Freedom Writers, Life is Beautiful, Marcelo in the Real World, and Dear Julia

Yes, my readers, it's been a long time since I last posted. To pay for this, I have several topics that I will be talking about, and my hands will most certainly feel cramped after typing this : ) I hope that gives those of you who have been waiting on a post some cruel satisfaction, lol.

My excuses for not posting are pretty valid, though. I've been so busy with after school activities like volleyball, chorus, bookclub, and work that my NHC hasn't been able to talk to me on the phone except for Sundays. I've always been a person that likes to stay busy, and I've definitely been busy because final exams are looming up ahead, and teachers have been piling on the homework to get us all prepared.

However, I like a full schedule, so me being me I signed up for another volleyball team in addition to the one I'm already on! I'm very excited, this next one starts on June 1st, and I always like to meet new coaches and teammates.

But enough about my boring life, I'm eager to talk about several books and movies that I've recently watched! In fact, there were so many that I actually had to CHOOSE what I would and wouldn't talk about this time (Two movies and a book I won't be discussing. Animal Farm got cut because I hate history and the whole thing was a giant historical metaphor, and The Great Debaters was okay but there was nothing particularly special about it that made me want to share my opinions with anyone. The book was Long Shadows, and it's part of the Warriors series, so that'd take too long to explain.)

This movie started out with a lot of violence, so I didn't have high expectations for it when I first started watching. I was surprised when it actually started to get good. I was knocked off my feet when one part hit a bit too close to home and I had to actually hold back tears. By the end I found myself wondering how I had even thought that this movie wouldn't be anything worth remembering at the beginning.

What makes this movie even better is that it's based on a true story. No lie. The acting also happened to be GREAT, it stars Hilary Swank, Patrick Dempsey, Scott Glenn, etc.

So, about the plot. It sort of reminded me of the movie Lean on Me (with Morgan Freeman) where one teacher tries to turn a bunch of students away from their rebellious ways and actually get them to shape up into a well educated class (I liked Lean on Me, too, in case anyone's interested). In this movie, Hilary Swank plays a new teacher at a school where you're defined by your race. All white people have their own gang, all black people have their own gang, all Hispanics have their own gang, all Asians have their own gang, and NO ONE intermingles. It's really bad, they actually kill each other if you're caught on another gang's territory. Sometimes for even less than that.

Mrs. Gruwell (referred to by her students as Mrs. G) has high hopes for her first class. She prepares a well thought out lesson plan, wears her most professional clothes, and walks into a teacher's nightmare. The picture below is of the real Erin Gruwell:

The movie follows her journey through attempting to understand her class and her brilliant methods of bonding with them. Mrs. Gruwell has her students write in these journals so that she can discover each child's story and gain a better understanding of why they have these gangs so that she can put a stop to as much of the violence as she can and ultimately help the students find their place in the world. The movie (and book, if you want to read it rather than watch it) is called Freedom Writers because of the journals the students kept.

I liked this movie a lot, it was very inspiring. It makes you really FEEL like someone, not just a face in an endless crowd. You learn that each person has their own story to tell, and that no hatred is too deep to be solved.

This movie I had to watch in my history class, and it is quite sad. I can't say that I enjoyed watching it, but I do think that this is a movie worth watching if it's the kind of thing that you're into.

The plot is kind of divided into two halves. The first half of the movie is a charming, funny romantic plot. The second half is a chill you to the bone sad plot about the Holocaust. The movie is set in 1930's Italy and the main character, Guido Orefice, is hopelessly head over heals in love with a teacher named Dora. He gets into many hilarious situations with her, but unfortunately for him, Dora is engaged to another man. The first half of the movie is about Guido persistently trying to win the heart of the woman of his dreams.

The second half of the movie is set a few years later when Guido has a family, but they are all taken away by Nazis to a concentration camp. Guido's son is very young, and to avoid traumatizing his boy, Guido comes up with an imaginative (and very untrue) fantasy to explain to his son why they've been taken away from their home to this awful new place. He tells his son that it's all a contest, and that there's a point system for how well you obey the mean Germans. His son loved to play with toy tanks back before they were captured, so Guido tells him that the prize is a REAL tank. Here's the trailer for the movie:



It makes it seem far happier than it really is. Just warning you. The beginning is cute, though...

I liked this book, honestly, I did. The points that I make may make it seem like I didn't find it well written, but it really was and while it wasn't the best read it was still pretty good.

Marcelo is about 17 or 18 years old, and he's been sheltered his entire life because he has a mental disorder. He's autistic, and the closest thing to describing what he has is Asperger Syndrome (deficiencies in social and communication skills). He's gone to a private school called Patterson for his entire life, which a school for those with disabilities. He doesn't really need to go to this school because his disability isn't bad enough that he couldn't go to public school, he just feels safer at Patterson.

Marcelo has a gift with working with animals, and he gets a job working with the ponies at Patterson over the summer. Marcelo couldn't be more delighted. That is, until his father gives him a tough decision to make. Arturo (his dad) insists that Marcelo either go to public school for his senior year or that Marcelo work at his law firm for one summer. His dad is trying to get Marcelo to interact with people more and learn to function "in the real world." Marcelo decides to work at the law firm where he meets people and encounters tough choices that help him realize where his place really is and how he's going to get there.

My biggest complaint with this book is that it built up a lot of anticipation for something that never happened. The underlying romance of the story is between him and this girl, Jasmine, who also works at his father's law firm. Throughout the book, Marcelo tries to figure out what love really is and what makes a woman beautiful. I kept waiting for this solidifying moment between Marcelo and Jasmine to satisfy that aspect of the plot, to help Marcelo see more clearly what the difference is between friendship and love. That moment was kind of there, but it wasn't good enough for my taste. *Shrug* But this is just one small complaint! I liked the book, it held my interest, and I would recommend it if you're thinking of giving it a chance.

This is a fantastic, glowing example of a book that I highly DISLIKED. I wouldn't suggest this book to anyone, it was a serious disappointment. I can't believe this girl in my book club liked it, she usually has better taste than this.

This story is about a girl name Elaine and her friend Lucida. Elaine has no friends in school before Lucida comes along in her junior year of high school, she plays no sports, has no extracurricular activities, but she is very bright when it comes to academics. However, academics aren't what interests Elaine, despite what her mother wants for her. No, Elaine dreams of becoming a wonderful chef with her own cooking school.

Lucida has this "weakness" for a boy named Croton Harmon, who is her competition when it comes to being casted for plays and various other things. She knows that she should hate Croton (he's awful to her) but she's a sucker for his good looks. She befriends Elaine randomly, and they team up together to get revenge on Croton for a cruel thing that he did to Lucida during an audition.

Eventually, Lucida discovers Elaine's deepest secret: her obsession with French food. Elaine is a pro when it comes to French cooking, and her idol is Julia Child. Elaine writes letters to Julia Child, asking various questions about how to cook this or that/telling Mrs. Child about how her cooking skills are developing. Elaine never sends these letters, though, because she's painfully shy. Lucida helps Elaine to discover enough courage to enter a cooking competition with the tempting prize of a scholarship to a prestigious cooking school. Whether Elaine follows through or not, I shall not reveal.

It sounds like an interesting book, right? Well it's not, for one reason, and one reason only: The story is meant to be told by teenagers, but the author has NO understanding whatsoever as to how REAL teenagers live and act. It made the entire book seem fake and unbelievable, which is a shame because the plot is actually quite good. That's the only reason that I even finished the book, was because of the plot. Just don't even give this book a chance, though. It's not worth it.

I was going to include a journal post in this, but I'll have to save until the next post. My hands are screaming for a break : P

~My next post will be a journal post, I promise!