Fat Kid Rules the World

In the book Fat kids Rules the World the main character troy really wants to fit in and be normal. But he thinks everyone doesn't like him and treats him different because of his weight. Troy is 300 pound teenager and he hates himself so much that at the beginning of the book he tried to kill himself. And he would have done it if it weren't for his his friend Curt who saved him. Curt is homeless punk rock star who is very popular and a legend at school.And Curt too has a lot  of issues going on in his life.

In the Book the main character Troy Billings would do any thing to fit in and be popular like Curt.
For example, he joined  a band and told Curt that he could play the drums even though he knew he could not. So he lied to Curt just so he could fit in. Why i think he would lie just to fit in is because everyone treats him as an outsider, even his dad and his brother. Troy's dad was an army marine who is obsessed with fitness. And because Troy is overweight he is always trying to make Troy go to gyms and programs forcing Troy to try to be someone he is not, Also Troy's brother is and all star athlete who also is obsessed with fitness. Troy's brother is always cracking jokes and making fun of Troy's weight and treats Troy as a "Loser".

All in all, I think Troy tries really hard to fit in. I think this because he doesn't fit in at home because he family treats him as and outsider. He doesn't fit in at school because everyone treat him different and weird because of his weight. So Troy had to resort to lying to one of his friends just to try and fit in.

R.I.P Sammy

Dear Sammy,
We might not have been the closet friends but we were pretty close. You were the nicest person in the world. You never got mad at anyone and would always let people ride on your scooter. It is so weird that you are gone because the other day you came over to me and asked me for my metro card because you had no money and I lent you money. Also yesterday we were talking at the turf and after school before i went to Kaplan. I remember all those days in jazz band after school and the day we barged into Az's house with Adam and played Fifa. Or the times when you and Az's would steal my celtic's hat and run away with it. Also i remember the times with you when we played a big game of manhunt after the science fair. I love you and you will be greatly missed.
To Sammy a.k.a (Sammy Germinoes)

Long Way Gone

The book Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah is about how his life changed because of the civil war in Sierra Lone. The civil war was between the rebels and the army who were fighting for control of the government. In the book, the main character, Ishmael, life is turned upside down. He was split up from his family, saw long time friends get killed and had to join the army to survive. The lesson about life that Ishmael Beah is trying to teach through his story is war can change someone of even the friendliest person. A boy could be fun, loving and friendly before a war, but come out the war a changed man.

One way Ishmael is shown as fun, loving and friendly before the war is how all he wanted to do was spend time with friends, have friendly competitions and go to school. For example, in the text it says “After I returned from school with my friends I went to Khalilou’s house to wash my crapes (pants) and count for Junior and Talloi, who were having a push-up competition. When I finished I sat and listened to Rapper’s Delight by Sugarhill Gang on my cassette tape.”(9) This example explains how Ishmael was a regular boy who liked to hang out with friends, go to school, and listen to music. This paragraph shows that Ishmael had a normal life before the war.

One example of how the war changed Ishmael is how killing other people didn’t affect him. Ishmael now kills people without remorse. For example, in the text it says, “We walked for long hours and stopped only to eat sardines and corned beef with gari, sniff cocaine, brown brown (a type of drug) and take some white capsules. These combinations of drugs gave us a lot of energy and made us fierce. The idea a killing didn’t cross my mind at all….. I had no problem killing rebels.”(122) This quote explains that Ishmael has changed very much. He changed from a fun outgoing boy who loved to listening to music to killings rebels without remorse.  This paragraph shows the lesson that war can really change someone.

 The last reason how the war has changed Ishmael is because he not only kills without remorse but also his way of thinking has changed. For example, in the text it says “My army squad was my family, my gun was my provider and my protector, and my rule was to kill or be killed….. We had been fighting for over two years and killing had become my daily activity. I felt no pity for anyone. My childhood gone without my knowing, and seemed as if my heart had frozen.”(129) That quote explains that Ishmael’s way of thinking has changed. It went from thinking about school and friends, to worrying and thinking about having to kill to stay alive. This paragraph shows how the war has changed the way Ishmael thinks.

In conclusion, war can really change someone as evidence has shown in the book Long Way Gone. The main character, Ishmael, has gone from a fun, outgoing boy who loves to listen to music and hang out with friends, to a boy who kills without remorse and whose rule is to kill or be killed. War can drastically alter one’s life as shown in the book Long Way Gone.