Zak G's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" post 2 chapters "Tears of a Clown" through "My Sister Sends me an E-Mail"

The Book is getting much better actually and I am happy to see that Junior has actually made a friend besides Rowdy, who has a less chance of beating him up.  The book is still a little random for example the chapter "Tears of a Clown" was just about how he was in love with some girl on the reservation, it kind of confuses me as to why this is relevant to the story, if you Zakaria could give any opinions or ideas on this it would be greatly appreciated.  Although the book is kind of random I am able to see, or at least I think I can see, the main plot.  It seems like things are looking up for Junior at his new school which is good because it seems even today that the Native American people aren't fully understood, though a lot better than it seems in this book, and Junior is a cool kid so it is nice to see that things are looking up for him.  I also like that Junior has an optimistic attitude towards almost anything that is thrown at him, even when he is beaten on Halloween and has his money and candy taken, he gets back up and keeps going, which is a refresher from the book I read before this.  Lastly I would like to say that I think that Juniors new friend Gordy is a little weird but no doubt a cool person, I like how he is able to accept Junior even though Junior is pretty much on the lowest point of the social latter.  

Zak G's "The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian" post one chapters "The Black Eye of the Month Club" through "Grandmother Gives me some Advice"

First off I would like to say that this book is a major relief from "I know why the Caged Bird Sings".  I really like how he can feel good about himself even with his unique head problem.  I would like to know, however, why the author decided to not number his chapters, as it gets really confusing sometimes because I don't know where I am.  I thought it was messed up when three thirty year old men picked on a fourteen year old boy with a head problem.  It was cool that Rowdy got revenge for Junior, which is why I thought it was weird when Rowdy went and beat Junior up just for transferring to a new school.  Though I would be upset if I had only one friend and they decided to leave but I don't think that I would go and beat them up.  I am really enjoying this book so far as it brings a sense of humor almost everywhere, even when Junior is being beat up by those thirty year old dudes, it still had that feeling of humor.  I am really excited to see where this book will lead too, but it seems like he will have a better life in his new school, what do you think Zakaria?

Zakaria's 8th Post

I too have thought that she is a pessimist and it pisses me
off because she can never make the book feel good and happy if she keeps being pessimistic.
I also agree that her mom is the liveliest person in the whole book. She makes
the book a lot better. Vivian is crazy and I don’t think she should have gotten
jealous of Maya, is not like she is trying to steal her dad away from Vivian. As
for Maya’s dad living in the trailer
park is to show the reader that not everyone makes it in that society. This
book sucks overall the whole thing was a flop and I hate it I would rather read
a book on how to write a bad book than read this again. The book just has a lot
of sad stuff and it sucks. It is pessimistic just like Maya. This is the worst
ending to a book ever. I never expected her to get pregnant. It seems way to stereotypical.
It ends with her having a baby and sleeping with it. It does not seem to have
any closer in this book and it also ends the book in an off note because it was
not suspected, well nothing was because the book is way to random to predict what
is going to happen next. What do you think about the ending of the book? Do you
think it should have ended differently? I do. It would have been better if it
ended with her getting rich or something.

Zak G's final posting for I know why the caged bird sings chapters 33-36

Wow, for some reason my account wen weird and signed me out, so I had this long post and it was all done so I am kind of mad now.  Anyways I basically just said that I did not like this book at all.  There were only two interesting parts at all and those were the second visit to Maya and Bailey's Mother Dearest and Maya's visit to her dads.  Other than that I found no interest in the book what so ever, the ending was especially stupid to me.  I cannot say anything about the author in a whole, but it seems like she has a lot of successful books, but I was not too thrilled about this one.  I got annoyed at all the racism in the book but mainly the negativity, almost like an aura of it that emitted from the book.  If you must know what I think, I think that she seems to have a problem with almost everyone.  Also I don't think its like no one cares about the war, because when that one girls husband went to war she stopped talking almost all together, obviously feeling saddened at the fact that her husband had to go to war.  I am just relieved that I am done with this book and would like to know what you thought of it.

Zak G's posting 7 chapters 28-32

I think that as we have reached an understanding, Maya is a pessimist.  I sometimes get irritated at all the negative things she has to say about her life.  I think that the mom, not momma, is probably the most lively character, and bailey has just fallen back into a more important secondary character, with only a few references to him here and there.  This part of the book is interesting to me though because as Maya said, I though that her dad lived in a big house and lived the luxurious life and it was a shock to learn that he lived in a trailer park, but he still seems to eat luxuriously.  I also think that his wife or girlfriend or whatever, Dolores, is completely psychotic, I get that she was slapped and all, but she called Maya's mom a whore and that was uncalled for.  I also thought it was weird when she got upset at Bailey Sr. just because he showed affection for his daughter and sharing his cote with her, and it was surprising when he actually showed anger as he seems like a level headed individual.  What do you think of the trailer park and the time she spends there?  I thought it was cut a little short and maybe a whole chapter dedicated to that encounter would have been cool.

Zakaria's 7th Post

I have found a connection; the war in this book reminds me
of the war that was going on at the end of the book Fahrenheit 451. She and
some of the other people don’t seem to care that much about the war but more
about themselves, just as the way the people in Fahrenheit 451 acted when the
war was started. Something else that is crazy is that she is starting to feel at
home with all the chaos that is going on. But that seems to fit here pessimistic
life style. I found it crazy that Maya would side with the con men with Daddy Clidell
just because they conned white people, it just adds to all the racism in this
book. Because of the way the author made Maya’s dad seem at the beginning of
the book I thought that he was going to be like some big businessman but he is
actually just a guy who goes to Mexico to get drunk. Something that occurred to
me is that Maya’s mom and dad are exact opposites. No wonder why they had a divorce.
Another connection that I have found is that Maya seems to have problems with
her parent’s girl and boyfriends. She had a bad experience with Mrs. Freeman
and with her dad’s girlfriend. It is sad that her parents’ happiness sometimes destroys
her happiness. What do you think Zak? Do you think she always has problems with
her parent’s friends? I need to know what you think.

Zakaria's 6th Post

Wow more racism in the book. I hate the part where Dr.
Lincoln would not treat Maya because she is black. It was worse when he said
that he would rather put his hand in a dog’s mouth than in Maya’s mouth just
because she is black. It is people like him that make Maya feel the way she
does about her skin color and her race. I just wish that the racism in this
book would end and that everyone would be able to live together in peace. It’s
good that they get to leave that evil place of Stamps. I think that something
good will happen in the city because in most movies like this people have a
better life in a city than in a small town. Maya’s mom is like a symbol of happiness.
She brings the only happiness in the book and she is the brightest and the best
character. I like her more than any other of the characters in this book. I
hope that daddy Cidle is not like Mr. Freeman otherwise it would ruin the good
things that is happening in the book right now. Right now the book is getting
good and has a happier energy about it. I hope that it continues to be good and
happy. What do you think Zak? What do you think about the characters in this
book?

Zakaria's 5th Post

I agree the book is way too boring and sad. It is boring
because she does not go into anything she just talks almost blankly about it. And
it is very sad. She just keeps talking about all the bad things that are going
on and she is a pessimist that only thinks about the bad things. If she was
happy that she is black it would make the book a little better. I hope that something good happens at the end
of the book because if it doesn’t I don’t think that I will read the book every
again after finishing the book. The author does just seem to jump from one
thing to another it makes the book harder to read in a way. I don’t like the
book but I think that it will get better towards the end. I hate that people
think that they are better than other people in this book. For example, when
the boxer won, Maya thought that black people were better than all people in
the world. That is crazy. I don’t get why she throw away the valentine from Tommy.
It was a chance for happiness. In this book when Bailey lost his virginity to
that one girl, it seemed kind of stereotypical to me which is weird because
this book is supposed to be uplifting or something. What do you think do you
think that she is way too pessimistic and should be happier. Also how do you
think the book is going to end now?

Zak G"s I know why the caged bird sings posting 6 chapters 24-27

I am so happy that the book is actually finally getting interesting.  Maya is no longer apparently depressed, and they (Maya and Bailey) have made it to San Francisco with their mom and new husband.  I think I found the rest of the book uninteresting because it was sett in the country side, where as I like the big cities and the people, maybe not as much as Maya with her very wordy explanations of why she likes it.  Still, I feel as if this book can be saved and I am eager to see what awaits Maya and her Brother.  One thing I would like to point out though, is, do you notice how random the way the book was written.  I can't quite point it out but it seems like the author jumps around quite a bit and sometimes I have a hard time following it, but it may be just me, let me know if you notice it too though.  Also I would like to know what your ideas are on this point in the book.  How do you like it?  What are some interesting things you have noticed that I have neglected to mention?  I am just curious.  I also would like to say that their mom is a much more lively character than any other in this book, and it is interesting to read the way that Maya describes her, and the way she can respect her even more for shooting a man, although she does have a good point that that man was warned before hand.

Zak G"s I know why the caged bird sings posting 5 chapters 19-23

So... there isn't much to say about this book still.  I do not really think much about it other than the fact that it is a little depressing.  Out of no where this girl has the craziest mood swings, from being absolutely ecstatic about graduating to hating herself because she is black.  Being an autobiography and all(I am not going to doubt Zakaria's researching skills) I wonder why the author brings up such sad and depressing times.  If all of a sudden I was so depressed that I felt that everyone should die but especially my own race, I would not want to bring this up let alone think about it again.  So besides the question as to why you think the author would bring this up again, I can't think of much else to say other than the fact that I am completely bored while reading this book.  Whats boring about it is that the author seems to be going through every aspect of her life but skipping around and it gets confusing.  I don't mean to be too rude, but I have to be completely honest when I say that it is boring to the point of passing out while reading it, literally.,  Hopefully it will get better in the chapters to come.
 

Zak G's fourth post chapters 15-18

Not much new has come up, but I do have a question about Bailey.  Why do you think that he acts so emotionally when he sees an actress that looks like his mom?  I get that he was very emotionally attached to his mom so if he really saw her but didn't get a chance to go up and talk to her then he would be very sad, but he is put off his regular happy out-going mood just because he saw someone that looked like her.  Anyways, so, Mrs. Cullinan, I don't understand how she was introduced to this story, the book seems to be getting more random every chapter, but she is a somewhat important character all the same. She seemed at first to me to be a nice person, as even her servant seems to like her, she just seems a little ignorant.  But Maya can't take it when Mrs. Cullinan starts pronouncing her name wrong, but what I don't get is why she had to go and break Mrs. Cullinan's favorite dishes, it seemed a little harsh to me just because she wanted out of the job, until Mrs. Cullinan shows her true colors and can't contain herself and almost certainty nearly kills Maya, I thought it was a little funny and a little messed up that she completely missed and hit her servant Glory in the ear, I guess Mrs. Cullinan had it coming for loosing control like that.  Then the book gets even more random and seems to have veered off the plot completely.  I don't get why it takes a whole chapter to explain why they are at a church, I would like to know your opinion on this.

Zak G's third post chapters 10-(through)14

I think that she has really no opinion of the city, it is just another canvas that she walks the length of every day.  I think that her main focuses are in books as she says that at one point they even out way Bailey, her own brother and the one she loves most.  One thing I want to point out is the explicitly drawn out details of Maya's encounters of Mr. Freeman.  Most importantly a simple, I was raped and it sucked would have sufficed, but no, the author had to lay out every single agonizing detail in front of the reader, I wanted to just put the book down at the first encounter and never even acknowledge it again, and If this really is an autobiography than I feel really sorry for the author, but I mean come on, she could have left out the details of the "thing"!   I was glad when Mr. Freeman died, sick bastard got what he deserved!  Sorry for the rage, that part just really got to me.  Anyhow I also thought that it was really wrong that Maya and Bailey were sent back to Stamps just because Maya would not talk, even the whippings she got were way to harsh, she had just gone through something horrendous, and even if she hadn't it is her own business why she does not want to talk, plus they are family so that was even more harsh.  

Zakaria's 4th Post Nov 10, 2011

From what I have read so far, the book seems to be going
nowhere it is frustrating to think of where this might go in the
future. I understand why it is so random it is probably because it is a
bibliography of the other. That would make sense because she uses her name in the book. With
all the reading and poetry that she is doing she will probably start to become a writer towards
the end of this book. Do you think she will become an author in this book or do you think the book is going to end in a different way? I went to Maya Angelou’s
website and I read her brief biography and from what I have read I still assume
that the book will somehow end up with her either starting to become an author
or her being an author. Maya became a big activist for human rights she helped
out people like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr. With the fact that she grew up in a time where there was racial tension it makes sense that she would try and make the United States of America better for all races. (Maya Angelou Website). Now that all the bad things happened in the book I am anticipating something good will happen to Maya in the next few chapters.

Where I got all of my information on Dr. Maya Angelou.
"Biography."Maya Angelou. Dr. Maya Angelou, The
Official Website, n.d. Web. 10 Nov. 2011.

Zakaria's 3rd Post Nov 10, 2011

I don’t think that it is a coincidence the Maya is the
author because it is a biography. I also agree this book is way too
boring. Maya likes a little city more
than a big city in a little city she can keep everything to herself. I assume
that her parents and uncles becoming more like white people, ruined the whole
city experience for her. Do you think that or do you think that she just hates
the city because she is antisocial Earlier in the book when the kids meet their
mom for the first time since she left them, Maya was talking about how much she
changed and how much she was like a white person. It is crazy how much people
hate people of other races in this book. For example they call the white people
“them” also because Maya hates the way black people are treated. What do you
think do you think? So far I am disliking the book I think it is way too
boring. It reminds me of the Rocket boys. That book started off boring and got
better so I hope that will happen in this book too, but I cannot see how this
would turn for the better because people still hate each other and because she
is not really doing anything. She is such a boring character. I would much
rather read the book about her mom or her brother or her dad because they
actually do stuff while she does basically nothing.
Also the city of stamps reminds me of ND. It is a small city
like the cities in ND.

Zak G's second post chapter 5-9

I think that Maya was a little more intimidated by being in a new city with new people then hopeful.  Also it occurred to me that this is the author's childhood because the main character has the same name as the author, coincidence?... I think not.  Also I do think something bad will happen as sexual molestation is mentioned a couple times through the book, so maybe something like that will happen.   Also it is mentioned that Maya was adopted so I think that is probably why she is a little bit more intimidated than Bailey who is the "blood child" (it sounds scary but I just mean that those are his real parents).  I have to say though that I am a little disappointed in the book so far, it just seems to me like another coming of age story, I thought that it would be cooler than this.  The title "I know why the Caged Bird Sings." kind of implied to me something like a jailed story or something like that, but when it was about a girl growing up.  I get that she is trying to explain the hardships of black people back then, it is just that this is not my kind of book.
  

Zakaria's Second Post

Now that I think about it I do agree with you, Maya only hated the way that black
people are treated. As for black people calling white people things I think it
was because everybody was taught to hate people from the other race. The author
had the children come to a big city and to see their successful parents and
uncles to show the reader that black people could make a good life back where
this story took place. She also did that so the kids in this book (i.e. Maya
and Bailey) could get hope that they could do something great with their lives. What do you think is going to happen next just because she is in a new city I somehow think that she will have a bad exprience. Mabey it is because she said that her uncles seem like they are mean. Do you think something bad will happen

Zak G's first post

Well, Zakaria, I didn't think that deeply while I was reading, I felt that it was just another story that someone wrote, and for some reason I got the impression that it may be a reflection of the authors childhood.  I didn't really think Uncle Willie or anything was symbolic to the way that it was for black people back then, I felt that the book flat out showed the reader what it was like for black people back then.  As for you stating that Maya hates that she is black, I do not agree with that.  I believe that she hates how unfairly blacks are treated by the whites, and that is why she is intimidated a little by her father because it is true that he seems to act and talk like the whites, even being described by her as the only brown white man.  Also she implies that she is a little upset that her father was the only brown white man, so that is also a hint that she likes being black just not how they are treated.  One main thing I would like to point out, is that the author points out many times that white people are (or maybe were I don't know) not even people, they were just "things" and were to be referred to as white folk.  I get that it was written back when blacks, or any minority really, were treated unfairly by the whites, but even so it sort of caught my attention how many times it is pointed out, just saying.  I don't know, let me know what you think about that deal.

Zakaria's First Post Novmber 9 2011

From what I have read it seems like Maya hates being black
and would much rather be a white woman instead. I assume that if she was born
in a time where black and white people were treated the same she would not have
felt the way she does in this book. I think that the author made Willie the way
he was to emphasize what people thought of black people in general, that is
very sad. Also the way that the children treated Momma might symbolize how
white people treated black people in the time this story takes place. I can see
how everyone in the city respects Mama. She is the only one with a black store
she treats everyone kindly no matter if they are white or black and also because
she is very understanding. I think because of the high title that she has people
might find her as a target. Maya and Bailey destroyed the doll there mother
gave them because it opened up the pain of divorce and the pain of not seeing
their parents for a very long time. Another reason why they would have destroyed
it is because it reminded them of white people because it had blonde hair and
blue eyes. When the children’s father comes to visit them and sends them to
their mother they feel like they are complete strangers. This is because they
have changed so much and also they became a lot like white people. I also think
that they feel jealous because Maya’s mother is exactly what Maya wanted to
look like. What do you think Zak?

Initial Post

The Two Books We are Reading are The Absolutly True Diary of a Part Time Indian (The Banned Book) and I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Sherman Alexie and Maya Angelou.

We will be reading one book at a time and we will read the amount of chapters specified below.

We will be reading 8 chapters a week for The Absolutly True Diary of a Part Time Indain and 9 chapters a week of I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. This means we will post 4.5 chapters a post and 4 chapters a post.

Zakaria will post on monday and Wednesday and Zak will post on Tuesday and Thursday of every week.