My Sister's Keeper

        Just from reading the first few chapters of "My Sister's Keeper" written by Jodi Picoult, Its clear that Anna feels that she was only born to be a medical match for her sister Kate who has acute promyelocytic leukemia. 

       On page 8 Anna said, "It made me wonder, though, what would have happened if Kate had been healthy. Chance's are, I'd still be floating up in Heaven or wherever, waiting to be attached to a body to spend some time on earth. Certainly I would not be part of this family. See, unlike the rest of the free world, I didn't get here by accident. And if your parents have you for a reason, then that reason better exist. Because once it’s gone, so are you."

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       That quote is one of the first times she talks about how she was made only for Kate and her illness. It kind of makes you feel bad to read it, seeing as she doesn't even seem mad, just curious.

       Through the beginning chapters, Anna never seems mad about her being born for Kate. Anna talks about how Kate is the center of attention and how Jesse, Anna's older brother, and herself are kind of in the background. Anna said on page 9 "The truth is, I was never really a kid. To be honest, neither were Kate and Jesse. I guess maybe my border had his moment in the sun for the four years he was alive before Kate got diagnosed, but ever since then, we've been too busy looking over our shoulders to run headlong into growing up."

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        I think that parents need to give their kids equal attention. If you pay attention to only one of them, no matter if one has a health problem or not, it makes the other children feel left out. I don't think that’s right. In this case, Anna is used to feeling left out and same with her older brother.

     On page 10, Anna said something that made it seem as if she thought being born for a medical match was normal. She said "-a perfect sibling match. When Kate needs leukocytes or stem cells or bone marrow to fool her body into thinking its healthy, I'm the one who provides them. Nearly every time Kate's hospitalized, I wind up there too."

         I'm sure that as I read further into the book there will be more quotes from Anna that shows that she was only born for that one purpose. I think there will also be more quotes stating how she feels about the situation and how it plays with Anna's emotions. 

Blog 3

             I think a hero is someone who will do anything to help someone despite what may happen to them. A hero will help anyone in need and be brave no matter what the consequences. For example, People who run into burning buildings to help someone that is still in there. Hero's are willing to risk his or her life to help save someone else.

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             In the book "The Help", I think that Skeeter is the most heroic character. Skeeter is willing to write a book on "The Help" that discusses race and what it is like at that time and what it will be like in the future. She takes the perspective from 12 black maids, including Aibileen. Speaking of Aibileen, she is the one who helps Skeeter write this book. She allows these maids to have a voice, an opinion. 

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            Along the way, Skeeter finds out the truth about many things that she never knew. Hearing these stories opened Skeeter's eyes to how big the race issue was. Skeeter wrote this book and had it published anonymously, but she still had the courage to go against her friends and have her own say about this issue even after being secluded from her community for having a copy of the Jim Crow Laws in her purse. This book ended up being a national best seller and that’s when these ladies put two and two together and realized that they are the characters in the book. Whats even better is that Mrs.Skeeter donates the money she got from the book to"The Help".

Blog 2

                  As mentioned in my first blog for The Help, Parenting skills play a big role in this book. In my earlier blog I mentioned Mrs. Leefolt and her daughter Mae. As I read further in the book I realized that Mrs. Skeeter's mother demonstrates the same parenting qualities as Mrs. Leefolt. Mrs. Skeeter's mother is always trying to run her life; Her mother is trying to make Mrs. Skeeter do things that aren't in her interest. When they bring up Mrs. Skeeter’s diploma on page 64, her mother just calls it "a pretty piece of paper". Her mother wants her to be married, work at a bank and dress better just to better her own reputation. 

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                  I feel bad for Mrs. Skeeter, she is always trying to avoid her mother and change subjects when talking to her because she can't face her own mother; not even to tell her that she wants to be a writer. She also feels so insecure around her mother. Mrs. Skeeter says on page 65 "My own mother is looking at me as if I completely baffle her mind with my looks, my height, my hair. To say frizzy is an understatement." I don't feel like any parent should make their child feel like that. Mrs. Skeeter is always feeling targeted by her mother. On page 74 she said " I used to dash by, feeling like a dartboard, a big red bull's-eye that mother pinged darts at" "Eugenia, you know there is no chewing gum in this house" "Eugenia, go put alcohol on that blemish." "Eugenia, march upstairs and brush your hair down, what if we have an unexpected visitor?" I learned that socks are stealthier transportation than shoes. I learned to use the back door. I learned to wear hats, cover my face with my hands when I passed by. But mostly, I learned to just stay in the kitchen." That quote sums up how Mrs. Skeeter feels around her mother. I think being a good parent involves loving your child no matter what, giving them good attention and being supportive.

                   Mrs. Skeeter's mother doesn't have those parenting qualities. Mrs. Skeeter's mother is always judging her, finding things to say to bring her down or just saying things that make her feel terrible about herself. On the website "Family share" it discusses the difference between beneficial judgment and overbearing correction. http://familyshare.com/keeping-kids-open-minded-how-to-teach-children-to-be-less-judgmental. I think Mrs. Skeeter's mother is defiantly portraying overbearing correction after reading how Mrs. Skeeter feels when she is around her.