The Future Of Us

     The book I have been reading is The Future Of Us by Carolyn Mackler and Jay Asher. This book is about two teenagers named Emma and Josh. This book takes place in 1996. These two characters are neighbors and they were best friends, until Josh confessed he liked Emma, and things got awkward. On page 13, it says, "It's been six months since I've been in her house. Before that, this was like my second home. But after we all went to the opening night of Toy Story, I misread things and thought she wanted to be more that friends. She didn't." Then, she received a computer and had access to a Facebook account, but Facebook hadn't been invented yet. 

     Emma and Josh discovers things about her future. They soon realize their everyday action effect their profiles on Facebook. On page 76, it says, "Everything I did differently today sent little ripples of change into the future." This shows how the things they did in the future were not permanent. 

     This book is written by alternating characters each chapter. This way, we get to see both perspectives of story, which I like. Since this book also takes place when I wasn't born, it also gives me an idea of how life was back then. I really like this book, and I can't wait to read more of it. 

Compare & Contrast

The two books that I will be comparing and contrasting are Butter and The Future Of Us. I read both of these books in the third quarter, and I really liked both of them. Some differences are that in The Future Of Us, it is written by alternating characters each chapter. This way, we get to see both sides of the situation, which I really enjoy. Butter is written as the main character's perspective, only seeing one person's view on the book. Something else that is different is the conflict of the story. In The Future Of Us, the main conflict is how everything they do in the present effects their futures. In the book, it says, ""Everything I did differently today sent little ripples of change into the future." This is showing the changes that are made in the future. In Butter, the main conflict is how Butter seems to be different from the crowd. In the book, it says, "Hey, kid, what's your name anyway?" I stayed silent, but Jeremy stood up finally, staring down at the tears on my face, they greasy mess in my hands, and answered for me. "His name's butter." This shows how he was never acknowledged at school.  

Now, we will talk about the similarities. In both books, the topic is pretty similar. They books both revolve around the Internet, and how it impacts their life. Butter plans on a live video chat that many will view, and Emma and Josh constantly check Facebook to check how their futures are effected. These books both also take place in a school, which is where most of the conflict takes place. 

Butter

     The book I have been reading is Butter by Erin Jade Lange. This book is about an overweight boy in high school, given the nick name Butter. He received this nickname after a group of teens took him into the parking lot, and forced him to eat a stick of butter. They said that if he didn't, he would have a bad time in high school. They didn't bother asking for his real name, which symbolizes how he is ignored and forgotten at school. On page 60, it says, "Hey, kid, what's your name anyway?" I stayed silent, but Jeremy stood up finally, staring down at the tears on my face, they greasy mess in my hands, and answered for me. "His name's butter." This is showing the time when they took him into the parking lot, and they gave him his nickname. 

     He also likes a girl, named Anna, and they talk online. Anna doesn't know what he looks like, because he doesn't want to reveal himself until he feels confident in his own body. Also, he plans on "eating himself to death", which means eating so much until you die. In the book, it says, "You think I eat a lot now? That's nothing. Tune in December 31st, when I will stream a live webcast of my last meal. Death row inmates get one. Why shouldn't I? I can't take another year in this fat suit, but I can end this year with a bang. If you can stomach it, you're invited to watch...as I eat myself to death." This is showing the reason he plans on doing this, and he wants to do this because he is tired of living the way he is. After announcing this, he receives many reactions he wasn't expecting. I recommend this book!

Adversity

In ELA, we have been reading about Anne Frank. She faced many troubles in life, or adversity. A trouble she faced was having to stay in an attic, trapped so we shouldn't be taken away by the green police. I couldn't imagine living in a place for so long, not being able to make much noise, or ever go outside and breathe fresh air. Although, Anne was optimistic about the situation. She tried to make the best of it, such as on Hanukkah. On Hanukkah, she gave presents to everyone, even though she didn't have any money to buy anything. She spent her time making gifts for everyone, even when she was hiding and unable to see her friends and being able to go outside. Her family and friends didn't have gifts, but she wanted to keep the happiness and tradition alive. I can relate to Anne, because I believe traditions are important. I have also faced adversity, and it was a family issue. Two of my grandfathers passed away around the same time last year, and it was very hard on my family. Although, we tried to not allow this situation to bring us down all the time, but rather forget the past, and remember the good, happy times. Overall, even though we all face adversity, we must try and find the happiness in it, even in the toughest situations. 

Holocaust - Upstanders & Bystanders

After I read about some of the bystanders and upstanders from the holocaust, I was thinking about what I would do if I were to be in this situation. I would want to be an upstander, but knowing how I am, I wouldn't because I'd be afraid of the result. I would feel regret after knowing I could've done something to help others. I believe people would stand by and watch for multiple reasons. One of the reasons is embarrassment, because you won't know what others will say. Another reason could be because of being too afraid. They were too scared to speak because they knew what would happen if they did, and did not want to risk it. I think people would be an upstander because they were done with being treated unfairly. They were not afraid of what people would think of them. Someone that could've inspired them to speak could be other public speakers that were not afraid of what others would say.  

Speak

The book I read was Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. One of the reasons I wanted to read it is because last quarter, I read Twisted which was by the same author. I enjoyed reading Twisted, so I decided to read Speak as well. My friend had also recommended it to me. This book was about a girl named Melinda Sordino. She is a freshman going into a new school, struggling to make new friends. She soon makes a friend named Heather. She knew friends before, but her old friends refuse to speak to her after Melinda called the police at a party. Even people she doesn't talk to don't like her. On page 27, it says, "The girl behind me taps me. I turn around. The girl pokes me harder. "Aren't you the one who called the cops at Kyle Rodgers's party at the end of the summer?" A block of ice freezes our section of the bleachers. Heads snap in my direction with the sound of a hundred paparazzi cameras. I can't feel my fingers. I shake my head. Another girl chimes in. "My brother got arrested at that party. He got fired because of the arrest. I can't believe you did that." This is showing how she receives many comments from people, and how people didn't like her. Sometimes so escape from attending class, she would steal late passes to be excused. She had a secret that she had to hide, or else people would give her more hate. Something I like about this book is how Melinda is funny and sarcastic throughout the book, which keeps me entertained. On page 8, it says, "I motor so fast out of the lunchroom the track coach would draft me for varsity if he were around." Overall, this book was entertaining to read, and I would recommend it!

Where I Want To Visit

A location I would like to visit is Tokyo, Japan. I would like to visit this place because everything is very fascinating! I enjoy gazing at the bright lights, and the stores seem so interesting to visit, and include items we wouldn't normally have in our country.

I have seen many youtubers visit Japan, and they always buy some type of candy, so that is something I would like to try. A candy I would like to try is the green tea kit Kat! It sounds odd when I first heard of it, but I love tea, so I would love to try it. 

Another reason why I would like to visit is because of the clothing. People tend to dress more colorful in Tokyo, so I would love to see everyone's style. I like the patterns on shirts and pants, the vibrant hair colors, and the platform shoes. Not everyone is a fan of the style, but I personally find it interesting how people wear these outfits. In the U.S, I feel like everyone dresses the same, so if someone dresses like someone would in Tokyo, you would receive many glances. But if you were to dress that way in Tokyo, it is almost normal to dress in this type of way, and I like how the clothing is so unique. Although, I'm not sure if I would choose to dress in this way myself.