it went down in montaña 2

From the beginning, I knew that montana was going to prove to be an entertaining book. The narrator, David did a good job telling the story of how his brother caught his uncle raping and killing indian women. This led me to question whether or not other native american rape cases were similar to that of marie little soldier's. It was very big of Wes to be able to turn Frank in, even after acknowledging the fact that it may destroy his family's good name forever. He knew that doing what was morally right was more important than protecting a family member. What I loved about his book was the way they told of the internal conflict that Wes and David faced. They made it very intriguing, and easy to read along with. Frank ended up committing suicide, not being able to bear the memory of all the sins he committed. The family wishes to cover up the murder cases and shield it all as a suicide, but David's grandfather is stuck on the fact that Wes betrayed the family name. He is focused on the idea that the most important this is loyalty and not justice, so the family is forced out of Mercer County, and they relocate where they try to repatch their lives and start again. i liked the book a lot, and thought it was a great way to end the cycle of books.

lessss gooo.. we done

5 down.. 0 to go

yall know what goes down in montaña.. uno

     The much anticipated Montana 1948 has so far lived up to expectations. It is becoming a very interesting story as the plot progresses. So far, the reader has learned that some serious scandals have been going down in the small, seemingly boring town of Mercer County. The narrator's father, Wes is the sheriff of the town. His wife, Gail does not believe that her husband is happiest as a sheriff, and she thinks he would be happier as an attorney, (although I think it is abundantly clear that the soul reason she wishes for him to be an attorney is so that he would be able to bring home enough cash for them to get out of montana.)  Wes believes that indians are irresponsible, lazy, ignorant, and superstitious. The sheriff's brother, Frank is the town's well respected doctor. But, he is involved in scandals galore. These are uncovered when the family maid, Marie Little Soldier becomes ill and she does not wish to be treated by Frank. Wes, being a sheriff, investigates the odd case, and uncovers the heinous truth about his brother. Frank had been sexually assaulting the indian women whom he treats in his office, and killing them; even though he attempts to convince the family that Marie died of pnemonia.

     Here's where the plot gets intriguing.. Wes has been presented with a terrifying dilemma, to turn his brother in, or not to turn his brother in. Morally and ethically, it obviously makes sense to turn him in, as he is the sheriff of the town and owes that to his citizens to keep them safe. BUT, loyalty (which proves to be a theme) is another thing that Wes must consider before putting his brother behind bars. He thinks he owes it to his family to keep his mouth shut and his brother free. David, in this situation becomes indecisive as well, because he believes that Marie Little Soldier was not refusing medical service because she was superstitious. He also saw Frank come out of Marie's room around the time of her death. As this book heats up, I can tell that it's not going to be a dull read and that I am not going to dread it.

4.5 down

.5 to go

chyeaaaaaa

droze

bell jar numero 2

Just finished, and i thought that it was awful. I disliked just about everything about this book at the end. I think I would have been a little happier if she ended up dying in the end. It dramatically undermines her problems, now that she ended up not killing herself. I didn't think that her problems were so immense to begin with, because I think she brought on most of the depression on herself. but, still, this makes it seem less dramatic and to me, it was a weak ending to an unexciting book. Esther undergoes electric shock therapy to help treat her depression. When Esther's mother visits her in the asylum, it sparks a crazed sensation inside Esther and she is nervous and has an episode. Ironically, after trying for years to finally have sex with someone, Esther ends up having a hemmorage. I couldn't even feel bad for her after this.. i kind of just laughed. Esther beats her suicidal rage, and her friend Joan is the one who dies. I think that Sylvia Path, wants to be able to beat her depression and end up okay with everything that she has been through, but she ends up killing herself after writing the book. The symbol of the title of the book is one that I find interesting. A bell jar is defined as "an environment in which someone is protected or cut off from the outside world." This relates to Esther because she is protected by the bell jar, but the 'glass' might break and she might slip into the depression again even after she seemed like she is on the road to recovery. I feel like I should be able to find more meaning in the story, but to me it seems like a big mess.

4 down. 1 to go.

i<3bigboy

bell jar 1

Right from the start, even without any other reviews of the book, I could tell that Esther was a seriously troubled girl in need of help. Esther understands that her life is seemingly good to the naked eye; she has a good job and a somewhat enviable life. But, she cannot enjoy anything. To her, everything in her life seems meaningless and she cannot find joy. Esther, after a party sits and watches Doreen have fun with a man named Lenny and then decides to walk the short 48 blocks back to her house.. i would think she would have more of a problem with doing something like this. She is extremely depressed and morbid constantly. Although I am only about 2 chapters into the book, I feel as if I can safely assume that something tragic has happened in Esther's past to bring about her extreme depression, because otherwise there seems to be no significant event from which her depression stems from. So far, I am not a fan of the book and didn't truthfully think that I ever could be.

as always.. openmindedly,

droze

bean trees 2

The end of bean trees for me was unexpectedly better than it started off. I did not like the initial pace of the story and, the meaning of the book was unclear from the beginning. It seemed like a story about the troubles of avoiding pregnancy in the beginning, but when the subject changed to the hardships of illegal immigration, i began to enjoy the book and began getting more out of it.

I found a recurring theme throughout the novel: the independence and dependence of women. Taylor was a confident, independent woman who did not depend on anyone else. She proved to be brave and put others before herself. But, characters like Esperanza and Lou Ann were very insecure and couldn't survive on their own. Esperanza attempted suicide after the loss of her child, and Lou Ann couldn't seem to go on without her husband Angel, even though he wasn't a good husband to her. I think that the purpose of characters like Esperanza and Lou Ann in the novel were to make Taylor seem stronger and more independent. Taylor had a child dumped off on her and managed to take it all in stride. Her courage was certainly admireable as well when she transported Estevan, whom she had deep feelings for, and his wife Esperanza to safety from Guatemala, while risking her own safety to protect the others. 

In the end, I found the book to be uplifting in some ways. I think the story could be 100 pages shorter, and could definitely have some deeper and more interesting characters in addition to the ones already in it, though. Overall, I think the book conveyed its messages in clear and creative ways, and was not a complete waste, as I had expected after beginning to read.

2 more to go..

im a soldier a rider a ghetto survivor and all the above

droze+big boy

bean trees: one

So far, I'm about two chapters in and it's pretty boring so far. I'm not a huge fan, mostly because it's unoriginal. Missy, the narrator does not enjoy her life in her dull town in kentucky. She leaves her home but tells her mother first, and the only thing she has to say about it is that she makes sure Missy is able to change the tires of a car before she leaves. She bases her new name, Taylor, off the city that she lands in when her car runs out of gas. This part is interesting, but the book altogether seems very predictable. Taylor is left with a child she later chooses to name turtle because an older woman left it with her, simply telling her to take it and not to return to the bar she was just in. She is forced to go to a motel in Oklahoma, and the kind innkeeper lets her stay there for free and Taylor helps her out around the place for money. The narrator shifts to someone from the same town where Taylor grew up named lou ann ruiz. She and her husband are having problems, and he, Angel, ends up leaving her. This is all I have managed to gather from the book, and I hope the pace picks up because so far it has not been too entertaining.

mango street numero dos

After finishing The House on Mango Street, I realized that the simplification of Esperanza's life experiences made the book logical and a good tale of growing up. I liked the way the book ended, and thought that the 'full circle' finish was a good, conclusive one. Esperanza initially hates her life on mango street, even though she acknowledges that her house is definitely of higher class that her previous one. To me, Esperanza at the beginning of the novel represented a girl who longed to be free from her current life, and thought she did not belong on Mango Street. At the end of the novel, she realizes that even though her childhood experiences forced he into denial about liking Mango Street, she understands that she truly does belong there and that there is a significant part in her that will never truly leave.

Esperanza has a large difficulty growing up and finding her true identity. The idea of Esperanza's name is a largely important idea in the story. She does not like the idea of her name, and believes that it does not stress her true nature. It was the name she inhereted from a relative, and she does not like her future to be associated or decided by the future of her relative. "And the story goes she never forgave him. She looked out the winder her whole life, the way so many women sit their sadness on an elbow. I wonder if she made the best with what she got or was she sorry because she couldn't be all the things she wanted to be. Esperanza. I have inherited her name, but I don't want to inherit her place by the window" (11). She would prefer a much stranger name that is more different from others, showing who she truly was, and setting her independently aside from others.

Another major idea in the story is the escape that Esperanza finds through her writing. She experiences many hardships that she is able to overcome, and learn from because writing is an outlet of hers. Growing up, she is abused by boys, but this one, along with many others contribute to the many life experiences that make up Esperanza's character. Another quote I like denotes how esperanza understands that her experiences on Mango Street will always stay with her and that she cannot leave them behind because they will always have a place with her. "I put it down on paper and then the ghost does not ache so much. I write it down and Mango says goodbye sometimes. She does not hold me with both arms. She sets me free. One day I will pack my bags of books and paper. One day I will say goodbye to Mango. I am too strong for her to keep me here forever. One day I will go away."

Overall I enjoyed the book to some extent and appreciate the message it tries to get across, even if it was not the most challenging or intriguing read.

im a soldier, a rider, a ghetto survivor, and all the abovee

inspired by big boy, forever

droze