https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0 Marysville Book Club en-us 2020-12-09 00:08:30 UTC 2026-02-18 13:56:03 UTC hello@padlet.com https://padlet.net/icons/png/1f4da.png lgreenberg12 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1044863290 2020-12-29 04:32:53 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1044863290 lgreenberg12 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1044864719 In the first chapters of the book Noah describes many of the ways Apartheid controlled, manipulated, and oppressed the lives of Black South Africans. He tells stories that illustrate his mother's fortitude and ingenuity. She found many ways to subvert the segregated systems of Apartheid; living, working, and socializing where she shouldn't have been. Noah's mother was a deeply religious woman and they attended multiple churches every Sunday. She was so committed to God that attending church sometimes put their lives at risk. On one occasion his mother jumps from a moving vehicle while carrying his baby brother, throwing Noah out before her, in order to escape a potentially deadly situation. Because a mixed race child shouldn't have existed, Noah's childhood was one of separation. He couldn't run out and play with neighborhood kids; couldn't walk down the street next to his dad, holding his hand.]]> 2020-12-29 04:34:21 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1044864719 lwhite316 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1048430012 Trevor lives his young adult years in "the hood". The ending of apartheid and rise of hip hop made people identify more with their own township. Living in the hood Trevor begins to recognize that crime succeeds there because unlike government the people involved in crime gets involved in the well-being of their community.]]> 2021-01-01 23:23:05 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1048430012 hanello1 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1050350037 Trevor learns the true meaning of colorblind in chapter 13. He gets away with stealing from a store because he presented white on the video. Which leads to chapter 14 where he experiences how important language is to succeeding in love and life. Chapter 15 dives into his years of as a DJ and how significant a persons name is to navigating the systematic racism of our world.]]> 2021-01-03 22:46:54 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1050350037 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1057436247 In chapter 7 Trevor tells us about his first love and the lesson she taught him. His first love was a little dog named Fufi. During the day when everyone was gone from the home Fufi would sneak out and roam the neighborhood. One day when Trevor was home from school he followed Fufi and found that she was visiting another family. That family said they owned the dog and vice versa. Learning that Fufi loved another boy broke Trevor´s heart. He said that experience shaped how he has felt about relationships for the rest of his life: ¨you do not own the thing that you love.¨ In chapter 8 Trevor talks about his father. He refers to him as Robert, because he is forbidden from calling him dad or father. He does not know much about his father´s life before he was born. His father was completely against racism. He opened a restaurant that was eventually closed because he refused to comply with the ridiculous rules of apartheid. He saw his father regularly until he was 13. At that point apartheid had ended, Trevor´s mother eventually married someone else who didn´t want her in contact with Robert, so he ended up moving away. 11 years later he found his father and reconnected with him. He had always wondered if his father had forgotten about him and his father showed him a photo album that had everything Trevor had accomplished in it. In chapter 9 Trevor talks about how apartheid pinned everyone against each other and how he did not fit into any of the categories. He shares a story about a time he was bullied. ]]> 2021-01-05 20:47:56 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1057436247 sdavis818 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1057631335 The Cultural Chameleon!
Trevor continues to struggle to find his place in his community. In Chapter 10, his mother and classmates tell him how to love which confuses Trevor because it is all based on other people's expectations instead of his own. Right before Valentine's Day he has his first kiss with a girl who is the only girl who "looks like" him. As he continues to grow and develop through high school, he remains an outsider. In chapter 11, Trevor finds comfort in humor and can confidently  “drop in, pass out the snacks, tell a few jokes,” then move on to the next group. Eventually, he develops close friendship in Chapter 12 and actually a huge crush on Zaheera. His plan to become her best friend to make her realize he is perfect for her is ruined because she abruptly moves to the United States. He later finds out that she had a crush on him all along which completely breaks his heart. ]]> 2021-01-05 22:18:20 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1057631335 abacon28 https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1057797571 He begins by reflecting on how shared or different languages can be used to bring people together or divide them.  His mother spoke and taught him multiple languages, which allowed him to fit in with different groups, which would otherwise make him an outsider.         
He begins school at a private Catholic school with mixed races.  He is put in the gifted classes with the mostly white students.  He opted to transfer out, where he feels more welcome and sense of belonging with other Black students.   

He grows up in poverty, as did his mother.  She is determined to raise him well-educated and able to think for himself and question things.  

At the end of apartheid, he moves to Eden Park, where primarily colored people live.  His family acquires a car and a sense of freedom.

Noah is a strong-willed, high-energy child.  When his mother gets frustrated with him, she writes him letters to communicate with him.  She is always clear why he is being punished.

Noah and another boy play with a magnifying glass and matches and start a fire, which burns the entire house.]]> 2021-01-06 00:29:30 UTC https://padlet.com/hanello1/bm68k77g5mi198z0/wish/1057797571