A Child Called It By Dave Pelzer

The title of the book I read is Monster by Walter Dean Myers. It was published in 1999 by Harpercollins. It has 281 pages. The genre of this book could be described as drama, crime fiction, or just fiction. This book tells about a young, sixteen-year-old boy who is on trial for helping with a murder. He was just the lookout to make sure the store, they robbed was clear, but his crew got caught and he got ratted out. Now he’s in some serious trouble.

In “The Undercover Parent”, by Harlan Coben he argues that parents have a right to monitor their children, by putting spyware on their computers or other devices, making it possible to see what they spend their time doing and to whom they spend their time talking. Though, the way that most teens see it, if a parent is allowing their child onto social media, then they should trust them enough to the point where they shouldn’t have to monitor everything they’re doing.

Everyone has depression, but did you know on October 29, 1929 the whole US went into depression. People lost their jobs, people lost their homes and lot’s of other things. Every bits and piece was super valuable at that time.

After few hours reading, “The Sanctuary of School” was written by Lynda Barry, grew up in an interracial neighborhood in Seattle, Washington State. Then, I think this article was interesting to read. I love the way how she told us her past experience by using her own voice to lead us step by step get into her story, then she also shares us about her feeling and how it impacted to her future life. Plus, at the end, she argues that the government should not be cutting the school programs and art related activities. Those programs definitely do help the students and the parents as well. It helped the children learn new things and fill out the empty space that the children need their parent to fill out, but their parent were so busy with works

“Children Need to Play, Not Compete,” by Jessica Statsky is a thoughtful insight on the competitive sports for children. She is of the view that the competitive sports can ruin the enjoyment that games are supposed to provide. These methods of playing the games like adults can prove to be lethal for physical and psychological health. The author quotes from an authentic source that “Kids under the age of fourteen are not by nature physical.” (Tutko) This means that the games for children need to focus more on their pleasure and enjoyment rather than on the competition. Competition only makes children bound to be winners. It also discourages sportsman spirit. Instead of being a source of healthy growth, these competitive sports have started becoming the source of depression for children when they don’t fulfil the expectations of their parents. These sports should enhance the sportsman spirit in children and must be beneficial for their mental and physical health. Concentrating on winning or losing spoils the fun that games hold. In addition, equal chances should be provided to every child to participate. Competitive nature can assist the children in their life later on, but the focus should be on better mental and physical health. (204 words)

My book is The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe written by Dan Poblocki. It is about a boy named Gabriel that has recently moved to his Grandmother's house with his family after their family home burnt to the ground. Gabe meets a neighbor boy named Seth who invites him to play the ‘Hunters Game’. The game begins to take over Gabe's mind and he begins to wonder if the game is actually real or make believe. Gabe Ashe is the narrator of the story. The story takes place at Temple House, Gabe's grandmother's house and in Gabe's imagination. There were many forms of conflict in this book: Person vs. person, Person vs. society, Person vs. self and Person vs. Fate.

When society thinks of the word “childhood,” they imagine it as a precious time for children to be in school and freely play, to grow and learn with the love and support from people dear to their hearts. It is also known to be a cherished period where children are to be innocent and live carefree from fear. However, in the context of The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls, childhood is viewed as a tough hardship that Jeannette and her siblings have overcame, and the memories they carry has greatly impacted their lives that it has molded them to who they are

As my brother plays in his tournament for high school basketball I hear my mother screaming at him. She's telling him to try harder, run faster, rebound more, and to have fun. Although it is a tournament and everyone wants the team they are for to win, they also all want those boys to have fun. Sports aren't always about winning. Especially since these boys are still in high school, they're just kids. My mother and other parents and coaches know that it's good for them to have fun playing the game they love, but they also know that it's good for them to compete and try their best to get what they want. The coaches and parents know what the real world is like, there's all kinds of competition in it. These sports can help these kids prepare for their soon to be future.

As reflected in the readings of Reading Popular Culture: An Anthology for Writers 3rd Edition, present-day advertisements expand far beyond the endorsement of a product. While the initial intent for various corporations surround the operation of selling and marketing products, many companies also find success in promoting masked messages. According to Jean Kilbourne in her article pertaining to the study of advertisement, she reveals the underlying tactics of commercialized business. As stated in the article “’In Your Face…All Over the Place’: Advertising Is Our Environment”, Kilbourne states “advertising often sells a great deal more than products. It sells values, images, and concepts of love and sexuality, romance, success, and perhaps most important, normalcy (101).” The most recent trend of cultural normalcy: the distaste for natural aging.

Imagine being sent to a camp for “troubled boys” but walking out doing something you’ve never done before. Lawrence Teft is portrayed as the reckless bad boy who ends up playing as a second leader in Glendon Swarthout’s novel Bless the Beast and Children.

All But My Life, by Gerda Weissmann Klein, is an absolutely amazing autobiography. Gerda tells about her childhood and how she grows into an adult in many German labor camps. Gerda’s home town has been taken over by the Germans during the holocaust. Her wealthy jewish family is forced to live like slaves until they are separated and moved to different German camps. Gerda tells her story like the reader is there with her. Gerda makes and loses many friends and finds her true love. All but my Life will make you laugh and cry. This book is best for anyone over the age of 11. All But My Life is a terrific page turner.

How could one treat an innocent child so cruel? During the time of the genocide in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany and its collaborators killed about six million people from the Jewish population, children were the main target. By looking at the memoir Night by Elie Wiesel, one can see through the use of imagery, diction and conflict that innocent children were starved abused separated from their family,and killed during the Holocaust, which is important because young innocent children should never have to be deprived of their childhood.

Imagine having a birthday, and baking a cake with loved ones. Walking back to the car with all the materials to find the car empty. Where are the children? This is what happened to Nancy Harmon in the book Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark. Seven years after this horrific incident she has two more kids, Missy and Michael. She sends them outside to play for a little bit and then reads the newspaper with an article of her from the trial. Horrified, she burns it and quickly goes to get her kids, but she's too late. She has to use all her power to think of someone who could have taken her kids, and fast.

At some point in everyone’s lives, they get the opportunity to name something. Whether it is a toy, a dog, or a kid, people usually put in a grand amount of effort in making this decision. The reason for this is people acknowledge that names can influence us on how others interpret or act towards someone or something. We also just try to pick the right name to describe the object. In the article, “What’s in a Name?” by Roger Dooley, he talks all about the importance of naming in the world of advertising and in our general lives.

A Child Called “It” by Dave Pelzer is a story about a child named David, who is a victim of abuse from his mother and tells his story of how he struggles to stay alive, search for food and the problems he has in school. David lives with his mother, father and brothers, but at the end of the book, he feels a strong hatred for his family and a strong hate for the people who knew about the abuse, David also regrets being born and questions if God exists. There are many health issues that happen when abuse happens to a child specifically and these include, “suicidal thoughts, eating disorder, PTSD can develop from a childhood of abuse.” (Rehman, Kazmi, Perveen, 2016). David towards the end of his story began to think that death was the only way he could escape the abuse. David’s story is the story of many other children around the world who suffer from physical, emotional and mental abuse, these children are in search of a light in the darkness for many years and David’s light in the darkness was his father in the beginning of the book but that drastically changed further on.