Blog Post #4- Main Character

I have just started reading this book and so far it's okay, the beginning is sort of slow. My goal right now is to not give up on this book, I was told that it will pick up soon and will be really good.
So the main character I've been introduced to is Kevin Patterson. When I typed his name in my blog I got really personally confused... I had read the authors name and the characters name and realized they're the same... I did a little extra research and found out this book is a memoir. Just thought I'd share that ha ha.

To be honest, I have thought long and hard about what exactly I have absorbed from this book that will help me explain Kevin Paterson's traits and personality. I really have thought a lot about his personality and I must say he's a very normal human being, and by that I mean his personality seems to change a bunch.

So far I cannot seem to label Kevin Patterson with a specific character trait. His true identity is yet to be known. His characteristics are all over the place and to be honest I really could not pick a paragraph out of my book or a direct quote because none of them seemed to fit him. It's quite hard to explain so I apologize if this gets quite confusing. My estimation of why he seems so confusing is because at this point in his life he seems like a very confused person, he is confused by love and needs to get away.

So since I cannot determine his character traits I'm not to sure how I could explain the outcome of this character but I bet he'll end up becoming a little less confusing as I continue to read. Life for him will turn out less confusing and I'll be able to understand better.

The song off of YouTube to help represent the Kevin Patterson's character traits is called Sandstorm- DaRude. I think techno is the closest song that relates to his traits. The things in common with techno and Kevin Patterson's traits both have the fact they're always changing. Kevin's mood is changing all the time, and for Sandstorm the speed of the song is constantly changing as well.

Take a Look-->

Blog Post #3- This reminds me of...

I have chose to relate my book Chanda's Wars- Allan Stratton to one of my favourite songs called Take a Minute- K'naan. The task we were given was to take a 20-30 word direct quote from our book and make a personal, textual, and/or wordly connection. But to be honest, I think for the relation between my book and this song they have so many connections in so many different ways it's tough to pick just one. I think the moral of this song is to be grateful of what you have cause there's always people who have it worse than you do.

"'He pounds Papa's grave?'

'Yes! So his spirit will stay in the ground! So it won't rise up and beat him like your papa did when he was alive!' Samson's eyes blaze red. 'Pako?!?' he yells to his yard. 'What have you been doing? What have you been saying' 

'You shamed Papa,' Runako roars. 'You shamed our family, you little sonovabitch!' He charges across the road, Samson at his heels." 

......

"Pako reaches the edge of the cemetery, Samson right behind. Samson flings his arm forward to grab his brother. But Pako dives. He rolls under the barbed-wire fence. Samson's too big. He's running too fast he drops to late. The teeth of the barbed wire rip into his face. Blood pours from his cheeks and forehead." (Allan Stratton, Chanda's Wars)

I chose these direct quotes from the book because they both are making a really good connection in the song. A part of the song I chose goes like this,
"I don't know how we survived such violent episodes." (K'NAAN- Take a Minute)
I thought that those quotes really did show a great amount of violence. Another part of the song is,
"And no matter how we strong, homie
It ain't easy comin' out of where we from, homie." (K'NAAN- Take a Minute)
That part of the song and those direct quotes connect well. It's saying that no matter how strong you are, it wasn't easy getting out of the bad things. Both parts of the song I chose really connect well with the parts of the book I chose.


Take a look->                            
                         
 Here's the music video of the song Take a Minute- K'NAAN

Blog Post #2- Short Paragraphs of my book

  

I got this image from a blog called "Tara's View on Books". (click on the cover page of book to be taken to the website)

     The book that I am currently reading is called Chanda's Wars written by Allan Stratton.

Chanda's mother has died from AIDS, all the pressure is put onto her to care for her 2 siblings Iris and Soly that are only 6 and 5 years old and to upkeep a huge property. Her family and herself were disowned from their other family in Tiro, Africa, because her mother brought a curse to the family name. The only way to cure this curse and put a stop to Chanda's horrible dreams is to visit her family in Tiro leaving her friends in her home town. It was all going well until everything had changed, her family was trying to convince her to sell her huge property in Bonang and were arranging for her to marry. When she spoke her mind things went down the drain, everyone thought it was best for them to just leave Tiro, they attempted but didn't succeed there were no carts leaving town. The highway was closed... but why? Many soldier young and old were placed in Tiro to protect the children and people from Mandiki, an evil general. When Soly and Iris get captured by Mandiki and forced to serve as his child soldiers it's up to Chanda to help save them! The task won't be easy but with some help from her friend Nelson they must work together if they want to save Chanda's siblings and Nelson's little brother Pako. 

     This book is very descriptive, sometimes I honestly think maybe a little bit too much but then again it just wouldn't make you develop the same feelings towards it. I honestly wouldn't want to have it any other way :) I personally think this book has been one of the best I've read so far!  I am still not quite finished this book but I definitely would recommend it to you!

Blog Post #1-My Reading Quote =D

I picked this quote because I personally agree with it. When you get into a really great book you tend to develop the feelings of the characters in it as well. The great books that I have read have done this for me. For example, when I get to the ending of a great book even if no one had died there is just that feeling of 'oh... ' and you feel as if you had just lost something or someone and there's something now missing. I really do like this quote it's very true in every way.


This amazing quote was written by Paul Sweeney :)

http://thinkexist.com/quotation/you_know_you-ve_read_a_good_book_when_you_turn/217883.html