Book trailer

If You Could Be Mine

Like I said in my previous blog this story has tons of plot twist. For example, as a reader, you discover that Nasrin is literally willing to do anything to be with Sahar. Nasrin decides she will undergo a sex change if that means her and Sahar can be together. In Iran, it's illegal to be homosexual but its legal to be a transgender. In Iran, they will help pay for a citizen to get a sex change because the government believes it's a mental sickness instead of a choice. But it's a little too late for Nasrin because Sahar is already engaged and has a wedding around the corner to a handsome, wealthy doctor. Nasrin becomes jealous of Sahar relationship because she is wishing it could be her instead of him getting married. As the story unfolds Sahar and Nasrin are still in love and kissing each other when no one is around. Sahar confesses to Nasrin that she loves her and wishes things were different. Nasrin tries to lie to many of the transgenders and pretends she has similar issues as them, just to try and get the surgery as soon as possible. Nasrin plan backfires on her and many of the transgenders peep her game and realize she wants to get a sex change for all the wrong reasons. It also backfires on Nasrin because even if she went through with the sex change it wouldn't be done in time for the wedding. At the end of the story, Nasrin faints at the doctor's office while discussing the sex-change and finds out where Sahar husband works. I would definitely recommend this book to a high school student who wants to learn about Iran history, homosexuals and transgenders. This story discussed many different topics. Overall I really enjoyed this book and glad I took the time to read it,

If You Could Be Mine

I started reading a story called If You Could Be Mine by Sara Farizan. Based on the title of the book I was not expecting the story to have so many plot twists. I thought the story was going to be about I girl and a guy who were in love but couldn't be together for whatever mystics reason. After reading the first couple chapters I found out the book is about two girls who were best friends since an elder age. Now the girls are sixteen and living in Iran, the main characters are Sahar and Nasrin. A little bit about each main character is that Nasrin is a very intelligent girl who wishes to study medicine and become a doctor. Nasrin is very modest and always follows the rules, her mother died leaving her to care for her father by cooking and cleaning. Sahar is a very stunning girl who comes from a family of wealth. Sahar is very spoiled and is very carefree often thinking the rules do not apply to her. Sahar goes to a school where academics is not the main focus. Sahar is very popular at her school and loves being the center of attention. As the story unfold you find out the main characters are more than best friends but are secret lovers. Sahar and Nasrin know it's dangerous to be in loved in Iran and could be killed, badly beaten and imprisoned. Homosexuality is a sin and a crime in Iran, but Nasrin exclaims she can't help the way she feels about Sahar.Sahar and Nasrin try their best to keep their relationship private and only do things such as kiss and feel on each other when no one is around and it's just the two of them. Nasrin hopes she can become a doctor and marry Sahar, but she knows that's going to be hard to do considering the fact they are two women. Overall I thought the beginning of this book was good and had many plot twist that I was not expecting. The author did a good job on keeping her story suspenseful.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrects of the Universe

Overall, I thought Aristotle and Dante Discover the secrets of the Universe was a very interesting and good book. The title fits the book perfectly because in the end Ari and Dante discover many secrets about themselves. In the end of the story, Ari finally finds out why his older brother is in prison. Part of me just wanted Ari to start visiting his brother on his own and start his own relationship, and for Ari to stop letting his parents decide their relationship. But once the story is told that his brother is in prison for committing a hate crime against someone who is gay it becomes very evident that maybe he's parents knew he was gay before Ari could finally admit it. I can't help but think Ari's parents were protecting him all along. Ari's brother plays a major role throughout the story, even though he is briefly mentioned here and there his role is major. Ari can't help but wonder why his family acts like he doesn't exist, and why he's never mentioned. I can only imagine how Ari felt when he found out his brother committed a hate crime, the author did a wonderful job building that moment up. One thing I did not like about this book was how the author waited till the very last page for Ari to admit he was gay. Maybe the author did this so the reader would literally read till the last page.... I'm not sure. I do wish Ari would have come out sooner in the book so Ari and Dante could be in a relationship longer, and I could have read more about Air's life after coming out. I think Ari coming out was also another one of the secrets he kept from his family and from his self. I thought it was a major plot twist that it takes for Ari parents and a family meeting for Ari to come out. I was glad that Ari parents were in denial about the whole situation and were very supportive of Ari. I was also glad that Ari parents were educated on the topic of coming out and shared that he had a great aunt who had also come out and it was okay. After having a speaker in our class I now realize how much courage it takes to come out. Not everyone has a strong support system like Ari did and in our speaker's case often times family's will disown their child for liking the same sex.

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe

I'm starting to notice how obsessed Ari is with Donate, the majority of Ari thoughts, feelings, and daily actions evolve around Donate. I get that Ari and Donate are best friends and Donate is Ari only friend, but I'm starting to think Ari has feelings for Donate. Although I don't think Ari is gay I just think he's in love with Donate. I do think Ari might be bi-sexual because he starts to develop feelings for a girl at his school, and is flirting with her. Ari eventually gets's attention from the girl, and a kiss even though the girl has a boyfriend and ends up dropping out because she is pregnant. Everything about Donate Ari seems to love, his hair, how smart he is, and his voice. Ari and Donate seem to have an irresectable bond even with Donate moves to Chicago because his father got another job, their bond it still there. Donate and Ari managed to keep in touch through letters Donate would constantly send letters, waiting for Ari's response. Throughout the book, Ari has always thought highly of Donate and considered him very intelligent compared to himself I think that's why Ari wouldn't respond as quick to Donate's letters. As the story continues, as a reader you notice how Donate and Ari start to discover who they are as people. I think if it wasn't for Donate moving and telling Ari how he has kissed both a boy and girl, how he was drinking and has made new friends, Ari wouldn't have tried them on his own, I didn't like how quick Ari was to follow Donate's path but I do think overall it was to Ari's best benefit doing so. Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe is not like anything I have ever read before. I think the author does a wonderful keeping the reader at the edge of their seat, and keeping them wanting to read more and more.

Aristotle and Dance Discover the Secrets of the Universe

I am currently reading Aristotle and Dance Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz. Just reading the title of this book I was under the impression that this story was going to be about astronomy. I was definitely fooled by the title, so far this book is about two Mexican-American boys named Aristotle and Dante. Aristotle is fifteen years old and goes by the name of Ari, this story is told from Ari point of view and he is narrating the story. Ari is going through the teenage woes, he only has one friend, no girlfriend, is extremely bored, and is on summer vacation. Air has siblings but there is a huge age gap so he doesn't hang out with them often. Air had twin sisters and a brother who is in prison, and his family acts like his brother doesn't exist, there are not pictures of him, and he is hardly mentioned in his household. Ari hates the fact his family acts like his older brother does not exist and can't figure out why his mother and father resent him so much. As the story unfolds Dante notices that Ari does not know how to swim and offers to teach him. From the point on Ari and Dante become best friends, I think Ari and Dante balance each other out. Ari is more educated about the Hispanic culture and Dante is more street smart. Where one character is lacking the other character can help fill them in. Just like in many of the books on my blog this book deals with stereotypes. Overall I think this is a good book and I would recommend it to a high schooler because I think many students could find topics that are relatable. I think once I get further into the book it's going to discuss homosexuality and figuring out your identity.

American Born Chinese

American Born Chinese was an awesome book that I believe many children can relate to. I believe many children who don't feel accepted can relate to the character Jin. I think ABC does a wonderful job discussing serious topics and making it into a funny comic. Many people want to discuss not feel accepted, racism and stereotypes, but don't know how to go about it. As I got to the end of ABC I felt bad for Jin I can only imagine what it would be like for so many people to dislike your culture and your race that you feel as if you need to change your identity. I know many people who aren't white don't feel accepted in America. Personally being a light skinned African America I have often heard many people tell me I can't relate to darker skinned African Americans because I'm too light. And that I can not relate to whites because of im too dark skinned compared to them. As time goes on America has a history of race shaming, and has often portrayed the imagine that white is right. I also couldn't believe the way Jin treated his best friend. I couldn't believe how Jin allowed so many people to get into his head, and consume his moral compass. Jin was definitely out of line when he kissed his best friend girlfriend out of spite.I think the author did a wonderful job tieing in the three mini stories into one. I was not expecting Danny to be Jin that was definitely a plot twist for me. After reading this book all the way through I would definitely recommend this book to a high school student vs a middle school student due to some of the inappropriate pages. Also, I do think a high school student could better understand ABC on a deeper understanding.

American Born Chinse

I am currently reading American Born Chinese by Gene Luen Yang. This is a beautifully done comic book, the author also illustrated the pictures. In each page, you can see how much time and dedication was put into the illustrations. My first impressions of this book are I love the drawing and I like how there are hardly any cuss words. I can picture reading this book to my future classroom, and use this book to teach my students about how to read comic books. I think this book can be used for many different lesson plans. American Born Chinese is a book with three mini stories the main focus of the three mini stories is a Chinses American boy named Jin. Although the story starts off with the Money King's then Jin's and finally Danny and Chin-Kee's story. The author of this book ties theses three stories together. In each mini story, the characters deal with the issue of bullying. I did not like the fact Jin tried to be mean to Wei-Chen-Sun at first, I looked at the situation like Jin was trying to repeat the cycle of how others treated him when he first arrived at the school. If anything I thought Jin should have treated Wei-Chen differently because he knows what it's like to be the new kid and a minority. In the Monkey King's story is thought it was sad the Monkey King no longer wanted to be a monkey and order everyone in his village to wear shoes because of the way he was treated. I didn't think the Monkey King needed to take things to the extreme and kill everyone. Overall I thought this was a pretty good comic book and can we why many kids would be interested
in reading this book.

Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming covered many topics Americans faced throughout their lifetime. Such as discrimination, segregation, and racism. Brown Girl Dreaming is a memoir about the author Jacqueline Woodson life. This is a great book many teachers could have their class read to get a better insight of what it was like during the civil rights movement, also teachers could use this book to help teach a poetry unit as well. Brown Girl Dreaming helps the readers get a better understanding of what it exactly was like growing up as an African-American child during the 1960's and what it was like living in a variety of states. I love how the author incorporates her family in the book. Jacqueline has her family help tell stories of what she was like growing up, and her family helped fill in some memories she was too young to remember or seemed to forgotten. You can tell Jacqueline's family is important to her by the way she loves her grandparents, and how often they are mentioned throughout the book. I love how Jacqueline and her siblings have an unbreakable bond with their grandparents and are referred to as the Gunnar children. The first time Jaqueline mother leaves for New York she states she isn't bothered by is because of how much her grandparents love her. So when Jacqueline's grandfather dies it is a very sad moment in the book because he is loved by many. Grandma Georgiana moves to New York to live with her daughter and all the grandkids once her husband dies. Grandma Georgiana brings up her plants from South Carolina to grow in New York. Jackie is reminded by her grandmother that Jakie has her grandfathers easy ways and that thy were two peas in a pod. Overall I loved Brown Girl Dreaming and thought it was a wonderful book!

Brown Girl Dreaming

This is my second time reading the wonderful story Brown Girl Dreaming. I was first introduced to this story two semesters ago in my children interpretations class. Both times reading this book I fell in love and recommended this story to many of my peers. Reading this story again it seems like I was able to make better connections, and I was also able to understand the story better. My first time reading Brown Girl Dreaming I was confused about the writing style and was not use to books being in that format. What I loved most about this book is how the author expresses throughout the story her love for writing, and how she followed her dreams and actually became a writer. Throughout the book, it is clear to the readers that the author is passionate about wrting. Reading her stories you can tell she is good at what she does. It's crazy to think my great grandparents and grandparents were alive during the civil rights movement and were victims of racial profiling and segregation. My great grandfather was born in 1927 and has been alive for 89 years, many of the topics discussed throughout Brown Girl Dreaming my grandfather also experienced. My great grandfather worked in the coal mine and just like Jaqueline grandfather at the end of the work day is was hard to tell who was black and who was white. Many topics that were discussed throughout this book hit home for me because I have heard very similar stories. I'm so thankful for civil right leaders such as Dr. Martin Luther Kin and Rosa Park for helping mold the future for me. I can't imagine being alive during the civil rights movement, I think things for African Americans are bad now. It's hard being African America and reading stories like this because many people think that segregation was years and years ago
when in reality it wasn't too long ago,

YDGWTKYA

Overall YDGWTKYA was my favorite book we have read in class. I would definitely recommend this book to a teenager. The author in this book does a wonderful job making the bullying Piddy experiences realistic. I can say as a reader I felt sympathy for Piddy and the situation she went through. Reading the book I often found myself tapping into my emotions often I was frustrated for Piddy and it felt like she could never win. I also often found myself wanting to beat Yaqui Delgado up myself for Piddy, I felt myself feeling like an older sister for Piddy lol. I was embarrassed for Piddy when Yaqui beat her up and the recorded it. I can't imagine having someone do that to me, I was embarrassed for her because I couldn't believe Yaqui stripped her naked, beat her up badly and then posted it for the whole world to see. I definitely understood why Piddy was constantly skipping school, dealing with the whole situation probably took a toll on Piddy's mental health. Piddy was probably constantly paranoid of the unknown or when would Yaqui strike again. I was extremely disappointed when Piddy neighbor watched her get beat up and wouldn't open up the door for her, like seriously who does that! Overall I just wish Piddy would have told her mom or the school what was going on a lot sooner instead of dealing with the constant bullying. Instead of serving a detention, skipping school, and falling behind. Yaqui bullying Piddy took over many aspects of her life. The story had a perfect ending, and gave the reader a better idea of why Piddy was bullied. The ending showed the importance of family, and I'm glad Piddy was able to tell her family what was really going on with her.

Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass

My first impressions of Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass is that I loved it. I loved how the story unfolds so quickly. Just like in many of the stories our class has been reading Piddy and her mother Clara are poor, in all of the books we have read in class many of the characters are poor and dealt with poverty. Boom from the start you know exactly who Yaqui Delgado is, and what she plans on doing to Piddy. I can't help but feel bad for Piddy since she has to leave her old school, and her friends. I also feel bad because a girl she doesn't even know what to kick her ass, and Piddy can't seem to figure out why. It's a shame Piddy has to overhear a conversation to find out why her mother and father aren't together, but I do feel Piddy frustration because Piddy has no idea what her father looks like, no memories of him, not a single picture and no one in her life seems to discuss him.  Piddy is constantly tormenting herself mental because of Yaqui Delgado and her sidekicks. As the story unfolds you see how Yaqui Delgado takes over many aspects of Piddy life because she is constantly thinking of Yaqui. You watch how the torment of Yaqui slowly changes the characteristics of Piddy. Piddy starts to act out of character and doesn't know how to cope with Yaqui's constant bullying. In the beginning of the story Piddy was an honors student and did wonderful in school, she never was late to class or missed an assignment. Soon that all changes Piddy starts going to class late, and gets caught not doing her homework. Overall Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass was a wonderful book. I couldn't seem to stop reading it. I ended up finishing the whole book in one day. So far this is my favorite book we have read in class.

Subvertising

I chose to do my subvertisement on a wrinkle ad. As you can see in this ad a company is suggesting if you buy this product you can go from looking like your 82 to 42 just by simply applying their product to your face. The message in this ad is to go from age spots, and numerous wrinkles, and only in a matter of minutes you can eliminate all of your wrinkles and age spots. This company targets mainly women, but also elders who want to get rid of their wrinkles. Many people who are insecure about their wrinkles or are looking for a quick fix would give in to this company. Many elders who give in and believe this product will be wasting their money because there is no way a transformation that huge can happen in a matter of mintues.


I changed the wording to " kiss your check goodbye in a matter of minutes" I also added a picture of someone flushing their money down the toilet because if you purchased that product that is exactly what you would be doing. I believe no product can make such drastic change, and I believe this company is targeting an audience who has money. I believe many people would buy this product and will be wasting their money. I also I know many companies once you place your first order will set it up so automatically you will be sent more of their product each month. Many people can relate to that tv scam where a product looks great on tv and looks like it's working so well on the commercial but once you buy that product its a completely different story, and you wasted three easy payments of 29.99.