Reading+Reflections

5/15/10 1. I must say, I got a very, very late start with this book. Before reading, I glanced at the back, and was amazed how people would just drop like flies.... I was reading alittle of it and it is deffinately not for weak stomachs! while reading, I felt like I was acvtually there at the scene! Very surreal. It seems very scary how monkeys can instantly just die, no cure... no nothing.



4/9/10 6. I fiished reading the book and I really enjoyed it. My only complaint was the train ride that Christopher took to see his mother. I thought it was so boring and slow. I didn't really see the need for this section. I understand that the reader needs to know how he got to London, I just wish the author would have spiced it up. Mr. Shears seems like a complete moron. He is inconsiderate of Christopher and his needs. Christophers' mothers' story about why she left was exactly what I thought it would've sounded like. I wonder if she'll be a god mother now that Christopher is living with her. I hoe Christopher passes his maths Level A.

4/9/10 5. I believe Christopher lives a good life. When the book mentions that his mother dies from a heart attack, I don't really believe it. First of all, why wouldn't Christopher's dad allow him visit his own mother. That is an odd story. I really like Mrs. Alexander because she reminds me of a friend of mine. Mrs. Young is a petite old lady who still drives and maintains a house all by herself. Anyways, I feel that Christopher should be able to trust Mrs. Alexander. When I read that Christophers mother is still alive, I believed it. I wasn't shocked. Those letters seemed sympathetic. His father is a liar! Hiding those letters, then learning that he killed Wellington. He wanted revenge on his marriage. I wonder if Christopher is really going to go and find his mother. If I was Christopher, I think I would like to meet my mother. I would want to know why she left in the first place. I mean, I would imagine that she left because of marital problems, but I would want to hear her say it.

3/10/10 4. I get very agrivated while playing Minesweeper. I get so close to winning and then I lose. Christopher is a gifted child. I think it is an odd way how his mother died; it is as if I do not believe it. If my mother went to the hospital, I would want to visit her. I wonder what yellow means to him. He has said that yellow cars can represent a bad day, he wouldn't eat that yellow cake offered to him by Mrs. Alexander, etc. I doubt Mrs. Shears killed Wellington, but in his eyes I can understand where he is coming from. I wouldn't want to get Christopher mad, because I bet he would hurt me. More than once, he has mentioned that he would hurt or kill someone with his Swiss Army Knife. I enjoyed reading his list of problems, especially the cliff notes.

3/8/2010 3. Four pages into the book, and I feel like I will enjoy this. I wondered why the chapters skipped numbers; ie 2, 3, 5, 7, etc and then I realized that they are all prime numbers. I found that to be very clever. I feel upset for Christopher, since he was found at the crime scene with the murder weapon in his hand. Of course I don't think Christoper killed the poodle since he found the animal already dead. Unfortunately, Mrs. Shear may not think so; Christopher is a prime suspect. I wonder what Christopher looks like. It didn't surprise me that he hit a police officer. What surprises me is how he knows all of such random information and facts, like the size of the jail cell. I thought his "hug" with his father was very meaningfull and special. Christoper is a boy who takes things very literally. I look forward to finishing this book.

3/7/2010 2. I wonder if John really does love his wife. It finally clicked that the wife is also a mother. She definately doesn't like the yellow wall paper! The ending confused me; in a creepy way. I feel like she was peeling away this paper in a scary way. I could imagine her ripping slowly the faster. Once John comes home, I am presuming that his wife looks like a madwoman. The last two paragraphs confuse me for sure! It seems like she has two personalities. The woman in the wall paper is the narrator who is trapped in her own house? By ripping the paper, she is freeing herself.

3/7/2010 1. It's too bad that this narrator didn't have a name mentioned in the book. I liked how it was set up like a continuous journal entry. This lady who had the nervousness seemed to be a lovely wife. Her husband seemed to brush her off. I disliked how his sister was the cleaning lady. I felt like his sister was just another person to keep eyes on her. Not being able to write would upset me, because I believe it is a way to express yourself. When no one talks to you throughout the day, this pad and pen is the only way to be heard. John should not discourage this form of expression, nor should he be the one in charge of saying what is allowed to be done. The yellow wall paper must remind her of something horrible that happened to her in the past. It seems to upset her; She is very picky about the room.

NNNNNNNNEEEEEEEWw^

1/12/2010 13. I think the chapter titled "Eyes Right!" was my favorite. The way it was shortly written grasped my attention. While reading, my mind remained focused and didn't wander. I didn't get lost since the summary of this was a lady who couldn't comprehend the left of everything, since she was able to only see the right of objects. The final chapter of the first part seemed to be about talking in a monotone. I don't really like monotone.

1/12/2010 12. While reading "On the Level", I liked how Doc spoke about our other senses. -The secret senses, sixth senses, etc. It seems mysterious that we have these and don't recognize them. It made me feel good to see that Mr. MacGregor "figured" out what was happening to him, what was causing him to tilt. His comparison to carpentry was neat. In Purdon Martins' "tilting reactions" section, he mentions the threefold contribution. This system is a tripod which is balance; when a "leg" is removed, the pod falls.

1/12/2010 11. "Phantoms"! I enjoyed reading this chapter because of the variety of phantoms listed. One little blurb was educational in providing a mini "cure", such at the one stated in the 'Phantom Finger'~sensory stroke. Waking up a limb by slapping it seems odd, because a limb can't sleep. The metaphor used in this blurb was good in giving a clear message of amputees and what they sense. I suppose 'Positional Phantoms' is a quick reference to "Disembodies Lady"? Alittle similar but different in the sense that the floors would jerk and tilt, causing his fallings. I don't want to sound nasty but I am lucky not to have a disorder such as the ones provided in this book...

1/12/2010 10. "The Man Who Fell Out of Bed" was short, sweet, and to the point. I wonder what people's brains look like while thinking and doing everything; I would like to see a picture with high lighted colors. I understand how the leg man could be upset. A person goes to bed comfortably, knowing everything is in order; Then he wakes up and an odd object is on his bed. -Weird! The chapter "Hands" opened my mind to how useful our hands are. People don't really think about how their hands help them on a daily bases. I was baking cookies one day this past week, and I burnt two fingers. I put cream on them, and bandaged them up. It was hard to carry my daily routine with two fingers that were useless. My hands/fingers help me accomplish many things such as writing, driving, and eating. If I had a deficit in my hand as a child, I would have hoped my parents got me help. I would want them to help me fix/cope with this ordeal.

1/12/2010 9. Wow! It sure has been awhile since I've written in this! The "Lost Mariner" reminds me of the movie "50 First Dates". Being unable to remember such things would mterrify me. When a body can make changes like the ones mentioned in this book..... it's creepy. It makes me wonder what could happen to myself, my family, and my friends. Of all my senses, I wouldn't want my sight to be taken away from me. Have my hearing or my sense of taste, but leave me my vision!. The "Disembodies Lady" chapter didn't really make sense to me. I suppose she kept falling because she didn't understand she had legs and feet to support herself. Hmm, I'll google it.

12-3-2009 8. After completing this book, I thought to myself: "Wow, Karen what would you have done if you were asked to work on these surgeries?" Would I accept the request, or say no? After Michelle told me what a vivisection was, I squirmed. This book was good; and it wasn't bad. Uedas' section was alittle frightening. Not in the sense of, "Oh, scary scary" but rather "Oh, thats creepy". For this I say because she marrys a patient just to start a family. Yet, she loses her baby and her husband cheets on her. Its creepy how she beats her dog, and it doesn't bother her. It is like she truly has no emotion. I suppose she was an excellent choice to participate in the surgeries. Toba is a man who is sure of himself. He know what he wants and grabs it. Stealing the silver butterfly is a childish thing to do. I felt bad for those Americans, because they really had no clue what was going happen to them. The first operation was an eye opener because I felt like I was there, in the same room. I would recommend this book, to a person who was interested in both health and history. It is like a backround to what happened during the war. I enjoy learning about these type of things, odd as it seems, because they sure don't happen in Northern Westchester Hospital on a daily bases.

12/02/2009
 * 1) 7. This book seems better than Hiroshima. I know I just started reading, but it seems intersting. I read the back of the book to get an idea, and I didn't seem to get bored. I was alittle confused when it switched from the prolouge to the first chapter, but then I reread the back cover, and I understood. Dr. Surguro seems like a sincere man. I maybe wrong, but it seems like he doesn't really know what he's getting himself into. Fukuoka is such a dirty town. Maybe that may not be true nowadays, but it seems like there is so much dust pollution. Even in the operating room, they need to spray water. The operation involving Mrs. Tabe made my stomach drop. How could they let a person die on the table. THEN pretend like she died the next morning. That is truly messed up. -Sickening.

'11/14/09
 * 1) 6 Hiroshima is an interesting book. When ever someone says August 6th, I always respond with that simple statement of: "Oh! Thats my brothers' birthday!" For some odd reason, I feel proud about Brian. Anyways, I enjoy reading about this type of history. It is fascinating to read about a persons' point of view about a situation that occurred to so many people.While reading this book, I tried to imagine myself in Japan. The bright flash seemed so powerful. What would I have done if I was in that type of scenario? What would I have grabbed with me as I were about to leave my house behind? I would probably grab a few photographs, so I would be able to hold onto the memories that were seen throught those pictures.

10/20/2009
 * 1) 5. Anna's decision not to testify is very odd to a person who hasn't either read or saw the movie. Anna needs to testify in order to show everyone that she is a mature 13 year old who know what she wants. Sarah's chapter wasn't very interesting. Nothing really grasped my attention, since it was mostly the hearing. Julias' chaoters have so much passion. She talks from the heart. I wonder if she and Campbell will get married. Julia's comment during the hearing was a good 50/50. The cat is finally out of the bag and Campbell should've listened to Judge, because of his heart. Anna's witness is truly sad. It makes me think about all the families dealing with cancer. I know cancer is brutal because I recently lost a dear friend this past Friday. Attending his funeral today was heart breaking. Its sad to think that Anna finally recieved rights to her body and shortly lost them. I hate and love how the story comes to an end. I hate how Anna dies, because I hate death. I hate how the last photo was of Anna in that bunch. Yet, I love how Jesse cleaned up. I love how Julia and Campbell figured things out.

10/8/2009
 * 1) 4. The Fitzgerald kids had to grow up quickly. Their childhood was short lived. Sarah needs to stop being so rude to Anna. Yes, I am sure shes going through a rough time, but so is everyone else. The cross word puzzple part made me think of how much Anna gave to Kate. Anna's clearly a smart 13 year old. I enjoyed how the humans came to earth story. Julia is a great character. Too bad she wasn't ever mentioned in the movie. She can't seem to get over Campbell becaus she always falls for him. Camplbell and Anna have a great relationship besides the "lawyer" title. For example, when he took her out to brunch. -sweet! The court case seemed intense. Sarahs' interview was like being continously hit in the face. I felt like I was actually present. Reading about Taylor and Kate made me incredibly sad, yet happy. Happy that Kate got to experience love, and sad that she lost it so quickly. Jesse. I wish I could hug this kid, and thats all I've got to say for now about him.

10/1/2009
 * 1) 3. I enjoy reading everyone except Sara. She totally favors Kate. I like how this novel has humor and then goes back to serious. It is a good mixture. I don't like how Jesse is completely different in the movie. I don't want this book to end.

9/24/2009
 * 2: Why does Campbell always lie about his service dog? He always seems to change the job status of Judge. Julia was never mentioned in the movie and was interesting to read about. I wonder is Campbell and Julia will start another romance. I feel bad for Jesse. He is a smart kid who no one notices, except Anna. Knowing that the ending to the book is diffrent than the movie, I wonder what else is different.

9/24/2009
 * 1: First off, this book is deffinately different than the movie. This book is an easy read and well written. Jodi is a descriptive author. I agree with Anna in the sense that she should have control of her own body. She should be able to make her own decisions of how to help Kate. Yes, they are siblings, but Anna's parents put her in a hard situation. By helping Kate, Anna is hindering her own health.