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In the book "Lies We Tell Ourselves", the main protagonist Sarah faces racism and segregation head on at her new school. Sarah is a witty young black girl going to an all white highschool during the 1950's. She is academically smart and is very protective of her younger sister Ruth. She tries her best to avoid conflict and remain calm under pressure showing her maturity level. Sarah believes in god and has faith that her life at school will improve over time, but is pessimistic when in her classes. She tries to block out the negativity around her and does not let her emotions control her. She knows she has to work hard in order to make her life livable, but is in doubt. Sarah prevails despite the hate thrown at her and makes it known that she will not let the efforts of others stop her from earning an education.

Throughout the story we learn that she is attending Jefferson Highschool in Virginia during the 1950's. During this time segregation laws were barely being lifted and mixed schools were being approved. Sarah being a black female student has to rise up against the fact that her gender and race were harshly treated during that time. The students (white) around her call her slurs and other insults weakening her state of mind. They tease and poke pencils at her in order to gain some sort of reaction to which she prevails. Her faith in God and knowing she has to be a stepping stone for her people helps her stay strong. Her sister and friends motivate her to continue onward despite the immense hate she gets. Teachers ignore the bullying and racism making Sarah's situation even more unbearable. Not only this, but they put her in remedial classes despite her knowledge being way ahead of the curriculum in each class.

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In the book "Lies We Tell Ourselves", the main character is a black teenage girl named Sarah Dunbar who just transferred to Jefferson High school which is an all white school. As a black person Sarah is confronted with racism constantly. Sarah transferred to Jefferson with other black students who were in the top of their school at their old school,  including her younger sister named Ruth and Sarah does as much as she can to keep her sister safe from the white students at Jefferson. Despite all the hostility towards her from the other students she tries to ignore it and go about her day because she doesn’t want to disappoint her parents. Her maturity and responsibility are displayed throughout the book on multiple occasions. A couple instances where her maturity was conveyed was when students would call her slurs, spit on her, or  threaten her and she would not react or even acknowledge them in order to stay out of trouble. A part of her wants to speak up but she knows it's not worth letting down her parents, getting in trouble at school and possibly getting kicked out of school. Her responsibility was shown as she is the older sibling and does anything she can to keep her sister close to her and safe.

During her time at school she faced many hardships such as discrimination and racism. Due to segregation laws just recently being lifted in this time period many people are still against it and treat her unfairly. The white students bully her relentlessly because of her race and they believe that black people should be separated from white people and they don't want her at their school. Everywhere she goes people stare and whisper about her calling her racial slurs, saying she stinks and either spitting on her or blowing spitballs at her. Regardless of all of this happening she stands her ground and pays no attention to the bullies in order to ensure that the white teacher has no reason to get her in trouble and send her to detention. Sarah has met one nice teacher so far at her new school but despite that the other teachers are not as friendly. Even though the teachers can see Sarah struggling, they say nothing and let the students say and do whatever they want to her. Sarah is also forced to take remedial classes at her new school because she is black regardless of the fact that she used to be in college prep classes at her old school; this could affect her in the future when it comes to college.

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In this book "Lies We Tell Ourselves" The main character Sarah is a black girl during the 1950's and now has to go to an all-white school. This school is also to be known to be in the Southern State. As she attends her first day so far I have noticed that she cares a lot more about others and will put them first before her. She is told many mean names toward her and the other people she is with. For example, in the book when people have said horrible things about her aloud, she has thought horrible and mean things about the white kids but never really says it out loud just thinks it. It sort of shows what kind of person she is because if she was a really really mean person she would've instigated either a fight or said something back. But instead she moves on. I think even though she has gone through pain not just emotionally but physically when they stabbed her with a pencil, she has shown tranquility. Which makes her a very strong person in my eyes. It makes me want to learn from her and know not to always take things and make it a bigger problem.

A conflict that I can already see arising is either one of the white kids actually getting physical with one of them or something even more than just name calling happening. To give context about the book, it is in the Southern States in the year 1959 so of course there is going to be some racial comments but the fact that basically all the people/students including the teachers are rude is not too surprising but surprising that the teachers are also not being very inviting except for only one who was really nice. I think all the pain, struggle, name calling, everything that she has had to go through already was expected that she is going to an all-white school being black at this time. I think that yes the time frame and place does affect the actions of others because today yes we may still struggle with racism but it is not as intense as it used to be for many people of color back then. And I wanted to also include a part that stood out to me. And that was when they were receiving their classes and were put in remedial classes. All of these challenges that they have to face are hurtful but most likely be a lesson about life sometime later in the future.

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In the book, "Lies We Tell Ourselves," the main protagonist is Sarah Dunbar. Sarah is a new senior at school Jefferson High in Virginia. She transferred with a group of her friends and her little sister to be one of the first black students to attend an all-white school. In the story, we can see that Sarah is a witty, mature, and caring person. We see this when Sarah shows how worried she is about her sister when trying to protect her and constantly worrying about her. Her maturity shows when she doesn't react to the slurs she's being called or to how people may shove her, spit on her, or stab her with pencils. She is also very witty because she is sharp and smart but also knows how to be humorous at some times in the story. Even though she knows she is being discriminated against, she needs to prove that she isn't easily going to back down.

The story takes place in Virginia, 1959 when Jim Crow laws were still in place. Since the group of teens are the only black students in an all-white High school they were bound to get discriminated against. Sarah has to stand up for not only herself but she has to stand up for her friends and her sister while facing the challenges of being black at Jefferson High. When students found out that black students would be joining them for the new school year, they were furious. Even before walking into school, they were getting harassed by students and parents. Sarah and her group have been called multiple slurs, spit on, stabbed with a pencil, and pushed by white students because they believe that black students shouldn't go to their school. When she got her classes, Sarah noticed that she had been put into remedial classes. She was upset at this because she wanted to graduate and go to college.

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In the book, “Lies we tell ourselves.” We see the constant themes of differences and perseverance. We see perseverance in the story a lot because they are the only group of black students in a predominantly white school. One of the protagonists, Sarah, shows how she persevered throughout her first few days of being in a new high school. She acknowledges that it's going to be tough and that she will face racism yet, she continues to keep moving forward to make sure not only she but her friends can continue to thrive in a different learning environment. The book also covers differences with the main one being how there are now two different races attending the same school. We can see the differences between the characters throughout their point of view like how Sarah thinks/ knows she cannot trust white students because in her eyes all white people are out to get her or sabotage her (ref pg 43.). Many of the kids do not like the fact that they have to share a school with black children and it's apparent with how Sarah has been spit on, stabbed, gotten milk poured on her, etc. On the other hand, the other protagonist is Judy, a white girl who is different from Sarah. She can stand up to Bo Nash for trying to pick on Ruth, while if Ruth or any one of the black kids had stood up, they would have gotten way worse treatment. Another thing is that currently, Judy doesn't hate but also doesn't like the black students for coming to their school. These differences contrast how one student is privileged which probably will end up making them realize that being different from each other isn't bad at all.

The main protagonist, Sarah, comes from a very religious household. She goes to church, prays a lot and even is a part of her church's choir. It’s very telling that she is religious since in the first chapter (pg. 13) she and her friends recite a verse from the bible while walking towards the school. Later in a few chapters, Sarah's mom tells her, “Remember what to do when it gets hard. Take your worries to the lord. Have faith. He’s watching over all of you.” (pg. 84) This advice is given to not only Sarah but also to spread her message to her friends. This advice is not just religious but also a way of giving hope to the students. She wants them to have faith that even though it seems hard, things will eventually get better, no matter how long it may take. I think that this advice plays a big role because there might be some challenges that the characters face and with this advice, they will continue because they know that the lord is watching over them.

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In the book, "Lies We Tell Ourselves", we see the constant themes of privilege and cruelty unveiled. Sarah and a group of other black students attend an all white school, integrating for the first time. We see these students treat the transfers (black students) in cruel unjust ways to push them down. As they triumph through their day, they encounter malicious white students that belittle them in ways such as being pushed, spit on, and ridiculed in front of others. We see the cruel intentions of these white students as they chant slurs to frighten the transfers (pg. 18). Even in class Sarah continues to face this unusually harsh treatment like having pencils stabbed to her neck, or being isolated in class. The constant privilege we see is unfathomable as Sarah gets placed in remedial classes and has to suck up all her inner thoughts. As the story goes on, we see privileged white students like Linda use her status to threaten Sarah to leave the school. As the story continues to unravel, we come to see that privilege with cruel intentions is a huge theme in this book.

With everything going on in Sarah's life, she finds her strength and courage to continue forward in god. After her horrid first day of school she goes home in a clear despondent state. Her mother reminds her, "Take your worries to the Lord. Have faith. He's watching over all of you" (pg.84). This makes Sarah feel hope, but unclear why her prayers aren't being answered and why she has to face this treatment. With these words of wisdom we see Sarah think and it makes us question her full faith in the Lord. We see her have doubts, but despite this her mentality is to persevere no matter how tough it may be. Sarah knows her situation will take time to overcome and with a little reminder that the Lord will be there every step of the way to guide them, she's ready.

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As I have read my book, one of the big ideas that I see mainly is privilege. And not towards Sarah. It is being shown more towards the white students. And when we think of privilege we think about how much power that person must have, or how much respect they have. We can see privilege as well since the other kids are allowed to be in sports, clubs, and many other activities while Sarah and the rest are put in remedial classes. When the teachers don't even have a clue that they're really smart. That shows that white students are privileged over Sarah and her friends. They have received a lot of criticism which is another one of my big ideas. The horrible comments that they portray to her and the way they treat her not just verbally but physically as well when they have poked her.

As I have read "Lies We Tell Ourselves" I have noticed when Sarah was given advice by an older and wiser person which was by her mother. On page 84 her mom says that when life seems to get hard, to always have faith and put her worries to the Lord. And most of the time she is worried about herself or her sister Ruth. And she continues to talk about how even if she does put her worries up to the Lord he seems so far away. One other part where I noticed that she received advice from an older person was on the page before that on page 83 it was something small but her mom was telling her to be careful. and that even with the new rule of if you fight you get expelled, to still keep a watch out.

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In the book "Lies We Tell Ourselves", strength emerges as a constant theme, particularly in the face of adversity and oppression is. The story, set during the 1950's in Virginia, focuses on Sarah, a Black student forced to endure hostility and racism from her White classmates and teachers. Sarah's inner strength is tested as she navigated the daily humiliation and threats aimed at breaking her spirit. Despite the physical and emotional toll, Sarah's determination to resist succumbing to fear highlights the idea that true strength often lies in perseverance and moral courage. Her strength is not just physical but also mental and emotional, as Sarah grappled with maintaining her sense of self and dignity in the face of systemic racism.

Sarah receives advice from her parents, specifically her mother, about how to survive the integration of Jefferson High School. Sarah's mother tells her to not let the hateful words of the white students get to her, reminding her of the larger purpose behind them switching schools. Sarah' s mother's advice urges Sarah to be resilient in the face of adversity. Her mother's words are intended to protect Sarah and emphasize the importance of enduring hardship with dignity and preparing her to confront the hostile environment she will face.

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In the "book Lies we Tell ourselves," one big idea we currently see would be fear. In the book we constantly see how our characters show signs of fear. Not only did Sarah show fear but so did Linda. Judy was scared to be seen working with Sarah and Judy. Since her dad is against integration and was known for being a man of power, was scared that her dad would find out and hit her. Sarah showed fear after she kissed Linda. She was terrified that Linda and Judy would talk about it to everyone, that they would make the name calling worse than just racism. When she got home, she was paranoid every second. More paranoia showed when her parents called her down to talk to her. She was scared that they would find out that she kissed Linda, that she committed a sin.

Another big idea we see is jealousy. We see jealousy mainly within Linda. In the pages we read, we saw that Linda was jealous of not only Judy but Sarah. In the book, Linda seemed jealous when Judy and Sarah would laugh and smile around each other but when Linda was around Sarah would stop. "I don't want her to look like that.Not when she's alone with Judy. I want her to look at me." (pg. 157) tells us that she hates the fact that Judy and Sarah have bonded when it seems like Sarah hates Linda. We also see Linda showing signs of jealousy when she is arguing with Sarah. She is jealous that Sarah is good at debating when people would never want to debate Linda in the first place. She was jealous that Sarah knew a lot and seemed very educated.

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This novel, Lies We Tell Ourselves, is a historical fiction novel set in the 1950’s during the civil rights movement in the United States. The novel has two main characters, Sarah Dunbar, one of the Black students integrating to an all white high school that faces hostility and racism, and Linda Hairston, a White girl going to Jefferson high school who has been raised in a strictly segregationist household. They are initially on opposite sides of the integration debate, but as they are assigned to work together on a school project, their complex feelings for each other begin to change. Lies We Tell Ourselves explores themes of racism, identity and the courage to challenge societal norms. As both girls confront uncomfortable truths about themselves and the world around them, they realize the biggest lies are the ones they tell themselves.

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As I keep reading throughout this book one of the Big Ideas I chose to use was Joy. I picked this word because as Judy and Sarah are together at one point in the book, Sarah seems to have smiled at Judy. And although they aren't supposed to be close or really be talking. It's because of the project they have to work on together. And I said joy because I'm sure Sarah experienced Joy while smiling at her. And when they described the way she smiled, they said that they've seen her smile but that this time it was genuine. And in a better way to explain it is, it was like a weight being lifted off of her shoulder and the dark being brought to light with her smile.

The next word that I decided for my Big Idea was the word strength. Judy explains Sarah as a strong person because she explained that he works hard, is a brave person, always keeps her head up high, and just looks mesmerizing. She works hard from the way she does her work at lunch solving questions really fast. She wishes she could be as brave as her and be able to stand up for herself the way Sarah does. Wishing she could be able to filter all the bad things out and still keep her head up high even with all the criticisms she receives. Still waking with her head up like nothing.

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In the book, "Lies We Tell Ourselves", feeling lost is a prevalent big idea shown throughout the book. We begin to see Linda's pov (point of view) and how her views begin to shift from thinking segregation is outright wrong, to believing that we all are just humans that happen to have different skin colors. She doesn't know whether to trust her own judgement, or to follow her heart with most of her decisions. "So I follow her... what I said before", (pg. 170) this shows how Linda is confused about what she should do and is torn between 2 worlds. Linda always pushes herself to believe that Sarah is one of the worst types of "black people", but her heart says otherwise. She confides in Sarah about her illness growing up, but doesn't know she really did. We see her confusion grow about her feelings towards Sarah and segregation in general.

In addition to that big idea, we see the big idea of realization present throughout the story. As Linda and Sarah spend more time together, they begin to realize that their company is pleasant to each other. Linda finds herself thinking of Sarah in every aspect possible and realizes that she needs Sarah in her life to feel some type of warmth. Linda slowly comes to realize that she's attracted to Sarah in the way she's supposed to be attracted to men. Linda states, "But I can't keep lying to myself. I want Sarah the way I'm supposed to want Jack." This reveals the underlying truth of Linda's sexuality and her feelings towards Sarah, which are romantic. This realization breaks her, but keeps her wanting more of Sarah's attention and time. As the story goes on, we switch back to Sarah's pov and she's having the same thoughts. Sarah insists on praying to God to "fix" her though, however she knows she yearns for Linda as well.

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Throughout reading the book "Lies We Tell Ourselves" it starts to be told from a different perspective of Linda, a white student at Jefferson High whose father is very vocal against integration. A constant theme within these past few chapters was desperation, as Linda seems to be quite miserable in her home, desperate to leave in order to get away from her father. Multiple times Linda mentions that once she graduates she will leave her house to get married to an older man so that she can finally be free from her fathers abuse. Talking to Sarah has made Linda start to question her and her fathers beliefs. Linda's desperation to escape her house is mainly fueled by her fear of defying her father.

As well as desperation being a huge theme throughout the book, perspective is a continuous idea as we are shown Sarah's point of view as well as Linda's. Through Linda's point of view, we are able to see into Linda's mind and how her thought process is different from Sarah's due to their different upbringings in a deeply segregated society, where she has been taught to believe in white supremacy. Linda's interactions with Sarah Dunbar makes her perspective start to shift as she is torn between the beliefs she has been raised with the growing awareness that those beliefs are wrong. Her perspective seems as though it will gradually evolve throughout the story as she breaks away from the oppressive ideology she was raised with.

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While reading, “Lies We tell Ourselves” we have seen the main protagonists Sarah and Linda change throughout the story. In the beginning, Sarah was constantly worried about her little sister Ruth, her friends, and how school was going to be.She was really worried about her friends and Ruth moving into a new school that is full of white people. She knew that there were gonna be hardships but they all endured it even if it meant having to be quiet about things like their own opinions and they weren't  able to join any extracurricular activities. On the other hand the other protagonist Linda has also had changes throughout the story as well. Linda was excited about graduating and being able to finally get married, she was also known at school to not argue since she was a pretty smart person and is good with talking. But it all started to change once they were assigned to do a project with each other.

After they were assigned the group project together they would meet in private at Judy’s work. Sarah started getting more comfortable and started worrying just a little bit less. She enjoyed hanging out with Judy and even arguing with Linda.Sarah also found herself liking Linda romantically and even kissed her before they worked on their project. Another thing that has happened was Linda and Judy told Sarah that she should join choir which made her standout more since she was the only black girl singing. It seems as though Sarah is slowly getting used to the new school but is also starting to realize that she “Isn't normal” Because she likes Linda, and we begin to see her perseverance slowly change into some type of fear. On the other hand, we saw that Linda started to tolerate the integration and came to terms that she doesn't wanna see herself with Jack forever. She also slowly realizes that she likes Sarah way more than she should have. She knows it's wrong especially since Sarah is a black girl and that she would get in trouble just being seen with her. It seems as though both characters are noticing their differences and going through different things that can seem very challenging which makes us wonder, how will the story end?

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As I continue reading the book, "Lies We Tell Ourselves", we see Linda's and Sarah's characters develop in drastic ways. With realization being one of the main themes portrayed throughout the story, we see a change of heart in both characters that come to realize who they are as individuals. Linda starting as the mayor's bratty entitled daughter, evolves into an empathetic and understanding character. She undergoes the process of finding her true identity by ignoring others input gradually over time and coming to her own consensus on certain situations. Linda also becomes aware of the fact that she likes girls and isn't totally against segregation due to her feelings for Sarah. Linda states, "What was the difference, really, between Sarah and me?" (pg. 178). This shows us how Linda went from thinking colored people were not supposed to coexist in the same place as white people, to now believing they're actually quite similar with no differences. She shows remorse and concern for colored people's situations. Linda has been carrying out this mentality throughout the book ever since she came to the realization she had feelings for Sarah, which clearly switched her perspective on multiple things.

Meanwhile, Sarah goes from a timid, soft-spoken character to a strong headed, persistent character. She's not afraid to talk back to a white person or her superiors when facing unjustifiable situations. Sarah has underlying thoughts and tensions that she releases to Linda as time goes on, but with this she also begins to realize her feelings for Linda. This realization sends Sarah in a spiral which revolves around her faith in God and needing to be saved by him for being a "sinner". She's at war with herself and forces herself on dates with Ennis to hopefully convince herself that she's straight. When this doesn't work she avoids Linda at all costs, but ends up finding herself talking to Linda. Her leadership and persistent attitude continues throughout the story. She's in a more confused place than ever, but she's slowly finding her way to self-love and knowing what she truly stands for.

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In my book at the beginning the main character Sarah Dunbar seems to be very shy, keeps to herself, and doesn't cause any arguments. On page 49 near the beginning its talking about how one of the students said something about her and in her head she's thinking about the horrible things she wants to say to the girl but instead she walks away keeps to herself and minds her business. Which brings me to my Big ideas which was change. Change was one of the big ideas for other ways in my next paragraph but I wanted to explain that now Sarah has changed for the way that she now has feelings for Linda and they sort of have a past together with their project. In addition, Sarah is scared that her feelings aren't valid or that shes not normal for liking Linda.

Now when we see the way Sarah acts in the book, you would have never believed its the same girl. I decide to use change as one of the three of my Big ideas because she changed a lot. The way she changed was now lets say if someone says something to her for example if Linda (one of the other characters says something to her) she will immediately have something back to say. She's really good at arguing which we never would've guessed from the beginning of the book to now. I also wanted to mention another one of the big ideas I chose which was happiness. I chose this one because Sarah seems so happy to be with Judy. And I mean super happy. On page 157 is a good example because she explains Sarah to be so happy and how relaxed she looks. It states, "I didn't know Sarah could laugh" and it also states, "Her head is tossed back. Her long hair brushes her shoulder blades. She looks relaxed and happy and beautiful." Before she would have not been relaxed around other people like that. And now its as if she can be who she really is and just let out her inner self and be happy; and the old Sarah would have never done that.

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Kinda's evolutions in "Lies We Tell Ourselves" is from blind accpetance to racism to questioning the beliefs she grew up with and creating a more thoughtful, independent view of the world, largely influenced by her relationship with Sarah and a growing understanding of the harm caused by her silence. As the story progresses, Linda starts to question her beliefs. Sarah's intelligence, courage, and humanity gradually force Linda to confront the lies she has been told and the inconsistencies in her worldview. The key turning point is when Linda sees the violence and abuse that Sarah and the other Black students endure, which begins to unsettle her. linda realizses that the treatment of the Black students is cruel and undeserved, eventhough she struggles to reconcile this with the views she as been taught. Another pivotal moment in Linda's change occurs when she and Sarah begin to form a "friendship" (idk tbh) that eventually turns into romantic attraction. Linda's feelings makes it hard for her to continue to justify her racist beliefs. Her internal conflict is evident when seh reflect, "How could something that felt so right be so wrong?" This internal turmoil shows Linda grappling with the moral implications of her inherited views.