Final Reading Response

        Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi, is a book about a high school sophomore named Miles who moved to live with his Pop in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina changed his life forever. Miles, his Pop, and his uncle all ended up in the crowded Super dome. In the beginning of the book, Miles and his pop (Doc) weren't that close. Pop cared about his horn more than he did about Miles. It was weird to me because Miles has been living his entire life with his mother, and he barely spends time with his father - but yet they still don't get along. But, by the end of the book their relationship grew and they got closer to each other.   
        In the middle of the book - while they're stuck in the Super dome, Miles says "It wasn't a big space between us, but it felt like it was from one end of a football field to the other." I think Miles is trying to say is that even though he was sitting right next to his Pop, their relationship felt farther away. I love when he says that because Miles is the kind of person who keeps their thoughts and feelings bottled up ; and it's nice to hear that he is expressing his feelings. When Miles says that, it shows to me that he wants his relationship with his Pop to be better ; he wants to get along with his Pop. But I was disappointed when I realized he didn't say it to his father.
        At the end of the book, when Miles is hugging his Pop he says "There wasn't any space between us, and for once every part of me felt close to him." When Miles says there wasn't any space between him and his Pop, I think he's trying to say that his and his Pops relationship has grew/ became stronger through out the entire time they has spent with each other. Also, when Miles says "for once every part of me felt close to him," I think he's trying to say is that a hug was all he needed to see that his Pop actually cared and loved him more than his music.
          Another way Miles knew that his Pop loved him more than his music was when they had a fight with the looters. In the fight, Pops horn got bent and messed up, but when the looters ran away Pop didn't care about the horn, he asked Miles if he was okay. That really shows to Miles and us the readers that Pop is truly loving and that he really cares about Miles more than his music. I think Pop just doesn't have a good way of showing his love towards Miles. 
          I can relate to this book because I don't have a very good relationship with my mom, we don't get along, so it was nice for me to know that I wasn't the only kid out there who doesn't get along with their parent/ parents. There is those times where I feel really close to my mom just like Miles when he was hugging his dad. But there are also those times where we just fight constantly like in some of the parts in the book between Miles and his Pop.
        Overall, Miles now knows that his Pop really cares about him. Throughout the book Miles and his Pops relationship changed in a good way, their relationship grew and now they're so much closer. I was hoping that at the end of the book Miles will tell his Pop what he thinks of him ; but I guess he didn't need to because everything for solved. I think what changed them and helped there relationship was the Super dome, because they were together the whole time - trapped in a crowded area, so they learned how to deal with each other. I actually really liked the whole ending when they had the fight with the looters ; it showed the readers that Miles and his Pop could actually get along after all.
              I love how Paul Volponi allows us to experience all the fear, confusion, and problems people in New Orleans experienced during Hurricane Katrina. He does a really good job describing the bad living conditions in the Super dome. I felt like I was in the Super dome with them during Hurricane Katrina. It was such a powerful book to me, and it left a big impression on me as a reader and as a person.