Beautiful Boy

The book Beautiful Boy by David Sheff is about a memoir about a father’s journey through his son’s drug addiction, and how he tries to help his son, Nic. In this book, it’s kind of a comparison on how Nic used to be before meth and he started using meth. This story may have needed Nic’s thoughts through out the book. I think it would have been interesting to show Nic’s side of the fight through this book.

         In this book, Sheff talks about his son’s on going therapy and drug use. He talks about how different therapists had helped his son change for a period of time. He had said that one therapist had Nic feeling good about him self and signing him up for teams, strengthening his school work. He tells of the conversations he had with Nic and that helps the reader imagine the kind of boy Nic is. For example, reading about Nic and knowing about his childhood my thoughts have come to this: Nic is a fun loving boy, wants to excel at school, and wants to maintain responsibilities. But why did he get arrested? Why was he in rehab? Addiction, as I have learned is a scary thing. I'm guessing that stopping is hard, the wanting to stop but you can’t seem to push yourself to stop. It feels that way with my use of internet. I can never get bored. I can for hours on end without having to stop. Nic’s addiction is probably the feeling meth gives to you. Addiction is something people turn their nose at but no one ever really knows the hardship of it. I feel worried for Nic as the book progresses.  Sheff has given me several thoughts on this problem all by giving me detail into Nic’s life.

       You wonder about Nic, about this addiction he has. It makes me think of what he was thinking that gotten him into this mess. Was it peer pressure or was it curiosity?  This is why I think the book, as amazing as it is, should also have Nic’s point of view. What did he feel when was forced into rehab would good to know. I want to how this compromised his close relationship to his father, step mom, and his half siblings. And what about his other set of parents? It seemed to me that David was paying, working hard for all of Nic’s treatments. Did Nic not tell his mom on purpose, scared to tell her? Honestly, maybe knowing how nic felt, why he acted the way he acted, gives some insight on his struggles, and battles.

       This book challenges one to see how a small decision can change our way of life and how it affects the future. It shows us not to give up on someone, because the outcome of your support just may be successes in the end.  

Chasing Brooklyn

     The book Chasing Brooklyn by Lisa Schroeder is about how a boy’s (Luca) death affected everyone he was around, specifically his girlfriend Brooklyn and his brother Nico (Both of which have point of views in this book). Everyone is in a different position in the story, and they are dealing with Luca’s death differently.

       Brooklyn is having a hard time letting go. She writes to Luca in these journals. The journals aren’t very sappy at all, more an observance of her life surrounding his death.  I think she is trying to scream her words on a page. But writing in a journal I think, has her calm down and writing in a way that makes her think and give words feeling and a momentum instead screaming nonsense. She is also seeing dreams about a friend who also killed himself because he believed he caused Luca’s death. Gabe is chasing her around and he always traps her. Brooklyn is confused when she wakes because she sees no reason for Gabe to be chasing her. I think that dreams about Gabe because she’s living in a dream like state, just like he was before he killed himself. And so I think the dreams are to make her think twice. So that she doesn’t end up causing anyone grief.

       Nico is having a harder time dealing with his brother’s death because he sees things all the time that remind him of Luca. This is a serious case nostalgia because I think that’s how he wants to remember Luca, a kid who no one associated death with. Everyone does this when someone dies because it’s a way to mourn. Nico also said that Luca was the family’s favorite son, and that he feels ignored of how after the favorite son had died, that he had to deal with the depression of the family. That can be true maybe because he feels abandoned and has to deal with own feelings, one feeling as that no one wants to talk to him or give him the right answers. He feels angry at mourners who aren’t making him feel any better, until he realizes he’s a mourner himself.

        I fit into the mourner group. The mourner group consists of no one who was close to the victim. It consists of people who are remembering a victim that was close to them or they have sympathy to those in pain. When Sammy died, I was remembering my friend who died from brain cancer last summer. It pained me to see so many dying. It brought back the ugly truth that my tutor told me “Out of 8 billion people, 10 million are going to die in this decade” What’s even more depressing is that Sammy and my other friend had to be part of that group.   

        Death can do many things to people. It puts many in depression or it brings back many memories that some hold precious to. Death is part of life, but sadly not everyone dies when their skin is wrinkly. Someone who dies at a young age hurts others more because they hadn't had the chance to live life to their fullest. It affects everyone around them. The pain never really goes away. 

Flipped

               The book Flipped by Wendelin Van Draanen is a teenage book about how a boy (Bryce) and a girl (Juli) feel about each other as they grow up. This book teaches one about a lot of social issues. One big issue is money which gets thrown around a lot in the book. Money has a lot to do how the characters are the way they are in the book.

  Juli's family has financial problems in this book. Their house is not like every other house. It is actually rented. Their yard is a mess and they have a very old car. Bryce's family is pretty wealthy. But Bryce's father ridicules Juli’s family for being this way. This is unfair. A person shouldn't be judged for the amount money they have in their wallets. They should be judged for whom they are and if they work hard. One should understand why someone is the way they are. And even if one was wealthy then they should be judged of maybe how they spend their money. Is the money being given to charity? Is it being used to make someone else’s life better? If these are all the qualities in a person, they are wealthy no matter the amount of money they have.

   There is also a reason for the financial problems Juli’s family has. Juli’s uncle is mentally and physically handicapped. All the family’s money goes into investment for her uncle. I think that the situation proves something. It proves that Juli’s parents were giving up some comforts to make sure that the uncle got most of his. They are giving up what they worked hard for so that the uncle is treated with the best care. That shows understanding and it shows heart. A lot of people in this world can’t do that and I’m sure that Bryce’s father wouldn't have been able to. Giving up so much for someone else is very hard but living with financial problems so you can give care to someone makes it worth it.

    

     Flipped shows that being wealthy doesn't matter, what matters is that you use your wealth, whatever it may be (money, knowledge, love, etc.), for the greater good. Juli has certainly learned that and Bryce’s dad may have to. Situations spring up on us, but as they may, we have to tackle them, even if we have to give something up.