Independent reading blog post

             I have only just started The Greatest Thing That Almost Happened by Don Robertson, but there is one immediate social issue that pops out. Teenage sex. There are lots of questions surrounding this issue. How young is to young? How should kids handle pressure? These questions aren't answered in the book but situations do give you a helpful insight to what goes on and how to deal with it.  In this book the main character and his girlfriend are put in these situations. I think this book can help kids realize what to do if they are ever in a situation like the ones in the book.
            In the book Morris Bird III who is seventeen has a girlfriend, and at that age they may have sex. His girlfriend Julie doesn't want to. One night Morris is over at Julie's house and they kiss and stuff but Morris trys to go a bit further. She says no. One of the issues is having the courage to say no.  I think this is one of the positive messaage this book sends to teens. It could also help adults understand kids. This book is written from Morris Bird III's perspective. You see what he is thinking in all these situations. This could have real value to adults trying to talk to kids about this topic. In the same scene Morris is thinking about how annoying it is that she keeps saying no. This could help adults teach kids to respect people's choices and body's. A lot of the problems people face talking to kids about this stuff is not understanding how they feel and what they think. This book could actually help people understand kids.
             In conclusion there is a good message in this book. The social issue it deals with is very sensitive and complex. I have not gotten far in the book but it's message has already taken an affect on me and I can see how this will be continued through out the book

argument essay 2

Harper di Liberto-Bell

805

           For years there has been a battle over banning YA books with mature content, and who should have control over what our kids read. This is happening because some people think the topics that are displayed are too adult for teens. Many YA books do have mature content, but it’s nothing teens won’t be exposed to. There are many very popular books that have been challenged, and school boards have very consistently challenged or banned these books. Parents should be the only people to have a say in what their kids read, so access shouldn’t be limited.

           Kids are really able to connect to YA literature. Sherman Alexie writes, “There are millions of teens who read because they are sad and lonely and enraged. They read because they live in an often terrible world. They read because they believe despite the callow protestations of certain adults, that books, especially the dark and dangerous ones will save them. ” These kids’ lives are often similar to some of the kids in YA books. This gives these kids an outlet even if the character is in a situation that’s just as difficult as theirs. They can escape their pain and experience something else. In YA books the main character tends to escape whatever world they are living in, and gets a better life. That’s what these kids want. When they read these books, they see themselves escaping their own world for something better. They are able to connect to the wants and the needs of the character. Alexie was talking to a millionaire’s son, who said, “I don’t want to be like my father,” that young man said, “I want to be myself just life in your books.” He grew up in a rich family. His life wasn’t horrible. He had never been hit or starving, but these books were still able to help him. He connected because he saw what he wanted to be. He saw that he could be free to be himself, and that’s a big part of YA books.

           People that are opposed to YA books say we need to ban them because of content. Now it’s perfectly true that YA books deal with mature and dark material, but sometimes the world is dark. Kids need to learn that.  Alexie wrote, “I write in blood because I remember what it feels like to bleed.” As a child he was abused. He can understand what some of these kids are going through. The content is no different than what some of these kids are going through. And I know someone that opposes YA books will say, “Not all kids get abused and have horrible lives.” This is perfectly true. Not all kids cut, and not all kids are abused, but these kids can still learn and be helped by YA books. It makes them more mature and empathetic. It helps to teach them about the world, and some of the issues our society faces. If there is a specific topic a parent doesn’t want their kid to read, then it’s up to them to tell their kid they can’t read it. If you let someone else make that choice, then that could be taking away a valuable life lesson from a kid. Mary Elizabeth Williams quotes her daughter saying, “Does she get that they’re not called children’s books? They’re called ‘young adult.’ Adult.”  This is a great point. There is really no point trying to hid kids from this stuff. As we grow up, we begin to learn about the world, and these books can help us start to grasp the reality of life.

                              

The opposition also says that YA books display a distorted reality where everything is horrible. This is true to an extent. The whole world isn’t horrible, and not everyone’s life gets messed up, but it does happen. To take YA books away from kids would blind them to the fact that some people have issues things like this. This would be a shame. Kids need to know about things like this. If we tell them that things in YA books are distorted, that is in most cases just plain lying.  Alexie writes, “they wanted to protect me from sex when I had already been raped. They wanted to protect me from evil when a future serial killer had already abused me.”  This is proof that the world YA books portray is not distorted. “When some cultural critics fret about the “ever more-appalling” YA books, they aren’t trying to protect African American teens forced to walk through metal detectors on their way to school, or Mexican American teens enduring the schizophrenic life of being an American citizen.”… “They aren’t trying to protect the poor from poverty, or victims of rapists. They are trying to protect their privileged notions of what literature should be.” This further illustrates that the examples aren’t hideously distorted, and that stopping kids from reading YA books won’t protect them.     

YA books shouldn’t be banned. These books provide valuable lessons.  If you take away YA books, then you are cutting off millions of kids from something that brings them joy and teaches them life lessons. Even though YA books deal with dark topics, the lasting effect is only good. These kids don’t need to be hidden from this. These books can change the way teens look at the world, and make them more mature. It gives them skills to face the world, and if you want to take that away something is wrong with you.                                     

Independent Reading Blog Post

        H.A. Dorfman, a sports physiologist sets out to teach you many things in his book The Mental Game of Baseball. This book teaches you about the mentality required to play the game at your best. In each chapter he focuses on a specific aspect of the game. He wants to teach you things you should focus on or things you should avoid thinking. As an example, one chapter he talks about negative reinforcement. He talks about how saying things like I hope I don't strike out only plants the image of you striking out. Which only makes it more likely you will strike out. If you say something like I want to hit a line drive the image of you hitting a line drive in planted in your head so you are more apt to hit one. He also wants me to know what mentality to have in very specific situations. He wants me to know how to not let pressure affect me in clutch situations or in big games.

        He gets this information across in several ways. One is that he uses lots of quotes from players and coaches. This is effective because it gives you real world examples. Another thing he does is give specific games and situations that players have found themselves in. Then he gives examples of different mental approaches these players could have. He also gives you the probable outcome of each one. Finally he sometimes takes you out side of baseball and even out side of sports and gives you real world examples like if you have a big presentation to give or an important test you need to take.
        I have had some experience with things like this. As a long time player this book made me look at the game it a different way. Everyone assumes that sports is just about physical abilities but it's not. I learned that when players go out on the field they have to be very mentally focused and prepared. I always went out there with no mental plan. Now when I play or watch a game it's a different kind of experience.

NF Responce

        In the article "Why the Best Kids Books Are Written in Blood," Sherman Alexie wants me to think that YA books don't harm kids, they in fact help them. He talks about the fact that for many kids YA books are an escape, and not just for the under privileged. A millionaire's son spoke to Alexie. "I want to be a writer," he said. "But my father won't let me. He wants me to be a solider. Like he was." "I don't want to be like my father ," that young man said. " I want to be my self. Just like in your book." This show that books like this can help kids living in poverty or in riches. These books teach kids that they can be themselves. When kids with horrible lives read these books it gives them hope. They see people in terrible situations pushing back and standing up for themselves, and that inspires these kids to do the same.  He wants the reader to know that YA books have inspired and helped millions of kids.

        There are many ways the author makes me think and feel what  he wants me to. One thing he does is he points out flaws in his opponents' argument. He talks about the fact that no kid has ever said anything about having trouble with the mature content in his books. Also, he gives personal anecdotes. This is very effective because it's his personal experience, not just some study. He gives examples of lives that his book has changed. Another thing he does is use very powerful language. Words like; "redemptive" and "condescension". He uses these words to describe some things that Meghan Cox Gurdon said.  All of these techniques are very effective.

        I agree with Sherman one hundred percent. I have read many YA books and I don't see the world as a horrible depressing place. That is the basis of the oppositions' argument. They think it's not smart to introduce kids to the subjects in these books, but they are forgetting that these books aren't for kids. Also, we can find all this and more online.  They say someone that has suffered from abuse, for example, might have a relapse, but that is just not true. They can connect to these books more than anyone, and it helps show them that they aren't alone. It shows them that if they a bad situation you can get out of it, and you can have hope. I think that this is a very important message to get across to all kids, even those that don't have horrors in their life.