Journal Entry #7 Q2
The Devil in the White City
Page 53
Interviewing Erik Larson, the author
1. What inspired you to write about the world fair?
2. How long did it take to write the book?
3. How long was the research process?
4. Do you have any interesting stories or facts that you came across while researching for the book?
5. Who were you able to contact and use as a source for the book?
6. How do you feel about the events that occurred during the world fair that you wrote about?
7. What are some key points of information that you ultimately left out of the book?
8. What authors inspired you when writing?
9. Who would you recommend your book to?
10. How much did you know about this topic before starting to write the book?
Journal Entry #6 Q2
The Devil in the White City
Page 28
Although this book is just beginning to pick up speed by page 28, there has been some conflict over the World Fair. For example, first people were on the edges of their seats waiting to see which city was chosen to host it. Then, it comes to what attractions will set the US apart from the others, especially France. How will the US show its architectural excellence? Of course, this is only by page 28 so the issues will most likely grow in substance as the book progresses, but at the moment the focus is on the uncertainty about the World's Fair.
Journal Entry #5 Q2
Kabul Beauty School
Finished
The main aspect of Kabul Beauty School that can be related to Columbia is the issue of discrimination and oppression based on gender and the social group that you belong to and, in Columbia's case, your race. In Rodriguez's book, she talks about the great oppression that women have to struggle with everyday and the different treatment of people based on their background. The same can be seen in Columbia and the students can be seen discussing and fighting for feminism and against racism on a daily basis. Rodriguez opened the beauty school to empower women and give them a way to support themselves and gain not only a steady job but also self confidence and self respect. There are many clubs that are meant to empower women or those of the oppressed race and educate people about the issues at Columbia High School. The issues of gender equality and racial equality will always be present, although hopefully the gap between men and women or black and white or whatever groups are relevant will be smaller, the gap will most likely always be there. These issues will be present in the world at large and in the microcosm of Columbia. Students do and will continue to experience a very scaled-down version of the issues that Rodriguez describes in her book. at CHS
Journal entry #4 q2
Kabul Beauty School
246 of 283
Sam, Debbie's afghan husband, would not know the full extent of Debbie's plans for Hama, the beauty school, or her feelings about Sam's new baby. Debbie was unable to celebrate her birthday or sam and her anniversary because she was worrying about Sam's expected child. She was afraid that the baby would be born on one of these special days and take away the joy. However, Sam may know that Debbie is not happy about his new son, he probably cannot understand why because he is used to afghan culture. It's just part of his culture to have multiple wives and it is very good news that it is a boy. Sam also cannot fully understand why Debbie is mad that their relationship lacks physical affection. It is not an afghan way to hug, hold hands, snuggle, or any of the other things that Debbie wants to do with we husband. Sam does not see the significance in these cations and does not perform them. These things lead to tension in their relationship. Sam might look down on Debbie for trying to help Hama because what happened to Hama is not unlikely in Kabul. Young innocent girls marry older guys or become prostitutes. However Debbie is so close with Hama that she can't bear to we this happen. San is probably not fully looped in but he probably thinks it's a lost cause because she cannot save every girl in Afghanistan. Sam and Debbie come from two completely different cultures, way of life and way of thinking. This is bound to have an affect on their marriage and it does. The tension builds and builds in the anticipation of Sam's baby, the continuation of the school, and the worsening of Hama.
Journal entry #3 Q2
Kabul Beauty School
Page 169 of 283
One extremely important perspective that everyone would learn from Kabul Beauty School is feminism and gender equality. Feminism is often misunderstood and therefore not supported. Feminism, in basic terms, is equality of the genders. Many believe that it is about promoting women and against men but this is not true. Deborah Rodriguez writes about the oppressed women of Afghanistan, her journey to empower these women and her passion for equality but realistic thinking that she will never see that in her lifetime. Rodriguez opens the beauty school to give women a way to make a living for themselves and an escape from the stressful life of an afghan wife. Rodriguez includes many examples in her book that display the extreme dominance of males. For example she talks about how there are few women on the streets and how everyone was surprised to see we behind the wheel of a car because women don't drive in Afghanistan. Feminism is an extremely important idea for people to understand and support because as a nation and the human race in general, we need equality before we can progress even further. Not only is the gap between men and women unfair, but it is holding us back. We are capable of amazing things but in order to achieve these things we need open minds and equality.
Journal Entry #2 Q2
Kabul Beauty School
Deborah Rodriguez wrote Kabul Beauty School to share her experiences and stories from Afghanistan and the lessons that she learned from the people there. Throughout the book, Rodriguez points out many examples of the injustice that occurs in Afghanistan daily yet she fell in love with the place and the people. Through this book, she shares the important life lessons that the people of Afghanistan taught her. She shares the courage and strength that the suffering women of Afghanistan gave her. For example, she gained the courage to leave her abusive husband from the extraordinary women that she met in Kabul and that she taught at the beauty school. Even at page 123 out of 283, not even half way through the book, I have been touched by the stories of the young women that were students at the beauty school and even by Rodriguez's experiences alone. She has definitely achieved her goal of spreading the emotional stories of these women and to teach others the lessons that she learned from them.
Journal Entry #1 Q2
Kabul Beauty School
Page 47 out of 283
Similarly to my previous non-fiction book, Kabul Beauty School by Deborah Rodriguez is a narrative and tells a dynamic, deep story about the author's experiences in Afghanistan after the reign of the Taliban. I have always been interested in complex stories that have the ability to pull the reader in. In addition, I have recently been reading books about the Middle East and I have been forming an interest in its history and culture. For example, I recently read a trilogy of books called The Breadwinner Trilogy. These books are not non-fiction but they do give an accurate account of the history of Afghanistan with the Taliban and what an average Afghan girl might experience. These books take place in the same city as Kabul Beauty School. I am interested to read about true stories of this time period and location and not only get a realistic story but a real story. Kabul Beauty School has the intriguing story element and takes place in the Middle East and gives a window into the culture in the Middle East, the situations, and the experiences from both the perspective of a local and a foreigner. All these aspects have recently been characteristics that I look for in books and explain why I chose to read Kabul Beauty School.
Journal Entry #6- 10/27/14
Page 166 of 288
Readers of The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls could be looking for a number of things. This memoir has adventure, emotion, and content that can both bring you down or lift you up. The adventure aspects comes from the family's constant moving around. Walls encounters new places such as Welch, West Virginia and Phoenix, Arizona. She meets new people such as the prostitutes in Battle Mountain and black people in Welch. And she faces new problems from not being able to sell rocks in her rock collection to protecting her mother from her drunk father to being banished to the basement of her Grandmother's house. There is such a wide variety in The Glass Castle and that keeps the book interesting and makes the reader want to know what happens next. Throughout these adventures, there are many emotions portrayed in the memoir and felt by the reader. At some times the reader might feel pity for the Walls family because of their struggles or for the children for having to live that way. Other times the reader may feel angry or scared when Rex Walls has a fit when he comes home drunk. A reader may also be surprised by the lack of nurturing and caring for the children. For example, the first few pages of the memoir may surprise readers when Jeanette describes how she got severely burned while cooking hot dogs alone when she was only three years old. These emotions can lift your spirits or crush them. It is heartbreaking that these children have to go through these tough times but it is also inspirational that they survived and became successful and thrived. It is also uplifting how even through such hard times they can find ways to be happy and have fun sometimes. Readers of The Glass Castle like a plot that just keeps changing and that has surprises and new aspects to it. They like to always be on the edge of their seat and to want to keep reading the next page or the next chapter. Some readers may like they adventurous side to the memoir and others may like the emotional side. The Glass Castle has something for everyone and any reader could find some characteristic or part to the book that they enjoy.
Journal Entry #5-10/20/14
Page 141 of 288
I don't understand how Jeanette could be so naïve. Its hard for her to see just how evil dad really is. She only sees the hero who is living on the edge and can do anything. But I see him for who he truly is, a cowardly drunk who has to take his self pity and shame out on his wife and kids. He has always been like this and she is just now starting to see it. Even Brian caught on before Jeannette. I try to protect mom while Jeanette just defends dad. Maureen is too young to know the extent of the problems in this family but as the oldest child, I have seen them for a long time now. This may sound awful but one time I was actually glad when dad came home drunk and started to cause a commotion because I need Jeanette to realize that he is not a good man. He is my father and I love him but I have to protect my mom and my siblings from him. I shouldn't have to live in fear of the nights when it is really bad or wonder if he will ever come back after he hasn't come home for three nights. It's not healthy to live like that and I know that Brian feels the same way and mom must be having these feelings even more than us kids. We go hungry sometimes because dad takes the money that mom makes and spends it on booze instead of food for his family. What kind of man does that? No decent man, of course. It angers me how Jeanette sees a golden halo above his head even when he is so drunk that he gets violent with us, breaks things in the house, and then just eventually passes out.
Journal Entry #4-10/13/14
Page 116 of 288
One of the most important events in The Glass Castle was when Walls's father was drunk and the rest of the family had gone days without food. The reader finally sees the family start to crumble. Jeannette's father had been spending all their money on alcohol instead of food. Jeannette's mother started working as a teacher to support the family and would try to keep the money she made from her husband but he always got to it and spent it. Finally, Jeannette's mother stood up for herself and her family and expressed her dissatisfaction with being hungry all the time and Rex wasting their money on alcohol. This occurred while Rex was drunk and resulted in a fight that was heard throughout the neighborhood. Jeannette Walls describes how she and her siblings were playing in the yard pretending not to notice anything until they see their mother dangling out of their second story window. Jeannette's father was holding her out the window and a crowd had gathered to watch. The children ran inside and upstairs to help their mother. Finally, they get her back inside and they are trying to protect her from their father. This was really the first time that Jeannette saw her father for the bad man that he was. He was always glorified in her eyes and the reader could see that but could also tell how he really was. The readers don't know if this is the first time something of this caliber happened or if Jeannette was just too young or naive to be able to tell how serious other events had been. Because of this, the reader realizes the severity of the family's situation as Jeannette does. This seems like it will be a turning point in the novel and may shape the way Jeannette continues to think and feel about her father and her family.
Journal Entry #3- 10/6/14
Jeannette Walls wrote the Glass Castle to get her story out there but, as of page 91 out of 288, it also seems like she wants to get a message across. That message is that living a simple life is not always bad. As long as you find joy in it, you can be happy. For example, Walls talks about days where she and her family don't have anything to eat and she and her sister resort to eating margarine or how her siblings sleep in cardboard boxes because they don't have beds. This sounds unbearable to the average person today and Walls expresses that at times she did feel sad or mad or angry about her situation but, for the most part, she tells the story of her childhood as amazing adventures that she loved. Instead of being sad that she didn't get any toys or material items for Christmas, she cherished the planet of Venus that her father gifted to her instead. So, even though Jeannette Walls grew up poor and constantly on the run, she was happy for the most part. She was able to have fun through all the tough times and play and explore and just enjoy being a child. No matter how bad your situation is, there is always something that can give you joy and get you through the challenges. You just have to look for it.
Journal Entry #2- 9/29/14
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Page 51
Many issues arise in The Glass Castle including neglect, crime, and poverty. The author's family is very poor and this leads the parents to stealing cars, not paying hospital bills, etc. At one point, a police officer tries to pull them over but the family speeds away because they don't have the registration and the license plates were stolen off another car. They have to hide and abandon their car and this is also yet another reason they are on the run. Also, the parents completely neglect the children by letting them be independent. For example, the first story that is told is of when the author was three years old and severely burned herself while making hotdogs alone. This neglect is partly because of the family's poverty. Since the other main issues in the memoir stem from the issue of poverty, poverty is the main problem in the book. They also have enough money for food sometimes and are constantly moving around because the dad can't hold a job and they couldn't afford their house or apartment anymore. The dad is a drunk and will spend all their money on alcohol or gambling. Poverty is an awful thing that affects millions but Jeannette Walls's parents are dealing with it the wrong way. Instead of trying to save their money and get out of this hole that they are in, they spend their money on unnecessary things such as alcohol, splurging on expensive dinners, gambling, and art supplies. Therefore, they cannot provide for their children and have to resort to stealing everything.
Journal Entry #1
Lately, most of the reading I do on my own time has either been about a sappy, unrealistic teenage romance or a dystopian society with a subplot that includes a sappy, unrealistic teenage romance. So, when choosing my non-fiction book, although I did not choose one about a teenage romance, I did decide to go for a narrative. I chose The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. I usually enjoy non-fiction books that are memoirs or biographies rather than the Malcolm Gladwell-esque books that analyze the world and events or self help books that may also fall into the category of non-fiction. When reading memoirs, I find myself engrossed in the book and wanting to keep reading because, like the sappy, unrealistic teenage romances, memoirs have a plot, problem, climax, and resolution. My non-fiction book does vary from what I normally read in terms of content but it has the same, basic underlying skeleton of the fiction reading that I enjoy.
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