• What experiences do you share with the characters?

• In what ways is your family similar or different from those in the book?

• What did you learn about a character or group of people that you have not personally experienced?

I would say my family is a little bit different from the Walls Family. They wouldn't tell us if they were struggling with their finances or tell us that Santa isn't real. But one of the things that are quite similar is their trust with the older daughter Lori. My parents always confide in my older sister, she would usually be the ¨parent¨ whenever they had to work or last minute things like driving us to places.

Family

Home

Poverty

Resilience

Responsibility, Self Sufficiency,

Non Conformity

Other

Poverty is most shown in this section of the book. It's especially in the first pages when Jeanette's mother is found digging through dumpsters for any food or items. It could even be found when Jeanette describes how her family is always moving around because of the ¨FBI¨. But in reality, it's just debt collectors trying to get ahold of them.

• Give context for your quote. What was happening in the story that made this quote significant? Who was speaking?

• Why did this quote stand out to you?

A quote that stuck out the most to me while reading this section of the book was when the family was moving to phoenix for a new start. And while driving the Jeanette's mother spotted her favorite tree, a joshua tree. Once Jeanette had seen it, she decided she was going to replant it to make it pretty. But her mom frowns at her saying "[she ´ d] be destroying what makes it special," she said. "It's the Joshua tree's struggle that gives it its beauty." (Walls, 24)

It stood out because in a way it's saying why change something if it's already beautiful in its own way. Many people nowadays change themselves to achieve a certain standard, but why change if everyone was made to look like their own beauty.

• What feelings or emotions does this book evoke for you? Choose a passage from the reading that elicits a response from you and explains. 

  While reading the book i get a sense of pity for the characters, more specifically for the dad. There's a part in the book where the mom tells the story of losing one of her babies. And she mentions that while she didn't really care, Rex, the father did. He used to be loving and caring but after seeing something so traumatizing for him, he changed. He would have ¨dark moods, staying out late and coming home drunk, and losing jobs¨ (Walls, 17)

• What recurring patterns (repeated or related words, images, etc.) can you find? What is the effect of these patterns or motifs?

  A recurring pattern in the book is fire. You hear about ¨fire¨ happening in the beginning of the book, Jeanette gets caught on fire by boiling water. Soon after, her father and her lit up a fire to show she is not scared of it. And a third time, she starts playing with fire in a hotel room that ultimately ends in burning. There is not really an effect, these patterns just continue her behavior.

• What figures of speech are used? (metaphors, similes, hyperbole, personification, etc.)

  There are a lot of uses of metaphors and similes in the book. An example would be that the family compare their car to a caboose. There is also a small part in the book where the grandma and the dad are arguing and they call each other names, and comparing them to a ¨flea-­bitten drunk!" or a ¨scaly castrating banshee¨ (Walls, 12).

  
  

• How are class differences presented in the work? Are the characters aware or unaware of the economic and social forces that affect their lives?

  Class differences are shown very clearly in the book. Its shown many times when the kids struggle to get new clothes or even groceries. The kids seem pretty aware of it, they know about how their dad can't keep a job and all he does is drink.

• How do economic conditions determine the characters' lives?

  The economic conditions make it very difficult for the kids to live a nourished life. There's one part in the book where the kids have to starve because there's not enough money or food at home to keep them fed. The mother doesn't care, and would rather her children not bother her with any of those problems.

• Does the work explicitly embrace or reject socialism? 

  It doesn't really speak about any ideas like socialism, except for Rex ´ s huge dislike for any government workers. The book mainly touches base on Jeanette's identity and her experiences. Her family's lives are also included in the book, but has no signs of socialism.

It stood out to me because why would the children have to walk on eggshells around someone they should be themselves around. And why hasn't the mother at least tried to make their situation better by having some money saved for emergencies like these.