-Mark Z: The ending was perfect. Gus' eulogy for Hazel is better than anything Vanhouten could write. The ending was very emotional and offers great closure. We don't know what will happen to Hazel or her family or anybody for that matter, but frankly I don't care. The ending was perfect, no other words could describe it. It was a pleasure to read this book.-
After reading this book I can say that I agree with this statement. This book was very well written and really did an amazing job with reflecting the moods, feelings, and behaviors that a teenager would go through; If I hadn’t known the author I would say that this really was written by a teenager. The level of emotion it brings is truer than others. Its not super sad and emotionally striking, but it sounds like how it would be in the real world. Other books really push the feelings by adding other events in the story and certain kinds of undertones, but this was raw feeling and people were speaking like normal people would. You can pick up on this because as they speak, you hear in their voice that they don’t always have a good answer or know exactly what to do, they just say what they can. The author did an excellent job and really got to a level that others don’t get to. A couple of things I was confused about were, for one, why didn’t the author ever respond to Hazel except at the end and only really talk to Gus? Did he have something against her or was he busy? An idea I had was that he did not like the way her emails were written so he refused to write back. This is apparent by that fact that he says he really likes the sophisticated language that Gus’s uses. Another thing that was strange was that before Isaac went blind, his girlfriend was really connected to him. After he did go blind, she pretty much completely ditched him as Isaac says “she hasn’t even visited” (Green 74). Why was it so hard for her to deal with him blind? Its not even that much of a problem and he’s still the same person, just without sight. Was it because it was too emotional for her to stay or was it just because she didn't want it? The ending of this book, especially the eulogy, was really quite powerful. It really showed that there wasn’t a single person or idea that could ever make Gus leave Hazel. Though her feelings are kind of hard to decipher, I still knew that the note was the best thing she had ever read. I’d like to stay positive and think that Hazel survived for at least another several years or so, always keeping Gus in her memory; and instead of mourning him and wondering what life could have been, she would instead remember all the reasons why she loved him and how those can be used to keep her up through her life. I hope she’d know that even as he’s gone, he’s still with her, helping her everyday. There were a lot of good things I learned while reading this book. I learned that just because you may have a problem, that doesn’t mean you should sit back and watch others do things. Theres always a way to do what you want and you shouldn’t let anything get in the way of that. Another thing I learned is that you shouldn’t let life pass you by. Life is short, so do what you want to do and don’t let the chance get away. Perhaps the most helpful thing is at the end, when Augustus says “You don't get to choose whether or not you get hurt, but you do get to choose what hurts you. I am happy with my choices, I hope you are too.” (Green 313) This was a very striking message and it hit me personally as I learned that I shouldn’t always be so careful and decisive with my choices to please others. I have to make some that I’m happy with and don’t need approval from others to do so. Absolutely Amazing
Have you ever had something you liked taken away because something in it wasn’t right for the public, but it was still good? This is the same case with Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian (ATDPTI). Yes, it does have colorful language and some mature moments, but some people (parents, teachers, etc.) say the whole thing is unsuitable for children to read because of that. If they would take the time to read the book, they would see that there a lot of valuable lessons contained with. The morals of the story outweigh the inappropriate content. ATDPTI is a great book for teens. Throughout the book, Junior, the main character, goes through a range of different situations and emotions that most teens experience in their lives. Because of this, many feel a real connection to the character, and that can be worth even more to those who feel depressed and/or alone. There are several parts where he talks about some questionable things, such as masturbation, and other parts that have strong language, but thats really nothing most teens haven’t already heard of or dealt with. Parents see this and try to hide it from them, and in doing so probably make it harder because the child isn’t learning about real world material that they really should know. The book may seem a little scattered but if you look deeper you can see there are several great morals to learn. To name a few, there’s “No matter how bad it seems, never stop trying (“I’m never going to quit living life this hard” Alexie 186),” “Good friendships never die (“I would always love Rowdy” Alexie 230),” and “People care even if you think they don’t (“I was important to them. I mattered” Alexie 212).” These messages have helped a lot of kids, myself included, and the books unique way of subtly delivering them can really make it stick in their minds. There are parents out there that think the book is unsuitable for their children because of a few small bumps. They think that because they are present that the book is completely about that stuff and offers no moral message. They think reading the stuff will make the kid damaged and scarred, when its quite the opposite. Alexie states, “I have yet to receive a letter from a child somehow debilitated by the domestic violence, drug abuse, racism, poverty, sexuality, and murder contained in my book. To the contrary, kids as young as ten have sent me autobiographical letters written in crayon, complete with drawings inspired by my book, that are just as dark, terrifying, and redemptive as anything I’ve ever read.” (Alexie) The book’s content is notable and relatable, but it is still obvious where the concern is. The book does talk about junior and his feelings during the time, and while a lot of them are understandable, there are a few times he says things that really aren’t necessary and could have been changed a little or removed. This has been one of the reasons to the challenge brought up in West Valley school district, where some parents and teachers are upset that the book wasn’t checked for age appropriate content for 10th grade. Some parents parents are trying to defend their children from the unseemly parts in the book; a notable example would be when he says “Yep, I had a big erection when I heard of my sisters death.” (Alexie 202) This part really doesn’t affect the story at all and just feels unnecessary for it to be there. Another part that is probably the biggest point of controversy is when it shows a rude comic about Jesus because junior was mad about all the bad things that had happened. A lot of people have gotten really mad because it insults their religion, but what hat they fail to realize is that it was kind of an impulsive moment, and later in the book junior talks about how he is sorry for being mad at God and even draws a very nice picture of heaven. (Alexie 168) Overall, the book is a great example of the life of a teenager. It’s filled with a range of emotions and unfiltered thoughts that many teens will take it and understand. Its very relatable, and has received nothing but praise from teens telling how much they love it and connect with it. It may have bad spots but that hardly makes it a full reason to not allow kids to read it. This book is a great read and should be available for anyone who wants to read it. |