Final reading response on the Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

          With loss comes maturity. I believe that you become stronger when you experience a death of a loved one. The death of a loved one can affect someone and their childhood and can force them to grow up at a young age. The main character Arnold attended 42 funerals in his life, and with each funeral he became just a little bit stronger and a little bit more mature. Although Arnold is only 14 years old he is confronted with the death of his loved ones over and over again. For Arnold, death is pretty much normal and it comes knocking on his family's door time after time. In the story Arnold finds that death is a hard thing to cope with, even though his emotions are senseless. All the deaths Arnold was confronted with was because of poverty or alcoholism.

          After Arnold experiences the tragic event of his grandma's death he becomes glum and depressed. Arnold's grandma was one of his favorite people, he talks to her about all of his issues and she gives him the best advice; she was his go-to girl. He trusted his grandma and since he and Rowdy aren't friends anymore his grandma was really the only person he would go to, to talk about his problems and get advice. Now that she has passed away he feels alone and angry. Arnold was very angry because she got killed by a drunk driver. He talks about wanting to beat this driver up. "I think my dad wanted to go find the driver and beat him up. I think I would have helped too." Arnold even says "I was so depressed that I thought about dropping out of Reardan." But he didn't, his grandma's death made him more confident in himself and made him wiser. I had an experience similar to Arnold but not exactly the same reaction as he had. When my grandma died I didn't feel the anger that Arnold explains but I was upset. In Arnold's situation I probably would've been angry too but  in the situation with my grandma she didn't die from another person's mistake, she was just old and not really healthy. My grandma dying was a difficult moment for me like it was for Arnold, it made me very sad but I never came to the point of being depressed like Arnold was.

          Eugene, Arnold's dad's best friend - an alcoholic, got shot in the face. Eugene's death affects Arnold's life and makes Arnold think and look at the world in a different perspective. Eugene had a large impact on Arnold's life. He was sorta of like a mentor to Arnold, he wasn't always their when Arnold needed him but he was sometimes. Eugene would always stand up for him and help him with academics. Whenever Arnold's with Eugene he feels respected, I guess now that he's gone Arnold feels like a tiny ant that everyone steps on, but he changed after a while, he demanded respect and he showed that to his classmates by the way he speaks ( he speaks like he's more confident in himself .) I guess you could say that Eugene was his idol and he wanted to be like him - brave and confident and that's what he accomplished by the end of the book.

          When his sister Mary passed away he was feeling the same way as he did for his grandma's death. He was angry and pissed because Mary died because she was having a party and everyone was too busy drinking/ getting drunk to notice that a fire has started in the trailer. They both died of alcoholism. His sister eloped and moved to Montana because she felt trapped in her basement and she wanted to do something with her life, so she moved to Montana and got married. Arnold is a scrape goat. Mary's death affected Arnold because he felt guilty and everyone was blaming him for her death because when Arnold left the reservation she felt she needed to leave too. He doesn't know how to react to his sister's death, he feels like "every planet in [his] solar system has exploded."

          Death may be a part of life but senseless deaths and preventable deaths such as deaths caused by poverty or alcoholism are the biggest tragedy. Even though we face lots of deaths in our lives we must find the joy in our life and move on. Death can affect someone and their childhood, it can affect them in bad ways and good ways, in this story Arnold's losses affected him in both good and bad ways, both good and bad ways changed him in the person he is today- a strong, independent and confident young man.

Reading response on The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

             I'm reading The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian. It's a novel about a Native American teenager that wants to do something differently with his life, so he goes to an off-reservation school called Reardan and he has trouble fitting in with his Indian heritage. But since he went to Reardan he has changed a lot.       
               One thing I've noticed so far that shows that Juniors growing up is the fact that he wants a good future ahead of him, and he has more responsibilities. "Three times, I had to walk the whole way. Twenty -two miles. I got blisters each time." (pg.87) Now that he has grown up his father stopped driving him to school everyday, so sometimes Junior walks 22 miles to get to school and to get home from school.
                      
                Another thing that shows Juniors growing up is that he went to a new school. A new school opens  the doors of more responsibilities and more independence. "I want to go to Reardan," he said "No, if I don't go now, I never will. I have to do it now." (pg.46)Junior was determined to have a good education and be more successful so he went to a white school - Reardan. Even though he was afraid of the white people he still went ; that shows that he's changing because he's braver now than before.
                       
                  Another thing I've noticed that shows that Juniors growing up is that he stands up for himself now, not all the time but more than before. Before he would depend on Rowdy to solve all his problems. Rowdy would protect him any time someone tries to beat him up and he would defend him. Since that fight he had with Rowdy he's on his own and honestly I think he's doing pretty good on his own, he's becoming a more independent young man. "Grandma, I punched this big guy in the face because he was bullying me." (pg.68) I think it was good that they had fought because if they hadn't, Junior wouldn't be who he is today.

                 These are just a few signs that shows that Juniors growing up. I'm only half way through the book but he's already changing, he's an independent young man now and I can't wait until I finish the rest of the book. This book is amazing and it connects with me so much, mostly on how his culture is affecting him and his childhood, forcing him to grow up at a young age.

What does it mean to grow up ? In what ways are and aren’t you grown up ? What are your feelings about this ? Prompt #9

          Many people think growing up is to put all your childhood toys away and to stop running around the playground. What does it mean to grow up ? That thought has been in my mind for a while now, and now that I think about it, to grow up means to become more mature/ responsible. It doesn't necessarily mean that you have to stop playing with toys but it means you have to become responsible for your actions and be aware of what you're doing and saying.    

          Growing up means that you are starting to think less of yourself and more of others. It's when you stop depending on others and become more responsible. When you take the blame for your screw-ups and learn from your mistakes, or better yet watch what others do and learn from their mistakes. It's when you face reality, and you find a way to go through life respectfully and responsibly. When you learn how to solve your problems by talking it out rather than fighting.
         
          Growing up can also be kind of psychological if you really think about it. It's when you feel like an adult, when you feel like you can handle whatever life throws at you. When you know where you're heading and what you're doing. It's also a time where you feel like you earned enough respect to be taken as seriously as adults. It's hard to explain, it's an inside/ interior feeling that's different for many people.

          I honestly don't know if I've "grown up" mentally, I mean I think I'm more mature than some of the people in this school, but I have those moments when I act silly and childish. I hate the fact that I act so silly at times, but it's my personality and I can't change that. I've become more responsible but I still depend on other people. I don't think I've earned enough respect to be taken as seriously as an adult, I guess I could say I'm misunderstood. Some people think of me as a stupid, immature little girl stuck in a 14 year old body. And I've been asked by someone in this school if my real hair color was blonde and that got me upset. People tell me "as long as you know it's not true then it doesn't matter" well I know it's not true, I'm not stupid, it's just someones silly opinion about me but I can't help but be self-conscious about it.

           Growing up is a process, it takes time. Growing up can be physical, like getting older, or it can be mentally like maturing. Either way, everyone grows up physically and mentally. People grow up at different paces and they go through all of these phases of growing up at different times in their lives.

Afraid of dying

        All my life, well as long as I can remember I've been afraid of dying. When I was young I wouldn't really think about it as much, but from the time I turned 13 on into my teenage years, the thought of dying has taken over my life. I'm afraid of dying before I get married, have kids, go to college and dying before I'm an old old lady. I want to die like Rose from the Titanic, an old lady warm in her bed, with many kids.

I've been thinking about death a lot lately and here are some thoughts I think about:
- When am I going to die?
- How am I going to die?
- What will it feel like?
- What if I die without being truly happy?
- What if I die before I accomplish all the things I want to do in my life?
- What if I die before I get married?
- If I die, who would come to my funeral?
- Who would cry?

        For the past couple of days, all my dreams have been about death and people dying. For example, on Saturday night, the night before Mother's day, I dreamed that my mother passed away. And my dad had fell in love with some other woman and all of sudden I had a step-mom and 2 new sisters. And in my dream it was Mother's day the next morning so we went to the cemetery, and I placed flowers on my mom's grave and I was just crying and crying. I actually woke up that night, went into my mom's room and checked if she was still in her bed ; if she was still alive.
       
        I'm afraid of dying because I don't want to lose everything I have here on earth. It's scary because I don't know when I'm going to die and when I do I won't be able to say goodbye to my family. I don't want to lose my loved ones and the people I care about ; I'm afraid to leave behind the people I love. Just the thought of not being able to see my family anymore, not being able to talk to them anymore, and not being able to play with them anymore makes me more afraid of dying.

        I'm also afraid of dying because of all the pain. I've been through lots of pain through out my life and it hurts, I can't even imagine how much pain I would be in when I die. I would rather my death to be as painless as possible. I want to die in my sleep rather then by a car accident or dying from an illness or from a fire.

        I know that everyone dies someday, somehow and I understand that and I accept that but that doesn't change the fact that I'm still afraid. I will always be afraid my entire life, I mean some people grow out of it and they're not afraid anymore but I won't grow out of it. I might just not think about it as much when I'm older but I will always be afraid of dying.

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.

Revised Reading Response On Hurricane Song

          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 Superdome, 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, 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 Pop's 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, Pop's 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 he Pop just doesn't have a good way of showing his love towards Miles.
        Overall, Miles now knows that his Pop really cares about him. Throughout the book Miles and his Pop's 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 Superdome, because they were together the whole time - trapped in a crowded area, so they learned how to deal with each other.
       In the beginning of the book I HATED Pops ! He was so cheeky, quick- tempered, and careless. I hated how he paid more attention to his music, and cared for his music more than he did for his OWN son ! I dislike parents like that, they get me so mad ! I was also mad at Miles' mother for letting him go to New Orleans to live with his Pop, I was like "REALLY?!" Ugh, but I'm glad things worked out in the end. 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 afterall.
        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.
        I love how Paul Volponi allows us to experience all the fear, confusion, and problems people in New Orleans experienced durning Hurricane Katrina. He does a really good job describing the bad living conditions in the Superdome. I felt like I was in the Superdome with them durning 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.

Reading Response on the book Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi

          Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi, is a book about a kid 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 Superdome. There is very bad conditions such as bad living conditions, not enough food, gangs, and not enough bathrooms. They also lose all there freedom to come and go places.

     

          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 dont get along. But, by the end of the book their relationship got closer, and better.

     

           In the middle of the book - while there in the Superdome, 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 what Miles is trying to say is that even though Miles is sitting right next to his Pop, their relationship felt farther away. I really like when Miles says that because Miles is the kind of person who keeps their 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. 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, 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 Pop's 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 what 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, Pop's 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 he Pop just doesn't have a good way of showing his love towards Miles.

     

           Overall, Miles now knows that his Pop really cares about him. Throughout the book Miles and his Pop's 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 Superdome, because they were together the whole time - trapped in a crowded area, so they learned how to deal with each other.

 

           In the begining of the book I HATED Pops ! He seemed so rude and mean ! I hated how he paid more attention to his music, and cared for his music more than he did for his OWN son ! I dislike parents like that, they get me so mad ! I was also mad at Miles' mother for letting him go to New Orleans to live with his Pop, I was like "REALLY?!" Ugh, but I'm glad things worked out in the end. I actually liked the whole ending when they had the fight with the looters ; it showed the readers that Miles and his Pop could get along afterall.

           
       

           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.