A&D Second Reading

A lot happened in the second reading of A&D. One thing that keeps on frustrating me, is the envelope labeled “Bernardo” about Ari’s brother in jail. Just open it! He is obviously struggling to open it for some reason, I guess maybe he is scared. I am not totally sure, but I hope he opens it soon. I would really like to know why his brother got put in jail, and would like to see what Ari’s thoughts are about it. Ari has also started experimenting with drinking, and girls. And so has Dante. Dante has written Ari numerous times (7 times I believe), and Ari has only written to him once. Just like the envelope about his brother, I don’t understand why Ari doesn’t write Dante more. He is constantly talking about him or at least thinking about him, so just write him. Dante is becoming increasingly more forward and revealing in his letters. Just like Ari, Dante recently kissed a girl, and has told Ari all about it. In Dante’s later letters, he even reveals how the girl feels like Dante is kissing someone else, maybe even a boy. Dante doesn’t shoot this down right away, and in the next letter, he even tells Ari how he is going to tell his dad he may like boys. I would imagine that would be a pretty tough conversation to have with your dad, but Dante’s dad doesn’t seem like the kind of guy who would react in a bad way. Dante seems to be figuring himself out while he is in Chicago, whereas Ari is a mess; he is all over the place. He has a thing with Ileana, but she kind of breaks his heart and then just falls off the map with her gang involved boyfriend. It will be interesting to see where the story goes from here.

http://www.elpasotimes.com/story/archives/2016/07/13/texas-dps-report-sureo-street-gang-has-grown-el-paso/87033028/

Aristotle & Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets to the Universe has been interesting so far. Ari, whose point of view the story is from, has a complicated life. He has three siblings, yet feels like an only child. This is due to the extremely large age gap between him and his siblings. Also, his brother is in prison, and pretty much nonexistent in his life. I am really curious to see if his older brother will play at all into the story. I kind of feel like he might, seeing how often he is brought up. Then there is his father. His father was in the Vietnam war. Ari’s father is very distant. Ari is constantly talking about how he doesn’t get his father. How his father is somewhat cold, and just doesn’t talk much. He feels like he doesn’t know anything about his father. In fact, you can see this when his father tells him that he himself has bad dreams as well. Ari relishes for a split second that his dad told him something about himself. He also says how when his dad carried him when he had the flu he wished he could carry him forever, or something along those lines. I feel bad for Ari’s whole relationship with his father. I don’t think Ari’s father intends to be distant or be a bad dad, I think he is just very messed up from the war. On the other hand of the story, there is Dante. Ari meets Dante at the pool when Dante volunteers to teach him how to swim. Dante becomes Ari’s best, and pretty much first friend. Dante is similar to Ari, yet very different. Different in how outgoing he is, he knows how to swim, different in the way his relationship is to his parents. Ari’s relationship with Dante seems to be good for him so far. It is good to have friends. Ari insists to his mom that he doesn’t want or need friends, but everyone needs a friend, it’s natural. The end of our reading left us on a huge cliffhanger, as Dante was standing in the middle of the street trying to save a bird from dying, as a car came swerving around the corner. We will see what happens in the next reading!

https://www.understood.org/en/friends-feelings/managing-feelings/loneliness-sadness-isolation/how-loneliness-can-impact-kids-with-learning-and-attention-issues

Finishing American Born Chinese

I really enjoyed American Born Chinese. The entire time I was wondering how the three stories within the book would entwine, and I got super excited when it finally happened and thought it came together beautifully. I love the lessons this book tries to convey. From the start of the book it seems Jin is kind of struggling with who he is as he tries to fit in to a new school. He is constantly trying to forget where he came from it seems, and just mold in to what the kids at school are like. This can be seen when he first meets Wei-Chen, and tells him to stop speaking Chinese, as they are in America now. He has a hard time accepting his own self in this new world. This comes to full when the herbalist’s wife visits him in his dream and asks what he would like to become. Finally, Jin gives in totally, becoming a blonde haired white kid, “Danny”. At this point it is realized that Danny is Jin, and Jin is Danny. My mind was blown. Now, I was only wondering Chin-Kee’s place in the story. This was finally given when Danny, or Jin, or whatever name he wants to go by, knocks Chin-Kee’s head off, only to reveal the he is a monkey. Not just a monkey, however, he is the monkey king, and he is Wei-Chen’s father! I was dumbfounded. After taking in all this information, we see that Wei-Chen’s mission on earth to live free from human vice is put to the test when Jin tries kissing his girlfriend. Wei-Chen loses his hope in humanity, and does not want to serve these foul people. And who can blame him? People are extremely flawed, nobody is perfect, and anyone would be upset if their friend tried kissing their girlfriend. I was glad to see Jin find Wei-Chen after so long and say sorry and just start talking to him again. The book ends giving you hope as we see them laughing together. I really liked this book and the way it came together. One thing I did not mention yet, and I do not want to leave out, was one quote from the monkey king near the end of the story. He is talking to Jin and says, “You know, Jin, I could have saved myself from five hundred years’ imprisonment beneath a mountain of rock had I realized how good it is to be a monkey.” I just thought this was extremely insightful and wise, and a good quote for accepting you for yourself and to embrace it and be who you are.

http://www.themillions.com/2010/07/the-millions-interview-gene-luen-yang.html

http://www.npr.org/2008/01/23/18328964/growing-up-chinese-american-graphically