English 485: Expedition Adolescence

 I'm going to be honest. I did not care for this book. I finished it pretty quickly. The material of the book was real, authentic, factual, etc. and I though that the author did great with the overall topic of the book. However, I don't think I cared for the writing style. I don't usually mind short books, although I prefer long and lengthy reads because it usually has more substance. I don't usually mind them because it's quick, straight to the point and my brain enjoys them. But this one was almost too quick. I felt like the book wasn't very tense for a story covering this type of material? I imagine being in this scenerio would be frightening and so tense that you feel a little panicked. This book didn't give me that feeling and it just felt like a school assignment. It felt anti-climactic. The ending was a little rushed to me. I didn't feel like every question was answered or even acknowledged. Miguel and his sister's inner-turmoil felt unanswere

 I know how late this blog post is considering that I wrote the first paper on this book. Honestly as I sit here and write this at the end of the semester, this was my one of my favorites, if not my favorite book, that we've read the entire semester. It looks like it's long when you look at the physical book, but it feels like a quick read. Especially the last 100-150 pages or so. Fabiola wasn't my favorite narrator from the other books we've read, but she was realistic and I liked that. She knew (mostly) what her priorities were (to herself) and although not all of her decisions were the best, she stuck to her views and how she saw the world. Mostly, when Fab was feeling a certain type of emotion during the book, I was right there with her. She was smart, strong when she needed to be, and was one of the most loyal characters I've ever read about. When I was in the middle of reading American Street, I wasn't sure how I felt about the small chapters about each ch

      (I forgot this was a draft and forgot that I never posted it!) It took me an extra week to read It's Kind of a Funny Story. I just don't think I connected with the book very much. The content wasn't too heavy or triggering to me personally. Even though I often struggle with depression, it comes and it goes, I just didn't connect with Craig's character. Okay, let me re-phrase that. I related to him, but didn't connect with him. I am a worrier and I stress over every little thing like he does. It's exhausting to say the least. But I understand where he's coming from when he panics and feels suicidal from his depression. I myself have not really dealt with suicide, but I know others or close friends who have, so it's a hard topic to discuss sometimes. Even with our similar struggles, Craig just didn't click with me. It don't think it's the characters, or the setting, or the story. Something about the book apparently didn't suck me

  My essential research question: Why have dystopian novels been such a popular subgenre of YA fiction, especially throughout the 2010s?  Focus Questions:  Why do teenagers like reading dystopian novels?  Why are dystopian YA novels so widely appealing (adults often read them too)? What makes dystopian literature such an effective medium for telling stories that are especially salient for YA readers? What kicked off the “trend” of YA dystopian literature?  What are the common features within these types of books? Are dystopian novels becoming more or less popular as time goes on?   What kind of dystopian YA literature has been written in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic?  Do teens feel that we live in a real-life dystopia more than ever? Are we done with the “renaissance” of dystopian YA literature?   Overview of the topic and why I selected it:  I have always loved dystopian fiction, starting with when I read the Hunger Games series in the sixth grade.  I feel that dystopian literatu

  La Linea is a short but sweet story about a journey through Mexico and other areas, to reach " La Linea" or the line that separates Mexico from the US. The book is a fantastic read that while is fiction, depicts the real struggles that many individuals face when decding to cross the border. Like other books in this class, the intention of the novel seeks to educate those who don't know about these struggles while also working as a hopeful narrrative. I think the novel would work best in the classroom, especially if the topic is specifically about immigration and the many problems that exsit in the world.  I would recommend this book to others as a great read. 

 I am writing my research paper about how Covid has affected adolescents in the classroom. I will focus specifically on how it has increased levels of anxiety in adolescents, which can relate to many of the books we have read since they all deal with some sort of anxiety.