Mexican WhiteBoy

Author: Matt de la Pena
Original Date of Publication: 2008

Main Characters
Danny Lopez: Sixteen year old boy that is part Mexican and part White.  He struggles with the split up between his parents.  He is also a very good baseball player and would probably go off to college and play. However, he struggles with freezing up when he gets on the pitcher's mound.
Uno: Danny's friend when he goes to National City for the summer.
Sofia: Danny's cousin. He stays with her while he is in National City for the summer.

Setting
The novel, Mexican WhiteBoy takes place in the streets of San Diego County in the present day.  Most of the scenes occur in National City, a place where Danny's dad's family lives.  Baseball fields in the city serve as the setting for a lot of the story.  National City is prominently inhabited by Mexican culture, making Danny different than everyone else because of his biracial heritage. 

The story takes place over a period of the summer months, but also has times where characters experience memories from the past.  Because of this large time span, we get a good sense of the characters' personalities and experiences. 

Themes

The struggle to find identity is a clear theme. Growing up in a life of definitions, Danny experiences two cultures, American and Mexican, and the story is about him finding his balance and his focus.

Baseball is a theme in the book. Danny has a good pitch that he develops to have a good aim; it is a popular activity in Mexico and in his school, where Danny finds acceptance; and also resonates in the structure of the book-the numbered sections and story pattern gives it a circular experience like running bases.

Friendship is another theme that runs through the book as Danny and Uno share adventures together. Uno, an unsuspected friend, ends up helping Danny face some of his challenges with baseball and his father.

Danny’s improvement in his pitch is a metaphor for his character development. Just as his pitch is fast but lacks precision, so is Danny who has a lot going for him but cannot choose a path. He later finds his focus that will lead him to a conscious choice about his future.  

Questions & Issues
Being biracial is one thing that Danny really struggled with in Mexican WhiteBoy.  Danny's mother is white and his father is Latino, which is why Danny refers to himself as the Mexican WhiteBoy.  He feels too dark to be in his primarily white private school, but feels too light-skinned to hang out with his father's side of the family.  We watch as Danny struggles with finding his identity throughout the book, which is something that other young adults who are biracial may struggle with as well during their lifetime. 

Another issue raised in the book is coming from a broken home.  Both Danny and Uno come from broken homes, as both of their parents are divorced.  Danny struggles with why his father ran away to Mexico and blames it on himself for not being perfect.  Uno deals with choosing whether to go live with his father or stay with his mother and her new husband.  Divorce is becoming more and more common in today's society, so this is an issue that may hit home with a lot of young adults reading this book. 

Self-injury becomes an issue in Mexican WhiteBoy as we watch Danny dig his fingernails into his skin.  In the novel Danny is feeling very numb since his father left because he blames his fathers disappearance on himself.  Therefore, Danny feels the need to hurt himself in order to feel some pain, or anything at all for that matter.  We all cringe as we watch him harm himself in an attempt to feel emotion.

The Orange Houses

Author: Paul Griffin
Original Date of Publication: 2009

Main Characters
Tamika (Mik) Sykes: 15-year-old girl suffering from partial hearing loss who likes to turn off her hearing aid to draw and shut out the world. 
Jimmi Sixes: 18-year-old war veteran who suffers from post traumatic stress disorder and is trying to find a reason to live.
Fatima: 16-year-old refugee from Africa trying to find a new beginning and yearning to see the Statue of Liberty.

Setting

The setting in the book takes place in several places in Bronx, NY. The time frame is within the years of America’s last war. More specifically, the story takes place within the 27 days before Jimmy is hung. As stated as the title of the book, the Orange Houses is where Tamika lives. Jimmy lives in a hideaway and Fatima lives in a small basement apartment. The Orange Houses is a low income area, and as the story progresses, the reader realize it is a place filled with hope.

Questions and Issues
There are many issues in the book, The Orange Houses.  One of the main issues is the idea of dealing with differences.  All of the main characters are very different from one another, and different from the people in their neighborhood, as well.  Because of their differences, the people in the neighborhood have a hard time not judging them and creating assumptions about them.  The main characters, however, use their differences in a positive way.  They see that their differences bring them together.  The issue of immigration is also found in this book.  Fatima illegally immigrated to the United States and is constantly being reminded that illegal immigration laws are being strictly enforced.  Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder is another issue in this book.  Jimmi is just 18 years old and already a war veteran.  He is dealing with the effects of seeing a little girl being killed while at war, as well as the death of his girlfriend and baby.  These events sent Jimmi into a downward spiral of depression and drug use.  Also in this book, disability is a major issue.  Mik is deaf and has to wear hearing aids.  Because of her disability, she is always being made of, causing her to stay silent most of the time even though she can speak.

Theme
There are a lot of important themes that run through the novel, The Orange House.  The one that sticks out the most is the theme of friendship.  Jimmi is the one that brings Mik and Fatima together.  A friendship between the two starts to blossom. All three of them are friends but they are all very different from each other.  This novel shows that you can have great friends that are different and special in many different ways.  It also shows that your friends will always be there for you.  Some examples of them being there for each other are when Fatima walks Mik home from school or when Fatima throws herself in front of Jimmi when he is getting beaten.  They all give each other strength and that what makes them great friends.

Another theme that is evident through the book is hope.  Fatima is the one who is always optimistic and is always having hope even when she is not certain about some issues.  You see her have hope that she will not get caught being in the U.S., you also see her have hope that her sister is still alive.  Fatima's hope brings everyone close to her hope.  You can see the hope that is brought in Mik when she believes that Fatima will become a citizen.

The last major theme that is carried on throughout the novel is the outlet of art. All three of the main characters have artistic abilities.  Mik has her drawings, Fatima has her paper angels and animals, and Jimmi has his poetry.  For all of them, art is there outlet.  It is a way to express themselves and in some sense it gives them hope as well.  Fatima's angels give her guidance, and when she does not have money for anything she can make herself something out of newspaper.  Mik's drawings help her express herself in a noisy world.  Mik does not speak very much, however, she has the ability to speak to other people through her drawings without using words.  Jimmi's poetry helps him show other people how he is feeling.  Most people do not give him the time of day and they think he is just crazy, but his poetry resembles the pain and the trauma he has gone through.  

Jumped

Author: Rita Williams-Garcia
Original Date of Publication: 2009

Main Characters
Leticia:  A girl who serves as an observer to the beginnings of a fight that is supposed to take place later on.  She has the power to stop it, but chooses not to do anything about it.
Dominique:  A basketball player with severe anger issues who decides to jump someone after school because they invaded her space.
Trina:  The new girl in school who believes her existence brightens every one's day, and is oblivious to  the fact that everyone sees her as an irritant.

Setting:
The novel Jumped takes place in an inner city school.  It does not specifically state where the school is, but they talk about the Brooklyn Bridge, so it more than likely takes place in that area.  It is clear that there is security set up around the school.  You can see there are security guards at the school when Dominique is chasing her teacher and the security guard stops her and says she can not come into the school until a specific time.  As one reads the book, you notice this all takes place within one day. You get perspectives of how the day goes by the three main characters.  This leads up until the end of the day when Trina gets jumped.

Themes
Aggression is one of the main themes throughout Jumped.  We see this very strongly with Dominique.  There is a lot of aggression expressed by Dominique in the book that we cannot entirely attribute to one single source.  We know that she is angry because she receieved a low grade and was therefore benched by her basketball coach.  We also know that she was irritated by Trina in the hallway when Trina cut her way through Dominique and her friends.  Other than these two factors we are not sure where else Dominiques aggression is coming from.  It is possible that there are underlying issues outside of school causing her anger that we are not familiar with.

Self absorbency is another theme we see in Jumped.  We notice this in Trina from the start.  She comes off as very confident and obsessed with herself - from talking about her pink sweat suit to her middrift showing and her "shakey shake".  Leticia also exhibits some self-absorbent behavior.  When she is in gym class she talks about how she hates to sweat and as a result doesn't often participate in gym class as much as she should.  Also during gum class Leticia breaks one of her silk wrapped nails off.  Leticia takes this to the extreme by leaving gym class to confront the principal about her broken nail.  The rest of the day Leticia obsesses about her broken nail and attempts to hide it from the world.

Allusions

There are several allusions to other artists in this book. Trina mentions Picasso in her style of art. She uses many colors and loves it because she herself if of many backgrounds. As she analyzes her identity, her reference to Picasso reflects her desire to put the pieces of her identity together. Leticia talks about how her friend read ‘True-to-life reads’ like Push and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings; that she cannot relate to, her teacher, Mr. Walsh’s favorites: Black Boy, The Stranger, and A Separate Peace. Although the books take place in different settings, there are connected to the three girls in Jumped. In Black Boy, Richard Write is a curious child who grows up in an environment of people who strongly dislikes him, like the state Trina is in with her school. Richard moves north to Chicago for a better life, like Trina has moved to her current school because of the great art program they have; and Richard thinks he will find friends the John Reed Club, like Trina thinks people love her for trying to join the Boosters. In The Stranger, Meursault is indifferent to the world because hall his life he has not been able to feel remorse of personal emotions. When Leticia finds out about how Trina is going to get hurt, she is indifferent and feels no remorse because she only care about the drama and the excitement it causes. Finally, in A Separate Peace, Gene causes Finny to fall of a tree and break is leg, out of anger and impulse, like Dominique’s decision to attack Trina.

The Hunger Games

Author: Suzanne Collins
Original Date of Publication: 2008

Characters

Katniss Everdeen – A 16 year old who takes the place of her sister’s in the Hunger Games for district 11. To her, the Hunger Games is a death sentence, but she also promises her sister that she'll win

Prim – Katniss’ younger sister, who has to watch Katniss in the Hunger Games on T.V., in her place

Gale – Katniss’ hunting partner for about four years. He is two years older than Katniss

Peeta – The baker’s son who has had a crush on Katniss since the first day of school, and is the male contender for district 11 in the Hunger Games

Haymich – The only winner of the Hunger Games in district 11, who has to mentor Katniss and Peeta through the brawl.

Cinna, Portia – Stylists in the district 11’s support team

Setting
The Hunger Games takes place in the fictitious country of Panem.  Panem is split up into twelve districts.  It was originally split into thirteen districts but the thirteenth district was destroyed in a battle against the Capitol during the Dark Days.  The twelve districts remaining are ruled by the Capitol.  The narrator of the book, Katniss, lives in the twelfth district.  District 12 is enclosed by a sometimes electrified fence which is meant to keep predators from coming in.  Nicknamed the Seam, District 12 is home primarily to poor coal miners. 

The Hunger Games is somewhat like a very intense reality T.V. show.  All the action associated with The Hunger Games is filmed and broadcasted on live T.V., from the reaping to the final battle.  We get the sense that the book takes place in the future.  The very advanced technology and genetically mutated animals gives us this impression.  We see the majority of this in advanced technology during The Hunger Games.

Themes
There are several themes that take place in the book, The Hunger Games.  One of the themes is survival of the fittest.  The main character, Katniss, has to compete in the Hunger Games, a deathly battle between 24 people. The only way to win the game is to kill your opponents.  Katniss has to figure out how to survive in the woods, facing issues of starvation, dehydration, and most of all, death.  The idea of politics is another theme that can be seen throughout the book.  Politics plays a large role in the way the 12 districts are set up, and how they compare to the greatness of the Capitol.  The Capitol has all the control in the nation of Panem.  Love and care are part of another theme that takes place in the book.  Katniss makes it very clear that she loves her little sister, Prim, more than anything in the world.  Her main concern while entering the games is how her mother and Prim will be without her, since she is the one who takes care of them.  The theme of love can also be seen when Peeta, the boy tribute from District 12, admits his love for Katniss.  Throughout the game, their care for one another grows into love.

Questions and Issues
In the novel, The Hunger Games there are three main issues that are addressed.  The first issue that is addressed is manslaughter. Twenty-four kids are picked to play the "hunger game."  In the game, there is a winner and to win you have to eliminate your opponents.  These young adults are hunting each other and killing each other just to win this game.  If they do not hunt each other, and if there is no action going on, then the gamemakers will throw in a twist like setting the woods on fire to injure a player.  They are using manslaughter for entertainment which is horrible.

The next issue is the problem of starvation.  In the capital, they have a ton of nice food.  However, in the districts, especially where Katniss lives, some people will go hungry.  The capital will not help the people by giving them food.  Since there are limited food resources in district twelve, the price to buy food is higher, making many people have to live on very small rations.

The last issue that is evident in the novel is the issue of poverty.  This does tie into starvation because if you are starving you are obviously living in poverty.  In district twelve there are people who live in extreme poverty, which are usually the coal miners and the merchants that get by more comfortably.  However, if you compare the districts with the capital there is a big gap between the them.

Knights of the Hill Country

Author: Tim Tharp
Original Date of Publication: 2006

Main Characters
Hampton Green: High school teenager who is an extraordinary football player. He is the narrator of the book.
Blaine Keller: Hampton's best friend who is also a football player and is the one whose father taught Hampton how to play. Blaine is very controlling over Hampton and Blaine always wants to be the best.
Sarah: Sarah is a girl Hampton likes however, Blaine does not like her because she does not "look the right way". Sarah helps Hampton in finding himself.
Jake: One of Hampton and Blaine's football buddies.
T. Roy: Football star that came from the football team and got drafted to the Dallas Cowboys football team. He was Blaine and Hampton's idol and he is what brought Blaine and Hampton together in the first place.
Tommy Coleridge: Hampton's mom's boyfriend that is very much into football.
Mother of Hampton: Single mother that raises Hampton. Also, Tommy Coleridge's girlfriend.

Setting

Knights of the Hill Country takes place in the small town of Kennisaw, Oklahoma, where football is the only thing that matters.  Football is what the town is centered around.  On Friday nights, almost all of the residents can be found at the game.  When a game isn’t being played, the people of Kennisaw spend their time discussing the team and reliving their own glory moments of being a Kennisaw Knight.  Being such a small and not exactly wealthy town, the people of Kennisaw see a career in football as being their only way to a dream life in nearby Dallas, Texas.  The area is predominately inhabited by Whites, making Kennisaw a place where racism occurs frequently.  The story seems to have taken place in the 90’s, but has elements that can be relatable to the present, as well.

Theme

Theme of this book is choosing to become the kind of person you want to become. Like in football, Hampton becomes an action taker and displays loyalty for his friend. In the story, Hampton gradually becomes disheartened with being a follower, mainly Blaine's follower. The fact that Hampton has turned out to be a very good football player, while Blaine is held back by an untreated knee injury, is one reason for the conflict. Blaine puts a strain on Hampton's straightforward loyalty with his increasingly irrational demands. Among other things, Blaine tries to put a stop to Hampton's interest in a girl Blaine feels isn't suitably popular and good-looking. But Hampton's relationship with Sara helps him think in new ways and break Blaine's hold over him. Hampton wisely realizes that he can love football and play to win without neglecting other possibilities and joys in life.

Questions and Issues
Peer pressure is one of the first issues we see in Knights of the Hill Country.  We get the impression that Hampton is very impressionable.  One example of this is the relationship between Blaine and Hampton.  Blaine is like a brother to Hampton and we see how Blaine overpowers Hampton in a lot of his decisions.  We also see peer pressure in the book when Misty asks Hampton to steal the trophy from the elementary school.  Hampton does it because he wants to impress Misty and she practically begs him to do it.  Peer pressure is something young adults have to deal with every single day, especially when hanging out with their peers.  This books targets how Hampton handles peer pressure and how he eventually learns to break away from the mold and be himself.

Another issue we see just briefly in this book is racism.  When Hampton is at the local bar with Blaine watching the football games he hears rumors about the new guy his mother has been dating, Tommy Don.  In order to find out whether these rumors are true or not Hampton goes straight to the source and talks to Tommy Don.  After a long talk over the issue we find out that the rumors were mostly false and instead an issue of racism.  Although we do not see racism present anywhere else in Knights of the Hill Country the book still broaches the subject here.  Racism is not something as prevalent as it used to be but it is definitely something young adults still face today. 

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

Author: Sherman Alexie
Original Date of Publication: 2007


Main Characters:
Arnold Spirit, a.k.a. "Junior": Young boy from the Spokane Indian Reservation who plans to change high schools and make a better life for himself.
Rowdy: Young boy who attends Wellpinit High School (on the reservation) and has been Arnold's best friend since childhood.
Grandma Spirit: Arnold's grandma who he describes as the only tolerant Indian left on the reservation.
Mary Spirit: Arnold's sister who also moves away from the reservation later in the book.
Eugene: Arnold's father's best friend who gives Arnold a ride to school on occasion.
Penelope: Arnold's "girlfriend" at Reardon High School.
Roger: One of Arnold's friends and basketball teammates at Reardon High School.
Gordy: A very intelligent student at Reardon High School who befriends Arnold.

Setting
In the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, there are two main places.  The first place is the Spokane Indian reservation, and the other place is the high school called Reardan.  These two places are completely different from each other.  The reservation wear Junior lives is full of Indians that live in poverty and drink a lot of alcohol. On the reservation there is a lot of violence and they are discriminative toward white people. Junior decides one day, after talking to his white teacher, that he needs to get off the reservation and attend school somewhere else.  Junior attends Reardan and he is submerged into a community wear it is all white people and he is the only Native American.  At first the kids at the school do not want to be his friend and they pick on him.  However, after he punches the "alpha dog" of the school, he earns some respect.  Reardan has a lot less violence and there are not very many people living in poverty compared to life on the reservation.

Themes

There are several themes in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.

Friendship is seen throughout the book. As Junior faces the challenges of poverty, moving to a new school where he is the only Native American and the deaths in his family, relationships develop between Penelope, Gordy and Roger. And his friendship is put to the test with Rowdy as Junior makes his decisions.

Hope is another theme that is seen even from the first page. Junior is born with hydrocephalus, and he susceptible to seizures but he fights with it, and with drunks and drug addicts, and with the disapproval of people in the reservation that condemn him as a traitor for leaving the reservation. Junior does not loses his hope for having a better life in the future, despite the circumstances that faze him, and we see hoe that plays out.

Questions and Issues

There are several issues that play major roles in the novel, The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian.  One of the issues is poverty. Junior and his family are very poor and barely have enough means to live day-to-day life. Their poverty becomes an issue when Junior starts attending school in Reardan. Because he is no longer going to school on the reservation, transportation is a major factor. Sometimes Junior has to walk to and/or from school because his family cannot afford gas, or the car is having trouble. Poverty is also an issue when it comes to the type of clothing Junior wears. Junior's clothing is much less expensive than the clothing that the students at Reardan are wearing. Junior even has to carry his books in a trash bag, while the other kids have backpacks. Another issue is bullying. Junior encounters bullying on, and off, the reservation. On the reservation, he is tormented both, before and after, he changed schools. Junior is also bullied by the students at Reardan because he is different than they are. Alcoholism is another large issue in this novel. The culture on the reservation is highly involved in alcoholic activities. Junior talks a great deal about his father being drunk a lot and spending their money on alcohol. Alcohol is also the cause of many deaths on the reservation. 

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

Author: Walter Dean Myers
Original Date of Publication: 2006

Main Characters
Jesse Givens:  A teenager dealing with friendships and the issue of manhood.
Rise Johnson:  A young man craving power and fame, who is also Jesse's best friend.
C.J. Europe:  Jesse's musically talented friend who's struggling with manhood.
Mason Grier:  A young man who is in jail for robbery.
Sidney Rock:  A policeman who wants to help the young men in Harlem to make the right decisions.
Little Man:  An angry boy living in the neighborhood.
Gun, Benny, and Calvin:  Jesse's friends who encounter the struggles of growing up in Harlem.

Setting

The story takes place in Harlem, New York, which is where the author was raised. Since Harlem has gone through several changes since the beginning of the 20th century, and the closest state to how it is depicted in the book is the recent time period from the 90’s to the present. It is a predominantly minority inhabited area. The setting plays a great role in the story. As the characters struggle to learn about manhood and brotherhood, violence is steeped in their environment and shapes their belief and perspectives, and ultimately their lives. At the start of the book, Booby Green is dead, and he dies through a drive by, and it seems the killers might not have even known who they killed. Throughout the story, the characters face violence and death, which is what they’ve grown up with.

Themes
When first analyzing Autobiography of My Dead Brother, in terms of themes, violence is probably one of the first things to come to mind.  Violence is expressed throughout the book in many different ways, whether it be out of love or with the intent to kill.  Our first example of violence is shown in the very beginning of the book when a funeral is taking place for a young boy named Bobby Green, who was shot and killed in a drive-by shooting.  This opening scene sets the mood for the book and introduces the idea of gangs that are happening in this city.  Another form of violence that we see is later in the book when Jesse's father hits him in the face.  Although this was very hurtful we realize that this violence happened out of his father's attempt to "slap some sense into him" and keep him out of the gang scene.

Another strong theme we see in the book is friendship or brotherhood.  The young boys in Autobiography of My Dead Brother are just looking for a place to fit in.  They find this in each other by joining a group called the Counts.  By being members of this group, together they form a strong sense of brotherhood.  Jesse talks strongly about how he feels very close with Rise, not only because they are blood brothers, but also because they have known each other since childhood.  We really do see the brotherhood between these two characters as they grow into two separate people but continue to keep the tight bond between them. 

The last theme we pick up on in the book is the sense of becoming a man.  The young men in this book are yearning to become adults and "become a man".  Although they all share this desire most are fulfilling this dream in the wrong fashion.  They are very quick to act out in violence in order to prove themselves to the people around them.  Jesse and C.J. are two of the few in this book that have learned quickly that violence is not what gets you where you need to be and certainly does not prove that you are a man. 


Questions and Issues
In the novel, Autobiography of My Dead Brother, there is one major issue that presents a lot of questions. The issue is gangs.  This book deals with young kids associating themselves with gangs and the violence that comes along with gangs.  A question that is looked at with this issue is, why do theses young kids feel like they should be apart of this type of violence?  Each character in this book is different on why they want to be in this gang.  One character feels like he just wants to have power be looked up to as the "big man".  Another character feels like he should be in a gang because his friends are in it and he wants to follow what they do.  The issue of gangs is not uncommon in the world we live in.  There is a lot of pressure to look "cool" to people and these young kids feel like if they join a gang it makes them that much cooler.  However, these kids do not realize the serious consequence that may come along with being in a gang.  A consequence that goes hand in hand with gangs is death. Through this book, the two main characters, Jesse and C.J., realize the question of death that is associated with gangs is something that happens a lot and is common when there friend Rise is shot and killed.  As one can see many questions arise out of this issue of gangs.

True Believer

Author: Virginia Euwer Wolff
Original Date of Publication: 2001

Characters
LaVaughn – a girl who is sure about going to college but is confused about everything else.
Jody – a childhood friend of LaVaughn who acts like he loves her but is confusing.
Myrtle – a childhood friend of LaVaughn who joins the Cross Your Legs for Jesus, with Annie.
Annie – a childhood friend of LaVaughn who does not like Jody
Jolly – a friend of LaVaughn whose children, Jeremy and Jilly, LaVaughn babysat.
Patrick – LaVaugn’s lab partner in Biology who is great at memorizing.
Dr. Rose – the teacher in Grammar Built-Up
Ronell, Artrille, Doug – friends with LaVaughn, who along with her calls themselves the Brain Cells.
Lester – the man LaVaugn’s mother grows closer to.

Setting
Although the specific setting is not mentioned in True Believer we get the impression that it takes place in a larger inner city, such as Chicago or New York City.  LaVaughn talks about how she lives in an apartment in the city with her mother in a poorer part of town.  She continues to mention throughout the book how she plans to attend college and get herself out of this particular part of town.  LaVaughn also talks about riding the bus instead of having a car, which also leads us to believe that she lives in the inner city.
In the beginning of the book LaVaughn says she's fifteen and attending high school.  She never says what the name of the high school is, but we get the sense that the school is somewhat divided between the kids who plan to attend college and the students who don't.  LaVaughn is actually placed in a a higher science class and an after school grammer program to help her prepare for college.

Questions and Issues
There are many issues that can be found throughout True Believer that can be related to young adult readers.  One of the issues that is addressed is the idea of teen pregnancy.  LaVaughn's friend, Jolly, became pregnant at an early.  Now, she is struggling with raising her two kids, Jilly and Jeremy, all the while trying to maintain her grades at school.  Violence in schools is another issue that is addressed in the book.  In the book, LaVaughn has several experiences with school shootings. Another issue is religion.  Throughout the book, LaVaughn deals with her relationship with God.  Also, LaVaughn's friends, Myrtle and Annie, are very involved with their religion.  They join the "Cross Your Legs for Jesus" club and try to dictate how people should live their lives.

Themes, Symbolism, and Recurring Patterns
In the book True Believer there are a few themes that are evident.  The one theme that is a major theme that is carried throughout this novels is the theme of God and religious belief.  LaVaughn through this novel shares her growth in her religious beliefs.  In the beginning she doesn't know how she can love a God that has created evil in this world. As LaVaughn grows through the novel she is starting to learn about what she believes in and how she believes in God.  She believes she has to trust God when she goes through rough patches in her life.  Another theme is growth.  In this book there is a lot of growth mentally she goes through. Religion is one, but you also see her growing into the woman she is supposed to become. You see her growth in school and in her social life.

There are two main symbols that are talked about. The main symbol is the fish tank. The fish tank symbolizes looking at life from the inside out. We are looking and reading what is going though her mind.  We are able to understand her thoughts and feelings. The other symbol is the tree and bird nest on her ceiling.  This resembles her dreams. Where she lives now, there are no trees or nests, and this shows her every night where she wants her life to go.  Her dream is to go to college and get a good job and move out of the area where she lives to a place with grass and trees.

There are recurring patterns through the writing of the book. There are a lot of thoughts that are re-written through the novel.  Like the thought of asking Jody to the dance recurred multiple times until she finally asked him. This book is focused on LaVaughn thoughts and thought processes through her life and a lot of the thoughts reoccurs throughout this book.

Keesha's House

Author: Helen Frost
Original Date of Publication: 2003

Main Characters
Keesha: A girl who ran away from home when her mom died and when her dad started drinking a lot and becoming abusive. She found a home with a blue door that she tells other kids to go to when they need a place to stay.
Joe: Owner of the house with the blue door.
Stephie: Young girl who gets pregnant.
Jason: Boyfriend of Stephie.
Dontay: Young boy who gets placed in foster homes due to his parents being in jail.
Carmen: Girl who lives with her grandmother and gets arrested for a DUI when driving Dontay home.
Harris: Guy who is gay and ends up getting kicked out of his house.
Katie: Mom remarried a man who provided a home for them however, the man was sexually abusive toward Katie causing her to go to Keesha's house.
Tobias: Brother of Keesha.

Setting
The stories of the lives in Keesha’s House takes place in a rural or urban area.  The ambiguity allows for a wide range of readers to step into the city or town, and take in the story.  As the children try to find their way, Keesha’s house is what they use or go to. 

The children are in high school, and there is not a reference to a certain time period, except we know it has to have taken place sometime after child welfare was established. This element is evidence for the good literature in this book.The themes in the book, like teen pregnancy, sexual harassment, and drug abuse are classic issues. And the lack of a time period indicates that for these classic young adult issues, young adult readers will still be able to be drawn into the book’s story and will be able to relate to its characters in years to come.

The poetic forms used to write the book are sestina and sonnet. While the sonnets might be easier to detect, sestinas are the majority of the book. Sestinas are used for the main characters and sonnets for the adults, except in part eight of the book. From the title of each poem, that together forms a broad poem for each part, to the sonnets in part eight that are connected by the words of the last line of the preceding poem to the first line of the succeeding poem, the constant and linked structure of the book gives a sense of the connection the characters share and works well to depict their unstable lives.

Themes, Symbolism, and Recurring Patterns
There are many recurring patterns in Keesha's House that point to various themes and symbolism.  Some of the themes include:  personal growth, harassment and abuse, lack of a stable family or family support, teen pregnancy, and drug and alcohol use. 

Majority of the characters go through a growth process throughout the book.  For example, Jason learns what is more important in his life; Dontay realizes that maybe living with his foster parents isn't so bad after all; and Carmen understands that she has a problem that is way worse than she had originally thought. 

Harassment and abuse is another theme that is shown throughout the book.  Harris faces harassment when he finds a threatening note about his sexuality in his locker.  Katie encounters sexual abuse from her mother's new husband.

The theme of there being a lack of a stable family or a lack of family support is another theme that is involved in this book.  Keesha's father is an alcoholic, making him unsafe to be around.  Both of Dontay's parents are in jail, forcing him to live with foster parents.  Carmen lives with her grandmother because her mother chose not to be in her life.  Harris lacks the support from his father because of his sexuality.  Katie's mother refuses to listen to Katie when she tries to explain why it's unsafe for her to live at home.

Stephie and Jason both face the theme of teen pregnancy.  Stephie feels like she has no one to talk to and that no one will understand what she's going through; while her boyfriend, Jason, struggles to figure out how to balance a pregnancy and his promising future of basketball at the same time.

Drug and alcohol use are seen throughout the book.  Dontay is pressured by one his friends to sell drugs, while Keesha tries to convince her younger brother Tobias that selling drugs is a bad idea.  Both, Carmen and Keesha, deal with the effects of alcohol use.  Carmen has an alcohol problem that always seems to get her into trouble.  Keesha, on the other hand, faces the effects of alcoholism due to the fact that her father is an alcoholic.

The poetic forms used to write the book are sestina and sonnet. While the sonnets might be easier to detect, sestinas are the majority of the book. Sestinas are used for the main characters and sonnets for the adults, except in part eight of the book. From the title of each poem, that together forms a broad poem for each part, to the sonnets in part eight that are connected by the words of the last line of the preceding poem to the first line of the succeeding poem, the constant and linked structure of the book gives a sense of the connection the characters share and works well to depict their unstable lives.

Questions and Issues
Keesha's House addresses many different issues that young adults may experience in their high school years or beyond.  The main issue behind these young men and women coming together is their problems at home.  Helen Frost does a wonderful job of touching on real life subjects that effect young adults today, including drugs, homosexuality, teen pregnancy, foster homes, and sexual assault.  There are a number of characters in the book that struggle to get out of the "drug scene" and are trying to clean up their lives.  One young woman actually faces jail time because of her bad behavior.  Another character in the book, Harris, is actually kicked out of his house by his father because of his homosexuality.  Teen pregnancy is approached in the book right from the beginning when we find out about Stephanie's pregnany.  Frost shows how Stephanie struggles with her emotions towards the pregnancy throughout the book.  Another teen in Keesha's House is sexually assaulted by her stepfather, which leads her astray from her mother and their home together.  14-year-old Dontay runs away from his intolerable foster home to find a better life for himself.  Watch as these memorable characters deal with their individual struggles and come together in a place called Keesha's House.

The First Part Last

Author: Angela Johnson
Original Date of Publication: 2003


Main Characters:
Bobby: A 16-year old boy who struggles with the problems associated with teen pregnancy.
Nia Wilkins: Bobby's girlfriend and mother of Feather.
Feather: The daughter of Bobby and Nia.
Mary: Mother of Bobby with a hard exterior and tough attitude.
Fred: Father of Bobby with a soft heart and nurturing soul.
L.J. and K-Boy: Close friends of Bobby.
Coco Fernandez: Neighbor to Bobby who helps out often with his problems.
Jackie: Babysitter of Feather.
Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins: Parents of Nia.
Paul: Bobby's brother who also struggles with raising children by himself.

Setting

In this book there are a lot of different settings that play a major role.  Bobby describes about four different house settings throughout the book.  Bobby's parents are separated but he describes both houses to have color and lots of pictures of family vacations that cover all surfaces in the houses.  His parents' houses may look similar but the personalities carried through both houses are different.  He talks about how his dad's house smells of food.  The personality in his dad's house is more caring and "babying" almost. His mother's house, on the other hand, is more strict. Bobby's mother is always mentioning that she will not take care of his baby for him.  She may be strict but there is no doubt that she does not love her son and his baby.  He goes on to describe his girlfriend Nia's house.  He says it is very white and there are paintings.  He makes it come across like there is not as much life or joy.  When comparing his house to his girlfriend's house you can tell that there may be a class difference.  Nia may be in the upper middle class, while Bobby may just be solid middle class.  The next house is the house in Ohio that he moves into in the very last chapter.  He does not describe this house with very much detail but we know it is not in a city, and that it has a small yard where there is grass and trees.

Time is another setting that is developed through the book.  The chapters are divided up into now and then chapters.  The book starts out with a now chapter where he talks about the present and him with his daughter.  It then goes to a then chapter where they talk about the time during the pregnancy. The chapters alternate with each other, giving it a nice flow of the present and the past.  In reality you are getting a sense of two different time settings, which help develop and enhance the meaning of the book.

Themes

Teen Pregnancy is a major theme in the book.  Bobby’s girlfriend, Nia, is pregnant with a baby and they are trying to figure out whether to keep the baby or give it up for adoption.  They are both 16 years old, so Nia is spending time at the doctor's and after the baby is born, Bobby is spending time changing diapers after school.  He has support from his family and friends but he has to take care of the baby on his own, and his mother has made that clear.

Being a man is the next major theme in the book.  Although there is not a reference to Bobby’s father with respect to this theme, Bobby takes it from Just Frank, a man who drinks 40’s at 10:00 in the morning but ultimately dies when he tries to save a girl from her assaulter.  Just Frank always asked Bobby if he was being a man and Bobby thinks he sees him when he decides to take care of the baby.  Bobby has to grow up quickly as he takes care of his baby, Feather.

Questions and Issues

The First Part Last addresses issues that involve the young adults within the book that perhaps may be relatable to the readers, who may be young adults as well.  The main issue covered in this book is teen pregnancy.  Bobby, the main character, finds out that his girlfriend, Nia is pregnant, and they both have to deal with the consequences of unprotected sex and a hard decision that they are now forced to make.  The issue of teen pregnancy is shown here in this book written for young adults because it is part of a reality that we are faced with every day.  The statistics of teen pregnancy have grown immensely throughout the years, and it is a subject that teenagers are often faced with.  Another issue is adoption.  Because Bobby and Nia are so young, they aren’t sure whether or not they are able to take care of a child.  They decided on adoption so that the baby can have a better life.   Single parenthood is another issue that is addressed in The First Part Last.  When Bobby’s girlfriend is unable to fulfill her role as a mother, he takes it upon himself to raise Feather, their newborn daughter.  Raising Feather on his own forces Bobby to put his teenage years to rest and become a good father for his child.  The First Part Last does a great job of explaining the challenges that single parents face while raising a child.

Speak

Author:  Laurie Halse Anderson
Original Date of Publication:  1999


Main Characters
Melinda Sordino:  A ninth grade girl who stays silent for a reason unknown to others
Heather:  A new student from Ohio who befriends Melinda in order to establish herself in a group
Rachel (Rachelle) Bruin:  Melinda's former best friend who eventually dates Andy Evans
Andy Evans (IT/Andy Beast):  A senior who Melinda has a fear of
Ivy:  One of Melinda's former friends who rekindles a friendship with Melinda during art class
Mr. Freeman:  The art teacher who helps Melinda find her inner-art and her inner-self
Mom & Dad:  Melinda's parents who have other things on their mind besides their daughter
David Petrakis:  Melinda's lab partner who influences her on speaking out
Mr. Neck:  A cruel social studies teacher
Nicole:  A former friend of Melinda's


Questions and Issues
This book addresses multiple questions and issues young adults may face while going through their high school years.  The main issue that is brought up is sexual assault.  The main character in the book ends up getting raped at a party.  This incident brings up more issues and questions in young adulthood.  Because Melinda was raped it leads to her being bullied by her peers.  However, her peers do not know the truth about that night.  The bullying, and the fact that she was raped, leads into the issue of her becoming depressed.  Melinda can not look at herself in a mirror for the longest time because she blames herself for what happened.  She also does not feel like she can talk and speak up to anyone about that night.  She feels as if she needs to hide it.  You can tell the signs of her depression because she sleeps a lot, she does not talk much, she stops taking care of herself, and she just wants to be alone.  The depression leads to her then cutting herself.  She bites her lip and also scratches her wrist.  Melinda probably feels numb and she wants to physically feel pain from what she went through.


Themes, Symbolism, and Recurring Patterns
There are a number of themes, recurring patterns, and signs of symbolism in Speak.
- One of the main recurring patterns in the book is self-injury, whether it be accidental or purposeful.  Melinda has a tendency to bite her lips, which is evident throughout the book.  One of the first examples we see of this is on page 5 when Melinda is in the auditorium on the first day of school.  Another example of Melinda's purposeful injury is on page 87 when she cuts herself with a paper clip.  These injurys are significant in the book because they illustrate Melinda's pain associated with her depression. 
- Another recurring pattern in the book is Melinda's obsession with bunnies.  It is seen throughout the book that Melinda has a number of stuffed bunnies in her room and is very fond of them.  It isn't until later in the book that we realize that Melinda compares herself to a bunny.  On page 97 when she encounters Andy Evans (IT) on the street she makes a "BunnyRabbit bolt" away down the street to get away from him.  She is very much seen as the prey in this encounter much like a bunny would be towards a predator such as Andy Evans.
- Mirrors seem to be another recurring thing in Speak.  We can tell that Melinda is not fond of mirrors from the start.  For example, on page 16, Melinda looks at herself in the mirror and does not like what she sees.  This mirror scene ends in  Melinda biting her lips once again.  She ends up taking the mirror down and facing it against the wall in her closet.  Although mirrors seem to be portrayed as evil towards Melinda through a majority of the book, they actually become her saving grace in the end.  On page 195, when Melinda finds herself trapped in the janitors closet with Andy Evans, she manages to break the mirror she had hidden previously and threatens Andy's life with it. 
- Trees are a major theme throughout the book.  It all begins when Melinda receives her art project.  On page 12, Mr. Freeman gives Melinda the assignment to draw, sculpt, and paint a tree with emotion.  Melinda struggles with this for a long time and nearly gives up the entire assignment.  However, as time goes on she begins to relate with the tree.  One of the turning points with this assignment is towards the end when Melinda sees the tree in her front yard being trimmed.  She realizes that you need to get rid of the old, dead pieces before you can move on and continue to grow. 
- Speaking out is the last major theme in the book.  We watch throughout the book as Melinda becomes silent and refuses to speak to most anybody.  There were a number of times when Melinda wanted to speak out and tell her story, but slowly retreated back into solitude.  Eventually, with the help of others, and through her art, Melinda gets the courage to speak up about what happened to her.  I think it's safe to say that everyone is rooting for her by the end of the book when she finally speaks up.

Allusions
There are important references to other artistic works.  A poster of Maya Angelou covers a cracked mirror in an abandoned janitor’s closet, which Melinda uses as a haven.  Maya Angelou wrote I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings that explores subjects such as identity, rape, racism, and literacy. It is an autobiography where young Maya transforms from a victim of racism with an inferiority complex to an honorable and confident woman capable of responding to prejudice.  Here, the Caged Bird is Maya and Melinda.  Another reference is Picasso, who goes through different phases in his life, and works with Cubism that re-assembles broken up pieces as art.  Melinda’s art teacher gives her a book of Picasso’s works for her paralyzed imagination on her tree designs. Here as Melinda identifies herself with her tree, she is begining to put the broken pieces of her life together.  Nathaniel Hawthorne's The Scarlet Letter is dissected in Melinda’s English class.  In The Scarlet Letter, Hester Prynne conceives a daughter through an adulterous affair and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity.  Throughout the book, Hawthorne explores themes of legalism, sin, and guilt. And in Speak, Melinda struggles with sin and guilt.

Welcome to the BC YA Lit Lovers' Group

This blog will showcase the analysis and thinking of the Literature for Young Adults class at Bridgewater College. First assignment for Summer 2011: Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson.