Confessions of a Video Vixen

Topic: What do you think the defining moment for the main character is? Why? I think Karrine's defining moment was when she realized what she was doing wasn't healthy, all the drugs, sex and everything else she was doing to get ahead in the industry. This was shortly after she had her son and she went through some abuse by her boyfriends. She decided that she didn't want her son to grow up and see the type of person she was. So she decide to put all he partying aside for her son. She let her "hoeish ways" as she refers to them go so that she could make a legit name for herself. This was a drastic change for all the things she was doing before her son. So i guess I would have to say her defining moment was the birth of her son in which she remembered all the things she had been taught growing up by the people around her that expected only the best for her. This was her defining moment because this was when she realized all the potential she really had and all that she could be it she only focused on the things that would bring her long term prosperity, like school, legitimate work and taking care of her son.

Confessions of a Video Vixen

Topic: What does the writer do to engage the reader in a relationship with the book's content? Did the book come to a satisfactory closure for you? Steffans does one thing to engage her reader she tells everything she doesn't omit a single gory detail about the things she has done with different people, or she at least makes it seem like she is putting everything out there. She writes from what I consider a not caring about what other people think about her attitude, this keeps her reader entertained and interested in the context of the book. She puts herself out there and it gets her recognized for telling her story. The book came to a satisfactory closure for me it went through her life from a teenager to being a dancer in the hip-hop industry to having her son and turning her life around and living the straight and narrow. I thought that was a good way to show girls that are in the same predicament as she was that there is a better was there is another route then the one they are on now. She also gave hope to struggling women wanting to get ahead. She showed them that if a woman like her could get ahead and become someone other than just a sex symbol then they had a world of opportunities ahead of them I thought that was a great way to end the book.

Confessions of a Video Vixen

Topic: Why did you choose this book? What were you expectations? Did the book live up to you expectations? I choose Confessions of a Video Vixen because I had been hearing about Karrine Steffans and all the things she had done with all these different men in the hip-hop industry to get ahead and I was curious to know what really happened and what was made up. I didn't believe a lot of what I heard and read about her so I wanted to get her story straight from her. I expected the book to be pretty vulgar and have a lot about dirty little secrets about a lot of big name people. I also didn't expect a lot of what I heard to be true. But above it all I expected the book to be great and very interesting. The book defiantly did live up to my expectations it was very interesting. A lot of what I thought was just people saying stuff to taint her name was not made up it was true. I didn't expect her to tell as much as she did, she chose to let it all out and not hold anything back. the book really did live up and maybe even pass my expectation. I was very impressed by her ability to put it all out there and not care how it made her look in order to keep someone else from falling for the things she did and going through what she went through.

Confessions of a Video Vixen

Topic: What is the book about? Did you enjoy the book? Would you suggest this book to others? Confessions of a video vixen is a memoir/tell-all by Karrine Steffans "Superhead" a former video vixen in which she tells of her life as a teenaged runaway, becoming a stripper, being a hip-hop dancer, and prostitute in order to support herself and, later on her young son. The book is written by Steffans so it includes many details that only she and the people involved would know. She talks about her relationships with many big name rappers and hip- hop artists. She gives you an insight into the hip-hop world and all the abuse she endured. She also gives a caution to girls and women who are looking to get into the hip-hop industry whether it be as a dancer of as an entertainer. She lets her readers know that the industry isn't all glitz and glam, that so much is expected of those in the industry. I enjoyed the book a lot it was very crazy it had a lot of big names that I defiantly didn't expect to see. the book had me hooked into it from the beginning to end. I would most defiantly suggest this book to people but I would have to say if you don't like reading about drama and scandal then this isn't the book for you. Also if you are a very conservative person this isn't the book for you because so of the things she talks about are really out there.

Last book for the year.....

Book #8 title:
Confessions of a Video Vixen

Author:
Karrine Steffans

Date of Publication:
2005

Never Forget

Topic: Did the book come to a satisfactory closure? Why or Why not? If not what would you have done differently if you were the author? Never Forget didn't come to a satisfactory closure for me it just kind of abruptly ended. They start the book off with a introduction and they lay all the groundwork for the book kind of giving you what it consists of and after they tell the stories of these 82 people they just stop no closing statement or anything. I was expecting them to end with a statement from both of they authors just like it started off with but that didn't happen they went straight into the acknowledgments. If i was the author of this book I would have done several thing differently first I would have had a better structure to the stories (i.e. grouping similar ones together) maybe people that died/people that saw it happen, people that were in the building that could have died and then people that helped. This would help the book flow a little better, along with that maybe introduce the different parts with like a sub introduction that gave their opinions on what happened surrounding these type of people. That would bring them into the book cause now they don't seem very attached to the story. Then to bring the book to a close i would have something like the introduction they gave but have closing remarks about the attacks and how it have effected you life to talk and interview these people and learn these stories. In my opinion that would for me bring the book to a satisfactory closure.

Never Forget

Topic: How does this book compare to Last Man Down? Last man down was a similar type of book about 9/11 that I read last semester. the book was about 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. In Last Man Down Pasiner writes the story Picciotto tells him about 9/11 including in great detail the time Picciotto spent trapped inside the building and him watching his friend and coworker die while they were trapped. It was a great book and was very moving. Never Forget was a similar book but it didn't give the entire story from on persons point of view it created the big picture from 82 little pictures. It had similar situations from people being trapped, to people going in and saving those that they could, to people dying, to near death experiences for so many different people. It was just a moving as Last Man Down. But in my opinion Last Man Down was in comparison a better book, because it was better written, and you got a more detailed look in to the mindset and experiences of Picciotto. With Never Forget the book seemed choppy and at certain time it was hard to stay connected with the context of the book because of the chaos that when on in the book. I was expecting some of the choppiness because all of the stories were from different people but not as much as I saw in the book, most of the stories didn't connect I was expecting at least for there to be some sort of transitions between each story but their wasn't and that made it very hard to connect with the book.

Never Forget

Topic: What was the authors purpose for the book. How do you know/ how does the author show this? How does this help with you connection to the topic? The authors main purpose for this book is to give you a insight in to the tragic story of 9/11. But also to recognize those that survived, those that help save lives, and those that died all that tragic Tuesday. They do a good job at making sure they stories clearly state who the person is and how they are related to the attack. but also the stories go beyond the normal what was seen and heard to what people experienced, how they felt and how it changed their life. With over 80 different detailed accounts of that tragic day. The authors purpose was shown through out the book with the array of people they chose, from people that were in the towers when the planes hit, to relatives of those who were on the flight that died, to rescue workers. But not only that but the frequent pictures in the book, the statements made pertaining to the attack and the introduction all clearly show the purpose. In the introduction in which the authors both talk about what they were doing when it occurred and their reason for writing the book was to give the American people a real insight to that day by compiling the stories of people directly affected by the tragic day. I would say their purpose was achieved it really showed you haw the people were feeling about the attack and through out the entire book I was compelled to read on by the amazing stories I read from each of the individuals in the book.

Never Forget

Topic: People whose story stood out, and why? Gary Smiley- He was a paramedic in New York at the time of 9/11 he stood out to me because he saved the lives of like 4 people just he knew it was the right thing to do, he did it despite the fact that he got hurt saving the first person. Lyzbeth Glick- She was married to one of the passengers that died on flight 93. She stood out to me because she had talked to her husband while he was on the plane after it had been hijacked and she gives a detailed account of the conversation. Jillian Volk- she was engaged to one of the men who died in 9/11. she stood out to me cause she isn't like most of the accounts that were given for people who died, she talks about her day before the attack than goes into it. Tim Cahill- He was a construction worker at Ground Zero. He stood out to me because his account is about the things they found at the site from people to electronics. At one point he talks about a lady he found in a pinstriped blue suite on the site. The last one is a Benjamin Garelick- He was a second grader at the time of 9/11 who witnessed the attack. he stood out to me because even though he was little he did something to help after 9/11 he raised money for one of the fire departments the responded to the call. His donation helped them to buy a new fire truck.

Never Forget

Topic: How is this book organized? Does this organization affect your ability to relate to the content of the book? This book is organized by the accounts of different people that were directly affected by the attack of 9/11. The authors lets dozens of people tell their story of 9/11. So you get different perspectives of this one event, in which each story offers you something different and new to this one event. This helps me relate to this books content in a new way. because stories like this cant be told effectively from the outside, it takes inside knowledge and understanding to truly see the impact and mark it left on history and the lives of the people affected. so because of the perspective from which it was told I was able to relate to the content a lot better, also since the stories are told in vivid detail it helped me to be able to paint a image in my head of what these people had to endure in order to make it through, since all of the stories are from survivors of the tragedy.

Never Forget

Topic: Why did u choose this book? What are your expectation for this book? Why did you expect this? How is it living up to your expectation? I chose this book because it is about September 11th and which is one of my favorite things in the past to read and learn about. I think it is because it is something that happened during my lifetime and I remember exactly where I was and what I was doing when it happened. I expected this book to be very powerful and meaningful but at the same time very sad. I expected to be wowed by the selflessness of the firefighters and the bravery of the survivors. I expected this because that is what I got from the many other books I have read about the 9/11 tragedy including "Last Man Down" by Daniel Paisner. This book has beyond exceeded my expectations so far, it has showed me that sometimes you do things that don't put you at risk in order to save other, but also it has showed me that you should cherish life because u never know what will happen tomorrow. That is exactly what Lois say in the introduction, when he tells of all the things that happened on September 10 and how different people felt September 12.

Starting Fresh!!

Book #7 title:
Never Forget

Author:
Mitchell Fink and Lois Mathias

Date of Publication:
2002

They had a dream

Topic: Did the book come to a satisfactory close for you and Why? I did come to a satisfactory closure for me. Archer ends with talking about the Black struggles of the time and possible struggles of the future. This sums his entire book up and brings it to the close. It makes the book a sort of time line he starts with before blacks were in America and moves to the current time,telling the story of great black men in history along the way, then he ends it with possible problems of the future and possible solutions that would help the black community. This round the book off showing that the struggles for African Americans in America isn't over, it is really just beginning, blacks have to know what they want and go for it. He ends it in a way that is ment to empower blacks. So the book has a twist and turns into something totally different than what it started as. By the end you start to really see the purpose of the book and it make the rest of the book much more powerful. Archer did a great job at ending this book, with his sort of questioning and making you stand back and look at the man/woman in the mirror.

They had a dream

Topic: What about the book kept you reading it and did this change your opinion on the topic of choice and Why? I think the one major thing that kept me reading this book was the topic that was discussed. It was very interesting to go more in depth into the story of African Americans in America. But the set up of the book was also a thing that kept me reading the book. Archer picked 4 influential men to tell the stories of in order to outline how far African Americans have come since entering this nation. All of these men stories overlap and you get to see how each one advanced the rights and abilities of African Americans. This book defiantly changed my view of the history of African Americans and also of these 4 men because I learned a lot of new things on these two topics. I learned a lot about the struggles these men faced everyday fighting for the rights of blacks and as an African American this means a lot to me because with out the relentlessness of these 4 men and so many others I wouldn't be where i am today and have all the rights that I have today.

They had a Dream

Topic: What does the writer do in the opening passages of the book to persuade you to continue reading the book? In the introduction the author starts the book off talking about his personal experience. In which he tells a story of seeing the blacks in Spartanburg, South Carolina in 1941 step off the curb and into the gutter in order to let whites pass, from his discussion of this he shows you that this was something he wasn't used to seeing living in New York City. He also talks about his conversation of the account with a black and once again another response that he wasn't used to. This type of narration in the beginning show you that prior to these incidents he had no knowledge that these things were going on, because of his slightly naive nature in the beginning and his array of historical facts on the lives of the four men that fought these struggles, I became interested with his way of portraying the story and this persuaded me to continue reading the book

They had a Dream

Topic: What passage do you particularly like in the book? Why? I loved his introductory passage; "Just before the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, I was was drafted and sent to Camp Croft in South Carolina from my home in New York. In Spartanburg i was astonished and disturbed to see local blacks step off the sidewalk into the gutter to let whites pass....... "Just let the white man drop his whip," he said with a grim smile, "and then watch what happens." He sets up his whole book with a personal narrative and it guides your mind to see how bad the blacks really had it. Creating a path of which to lead you down throughout the whole book. I also like his inclusion of his self in a very distant topic this creates a relationship with the reader and also with the content of the book making his opinion and facts in the book more valuable and more credible. This one little passage sets up the entire content of the book and it also clearly outlines which side Archer takes on the matter.

They had a Dream

Topic: What is the authors dominate method of communication and how does this affect your relationship with the books content? Archer's main method of communication through out the book is narration. He starts the book by telling about the history of African American struggles in America. He tells different narrations and stories of the overwhelming black struggle in America at that time. He back those with biographies of for men of elaborate on the struggle. His use of narration makes the books content more real it associated a person with the struggle making the books content more compelling, it points out not only did blacks struggle, but these particular men struggled and despite all odds the overcame these set backs and fought for what was right. His use of narration creates a new dimension to the story making it more meaningful and much more powerful it associates a person with the facts and history taking the story to a deeper level.

They had a Dream

Topic: Why did I choose this book? What were my expectations for this book? Is it living up to my expectation? I choose this book for two reasons; one was my need for a non-fiction book and the other was because African American history is very interesting to me usually when I look into African American history I always learn something new. Based on the cover, the year published and the synopsis inside the book I didn't expect the book to be boring but I did expect the language to be more like a textbook than a story. This book is in no way boring the author does a great job of picking facts that get the job done but at the same time keep the story alive. The content is interesting and the language that it is written in inviting, the author is talking to you as apposed to talking at you, the book takes you on a journey through time and the author is you tour guide and this is a great strategie to keep the reader engaged.

New One!!

Book #6 title:
They Had a Dream

Author:
Jules Archer

Date of Publication:
1993

Sober Faith

Topic: How did the opening chapter lead you to anticipate the ending? In the first chapter Payton and her friends were leaving their debutant ball and Lynzi's escort Bam had alcohol for them to toast to their coming out all of the girls went along with it but Tad Payton's escort refused to be apart of it. But the entire time Payton was debating drinking with them in the end she did drink and it got her into a lot of trouble. Based on the purpose of the book I figured by Payton failing the test the first time that at the end she would be presented with the same test again and see if her decision would be different after all the things she saw and went through. By the end she was faced with the same scenario drinking with her friends to celebrate but after her friend was almost killed by driving under the influence and how her friends destroyed her parents house while they were drunk she made a decision not to drink and to tell her friends if they were going to drink they wold have to do it away from here.

Sober Faith

Topic: Did this book come to a satisfactory closure for you? Why/Not? It really didn't end in the way that I thought it should. It ended with her getting back with her boyfriend Tad and having a breakfast with her friends after prom. I didn't like the way it ended because I wasn't expecting it I was expecting her to go at least through their graduation that would be a break point in the series before they go to college and all the problems they face in college. But instead she ends with the night of prom and I felt she could have went a little further and finished off their high school life. It sort of felt like she left the reader hanging. Even if she decided to end with the night of prom the story around it could have been more developed, she could have added some interesting cushion to it to keep the same story and out come but lead her to set them up for the next book in the series. Just like the end of the first book it felt very choppy towards the end of the book.

Sober Faith

Topic: What do you think is the defining moment for the main character? I think Payton's defining moment is when they are on their spring break trip in Myrtle Beach and she is trying to convince everyone to do the right thing instead of giving in to the pressures around them. Payton's entire attitude is completely different than before. When she is presented with certain temptations she fights the urge to give in to these temptations and she stands her ground but this time not only does she stand her ground she also tries to help her friends stand for what is right. Even though what she did and said wasn't what they wanted to hear at the time later her friends thanked her for stopping them from making a mistake that they were going to regret. This in my opinion was Payton's defining moment, because not only did she stand up for what was right despite how it made her look, she also helped her friends do the same and this showed that she was a person that knew what was right and wrong and stood for exactly that.

Sober Faith

Topic: Why did you choose this book? What were your expectations? Why did you expect what you did? How did this book live up to your expectations? I choose this book because it is the second book in the Payton Skky series and the first book was very interesting. So I was very eager to read the continuation to the story of Payton. I was expecting this to be a very interesting story with lots of drama and choices. I expected this because this is how the first book was. The first book was a lot about Payton making choices in her life when faced with trying times. The second book was the same but she was faced with a different problem teens face everyday. This book was great I completely lived up to my expectations based on the first book. It presented the problem of substance use and peer pressure that so many teens experience. I am looking forward to reading the rest of the books in the series and learn of some of the other things that teens go through and how different people choose to deal with them.

New Semester....More Books

Book #5 title:
Sober Faith

Author:
Stephanie Perry Moore

Date of Publication:
2000