Breaking Her Fall-2

This week I found myself really enjoying reading my book. I last week I read about the difficult situation Tucker had gotten himself into after losing his temper while at Jed's house. Jed was rushed to the hospital. All of this week I've been reading about the aftermath of Tucker's situation. I began to feel really bad for Tucker because he was just scared that his daughter was in a bad situation and he believed it was all the boy's fault. It was hard for me to read about his ex-wife coming into town and basically blaming him for the whole situation. Her intentions were to take her daughter back with her to live in New York. I thought that Tucker was just trying to be protective of his daughter and the last thing he would want to deal with is losing her. I don't think he really realizes that he is in serious trouble that could lead to him spending time in jail. Jed is from a very wealthy family and it seems like his father will not rest until he pays for what he did to his son, even though it honestly was an accident. I think Lily, mother of one of his daughter's friends, has stepped into the role of being the mother figure to Tucker's daughter because her own mother is gone. The day after Jed was brought to the hospital, Tucker learns he lost his eye. As the reader, I think this is the worst news after basically losing his daughter to New York I could not imagine feeling like my whole life was falling apart before my eyes. 

Breaking Her Fall-1

So, for the past week, I've been reading my book, Breaking Her Fall, and I've really been enjoying it. The main character, Tucker Jones is a single father of two children. After receiving an alarming phone call about his fourteen year old daughter, he finds himself in a terrible situation. He becomes extremely worried about his daughter and jumps to conclusions. As I read further into the novel, I felt a strange because these events seem entirely possible. Its scary to see some one's life unravel within just minutes after making one mistake. Tucker talks about how when his wife left him it took him a long time to find happiness again and that he has worked very hard to provide a good life for his kids. As the reader, I was like, "NOOOO!" when I read about him hurting the young boy because I knew that his decision would really cost him. Tucker seems like he very much acts upon his reactions without really thinking them through... and this really bothers me. Also, his fourteen year old daughter bugs me because she has a really big attitude towards her father and it makes me not like her... at all. 

Breaking Her Fall

For this reading assignment, I chose to start reading the novel called Breaking Her Fall, written by Stephen Goodwin. I chose to read this because both my mom and my dad read it and loved it. They both said that I would really enjoy it. My mom told me about the story line and I thought it sounded interesting. She said that I would really be able to relate to the characters, who are in high school, and to the events. In the past, books I have enjoyed the most are the ones with dramatic stories and a sense of reality. Hopefully, Breaking Her Fall will become one of my favorite books. 

Overcoming the Odds

For this final blog post, I decided to use an article I found on Opra's website. The article I read was called Overcoming the Odds and it was about Kanye West's near death experience. In 2002, Kanye was driving home and fell asleep after being up late at his recording studio when he hit a SUV head-on. He smashed is face and broke his jaw in 3 different places. He said when he was in the hospital he was able to step back and look at his life. He felt grateful to be so lucky to come out of the accident alive and it gave him a chance to write several songs that he was inspired to write. I think that after one experiences such a life changing event and they are able to overcome it, one gains perspective on their life. Kanye had said that his music is enabled him to get though his long recovery and to really appreciate everything in his life. Whenever I hear of a person overcoming the odds, it seems like they really come to enjoy everything in their life more. Its almost like not appreciating something until you feel like its gone or you might lose it. These types of experiences also can teach a person to live in the moment or live each day like it was your last.

"Overcoming the Odds." Opra Winfrey 2009. 22 March 2009 <http://www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/oprahshow1_ss_20050909/1>.

The Love of the Irish

For today's blog post, I decided to look for an article about the Irish or the St. Patrick's Day holiday. I found an article called Obama, U.S. Tout Irish Tradition and it was written in the USA Today newspaper (although I found the article online). The article summarized the Obama's celebrations of the day and their enthusiasm for the Irish. President Obama personally addressed Ireland and thanked them for their influence on America. The article also talked about some of the festivities going on around the country to celebrate. I think it is great that the Irish heritage is so beloved by not only the Irish but also those who are not. I am Irish and I think its really amazing that we have a day dedicated to celebrating and embracing the Irish heritage and their heavy influence on America.  

The Associated Press. "Obama, U.S. Tout Irish Tradition." USA Today. 17 March 2009. .

Notes on Darfur:2

The Genocide in Darfur

• The genocide in Darfur is entering into its sixth year of devastation.
• The Sudanese government's continuous harassment of Humanitarian assistance organizations are putting them at risk of collapsing.
• The collapse of these organizations would cause the deaths of 100,000 people per month
• 2.5 million have fled their homes to live in refugee camps in Chad and in the Central African Republic.
• The violence has erupted,  "chaos by design" is what it looks like as the rebel groups keep up their violence and conflict.

"The Genocide in Darfur." Save Darfur. January 2008. 16 March 2009.

War

For this blog post on war, I thought it would be fitting to use an article that related to the war in the Middle East. I read quite a sad article on the New York Times website about four American Soldiers that were just killed in Afghanistan. The article was written by Sangar Rahimi and Carlotta Gall and it was titled "4 US Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan." The article explains that the soldiers were killed in a roadside bombing that the Taliban took credit for. Not only did this article cover the deaths of the Americans but it also talked about two separate attacks that killed innocent bystanders. The first was a suicide bombing outside of a local high school that killed 3 and another was caused by a bomb planted in a wheelbarrow which killed only one. I think it is horrible to hear of this violence. The problem with the wars going on throughout our world is that they are taking place in the middle of towns, killing just innocent people. It is always hard to hear about American soldiers wounded or killed because they are the courageous men and women who fight for our country's freedom. 

Rahimi, Sangar and Gall, Carlotta. "4 U.S. Soldiers Killed in Afghanistan." World 15 March 2009 .