Last Man Down

TOPIC: What does the writer do at the beginning to draw you into the book? At the beginning of the book Paisner talks about "the 5" Which is a 5 bell ring that would be sounded over the internal bell system to signify that a firefighter had died on duty. After which a moment of silence would occur. He goes on to talk about how normal the day was up until "the 5". At that time he says what would normally be just the bells followed by silence turned into a constant hum and a day of silence across New York. Immediately following that he gives a list of all 343 firefighters that were killed that tragic day. In that list he includes their full name, rank, and their assigned unit. This defiantly step the story up even though this was very sad it gave you a on look about how all these men risked their lives to save the lives of innocent people. They could have easily been selfish and said no i have a family but instead they were selfless not selfish and because of them many people live today. This most certainly caught my attention and made me want to read the book.

Last Man Down

TOPIC: From what perspective is the book told and how does this affect you ability to relate to its content? What other perspective would you be interested to here the story told from? and why? The book is told from the perspective of a FDNY Battalion commander on duty at the time of the attack. He was on one of the squads that responded to the call. This helps me relate a lot better to the topic because he has first hand knowledge of what happened. Its not like he researched the topic then told the story for someone to document it. No this man actually live what he told Paisner. If it was possible I would love to get the story from the perspective of someone one who was aboard one of the planes because their interpretation of the hijacking would be very interesting. Also from a bystander that was watching this whole thing happen because i would like to know how watching this event changed their life and their outlook on the things around them.

Last Man Down

TOPIC: Why did I choose this book? What were my expectations? How is it living up to my expectations? I chose this book because the topic was very interesting. I saw the movie a while back which is also based on this guys story and I really liked it. So I figured the book would be just as good. My expectations for the book were pretty high because I knew Picciotto's story prior to reading it so really I was just looking to see how the authors writing held up to the visual of his story. I expected to have a array of emotions from good to bad. So far I can say the book is living up to my expectations it is a great written version of Picciotto's story the same emphasis are put on things in the book as they were in the movie. Also as I read I still get that array of emotion. But the things that set the book apart from the movie is the book is more in dept you really get a sense of you are there with you he walks you through the entire scene unlike the movie the book doesn't seemed rushed.

Last Man Down

TOPIC: What is the book about? This book is about the story of 9/11 in the eyes of a firefighter that was on duty. It is based on the accounts of a man by the name of Richard Picciotto who was a FDNY Battalion commander on duty at the time of the 9/11 terrorist attack. The story is told in sequence of events from his drive to work to when he arrived back home. The author goes into great detail about the things that happened that sad day from the sounds Picciotto heard while he was in the the towers to the sights he saw of people jumping from the burning buildings. There are defiantly parts in the book that are extremely sad and there are time when i found my self rooting for the men that were down to make it out in one piece. in this book I got to see what a true American hero looked like through this man determination in a time when most would give up and because of this many survived to see the next day and if it wasn't for him more people would have died but he pushed hard to the end that made him a HERO.

Starting Fresh

Book #4 title:
Last man down

Author:
Daniel Paisner

Date of Publication:
2002

Staying Pure

Topic: What is the authors main methods of communication? How does this affect you ability to relate to the topic? Moore mostly uses dialog, and narrative to tell the story. But there are some times when she strays away from these set methods. The mode of expression fits the topic well. All the switches in the methods keep the topic going so to me the story never dies. I get a more in dept look and feel of the topic based on her method of expression. I her choice to add some monologue and internal thoughts of the characters into the story bridged some gaps that were left in the story. These all worked together to produce a story that was not only interesting, but funny and it made u examine your own life. So they create a bubble for the story and i completely found my self in this bubble not wanting to leave. I would have to say her chosen methods defiantly affected my ability to relate to the topic, they made me get into the topic a lot more because they made me anticipate what was next.

Staying Pure

Topic: Did the book come to a satisfactory closure for you Why or Why not? the book defiantly did end greatly for me. I feel like the author did sum up all that happened in the book with a good ending. She was sure through out the book to have challenges for all the characters but by the and of the book the challenges had been over come and they had learned some type of lesson. I like how she had Payton saying prayers through out the entire book and it seemed like at the end all her prayers had been answered. I also love the happy ending. Payton got what she wanted he new boyfriend and her best friend/ ex- boyfriend back in her life and that happened to. So by the end of the book Payton got all that she wanted in her life and the ciaos that was going on through out the story in her life was over and all was good. For me a story with all those things is great and if at the end the main character is stronger because of the things they go through that's even better.

Staying Pure

Topic: What do i think the defining moment for the main character is and why? For Payton the main character I believe her defining moment is when she was at her cotillion and Star is being presented and someone from the audience screams something rude out about her. After which Star runs out crying but instead of Payton laughing at her enemy she puts all her bad feeling towards Star aside and runs out after her. When they are in the hall way she talks to Star and eventually makes her feel better. To me this is her defining moment because prior to this Payton is sort of self absorbed she mostly thinks about herself and how she feels. So for he to embarrass her mom by running out not for a friend but for someone she doesn't even like it showed a new side a more mature side of her. She was able to forget all the wrong Star had done to her in order the help some one that needed the support more than ever. Which to me would be a defining moment.

Staying Pure

Topic: Who is the intended audience and why? For me I struggled with who the intended audience was because the topic was something that many people face. Based on the title I sort of cam up with a general idea that it was for anyone in this situation. After reading a some my ideas changed slightly it wasn't just anybody it was Christians dealing with this problem. But by the end of the book my view changed again it wasn't just Christians, it was teenage female Christians. I came to his conclusion because the books main character is a teenager by the name of Payton, she is a senior in high school and the entire story revolves around her and her decisions as it pertains to this topic. The author specifically chooses her as the focal point in the story. It gives you the female perspective to the said topic. So that led me to believe that it was ment to encourage the young women that read the book that this is a way to deal with it and that they aren't alone many others have been through it to. Yet even though this story is fiction it still has a lesson.

Stayign Pure

Topic: Storyline of book and purpose of book? Well the story starts with Payton and her boyfriend Dakari they seem happy. Then thing get slightly rocky for them which include the interest of a new girl at the school also her battle with love and her beliefs. But during this time Payton meets a new guy Tad. She are Dakari break up and she is heart broken. Payton has 3 best friends in which she pushes away at this time. When she finally lets them back in so things get rocky in that relationship. After so deep thinking they end up working things out. Payton reunites with Tad and they become friends. They eventually date and then the rockiness shows up in that relationship too. In the end all is well with the final scene being her cotillion. People could argue the purpose of this book but in my opinion it is to inform people about the choices they make and the impact they have on other people, an to encourage people that no matter how bad things look it will be fine in the end things have to get worse before they can get better.

Stayign Pure

Topic:: From what perspective is the book told and how does this affect you ability to connect with the content. The story is told from the teen point of view in which from the book you are able to get into the mind of this young lady. The defiantly affected my ability to connect with the content. This books content was a little on the deep side so having it told from a teens point of vies really made it click for me.For me if a adult or a parent would have said this i might have been a little less open to receive it. But form a teen but more specifically a young lady's point of view it stood out more. It was a sort of eye opener for me that wow that could be you in the same situation and i can say truly it made me think about what was happening to Payton the character and how she chose to deal with the things going on in her life. But i only had those thoughts because of how and from what point of view the story was told. Because in my opinion if the perspective was diffrent i might have got a different message.

Stayign Pure

Topic: What are some things the writer did that kept me interested? Well Moore"s story line in general was brilliant. Her topic for discussion was great, one that many teens deal with; Staying Pure. She made sure that the topic was well covered and that she gave her readers options in handling and dealing with it. Her fairly easy to read language kept me interested you could tell she was writing the first thing that came to her mind. Her use of religious evidence. Most of the time when a character said something meaningful there was scripture to back it up. But I believe my absolute favorite thing she did was she actually had the characters pray. Not just saying "then I prayed", but actually having what the characters said in the prayer in the story. To me this was a funny twist to the relatively hot topic. The characters prayed to keep from doing things or even for repentance after doing them. There are even points in the story when the characters pray because they know what they are about to do it wrong. All these things kept me completely interested in the story.

Stayign Pure

Topic: Why did i choose this book? Did I like it? Why or why not? I choose this book for 2 main reasons: one was because someone told me that it was a good book and two because I needed a break from non- fiction. The book was great. I really enjoyed it. It gave me some life lessons to think about. The topic was a great choice something that so many teens struggle with everyday. Moore did a great job of not just telling how it should be as if the lessons to be memorized but more so as if u are supposed to look at them and hear the stories and let them encourage you to do the right thing. I also enjoyed this book because the language was simple but it said so much and the context in which simple words are use makes you think deeper. This book is one of many in a series and based on this one by the end of the year i plan to have read all of them. I am looking forward to the other books that also deal with issues faced in the everyday world of so many.

Next One!!!

Book #3 title:
Staying Pure

Author:
Stephanie Perry Moore

Date of Publication:
1997

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

My topic is did the book live up to my expectations. Well now that i am finished i can truly say that it did. It was a great book that cleared up many things that have been said about Jackson from the pajamas in court to the molestation of the boys. Because of Ian i believe Jackson was innocent. Ian's ability to tell the story was very interesting, this keep me into the book the entire time. I am glad i read it because i defiantly changed my views of Jackson before i mostly saw him as a bad person maybe even crazy but after reading i realized he was anything but that he love children and he wanted for so long to help any child in need. He was the type of person that would give his last to save a child. Along with his talents he always tried to make a difference in the life of someone. He wasn't weird or crazy he was just a little different and this book defiantly highlighted for me how the world views different. I truly got more from this book then i expected to. I got many more life lessons. So i would have to say that this book went beyond my expectations. I would really suggest this book to anyone interested in knowing the truth about the King of Pop.

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

So the topic for today is the controversy in Ian foreseeing Jackson's death. Many people thought that is was kind of fishy that Ian foresaw Jackson in December and that his book was published so soon after Jackson's death. But what many people don't know is that the book was scheduled to be published for that day way before Jackson's death prediction the were defiantly parts added after his death but the book was written long before and the release date never changed despite Jackson's death. I admit when I first hear Ian's claim i saw it kind of fishy that he would say something like he had 6 months to live, it did through me for a loop that Jackson died 6 months and 1 day later, it initially sparked thoughts that someone might attempt to kill the pop star. At the time i didn't know that it was based on the fact that his health was declining, causing simple colds to force him into bed for weeks. Ian's claim was solely based on facts. So now that i have read the book and heard the reports from his doctors i could totally see how Ian came up with the 6 month time line.

Publish Post

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

Topic of blog this time is what is the truth behind the pajamas to court. Well from the outside it would look like Jackson was crazy, when he wore his pajamas to court on March 10, 2005. What many from the outside didn't know or see was that Jackson was in the hospital because he tripped and fell injuring his back while getting dressed. When his lawyer told the judge that he was in the hospital the judge didn't to much care. His lawyer was told to produce Jackson or would arrest Jackson. this created the scene of Jackson coming to court in his pajamas looking rather out of it. The story that was said to be the most bizarre thing rooted from something rather simple. So didn't this come out sooner. Why not publicize the real story? Because at the time America was trying to paint him as guilty and the pajamas were the cheery on top he now look crazy on top of guilty. But now that he is dead the true story is told by Ian in his book in which he goes through the entire 2005 trial.

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

So my topic for today is one that is talked about through out the entire book. Did Jackson molest the little boys. Well i think this is the most controversial topic I have discussed. So from the out side it does look like Jackson was a pedophile, like he did do the suggested things. But lets take a closer look to the depth of the story. For the first thing in the beginning all the children and the families said that nothing out of the ordinary was going on. But later the stories changed when money came into the picture. This made it look like that's all they wanted. Specifically with the Arvizo family even when the trial was taking place the stories never stayed the same or the evidence didn't add up. Also the defense was able to get the witnesses to change their stories. This causes a onlooker to believe that they only wanted money. But obviously the jury was also able see that because in the end they found him not guilty on all the charges and many of the people outside the courthouse held a sign that said "MICHEAL, ON BEHALF OF MANKIND, WE'RE SORRY."

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

Today's topic is what language does the writer use to shape your judgment about the subjects. He generally tries to not shape you judgment. But the few time he does he uses a lot of emotionally loaded language. But at the same time he uses unbiased language and really gives the reader a chance to decide on their own about the situations. The is very interesting in the fact that he gives you positives and negatives in every situations that he describes which leaves the reader with a decision to make about which side of the argument they are on. He.generally gives you little direction in your opinion he tries not to lead you to one specific side

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

Today's topic is the writers purpose. I think he had a definite purpose which was to clear up all the rumors about Jackson with true facts. Because in the book he is telling things that he found out about Jackson from research and spending time in the story. This is clear also by the title which is Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson, which implies that the story that we might know is not true it is clouded by the drama of the life of stardom. But he show you in the first chapter of the book that he is going to go beyond that to what most people don't know. this is a very good tool to bring readers in what also is his purpose to. which is to get the reader to create their own opinion of Jackson based on the information he gives you. For all of the book his purpose is pretty clear and from this i took it as he is sort of trying to redeem Jackson in the public eye. by not picking a side but rater telling you the things u don't know and letting you make a less one sided decision.

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

Welcome back today's topic is what does the writer do to engage you in the books content. Halperin chooses to start at specific points in Jackson's life. Like starting with the first molestation accusation and from there on he gives a lot of details about Jackson life, like his medical condition and family life. But the thing that is very important is that he tries hard to remain impartial in the different situations that he discusses so that the reader can never use his opinion as a crutch but rather they create their own opinion. He never gives his true opinion he says thing like "i don't know and cant say if he did it or not" but all these things keep u engaged to find out the outcome in the end you feel like did her or did he not do it. But he also chooses to give background information in the beginning which acts like an accreditation for the rest of the story. But then through out the story he always gives what i call accreditation reminders to tell remind you that his writing is still held to a certain standard and that he will remain in his unbiased position the entire story.

Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson

So i started a new book that is about Michael Jackson's final years. My topic for today is my choice in this book. I chose this book because I loved Michael Jackson as an entertainer and i was interested to find out more then what was in the blogs and on TV about his final years. He was a very interesting man with a very interesting life that in my opinion could be very exciting. So far the book has proved to really to do exactly that. Halperin makes a point to go beyond what you think you know from the blogs and TV to those intimate details that not many people know about his life. I had also previously know a little about his story because i remembered hearing about him saying back in December 2008 that Jackson only had 6 months to live and sure enough 6 months and 1 day later he was dead. This drew me in to the story and lead me to want to know how he had obtained these facts about Jackson. I thought he must know a lot about Jackson to predict his death. How? But now as i read i found out that it was because he had studied for Jackson for many years and had spent time with him on several occasions.

Starting New

Book title # 2
Unmasked: the final years of Michael Jackson


Author:
Ian Halperin


Date of Publication:
2009

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Welcome back..... today's topic is what does the writer do to engage me in the content of the book. Angelou uses several things but her most frequently used is the language. It is not very restricted she tells the story exactly how she remembers it. Not doctoring it in anyway. She also keeps you engaged by simply tell her story not sugar coating or changing it to satisfy anyone. This keeps me wanting to read the book because the stories are super interesting, but at the same time you are learning an underline life lesson.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Welcome back still reading it just keeps getting better. The topic for this entry is how did the opening chapter of this book lead you to anticipate the ending. Angelou starts the book off with a particular part of a poem that read " What are you looking at me for? I didn't come to stay....." which when reading the first time confused me a little but as i read on i found out that it was a part of a poem that she was reading at church. This stunned me because this is not what i would generally consider a starting point for a story, but as i read on it was just one of the many times she was nervous and insecure about herself. This immediately drew me in making me want to know would she ever get over this insecurity. As i thought about it i figured most likely it would be an empowerment story and by the end she would and be stronger because of it. It seemed like the book was going to be her journey to that secure place in herself because of the place she chooses to start her story.At this point in my reading it seems this way but its still a little shaky. Maybe? Maybe Not?

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

So another day in book world today my topic is Angelou's relationship with her audience: what is it and what brought me to the conclusion of the relationship I reached. In my opinion he Angelou is very friendly with her audience in the book. She uses little or no restricted language and overall she tells the specific details of her life. Just by reading the book you find that she wants you to know her struggles and hardships growing up. The book reads less like an author is telling a story but more like a close friend. I overall felt as though she wanted the world the know, similar to having a secret you want to tall you best friend it seemed like she was having a hard time containing her self.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Welcome back today's topic is what is Angelou's purpose of the book, and who is the intended audience. In this book Angelou hasn't given a specific audience yet but from reading many other samples of her work i have found that her audience is usually young people going through similar things she has gone through in which she gives life advice. So far i think her audience is the same but her purpose is different she really doesn't give advice but rather lets you come up with you own life lessons by the things she has been through. There are times when she dose say thins like; Its best if you ... or You shouldn't..... but for the majority of the book so far she hasn't done a lot of that, its been more of a take what you will style advice being given.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

Welcome to another day in book world today my topic is the perspective from which the book is told and how does this affect a readers relationship with the books content. This book is told from the perspective of some on who has lived the life and is now looking back on the past and telling the story. Angelou's choice to tell the story this way brings you in to each and every detail of the story. Which to me makes everything a learning experience if not by you doing it by someone else's mistakes. So the entire story to me is a reflector piece something to look at in order to fix problems that would lead to mistakes she has been through or a relater piece in which you can relate to what she has been through.

I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings

I choose I know what the caged bird sings as my first book because i have been told by many that it was an amazing book. So as i begin reading it i expect it to be just that amazing and so far it hasn't disappointed me. Even though this is just the beginning i am falling in love with it just as i have with so many of her other books. I truly love Angelou's ability to basically tell all to help someone and that is exactly what she has been doing so far and i am looking forward to continuing and finishing the book

Welcome!!!!!!

Book #1 title
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings

Author
Maya Angelou

Date of Publication
1969