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Update 3: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Update 3: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Book title: Beautiful Boy
Author: David Sheff
Pages Read: 305/305

Essential Question: How does the effects of addiction on an addict differ from the effects of addiction on an addict's family members?

Summary:

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Book title: Long Way Gone
Author: Ishmael Beah
Pages Read: 218/218

Essential Questions:
How do traumatic events as a child effect them as they get older? How can experiences differ based on age? What are things that have the power to help you through bad situations?

Thesis statement: A child's innocence being taken away too soon creates long lasting trauma and memories that shape them into who they are and change them forever.

Summary: The story is about a boy named Ishmael who is forced to become a boy soldier during a civil war in Sierra Leone. It follows his journey of him and his friends trying to find shelter and food after being attacked. Along his way he ends up becoming a soldier and he is brainwashed into thinking it is right. After the war he is checked into a rehabilitation center where he finds support to move on from his past and eventually ends up being invited by the United Nations to tell his story in New York City.

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Update 3: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" -Evan Peterson

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Update 3: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" -Evan Peterson

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Book Title: Astrophysics for People in Hurry
Author: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Pages Read:184/184

Essential Questions:
-How can Humanity learn from the universe
-How can humanity connect with the universe

Thesis Statement: Human behavior is driven by their curiosity and need for progress

Important Details: Humans are a part of the universe and we are not so different from other species
CBR, Dark Matter, Dark Energy

Research: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPh3c8Sa37M
This Video helps people understand their connection with the universe and how we are not so different and are not insignificant in the grand scheme of things. It provides us with a different perspective.

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Update 3: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Update 3: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Book Title: You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery
Author: Jen Petro-Roy
Pages Read: 252/252

Essential Questions: What drives humans to have such negative outlooks on their appearances? How does society encourage eating disorders and negative body image? What can be changed in society to increase body confidence?

Thesis Statement: Disordered eating and negative body image is perpetrated by society's unattainable standards of beauty: the negative atmosphere of social media, toxic diet culture, and hesitance to discuss the topic all add up to negative perceptions of one's body, which can spiral into an eating disorder.

Summary: Jen Petro-Roy, an author who previously struggled with anorexia nervosa herself, used You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery to both help those in recovery and aid those in discovering unhealthy habits within their own behaviors. Petro-Roy started the book by welcoming her readers in and being genuinely understanding of their struggles, having gone through many of them herself. She then delved into everything that was behind an eating disorder; pressures from one's self, society, even loved ones. Petro-Roy discussed the character of "Ed," a personification of an eating disorder for many. She then concluded the book by addressing relapses, a common issue among those in recovery from an eating disorder. While Petro-Roy did a terrific job in validating her readers and allowing their voices to be heard, her overall message was: "you are enough." Petro-Roy concluded the final chapter of the book (and her acknowledgements after) with this phrase, proving her purpose to be rather poetic. It seems clear that if Petro-Roy wants her readers to gather one thing from her book, it is that they are enough and will always be enough, no matter what "Ed," society, their loved ones, or even they tell themselves.

Resource Video:

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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU

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Update 2: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" -Evan Peterson

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Update 2: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" -Evan Peterson

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Book Title: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Author: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Pages Read: 80/180

Essential Questions:
-How can Humanity learn from the universe?
-What Happens to matter in extreme conditions?

-My New essential question can be answered by saying in places like the sun and a black hole, extreme amounts of energy is released due to the great amounts of pressure on matter in such small spaces and these matter dense areas can also cause a large gravitational pull, impacting matter around it. Even dark matter impacts its surroundings by bending light in dark matter-dense environments: "These largely empty volumes of space -- the far-rural regions of each galaxy -- contain too little visible matter to explain the anomalously high orbital speeds of the tracers" (Tyson 69). The quote sets up the reveal of the existence of dark matter and helps explain what it is before it is even introduced and its impact on the surroundings. My original question was already answered and will remain the same as the last update.

Dr. Tyson does a great way in informing many people about hard topics to understand about Astrophysics in a very simple manor. He also gets his information across by not only telling it to you factually, but he also uses examples in the universe where this knowledge applies to and also uses metaphors to further help people understand these concepts.

Thesis: Human behavior is driven by their curiosity and need for progress. For example in "The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity" human's curiosity can be described as, "the driving force that motivates organisms to seek out novel stimuli, which diminishes with continued exposure. It is the primary driver of exploratory behavior in non-human animals and potentially also human infants, as well as a possible driving force of human adults’ exploration" (Kidd and Hayden). This driving force for humans to explore explains why humans now know so much about a universe they can't yet interact with.

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SUMMARY

Curiosity is a basic element of our cognition, yet its biological function, mechanisms, and neural underpinning remain poorly understood. It is nonetheless a motivator for learning, influential in decision-making, and crucial for healthy development. One factor limiting our understanding of it is the lack of a widely agreed upon delineation of what is and is not curiosity; another factor is the dearth of standardized laboratory tasks that manipulate curiosity in the lab. Despite these barriers, recent years have seen a major growth of interest in both the neuroscience and psychology of curiosity. In this Perspective, we advocate for the importance of the field, provide a selective overview of its current state, and describe tasks that are used to study curiosity and information-seeking. We propose that, rather than worry about defining curiosity, it is more helpful to consider the motivations for information-seeking behavior and to study it in its ethological context.

Keywords: Curiosity, information-seeking, learning, Goldilocks effect, uncertainty

BACKGROUND

Curiosity is such a basic component of our natures that we are nearly oblivious to its pervasiveness in our lives. Consider, though, how much of our time we spend seeking and consuming information, whether listening to the news or music, browsing the internet, reading books or magazines, watching TV, movies, and sports, or otherwise engaging in activities not directly related to eating, reproduction, and basic survival. Our insatiable demand for information drives a much of the global economy and, on a micro-scale, motivates learning and drives patterns of foraging in animals. Its diminution is a symptom of depression, and its overexpression contributes to distractibility, a symptom of disorders such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Curiosity is thought of as the noblest of human drives, and is just as often as it is denigrated as dangerous (as in the expression "curiosity killed the cat"). And despite its link with the most abstract human thoughts, some rudimentary forms of it can be observed even in the humble worm C. elegans.

Despite its pervasiveness, we lack even the most basic integrative theory of the basis, mechanisms, and purpose of curiosity. Nonetheless, as a psychological phenomenon, curiosity-and the desire for information more broadly-has attracted the interest of the biggest names in the history of psychology (e.g., James, 1913; Pavlov, 1927; Skinner, 1938). Despite this interest, only recently have psychologists and neuroscientists begun widespread and coordinated efforts to unlock its mysteries (e.g., Gottlieb et al., 2013; Gruber, Gelman & Ranganath, 2014; Kang et al., 2009). The present Perspective aims summarize this recent research, motivate new interested in the problem, and to tentatively propose a framework for future studies of the neuroscience and psychology of curiosity.

DEFINITION AND TAXONOMY OF CURIOSITY

We consider this diversity of definitions to be both characteristic of a nascent field and healthy. Here we consider some classic views with an aim towards helping us think about how to study curiosity in the future.

Classic descriptions of curiosity

Philosopher and psychologist William James (1899) called curiosity "the impulse towards better cognition," meaning that it is the desire to understand what you know that you do not. He noted that, in children, it drives them towards objects of novel, sensational qualities-that which is "bright, vivid, startling". This early definition of curiosity, he said, later gives way to a "higher, more intellectual form"-an impulse towards more complete scientific and philosophic knowledge. Psychologist-educators G. Stanley Hall and Theodate L. Smith (1903) pioneered some of the earliest experimental work on the development of curiosity by collecting questionnaires and child biographies from mothers on the development of interest and curiosity. From these data, they describe children's progression through four stages of development, starting with "passive staring" as early as the second week of life, on through "curiosity proper" at around the fifth month.

The history of studies of animal curiosity is nearly as long as the history of the study of human curiosity. Ivan Pavlov, for example, wrote about the spontaneous orienting behavior in dogs to novel stimuli (which he called the "What-is-it?" reflex) as a form of curiosity ( Pavlov, 1927). In the mid 20th century, exploratory behavior in animals began to fascinate psychologists, in part because of the challenge of integrating it into strict behaviorist approaches (e.g. Tolman, 1948). Some behaviorists counted curiosity as a basic drive, effectively giving up on providing a direct cause (e.g. Pavlov, 1927). This stratagem proved useful even as behaviorism declined in popularity. For example, this view was held by Harry Harlow-the psychologist best known for demonstrating that infant rhesus monkeys prefer the company of a soft, surrogate mother over a bare wire mother. Harlow referred to curiosity as a basic drive in and of itself-a "manipulatory motive"-that drives organisms to engage in puzzle-solving behavior that involved no tangible reward (e.g., Harlow, Blazek, & McClearn, 1956; Harlow, Harlow, & Meyer, 1950; Harlow & McClearn, 1954).

Psychologist Daniel Berlyne is among the most important figures in the 20th century study of curiosity. He distinguished between the types of curiosity most commonly exhibited by human and non-humans along two dimensions: perceptual versus epistemic, and specific versus diversive ( Berlyne, 1954). Perceptual curiosity refers to the driving force that motivates organisms to seek out novel stimuli, which diminishes with continued exposure. It is the primary driver of exploratory behavior in non-human animals and potentially also human infants, as well as a possible driving force of human adults' exploration. Opposite perceptual curiosity was epistemic curiosity, which Berlyne described as a drive aimed "not only at obtaining access to information-bearing stimulation, capable of dispelling uncertainties of the moment, but also at acquiring knowledge". He described epistemic curiosity as applying predominantly to humans, thus distinguishing the curiosity of humans from that of other species ( Berlyne, 1966).

The second dimension of curiosity that Berlyne described informational specificity. Specific curiosity referred to desire for a particular piece of information, while diversive curiosity referred to a general desire for perceptual or cognitive stimulation (e.g., in the case of boredom). For example, monkeys robustly exhibit specific curiosity when solving mechanical puzzles, even without food or any other extrinsic incentive (e.g., Davis, Settlage, & Harlow, 1950; Harlow, Harlow, & Meyer, 1950; Harlow, 1950). However, rats exhibit diversive curiosity when, devoid of any explicit task, they robustly prefer to explore unfamiliar sections of a maze (e.g., Dember, 1956; Hughes, 1968; Kivy, Earl, & Walker, 1956). Both specific and diversive curiosity were described as species-general information-seeking behaviors.

Contemporary views of curiosity

A common contemporary view of curiosity is that it is a special form of information-seeking distinguished by the fact that it is internally motivated ( Loewenstein, 1994; Oudeyer & Kaplan, 2007). By this view, curiosity is strictly an intrinsic drive, while information-seeking refers more generally to a drive that can be either intrinsic or extrinsic. An example of an extrinsic type of information-seeking is paying a nominal price to know the outcome of a gamble before choosing it in order to make a more profitable choice. In other words, contexts in which agents seek information for immediately strategic reasons are not considered curiosity in the strict sense. While this definition is intuitively appealing (and most consistent with the use of the term curiosity in everyday speech), it is accompanied by some problems.

For example, it is often difficult for an external observer to know whether a decision-maker is motivated intrinsically or extrinsically. Animals and preverbal children, for example, cannot tell us why they do what they do, and may labor under biased theories about the structure of their environment or other unknown cognitive constraints. Consider a child choosing between a safe door and a risky one ( Butler, 1953). If the child chooses the risky option, should we call her curious or just risk-seeking? Or consider a rhesus monkeys who performs a color discrimination task to obtain the opportunity to visually explore their environment. Perhaps the monkey is laboring under the assumption that the view of the environment offers some actionable information, and we should put him in the same place on the curiosity spectrum as the child (whatever that place is). To make things more complicated, perhaps the monkey has decided-or even experienced selective pressure-to favor a policy of information-seeking in most contexts. It would be a challenging philosophical problem to classify this behavior as true or ersatz curiosity by the intrinsic definition.

Thus, for the moment, we favor the rough and ready formulation of curiosity as a drive state for information. Decision-makers can be thought of as wanting information for several overlapping reasons just as they want food, water, and other basic goods. This drive may be internal or external, conscious or unconscious, or slowly evolved, or some mixture of the above. We hope that future work will provide a solid taxonomy of different factors that constitute our umbrella term.

Instead of figuring out the taxonomy, we advocate a different approach: we suggest that it is helpful to think about curiosity in the context of Tinbergen's Four Questions. Named after Dutch biologist Nikolaas Tinbergen, these questions are designed to provide four complementary scientific perspectives on any particular type of behavior ( Tinbergen, 1963). These questions in turn offer four vantage points from which we can describe a behavior or a broad class of behaviors, even if its boundaries are not yet fully delineated. In this spirit, our Perspective will discuss current work on curiosity as seen through the lens of Tinbergen's Four Questions, here simplified to one word each: (1) function, (2) evolution, (3) mechanism, and (4) development.

THE FUNCTION OF CURIOSITY

Although information is intangible, it has real value to any organism with the capacity to make use of it. The benefits may accrue immediately or in the future; the delayed benefits require a learning system. Not surprisingly then, the most popular theory about the function of curiosity is to motivate learning. George Loewenstein (1994) described curiosity as "a cognitive induced deprivation that arises from the perception of a gap in knowledge and understanding." Lowenstein's information gap theory holds that curiosity functions like other drive states, such as hunger, which motivates eating. Building on this theory, Loewenstein suggests that a small amount of information serves as a priming dose, which greatly increases curiosity. Consumption of information is rewarding but, eventually, when enough information is consumed, satiation occurs and information serves to reduce further curiosity.

Loewenstein's idea is supported by a recent study by Kang and colleagues (, Kang et al., 2009). They found that curiosity about the answer to a trivia question is a U-shaped function of confidence about knowing that answer. Decision-makers were least curious when they had no clue about the answer and if they were extremely confident; they were most curious when they had some idea about the answer, but lacked confidence. In these circumstances, compulsion to know the answer was so great that they were even willing to pay for the information even though curiosity could have been be sated for free after the session. (The neural findings of this study are discussed below.)

Kang and colleagues also found that curiosity enhances learning, consistent with the theory that the primary function of curiosity is to facilitate learning. This idea also motivated O'Keefe and Nadel's thinking about the factors that promote spatial learning in rodents ( O'Keefe and Nadel, 1978). This idea is also popular in the education literature (e.g., Day, 1971; Engel, 2011, 2015; Gray, 2013), and has been for quite some time, as evidenced by attempts by education researchers to develop scales to quantify children's degree of curiosity, both generally and in specific learning materials (e.g., Harty & Beall, 1984; Jirout & Klahr, 2012; Pelz, Yung, & Kidd, 2015; Penney & McCann, 1964). One potential benefit of such research would be to improve education. More recently, the role of curiosity in enhancing learning is gaining adherents in cognitive science (see Gureckis & Markant, 2012, for a review). The idea is that allowing a learner to indulge their curiosity allows them to focus their effort on useful information that they do not yet possess. Further, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that curiosity enables even infant learners to play an active role in optimizing their learning experiences ( Oudeyer & Smith, in press). This work suggests that allowing a learner to expose the information they require themselves-which would be inaccessible via passive observation-may further benefit the learner by enhancing the encoding and retention of the new information.

THE EVOLUTION OF CURIOSITY

Elementary information-seeking

Even very simple organisms trade off information for rewards. While their information-seeking behavior is not typically categorized as curiosity, the simplicity of their neural systems makes them ideally suited for studies that may provide its foundation. For example, C. elegans is a roundworm whose nervous system contains 302 neurons and that actively forages for food, mostly bacteria. When placed on a new patch (such as a petri dish in a lab), it first explores locally (for about 15 minutes), then abruptly adjusts strategies and makes large, directed movements in a new direction ( Calhoun, Chalasani, & Sharpee, 2014). This search strategy is more sophisticated and beneficial than simply moving towards food scents (or guesses about where food may be); instead, it provides better long-term payoff because it provides information as well. It maximizes a conjoint variable that includes both expected reward and information about the reward. This behavior, while computationally difficult, is not too difficult for worms. A small network of three neurons can plausibly implement it. Other organisms that have simple information-seeking behavior include crabs ( Zeil, 1998), bees ( Gould 1986; Dyer, 1991) ants ( Wehner et al., 2002), and moths (Vergasolla et al., 2007). Information gained from such organisms can help us to understand how simple networks can perform information-seeking.

Information-tradeoff tasks

In primates (including humans), one convenient way to study information-seeking is the k-arm bandit task ( Gittins & Jones, 1974, ). In this task, decision-makers are faced with a series of choices between stochastic rewards ( Whittle, 1988). The optimal strategy requires adjudication between exploration (sampling to improve knowledge, and thus future choices) and exploitation (choosing known best options). Sampling typically gives lower immediate payoff but can provide information that improves choices in the future, leading to greater overall performance. Humans and monkeys can do quite well at this task ( Daw et al., 2006; Pearson et al., 2009). One particular advantage of such tasks is that they allow for sophisticated formal models of information tradeoffs; this level of rigor is often absent in conventional curiosity studies ( Averbeck, 2015).

Daw and colleagues showed that humans performing a 4-arm bandit task choose options probabilistically based on expected values of the options (a "softmax" policy, Daw, 2006). This probabilistic element causes them to occasionally explore other possibilities, leading them to better overall choices. The frontopolar cortex and intraparietal sulcus are significantly more active during exploration, whereas striatum and ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) are more active during exploitative choices ( Daw et al., 2006). These are canonical reward areas, thus these results link curiosity to the reward system (a theme that we will return to). They proposed that the activation of higher-level prefrontal regions during exploration indicates a control mechanism overriding the exploitative tendency.

In a similar task, neurons in the posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) have greater tonic firing rates on exploratory trials than on exploitative trials (even after controlling for reward expectation, Pearson et al., 2009, ). Firing rates also predict adjustments from exploitative to exploratory strategy and vice versa. These results highlight the contribution of the PCC, a critical yet mostly mysterious hub of the reward system, in both the transition to exploration and in its maintenance ( Pearson et al., 2011). PCC is linked to both reward and regulation of learning, thus underscoring the possible linkage between these processes and curiosity ( Heilbronner & Platt, 2013; Hayden et al., 2008). PCC responses are also driven by the salience of an option, a factor that relates directly to its ability to motivate interest, rather than reward value per se ( Heilbronner et al., 2013). The precuneus, a region adjacent to, and closely interconnected with, the PCC, was also associated with curiosity in one study: it is enlarged in capuchins that are particularly curious ( Phillips, Subiaul, & Sherwood, 2012).

Above and beyond the strategic benefit of exploration, we have a tendency to seek out new and unfamiliar options, which may offer more information than familiar ones. The bandit task can be modified to measure this tendency ( Wittmann et al., 2008). In one case, subjects chose between four different images on each trial; the identity of the images was arbitrary and served to distinguish the options. The value of each image was stable but stochastic, so sampling was required to learn its value. Some images were familiar, others were novel; however, image novelty had no special meaning in the context of the task. Nonetheless, subjects were more likely to choose novel images (that is, they motivated exploratory choices). This bias towards choosing novel images was mathematically expressible as a novelty bonus ( Gittins & Jones, 1974). Interestingly, this novelty bonus increased the expected reward for the novel images (as measured by an increase in reward prediction error (RPE) signal in ventral striatum). These results support the idea that novelty-seeking reflects an injection into choice of motivation provided by the brain's reward systems.

Bandit tasks can also be used to measure the effect of strategic context on information-seeking. For example, if the information relates to future events that may not happen, it ought to be discounted. Thus, the horizon (the number of trials available to search the environment before it changes dramatically) matters ( Wilson et al., 2014; see also Averbeck, 2015). Humans can adjust appropriately to changes in horizon: with longer horizons, subjects were more likely to choose an exploratory strategy than an exploitative one. Together, these results highlight the power and flexibility of bandit tasks as a way of studying information-seeking in a rigorous and highly quantifiable way.

Temporal resolution of uncertainty tasks

What about when the drive for information has no clear benefit? One convenient way to study this is to take advantage of the preference for immediate information about the outcome of a risky choice ( Kreps & Porteus, 1978; Lieberman et al., 1997; Luhmann et al., 2008; Prokasy, 1956; Wyckoff, 1952). In a temporal resolution of uncertainty task, monkeys choose between two gambles with identical probabilities (50/50) and identical payoffs (a large or a small squirt of juice delayed by 2.25 seconds, Bromberg-Martin & Hikosaka, 2009). The only difference between the two gambles is that one offers immediate information about win vs. loss (that is, immediate temporal resolution of uncertainty) while in the other the information is delayed. The reward is delayed in both cases, so preference for sooner reward would not affect choice. Despite the brevity of the delay, monkeys reliably choose the option with the immediate resolution of uncertainty (the informative option, Bromberg-Martin & Hikosaka, 2009, 2011; Blanchard et al., 2015). This preference for earlier temporal resolution of uncertainty is not strategic because the information cannot improve choices. Thus, these tasks satisfy a stricter notion of curiosity.

We modified this task to quantify the value of information by titrating the values of the rewards ( Blanchard, Hayden, & Bromberg-Martin, 2015, ). In the curiosity tradeoff task, by determining the indifference point between informative and uninformative options, we found that the value of information about a reward is about 25% of the value of the reward itself-surprisingly high. This finding indicates that monkeys choose information even when it has a measurable cost. In addition, the value of information increases with the stakes. In other words, monkeys will pay more for information about a high stakes gamble than for information about a low stakes gamble. These results are similar to some recent findings observed in pigeons ( Stagner and Zentall, 2010). Pigeons will choose a risky option that provides an average of 2 pellets over one that provides an average of 3 pellets as long as the one that provides 2 also provides what they call a discriminative cue-meaning a cue that reliably predicted whether a reward would come (see also Gipson et al., 2009).

Zentall and colleagues did make the link between their risk-seeking pigeons and human gamblers ( Zentall & Stagner, 2011). This link is potentially important: curiosity is often mooted as an explanation for risk-seeking behavior ( Bromberg-Martin & Hikosaka, 2009). Rhesus monkeys, for example, are often risk-seeking in laboratory tasks ( Blanchard & Hayden, 2014; Heilbronner & Hayden 2013; Monosov & Hikosaka, 2012; O'Neill & Schultz, 2010; So & Stuphorn, 2012; Strait et al., 2014 and 2015). Risky choices provide information about the status of uncertain stimuli in the world, so animals may naturally seek such information. We trained monkeys to perform a gambling task in which both the location and value of a preferred high-variance option are uncertain; knowing the location of that option allowed the monkeys to perform better in the future, but knowing its value was irrelevant (Hayden, Pearson, & Platt, 2009). We found that, following choices of the low variance (and thus non-preferred) option, when it was too late to change anything, monkeys will spontaneously shift gaze to its position, suggesting they want to know information about it.

These findings demonstrate the power of the desire for temporal resolution of uncertainty as a motivator for choice, and thus as a potential tool for the study of information-seeking. This phenomenon is particularly useful because the information sought is demonstrably useless, making it a good potential model for more basic and fundamental (i.e. non-strategic) forms of information seeking than the bandit task. It is also, like the bandit task, one that works well in animals (meaning behavior is reliable and stable across large numbers of trials), so it has potential utility in circuit-level studies.

THE (NEURAL) MECHANISMS OF CURIOSITY

Tinbergen's third question is about the proximate mechanism of a behavior. The mechanism of any behavior is in device that produces it-the brain.

As noted above, Kang and colleagues used a curiosity induction task to test Loewenstein's hypothesis that curiosity reflects an information gap ( Loewenstein, 1994). Human subjects read trivia questions and rated their feelings of curiosity while undergoing fMRI ( Kang et al., 2009). Brain activity in the caudate nucleus and inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) was associated with self-reported curiosity. These structures are activated by anticipation of many types of rewards, so these results suggest that curiosity elicits an anticipation of a reward state-consistent with Loewenstein's theory ( Delgado et al., 2000, 2003, 2008; De Quervain et al., 2004; Fehr & Camerer, 2007; King-Casas et al., 2005; Rilling et al., 2002). Puzzlingly, the nucleus accumbens, which is one of the most reliably activated structures for reward anticipation, was not activated ( Knutson et al., 2001). When the answer was revealed, activations generally were found in structures associated with learning and memory, such as parahippocampal gyrus and hippocampus. Again this is a bit puzzling, because classic structures that respond to receipt of reward were not particularly activated. In any case, the learning effect was particularly strong on trials on which subjects' guesses were incorrect-the trials on which learning was greatest.

Jepma et al. (2012) showed subjects blurry photos with ambiguous contents that piqued their curiosity; curiosity activated the anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula - regions sensitive to aversive conditions (but to many other things too); resolution of curiosity activated striatal reward circuits. Like Kang and colleagues, they found that resolution of curiosity activated learning structures and also drove learning. However, the differences between the two studies were larger than the similarities. In the Jepma study, curiosity is a fundamentally aversive state, while in the Kang study it is pleasurable. Specifically, curiosity is seen as a lack of something wanted (information) and thus unpleasant, and this unpleasantness motivates information, which will alleviate it.

Gruber and colleagues (2014) measured brain activity while subjects answered trivia questions and rated their curiosity for each question. They were also shown interleaved photographs of neutral, unknown faces which acted as a probe for learning. When tested later, subjects recalled the faces shown in high curiosity trials better than faces shown on low curiosity trials. Thus, the curiosity state led to better learning, even for the things people weren't curious about. Curiosity drove activity in both midbrain (implying the dopaminergic regions) and nucleus accumbens; memory was correlated with midbrain and hippocampal activity. These results suggest that, although curiosity reflects intrinsic motivation, it is mediated by the same mechanisms as extrinsically motivated rewards.

These results suggest that, to subcortical reward structures, informational value is treated the same as any other valued good. To further test this idea, the authors asked whether midbrain neurons encode information prediction error ( Bromberg-Martin & Hikosaka, 2011). While the positive RPE is carried by DA neurons, its inverse, the negative RPE, is carried by neurons in the lateral habenula (LHb). They made use of this fact in task in which there was an option to choose a stochastically informative gamble, meaning it would provide (50/50 chance) valid or invalid information about the upcoming reward. They found that neurons in the LHb encode the unexpected occurrence of information and the unexpected denial of information-just as they do with basic rewards (water and juice).

Where does the domain-general curiosity signal come from? It has recently been proposed that the dopamine reward signal is constructed out of input signals originating in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), which in turn receives input from basic sensory and association structures ( Öngür & Price, 2000; Schoenbaum et al., 2011; Takahashi et al., 2011; Rushworth et al., 2011). If OFC is an input to the evaluation system, then it should carry information about the reward value of curiosity but may not carry a single general reward signal. In other words, OFC may serve as a kind of workshop that represents elements of reward that can guide choice, but not a single domain general value signal. In the curiosity tradeoff task (see above and ), OFC neurons encode both the stakes of the gamble, and also the information value of the options ( Blanchard, Hayden, & Bromberg-Martin, 2015). But it doesn't integrate them into a single value signal. Thus, at least within this one task, curiosity is computed separately from other factors that influence value and combined at a specific point (or points) in the pathway between the OFC and the DA nuclei.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF CURIOSITY

The fourth of Tinbergen's questions concerns development of a behavior. Curiosity has been central to the study of infant and child attention and learning, and a major focus in research on early education for decades (e.g., Berlyne, 1978; Dember & Earl, 1957; Kinney & Kagan, 1976; Sokolov, 1960). The world of infants is full of potential sources for learning, but they possess limited information-processing resources. Thus, infants must solve what is known as the sampling problem: their attentional mechanisms must select a subset of material from everything available in their environments in order to make learning tractable. Furthermore, they must sample in a way that ensures that learning is efficient, which is tricky considering the fact that what material is most useful changes as the infant gains more knowledge.

Infants enter the world with some simple, low-level heuristics for guiding their attention towards certain informative features of the world. Haith (1980) argued that these organizing principles for visual behavior are fundamentally stimulus-driven. For example, infants' gaze is pulled towards areas of high contrast, which is useful for detecting objects and perceiving their shapes (e.g., Salapatek & Kessen, 1966), and motion onset, which is useful for detecting animacy (e.g., Aslin & Shea, 1990). Infants also have an innate bias to orient towards faces (e.g., Farroni et al., 2005; Johnson et al., 1991), which relay both social information and cues that guide language learning (e.g., Baldwin, 1993). While this desire for information is surely intrinsic, whether or not these low-level mechanisms that guide infants' early attentional behavior could be explained with curiosity depends on the chosen definition. If curiosity requires an explicit mental representation of the need for new information, these low-level heuristics do not qualify. However, a broader definition, which sees curiosity as any mechanism that guides an organism towards new information, regardless of mental substrate, they certainly do. Regardless of how you classify them, these attentional biases get the infant started down the road of knowledge acquisition.

Externally driven motivation is not sufficient. Learners also must adapt to changing needs as they build up and modify their mental representations of the world. Many early researchers posited that novelty was the primary stimulus feature of relevance for infants (e.g., Sokolov, 1960). Infants prefer novel stimuli in many paradigms, such as those used by Fantz (1964), the high-amplitude sucking procedure (Siqueland & DeLucia, 1969), and head-turn preference procedure ( Kemler Nelson et al., 1995). Novelty preference is also seen in habituation procedures, in which infants' attention to a recurring stimulus decreases with lengthened exposure. Novelty theories, however, cannot account for infants' attested familiarity preferences, such as their affinity for their native languages and familiar faces (e.g., Bushnell et al., 1989; DeCasper & Spence, 1986).

Among these theories was Kinney and Kagan's moderate discrepancy hypothesis, which suggested that infants preferentially attend to stimuli that were "optimally discrepant," meaning those that were just the right amount of distinguishable from mental representations that the infant already possessed ( Kinney & Kagan, 1976). Under Dember and Early's theory of choice/preference, learners seek stimuli that match their preferred level of complexity, which increases over time as they build up mental representations and acquire more knowledge ( Dember & Earl, 1957). Berlyne, similarly, noted that complexity-driven preferences could represent an optimal strategy for learning ( Berlyne, 1960). Such processing-based theories of curiosity predict that learners will exhibit a U-shaped pattern of preference for stimulus complexity, where complexity is defined in terms of the learner's current set of mental representations. The theories predict that learners will preferentially select stimuli of an intermediate level of complexity-material that is neither overly simple (already encoded into memory) nor overly complex (too disparate from existing representations already encoded into memory).

Recent infant research supports these accounts (e.g., Kidd, Piantadosi, & Aslin, 2012, 2014, ). We showed 7- and 8-month-old infants visual event sequences of varying complexity, as measured by an idealized learning model, and measured points at which infants' attention drifted (as indicate by looks away from the display). We found that infants' probability of looking away was greatest to events of either very low information content (highly predictable) or very high information content (highly surprising). This attentional strategy holds in multiple types of visual displays ( Kidd, Piantadosi, & Aslin, 2012), for auditory stimuli ( Kidd, Piantadosi, & Aslin, 2014), and even within individual infants ( Piantadosi, Kidd, & Aslin, 2014). These results suggest that infants implicitly decide to direct attention in order to maintain intermediate rates of information absorption. This attentional strategy likely prevents them from wasting cognitive resources on overly predictable or overly complex events, thus helping to maximize their learning potential.

Related findings show that children structure their play in a way that reduces uncertainty and allows them to discover causal structures in the world (e.g., Schulz & Bonawitz, 2007). This work is in line with earlier theories of Jean Piaget (1930) that asserted that the purpose of curiosity and play was to "construct knowledge" through interactions with the world. If curiosity aims to reduce uncertainty in the world, we would expect learners to exhibit increased curiosity to stimuli in the world that they do not understand. In fact, this is a behavior that is well attested in recent developmental psychology studies, such as work by Bonawitz and colleagues ( Bonawitz, van Schijndel, Friel, & Schulz, 2012) that demonstrates that children prefer to play with toys that violate their expectations. Children also exhibit increased curiosity outside of pedagogical contexts, in the absence of explicitly given explanations ( Bonawitz et al., 2011). In an experiment in which Bonawitz and colleagues gave children a novel toy to explore, either prefaced or not with partial instruction of how the toy works, children played for longer and discovered more of the toys' functions in the non-pedagogical conditions.

In line with the idea that the function of curiosity is to reduce uncertainty, children exhibit increased interest in situations with high degrees of uncertainty, such as preferentially playing with toys whose underlying mechanisms are not yet understood. Perhaps even more impressively, Schulz and Bonawitz (2007) found that children preferentially engaged with toys that allowed them to deconfound potential causal variables underlying toys' inner workings. In these experiments, Schulz and Bonawitz had children play with toys consisting of boxes and levers. In both the confounded and unconfounded conditions, the researcher would help a child play with a red box with two levers. In the confounded condition, the researcher and the child each pressed down on a lever at the same time and, in response, two small puppets (a chick and a pom-pom) popped out of the top of the red box (). The puppets' location-dead center-was not informative about which of the two levers caused each one to rise. In the unconfounded conditions, the researcher and child took turns pressing down on their respective levers one at a time or the researcher demonstrated each lever independently; thus, in both cases, it was clear which lever controlled each puppet. After this demonstration, the researcher uncovered a second, yellow box. After the demonstration and yellow-box reveal, children were left alone and instructed to play in the researcher's absence for 60 seconds. During this period, children in the confounded condition preferentially explored the demonstrated red box over the novel yellow one.

The idea that children structure their play in a way that is sensitive to information gain is further bolstered by a recent study by Cook and colleagues ( Cook, Goodman, & Schulz, 2011). They manipulated the ambiguity of various causal variables for a toy box that played music when certain-but not all-beads were place on top of it. A researcher initially demonstrated how the box worked by placing a pair of connected beads on top, thereby making it ambiguous which of the two beads was causally responsible for the music playing. Children were effective at both selecting and designing informative interventions to figure out the underlying causal structure when it was unclear from the demonstration. When given ambiguous evidence, children tested individual beads when possible and-even more impressively-when bead pair was permanently stuck connected together, children held them such that only one side was touching the box in order to isolate the effect of that particular bead on the box.

CONCLUSION

Curiosity has long fascinated laymen and scholars alike, but remains poorly understood as a psychological phenomenon. We argue that one factor impeding our understanding has been too much focus on delineating what is and is not curiosity. Another has been too much emphasis on taxonomy. These divide-then-conquer approaches are premature because they do not rely on empirical data. Perhaps the plethora of definitions and schemes attests more to differences in scholars' intuitions than to differences in their data. Thus we recommend that the definition stage follow a relatively solid characterization of curiosity, defined as broadly as possible. For this reason, we are reluctant to commit to a strict definition now. This approach has risks, of course. It means that there will be a variety of studies using similar terms to describe different phenomena, and different terms to describe the same phenomena, which can be confusing. Nonetheless, we think the benefits of open-mindedness outweigh the costs.

Broadening the scope of inquiry has several advantages. First, it allows us to study information-seeking in non-humans, including monkeys, rats, and even roundworms. Animal techniques allow for a granular view of mechanism, allows a greater range of manipulations, and allows cross-species comparisons. Second, it allows us to temporarily put aside speculation about decision-makers' motivations and focus on other questions. Third, by refusing to isolate curiosity from other cognitive processes, we can make bridges with other phenomena, especially reward and learning. Finally, it lets us take advantage of powerful new tasks invented in the past decade for studying the cognitive neuroscience of information-seeking.

Tinbergen's Four Questions are designed to provide a way to explain the causes of any behavior. This approach already provides a convenient framework for considering the knowledge we have so far. In the domain of function, it seems clear that curiosity serves to motivate acquisition of knowledge and learning. In the domain of evolution, it seems that curiosity can tentatively be said to improve performance, yielding fitness benefits to organisms with it, and is likely to be an evolved trait. In the domain of mechanisms, it seems that the drive for information augments internal representations of value, thus biasing decision-makers towards informative options and actions. It also seems that curiosity activates learning systems in the brain. In the domain of development, we can infer that curiosity is critical for learning and that it reflects both external features and internal representations of own knowledge.

In the future we hope to see answers to some of these questions:

In what ways does curiosity resemble other basic drive states? How does it differ? To what extent is curiosity fundamentally different from drives like hunger and thirst?

What is the most useful taxonomy of curiosity? How well does Berlyne's categorization hold up? What factors unite distinct forms of curiosity?

How is curiosity controlled? What factors govern curiosity, and how does the brain integrate these factors into decision-making to produce decisions? To what extent is curiosity context-dependent?

To what extent does curiosity in nematodes overlap (if at all) with curiosity in children? How useful is it to think of curiosity as being a single construct across a broad range of taxa?

Does our continuing curiosity in adulthood serve a purpose or is it vestigial? Does continued curiosity serve to maintain cognitive abilities throughout adulthood?

What is the link between curiosity and learning?

Why and how is curiosity affected by diseases like depression and ADHD? Can sensitive measures of curiosity be used to predict and measure cognitive decline, senility, and Alzheimers' Disease?

We can already sketch out rough guesses about how some of these questions will be answered. For example, we anticipate that, although useful in the past, Berlyne's categories will be replaced with other, differently-formulated subtypes, and that these newer ones will be motivated by new neural and developmental data. We suspect that curiosity serves a similar purpose in adulthood as it does in childhood, albeit in perhaps a more refined way. Even as adults we need to continue to adjust our understanding of the world. Finally, we are optimistic that scientists will eventually uncover a consistent set of principles that characterize curiosity across a wide range of taxa.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported by a R01 (DA038615) to BYH. We thank Sarah Heilbronner, Steve Piantadosi, Shraddha Shah, Maya Wang, Habiba Azab, and Maddie Pelz for helpful comments.

Footnotes

Publisher's Disclaimer: This is a PDF file of an unedited manuscript that has been accepted for publication. As a service to our customers we are providing this early version of the manuscript. The manuscript will undergo copyediting, typesetting, and review of the resulting proof before it is published in its final citable form. Please note that during the production process errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

REFERENCES

Oudeyer P-Y, Smith L. How Evolution May Work through Curiosity-Driven Developmental Process. Topics in Cognitive Science. (In press). [[PubMed] Google Scholar]

Pelz M, Yung A, Kidd C. Quantifying Curiosity and Exploratory Play on Touchscreen Tablets. Proceedings of the IDC 2015 Workshop on Digital Assessment and Promotion of Children's Curiosity. 2015 [Google Scholar]

Strait CE, Sleezer BJ, Hayden BY. Signatures of value comparison in ventral striatum neurons. PLoS Biology. 2015 (in press). [[PMC free article] [PubMed] Google Scholar]

Whittle P. Restless bandits: Activity allocation in a changing world. Journal of Applied Probability. 1988:287-298. [Google Scholar]

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The psychology and neuroscience of curiosity

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Curiosity is a basic element of our cognition, yet its biological function, mechanisms, and neural underpinning remain poorly understood. It is nonetheless a motivator for learning, influential in decision-making, and crucial for healthy development.

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Update 2: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Update 2: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Book title: Beautiful Boy
Author: David Sheff
Pages Read: 183/305

Essential Question: How does the effects of addiction on an addict differ from the effects of addiction on an addict's family members?

Theme/Purpose: The purpose of Sheff's book is to inform readers of addiction and educate them to help addicts recover. David Sheff only wrote his book to tell his son and his story through addiction and to show that it is okay to tell the world you were/are an addict.

Structure: Sheff structures the book in a few big 'parts' and many chapters within the parts. He also has an introduction part at the beginning of his book. Sheff describes the past very detailed a lot then going back to the present.

How can David even help Nic?

Quote: “Anyone who has lived through it, or those who are now living through it, knows that caring about an addict is as complex and fraught and debilitating as addiction itself.” This quote perfectly demonstrates how loved ones go through so much when caring about an addict and it can feel like addiction in a way.

Thesis: An addict's addiction can very well be worse on their family members because drugs are an addict's coping mechanism, but family members need to find another way to cope with their loved one's struggles.

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The Boys Who Challenged Hitler- David Solomon

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The Boys Who Challenged Hitler- David Solomon

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Essential questions- How do adults influence the choices kids make?

Thesis-Adults influence every choice a child makes because adults have more power, and depending on how they use it influences kids one way or another.

central details- The kids breaking other rules was in direct response to the way adults (Nazis) were treating them in jail. When they received notebooks, the one rule was to not draw naked women, so Knud drew naked women and put it on all of his walls of his cell. Throughout this books Knud and the other characters have almost broke a rule/law wherever they went. It started with sabotages, then they broke rules in jail by trying to escape, escaping again after being specifically told not to, and breaking other rules given to them in jail. Most of what they did was because of how they were being treated, and because they were being controlled by Nazis, which shows how adults influence the choices kids make no matter what.

Video-https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/evolutionary-advantage-teenage-brain
The teenage brain is still developing, especially the part that determines good and bad choices, so other people's influence is very important on the decisions teenagers make.

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Update 3: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Update 3: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Book Title: "The Reagan Diaries"

Author: Ronald Reagan

Pages Read: 694/694

Essential Questions:

- What drove President Reagan’s behavior during his time in office?
- How does a person act when an entire nation is relying on them?

- How did Ronald Reagan use his charm and charisma to further his agenda and work to protect America from Russian or other Foreign Interests?
- Who was the Ronald Reagan behind closed doors?

Thesis Statement: The Current tumultuous climate of the political system is somewhat derived from the character or persona that many politicians seem to be play; the media furthers this turbulent divide with fake, biased, or misleading articles which leads to politicians to put on a mask and pretend to be someone there not in order to rally supporters.

Summary: Ronald Reagan was elected in 1980 in a landslide victory, 489-49 in electoral college and winning the popular vote by a margin 9.7% (~8.5 million). He went on to become one of the most beloved presidents in American history, with a peak approval rating of 71%, and left with the third highest final approval rating of any presidents since approval rating polling began.

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Update 3: "I Beat The Odds" - Harrison Curley

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Update 3: "I Beat The Odds" - Harrison Curley

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Book title: I Beat The Odds
Author: Don Yaeger
Pages read 250/250

Essential Questions: What drives someone out of rock bottom?

Thesis: Human Behavior is shown in I Beat The Odds by reveling how Michael felt through hard times and times where he felt successful.

Summary: Michael Oher was a great football player. He made it to the NFL but it wasn't as easy as it seemed. Growing up was tough for Michael. He never stepped foot on to a field until high school. He was a big kid so football was a perfect fit for Michael. After a family took Michael into their own hands they gave him a better lifestyle and introduced him to the game. Michael became really good at what he did and because of his great success in high school he went to the NFL. However, just because Oher was in the NFL didn't necessarily mean he forgot about his past. He still struggles with anxiety and thinking about growing up. Michael seeks therapy weekly and works on becoming a better him and help the community because he was in that situation before.

Resource Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XYVElx9HM5o

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Update 3: The killers of the Flower Moon-Bohan Yang 

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Update 3: The killers of the Flower Moon-Bohan Yang 

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Book Title: The Kills of the Flower Moon
Author: David Grann
Pages Read: 298/298

Essential questions- how does inheret racism in a society obstruct justice
Thesis statement:
Racism directly affects justice from being delivered as it affects the outcome of decisions that revolve around race.

Important Details:
The first trial never worked out because one of the jurors thought that a white man killing an Indian was fine.
Another was when Hale was prosecuted he was only charged with life in prison for killing 5 Osage members rather than hanging.

Research
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mdeZo6kVrk
This video helps to analyse the how there was inheret racism at the time, not even allowing the Osage to use their own money without guardians controlling their money

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Update 3: "Born a Crime" - Sophia Bertrand

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Update 3: "Born a Crime" - Sophia Bertrand

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Book Title: Born A Crime

Author: Trevor Noah

Pages Read: 288/288

Thesis statement: One can choose and build their own identities, rather than ones imposed on them by their race, by opening themselves to various languages, experiences, and family.

Summary: Trevor Noah was born in apartheid South Africa, with a black mother and white father. Under apartheid, there was heavy segregation: white people could only have relationships with other white people, and anyone caught in an interracial relationship would face a five-year sentence. Trevor Noah, being living proof of his parents’ relationship, spent most of his childhood indoors where the government couldn’t spot him. Throughout the memoir, he recollects his memories of growing up in a country where he constantly had to choose between identifying as ‘white or ‘black,’ and eventually, Noah manages to find a sense of belonging in the world without clinging to any particular group or identity label. However, apartheid wasn’t the only problem. Even after apartheid was abolished, Noah still suffered from another kind of tyranny. His stepfather, Abel, was an alcoholic and abused his family for years. Noah and his mother had a very strong connection, and the memoir also acts as a thank you to his mom for protecting him during that time.

Resource video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qj2168gDr5Q

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Book Title: Shoe Dog

Author: Phil Knight

Pages Read: 273/273

Essential Questions:

What does it take for an individual to be successful?

How can success be defined?

What sacrifices are necessary when trying to achieve your goals?

Thesis: The key to being successful is being happy with what you do, and this is possible by fully committing to your passion, love your work and surround yourself with people who have the same goals as you.

Summary: The book follows Phil Knight through his journey of creating Nike, one of the most successful business of all time. It begins with him in college where he studied at Oregon University and then went to Stanford University for graduate school and became an accountant. He was doing these things to please his father, not because he loved them. After graduating he traveled the entire world for about two years and learned that there was so much more to life then sitting in an office to make money. The things he saw around the world inspired him to start his own business in a field that he was most passionate about:  running sneakers. It was not an easy path to success, and it took years and years to make progress in his shoe business. There was a point where Knight was working two accounting jobs along with the shoe business and living in his office in order to keep it alive. He learned early on that he needed help from others if he wanted to achieve his goals, and that no one can do this on their own. There were many times where his business was extremely close to being shut down for good due to no loans from the bank, being cheated by factories and lawsuits from the US government. Even when people like his own father told him to stop he wouldn't/ For most it would have been very easy to stop and settle for a normal life but he wouldn't give up. Never giving up helped him significantly as he continued to progress and ultimately created one of the most successful brands in modern history.

Theme/Purpose: The purpose of this book is to demonstrate the hard work and dedication necessary to achieve your goals, specifically for entrepreneurs. Knight gives us his firsthand experiences in what it took to create one of the most successful businesses in modern society, and shows that it was not easy. He stresses the importance of determination and never giving  up if you want to succeed.

Questions: What was Knight’s motivation and why did he never give up after so many failures?  I understand better that the reason Knight refused to give up was because his business was his passion and he was doing something that he loved.

Quotes: “And most important of all: Dare to take chances, lest you leave your talent buried in the ground. Where there is no struggle there can be no art” (Knight 270). This quote summarizes greatly the overall theme of this book, that struggle is necessary to success.

Research:

I looked at the documentary Generation Startup which follows the journey of multiple young entrepreneurs as they work to start their own businesses and bring their start up companies off the ground. It demonstrates what it takes to be successful with creating a business and all of the obstacles that one must overcome to achieve their goals. It connects to Shoe Dog because the situations of these entrepreneurs are nearly identical to Phil Knight’s situation during the 1960s when he was creating Nike. The actions of those who were successful mirror the same actions that Knight took in the creation of his brand.

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Book Title: Hiroshima
Author: John Hersey
Pages read: 110/110

Thesis Statement: In direct response to a devastating event, human nature is revealed through the effort of community survival, unity, and cooperation in the face of destruction.

Summary: On August 26, 1945, at 8:15 am, America drops the bomb Hiroshima on Japan. This nonfiction reading follows the experiences of six survivors - two doctors, two women, and two religious men, from the moment the bomb drops until a couple of months after. After the bomb is directly dropped, each of the six people the story follows the accounts from(Mr. Kiyoshi Tanimoto, Father Wilhelm Kleinsorge, Mrs. Hatsuyo Nakamura, Miss Toshiko Sasaki, Dr. Terufumi Sasaki, and Dr. Masakazu Fujii) all help the people around them, direct victims of the bomb. But soon afterwards, although Hiroshima may seem to be rebuilding, the radiation sickness begins to take hold of people. In the added postscript, it shows the people in the forty years after the bomb: some are alive, some have passed away, and it overall is a retelling of the events of the disaster of the atomic bombing of Hiroshima.

Resource video:

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Hiroshima atomic bomb: Survivor recalls horrors - BBC News

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Update 3: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana 

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Update 3: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana 

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Book Title: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank (it was translated by B.M. Mooyaart and introduction was by Eleanor)
Amount read: 208/208

Essential question: When people are led by an oppressive and abusive dictator do they rebel against the masses to protect those they are closely connected with or follow by fear?

Thesis statement: When a society is governed by abusive and oppressive dictators, it is human nature to both: follow in fear and to rebel against the masses for what one thinks is right and wrong.

Summary: Anne Frank was a Jewish, German girl that lived in the Netherlands in the years leading up to World War II to escape persecution in Germany. At the start of her diary she was living a seemingly normal life, however, she was beginning to be segregated from the rest society due to her religion, Judaism. A few entries in, in 1940 the Nazis began drafting Jewish citizens to leave to the concentration camps, this forced her family into hiding. Along with the Franks was another family, the van Daans, and an acquaintance, Mr. Dussel, they moved into a small secret annex above Otto Frank's office where they had stockpiled food and supplies. The employees from Otto's firm helped hide the Franks and kept them supplied with the necessities. Over the course of the two years within the hidden annex, Anne often wrote about her feelings of isolation and loneliness. She often got into discrepancies with the adults, such as her mother and Mrs. van Daan. She also matures considerably throughout the course of her diary entries, moving from detailed accounts of basic activities to deeper, more profound thoughts about humanity and her own personal nature. After two years of hiding away, the Frank's are betrayed to the Nazis party and arrested on August 4, 1944, and thus the entries abruptly come to an end. After being discovered, her family were all shipped off to different concentration camps; soon after Anne and her sister Margot both contracted a deadly illness and passed in the camps. Otto Frank was the family's sole survivor, and he recovered Anne's diary from Miep, one of the women at his workplace that helped them stay hidden, and he fulfilled Anne's wishes by publishing her diary for the world to see.

Sources:
1.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZtOKRsF6Rr0.
2.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_ybtwB-3MZ0

The first source talks about two teens who rebelled against the Nazi agenda, they fought hard to protect and fight against what they thought was wrong. They anonymously released leaflets and writing that fought back against the Nazi rule and Hilter. In the end they were caught and murdered, but still, in the end they fought for what they thought was right. The second source talks about Hitler's rule as a whole, but there is specific mention of how threats from outside countries and Germany itself caused civilians to fear their government and blindly follow for their own safety. People were also murdered if they helped Jews or disagreed with Nazis ideals, this also caused great fear for the German people and made them follow Hitler and the Nazis without draw back.

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Book Title: Stronger
Author: Jeff Bauman
Pages read:246/246

Essential Questions:
-When going through a hard time, what aspects of life will help to persevere and be brave?

- What does it take in order to push yourself past your fears?

Thesis statement: Getting hit with a life changing experience, gives one the opportunity to find their true character, and also allows one to know what aspects of life are most important to them.

Important quotes from Jeff Bauman:
¨because admitting your limitations, and accepting help, makes you stronger, too¨
-¨Ïtś a picture of hope because the kid without legs?¨

Summary: Jeff along with his family members are going through a rough patch of life. Seeing Jeff hurting, and coming to a realization that his life will never be the same is heartbreaking. But Jeff Bauman, is one of the most brave, and positive people ever, he is so happy about life and love to meet new people and experience new things. So, Jeff will not have a hard time continuing with his amazing personality, it will just be a change for him. Jeff takes note of the importance that his family holds in life, and how their support carries him through his pain.

(video inside the text near end)

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What's the very first decision you make each day? For some it comes while still in bed. "Should I get up or hit the snooze button?" For those who lay their clothes out the night before, have no children, and are locked into an unwavering morning routine, including the content and quantity of breakfast, that first decision of the day can be postponed. Now that I've written that, I'm really curious to know how long someone could actually avoid that first decision. Not that it matters. Avoiding a few dozen decisions in the morning may reduce initial stress, but it's only a drop in the bucket of what's to come.

We make thousands of decisions every day. Many are easy, but others are complex, stressful, or both. Because there are so many decisions and because they are literal forks in the road with dramatic impact on results, costs, time, feelings, and relationships, how you make decisions is extremely important. This is why decision-making is a top priority when I work with clients to create a culture of clarity.

The best way to make decisions involves a four-step process that allows you to "SOAR through decisions," whether alone or in a group. I won't go into the details of that process now, because I want to focus on the value of having a process, not the process itself. If your decisions actually follow the four distinct steps of SOAR and involve the right people at each of those steps, with transparency, the benefits are numerous and dramatic:
1. You'll make better decisions.
When you conflate the four steps of decision-making into one muddled discussion, it stands to reason that you won't make the best decision. Instead, your decisions are more likely to be governed by one of three forces:

Fatigue - The winner is the most cohesive idea on the table when the energy expires.

Enthusiasm - The winner is the idea most fervently expressed by the loudest reputable group.

Authority - The winner is the obvious favorite of the most senior individual.

These forces do not produce sound decisions.
2. You'll save time and make better use of resources.
A lack of process clarity guarantees a slower, more convoluted path to the desired outcome. Or even a disappointing outcome. This is true whether you are doing something like building a boat or making a decision. If you step logically through a proven process, you will waste less time and make use of the right resources at the right time. If you follow a muddled process to build a boat and want expert help for all aspects of the process, you would have to have all the experts present the entire time and they would be stepping all over each other trying to advise you. You would never build a boat that way. You would learn the process, follow it in sequence, and call on the help you needed at each step. So why do you make decisions by hauling all the experts into a room at one time and trying to tackle all the steps simultaneously?
3. All employees will be able to contribute more effectively.
In the health care world, there is a proven process called SBAR - Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation. Because it is widely known and understood, it creates what I call shared process clarity and gets everyone on the same page quickly, knowing what to expect and how to contribute. By focusing on each clear step one at a time, clarity of purpose is also achieved. As a result, the Situation and each subsequent step can be described with great clarity. If other practitioners know something different, they can easily chime in to enhance or clarify. Every employee can contribute more effectively when operating in an environment with this kind of clarity. The same benefits accrue when you "SOAR through decisions."
4. Professional development is enhanced.
This clarity of purpose and process created by SBAR and SOAR is also tremendously instructive. Each time one practitioner hears another state the Situation or the Background or other, he learns and improves his own ability to formulate relevant information.

The O in SOAR stands for Objectives. These are the goals and constraints - the decision criteria - that must guide the decision. Just think about the developmental value of employees gaining a clear understanding of the criteria guiding decisions that affect them. It is enormous. That understanding is the road to greater business acumen and the priorities and culture of the company. The same applies to the other steps of this or any other process. The clarity of purpose provides tremendous learning.
5. People will accomplish more faster.
When you know exactly what you are trying to achieve, you can do it faster. Period. I doubt that requires more explanation. Speed comes from greater clarity of purpose and process.
6. Commitment will be stronger.
Employees are most committed when they believe decisions are made using a logical, informed, and fair process with their interests represented. Muddled processes don't provide much evidence of logic, good input, fairness, or representation of interests. Muddled decision processes create skeptics and cynics, not committed employees. On the other hand, if employees believe the people and process were careful and thorough, they will support decisions even when the decisions turn out to be stupid.
7. Employee satisfaction and engagement will improve.
Employee engagement is a hot topic that I discussed a few weeks ago in 10 Reasons Your Employee Engagement Program Is Hurting Your Company. Employee satisfaction and engagement hinge on how easily and effectively employees can contribute (see #3) and whether the organization operates in such a way that commitment is created (see #6). Since how you make decisions directly affects both of those, it will also affect employee satisfaction and engagement.
8. Employees will be able to let go and focus.
When you don't trust that the people around you are making smart decisions, it is natural to want to be involved so you can try to help prevent disaster or at least will see it coming and avoid a nasty surprise. This is human nature. At the same time, everyone has too much to do. By creating clarity of purpose, process, and roles, people learn to trust the system and let go. Once that happens, they can get back to their top priorities and amp up their ability to focus.
9. Delegation will be easier and more effective.
One of the biggest problems with delegation is that delegating almost anything includes delegating decisions. Well if you treat decisions as one muddled step, your only choices are to do things yourself or throw the task over the wall and hope for the best. However, if all parties have shared process clarity about the steps of making decisions, it is a cinch to delegate a task and arrange for check-ins at appropriate steps.
10. Employees will feel a stronger sense of ownership.
I'm working with a Fortune 100 company right now that gets totally stuck on simple decisions. Why? Because they haven't figured out what decision they are making and are trying to make several at once.

This, by the way, is Step #1. The S in SOAR stands for Statement - specify the decision you need to make. I've observed numerous executive teams who think they are focused but are really working on five decisions and two plans simultaneously. And they wonder why they keep going in circles. Consciously executing Step #1 of SOAR would put them on a fast and clear path to progress.

Meanwhile, this global monster I mentioned has several employees doing their best to collect information and make suggestions and generally drive an agenda without knowing what that agenda is. Give me another week and I'll have them straightened out. In the meantime, the executive in this case is probably wondering why these employees haven't taken ownership and made things happen. Add clarity of purpose, process, and roles to this situation and these employees would know what decision they are making, which steps they own, and how to proceed. Clarity of purpose, process, and roles are essential to unleashing ownership.
11. People will make fewer mistakes.
Since decisions are so common, messy decision processes create plenty of room for errors and misunderstandings. I already mentioned better decisions, so let's talk about misunderstandings and the many mistakes the originate in misunderstandings. Messy decision processes rarely have crystal clear endings, especially because messy processes often lead to re-decision the next day. The messier a process, the easier it is for someone to walk out of the room with the wrong message.
12. Introverts can stop waiting for Godot!
Introverts are notorious for waiting for the right moment to interject their comments. I know because I am one. Since talking isn't an introvert's default behavior, they only talk when they have a purpose and something to say. And if their purpose doesn't match the conversation, they don't talk. So they wait for the right time. And in a wandering conversation, the right time never comes. It may come close, they get ready to speak, and then someone takes the conversation in a new direction and they are left waiting for Godot, whom you know never shows, if you're familiar with the play.

Finally, consider that many decisions provide no obvious winning alternative. In many cases, some alternatives are so similar or surrounded by so many unknowns that logic will not provide a definitive choice. In those cases, you may as flip a coin. While making the absolute best decision is often important, how you leave people feeling is always important. Decisions made with clarity produce the best results across the board.

... Read More

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12 Reasons Why How You Make Decisions Is More Important Than What You Decide

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What's the very first decision you make each day? For some it comes while still in bed. "Should I get up or hit the snooze button?" For those who lay their clothes out the night before, have no children, and are locked into an unwavering morning routine, including the content and quantity of breakfast, that first decision [...]

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Update 3: "Midnight in Chernobyl" -Olivia Williams 

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Update 3: "Midnight in Chernobyl" -Olivia Williams 

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Book Title: Midnight in Chernobyl

Author: Adam Higginbotham

Pages Read: 195/380

Essential Questions:

-How do nuclear disasters and the looming threat of nuclear disasters effect the way humans behave?

-How do people cover up mistakes to keep their reputation intact?

- What happens when humans try to interfere with the natural world?

- When/how does the drive for power and drive to be the best take away from morals/ethics?

Thesis Statement: Human nature's ultimate greed for power is a result of self interest and preservation-- this intoxicating drive sparks competition, blinding many from their true moral values.

Summary: The competition of the Cold War, and new phenomenon of Nuclear energy  sparked a drive to be the best with a bigger, better, faster and stronger economy, infrastructure, and energy production. From this came the building of the Chernobyl Power pant. Built without regard to many safety precautions, and with under trained staff, also along with the suffocating pressure by the USSR, disaster was inevitable. After a failed safety test, a major malfunction in the reactor core created a deadly explosion, exposing to reactor core to the atmosphere and spewing radioactive material into the surrounding area. It was like nothing the world had even seen before multiple workers died on site, and many later from radiation exposure. Soon after the surrounding cities, and eve later countries all around Europe were facing the effects of the disaster. The USSR's political response was to not let the world know of their fault-- even if it meant the expense of life.

Resource Video:

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Update 3: "The Day the World Came to Town" - Ella Mason

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Update 3: "The Day the World Came to Town" - Ella Mason

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Book Title: The Day the World Came to Town
Author: Jim Defede
Pages read: 244/244

Essential Questions:
- What impact does it have on people when people are kind and show affection during a tough situation?
- How did the Newfies in Gander impact the people who had to stop there during 9/11?
- Does courageous acts of people outshine evil deeds?
- What factors shape the way people treat each other in certain environments, and what impact does it have on the people?

Theme/purpose:
The citizens of Gander Newfoundland also referred to as the "newfies" cared for people all over the world during the attacks of 9/11. The Newfies were extremely kind, helpful, and giving to the people around them who had to land in Gander. The purpose was to show the theme of a community that demonstrates love and goodwill.

Structure:
Stories from hundreds of different people in Gander Newfoundland during 9/11, and they explain their story to Jim Defede the author. He narrates it into the book, and connects all of their stories.

Questions?
- How long were the passengers in Gander for?
Up to six days until the airports reopened.
- How many passengers landed in Gander?
More than 6500 passengers
- How big is Gander?
Gander in 2001 had a population of around 10,000 people, and is a very small town in Canada.

Quotations:
"'Because if I had done this in Brooklyn, I wold have had my throat cut,' he said. Lenny wasn't just referring to the unlocked front door. He was also talking about the way Rose and Doug Sheppard had invited him and his wife, Maria-two complete strangers-into their home"(Defede 140). She let two strangers stay in her house, and did not even lock the door. This contrasted to a place like Brooklyn because Gander is so safe, but in Brooklyn it is more dangerous.

"the volunteers at the Lions Club formed a line leading to the door. It was like a receiving line at a wedding. As they made their way down the row, hugging and thanking each person, both Roxanne and Beth were surprised by how emotional it was. They had known these people for less than thirty-six hours, but they were already family"(Defede 177-178). This shows that the volunteers were so kind and friendly that during such a hard time the passengers felt loved. They already felt like they had a bond, and it felt like a family.

"The Newfoundlanders had provided a caring haven for hundreds of people at a moment when they were scared and far from home. They were made to feel safe and secure when the world around them seemed anything but"(Defede 221). Eithne Smith was a teacher in Gander, and she volunteered at the school. Smith recieved a message from one of the passengers, Werner Kolb, and he wrote a note to the people at the school. The note was thanking them for what they did, and Smith was filled with emotion. She started to cry, and Rabbi Sudak another passengers told her the generosity she gave meant the world.

"They considered those animals to be their guests, no different from the human passengers"(Defede 230). The people in Gander even cared for the animals on board, and was always willing to help. '

"Flynn's voice brought back all the good memories Vitale had about the people in Newfoundland. Their kindness, their strength, their support"(Defede 236). Flynn and Vitale became friends and he was the mayor of Appleton, Newfoundland where Vitale stayed. Vitale was struggling and depressed because of 9/11, and when he heard his friends voice it gave him peace.

Thesis Statement: Human behavior is driven by acts of kindness, and people can rely on others giving to get them through difficult situations.

Research:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/on-sept-11-a-tiny-canadian-town-opened-its-runways-and-heart-to-7000-stranded-travelers/2016/09/08/89d875da-75e5-11e6-8149-b8d05321db62_story.html
How the pople of Gander affected the passengers.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_Ey5ph4wW8
This video shows the Newfies in Gander, and what happened and how they reacted during the time of 9/11.

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Update 3: A Stolen Life - Leila Mukdissi

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Update 3: A Stolen Life - Leila Mukdissi

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Book Title: A Stolen Life
Author: Jaycee Dugard
Pages Read: 273/273

Thesis Statement:
By using the pain that comes from the loss of family members, Phillip Garrido manipulates Jaycee into thinking he is her new family in order to keep her from running away.

Summary:
In June 1991, Jaycee Dugard was eleven years old when she walked to the bus stop alone. A man named Phillip Garrido kidnapped her by using a stun gun, then trapped her in a room with an iron door until he was sure that Jaycee would not run away. He attempted to gain her trust by manipulating her, making Jaycee believe that he loved her and that the outside world is dangerous. When she had her two children, she was sure that if they ran away, Jaycee would not be able to protect them. In the end, Phillip Garrido confessed to his crimes and Jaycee was able to see her mother again.

This video on Oprah Winfrey's page introduces two police officers who helped find Jaycee, and she would not have been found if not for them. This article was the source I used in my second update.
Other used sources:
Interview on 20/20

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Bomb- Will LaRose
Book Title: Bomb
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages Read: 225/225

Thesis Statement
Even though authorities might have rules that are not to be broken, love and desires will always prevail and break these rules. This is shown in Bomb, when scientists creating and researching the Atomic bomb in the United States share information with the Soviets.

Summary

In the year of 1938 German scientists discovered the process of nuclear fission and the splitting of the atom. At this time Nazi germany was a rising country and was taking over surrounding countries, many scientists were worried that the Nazi’s would use this technology to create a bomb to take over Europe. Concerned Albert Einstein sent a letter to Franklin D Roosevelt about the use of atomic weapons and how the Nazi’s may create their own atomic bomb, this worried Roosevelt and led to the creation of the Manhattan project.  The Manhattan project headed by Robert Opplimheimer and Leslie Groves, was the secret development of the first nuclear weapons. Most of the project was conducted in los Alamos New Mexico in a laboratory. At this time the soviets were also very interested in the making of an atomic bomb, the soviets couldn't get their feet off the ground in the project and relied on spies in the US to get valuable information to make the bomb. At first, the Soviets had little to no success with their spies, but they finally got inside information when Klaus Fuchs and scientists that worked in the Manhattan project agreed to help out the soviets. The Americans conducted a test on the atomic bomb on july 16, 1945, which proved that they really had an atomic bomb. On August 6th 1945 the first atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima Japan, the Americans were forced to drop the bomb because Japan wouldn't surrender. After the first bomb the Japanese didn't surrender which forced the Americans to drop another bomb on Nagasaki 3 days after  the bombing of Hiroshima, which concluded the War in Japan and end World War 2 all together.

Video Sources
Sci show link

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4IqKdf6In_k
Past to future  link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r4RBdi72g60

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Book Title: Just Mercy

Author: Bryan Stevenson

Pages Read: 262/262

The essential questions have mostly been answered throughout the book. There are many details that the book includes about how the criminal justice system is far from perfect and how it needs to be improved. Furthermore, it also shows how it is possible to prove your innocence even after you have been confined to a sentence and supposedly guilty. If you have lawyers and people who believe you and you trust them, then they will do everything in their power to make things right and prove your innocence.

Once again, the major theme in Just Mercy is seeking justice for people who deserve it and may not have gotten a fair trial. The lawyer, Bryan, does everything in his power to help those in need and get justice for them so that they can go on and live their life the way it was supposed to be before they were made out to be guilty and a “bad person.”

Now having finished the book, in the last few sections, Bryan Stevenson focuses on Walter’s life after he has been released from death row and prison and how he managed to live his life after that extreme hardship. He also alludes to other cases that he has helped after Walter’s and how he wants to continue to help fight for justice and improve the criminal justice system along with the lives of other people.

Basically all of my questions have been answered but I still want to know what life is like for Bryan now because I know that he is still working very hard at improving the criminal justice system.

When Bryan hears that life imprisonment without parole sentences for children who didn’t commit homicide crimes is labeled unconstitutional in the U.S Supreme Court, he states how “my staff and I jumped up and down in celebration” (Stevenson 243). Although this is a short sentence, it has a lot of meaning behind it because when he says that the staff and him got that excited about what the Supreme Court announced, it shows how he really cares about his job and wants to put his best foot forward for the people who didn’t get too lucky with their trial.

Thesis: Human behavior is showcased in Just Mercy by enabling how one person can truly make a difference in the criminal justice system and can bring hope to those who they surround.

Through my research, I have learned how companies are doing their best to learn about the problematic criminal justice system and looking for new ways it can be improved for people to receive true justice, and not just because their guilt has already been determined by their past actions, their ethnicity, or the color of their skin. Luminate is teaming up with campaigns that will open people’s hearts and minds as to how the criminal justice system can be transformed into something incredible. Stories can really sit with someone and make them think about how they want to change and improve the problems going on around them.

A question I have from my research is what other companies or organizations do they plan to team up with and has this proved to be helpful in getting others to realize the importance of fixing the criminal justice system?

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Update 3: "Fortune's Children" -Kat Schroder

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Update 3: "Fortune's Children" -Kat Schroder

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Book Title: Fortune's Children: Fall of the House of Vanderbilt
Author : Arthur T. Vanderbilt II
Pages Read: 417/417

Essential Questions:
1. How does a person/family amass a substantial wealth?
2. Once the wealth is established, what problems can arise?
3. What positives can come from wealth?

Thesis Statement: The accumulation of wealth and the way certain individuals use their wealth can lead to controlling their children, building expensive mansions/homes, and spending their wealth can lead to bad behavior.

Summary: The Vanderbilt's were at one point the richest family in America but slowly lost their fortune. After the death of the Commodore they never made it back on the list of the Forbes Four Hundred. Throughout the entire book it goes through the most important people in the Vanderbilt family. Each tells about the importance of each member and their impact on the fortune. The beginning of the fortune began with the Commodore who was the sole earner of the $100 million fortune. After his death the money got passed down for many generations. However, over those many years the wealth slowly diminished, leaving the once richest family in america, to a family with no money to their name.

Video source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TrLZ4eS68LY

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Update 2 : "Midnight in Chernobyl" -Olivia Williams 

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Update 2 : "Midnight in Chernobyl" -Olivia Williams 

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Book Title: Midnight in Chernobyl

Author: Adam Higginbotham

Pages Read: 106/380

Essential Questions:
- How do nuclear disasters and the looming threat of nuclear disasters effect the way humans behave?

-How do people cover up mistakes to keep their reputation intact?

- What happens when humans try to interfere with the natural world?

- When/how does the drive for power and drive to be the best take away from morals/ethics?

I can partially answer some questions. The looming threat of nuclear disasters makes people act less rational and more nervous. When humans try and interfere with the natural wold, it often backfires, as see when the power plant caused a massive explosion. The drive for power getting it the way of ethics is illustrated because it highlight how the USSR took less precautions and more short cut to achieve an upper hand above their competitors, and it ultimately backfired.

I think a major theme in this book, as mentioned before is how competition, and strive for power can cloud one's true morals. The author has illuminated this theme by showing how the USSR responded to  the nuclear disaster, and the safety measures not taken prior to the disaster. For example Higginbotham addresses how "At their first planed maintenance shutdown, the Chernobyl operators found that the serpentine plumbing of the reactor was riddled with faults" (Higginbotham 68).

The author structures the work as mentioned previously, but also includes some quotes and more specific context.

Thesis: Human nature's ultimate greed for power is a result of self interest and preservation-- this intoxicating drive sparks competition, blinding many from their true moral values.

Research source: http://large.stanford.edu/courses/2017/ph241/rosales-chavez1/
This article from Stanford University brings to light the USSR's hesitance to admit to the disaster in hopes of preserving their reputation-- especially with the tensions of the Cold War.

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Update 2: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Update 2: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Book Title: You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery

Author: Jen Petro-Roy

Pages Read: 177/252

Essential Questions: What drives humans to have such negative outlooks on their appearances? How does society encourage eating disorders and negative body image? What can be changed in society to increase body confidence?

My answers to these questions still stand; the chunk I read for this status update focused a lot on the psychological developments a person undergoes before engaging in eating disorder behavior. Petro-Roy emphasizes the idea that eating disorders are a method of control, which is helpful to those struggling with anxiety or other conditions in which they do not feel in control. She also brings up this character of “Ed,” the name many give to their eating disorder to help cope with and recover from it. Petro-Roy detailed her struggles with this “Ed,” noting how she had to ignore “his” calls for her to engage in disordered eating. She also focuses on the unfathomable statistics surrounding eating disorders, citing specifically that “studies show” that “anorexia nervosa [an eating disorder]...increases the risk of death by nearly six times,” which is the “highest mortality risk of any mental illness” (Petro-Roy 141). This statistic is difficult to hear, both in terms of its melancholy and the concept that the illness has the highest risk for mortality. Petro-Roy also addresses the stereotypes for those struggling with an eating disorder; when one thinks of an eating disorder, the most common association is a thin teenage white girl. However, Petro-Roy discusses the idea that eating disorders do not discriminate and can affect anyone, regardless of their size, age, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, and more. Petro-Roy backs up her idea with a statistic from Harvard Medical School: “In 2007, a study...found that men made up about 25 percent of the study participants with anorexia or bulimia…” (Petro-Roy 161). The fact that males made up ¼ of the study undermines the belief that only females are affected by eating disorders. Though true that some groups (e.g. queer people, non-binary people, people of color, etc.) are unfairly treated and bullied (which leads to eating disorder behavior), the numbers do not lie; everyone can be affected by an eating disorder.

The idea that eating disorders are “inclusive” is a large theme in the book, and Petro-Roy’s purpose still remains; she uses this theme to validate her readers and assure them that their struggles are valid, no matter who they are or how far their eating disorder has progressed. Petro-Roy is extremely successful with this effort, and includes perspectives from several different people to furthermore help her readers have their voices heard.

The book’s structure is the same as it was before; Petro-Roy offers accounts from different perspectives, statistics, her own experiences, and mindful exercises in each chapter to keep her readers engaged and feeling content with the material they are reading. I enjoy the informal tone of the book; it genuinely feels like I am having a conversation with Petro-Roy, and she manages to keep the tone lighthearted even when discussing the heavy topic of eating disorders.

A couple of questions I have thus far include:

How does diet culture and the diet business have so much money behind it?

What is the youngest age eating disorder behavior can be recognized in someone? The oldest?

My current thesis is:

Society’s unattainable standards of beauty and perfection encourage disordered eating behavior: harmful social media posts, fake promises from diets, and the general taboo with the topic make for negative body image which can spiral into eating disorders.

The research I’ve conducted supports the first part of my thesis; Francis Dalomba of Lifespan.org offers an insightful take on the dangers of social media to our mental health. Specifically, Dalomba mentions, “...[M]ost college girls who use Facebook at least five times a day are likely to link their self-worth to their looks” (Dalomba, “Social Media: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly”). This saddening revelation has unfortunately been normalized in our society; many people Photoshop and touch up their pictures before posting them on social media to avoid any potential criticism.

A couple of questions I encountered while researching include:

What is the most harmful social media platform?

What can be done to limit the effects of harmful social media posts? Will that run into an issue of censorship of media?

My final reflections are that the topic of eating disorders is vast and complex with several ties to other topics. Though it is a scary topic to talk about, it is important we engage in these conversations to encourage others to come forward with their stories. The more we learn about these issues, the better equipped we are to handle them should we encounter them in our lives or the lives of our loved ones.

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Update 2: Born a Crime - Sophia Bertrand

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Update 2: Born a Crime - Sophia Bertrand

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Book: Born A Crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Pages Read: 218/288

Essential questions:

What role does family play in someone’s upbringing/identity?
How does division and oppression affect targeted individuals, especially young children?
When violent systems thrive by forcing those who are oppressed to reject their culture, how does one define themself?

A major theme of the book is Noah’s question of his own identity. He tells stories of his childhood, how he moved frequently to different towns, met people of different races, and constantly had to choose whether he was white or black. Even after apartheid, race was still the dominant basis for identity in South Africa; he often felt forced to “pick a side” and choose part of his identity at the expense of the rest. The author effectively portrays this theme of identity by telling a multitude of stories throughout his entire life, starting from when he was born to an adult. In his school years, he manages to find a sense of belonging in the world without clinging to any particular group.

The work is still structured the same, with every chapter telling a different story and sending a different message: whether it is about love, regret, identity, etc., Noah skips through different parts of his life that taught him a lesson.

A question I have about the story is how frequently Trevor Noah visited his dad. When Noah’s mom made him track his dad down, they met and had a great time, and then Noah doesn’t really mention his dad again. I wonder if he still visits his dad often.

A quote that supports my essential question “how does division and oppression affect individuals,” stresses how young children were taught to hate each other due to apartheid. After Trevor gets bullied by other kids, he tells his abusive alcoholic stepdad to beat a literal child up. It’s only then Trevor realizes that this kid “was a colored boy in South Africa, taught how to hate me and how to hate himself” (Noah 125). This quote in particular really reveals how both Trevor and the bully were affected by apartheid: apartheid was built to put races against each other, and it worked. They were both taught to hate one another, which is how racism and oppression continued.

Another quote that supports my essential question “what role does family play in someone’s identity,” takes place after Trevor meets his white father for the first time in years. He claims that seeing him had “reaffirmed his choosing of me...I was wanted. Being chosen is the greatest gift you can give to another human being” (Noah 110). The support and encouragement that you receive from family does help someone’s identity, because Trevor had spent so long with only one half of his family he never got to see the other half: his dad’s side.

Thesis statement: Words from one’s family -- whether it’s encouragement, assurance, or criticism -- all play a role in shaping one’s identity during childhood, giving them morals and values to follow into adulthood.

Thesis statement 2: By refusing to confine oneself to one specific group, one can define them self positively, by opening up to various people, languages, and experiences.

Research I found that strengthens my argument came from https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/dreaming-freud/201411/how-much-does-the-language-we-speak-shape-our-identity , where author Sheila Kohler describes her experience learning other languages, claiming that language does help one connect with others, and allowed her to find a sense of belonging and identity after moving away from her hometown.

Another source, https://www.grin.com/document/465275 , shows how language constructs identities

Both sources portray how language is a huge source of identity, allowing one to connect with people of different races, cultures, religions, and more. In the book, Trevor Noah and his mother use language to connect with others and weave their way through life easily.

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The Boys Who Challenged Hitler  by Phillip Hoose

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The Boys Who Challenged Hitler  by Phillip Hoose

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Progress: 100/175

Questions: How are dictators able to keep control?
To what extent do parents influence kids?

Theme: The kids had to plan to make sure the parents and the nazis wouldn't find out, which shows preparation and determination.

The structure of the book is the author giving context for Knud's journal entries, diagrams, and pictures.

After pulling off the rail yard action, "we glanced around anxiously wherever we went" (89). This explains how their motivation of not being caught, makes them extra cautious which means they have to have a prepared plan to stay undetected.

Thesis: Motivation and preparation is what drives human behavior, and allows humans to succeed in their actions.

According to "Very Well Mind", achieving a goal "requires the ability to persist through obstacles and endurance to keep going in spite of difficulties." This shows how motivation is what allows humans to overcome challenges that are in the way of the goal.

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Update 2: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Update 2: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Book Title: "The Reagan Diaries"

Author: Ronald Reagan

Pages Read: 594/694

Essential Questions:

-What drove President Reagan’s behavior during his time in office?
-How does a person act when an entire nation is relying on them?

-How did Ronald Reagan use his charm and charisma to further his agenda and work to protect America from Russian or other Foreign Interests?

President Reagan was driven by a need to protect his citizens above all else. It's also extremely clear that his relationship with Nancy, widely considered the best White House, influenced him extremely. While the president doesn't often get emotional in his diary, when writing about Nancy and their children Ron and Patti he exudes great love and passion. "Ron and Doria had surprised me by showing in K.C. for the debate. I was quite touched." The quote helps to reveal the person inside Ronald Reagan. It shows how his children and family are what truly make him happy. That even with all the acting and political accomplishments nothing will hold precedence  to his family.

I believe the theme of a politician's mask and that they are different people privately is developed thoroughly throughout the book. He talks about how he cherishes each visit from his children and how their accomplishments hold more value to him than his own.

The Structure of this book is the same as before; it's that of a diary, with an entry each day of his presidency. Some days however, are briefly recapped if editor Douglas Brinkley decided that it wasn't essential to learn about the former president.

Thesis Statement: The Current tumultuous climate of the political system is somewhat derived from the Character that many politicians seem to be play; the media furthers this turbulent divide with fake, biased, or misleading articles which leads to politicians who put on a mask to rally supporters.

Source: Britannica.com
The research I conducted supported my thesis, as it describes how Ronald Reagan was fired after his speeches became too controversial. This could have led to him being a more private person who kept some of his true beliefs extremely private.

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Update 2: "Long Way Gone"- Catie McGowan

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Update 2: "Long Way Gone"- Catie McGowan

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Book title: Long Way Gone
Author: Ishmael Beah
Amount read: 103/218

Essential Questions:
How do traumatic events as a child effect them as they get older? How can experiences differ based on age? What are things that have the power to help you through bad situations?

A major theme in the book is a loss of innocence. The idea that your childhood can be taken away from you in such a cruel way and force you to be able to handle and survive serious issues you may not even understand. The main character is forced to endure war at a very young age and be trapped i the middle of it. He gets separated from his family and does not know how they are or if they are even still alive.  Another major theme is how your past experiences shape your life. How going through something this difficult will effect you not just now but also later on in life, and who you turn out to be and how much of it was because of these experiences.

Ishmael Beah structures his work in 21 chapters and 218 pages. The reader is being taken through the authors flashbacks to when he was a child. The events all happen in chronological order. He includes a map and flash forward in the beginning and then ends with a chronology.

Current thesis statement: A child's innocence being taken away too soon creates long lasting trauma and memories that shape them into who they are and change them forever.

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Update 1: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" -Evan Peterson

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Update 1: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" -Evan Peterson

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Book Title: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Author: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Amount read: 40/184

Essential Questions:
1. What is humanities place in the universe?
2. How can humanity learn from the universe?

My First essential question hasn't fully been answered yet but from what is conveyed at first it is to understand and discover the universe as a whole and the second Essential question can be answered by many things learned from the universe can be applied into real life. For example Neil DeGrasse Tyson explains a concept that the laws of physics is the same everywhere and uses a point from his life that has helped him, and it also helps better explain his concept so people can start visualizing the information he gives rather than just blandly learning the information, then likely not understanding it and forget the concept later.

What theme is the theme Neil DeGrasse Tyson is trying to convey in his book? I know he is trying to inform many people about hard topics to understand about Astrophysics, but he doesn't really have an over arching goal yet in his story telling, rather just information that is presented in a why for people to easily understand.

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Book Title: Shoe Dog

Author: Phil Knight

Pages Read: 180/273

Essential Questions:

What does it take for an individual to be successful?

How can success be defined?

What sacrifices are necessary when trying to achieve your goals?

Thesis: In order to be successful, an individual needs to fully commit to their passion, love what they do and surround themselves with others who believe in them.

The purpose of the book is to explain the process of creating a successful business and the struggles that come with it. He also tries to inspire others to follow their dreams and do what they want with their life. He is successful in spreading this message through his inspiring personal experiences and the advice he gives to the reader about achieving your goals.

Knight continues to structure his writing by chapters based on each year. This allows the reader to see the progress he makes in creating his business clearly because we see it on a year to year basis. It clearly outlines the improvement of his brand and slowly shows how it keeps getting bigger and better.

One question I have is how did he expand Nike from a somewhat successful local brand into a global powerhouse? Currently in the book he has been progressing significantly in expanding his brand and gaining more revenue, but I wonder how he was able to get it to the level it is at today.

Quotes: “I wanted what everyone wants. To be me, full time” (Knight 150). Knight’s goal of being himself and doing what he wanted with his life helped him to be successful. If he hadn’t been focused on something that he loved, he would never been able to achieve these great things.

Research source: An article written by Columbia College of Calgary details what one needs to do to be successful. The steps they recommend taking are needing goals, plans, discipline and the skills necessary. These are the same steps that were showcased by Knight during his creation of Nike, and this is how he was successful in the creation of his brand. https://www.columbia.ab.ca/what-does-it-take-to-be-successful/#:~:text=Success%20is%2C%20quite%20simply%2C%20the,as%20meeting%20a%20monthly%20deadline.

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Possible Essential questions: What gives Jeff the strength to keep pushing?
A: Jeff's family and friends hold a large impact on Jeff's mental state after his legs get amputated, and he realizes he is never going to be able to have his legs back. He remains hopeful for a good life, as he has a supportive girlfriend Erin alongside him, to keep pushing him through his harsh reality at the moment.

The main theme of the book is hope and perseverance make for a more happy and successful life. Jeff Bauman takes the reader through his emotional states during the harsh times of his leg amputation,  and he seems to thrive during times of hope.  While during times of sorrow, he does not seem to be making any positive changes to his current situation, which is a normal thing but it shows how with a positive mindset you can literally conquer any of your goals/hopes.
Bauman structures his work as if we the readers are in his presence, watching him and his current situation. The way Bauman describes his experience during the bombings, is very in depth and heartbreaking to the point it feels as though we know him personally.

Current thesis statement: When an unexpected catastrophe occurs, it is common nature for a human to become dismissive of positive change, but Jess Bauman proves this wrong as he takes one through his journey after a life changing experience.

The research I have gathered from this article fully supports Jeff Bauman, and how he is willing to push through the main obstacle in his life, his missing legs.

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Pushing Through The Tough Times And Difficult Obstacles

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Pushing through the difficult times, and the tough periods is something we all have to do. Whether it be personal, business, mental, or emotional, there are lots of variables, unknowns, and circumstances we all must handle and deal with. One of the hardest things to do is to push through the tough times and come out on the other side.

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Update 2: "Killers of the Flower Moon" Bohan Yang

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Update 2: "Killers of the Flower Moon" Bohan Yang

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Book Title: Killers of the Flower Moon
Author: David Grann
Pages Read: 87

Essential Questions: How does the growth of the FBI show growth in society

Does race play a role in how crimes are taken?

One major theme has been Race. Nobody cares to look deeper into the crimes because it was committed on a native American, and they also will not listen to some of the witnesses because they are native American.

One question I have is why is there so much prejudice against Native Americans. I think it is because of the fortune that they have. Coupled on with their race. They were already pushed out from their own lands, and they got lucky with oil. Others feel like they deserve that and that leads to these murders.

"The accounts rarely, if ever, mentioned that numerous Osage had skillfully invested their money or that some of the spending by the Osage might have reflected ancestral customs that linked grand displays of generosity with tribal stature." (77).

Thesis: When one group, normally looked down upon, comes across successes in one form or another. The first group is likely to try and prevent their successes based on their own prejudices

Resources: https://www.npr.org/2018/04/06/600136534/largely-forgotten-osage-murders-reveal-a-conspiracy-against-wealthy-native-ameri
This resource helps to emphasize the fact that this was a crime based on race. They hated that the Natives had money and were considered lower than them

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Book title: Bomb
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages read: 150

Essential question:
How did the bomb directly influence the war?  - The bomb directly influenced the war, due to the danger it presented to opposing countries. This threat created a race to make the atomic bomb, especially in countries such as the U.S, USSR(Russia) and Germany. Russia tried to steal America's plans to make the Atomic bomb. These two countries having atomic bombs lead to conflict and the cold war. Although when the Americans were making the bomb, the war was coming to an end, they knew that if the Germans created the atomic bomb first they could change the tides of the war, so this motivated the Americans even more.

Theme/purpose
Sheinkin writes the book to inform and let people know about this historical event. Furthermore, the book is almost used to show how dangerous the weapon is and how dangerous it could be today. He develops the ins and outs of the making of the bomb by having side stories which further the plot. Sheinkin effectively achieves his purpose by showing how this weapon could and did wipe out entire cities.

Structure
First Sheinkin introduces the characters and their backgrounds. Then Sheinkin varies his work by telling different stories, through different chapters. Although Sheinkin does this, the stories all work in unison to develop the book. Sheinkin uses direct quotes from these side stories which are used to develop characters.

Questions
Why do some of the scientists feel obligated to give information about the bomb to the Soviets? Some of them are communists and they love Russia and do anything for Russia. In addition they think that if the U.S is the only country with an A bomb the U.S could take over all other countries due to this immense power the A bomb has.

Thesis
Even though authorities might have rules that are not to be broken, love and desires will always prevail and break these rules. This is shown in Bomb, when scientists creating and researching the Atomic bomb in the United States share information with the Soviets.

Website:
https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/us-history/rise-to-world-power/us-wwii/a/the-manhattan-project-and-the-atomic-bomb

Reasearch
This article, highlights the Manhattan project and if the bombing were necessary. The Manhattan project was a secret US government project during WW2, to produce the Atomic bomb. By 1942 the project was underway. Thousands of scientists secretly worked on the project and they were all led by Robert Oppenheimer. One of the most famous secret laboratories they had was Los Alamos. In 1945 they tested the bomb, which shattered windows in houses that were 50 miles away. Secondly, the article discusses if this whole project was necessary. Truman the president at the time proclaimed that  “the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki would shorten the war and thereby save the lives of tens or hundreds of thousands of American soldiers as well as untold numbers of Japanese soldiers and citizens” But others argue that their was racism involved in dropping the bombs and that the Americans shouldn't have dropped the bombs.

Research Questions
Would the Americans have dropped the bombs on the Europeans?
How did the Americans keep the Manhattan project secret?

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Update 2: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana 

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Update 2: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana 

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Book Title: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank (it was translated by B.M. Mooyaart and introduction by Eleanor)
Amount read: 120/208

Essential question: When people are led by an oppressive and abusive dictator do they rebel against the masses to protect those they are closely connected with or follow by fear?

One of the most prevalent themes thus fair in the diary, is the loneliness and isolation of adolescence. Mostly likely Anne did not purposefully create this theme, like previously stated, she was just communicated and expressing her feelings and life onto paper. However her emotions directly correspond with the theme of isolation, her being kept away in the secret annex, and loneliness, Anne being with very few other people especially teens her age to bond with.

There is no real structure within the diary, besides the fact that it is written in a diary format with dates, someone it is addressed to, personal feelings, and a goodbye statement. It should be noted that her entrees are often sporadic, some being every day, every week, every few months, etc. This does make it quite challenging sometimes for the reader to follow along with what is going on in her life due to such big time gaps that leave the reader guessing. But again, she is a teenage girl writing in a time of desperate need for some release, she had no knowledge that this diary of hers would ever been shown to anyone, let alone made into a novel for billions to read.

Thesis statement: When a society is governed by abusive and oppressive dictators, it is human nature to both: follow in fear and to rebel against the masses to protect those one cares for.

Research:

articles: 1.https://www.cnbc.com/2020/03/20/how-fear-influences-your-behavior-and-how-to-cope.html
2.https://hms.harvard.edu/magazine/science-emotion/chill-fear

reflecting: I learned that fear in a basic human instinct, by nature we have this physical and mental feelings which can influence the decisions that we make to best keep us safe. Fear is also contagious, meaning that things around us can affect how we see the world and what we chose to do. We learn something or someone had a negative experiences with something and then we begin to fear it ourselves. Fear spreads like wildfire, this was also heavily shown in Lord of The Flies!!!! :) I don't really have many questions because this all seems very accurate to my own experiences, the human body is a very complex system that has a intricately woven nervous system that generates fear within us, just like other emotions and feelings.

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Update 2: "The Day the World Came to Town" - Ella Mason

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Update 2: "The Day the World Came to Town" - Ella Mason

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Book title: The Day The World Came to Town
Author: Jim Defede
Pages read: 135/244

Essential question:
During tough situations how can people go beyond the situation and do something better?
In hard situations there is always things to help you succeed and to get through a hard time. With help of others and kindness, it shows other people how to get through the hard time.
What impact does it have on people when people are kind and show affection during a bad situation?
When people are kind especially during a hard time, it can really impact people. Going out of your day to be nice can change someone's day, and people really appreciate it. It shows human decency, and that certain problems might not be as important.

Purpose/Theme:
The author wanted to show how giving and helpful the people of Gander were. The theme of kindness and helping out is portrayed through the people of Gander helping the people on planes in 9/11.

The author structures this book by showing a large number of people's lives and stories involved in the crisis. For example, he interviews the people who were in Gander from the planes in 9/11, and uses their life and stories from those days in the book.

Will they run out of supplies?
The people of Gander, stores, and the community is giving free food, toiletries, medication, clothes, etc. to the people. However, the people who live i n Gander are giving their personal items to help. Also, Gander is making shipments for certain things that people need for the few days they are there.

Quotes: "Roxanne and Clark had both grown up in small towns, but this went well beyond small-town hospitality. These were the nicest people in the world"(Defede 85). This shows how the passengers noticed and acknowledged how the community was willing to be kind and help the people.

"A Newfoundlander all his life, he was proud of the way his community would pull together and help one another-or for that matter, a complete stranger. It was a spirit he wanted his three daughters to know and understand, and it was the reason he would never leave"(Defede 96). He is proud that his community was helping out, especially during this time.

"Treasurer of the ladies' auxiliary for the Royal Canadian Legion in Gander, Cooper had been at the hall almost nonstop since September 11. She had three of the passengers staying in her home and had let about a dozen others come over to use her shower"(Defede 99). She let them stay at her house and strangers use her shower to make them feel welcome.

Thesis statement: Human Behavior is driven by acts of kindness, and when something bad has happened, human's have the ability to help each other out.
Questions: How long were they in Gander for?
Language barriers?

Research part:
The people in Gander said they'd do it again with helping people, and kindness is in their force of nature. People in Gander don't always lock their doors to their homes or cars, they say hello to everyone, and everyone knows their neighbors. Gander shut down for the passengers, and welcomed crew and passengers from around 100 different countries. The people of Gander believe that kindness is the best way to act on things, and believe everyone else could do that too if they were put in that situation.
website: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2017/09/08/gander-newfoundland-september-11-terror-attacks-kindess-come-from-away/631329001/

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Update 1: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Update 1: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Book Title: "The Reagan Diaries"

Author: Ronald Reagan

Pages Read: 74/694

Essential Questions:

What drove President Reagan’s behavior during his time in office?

How did Ronald Reagan use his charm and charisma to further his agenda and work to protect America from Russian or other Foreign Interests?

It’s clear to see that Mr. Reagan was under extreme stress and duress during his time as president. The United States was widely considered the greatest country in the world at this time, so naturally he was under extreme pressure. He talks about being uncomfortable with certain countries' culture, especially when it comes to leaders coming while married to children. It also goes in depth into his negotiations and relations with Russia. He liked to play hardball with the Russians and not give them anything unless it explicitly benefited America.

The purpose of this book is to try to show a side of Reagan no one sees as he was a famous Hollywood actor gone politician so in many ways few knew the real Ronald Reagan. While the book doesn’t reveal a lot about the hidden personal side of Reagan, however, it does reveal a lot about his loving marriage with Nancy and his negotiation tactics and policies.

The Structure of this book is that of a diary, it has an entry each day of his presidency as he's the only Modern American President to keep a daily diary/journal. Some days however, are briefly recapped if editor Douglas Brinkley decided that it wasn't essential to learn about the former president.

Quote: "Getting shot hurts. Still my fear was growing because no matter how hard I tried to breath it seemed I was getting less & less air. I focused on that tiled ceiling and prayed. But I realized I couldn't ask for Gods help while at the same time I felt hatred for the mixed up young man who had shot me. Isn't that the meaning of the lost sheep? We are all Gods children & therefore equally beloved by him. I began to pray for his soul and that he would find his way back to the fold" (Reagan 12).

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Update 2: "Fortune's Children"- Kat Schroder

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Update 2: "Fortune's Children"- Kat Schroder

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Book Title: Fortune's Children: the fall of the House of Vanderbilt
Author: Arthur T. Vanderbilt II
Pages Read: 175/417

Essential Questions:
1. How does a person/family amass a substantial wealth?
2. Once the wealth is established, what problems can arise?
3. What positives can come from wealth?

Thesis Statement: The accumulation of wealth and the way certain individuals use their wealth can lead to controlling their children, building expensive mansions/homes, and spending their wealth wisely can lead to bad behavior.

He structures his work where each section is a new person and are longer than traditional chapters. Within each person there are numbers that begin a new phase of their life, it isn't necessarily a new chapter it is just a break in the section.

A new theme that has come up where money doesn't always lead to happiness. I have gotten to the point of learning about Alva and her daughter Consuelo. Alva married a Vanderbilt and all of a sudden came to all this wealth, she begged her husband to build her many homes and throw her extravagant parties. However it seems at this point her life  has seem to collapsed, she divorced her husband and her daughter fought back in not wanting to marry the man that she chose for her. Alva gets very upset when she doesn't get her way so this was a big no, no for Alva Vanderbilt.

Why does Alva always want to have big and extravagant house built for her?
Why would Alva force her daughter to marry someone?
Why wouldn't Alva ever listen to her daughter's feelings?

"That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. No one is forcing you to marry the duke. 'Generously allowing [Consuelo] the choice of alternatives'" (Vanderbilt 157)
- This helps to answer my essential question because it shows the power that Alva had over her daughter and is one of the negative things she did with her fortune
"All of the staterooms, each of which had a private bath, were paneled in mahogany"(Vanderbilt 142).
- This helps to emphasize what Alva's husband Willie did with the wealth that he had to make the yacht furnished a little dramatically.
Research: https://greatergood.berkeley.edu/article/item/how_money_changes_the_way_you_think_and_feel
Money can have many affects on people including when it comes to empathy and compassion. This article also mentions how wealth can cloud moral judgement, and I see that with the Commodore as well. He is so caught up in his wealth he totally neglects his kids. Another important point that comes up in this article is that money can be addicting, it is more of a compulsive behavior which applies to having a good feeling when receiving money but also when spending money (shopaholism). the article also mentions how lower-income individuals can view the wealthy as "evil' and judge them to be "cold". The last thing that the article mentions is that money can't buy happiness or love and wealth makes hardly any difference.

Do wealthy people view other wealthy people as evil or cold?
How does wealth affect personal relationships (friendships, relationships)?

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Book Title: Just Mercy

Author: Bryan Stevenson

Pages Read: 198/262

There is still evidence how the criminal justice system still needs to be improved, but it is possible to change the minds of people running the system. I have learned how it only takes a few people to believe that someone is innocent to start deeply examining evidence and getting prepared to give them a fair trial.

The major theme in the book is still seeking justice because Bryan was able to focus on Walter’s case and get a court to believe he was innocent through new evidence, which ultimately led to Walter being taken off of death row and being determined to find the real murderer of the woman Rhonda.

The author continues to structure the book as focusing on Walter’s main story about how he was wrongfully convicted of murder and eventually achieves the goal of getting him off of death row and being released from prison.

A question that was answered was that he took on many cases at once because he was determined to get justice for everyone. However, I still have a question about how he would handle a case if it seemed impossible for him to revoke the decision of the sentence someone got.

When Bryan finds out that Walter is getting off of death row and is being released, he states, “I jumped into the car and raced down to death row to tell Walter in person. I watched him take it all in” (Stevenson 190). Bryan’s excitement is visibly shown and how happy he is that Walter is finally getting justice.

Thesis: Human behavior is showcased through Just Mercy by enabling how one person can truly make a difference in the criminal justice system and can bring hope to those who they surround.

From watching the video “Changing the Criminal Justice System on Behalf of Children,” I have learned that a lot of children are facing traumatic experiences by the time they’re five years old, which is extremely young. People need to be told that their life is still worth living and that they shouldn’t be condemned to mourning their life away in prison. We need to allow people to be human despite the tragedy of their past crime, injustice, or how they were treated. People around those who were sentenced need to have comfort. For example, they don’t just want a lawyer, they want a parent figure or a sibling within them, or even just a friend that will stick by you. Maturity hasn’t evolved yet in kids, which is why we wouldn’t let them do things like drink alcohol, but we are allowing them to be sentenced to life in prison.

A few questions from my research that I have are:

1. How might states differ from each other when it comes to the laws about imprisonment for children and why?

2. Will there be a new law about the maximum sentence a child can have and will there be a minimum age of when they can be tried as an adult?

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Update 2: "A Stolen Life" - Leila Mukdissi

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Update 2: "A Stolen Life" - Leila Mukdissi

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Book Title: "a stolen life"
Author: Jaycee Dugard
Pages Read: 159/273

Essential Questions:
1. Why is Nancy always jealous of Jaycee, but has never helped her escape?
2. Once Jaycee's children grow up, will anything change with how cared for they are by Phillip?

My two essential questions from before have been answered. Jaycee has planned to run away but when Phillip took her outside, she mentioned that she was afraid of the real world. She didn't want her children to get hurt or taken away from her, just like what happened between Jaycee and her mother. Furthermore, Phillip has ADD and bipolar disorder, which is part of the reason for how he acts. I still don't know why Nancy helped him in the kidnapping.

There is a theme where Jaycee stops caring for her self and survival, and begins to care for Phillip, Nancy, and her children, A and G. Instead of running away, she was scared that she would not be able to protect her daughters without Phil and Nancy. Instead of yelling at Phillip, she lets him do whatever he wants to her because she was afraid things might escalate. Instead of remaining as the mother of A and G, she lets Nancy take care of them because she didn't want her to get angry. Jaycee Dugard's purpose of this book is to show how she chose to survive and that it is hard to escape depending on where someone is placed. This book is meant for others that might go through the same thing, but also it is meant to prepare people for the worst.

Thesis Statement: No one realizes the pain of having a family member be taken away, until they are forced to experience it, which will lead to pain, worry, and hope.

Jaycee reflects on the first day of taking her children to school: "How all I could think about was how much school would change them and how lonely I would be without them and how the thought of anything happening to them would just kill me" (Dugard 141). This shows how Jaycee began to only think for the safety of her children. One passage of the book showed Jaycee's experience at a carnival, and she was afraid of people noticing her the whole time because she did not know what she would do. She was afraid, yet she wanted it to happen, but no one recognized her.

Some questions that I had were what was the voice in Phillips head? I think it might be from his ADD, since he is always distracted. It is also very ironic to me how Phillip chooses to read the Bible but does all of these bad things. He is trying to be a better person and has not touched Jaycee since she had her children, but Phillip remains manipulative.

This article that I found by the staff of Reuters states that only 0.1% of disappearances have been reported as being abducted by a stranger. Since 2010, fewer than 350 people under the age of 21 have been abducted by strangers in the US. According to a study in 2002, 99.8% of children reported missing were found alive. These facts prove Jaycee's chances of surviving were high. There are not many people that have went through the same experience as Jaycee, but to those that have, Jaycee has shared her experience so that they do not feel alone.

This article has led me to ask the question, how long does it usually take to find an abducted child if so few are taken? If it has taken Jaycee 18 years to be found, what is the average time of being found?

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Book Title: "Hiroshima"
Author: John Hersey
Pages Read: 20/110

Essential questions:
-How do devastating events challenge hope?
-How do devastating events trigger the survival instinct?
-What do encounters of terrible events reveal about human nature?

Most of my questions have been answered, due to how I'm at the part of the book where people are trying to process what has happened and what is going to happen next. People are screaming and crying for help as they are buried under rubble, some not helping and some are. The doctors are overwhelmed with injured people and the amount of dead is drastic, people are losing hope about survival and it is truly sad to see.

One major purpose of the book is to give the devastating event of Hiroshima and put it on human faces: this book is written about the people who lived to tell the story and their testimonies. It is to let people see that the victims were real life people, just like you and me, letting the reader have a sense of empathy as they read the atrocities of the aftermath of the bomb.

Structure: Each chapter is comprised of multiple people's perspectives, written in the third person. The author includes Japanese phrases, such as "itai", which means "it hurts".  It gives the reader a realistic sense, including cultural aspects and context of the setting of the book. It is well thought out, including details of Japanese culture and dialogue.

Questions --  What was the first thing that the people did after the bomb hit?
People went to assist their families, friends, and loved ones after the explosion.  They looked for help from others, all were desperately looking for first aid to help themselves and also others, rushing to hospitals and underneath bridges for safety and shelter.

"He had thought of
his wife and baby, his church, his home, his parishioners, all of them down in that awful murk. Once more he began to run in fear—toward the city" (Hersey 10).
The sole concern of this man after the bombing of Hiroshima is his family. He wonders if his loved ones are safe, far away from the bomb, revealing that encounters of terrible events reveal that human nature is bound by its blood bonds and family ties. This nature of selflessness after a disaster like this conveys how many worry about others compared to themselves, wanting others to be safe and survive rather wanting themselves to die.

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Update 1: "Fortune's Children" - Kat Schroder

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Update 1: "Fortune's Children" - Kat Schroder

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Book Title:  Fortune's Children: the fall of the House of Vanderbilt
Author: Arthur T. Vanderbilt II
Pages Read: 69/417

Essential Questions:
1. How does a person/family amass a substantial wealth?
2. Once the wealth is established, what problems can arise?
3. What positives can come from wealth?

These questions have been answered for example, The Commodore was very smart in how he earned his money. He started off with ships and then went to railroads. He also invested in stocks at the right time and made a profit off of them. Problems with his wealth is that with all of his children they needed money so he would have to give stuff away. He also was very selfish which could have come from his money. After he died in reading from his son William's section it was very hard to figure out what to do with the money. The positives from wealth is that he was able to live a good life and be able to provide for himself.

The purpose of this book is to show how the Vanderbilt family's wealth declined over the years and the problems that arose from the commodores original wealth. Arthur definitely shows this by emphasizing the struggle so far that William has had in dealing with his fathers wealth.

He structures his work where each section is a new person and are longer than traditional chapters. Within each person there are numbers that begin a new phase of their life, it isn't necessarily a new chapter it is just a break in the section.

Why were the railroads so important to invest in?
It was new technology so everyone wanted to ride them and he made such a profit because of how well the railroads were doing.

Quotes: "He began buying up the Harlem at eight dollars a share and, when he head control, began making improvements to the line" (Vanderbilt 30).
"Vanderbilt made several million dollars on the second Harlem corner" (Vanderbilt 32).

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Book Title: "Hiroshima"
Author: John Hersey
Pages Read: 65/110

Essential Questions:
How do devastating events challenge a person's beliefs? How do devastating events trigger the survival instinct? What do encounters of terrible events reveal about human fallibility?

A major theme of the book is survival and cooperation in order to survive. The author as sincerely and effectively shown this, through people coming together after the bombing to help one another and try to get as many people medical attention as possible. It suggests that devastating events bring people together.

The author continuously structures his work by splitting up paragraphs on the same page by point of view-what I mean by this is that there is never one perspective we get to see for a long time. Because this book is structured in a way which includes many people's testimonies, there are multiple paragraphs within the same page that can even be split up into multiple perspectives, which adds on to how there is humanity while Hiroshima happened.

I do not have many questions, but one that I do have is this: why do seemingly only come together when a devastating event has occurred? To answer this question, I believe the author wanted to convey that when a devastating event happens specifically to a country, no person does not experience it. Therefore, people come together based on their shared experiences and beliefs, making cooperation and a sense of unity exist in society.

Quote: "The woman’s gentleness made Father Kleinsorge suddenly want to cry. For weeks, he had been feeling oppressed by the hatred of foreigners that the Japanese seemed increasingly to show, and he had been uneasy even with his Japanese friends. This stranger’s
gesture made him a little hysterical" (Hersey 32). This reveals that although this man was a victim of oppression due to his race, now that the bombing had happened, everybody no longer looked at race but instead looked at how to help people no matter who they were. It suggests a sense of unity culturally and socially due to this devastating event.

Thesis Statement: By encountering a devastating event, human nature is revealed through community survival and cooperation in the face of destruction: if everyone experiences a traumatic event, then there is a sense of unity among the people, no matter who or what they are.

Research part:
Questions - how is it that people come together in the midst of trauma and pain?
Reflection - this research has actually solidified my claims about the themes of the book, and actually answers most of my essential questions about why people come together during devastating events. It expands more ideas on analysis of themes and suggests other answers to questions that I did not even think of: overall this research actually improved my experience of reading this book. It gives faces to the people who experienced the horrifying bombing of Hiroshima, and it is based on their accounts that back up my themes.

https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/bombing-of-hiroshima-and-nagasaki

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Update 2: "I Beat The Odds" - Harrison Curley

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Update 2: "I Beat The Odds" - Harrison Curley

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Book title: I Beat The Odds
Author: Don Yaeger
Pages read 180/250

Essential question: What drives someone out of rock bottom?

My essential question connects to our topic of this year because Michael has dreams of one day becoming a great football player. His drive isn't just becoming good at football or bettering himself however, his family has the biggest push on him. He doesn't just want to take care of himself but also his family. This is what drives someone to become a better version of themselves. "Having a motivation that's not just about you."

The theme in this book is still working hard despite what your situation might be. Michael didn't have the best living situation growing up however, he still managed to work hard towards his dream and preserve and something he loved doing. Not only was he hard working in football but he also worked hard towards creating relationships with friends, family, and coaches.

The author structures this book by focusing on Michael's life from when he was young to when he was a star athlete. He structures the book from a way I've seen a lot of authors do it before which is starting off with a tough story but gradually getting better as the story progresses.

How did Michael become so good if he started playing so late?

Michael began playing football in high school and he wasn't very good at it during the beginning. However, the coach took a chance on him because of mainly his size. His coaches and teammates started to help him learn the game and as he picked it up it was all she wrote. Many of Michael hours were  studying lot of plays, film, and fundamentals of the game and this is why he excel in football. "Studying sports was a subject where I could have been an honors student" (Yaeger 150).

Thesis: Human Behavior is shown in I Beat The Odds by reveling how Michael felt through hard times and times where he felt successful.

An article that I read shows that Michael had a hard time mentality even when he was in the NFL. This shows that growing up in a harsh situation can cause mental stress than cause you to be traumatized. He said that in order to be successful your mind must be powerful. Michael said things like family and therapy helped him growing up and even today when he struggles with past memories. He wasn't ashamed to say how he felt therefore, expressing how he felt helped him overcome being traumatized.

This article leads me to the question...

How did Michael change his mentality in high school? And if so how did this help him overcome being traumatized?

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Update 1: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Update 1: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Book Title: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery"
Pages Read: 96/252

Essential Questions:
What drives humans to have such negative outlooks on their appearances? How does society encourage eating disorders and negative body image? What can be changed in society to increase body confidence?

Petro-Roy has answered a lot of my questions thus far, providing both clear-cut answers and leaving some concepts up to the reader's interpretation. For example, Petro-Roy makes the argument that there is no one "drive" or "cause" for an eating disorder or negative body image. Some people are driven by the criticism of others (i.e. family members, loved ones, even strangers), while others are driven by the criticism they have for themselves. Additionally, eating disorders are a coping mechanism for stress and a manifestation of anxiety in that those suffering from the disorders have control over what they do (and don't) eat. Additionally, Petro-Roy discusses how society encourages eating disorders; specifically, she analyzes the connotations surrounding the words "fat," "obese," and "thin." Petro-Roy believes that the stigma surrounding the word "fat" and the praise surrounding the word "thin" encourage extreme dieting and exercise among those that don't fit the narrow ideal of thinness. Specifically, Petro-Roy states, "...fat is not bad...[f]at is a term for describing bodies, like 'tall' or 'blond' or 'freckled,' and while the term should be neutral, it has become loaded and used as a weapon" (Petro-Roy 35). Petro-Roy also offers solutions to the aforementioned questions by encouraging readers to stop viewing the word "fat" as a negative word, but rather as a descriptor. Petro-Roy also supports the idea of people viewing themselves beyond their bodily confinements and wants people to cherish their senses of humor, their smiles, their kindness, and their love. According to Petro-Roy, "You aren't your body. You are your smiles and your interests and your passions" (Petro-Roy 52).

Petro-Roy's main purpose in writing her book is to help those that are undergoing recovery for eating disorders, having blatantly stated that a good majority of her readers would likely be handed her book while in recovery. However, the book is not limited to those that are recovering from an eating disorder; Petro-Roy's writing and mindful exercises are vague enough to apply to everyone, yet still touch the soul of the reader. While I cannot speak for those that have read the book while in recovery from an eating disorder, I can say confidently that Petro-Roy has done a tremendous job in her purpose; though only 96 pages in, I feel much more connected to myself and have learned a great amount about anxiety, OCD, and other eating disorder-related conditions.

Petro-Roy structures her work in a rather unique manner; she offers paragraphs of her own research and personal experiences (because Petro-Roy suffered and recovered from anorexia herself), and includes mindfulness exercises at the end of each chapter. The chapters are short, and the book overall is easy (and genuinely enjoyable) to read.

A few questions I have about what I have read thus far include:

- What are the best steps one needs to take if relapsing into an eating disorder?

- Are there any telltale signs that someone is becoming too focused on their eating/exercising?

- Why do people feel guilt about going to the hospital when they are sick? Have they invalidated their eating disorders?

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Update-- The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

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Update-- The Boys Who Challenged Hitler by Phillip Hoose

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50/175
possible question--How do adults have control/influence over kids lives? Adults influence kids lives, especially in this book because Hitler is responsible for all of the reactions these kids make. They also said that if the adults didn't do anything they would take matter into their own hands. This shows that adults have influence over kids by what they do, as well as what they don't do. His father also preached anti-Nazi sermons, which most likely inspired him to rebel directly against them by doing things like not speaking german, and vandalizing signs.

Purpose-- Phillip Hoose shows what it was like to live in Denmark during the reign of Hitler, and shows the amount of bravery it takes to go against him, even if its something small.

Structure-- The book starts off with background information including how Hitler was able to take over, and how that made people feel. Paragraphs that are about 6 sentences each, with many pictures such as people mentioned on that page, or planes flying over to show what was happening. This made it easier to imagine because of the pictures, because I was able to see what he actually did.

Questions-- were they the only people/kids resisting? His father held anti-nazi sermons

Quote: "“As Hitler put it, ‘He alone who gains the youth, owns the future.’”

This shows how much influence adults have over kids, because kids are taught to respect adults, which allows adults to take control over young people. Kids are more vulnerable, which make them a bigger target for adults to influence, and the mindset they are taught by this adult will stick with them forever, which allows Hitler in this case to own the future.

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Book Title: Shoe Dog

Author: Phil Knight

Pages Read: 91/273

Essential questions:

What does it take for an individual to be successful?

How can success be defined?

Purpose:

Phil Knight writes this book to detail his experience of following his dream and creating his own shoe business. The book is used to show how to overcome obstacles and not give up on your dreams, especially when life gets hard.

Knight structures the book by each year. Each chapter is about a different year from his life, starting in 1962. At the beginning of the book, Knight explains his childhood and how he became so fascinated by shoes and his desire to not live a normal life. The first few chapters describe his experience travelling all around the world when he was just out of college, and this is where he gained his inspiration to begin Nike, his shoe company.

Questions:

Why did Knight seek out his former track coach to help him start his company? I found it confusing that Knight decided to seek out a 50/50 split with his college track coach when he needed help to kick start his company. He worked extremely hard to get his company started and now he is giving up half of it. I feel that this agreement will come back to hurt him later on and he will be taken advantage of.

“So that morning in 1962 I told myself.
This quote demonstrates the mentality needed to achieve your dreams and become successful.

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Update 1: "A Stolen Life" - Leila Mukdissi

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Update 1: "A Stolen Life" - Leila Mukdissi

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Book Title: "A Stolen Life"
Author: Jaycee Dugard
Amount Read: 94/273

Essential Questions:
1. What drives a person to help in a kidnapping?
2. Why has Jaycee Dugard never planned on running away? Or why has she not shared her thoughts about running away?

There is a theme where Phillip, the kidnapper of Jaycee, would manipulate his way through the bad things that he does. Phillip would try to make jokes and make Jaycee happy whenever she is not being assaulted by him. Phillip is manipulating her so that he could look like a good guy and so she becomes less resistant. Jaycee Dugard's purpose of writing this books is to help others with similar situations, and to not make the mistakes she has, and she does a great job achieving her purpose by explaining what techniques Phillip used to make Jaycee feel guilty for his own doings.

Jaycee writes in very simple word choices, as if you are in the head of a child. She was kidnapped at eleven years old, which makes sense. Whenever Jaycee explains Phillip's actions, she makes him sound like a nice guy as if she is trying to ignore the bad parts of him. Furthermore, you can tell how guilty she feels whenever Phillip assault her and tells her she is crying too much. One of my essential questions is what drives a person to help in a kidnapping? I wrote this because Phillip's wife, Nancy, helped him kidnap Jaycee, knowing what he was planning to do. Earlier on page 60, Jaycee explained how Nancy was a little jealous of her, and Nancy would keep repeating that. It doesn't make any sense why she would help in a kidnapping if Nancy was jealous of the child because they are being raped by her husband. Later, Phillip states that Jaycee is helping him with his problem, meaning he won't hurt anyone else.

One essential question in my introductory post was how did Jaycee Dugard cope with her experience? She coped by sleeping because it allowed here to fantasize. She would also think of the worst possible outcomes of what Phillip would do because she thought it helped make it not happen. One question I currently have is, does Jaycee know Phillip is manipulating her? I think she did know but chose to play along because she didn't want anything to get worse.

On page 57, she writes how she never truly showed how much Phillip was hurting her because she was afraid of things getting worse. Page 55 shows how Phillip manipulated her by saying that he was going to send Jaycee to worse people. She began to beg him not to and that she would try harder and do anything he wanted her to do.

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Update 1: "Killers of the Flower Moon" Bohan Yang

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Update 1: "Killers of the Flower Moon" Bohan Yang

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Book Title: "Killers of the Flower Moon"
Author: David Grann
Amount read: 50

Essential Questions:
1.) How does race change how a crime is brought to justice
2.) How does the growth of the FBI show a growth in the changing society

One major theme is race, and how Native Americans are treated. The first death of one of the sisters is not sought into deeply mostly because she is Native American. Her testimony is also not taken seriously and her husbands is because she is a Native Woman, and her husband is a white man.

The book is structured into 3 main sections, starting with the background of the murders.

"At the inquest, while Mollie seemed eager to answer every question, to make sure that nothing was missed, the justice of the peace and the jurors asked her barely anything"(30)

This helps to illustrate how race plays into how seriously a crime would be taken

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Update : "Midnight in Chernobyl" -Olivia Williams 

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Update : "Midnight in Chernobyl" -Olivia Williams 

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Book Title: Midnight in Chernobyl

Author: Adam Higginbotham

Pages Read: 67/380

Essential Questions:
- How do nuclear disasters and the looming threat of nuclear disasters effect the way humans behave?

-How do people cover up mistakes to keep their reputation intact?

- What happens when humans try to interfere with the natural world?

- When/how does the drive for power and drive to be the best take away from morals/ethics?

Not all of my questions have been completely answered, but a couple have. While introducing the context of the book/atomic plant they mention an accident that happened in great Britain and how the team was "facing an almost impossible deadline to manufacture the tritium needed to detonate a British hydrogen bomb" and how they were "tremendously understaffed" and "working with incompletely understood technology" and ultimately "cut corners on safety" (Higginbotham 41). Due to these dangerous decisions, two thousand tons of graphite caught fire and burned for two days releasing radiation across the United Kingdom and Europe-- effecting many. A full report was ready to print, when the prime minister intervened and recalled it before it was revealed to the public, and created his own version of the story placing blame on the power plant workers, and he government did not acknowledge the accident for 30 years. This highlights how the British twisted the media to cover up their reputation, and went against their morals -- doing the right thing and not cutting comers in regards to safety-- to get themselves ahead, and it resulted in tragedy.

A purpose of this book is to educate people on the power of nuclear energy, to set the context for the rest of the book which focuses on the disaster in Chernobyl. Higginbotham achieves this very well, by dedicating chapters solely to get the reader to understand atomic energy, it powers and effects, and also gives us context into all of the workers and supervisors at the plant, also context of the surrounding town.

The author structures his work in chapters, split up into sections. It read almost like a story, mostly chronologically, and giving us characters and background context. At the beginning he include maps, and names of people mentioned and their occupation/role. At the end he includes a glossary and notes.

Questions:
- How will the Chernobyl disaster compare to the one in Great Britain?

-How USSR government respond to the disaster?

-How will the disaster effect the people in the surrounding area?

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Update 1: "A Long Way Gone"- Catie McGowan

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Update 1: "A Long Way Gone"- Catie McGowan

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Book Title: A Long Way Gone
Author: Ishmael Beah
Amount read: 21/218

Two essential questions:
1. What were some of the challenges he faced emotionally?
2. What were the living conditions like for him?

A major theme in the book so far is about how your past experiences and trauma can affect you. In the book the main character is starting to have nightmares about the war that he was apart of as a child solider. These nightmare are also mixed with issues going on in his life today.

The author structures the book with 21 chapters, a map and a flash forward in the beginning of the book. He also ends the book with a chronology.

Another theme in the book is to always try and find the hope and good in a bad situation. On page 16, Ishmael is talking to his grandmother about what the old man meant by saying, "We must strive to be like the moon". His grandmother tells him that people complain no matter what the weather is and don't ever stop to appreciate that the moon is still shining, even though that is the one thing they don't complain about. This is because happy things happen in the moonlight.

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Introductory Post: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Introductory Post: "The Reagan Diaries" - Caleb Woodworth

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Book Title: The Reagan Diaries
Author: Ronald Reagan with Douglas Brinkley
Amount read: 13/769

I chose this book because I am very fascinated with former President Reagan and his day-to-day life during his time as President of the United States.  I have already been able to better understand the fateful day, March 30th 1981, where he was shot by John Hinckley.

This book and its contents come straight from the hand and mind of arguably the best president in Modern American History. He writes about his marriage with FLOTUS Nancy Reagan and how she helped during the stressful presidency.

Essential Questions:
What drove President Reagan's behavior during his time as president of the United States?
How did Ronald Reagan use his charm and charisma to further his agenda and work to protect America from Russian or other Foreign Interests?

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Update 1: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Update 1: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Book Title: Beautiful Boy
Author: David Sheff
Amount Read: 66/305

Essential Questions:
What drives a person to do drugs?
What drives an addicts human behavior?

Many addicts feel like they are missing something in their life and they think that empty space is meant for drugs. Drugs in the moment can make the person feel complete and make them feel a really good sensation throughout their body. However, once this 'high' is over the person's body wants more and more which is why drugs are so addictive. Once you start taking drugs most times you can't stop and once the person's body builds up a tolerance to that certain drug they go onto more serious and more dangerous drugs. Once a person is an addict, drugs are all they think about. They live for drugs and that 'high' feeling, they will go to any extent to get the drugs they need. All other previous important things in there life are irrelevant compared to drugs. Most addicts lose everything like their family, house, job, etc.

Sheff structures his work with an introduction at the beginning then 25 chapters. The book was almost completely linear to the events occurring in that moment in his life. The persepective of the book is of Nic's Dad,

I don't have any questions right know at this point in the book.

I don't think some addicts realize how much their addiction can affect their family, Sheff says "At my worst, I even resented Nic because an addict, at lest when high, has a momentary respite from his suffering. There is no similar relief for parents or children or husbands or wives or others who love them" (page 13). Sheff shows that the addict's family is constantly suffering from their loved one's addiction, but the addict has a sense of relief and an escape when getting high. An addict sometimes won't even think about how they are impacting their loved ones, but only think about drugs and feeling that high sensation. At the time addicts may not realize how intense and dangerous their addiction is becoming until a possible breaking point; Sheff writes, "When I transformed my random and raw words into sentences, sentences into paragraphs, and paragraphs into chapters, a semblance of order and sanity appeared where there had been only chaos and insanity" (page 13). I think this quote symbolizes the build up of one's addiction getting worse and worse until they possibly have a moment of realization of what insanity they are doing.

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Introductory Post: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Introductory Post: "Beautiful Boy" - Molly Kilgarriff

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Book title: Beautiful Boy
Author: David Sheff
Publication date: 2008
Amount read: 2/305

I chose thing book because I am interested in reading and learning about the journey through addiction. This is a huge worldwide problem and this is just one example of a real person going through addiction.

This book is in the father's perspective watching his high-school son, Nic, become addicted to drugs. Nic experimented and tried many different drugs but kept wanting more and more of that sensation which led him to be addicted to crystal meth. Nic's father is unsure what to do but really wants to help his son get better. I am interested to read through Nic's father's point of view to have to watch his son go through an awful time in his life.

My goals for reading this book are to learn more about addiction and why it is such a huge, common issue throughout the world. I would also like to learn about the psychological aspects of doing drugs and the lasting effects it has on a persons life.

I have only read a couple pages and I plan to read the first four chapters to page 66.

Essential Questions:
What drives a person to do drugs?
What drives an addicts human behavior?

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Introductory Post: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry"

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Introductory Post: "Astrophysics for People in a Hurry"

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Book Title: Astrophysics for People in a Hurry
Author: Neil DeGrasse Tyson
Publication Date: 2017
Amount read: 0/184

I'm interest3ed in this book because I am not only very interested in space and science, but I also really like the author who wrote this book. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was a big part of my childhood as I would watch one of his shows "The Universe" almost every day with my Dad.

"Astrophysics for People in a Hurry" is a book about the nature of space and time and our place in the universe. Neil DeGrasse Tyson shows his mind-expanding answers and ideas. His ideas and explanations are brought down to earth for people to understand not only easier, but also faster so they can get as much out of the book as possible.

My goal for this book is to learn more about our place in the universe and how we can affect it and benefit from it.

Essential question: What is humanities place in the universe?
How can humanity learn from the universe?

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Author-Jeff Bauman
Amount read: 35/248

-What keeps Jeff calm after he loses his legs?
-Jeff thought he was going to die,  and was okay with that, but he came out alive. How will this change his view on the world now and his life?

I feel as though Jeff Bauman, highlights and re-highlights the idea that being there for the people you love is so important. Being caring for the people that are closest and most influential to ones self is a major part of life, and is emphasized in "Stronger". Jeff gets his legs blown off in the Boston bombings, as he is struggling to stay hopeful at first but he realizes all the people that care about are thinking/worrying about him.

Boeman sets up the book through different views, he talks in third person from above Erin's (his girlfriend) POV. This really emphasizes  how confused and unsettling the situation was  at   first while she was nearing  the end of the finish line. She realized how devastating this moment would forever be in her life and tens of thousands of other Bostonian's. Boeman also includes his POV obviously because its his autobiography, but he includes major details that give us insight to the actual moment the bomb occured; "I looked down all that was left was a few shards of skin, and a white long bone sticking out of my previous knee"(Boeman 26).

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Update 1: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana

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Update 1: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana

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Book Title: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank (it was translated by B.M. Mooyaart and introduction by Eleanor)
Amount read: 50/208

Two Essential Questions:
1. What are the Phycological effects on a developing teenage girl, when she is locked away from society for years?
2. Why did some people chose to risk their lives to hide the Frank family in their workplace? Where they the few that realized Hitler's rule was extremely wrong or did everyone know he was being horrible and they just went along with it due to fear?

So far in the diary, Anne has just moved into the secret annex with her family and one other family. She feels disconnected from her original life and the world outside of the enclosing walls. Anne is starting to get very snippy with the others living with her and she often cries. It is not specified specifically if she was this way before moving into the attic, but it would make sense for her to negatively change due her situation. Although she fights a lot with most of her family and the others, at certain times she feels very connected to them and open about her feelings. For example when they hear troubling things about what is happening to Jewish people on the radio, or when she is just laying in bed with her sister she is open about what she writes in this diary. And for the second question, it seems that the few that are risking their safety for the Frank and Van Daan family seem to have established a strong connection with Otis Frank (Anne Frank's father). It is not explicitly stated why they are helping, but little hints are dropped about how they find what the Germans and Hitler are doing to be horrific as well; it was said one of the ladies that are hiding them, Miep, finds these "horror are so heartrending" and that she is "also very distraught". It seems they also acknowledge and understand that what is going on is not right at all so they are helping the best they can. It was also stated around page 30 maybe, that those they are caught helping Jewish people or breaking Hitler's rules are presented with German soldiers who "are generous enough when it comes to punishment", this could be a deterring factor for many during this time. Most probably understand that what is going on is inhuman and horrible, but they fear for their own safety and the safety of those they love and care about.

The most present theme so far, is inner conflict. Anne is really struggling with who she is and what is currently happing in her life, rightfully so. She is struggling to maintain relationships with those around her such as her mother who at some moments she "can't stand [her] mother" and that she doesn't "get along with Margot very well either" who is her sister. It is hard for her with all these struggles to figure out who she is supposed, and growing up within such a confined and secluded space. Sometimes she says how "it won't take long before [she] explose[s] with pent-up rage" due to those around her. Obviously, Anne did not intentionally create a theme granted she was just a young teen girl writing about her life to express herself the best she could. But overall she did quite a nice job creating this inner conflict theme with her emotions and such.

Anne writes every once in awhile in the diary, or when something important or funny happens. Each page in the diary starts with a date, and then she continues to write in a diary/ entree form (because it is a diary, but transformed into a book form so other can read it).

So far, I do not have many questions regarding what I am reading. Although, I do question why some of the writings are so spaced out. It says she doesn't have a lot of time in her day, but there is of times when she refers that she has to not move for hours so the workers don't hear he and it makes me wonder why she can't spend that time writing. But I understand, she is a young girl going through a lot and maybe she just doesn't feel like writing.

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Book Title: Tweak
Author: Nic Sheff
Pages Read: 75/352

Essential Questions:
How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped?

You can't. If someone doesn't want to be helped, then there is no use in trying. They need the motivation to be able to succeed in recovery. This is seen in "Tweak", because Nic has no intention of quitting drugs. He believes that meth and heroin are the missing piece to his life.

Does knowing both sides of the story skew one's opinion?

Yes, it does. Knowing both sides of the story allows us to see both perspectives. When I first watched the movie, which is in the perspective of Nic's father, I was so frustrated as to why Nic would not just get help, but now I understand why it was so hard for him; he is so reliant on these drugs that he can't nor does he want to stop.

In my opinion, the purpose of this book is to spread awareness for drug abuse, especially at such a young age. It is so common nowadays for young people to lose themselves to drugs, and most of the time, their parents are completely oblivious to this, just like David Sheff was. This book provides reassurance that recovery is possible, as Nic has fully recovered and is still sober today.

The structure of this book is a little bit interesting to me. Is is set up in a way that begins with Nic straight away, but it provides little background on who he is. We only get information on his life later in the book. I like this because it gives the reader the opportunity to have a completely unbiased opinion on Nic as a person.

One question that I have about this book so far is, was Nic's dad searching and trying to help him the whole time that he was in San Fransisco selling drugs with Gack and dating Lauren, or had he already given up on him?

Nic knows that what he is doing is wrong, but he can't really do anything about it. He understands that his parents must be so, so mad at him, and he tries to just block it out. He explains, "There is this crazy fear I have of being rejected by anyone - even the people I don't really care about. Its always better to leave them first, cut all ties, and disappear. They cant hurt me that way - no one can" (Sheff 37).

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Update 1: "When Breath Becomes Air" - Mary Holland

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Update 1: "When Breath Becomes Air" - Mary Holland

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Book title:  When Breath Becomes Air
Author: Paul Kalanithi
Pages read: /227

Essential questions: Essential question(s):  How can one live life with the predictability of death at hand? How different is life for doctors who turn to patients, rather than patients who were never doctors?
- Previously being a doctor and becoming a patient,  affects a patients health because they know what to look for, and have seen the worst of expectations. Doctors go through years of training to see the worst possible outcomes, and can often assess their symptoms on their own because they were trained to do so.

identifying a major theme or purpose of the book, how does it affect the author:
- The purpose of the book that is greatly identified is Paul getting his opportunity to display his great writing skills while advocating for his sad, but interesting, life story.  A strong theme that is portrayed through this book is the importance to live each day to the fullest. For example, one day you are a high-power senior-resident neurosurgeon, and the next you move from hospital staff attire, to hospital patient attire.

Structures the work:
- The beginning of the book, containing necessary background information is seen in the foreword, written by Abraham Verghese -- a peer of Dr. Kalanithi -- teaching the audience about Paul's inspiration left on many. Kalanithi writes the book from his point of view, while each chapter starts with a short poem or quote that the chapter will relate to. Continuing, the book is split into a foreword, prologue, Part I: In Perfect Health I begin, Part II: Cease Not till Death, Epilogue by Lucy Kalanithi, and Acknowledgments.

Questions/Possible Answers:
- How will Paul Kalanithi's story affect the medical industry going forward? Will his medical information help in any sort of progression for lung cancer research in the future?
- His scans and medical background knowledge will most likely inspire others.

Integrate supporting quotations from your reading chunk; as you do so, explain how they support your essential question/your developing thesis
- Across pages five and six, Kalanithi discusses the challenges of accepting the extreme differences of transitioning from doctor to patient: "Why was I so authoritative in a surgeon's coat but so meek in a patient's gown?" (Kalanithi 5-6). Kalanithi finds himself struggling to identity as a patient.

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Update 1: "I Beat The Odds" - Harrison Curley

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Update 1: "I Beat The Odds" - Harrison Curley

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Book title: I Beat The Odds
Author: Don Yaeger
Pages read 83/250

Essential question: What drives someone out of rock bottom?

After reading a good chunk of the book I have found that family is a huge motivation for working hard towards your goals and dreams. You see how hard you parents work and want to pay them back by working hard for yourself. Oher was determined because he loved his family so much and wanted to create a better lifestyle not just for him but for his whole family. Oher says "sometimes things must hit rock bottom before they get better" (Yaeger 40). He meant that when you hit rock bottom the only way from there is up. Oher wanted to be the "big brother" for his family and this is what gave him motivation because he wanted his siblings to look up to him.

A big theme for this book was to work as hard as you despite your situations in life. Oher didn't have the best situation in life but despite that he made the most he could out of his situation and work hard not just for himself but for his family. He realized that he wasn't where he wanted to be in life and with that he worked extremely hard to change that.

The author structures his book by talking about Oher lifestyle from the very beggining and all the way to the end. He explains how life was in the begging for Oher and how when he got older and more mature he changed.

Questions about the book: Why is the title of the book "I Beat The Odds"

Because if he didn't motivate himself he would be the person he is today. He beat the odds because life was at an all time low for him but despite that he fought through the pain and changed his life for the better.

"I have never lived with that kind of structure before" (Yaeger 43). This relates to my essential question because Oher grew up in a bad life but then it slowly started to get better and this is descried in the quote because he never lived in a house before that had rules and discipline.

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Update 1: "Born a Crime" - Sophia Bertrand

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Update 1: "Born a Crime" - Sophia Bertrand

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Title: Born a Crime

Author: Trevor Noah

Pages read: 96/288

Essential questions:

To what extent does family affect your morals/values?

After reading a third of the book, I’ve found that family shapes someone’s morals to a significant extent. Trevor Noah, throughout the memoir, repeatedly states how he constantly looks up to his mother. Because she went against society’s standards/norms, she became a huge role model to him as she encouraged him to be rebellious and different, just like she was. A main value that his mother taught was to leave pain behind him.

How does domestic abuse influence one's perspective of love?

It didn’t influence his perspective of love -- or I don’t know yet -- because he’s only just started talking about his abusive stepfather; however, he did mention that his aunt had an abusive husband. Even though he didn’t visit them that often, he writes how women in Africa were constantly undermined in society by men. Because his father was white and it was illegal for him and his mother to be together, Trevor Noah was raised by women. Even though he witnessed domestic abuse, being constantly surrounded by women in his family didn’t influence his perspective of love as his mother was really honest with him.

A major purpose of the book is to reveal what his childhood was like when racism was rooted so deeply in Africa. Because he was mixed, it was extremely difficult for schools and society to label him while Africa was segregated. However, he realizes that he wouldn’t let other people define who he was. I think he achieves his purpose effectively, because he writes about the moment he came to terms with who he was.

Trevor Noah structures the work into little mini themes(?) I don’t know how to describe it, but in every chapter he writes a little bit of background info about Africa at the time, and then tells a story relating to it that shaped him as a person. He also starts off the book describing his mother first, and why she decided to have a child, so it’s like a really far-back memoir.

One question I have is what happened to his grandmother Koko? He just kind of stops talking about her like 50 pages in.

Trevor Noah states that his mother “refused to be bound by ridiculous ideas of what black people couldn’t or shouldn’t do” (73 Noah). I think this answers my first essential question clearly, because his mother and family did affect his morals and values. It suggests that as a result of what his mother taught him, he learned that his ideas, thoughts, and decisions mattered.

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Update 1: "The Day the World Came to Town" - Ella Mason

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Update 1: "The Day the World Came to Town" - Ella Mason

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Book title: The Day the World Came to Town
Author: Jim Defede
Pages read: 81/244

Essential questions:
How did the people in Gander respond to helping everyone during the time of 9/11?
- the people in Gander all gathered to greet everyone from all the planes having to land in Gander. So far the people have waited patiently, and everyone has been helping out. They have prepared materials, and sacrificed their spaces for the 10,000-12,000 people to stay. For example, church's and schools closed to give the passengers a place to stay.

What affect on other people did it have when the people in Gander helped everyone landing there?
- I think it has made it more comforting for the people because of how shocking and terrible it was. Without the people helping the panic of everyone could turn to chaos.

A major theme in this book is the acts of kindness, and how is shows humans humanity and goodwill. It really shows a light on 9/11 because it was such an evil act done by people, it shows that not all people are bad. The author shows the purpose of peoples goodwill with all the people volunteering and helping out with the situation.

The author structures his book through stories of the passengers and townspeople who told their story to the author. It captures the different views, and demonstrates the community with love and generosity.

Questions about the book:
How did they have enough supplies?
They needed more supplies, so the people of Gander volunteered to help with supplies. They also had to make orders and shipments because of the large number of people?
How did they know there was not a terrorist in Gander?
They did not know, and that's what made them scared. Everyone had to stay on the plane, but when they got off they went through extensive security. They went through customs, and ran information through everyone, emptied their bags out. All of them were extremely cautious and careful.

People in Gander stayed up all night to greet people. For different planes the volunteers still wanted to greet and welcome them. They stayed waiting for hours: "By the time he and Maria, as well as the other passengers were processed and bused to the Royal Legion hall, it was nearly four in the morning. Despite the hour, volunteers were waiting to serve hot soup and fresh sandwhiches"(Defede 77). The volunteers went out of their way to make them food, and make them feel comforted. The volunteers could have gone home and to bed after such a long day, but instead they waited for hours to welcome that flight.

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Book title: Bomb
Author: Steve Sheinkin
Pages read: 80/241

Essential question: How did the bomb directly influence the war?  The Bomb directly influenced the war due to the immense power it had, this bomb could change the course of history and it did. The bomb making in Germany, scared surrounding countries, because they knew it could wipe out an entire city. This motivated other countries to make their own bombs so they could protect themselves. This bomb making was a key part of the war, due to the way countries could threaten one another.

Purpose:
Sheinkin writes the book to inform and let people know about this historical event. Furthermore, the book is almost used to show how dangerous the weapon is and how dangerous it could be today. He develops the ins and outs of the making of the bomb by having side stories which further the plot. Sheinkin effectively achieves his purpose by showing how this weapon could and did wipe out entire cities.

Structure:
First Sheinkin introduces the characters and their backgrounds. Then Sheinkin varies his work by telling different stories, through different chapters. Although Sheinkin does this, the stories all work in unison to develop the book. Sheinkin uses direct quotes from these side stories which are used to develop characters.

Questions:
Why is the Vemork factory such a big target for the British? This Factory made, what is called heavy water, which was an essential ingredient to the making of Germany's bomb. The British knew that if they destroyed key parts of the factory they could  disrupt the making of heavy water and they could stop the production of bombs in Germany.  Why do some of the scientists feel obligated to give information about the bomb to the Soviets?

Evidence:
The man in charge of making the bomb in the United States was Robert Oppenheimler. Oppenheimler recruited many scientist personally, and although some weren't up for the job, there was a lot of appeal to his offers to aid the making of the atomic bomb, due to the fact that “Almost everyone knew that if it were completed successfully and rapidly enough, it might determine the outcome of the war” (Sheinkin 68-69). Oppenheimler knew how dangerous this weapon was and how it could drastically impact the war due to this immense power. Oppenheimler, almost had insight into the future when he said this because in 1945 this came to reality when the United States dropped 2 atomic bombs on Japan which ultimately ended the war.

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Update 1: "Just Mercy" - Colleen Tucceri

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Update 1: "Just Mercy" - Colleen Tucceri

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Book title: Just Mercy
Author: Bryan Stevenson
Pages read: 122/262

Throughout reading this first chunk of the book, I have realized that the criminal justice system does need to be improved because they are clearly not looking deeply to find evidence of how someone could possibly be innocent/ are ignoring key information about how someone could be proven innocent. I have also learned that although someone is perceived as guilty and it is extremely difficult to reverse a sentence after it has already been decided for some time, it is still possible to find new evidence and get a judge to realize that this person is innocent.

A major theme in Just Mercy is seeking justice whether it is for yourself or many other people like Bryan Stevenson did. The author has done an incredible job of portraying how he dedicated his life to helping people who didn't get a fair trial find justice and make their lives better than they ever thought it would be after they were originally sentenced.

The author structures this book through telling the main story of Walter and how the process of eventually getting him released from jail was, but also telling stories of other adults and even children he has gotten released from juvie or jail to show how your life might not necessary be over just because of a sentence.

A few questions I have about Bryan are:
Has he ever wanted to give up this job or has he ever thought to give up on someone because it might be impossible to give them the help they need?
How long does it take for him to reduce or reverse sentences for people?
How many cases would he take on at one time?

When Bryan is on the phone with a 14 year old's mother who had been sentenced to death in prison, he tells her that "we likely won't be able to represent him, but let me find out what's going on, and perhaps we can help you find a lawyer who can assist you" (Stevenson 94). Even though Bryan had many cases and was becoming tired, he still drove down to the jail where this boy was placed and was determined to help him because he knew a frail 14 year old boy didn't deserve the death sentence.

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Introductory Post: I Beat The Odds - Harrison Curley

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Introductory Post: I Beat The Odds - Harrison Curley

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Book Title: I Beat The Odds
Author: Don Yaeger
Publication Date: 2013
Amount Read: 0/250

I am interested in this book because the movie the BlindSide was very good and I am interseted in digging deeper into the book and learning more about Michael Oher.

"I Beat The Odds" is a book about how Michael Oher went from homeless to becoming a great football player. This book specifically dives into how he turned his dream into reality.

One goal I hope to achieve from reading this book is how someone who had nothing turned nothing into something and how Michael Oher became the person he is today.

I haven't read any of the book yet however, I plan to read about 30-40 pages a night.

Essential Questions: What drives someone out of rock bottom? How does someone stay positive during challenging times?

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Introductory Post: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana

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Introductory Post: "Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl" - Olivien Savastana

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Book Title: Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

Author: Anne Frank (it was translated by B.M. Mooyaart and introduction by Eleanor)
Publication Date: 1993
Amount read: 0/208

I chose this book, because I have always been interested in the stories of people who have been though the Holocausts: survivors and those that have lost their lives (Anne Frank). I think it is a horrific story about real events and struggles the Jewish population went through and that is very impactful on the modern world and how we chose to react to these events. I am also interested in this book because when I was in the fourth grade I read a book about Anne Frank, not specifically this one, but made for an obviously younger audience. I have always wondered the true event of her life: those gory and those that brought her some joy in the midst of her hardships.

In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe” of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period.

My goal is to read at least around 71 pages per deadline to complete the novel.

Two Essential Questions:
1. What are the Phycological effects on a developing teenage girl, when she is locked away from society for years?
2. Why did some people chose to risk their lives to hide the Frank family in their workplace? Where they the few that realized Hitler's rule was extremely wrong or did everyone know he was being horrible and they just went along with it due to fear?

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Introductory Post: "Hiroshima" - Lillie Doherty 

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Introductory Post: "Hiroshima" - Lillie Doherty 

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Book Title: Hiroshima
Author: John Hersey
Publication Date: 1946
Amount: 0/110

I am interested in this book because I have always been fascinated by the Hiroshima bombing in Japan during the Second World War. I mean this in an intellectual way, I actually find WWII pretty interesting and I want to research more on it.

"Hiroshima" tells the stories of six survivors of the Hiroshima bombing in Japan. The book is about Americans, Europeans, and Japanese who struggle to survive the most devastating attack in history.

One goal I hope to achieve from reading this book is to understand the history of this bombing through the stories of the people who survived it. The fact that these stories are first hand experiences will let me experience empathy, which will let me understand the point of view from the Japanese in WWII, which was considered on the bad side of the war.

I have not ready any pages of the book as of yet, but I will hope to read a good chunk of the book before Status Update #1. Who knows, maybe I'll even finish the book if I find it interesting enough!

Essential Questions: How do devastating events challenge hope?  What are the consequences of man made objects and how do they reflect human nature?

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Introductory Post: "Killers of the Flower Moon" - Bohan Yang

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Introductory Post: "Killers of the Flower Moon" - Bohan Yang

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Book Title: Killers of the Flower Moon
Author: David Grann
Publication Date: 2017
Amount Read: 6/336

I am interested in this book because I like true crime and horror books. Killers of the Flower moon takes both of these aspects and brings them even higher, taking one of the worst forgotten crimes in American History which also lead to the birth of the FBI.

"Killers of the Flower Moon" is a book about the murders of the Osage Tribe members after they strike oil. It recounts the chilling murders which ultimately lead to the birth of FBI to help solve this crime.

One goal I hope to achieve from reading this book is to understand the history of the FBI, and to also just read about an interesting piece of our history

I have not progressed too far into the book, but I plan to read about 90 to 100 pages for Status Update 1

Essential questions: How does race play into how seriously action is taken.
How do the murders that happened in Osage County affect the people who live there today.

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Introductory Post : "Born a Crime" - Sophia Bertrand

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Introductory Post : "Born a Crime" - Sophia Bertrand

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Book Title: Born a Crime
Author: Trevor Noah
Publication Date: 2016
Amount read: 0/288

I'm interested in this book because Trevor Noah is really funny, and I really want to learn more about what life was like for him when he was growing up in South Africa. It has a lot of subjects I want to read about, like growing up + dealing with societal issues.

"Born a Crime" is written about Trevor Noah's experiences growing up in South Africa. The main conflict of the book is dealing with racism, due to having a black mother and white father, which was illegal at the time. South Africa was under the apartheid government, which caused major segregation allowing white people to oppress other racial groups for decades. It also focuses on the bond he had with his mother.

My goal from this book is to learn more about South African history and also the apartheid regime in South Africa.

Essential questions: To what extent does family affect your morals/values? How does domestic abuse influence one's perspective of love?

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Introductory Post: "Tweak" - Abby Forrest

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Introductory Post: "Tweak" - Abby Forrest

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Book Title: Tweak
Author: Nic Sheff
Publication Date: 2008
Amount Read: 23/352

I chose this book because I have previously seen the movie, "Beautiful Boy". I had the option to read the book that the movie was directly inspired by, but I chose this book instead because the point of view was different from the movie.

"Tweak" is written in the point of view of Nic, the son of David Sheff. Nic is addicted to extremely heavy drugs without his families knowledge. When his dad finds out, he obviously wants to do everything that he can to help him, but he just doesn't know how. He brings Nic into many different rehab centers, but none of them seem to turn his life around like it should. It tells the story of Nic's life, from Nic's point of view.

My goals for this book is to obtain a deeper understanding from what I already know about this story, and to see exactly what is going through Nic's head in the hardest time of his life.

I have read 23 pages so far, so by update number one, I hope to get to around page 100.

Essential questions:
How do you help someone who doesn't want to be helped?
Can knowing both sides of the story skew one's opinion?

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Introductory Post: "A Long Way Gone"-Catie McGowan

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Introductory Post: "A Long Way Gone"-Catie McGowan

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Book Title: A Long Way Gone
Author: Ishmael Beah
Publication Date: 2007

I chose this book because it is a topic I don't know about and I thought I could learn a lot from the main characters point of view.

This book is about a child soldier during the civil war in Sierra Leone. It is a first hand account and talks about what is life was like and all that he went through.

My goals for this reading and research project are to learn about something I am unaware of and to understand the hardships that people and especially children went through during this time.

Two essential questions are:
1. What were some of the challenges he faced emotionally?
2. What were the living conditions like for him?

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Introductory Post: "Stronger" -Lil Hancock

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Introductory Post: "Stronger" -Lil Hancock

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Book Title: Stronger
Author: Jeff Bauman
Publication Date: 2015
Amount Read:15/248
I chose to read this book because I am interested in seeing how certain people were impacted by the shocking Boston bombings. I also knew what the book was about, and had heard good things about it.

As Bauman writes his autobriography, right off the bat it is shown how strong and brave he is and it is noticed how his story is just one part of him that does not define his life. Bauman structures his work by describing what he felt during the bombings and what he remembers first hand at the scene. He describes his passion for Boston and the Red Sox, as feeling belonged, and always feeling welcomed, and the bombings had brought people of Boston closer together.

Questions: What will Bauman's recovery be like? If he knew something was off with Tsaernav why did he not warn his family?  Does he deal with daily tasks after losing his legs, or does he need assistance?

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"The Boys Who Challenged Hitler"- David Solomon

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"The Boys Who Challenged Hitler"- David Solomon

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Book Title- The Boys Who Challenged Hitler
Author-Phillip Hoose
Publication date- 2015
Amount Read- 0/175

I chose this book because I was interested bravery needed for them to challenge one of the most powerful and ruthless leaders ever.  We are also learning about WWII in history and I enjoyed this unit a lot, and I wanted to read about specific stories.

This story is about a 15 year old living in Denmark, Knud Pederson, who was outraged at the nation's leader, and adults of the country for not taking action against the Nazis. He, his brother, and schoolmates formed a secret club that infuriated Nazis, and inspired the citizens of Denmark by sabotaging the Germans.

My goal for reading this book is to understand how other countries were affected by Hitler, because in history and in general we mostly learn about what he did to the Jews in Germany.

I have not read any of this book yet because I have been busy, but I am going to read to at least page 50, so I can be a little ahead of schedule since that is a little more than 1/4 of the book.

Essential Questions:
How do adults affect the way kids act?
To what extent is taking risks worth it?

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Introductory Post: "When Breath Becomes Air" - Mary Holland

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Introductory Post: "When Breath Becomes Air" - Mary Holland

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Book Title: When Breath Becomes Air
Author: Paul Kalinithi
Publication Date: 2016
Amount read: 0/256

I am interested in this book because, although it seems sad, I am very curious to read about the perspective of a sick patient from the view of a doctor who is sick himself rather than patient who is not a doctor, (especially because it is not a commonly discussed topic). I am familiar as to how cancer affects people in many different ways, but I think this will be a new way of looking at it. Also, even though the book will be sad I suspect it could change my optimism towards the world.

"When Breath Becomes Air" is a book about a brain surgeon in-training who is later diagnosed with stage IV metastatic lung cancer. The book is an memoir illustrating Paul Kalinithi's true experiences and struggle against such a deadly disease. More specifically, how Kalinithi is forced to confront his own mortality of a young age of 36.

One goal I hope to achieve from reading this book is to learn more about how someone can find the motivation to go on in such difficult circumstances. After finishing the book, I also hope to look more into Paul Kalinithi's full life story.

Essential question(s):  How can one live life with the predictability of death at hand? How different is life for doctors who turn to patients, rather than patients who were never doctors?

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Introductory Post: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Introductory Post: "You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery" - Allison Lambert

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Book Title: You Are Enough: Your Guide to Body Image and Eating Disorder Recovery
Author: Jen Petro-Roy
Publication Date: 2019
Amount read: 17/252

I am interested in this book because eating disorders and body image are very taboo topics in society, and I think educating ourselves about them will encourage people to share their stories. Petro-Roy's book falls under the genre of self help, answering common questions about eating disorders, treatment, anxiety, body changes, and more. I hope to gain a larger understanding about what causes struggles with body image and eating disorders. I also hope to learn more about the experiences of people outside of the "eating disorder stereotype," because their experiences are just as valid, yet paid less attention to.

My goals for reading this book include learning more about humans and why eating disorders are (unfortunately) such a common issue. I also would like to learn about the psychological aspects associated with eating disorders (i.e. anxiety, impostor syndrome, etc.)

I plan to read somewhere around 90 to 95 out of 252 pages for Update 1.

Essential questions: What drives humans to have such negative outlooks on their appearances? How does society encourage eating disorders and negative body image? What can be changed in society to increase body confidence?

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Introductory Post: "Midnight in Chernobyl : The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster" -Olivia Williams 

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Introductory Post: "Midnight in Chernobyl : The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster" -Olivia Williams 

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Book: Midnight in Chernobyl: The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster
Author: Adam Higginbotham
Publication Date: 2019
Amount Read: 46/380

I am interested in this book because I am fascinated about the true power of nuclear substances and how "propaganda, secrecy, and myth have obscured the true story of one of the twentieth century’s greatest disasters".

Midnight in Chernobyl : The Untold Story of the World's Greatest Nuclear Disaster"  is a book about the explosion of Reactor Number Four of the Chernobyl Atomic Energy Station-- one of the world's greatest nuclear disasters. Through interviews, letters, memoirs, and documents Midnight in Chernobyl tells the story of the disaster through the eyes of the people who experienced it first hand. The author also includes the sciences behind atomic energy and and danger and destruction it poses.

One goal I hope to achieve from reading this book is learning more about how governments respond to such terrible, man-made disasters. Also, just how powerful atomic energy is and how it effects the area around it and humans.

I plan to read 100/380 by Status Update 1

Essential Questions:
- How do people cover up mistakes to keep their reputation intact?

- How do nuclear disasters and the looming threat of nuclear disasters effect the way humans behave?

- What happens when humans try to interfere with the natural world?

- When/how does the drive for power and drive to be the best take away from morals/ethics?

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Introductory Post: "Shoe Dog" - Patrick Casavant

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Introductory Post: "Shoe Dog" - Patrick Casavant

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Book Title: Shoe Dog
Author: Phil Knight
Publication Date: April 26, 2016
Amount Read: 15/273

I chose this book because I am interested in business and love shoes, and it is a memoir of the creator of one of the most successful brands of all time. I thought it would be fascinating to hear about the firsthand experiences of Phil Knight.

This book is a memoir of the life of Phil Knight, and his journey of creating Nike. He details the many obstacles he faced on his path to success and explains when he realized what he wanted to do with his life. Despite things not always going to plan, hew as able to overcome that and focus on how to be successful and happy. I hope to learn how I can apply his methods to my own life.

My goal for reading is to get a better understanding of the creation of successful businesses and how he was able to become a successful entrepreneur.

I have read 15 pages so far, and I plan to read to page 90 for update number 1, so that I am 1/3 of the way through the book.

Essential questions:
What does it take for an individual to be successful?
To what extent do challenges shape the character of an individual?

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Introductory Post: "A Stolen Life" - Leila Mukdissi

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Introductory Post: "A Stolen Life" - Leila Mukdissi

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Book Title: "A Stolen Life"
Author of Freedom: Jaycee Dugard
Publication Date: July 12, 2011
Amount Read: 12/279

I chose this book because it is about a girl who lost 18 years of her life to a kidnapper. Although it is tragic, these types of stories always interest me and make me want to learn more about the problems the world has with it.

This book is a memoir about Jaycee Dugard's life. It begins with her moving from Tahoe to California. She has a step father and little sister. Dugard's step father, Carl, dislikes her very much and convinced her mother to let Dugard walk to school. One day when she was walking to school, a man pulled up to Dugard at the bus stop and tased her as he put her in his car. The last bit of freedom Jaycee Dugard had was a pine cone that she held in her hand while being taken away.

My goal is to see how Dugard attempts to escape, and what she was thinking during those eighteen years of imprisonment. I also want to know the reason behind her kidnapping and how her kidnapper acts.

I have read the first chapter, which is 12 pages. I plan to read 81 more pages to make a total of 93, which is 1/3 of the book, by update #1.

Two essential questions:
1. How did Jaycee Dugard learn to cope with her experience of getting kidnapped?
2. Is there a bigger reason to why people kidnap young girls?

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Book title: Bomb
Author: Steve Sheinkin
September 4, 2012
Amount Read: 21/241

I chose this book because I have always been interested history and especially World War 2. I wanted to learn more about the behind the scenes of the war and the making of the "A bomb" that ended the war.

This book is a non fiction book, that goes behind the creation of the A bomb and the race to build this destructive weapon. It dives deep into the science of the bomb and the discovery of how atoms splitting causes a large reaction. In addition the book dives deep into the Manhattan project, and its secret cities on the Los Alamos laboratory. The project was the research and development of the first atomic bomb's. I hope to learn more about the development of the bomb in Germany.

My goals for reading and researching my topic is to learn more about the ins and outs of the war and how the bomb effected the war.

I have read 21 pages so far and I plan to read to page 80 by status update 1,  so that I will be 1/3 of the way done with the book.

Two essential questions:
How did the bomb directly influence the war?
How did the making a bomb influence the makers morally?

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Introductory Post: "The Day the World Came to Town"-Ella Mason

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Introductory Post: "The Day the World Came to Town"-Ella Mason

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Book Title: The Day the World Came to Town
Author: Jim Defede
Publication Date: 2002
Amount Read: 32/244

I chose this book because I was interested in learning more about 9/11 because it was such a big event in history, especially for the United States. I was also interested because the book mostly takes place in Gander, Newfoundland and I was curious on why the author choose to write about this place and why it was involved in the story of 9/11.

The book is about a small town Gander on the accounts of 9/11, and 38 jetliners planing to land in the United States were forced to land in Gander's international airport. The author focuses on how the citizens of Gander cared for people all over the world during the three days after the attacks. I hope to learn how the citizens of Gander react to thousands of people coming to their small town, and how they helped everyone in such a positive way during a tough time.

My goals for reading this book and researching is to get a better understanding of how Gander responded to 9/11 and how it affected them.

I have read 32 pages so far, and by status update number 1 I plan to get to page 81.

Essential questions:
How did the people in Gander respond to helping everyone during the time of 9/11?
What affect on other people did it have when the people in Gander helped everyone landing there?

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Introductory Post: “Just Mercy” - Colleen Tucceri

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Introductory Post: “Just Mercy” - Colleen Tucceri

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Book title: Just Mercy

Author: Bryan Stevenson

Publication date: September 18, 2018
Amount read: 40/262

I chose this book because I have seen the movie and found the story line extremely interesting. I wanted to read the book to see how it varies from the movie and because I am very interested in the criminal justice system since it is such a big part of everyday life.

Just Mercy is an autobiography about a lawyer (Bryan Stevenson) who dedicates his life to people who may not have gotten a fair trial when they were sentenced. There is one specific story that is highlighted within the book, which is when Walter McMillian was wrongly convicted of murder and sentenced to death. We see as Bryan works extremely hard to reopen this case and prove that Walter is innocent because he truly was. I hope to learn more about how the criminal justice system works and what evidence is enough to be able to reopen a case.

I plan to read around half of the book (roughly 125 pages) by Update #1 and I want to see what story I reach and where they are in trying to reopen the case with Walter and his wrongful conviction.

Two essential questions

1. How do you prove innocence when your guilt has already been defined?

2. Does the criminal justice system need to be improved?

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Introductory Post: "Fortune's Children" Kat Schroder

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Introductory Post: "Fortune's Children" Kat Schroder

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Book Title: Fortune's Children: the fall of the House of Vanderbilt
Author: Arthur T. Vanderbilt II
Amount Read: 11/ 417

I chose this books because I visited the Newport mansions over various summers and fell in love with the Breakers and Marble House (built by Vanderbilts). I really wanted to learn more about the family and my dad has read this book and thought I would find it interesting. I am also curious about the whole family tree.

This book is a biography about the Vanderbilt family and how they went from the richest of the rich to having little to no money at all. In the book the author talks about 10 different descendants of the Vanderbilt line and their life stories. It starts with The Commodore who was the start of the families riches and ends with Mrs. Vanderbilt, with little under a 200 year gap between them.

I plan to read about a quarter of the book by Update #1 and I am very interested to see how each Vanderbilt lived their lives, and the affect of the fortune being passed down and slowly diminishing, along with the affects of taxes.

Three essential questions:
1. How does a person/family amass a substantial wealth?
2. Once the wealth is established, what problems can arise?
3. What positives can come from wealth?

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Introductory Post: "Empress Dowager Cixi"

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Introductory Post: "Empress Dowager Cixi"

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Book Title: Empress Dowager Cixi: The Concubine Who Launched Modern China

Author: Jung Chang

Amount Read: 100/464 pages

I chose this book because I am interested in stories that involve strong rulers, where a monarch’s choices have far-reaching consequences.  Additionally, I am curious about the history of China before the 20th century, since I have heard about Mao Zedong’s Cultural Revolution, and am interested in learning more about what traditions the Chinese Communist party was reacting against.  Finally, I would like to learn more about powerful women of history, who forged a path within a prejudicial society, and whose stories have been largely obscured by biased historians.

This book is a biography of Empress Dowager Cixi (pronounced ‘Tse-she’) - a woman who ruled China between 1861 and 1908.  She began her life as a concubine, meaning that she was the romantic partner of the Emperor while being denied marriage or the formal status of Empress.  Following the Emperor’s death, Cixi staged a coup to depose the acting council of regents, thereby ruling China in her son’s name.  Though she could not formally hold the title of monarch, Cixi was in charge of China’s economy, government, and foreign policy for over forty years.  I hope to learn from this book how she was able to negotiate with imperialist Western powers to modernize China, without giving them an opportunity to take over China as a territory.  Also, I hope to see how Cixi changes over the course of her reign.

In my reading of book reviews, authors criticize Chang’s account on the basis that it is biased towards Cixi - showing her in an excessively favorable light.  Therefore I am interested in researching Cixi’s flaws as well as her strengths, to create a balanced picture of the famous ruler.

Two possible essential questions that I’m considering are:

1. What does it mean to be a just ruler?  And

2. Is it better to rule through kindness or force?