Reading response: Bridge to terabithia

I am reading the book Bridge to Terabithia. I saw the movie a while ago, and liked it,  and i was interested in reading the book, because I had never had a chance before. I'm not very far in the book yet. I've just really read about Jess' family, and how he loves to run.

Jess gets up early every morning to run. He runs because he loves it. I think it's really great how much he cares about it. It seems to be the one thing he has. Their is nothing in it for him, except the happiness. He doesn't do it for money, fame, or anything else. Even if he isn't able to continue this hobby as he gets older, i think its good that he's taking advantage of the fact that he has spare time. And instead of being lazy, or doing stuff we would do these days like watch tv and use a computer/phone. It seems that Jess shares a special connection with running. He runs for hours on end. Again, for what? Just because it's what he wants. He doesn't let anything or anyone get in the way of it. Even though his family, especially his sister, always complains how dirty/sweaty he is afterwards, he doesn't let that affect him and his opinions. He stays strong on his beliefs no matter who supports him and what anyone says.

I think everybody could work on this trait a little. Everybody lets people bring them down. And everybody gets insecure because of what people think and say and feel. And these feelings get in the way of our happiness. They make us think twice about whether we should be doing the stuff we love to please ourselves, or if we should hold back to please others.

The courage to be yourself: Non fiction

The book The Courage to be Yourself is about real life teenagers. They tell their stories very honestly. Sometimes they're kind of mean, but i think that's what really gets the idea across. The stories are so real and interesting to read. They are all relatable in some way. They are also very believable. While reading them you can clearly see that it's the kid speaking, and their point of view. Plus it's not all edited  and stuff, it's straight from the kid.

One passage that I didn't like very much was called Gay on the Block, By Jeremiah Spears. It's about a guy who came out at an early age, and was judged for it by the kids on his block. I thought it was actually pretty good until I read the part about how the guys didn't bother him anymore, because he stayed clear of the street he lived on mostly. I just feel like he left a big issue unresolved. It just kind of seemed like he was taking the easy way out instead of working through what he was struggling with. And then when he said "I just need to satisfy myself", I don't really agree with that. I just feel like people always say that, but it's not really even true. You can't get through life on your own, and never be concerned about what people think of you. For example, your boss. You can't only be pleasing yourself with the work you do, you have to work to meet your bosses requirements.

Later on though, I started to like this passage. I started to see how maybe Jeremiah staying clear of the boys on his old block was his way of dealing with it. Maybe he went to therapy or wrote in a journal to get through the problems he experienced as a child. He just needed to move on, and focus on the more important things and people in life, instead of worrying about people who were un accepting and mean to him. Also, him only worrying about satisfying himself in this situation was probably best. It isn't worth it to compromise yourself for people who aren't worth it. Plus, he was honest. What happened happened. And he told the story truthfully, probably knowing that some people would dislike it and disagree with it.

The big overall lesson I learned is that what happens happens. You can dislike it and disagree, but you can't change it. And it's best if you dislike the truth, then like a lie. Life isn't perfect. And if you're telling a truthful story, it won't be either.