her best friend’s new amigos. Even though the title is completely aggressive, the text inside this book is extremely heartfelt. This has really challenged me because I’m usually judging books by their covers. In smalls ways, this books has changed me for the better. It’s easy to stereotype anyone or think that all people of one race live a certain way. Because I’ve only seen a certain race of people talk about bullying, this is eye opening. This book also helped me understand why bullies bully. A quote from this book hits me right in the heart: “You know where this Yaqui girl is going to be in a few years if she doesn't change? She'll still be there, same as always in her old neighborhood--a nobody with nothing. And guess what? That's her worst fear…” (Medina). This is an ultimate truth and my favorite quote from this book because it shows Yaqui as vulnerable. I’m starting to realize that bullies have an underlying reason for doing what they do. If only the world had more empathy. By Greta R. The Energy Bus, by Jon Gordon explains how to become a positive person, teammate, and worker. Through each chapter of the book, a new rule is taught to help teach and guide the main character. In the story, an enthusiastic women named Joy teaches these rules to a young, desperate man trying to save his job. This desperate man’s name is George. He is struggling to keep his family together, as well as save his job. When he wakes up one morning to a flat tire on his car, he assumes that there is no hope for him, until he meets Joy. Joy teaches him the 10 rules to fuel his positive energy. When the author tells the story through ten different chapters about ten different rules, the idea of the energy bus is created. Each rule will determine if George’s energy bus will succeed, or go tumbling down a cliff. This book isn’t only a story, it is a lesson to the reader. I learned something new in each chapter that showed me how to harness the power of positive energy. One rule made me think the most. The sixth rule states, “No energy vampires are allowed on your bus” (Gordon 74). In order to keep my bus going, I need to make sure everyone is on the same page, so the work that needs to be done, gets done. It only takes one person to create a bump in the road. This rule showed me that everything and everyone on my bus needs to be positive. I also thought it was ironic that Joy teaches George about an energy bus, when in fact she is a bus driver. It’s as if the real bus acts as her energy bus. She keeps everyone on her bus full with positive energy. It’s like her job is to show each passenger the key to a happy and positive life. After each chapter of the book, I would reflect on the rule stated and try to figure out how I could use that rule in my everyday life. This book is a constant reminder that I should try harder to make my life more positive. High school goes by fast, and you only get one shot at it. Why waste it on negative energy and thoughts that aren’t going to matter in a few years? This book has taught be to believe in myself and don’t take things for granted. Just like George, I have learned to harness the power of positive energy. Now, I just have to work on transferring that positive energy to others. By Ambria P. "There are moments in life when you are faced with an impossible decision; a choice must be made when you no longer live for yourself." writes the author Bryan Reardon. In the novel Finding Jake, by Bryan Reardon, Jake’s dad is forced to ask himself how much he really knows about someone he loves, his son Jake. The tragic events in Finding Jake are told by Jake’s dad, Simon. Bryan Reardon wants us to feel all the emotions that come from school shootings. According to Simon, Jake is a perfect little boy that could do no harm. Simon will be faced with an impossible decision, does he stop searching and believe all the community members, or does he search until he finds the truth. Jake is one of two students that the police can’t find in the school. Unfortunately, the police and parents are treating Jake like a suspect instead of a victim since they have not discovered his body. Sadly, even though there is no evidence to support that Jake had anything to do with the shooting, parents have jumped to the conclusion that he was involved. Jake’s dad can’t honestly admit that he knows everything about his son. We end up realizing that Jake is still a sweet and shy boy, but has a big story to tell. Finding Jake met multiple challenges, which is one reason why I chose it. This fictional novel was written about a horrible situation that I thankfully have never had to go through, a school shooting. I picked this because intense books about tragic events always lure me in. I also selected this book because I wanted to feel all the emotions that come with school shootings. This book was definitely an emotional challenge for me knowing that a school shooting could happen any day at school. I was apprehensive in believing that Jake could have done something so terrible when his dad told us he was a perfect little boy, who was shy and always hid away in his books. I found it very intriguing to read because it was an authentic school shooting like we have in our world today. Reading about a person in a different position and view was very eye opening and engrossing. Looking through the eyes of a dad with two children forced me to see new perspectives. It made me appreciate how much my parents protect me, how much they push me, and how controlling they are sometimes. Simon’s tragedy has also forced me to be conscious of how adults regard situations. From reading this book, I want to do my best to view and consider different circumstances that may arise in my future. This book also truly shows us that our society doesn’t dig deep enough to find the real solution to many problems. In addition, the book shows us we don’t always know what others are dealing with, and we don’t always know a person’s true story. Even when no one believes you, if you believe in something enough, you just might be able to prove your point. You can make it through that impossible decision that you had to make when you no longer lived for yourself. At the end of this novel, Simon proves his point that Jake is a perfect and sometimes shy little boy and that everyone should be thankful for the courageous act that Jake accomplished. Simon addresses how wonderful a son, brother, and friend Jake was. Jake can be a lesson to everyone, after all, he saved us. By Kalea O. Often in history, white people’s accomplishments are praised while African American people’s accomplishments are overlooked. In Hidden Figures, the author, Margot Lee Shetterly, really tries to capture this idea and show African American people’s accomplishments. The book commemorates four African American women’s achievements that are otherwise disregarded in American history. It explains the stories of Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson, Katherine Globe, and Christine Darden’s involvement in sending a man to the moon. The women, despite the prejudice against their skin color and gender during the ongoing Civil Rights Era, applied and received jobs as professional mathematicians at the research center, Langley. They face a lot of discrimination in their journey, but they persevere and overcome obstacles to contribute to one of America’s greatest accomplishments. Within my readings of Hidden Figures, I was able to view history and other people’s lives in a different light. I had no idea how much African American women have influenced America and so many of our achievements. It is not a subject that we study in school, so this book shows a side of history we don’t exactly learn about. As I watched the women’s journeys unfold, I caught a glimpse of four brave women and their fight with discrimination. Hidden Figures put me into a position where I had to think about the struggles of people that came before me who helped to pave the way for me to achieve my goals. Also, it solidified to me how lucky I am to be born in the time I was and to have the life I have lived so far where I am not discriminated against for my gender or skin color and am free to pursue my dreams without worry of persecution. Through the connection I developed with the women and their stories, I learned a great deal about their lives and what they went through to achieve what they did. I experienced their struggles with discrimination which I have never experienced with my life. I felt the women’s disappointments along with their achievements. I learned how lucky I am that strong women like these paved the way to make my goals a little more obtainable. The women’s work to help pave the way for others coming after them is explained when the author says, “Each women who had come before had cracked the hole in the wall a little wider, allowing the next talent to come through. Now Mary wanted to make room for the women coming behind her” (Shetterly 159). The women’s stories opened my eyes to how others have worked to make my goals more in reach. Another eye-opener was how hard some people used to or might still have to work to be seen as an equal in society while I have always felt as though I am equal to all of my peers. It seems unreal the amount of perseverance that I gathered from these women and the strength their stories gave me to keep pushing to make my dreams a reality, and everyone who reads this book will gain some strength from their stories as well. By Danielle L. “‘Did anyone ever tell you that you weren’t normal?’ ‘Is that something I should aspire to?’” - Benjamin Alire Saenz One of the most difficult parts of life, for some people, is discovering who they are. In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, by Benjamin Alire Saenz, a teenage boy named Aristotle, or Ari, has to learn how to understand his feelings and be himself. The story takes place in El Paso, Texas during the late 1980s. In the beginning of the book Ari meets, and becomes friends with, a boy named Dante, who is unlike anyone he has ever met. Ari’s father fought in a war and now is very emotionally distant and Ari’s brother is in prison and Ari barely knows anything about him. Ari doesn’t have much experience with dealing with feelings so when he becomes friends with sensitive Dante and his tight-knit family it is a big change for him, which he decides isn’t so bad. Dante has a very unique way of seeing the world and Ari learns many life lessons from trying to see the world in this way. Ari feels very alone and isolated from the rest of the world, but he thinks that he likes that. Dante teaches Ari how to be confident in himself and how to not be alone. This book is written from the perspective of Ari, which I found very interesting to read. From his perspective I got to see the way his thoughts changed and matured throughout the story as he learned who he is. I got to see his reactions to things and compare them to my own. Ari is a very relatable character, even though he is almost nothing like me. Discovering who you are and the feelings that go with this are very easy to relate to. The author did a fantastic job of showing complex feelings very accurately and making the story understandable to many different people. I also thought another very interesting part of this book was the juxtaposition of Ari and Dante. These two characters have two completely different ways of thinking and have almost opposite personalities, yet they are able to become very close friends. This could be seen as some kind of statement being made by the author about getting to know people and how you can become friends with people you never thought you would. Immediately after I finished reading I knew that this book had become of of my favourites of all time. It is not only very relatable, as I said before, but also offers readers a different perspective as well. Ari and Dante are both very different from me and growing up in a different time period with far less acceptance of people’s differences.. This book very clearly shows the effect that homophobia and racism can have on people’s thoughts and the way they see themselves. It also talks about topics like PTSD and what it would be like to have a family member in prison. The story tackles all of these topics without the plotline becoming too confusing or heavy, while also expressing important life lessons. I thought that the way this story was written was absolutely beautiful. The author’s writing style and use of metaphors and symbolism makes the meaning of the story really stand out and makes you connect with the emotion in the book. This story went along with my way of thinking almost perfectly and I loved how it expressed the idea that being yourself, no matter what other people think of you, is the real secret of the universe. By Ruby L. Gloria Steinem told the world, “A feminist is anyone who recognizes the equality and full humanity of women and men.” Here We Are: Feminism for the Real World addresses people who think like Gloria, whether they cannonballed into the sea of feminism or they are dipping their toes into it for the first time. The book itself is a melting pot of essays, comics, poems, and illustrations. It throws together authors of all races, ethnicities, genders, sexual orientations, religious backgrounds, and disabilities into one colorful basket to tell about their own experiences and encounters with feminism. Feminism is a tough word to swallow for many people. In my years, I have seen an endless garbage fire of hate bashing the concept, the majority of which comes from uninformed and uneducated citizens. Here We Are undeniably provides enough facts and anecdotes to form and inform public opinions, while being written in an open, welcoming style. The fact that it has a diverse menagerie of authors and illustrators makes it doubly approachable, as any kid on the block could pick up this book and be able to relate to something inside. My own opinions were solidified by the stories I dove into and people I empathized with. If you make the leap, you will find deep connections and stories that suit your meaning of feminism. When reading Here We Are, I already knew that I had feminism in my blood; however, strong wordings in each piece left their mark on how I defined it. One that particularly stuck with me was from Laverne Cox: “...you can define what it means to be a man or woman on your own terms. A lot of what feminism is about is moving outside of roles and… expectations of who and what you’re supposed to be to live a more authentic life” (Allen 75). I believe that every man, woman, child, or non-binary human being should be able to live the life they choose for themselves. Laverne’s description of feminism as a concept that a person can individualize and make their own really opened me up to that view of life. That being said, the main take away from this book for me was that anyone can be a feminist. So many people are raised to believe that only cisgender women can be true feminists. Now I’ve learned: that simply isn’t true. Feminism is what you make of it. Anyone who reads this book will agree. By Lillian G. |
AuthorSTenth grade students at Decorah High School share how they're reading outside of their own experiences and how it has changed them. Categories
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