Maniac Magee

Okay so I decided not to pick up a book that I have interest in since blogging is almost over. Therefore I chose Maniac Magee. This book is not High School material at all, but I needed to pass time and I picked it up. The chapters are really short-like 1 or 2 pages. It's really easy to read. Im not recommending this book to any serious readers or those in search of a good book. I am recommending it to anyone looking for a random book to take up time.
I actually got into the book because it was really easy to read through. Right at the beginning, you are introduced to the main character and you find out his whole background... From being born with a different name, to losing his parents and becoming an orphan, to running away. Then you learn why his name changed.
I really liked the chapter where he met a girl and got a book. The only reason I liked it is because it was really random, especially since he ended up intercepting a football from a star player and he still had the book in his hand. I considered actually reading this book to find out the other random things that would come up, but I decided not to and look for a book that I have to think about and can analyze more than Maniac Magee. But it is a good book.LOL

Done

Okay...I have officially given up on Angela's Ashes. Its not that the book is not good. It's just that I don't have time to read and therefore it seems as though I'm slowly progressing through this and I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere.
Another reason I have given up is because in class we did this activity where we read page 232 of four different books and Angela's Ashes was one of them. I was pretty excited to read this page but when the time came I was disappointed. I thought that by page 232, some type of clue or information about the stories title would be revealed, but it wasn't. It was a normal page with quoteless dialogue and no type of exciting news. MAN...
Anyway, maybe later on I will pick up this book again and read more than I did. But for now I am on the search for a new book. Recommendations needed.

Angela's Ashes

Im really getting impatient and bored. Nothing interesting is happening right now. Maybe it's because im really busy right now and im not reading as i used to. With the end of the year coming up fast and all these AP exams, Im not enjoying this book. Anyone reading this, dont be discouraged because i am not interested. I think i wouold enjoy it more if i didnt have so much other things to do. Anyway, a book slowing down is not abnormal. Many books have a point when things are not as interesting as others. Well hopefully this book gets better or i start to enjoy it more. I really want to know where this book will take me.

Angela's Ashes

Okay this book is starting to slow down. I was really interested and now im starting to loose that interest.
Right now, McCourt is taking us back to Ireland, where his parents are from. He still incorporates Irish humor, but I think the jokes were more humorous while the story was in New York. Im not sure why, but that is just me. Anyway, it seems as though the McCourts are not welcome in Ireland and that they were better off in New York. Even though they were struggling in New York, at least there were some people there that tried to help. in Ireland, it seems as though they are rejected by everyone. This is weird to me since im used to people being rejected by other people outside of where they are from. but then again, when i moved to georgia i was very accepted...even more than i was in new york.
Anyway im really ready to find out what Angela's Wishes means. and im kinda getting impatient.

Angela's Ashes

Okay I have to say this. Frank McCourt is a genius....
That's kinda exaggeration, but who else could write a whole story without clear dialogue. This is what i mean. Throughtout this whole book there is NO use of quotations to differentiate thoughts and details from dialogue. There is dialogue though. It's weird how there is no clear way of picking out dialogue at a glance but in context it is obvious when someone is speaking and when McCourt is just writing. I think this is awesome. I never thought or experienced that before. It draws me into the book even more. Its kind of mind boggling how McCourt was able to accomplish this. It sounds weird, but thats only because it is. How could you not have qoutations in dialogue?.WOW. This book is sooooooo different from others i have read. I think that is an effective way of keeping the reader's interested. it might also cause some people to abandon the book, but not for me.

Angela's Ashes

I really like this book. ALmost everything about it is interesting to me and forces me to read even more. I've already told you that the author is Irish and therefore the jokes and content of this memoir are Irish based. I recently found out that my grandfather is part Irish, which is weird to me but whatever, so Im actually interested in the book to see if my grandfather relates to the Irish...AND HE DOES LOL...My grandfather drinks alot but not dangerously. He uses the Irish language sometimes also and i never noticed until reading this book. IT'S WEIRD. I also really like this book because the comedy in it is not hard to get. Some may not find it funny but i do. I dont think the jokes are meant to be funny but somehow, in a humble way, McCourt makes it funny...without even trying. Another reason i like this book is because it is one long story. At first i thought the book would jump around from story to story without any structure sunce its a memior, but it didnt and i really like that.

Angela's Ashes

Frank's dad is pretty much an alcoholic. In his memoir, Frank writes about his memories of his dad spending the little earnings on liquor and cigarettes. Frank writes about how everyday would go throughout he week. He told of the different situations on each day depending on if money came home or a drunken father came home.
Although it is not funny to have a hard childhood filled with almost nothing, I think it is really funny about how he writes about his father. Frank writes that on days his father would come home smelling of whiskey, he would also be singing songs about dying for Ireland. These songs included two men, Rodney McCorley and Kevin Barry. That is too funny to me.
Anyway, this may sound stereotypical of me, but it seems to me that Irish people like to sing and drink. Frank's father sings and drinks a lot. His mom sings when she is happy about money being brought home.
Im starting to like this book. I cant wait to find out what happens next.

Angela's Ashes

Well Ms. Cassell was right about he book being somewhat funny. The jokes in this book are not normal jokes but thats probably because Frank is Irish.
As I said before, this memoir is an ongoing story. Frank writes about how his parents met. He writes that his mom was sent to New York by her mom after being told that she was unworthy of becoming anything, which is kinda sad. Anyway, his father was in New York because he was wanted in Ireland for something.
Well his parents met at a party in Brooklyn. His father had a rugged look thanks to jail time for stealing a truck filled with buttons...I know CRAZY...but funny. Frank goes on to say that with his mom interested in the rugged look and his dad just gettin out of jail, "there was bound to be a knee- trembler'. LOL.
When I first read this, I knew exactly what he was saying....or at least i thought i did. Instead of leaving his audience to interpret this however, Frank gave definition. He states that a knee-trembler "is the act itself done up against a wall, man and woman up on their toes, straining so hard their knees tremble with the excitement that's in it". HAHAHAHAHAHA. What a non-vulgar way to put it.
Frank probably was just trying to clear up what he meant by knee-trembler, but the way he worded it was funny to me. I read this part over to make sure i read it right. Everytime i read it, i laughed.
Anyway this one sentence made me want to keep reading the book and Im glad i did.

Angela's Ashes

WELL THE BOOK IS GETTING A LITTLE BETTER. I HAVENT GOTTEN REALLY FAR BECAUSE I HAVE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS TO DO, BUT IM TRYING.
SO FAR I HAVE BEEN INTRODUCED TO FRANK (WRITER), HIS MOM ANGELA, BROTHERS MALACHY, OLIVER, AND EUGENE, AND FATHER MALACHY. I ALSO LEARNED THAT FRANK HAD A LITTLE SISTER NAMED MARGARET BUT SHE DIED. I DONT KNOW HOW SHE DIED YET BUT I WOULD LIKE TO FIND OUT.
FRANK IS IRISH AND HE LIVED IN NEW YORK FOR A FEW YEARS AND THEN MOVED BACK TO IRELAND. HIS MOM IS FROM LIMERICK AND HIS FATHER IS FROM ANTRIM. FROM WHAT I HAVE READ, PEOPLE FROM LIMERICK AND PEOPLE FROM ANTRIM ARE NOTHING ALIKE AND DONT SEEM TO LIKE EACH OTHERS BEHAVIOR. THIS IS INTERESTING TO ME SINCE FRANK'S FATHER AND MOTHER ARE MARRIED WITH CHILDREN.
ANYWAY, THIS BOOK IS REALLY A MEMOIR, BUT IT IS NOT A BUNDLE OF A BUNCH OF RANDOM STORIES. IT IS ONE ONGOING STORY, THAT JUST KEEPS BUILDING.
HOPEFULLY MORE INTERESTING THINGS HAPPEN. I WOULD HATE IF I READ THIS BOOK FOR NOTHING.

Angela's Ashes

Angela's Ashes
Frank McCourt
1996

Ok. So I started a new book. I am reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt. Ms. Cassell recommended this book to me when I was asking for help on good books to read. She gave me about three or four different books to choose from. All of them she said were really good to read, but Angela's Ashes stood out to me because of the name.
The name seemed like some type of mystery. It seemed like a story I would have to figure out myself. When I first saw the name I thought about death, and memories. That is why I was interested in this book.
When Ms. Cassell gave me the book, I was having second thoughts because I saw that it was a memoir. The cover of the book wasn't interesting to me either. It is just a little boy posted up on a brick wall with no shoes on. I wanted to tell her I change my mind, but I decided to give the book a chance.
Anyway, I started reading the book and it began with a little background information. This isn't interesting to me but hopefully the book becomes more of a story rather than facts.

One Writer's Beginnings

I am finally through with this book. I know that yall are all tired of hearing about this book , but like I said before, all of what I've told you so far can never reveal the whole book.
This book is great for anyone. I recommend it to anyone in search of a good book to read. This book is also good for anyone interested in becoming a writer. It gives a lot of insight to how a writer becomes a great writer. Eudora is a great writer in my opinion.
A good writer to me is one who can tell a great story. Within that story there has to be some type of purpose and lesson embedded in it. A lesson directly stated is not as interesting as one you have to figure out. Eudora has many lessons in her book. These lessons are not stated directly. Instead, they are revealed through each of the different life stories she has told throughout this book.
Thank you Ms. Cassell for recommending this book to me. I enjoyed reading it and writing blogs. I recommend this book to everyone. Cant wait for the next book I choose.

One Writer's Beginnings

Eudora has a “chapter” in the second section that talks about her mother and her mother’s side of the family. It starts with her mom being a teacher and meeting her father. It also mentions that her mother’s family didn’t take to kindly to her father and their marriage. This reminds me about my family, but it’s the opposite. My father’s side of the family doesn’t accept my mother. But this isn’t the reason I am mentioning this section.
The reason for this blog is to talk about the ending of this “chapter”. Eudora ends the chapter with letters from her grandmother written to her mother and one written to her. I noticed a difference in how the grandmother wrote to the mother and how she wrote to Eudora.
In class I learned that a writer always changes the way he/she writes in order to better address his/her audience. The letters from Eudora’s grandmother is a perfect example of this.
In the letters written to Eudora’s mother it begins with “Dear Chessie” and “My dear child” and ends “with lots of love from Mother”. It is also written to update Eudora’s mother on how everyone is doing back home and mentions things that only a distant mother and child would talk about and want to know. The Court House is abbreviated as C.H.
In contrast, the letter written to Eudora begin with “My dear Eudora Alice”. Eudora’s grandmother constantly writes “little”. The letter is directly to Eudora, apologizing for missing her “little party” and then spoiling her by saying that she is going to give her “two little pigeons”. It is common for grandmothers to apologize for missing something and then butter it up by adding a gift of some sort. Unlike the letters to Eudora’s mother, the letter to Eudora spells out Court House instead of abbreviating it.
This shows how an author changes their tone to address a different audience. I think this was the reason for Eudora adding these letters-or at least one of the reasons.

One Writer's Beginnings

Like I said before, the picture of Eudora’s family trip is mentioned in the second section of her book. The section begins with her memory of the family trips to Ohio and West Virginia. Again Eudora’s memory of the trips seem very present.
Although these trips happen often, it still amazing how Eudora can remember the exact conversations that went along with every trip. Again, I can barely remember the exact conversation that I had with someone a couple of hours before retelling it. I cannot stress how amazing this is to me.
Anyway, the reason I decided to mention the road trips is because my family road trips are really important to me also, even though I can’t tell you exactly what was said between those of us in the car. Just like Eudora and her family, my father, cousins and I would take road trips to Georgia almost every vacation to visit my dad’s family. My mother wouldn’t be with us but it is still similar. My dad was just like Eudora’s dad, and my older cousin, Shaquana, was similar to Eudora’s mom. She would stay up through the whole 14-16 hour trip and help navigate. The rest of my cousins and I would be in the back singing along with every song that played, eating, playing the ABC game and sleeping most of the trip away.
I think everybody can relate to the stories that Eudora chose to put into One Writer’s Beginnings. This is a very great use of anecdotes. It tells her story and her beginnings in a way in which everyone can relate to. This also hints to its readers that your past experiences help to define and guide who you are.

One Writer's Beginnings

I am moving on to the second section of One Writer’s Beginnings, “Learning to See”. I cannot wait to read more stories about Eudora and see how they relate to the section.
Between this section and the previous, there are a few pictures of Eudora and her family. They are in black and white, but still very appealing.
It starts with a picture of her as a little girl-SO CUTE. Lol. It also includes pictures of her immediate and distant family. There are two pictures of the family car and the subtitle mentions family trips, which show up at the beginning of the next section.
I questioned why she chose to put these specific pictures in the book. I also question why they are between the first and second section but none between the second and third. Either way, the pictures add to the appeal and creativity of this book.

One Writer's Beginnings

I know it seems as though I have been talking about this book for forever, but only because it deserves it. At first I thought I would only write two blogs about this novel because it is only 104 pages. Even though I write all of these blogs, not even close to half of the story is revealed to you.
In the three sections of One Writer’s Beginnings, there are break points. It seems as though there are mini chapters in each of the big chapters like headings and subheadings. They are easy to point out also. Not only because of the extra spacing, but also because of how each is ended.
Eudora ends each “chapter” with a moral of some kind or a relation. Something that ties her anecdotes in that section all together.
One ending that stuck out to me the most is when Eudora talks about being physically shy. She states that even as she began to write stories, she started slowly and unsure, but “as time and [my] imagination led [me] on, [I] did plunge”(pg. 21).
This ending stuck out to me for two reasons really. One is because I can relate. I am really shy even around family. Instead of the love for writing like Eudora, I love to dance, and when I am dancing, all of my shyness is gone and I am a totally different person.
The second reason is because of how strong the statement is. Not only does it tie in that “chapter” but it also relates to the whole reason for writing the book. It allows the reader to understand Eudora’s passion for writing and how it changed her life.
Well at least that’s what I got from the message. If you decide to read it, tell me what you get when you read that section.

One Writer's Beginnings

So far the book is going great. At times I have to slow down and reread and sentence or so, but overall it is easy to read and comprehend.
I couldn’t help but notice that Eudora has a really clear memory about events that happened years ago. Although I still remember some events from my past, every point is not as clear in my memory. I wonder if that comes with the love for reading and writing? Eudora’s anecdotes seem as though they are happening as you are reading the book. She gives precise details and her personal feelings at the time.
One story in particular that made me aware of Eudora’s memory is the story about her mother’s friend, Fannie. Eudora remembered EVERYTHING. From the car ride with the conversation beginning with,” Now talk”, to mom asking Fannie not to tell her(Eudora) gossip. Everything was clear as if it had just happened yesterday.
Eudora also has clear stories about school and every teacher. I can barely remember all of the teachers that I had, yet Eudora can give you their names, what days she saw them, what they taught, and different characteristics about each.
I think it is great for a writer to be able to not only briefly mention an event. I think this is one of Eudora’s strengths as a writer.

One Writer's Beginnings

I am still in the Listening portion of Eudora Welty's One Writer's Beginnings and I realized what I am up against for the rest of the book.
As I am reading I realized that although Eudora is writing an essay type book, she is still a fiction writer and uses many details and other rhetorical language.
In all of the stories and experiences, thus far, Eudora not only tells you the main points of what happened, but she also tells you her thoughts and gives detail about the expressions and setting. This makes the sentences in the book longer, but still very simple and easy to read.
Eudora also uses many similies and metaphors as she writes also. She describes a certain event or object, but then adds a relation to give her writing more awe and spice.
This helps to keep the reader from getting bored. It also helps the reader to understand exactly what the object is or what was going on by relating it to something that is more common. The rhetorical devices also help us to realize that Eudora is a fiction writer and is very good at it.
So even though I am not far in the book, I found out alot about Eudora- her child hood, past, and writing styles. I am looking forward to reading more about Eudora's path leading up to her career and seeing if her style changes as the section changes or if it just gets more complex. I am also looking forward to reading more of Welty's engaging essay and "listen" to the voice of the passage.

Tar Baby

I am almost finished with this amazing book, so this is my final blog about it. I'm glad that I decided to read this novel.
So far I have introduced you to the book, gave insight to characters, and told you about key facts. Now i'm going to tell you more about the themes wounded into Toni Morrison's Tar Baby.
Femininistic views and hardships is one theme incorporated into Tar Baby. Women in this novel are inferior because of their gender. They are dehumanized and not respected. This is seen when Gideon talks about Theresa's ignorance. It is also illustrated when Son questions Jadine about how she gets things in life.
The women in Tar Baby are also mothers, mostly. This motherhood is shown in a good and bad way. Margaret seems like a loving mother at the beginning, but we find out that she abused her son.
Jadine goes through many phases trying to find out what fits her. She tries modeling, a career, and even tries the mother role. Because of the outside view of women and the struggles she encounters, Jadine is not able to find herself which really frustrates her.
Another theme is the nature versus the society. This theme is illustrated with Jadine and Son. Jadine likes the cultural life and civilization, while Son prefers the natural order of things. In the end, Jadine and Son can not be together because of their different views and lifestyles which are indicative of nature and civilization; they can not coexist in harmony successfully.
Toni Morrison also incorporates the past with the present. She also touches on appearance and beauty relating to power and ranking and the way you are viewed in society. Son starts off rugged looking, but when he cleans up, the people of L'Arbe de la Croix are more inviting. Margaret Street is also viewd as high-class because of her beauty.
All of these themes and more are jumbled together and organized into a masterpiece referred to as Tar Baby. Toni Morrison did a great job of writing and using different symbols.
This book was a great read. I hope you decide to read it and find out for yourself.

One Writer's Beginnings

I am starting to like this book. The way this book is written makes it easy to read, understand, and grasp what Eudora is trying to convey.
Like I said before, Eudora writes in a chronological way. Her book is divided into three sections- Listening, Learning to See, and Finding a Voice.Each section gives different experiences in her life that not only relates to the section, but also relates back to her choice of being a fiction writer.
Right now I am in the Listening section. She starts out by talking about how she grew up and where. She also begins by stating that for all her life she has been listening. Eudora also states that chronology has been in her for as long as she can remember and she learned it without even realizing it.
One thing that really stuck out to me was Eudora stating, "to read as listeners...to write as listeners". As I read this part of the book, it clicked and I realized that this statement was very true.
Eudora leads up to this statement by talking about reading and hearing the voice of the story or poem. She also says that when she writes, she hears the same voice and however the voice reads to her, she makes changes and trusts that voice.
I had to read this section over and over, because at first I wasn't really thinking about it. Then when i read it over, I realized that the statement pertains to my life also. When I read it's like a voice reading to me and it helps me to feel and understand the story more. As I write, I am also reading and listening to the voice in my head and write down exactly what I hear.
I believe Eudora wrote this statement to make people realize that everyone does it and probably does not realize that they are. She states something that not only she experiences, but everyone else that reads and writes experiences. This helps her to draw her audience closer to her and get them to be more interested and trusting in what she says.
Eudora has a lot of these broad statements invested in her book. Some requires more thinking than others, but all of them help to make this book a greater read.

One Writer's Beginnings

One Writer’s Beginnings
Eudora Welty
1983
I am now moving on to a new book. It’s a non-fiction book too. It was kind of hard to find but I got help. I went to Ms. Cassell with my time problem. I explained to her how it was hard finding time to get and read a book. She then introduced me to the books that she has available in her classroom. I told her that I have to find a non-fiction book this time and she gave me many different options.
I decided to choose One writer’s Beginnings by Eudora Welty. There were a lot of reasons why I chose this book. One reason is because of how short it was. At first I thought the book had to be a big, long 300 or more page book. But this book is only 104 pages and the font is not eye-straining either.
I also chose this book because of Ms. Cassell told me it was an easy read. This was another plus because I don’t have a lot of time and books where I have to put a lot of thought into it to understand what is going on would not help. Just by flipping through the pages I see that this book has really simple diction and has a chronological order in which it is written.
This book also seemed interesting to me which is rare being that it is non-fiction. The reason I was interested is because I have already been introduced to the piece. You may remember this author from a previous class work assignment we had to do. I read a part of this book already and had to analyze how the author conveys the values and effects of reading on her career. From that prompt I found that Eudora Welty is a mainly a fiction writer. I also found that reading has really impacted her future. The prompt also made me know that One Writer’s Beginnings is really an easy- to- read book.
So I am really looking forward to reading this simple book and find out how Eudora ended up being a fiction writer. TTYL!!!

HELP

Hey guys. I’m writing this blog to ask for help. These reading blogs are becoming really hard for me. Not because of the writing. But because the reading. I am having a hard time finding time to read and write meaningful blogs.

The last book I read was Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. It was really interesting but took a while for me to find and finish because of the limited time I have. I take three Advance Placement classes including AP Government, AP Calculus BC, and AP Lang/Comp (obviously). I am also a member of the Varsity Cheerleading team which takes up a lot of my time also. We practice almost every from 4-6pm. We also have games on every Tuesday and Friday and don’t get home until around 11 some nights. I don’t mind writing these blogs, it is just really hard to find time.

I have trouble finding a book to read also. If the books I got to choose were anything that I wanted to read, it wouldn’t be that difficult. I could easily find novels and fiction books that are interesting to me. The main problem is the requirements to read more non-fiction books. I am not a big fan.

So here is where you guys come in. I am asking for anyone to help me manage my time. If you have any tips or tricks to help my chaotic life run on a schedule. I am also asking for ideas on non-fiction books that you found interesting and that you think I would enjoy. I really don’t like non-fiction that is strictly about a person’s life (just event after event). If the book is a type of biography or autobiography, I rather it be about one occurrence that aided in something else happening. I also don’t like books with just dates. They are not that appealing to me. I know it may seem that I am picky, but if the book is filled with just events or dates then I would not pay close attention to it and my blogs would not be as interesting (because the book wasn’t interesting).

So PLEASE help me schedule my day, find time for reading, and give me any non-fiction books.

P.S: You can also give me ideas of any other types of books that may be interesting to me, or that you found was a good read.

THANK YOU. HOPE TO HEAR FROM YOU. J

TAR BABY

Tar Baby is a mixture of different types of novels.  It starts out in Queen of France and throughout the novel the setting changes. It is settled in L'Arbe de la Croix, Isle des Chevaliers for a little while then moves to Paris. It is also set in New York and Eloe, Florida. The book is written as things are happening but also flashes back to previous times. 

Toni Morrison writes as a narrator in the third person. She helps the reader to know the story as well as the mannerisms of each character. She also tries to illustrate events so that the reader would understand it.

Tar Baby is mainy centered around Jadine and Son, the two protagonists in the novel. It also touches on struggles they have coming from two different backgrounds and having two different states of mind. This novel often compares living in a cultural society versus living in a natural world. 

Major action comes about when Jadine and Son make love for the first time and decide to run away together. This is also when Jadine has a dream and realizes that there is no way she and Son can live in love together because of their different thinking styles. 

Tar Baby's constantly goes back and forth between women views , nature and society, and also the past and the present. Toni Morrison uses a lot of symbolism with the greenhouse, appearance, and little gifts. The greenhouse is a major symbol that is constantly brought up in Tar Baby. 

The way that Tar Baby is structured and the way in which Toni Morrison uses different views and figures of speech allows for the reader to gain more insight into the time period of the novel and the way of thinking during that time. It also allows for the reader to make up their own opinions and causes the reader to ponder about different issues. 

THIS IS A GREAT BOOK.

TAR BABY

      I finally learned all of the characters and a little information about each one. It took a while to learn each of the characters- their backgrounds, roles in the story, likes and dislikes- but I finally learned them.

      There are two protagonists in Tar Baby. One is Jadine Childs, a 25yr old black model. She is also an orphan and is raised by Ondine and Sydney. Jadine is very strong minded but often questions her thoughts and choices. 

      The second protagonist is Son, who's real name is William Green. He is the guy introduced at the beginning of the book. Son has a dangerous past but he is passionate. Son also has a strong belief that whites and blacks can not coexist together in harmony and has a strong bond with the natural world. He and Jadine are lovers in this novel.

Valerine Street is a wealthy 70yr old white male. He is the owner of the land that Son ends up, L'Arbe de la Croix. His hobby is gardening, and he is somewhat arrogant at times, but his life changes after learning a past secret about his wife.

Margaret Street is Valerine's wife but younger than him by about twenty years. She is not from the island and dislikes living there.  Margaret was called the "Principal Beauty of Maine" since high school, so she is very conceited. But Margaret has  cruel mind and past.

Michael Street is the son of Valerine and Margaret. He is not really in the story but he is mentioned a lot. Michael is known for dehumanizing black people but overall he is kind hearted.

Sydney( Valerine's butler) and Ondine(Valerine's cook) both take care of Jadine. Sydney is a black male from Philly that is assertive at times. He also does not trust Son. Ondine is a black woman that is strong minded. Jadine refers to her as "Nanadine".

Gideon, aka Yardman, is a black handyman. He is fired by Valerine for sealing apples. Gideon once lived in America and was tricked by his wife to move to the islands. His wife Therese, aka Mary, is also fired for stealing apples; she was the laundress. Therese is prejudice against non-islanders.  

Alma Estee is Gideon and Therese's daughter. She is also called Mary. She works as a janitor when her parents lose their jobs, but is more caught up with her image than anything else.

Other characters include Ryk, Jadine's wealthy white boyfriend and supposed to be fiance. Dr. Michelin is a friend of Valerine. Dawn is Jadine's friend from New York. Soldier and his wife Ellen, Carl, Drake, and Ernie Paul are all childhood friends of Son. Cheyenne was Son's first wife. Old Man is Son's father and Aunt Rosa is Son's aunt. B. J. Bridges is a famous poet and Michael Street's favorite teacher.

All of these characters either play a major role in Jadine and Son's life, or are mentioned throughout the book. Either way, they all help to make this book great. LATA!!!

TAR BABY

Tar Baby

Toni Morrison

April 1982

For my independent reading, I chose Tar Baby by Toni Morrison. From reading the blurb at the back of the book, I know that this book is going to be about a relationship between a black man and woman struggling in a black and white world. It was a national bestseller and won a Nobel Prize in literature, so I’m hoping it isn’t bad. I also chose this book because my mother read it and said that it is a good book and gave it to me to read, so I’m giving it a try.

Since this is my first blog, I haven’t gotten really far in the book as yet. I have only read the prelude. The Queen of France is mentioned, so I’m guessing it is set in England right now. No characters are named yet so I don’t have a clear sense of what is going to happen, where the story is going, or who the main characters are. I do know that there is balck guy that is somewhat sneaky and hasn't heard the sound of a women's voice in a while.

The story starts with this guy on a boat and it seems as though he is running away from wherever he is. I think that the guy is somewhere he doesn’t want to be and wants to get away. He jumps into the ocean and starts swimming towards a pier but is making sure to keep his arms close to the water, which makes me wonder if he is forced to be where he was and if caught there would be major consequences.

Toni Morrison adds excitement to the story at the very beginning with the current, "water-lady", that pulls the guy into a whirlwind and guides him away from where he was heading. This made me want to read more. It also tells me that this story isn’t going to be a bore and is going to be filled with different issues and drama. This makes me want to finish the book and find out how the prelude relates to the rest of the book and the ending. I’ll be sure to let you know how the book ends when I get to there, and I’ll keep you updated along the way with other blogs. Bye Bye for now.