Monday, June 8, 2009

Please Stop Laughing at Me (Aimee Mueller)

Title: Please Stop Laughing at Me
Author: Jodee Blanco
Publisher: Adams Media, an F + W Publications company
Pages: 276
Found: Wal – mart

Summary:
Jodee Blanco is just like any average girl. She desperately longs to fit in and become popular. Right when she starts to fit in with people at her school something will go wrong. All of her “so called” friends will go against her and physically and mentally abuse her. Jodee continues to lie to her parents about what is happening at school because she knows how much they want her to fit it. She doesn’t want her parents to think she has a problem and needs help. Once they find out what is going on they think switching schools will help solve the problem. It helps for a little while but because Jodee sticks up what she believes, she can never escape her problem.
Audience: The audience of this book is manly teenage girls because it mimics an everyday life of a teenage girl. People don’t understand that what they say and do affects a person tremendously.
Writing style: The writing style of this book is not sophisticated. It’s very simple and straight forward. There is direct and indirect characterization. It’s definitely an easy read and very descriptive.
“When I reached out to take his hand, he gripped my wrist and started twisting it until my knees began to buckle. Then, Kat, Dara, Jakie, and several other students came at me from behind. They grabbed my hands and feet and dragged me across the parking lot behind the main campus, chanting ‘were going to kill you.’ They started kicking me and spitting on me. They ripped open my book bag and threw the contents all over the ground,” (Blanco 67).
Passage 1: “on the way to my locker, I stopped at the ladies room. Out of habit, I stepped inside the first stall to the right. When I looked down, floating in the toilet in a pool of urine was one of my favorite suede shoes. There was a note tied to the buckle with a piece of macramé string from art class. Repulse, I lowered my hand into the water, and slowly extracted my ruined shoes out of the bowl. I turned over the note. Scrawled in indelible ink were the words: Bitch, this is jus the beginning,” (Blanco 62).

- When I read this passage I was so surprised to see Jodee’s friends going against her. They didn’t ever let her explain anything. They just completely turned their backs on her and wouldn’t hear her side of the story.

Passage 2:
“I dreaded my parents finding out that I was a social failure again, so every afternoon when I got back from school, I carefully hid any evidence of abuse. I applied makeup to my arms and legs so my mom couldn’t see the bruises where id been punched or kicked. I soaked the bloodstains and mud off my clothes in the tub before she got home. If I had to cry, I turned the stereo on so no one could hear me. When anyone asked how school was going, I said everything was terrific and that id never been happier,” (Blanco 69).

- It bothered me that Jodee wasn’t telling her parents what was going on. When she told them about things the first time they supported her and helped her get through the rough times. If she fully explained why people were treating her the way they do, they wouldn’t blame her for her social problems.

Passage 3:
“As they approached me, Reese dug his hands into his pocket and extracted what looked like a small chunk of cement. He held it up for me to see, then pulled back his arm as if he were pitching a baseball and whipped it at me. I sprang to my right to avoid being hit, but I wasn’t fast enough. I winced as it smashed into my shoulder. How could Reese do that to me? I had helped him feel included in our crowd by finding sugar-free candy for him. Hot tears stung my cheeks. Suddenly, tiny jagged hunks of mortar were being hurled at me from all sides. My hands over my face, I tried to run home, but the assault was too relentless. ‘Please stop, you guys’, I pleaded. My knuckles and wrists were swollen and bloody. Red welts covered my skin. I didn’t know which was worse, the physical or the emotional agony,” (Blanco 116-117).

- No one should ever have to go through anything like this. When I read this passage I just wanted them to stop and forgive Jodee. These kids don’t understand what they are doing to her and what toll it’s taking on her entire life.

My relation: I was so attached to this book. Once I started reading it I couldn’t put it down. Nothing like this has every happened to me. I can only imagine what it would feel like. I feel bad knowing that some people have to live the way that Jodee does. The book was very descriptive and I could just picture everything that was happening. The parts that spoke to me the most were when she was being attacked by students. The teachers knew what was going on and they didn’t do anything to really stop it.

17 comments:

  1. This book sounds like something I would be really interested in reading. It is my style which is the typical, "girl book." I found it really upsetting that the teachers knew what was going on and yet did nothing to stop it. I love books that you can't put down once you start reading it and a book that you get somewhat connected to. I think this book would be perfect for summertime reading.

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  2. This book sounds just like the only Lifetime movie I like called Odd Girl Out. It's such a sad movie and it sounds very similar to this book. Because Alexa Vega's character has a group of friends that one day turn on her and start ruthlessly tormenting her. It's really sad.

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  3. This book seems like a girly book and something that i would read. I like the explanation that you gave about the story. It really makes me want to just read it to find out more about it. I liked the quotes that you used for the book and how you explained each one. i could defiantly see myself reading this book sometime soon.

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  4. Brielle Premont-This book seems like one i would read. It seems so intresting. it's alot like real life because most people do get mad fun of and are too afarid to tell her parents. That's good her parents find out and try to help her.

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  5. This books seems really sad and it sounds like a book I would like to read. I think everyone should read a book that deals with problems like bullying so they can unsterstand how serious it is. No one should have to go through what Jodee had to go through. I'm glad that her parents finally found out what was going on and helped her because things could have gotten a lot worse for Jodee
    - Melissa Wanat

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  6. This book seems really sad, I think I would enjoy reading it. I think its terrible what Jodee had to go through. I think everyone once in their life expieriences bullying. I'm glad she finally stood up for herself. I want to read this book.

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  7. Rachel BeiermeisterJune 10, 2009 at 11:50 AM

    This book is definitely one I would be interested in, because i'd rather read about things that could and do occur in real life. Even though i've never actually seen or heard of this happening around here, its sad to know that stuff liek that does happen elsewhere. Its pretty messed up.

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  8. This seems like the book has an interesting plot. This type of abuse definatly can have a strain on a person and mess up their state of mind. It definatly seems like it would be a girl's read juding by the plot. Nonetheless it sounds like an inspiring novel.
    _madeline kacen

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  9. When reading the summary of this book, it seems like every other teenage book on the shelves. I think, although this one does seem interesting i probably wouldnt read it because i have read so many other like this and these types of books don't interest me like they interest others.

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  10. This also sounds like a movie I have watched on lifetime. I like books like this becasue it shows you how cruel life can be and when you read it, it gives your self a sense of security in your life. Either that or you can relate to the book.

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  11. This book seems like it would be a really good book. I like to read about books that real things can actually happen. It seems like this would be more of a girl book. Maybe ill read it someday!

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  12. This book is definitely meant for teenage girls. I was really upset to read that she was not telling her parents about the abuse. Her parents could have done something about it and she didn't trust them enough to tell them. The things they do to her are really harsh and cruel. I am really interested in reading this book.
    Kayla Levreault

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  13. This book sounds incredibly intense. Is it a true story? I don’t know if I would like it only because it’s such a sad type of story. I always feel bad for the people who don’t get a along with any one and I always do my best to make them feel accepted. I know it sucks because I remember when I use to get the same treatment and I would have really appreciated someone stepping in and acting friendly so that what I try to do. This seems like a book were you could really gain some perspective if you didn’t already feel for those kids without friends. It’s really crazy how cruel kids can be. I’m wondering if the book had a closure type of ending cause the summery leaves me hanging. Maybe ill have to read the book.
    Joe kelly

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  14. This book sounds very interesting and intriguing to read. It doesn't sound like another teen novel about stupid drama. I like that it's about real life issues and that is something i like to read about because it has meaning behind it. This book also seems to show people how life can be for others and show how bad bullying is to others.

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  15. This book was okay. Not the best, and certaintly not helpful to kids who are being bullied who want to know how to make it stop. Though she says she wants to help and that her book wil make people understand and everything, and help children being bullied, it has no help in it. Yeah yeah yeah, it shows you how bullying can go bad, how awful it cvan be, but she never once tries to stop it without doing what every kid does, asking them to stop and ignoring them. After that she never tries anything, she just sinks into depression and blah blah blah. There's no help in it for kids who are bullied by classmates. Seriously not my book of choice, full of shallowness of wanting to be popular and having material things and all that, and nothing that could actually help.

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  16. duuudeeee I didn't read this book and I've got to type a report on it, but wow that sounds intense and now I really regret not reading it.

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  17. i read this book and oh my god it is probably the best book that i have ever read. it is so depressing and inspirational.
    i don't understand how Jodee Blanco was able to survive through all of this. i know that if it was me, i wouldn't have lived.

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