For our group's inquiry, we came up with the question "How does the way characters are treated in books (and real life) make you feel?" For this blog post, I am going to be focusing on one from the real world and two from fiction books. In Because I am Furniture, Anke, the main character, feels like she is ignored by her father and isn't good enough for him. She feels as if no one cares for her -especially her father- and isn't loved. When I put myself in Anke's shoes, I fell that she is confused about her relationship's with her family. After reading the book, it makes me more aware of things like this that are happening in the world because the book was written so realistically. I really admire the way that the author made me fell about Anke and the way that she is treated. 

     I also notice that in the beginning of Harry Potter, harry is treated horribly by his uncle Vernon and aunt Petunia. Harry fells that it is very unfair because they don't have any reason for treating him this way. The contrast between how they treat Dudley and harry is so large that it is hard to tell that they are even related. When I think about how harry is treated, I feel that it is very unfair for the reasons just stated. Even though this is fiction, it still relates to the real world because these things happen to many children in the world.

     Finally, in "upfront" magazine, about "gypsies" and their culture. Often, when they get married, it is at a very young age (about 13 years old). In my opinion, I feel that this is very weird. I think so because in the American culture, we usually married around 27 years old, which is a lot older than 13. I also question this way of life because it will make children pressured to "love" someone and might not make the right decision. All in all, I think that the way I read or notice things definitely affects how I feel about them.


     

     The social justice issue that I would like to focus on in this blogpost is abuse. The book that I just finish reading is Because I am Furniture by Thalia Chaltas. It shows many examples of kids being abused. One of these examples are when Anke's father chases and beats her sister with a chair. This is an accurate example of abuse because the father is harming Anke's sister repeatedly and this is really what happens to some children every day. This social Justice issue is one that cannot be ignored and really comes alive in the book.

     Another way that this big issue is show in the book is when Anke explains that her mother - even though she wants to- doesn't do anything about the abuse. This part of the book makes you realize that abuse is still happening today all around the world and there still isn't much being done about it. Anke tells readers that even though she wants to speak up to her dad, she doesn't because she knows that there will be consequences. I think that this is a correct portrayal of abuse that is happening in the world around us. Because this book in verse is written so beautifully, readers can take away the true meaning of what abuse really is.

     Finally, on page 231 of Because I am Furniture, Thalia Chaltas writes about how Anke's sister, Yaicha knows that if she were to tell anyone that she was abused by her father, then he would kill her. She knows this because her father told her he would. Still, nothing is done about it. This is truly scary to read about because we know that it is real. reading this might make readers realize that even though they might not think so, it is a real social justice issue that is happening in the world. This book has made me realize that things like this are real, and even though it doesn't seem like it, things can be done about it.

     Maureen Johnson's article "Yes, teen fiction can be dark – but it shows teenagers they aren't alone" introduces  the idea that banned books are often the books that show readers they are not alone and can get through tough situations. She goes on to say that just because authors are writing about things like rape and self harm, doesn't mean that it give the reader the idea to do that, so all the book is doing is either helping someone that is going through the same situation or is teaching someone about the real world. "There isn't a YA writer alive who is out writing books to corrupt youth. No one writing about self-harm is teaching how to self-harm. No one writing about rape is providing instructions on how to rape or how to be raped. I know this seems a ridiculously obvious point, but this is the argument that comes up again and again." Maureen ends her article by saying that YA fiction really helps readers by showing them that they aren't alone and that everything they're going through is normal.

     In Maureen Johnson's article, I noticed some craft moves that helped make her side of the story more believable. One craft move I picked up on was that she used a ton of loaded words like ''grossly underestimate'', "completely ignores", and "saves someone's life" to evoke emotion. One more example of a craft move that she uses is she creates imagery by comparing situations in your mind and saying "All food is Italian food, and I don't like Italian Food, so it should not exist. The fact that it does exist means the food industry is 
forcing it on my children!" these craft moves allow readers to have feelings about YA fiction and think about what they are reading.There isn't a YA writer alive who is out writing books to corrupt youth. 

     On a personal level, I agree completely with Maureen Johnson's article. I do not think that young adult fiction books should be banned because they help readers through tough situations and show them that they aren't alone. A certain line that stood out to me was "There isn't a YA writer alive who is out writing books to corrupt youth." because it showed me that all authors really want to do is help readers by sending a message through their writing."if subjects like these are in YA books, it's to show that they are real, they have happened to others, and they can be survived." 

     

    Have you ever wanted to explode with anger after something made you mad, and then controlled it? How did it make you feel? In 13 Reasons Why, that is exactly how Clay feels. Clay controls his anger by not throwing a rock at Tyler's window, even though he was very angry with him. This shows that he is a good person who has self-control. Although good people can sometimes "lose it", Clay thought it through and he knew what was best.

   In my life there is one very good example of that. When I was in the fourth grade, I had a best friend named Olivia. Olivia and I were very good friend sand almost never fought. But there were times when I got really ticked off at what she would say. She sometimes would tease people about things that they couldn't control, like how they looked or what they wore. Earlier that year I felt self conscious bout my appearance so I really didn't like it when she did that. One day when she said something mean to a slightly thick girl in our class I wanted to snap at her so badly! But, instead I did the right thing, I controlled myself and politely pulled her off to the side to tell her how I felt. It made me feel good to tell her how I felt in a way that made me seem like I really meant it. I was also able to show myself that I was capable of being a good person that helped people who didn't have the courage to stand up for themselves.

I think that this small moment relates to Clay because I can imagine him feeling the same way. If he were a real person I would be very proud of him, and for now, I am very proud of myself because I know that it takes a lot of self trust and courage. Clay shows readers a good example and also shows readers that in life, it is best to think things through so that in life situations don't get out of control. Overall, I think that in the way this book is written, Clay appears as a good person and a good example for young adult readers.

     Before I Fall- Summer Reading

      This summer, one of the books that I read was, Before I Fall. I was not disappointed! This book is about a girl who has to relive her death over and over again until she realizes whats right. This book is hard to classify as a genre, so the furthest That I can classify it is young adult. I think that I really liked this book because I usually prefer realistic-fiction over anything, and this put a little bit of a twist on things. I would definitely recommend this book to people who have the same taste in books as I do.