Breaking Night

I began reading the book called Breaking Night. I started reading this book because I heard it was one of those kinds of life story, heart-touching, kind of books. After reading the synopsis, I was really pulled in. It starts out with a girl name Elizabeth Murray, or Liz. She lives in a worn down apartment in the Bronx on University Avenue. Both her parents deal and do drugs for a living. Liz doens't know that drugs were bad. It made her parents happy, so she was indifferent. In the synopsis, Liz goes through many difficulties growing up ranging from family problems to mental challenges herself. After facing each hurdle, she climbs her way up and goes to Harvard. A famous term being, "rags to riches." The beginning so far has a very depressing mood and really causes the reader to fell pity for Liz. She doens't like going to school so she skips, they live in a horrible environment, and the people around her are a bad influence. You wouldn't imagine a girl living like to to ever think of going to college let alone Harvard, which makes the book all the more eye-catching.

The author, Liz Murray wrote this memoir about herself. She is currently a psycologist and an inspirational speaker. The book Breaking Night reflects on her life and how she managed to survive homelessness starting at the age 15, earn the New York Times Scholorship for needy students, and attend Harvard University, graduating high school in 2 years.

Symbol for Character: Fault in Our Stars

The main character Hazel can be compared to many things. One object in particular mentioned in the book is a grenade. Hazel calles herself a grenade because she says that at any moment, she can just blow up and hurt others around her. Thats why for a certain amount of time, she wanted to stay at home and not go anywhere to avoid any connections she could make with others. But her closest friend, Augustus Waters, manages to talk to her and prevent her from thinking that way. He did this by talking to her about the book she loved, An Imperial Affliction. After a few emails and mails sent between Hazel, Gus, and the author, Hazel and Gus decide that they want to visit Amsterdam and ask the author personally, the questions that have been on Hazels mind since forever. I compare Hazel to an eagle. Eagles are very independent animals and are widely looked up to. They are fierce and do not let others sway them easily, and yet, when it comes to something they love, they love it with all they can offer. I believe Hazel is very much like that. She's very particualr about the people around her and she does not like being around many people. Yet, when she meets Augustus, her perspective changes and she begins to open up. Eagles will open up to those they trust and love.
Overall, Hazel has many different characteristics about her that make her a special and unique character for the story.

The Fault in Our Stars continued

I am now at page 105 of this book. So far, I feel the story to be a little dull. Not much is happening. Currently, Hazel is trying to get to Amsterdam in order to meet the author of her favorite book as ask him questions that have been boggling her mind for so long. With her friend Augustus Waters, they are trying to use his "wish", which is anything the child with cancer wants will be granted to them from the cancer group, to send both of them to Amsterdam. The relationship between Augustus and Hazel deepens as they become closer. Hazel starts acting like a typical teenage girl talking about boy problems with her friend. She also begins looking him up and finding information about his life years before, an example being finding his ex-girlfriend who died of brain cancer. She begins to rethink about the actions she is taking and how they are affecting the people around her. Hazel compares herself to a grenade, that will explode and hurt others. She talks about just sitting in her room and reading so she doesn't get involved with others. I believe a really important line is, "I'm a grenade... I just want to stay awar from people and read books and think and be with you guys (parents) because there's nothing I can do about hurting you; you're too invested, so just please let me do that, okay? I'm not depressed. I don't need to get out more. An i can't be a regular teenager, because I'm a grenade." This line develops the story because Hazel realizes all the trouble she has caused her parents and her friends. This changed her perspective and I predict in the near future, will change her mind about very important decisions.