The Stand part 5

A lot has happened since I last blogged but I’m not going to go into details. Basically all the good guys have come together with Mother Abigail and created community they call The Free Zone. All the bad guys have gathered with the Dark Man in Las Vegas.

Mother Abigail had a premonition and sent out some of the main characters (Stu, Larry, Glen and Ralph) to fight the Dark Man. She did not tell them how they were going to defeat him or what to do or anything, she just said to walk to Vegas and they’ll know what to do. She also said that one of them won’t make it to their destination. I assumed this meant one of them would die but it turns out that Stu just fell down a cliff and broke his leg. After much debate, they decided to go on without him. Glen’s dog, Kojak, stayed with Stu and brought him a rabbit and fire wood to eat. It is really quite amazing because Kojak is the only dog that the plague didn’t kill. I was surprised it was Stu that got hurt because he is the MAIN main character and I always thought he would be the one to defeat the Dark Man but King is full of surprises.

As Larry, Glen, and Ralph were walking away from Stu, King says, “None of them saw Stuart Redman again.” They all have loved ones back in the Free Zone so if they survived they would probably reconnect eventually so this leads me to believe either the three who left will die, or Stu will die, or all them will die. It would make more sense for just ONE man to die rather than THREE men but again, Stephen King is full of surprises.

I’m beginning to believe more and more and that we’re not going to find out why only certain people are immune. My guess is that King had an idea why while he was writing but he left it open to leave his readers guessing.

This is most likely my last blog before the end of the year so I just wanted to say how much fun I had posting my thoughts. This blog has really helped me keep my thoughts organized while I’m reading and it has even let me see things in books I would have never seen while just reading for fun. I highly recommend The Stand. I think I can safely say it is the best novel I have ever read (and that includes Twilight :P). Well thanks for reading. BYE!

The Stand part 4

They’re choosing sides. When a group finds another group they simply ask ‘Dark Man or Old Woman?’ It seems that every character has dreamed of both of them. I don’t think it’s really a conscience choice about what side they’re on. When the people who are searching for the Old Woman (Mother Abigail) dream of the Dark Man, it is a terrifying experience and when they dream of Abigail it feels like refuge. However a man who calls himself Trash is looking for the Dark Man and when he dreams of the Dark Man he feels guided to where he belongs but once when he dreamt of Abigail, it felt like a nightmare. I guess it all has to do with how you feel about humanity. The characters that have chosen the Dark Man don’t seem to care much about other lives. Lloyd was a serial killer and Trash is an obsessed arsonist. His followers are very dedicated. “My Life for you,” is what Trash always tells him. I guess anyone who has a good soul is looking or has already joined Mother Abigail.

So what is so special about Abigail and the Dark Man? King gave a brief summary of their pasts and as far as I can tell they’re both just regular humans. I think it’s just that Abigail is as good as it gets and the Dark Man is as evil as it gets.

Random info

I keep forgeting that I want to post a blog about I song I really like so I figured I might as well post it while I'm on blogger.

It's called A Child Called "It" by Buckcherry. I've heard it many times before but I never connected that it was actually written about the book until I actually listened to the lyrics. It really is quite a song but it's pretty fast beat so it might not be for everyone.

Click here to listen to it:
http://listen.grooveshark.com/#/artist/Buckcherry/405115
The link isn't quite working the way I had hoped so once you click it, scroll down until you see the title "A Child Called 'It'" and double click it. Thanks :)

The Stand part 3

So far only two main groups have joined together but the others are starting to pick up stragglers. Nick, a deaf-mute, started out alone but now is with eight other people. Larry started out with Rita but then she overdosed. Larry thinks it was 70% accident and 30% suicide. Larry later came across a women named Nadine who was with a boy she calls Joe.

So far three characters have been having dreams about a woman called Mother Abigail and Mother Abigail has been having dreams of them too. Nick and seven people he picked up now found Abigail making them a group of nine, the biggest group yet.

So far my theory has held up. All the surviving characters seem to be fit, healthy people. Even Mother Abigail, who is 108, is in extremely good condition for her age.

I wonder why only some of them are having dreams? And why are they are dreaming at all? Abigail thinks it’s a gift from God to help them fight off the evil that’s coming. But then she also thinks God is the one who sent the plague on them in the first place as a judgment.

There’s one paragraph that really made me think:
"The Bible, it don't say what happened to Noah and his family after the flood went down. But I wouldn't be surprised if there was some awful tussle for the souls of those few people- for their souls, their bodies, their way of thinking. And I wouldn't be surprised if that was what was on for us." -Mother Abigail; Chapter 36; page 338

It basically says that God showed Noah how to build an arc and Moses how to part the Red Sea. But we never find out what happened after the flood. Or after Moses got the Jews out of Egypt. God gave them the way but did it work? Did it save their souls? I’m a Christian myself and I never even thought twice about that kind of stuff. The fact that Stephen King did shows how invested in his books he gets and how much research he does just to make one paragraph appealing.

The Stand cont.

Wow this book is intense! I can not put it down. Some of the characters are starting to come together but the problem is none of them trust eachother. I guess that’s what happens when the world ends.

Most of what I’ve read since my last blog is just about the individual characters getting everything together and deciding what they are going to do. This one guy, Stu, was orginally quarantined by the army because his town is where it all started and he was the only survivor. But then somehow the flu gets loose and all the nurses, doctors and army guys die so Stu escapes and decides to head east to the coast. Another couple, who are the only survivors in their town, hear about the army centre and head west in hope to find survivors from the centre. Stu and the couples paths cross.

I am still really curious about why they are all immune?! I do have one idea though. All survivors seem to be good natured, healthy people. One girl is even pregnant. Maybe that’s the connection. Only the fittest survive.

The Stand

DONE! Well actually I finished All We Know of Heaven last week but it wasn’t that interesting so I haven’t felt the urge to blog about it. Because I started a different book since I finished that one I can’t really remember what happened or what I felt while I was reading or anything so I’m just going to blog about the new book I started which was recommended to me by my sister.

The Stand by Stephen King is without a doubt the best horror story I’ve ever read (which is a lot) and I’m only a quarter done! I can not put it down!! The detail he goes into to describe scenes amazes me. But the thing is, he ONLY describes the scenes and not the characters so that gives an excellent opportunity to step into their shoes. For example one character is deaf and mute. He describes the way he reads lips by seeing the way “the tongue dances across the lips and teeth.” This one line gave me a great viewpoint on what it would be like to only depend on your eyes.

The horror begins on page one and hooked me right away. Most of it so far has taken place in a small town so every time something bad happens I can picture it happening here in my own small town. Which, frankly, scares the crap out of me.

Each main character is a survivor who is immune to the disease that is killing the entire country (as far as we know so far) and my guess is that they will all eventually find each other and but knows where it will go from there? I wonder why all of them are having the same dream? I doubt it’s from the disease since they are immune. And why ARE they immune? I can’t see any similarities in the characters so far. They are all different age, sex, and race. But Stephen King loves to leave you hanging so I really hope he explains cause now I’m really curious! But I guess I’ll just have to keep reading to find out. TaTa for now!

All We Know of Heaven

All We Know of Heaven is about friendship and family. I started reading it yesterday and I’m over half done. This novel is, again, not the type I usually read but it got me hooked from page one I continued reading to simply find out what happened!

Bridget Flannery and Maureen O’ Malley are the best of friends. They never go anywhere without each over and they love each other like sisters. They are so similar that people can rarely tell the difference between them; same hair, same eyes, same height, same everything. While coming home from a cheerleading competition one snowy and slippery Christmas Eve, they get into a fatal head-on collision with a semi. The passenger is thrown from the window but still breathing and the driver is dead instantly. The damage to the bodies is so severe that the paramedics simply guess who is who.

For two months they THOUGHT Bridget was in a coma and Maureen was resting in peace. But when Bridget wakes up she starts saying weird things. Because of the brain damage it’s hard to tell what she is trying to get across but one nurse swears she’s saying “I’m Maureen”. Have they made a horrible mistake?

You have to see this story from both sides. This could be a miracle for one family and hell for the other. Could you imagine thinking your daughter had a fighting chance then finding out she’s been dead for months and is buried in someone else’s grave? But on the other hand, for Maureen’s family it’s like their daughter is back from the dead.

One line that Bridget’s mother, Kitt Flannery, said kind of described how she felt when she found out. She said ‘How could God play such a cruel joke?’ Both families are very religious so to the O’Malley’s it feels like God gave them a gift but for the Flannery’s, their faith is tested.
I’ve only experienced one death in my life so I can’t really relate to this story but it still gives me an excellent view on how both families are feeling and how Maureen in feeling. For example, the O’Malley’s are more than grateful their daughter is alive but the doctors are certain there will be quite a bit of brain damage and Maury will never be the same as the girl they raised. The whole family has to cope with that plus they are struggling with the hospital bills. The families used to be really close but now part of The Flannery’s hate the O’Malley’s, which of course is understandable because their baby had to die well the O’Malley’s got to live. Secretly Kitt is a tiny bit grateful because she sees how Maureen’s family is struggling and is partially grateful her daughter is at rest. The girl’s friends don’t know whether to be happy or sad. Their one friend is alive but the other is gone forever. One girl describes it as ‘Living through the death all over again’.

I have absolutely no idea how I would feel in this situation. I’m trying to put myself in the friend’s shoes and it feels almost unbearable. Would I be happy or sad? I love my friends equally and the choice is impossible to make.

Inspiration

I have not read anything since I finished The Lost Boy because I’ve been really busy. But I had some more things to say about The Lost Boy so I guess I’ll write about that.

I always knew I wanted a career in mental health care so I attended a health career expo last week and everything I learned got me thinking about what happened to David Pelzer. I then knew I wanted to work with children. I asked a social worker at the expo about the demand for workers in adoption agencies. He explained that they weren’t very high and it would be extremely hard to get a good job in one.

That night I finished The Lost Boy and I had made my choice. I wanted to work with foster children. These jobs are always in demand because of the stereotypes people believe against foster children (i.e. they are not wanted because they are bad kids. Which we know is not true from Dave). These kids need someone they can rely on and know that they will always be there for them. I want to be that person.

If Dave Pelzer could help me make a huge decision like this, I imagine he has helped many more with his story. Thanks Dave :)

The Lost Boy concluded

Well I finished The Lost Boy the other night and it wasn’t quite as interesting as the first book but it was still a good read. I think this is mostly just because it’s a subject that I find very interesting but also don’t know much about. The fact that it’s a real story really helped me get into the book too.

This one wasn’t as much about child abuse as it was about the life of a foster child. I never really thought about it much so I definitely didn’t realize how judgmental people are about foster children! They just assume that the child’s parents don’t want the kid because they’re bad but in this book probably more than half the foster children Dave meets aren’t bad at all but simply not wanted. Obviously this part made me really upset and curious as to why some people aren’t more open minded. However The Lost Boy had parts that made up for some of the bad things. Dave goes through five foster families and every single one is so excepting of him.

Sometimes in between foster homes Dave had nowhere to go besides “The Hill” which is a juvenile detention centre for children who misbehave too much but Dave had to go there just because there was such a shortage of foster homes. I did some research on why this is and I guess the people who actually have the heart to be a foster parent simply can’t afford it or don’t have the time.

But you don’t necessarily have to open a foster home to help children. Go to this website: http://plancanada.ca/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=265&gclid=CNftmOKsp6ACFWV75QodJWHXbQ and you’ll see what I mean. After reading this book and going through Dave’s horrid childhood with him, this website really gave me hope that people are trying to help.

The book ended with another flash forward just like the first book so of course I know that he eventually has a very happy life with his son, Stephan (named after his father I assume). But I am EXTREMELY curious about what happened to Stephan’s mother. I wonder if she maybe abused Stephan too and Dave rescued him? Well I guess I’ll just have to read A Man Called Dave to find out.

The Lost Boy

I started reading a book of my own at home once I finished A Child Called “It”, but I still had David Pelzer on my mind and was unable to get into the book so I waited until Mrs. Kulyk got me The Lost Boy, the sequel to A Child Called “It”.
I thought, as many people probably did, that David’s story ended once he escaped from his abusive mother but just by reading the back of this book I found out how wrong I was. Even without his mother in his life anymore Dave still faced more struggles than many other children could even imagine. The Lost Boy follows David through his life as foster child, being moved from home to home and never really feeling like he has a family or place to call home.
I just started reading it today but I’m already on page 99 and have only put it down to write this blog. It’s extremely captivating with a story that cannot leave a reader untouched. I’m not quite halfway through the book yet so I don’t yet have the whole struggle he went through but the fact that he had the courage to stand up in court to his mother leads me to predict that David will eventually find his right path and live a happy life.
Well that’s all I can really say for now but as I continue through this book I’ll keep posting my thoughts.

A Child Called "It"

I started A Child Called “It” (Click link for summary and review) by Dave Pelzer on February 8, 2010 and I finished reading it on February 8, 2010. So to sum it up: this book was INCREDIBLE. It was impossible not to be completely changed after reading just the first chapter. Even though I have no personal experience with child abuse I still found myself easily relating to Dave just by hearing his story. Dave Pelzer creates such a picture with his words that I just wanted to run to that little boy and help him! The book starts out with him escaping then the rest is flashbacks of his childhood so the whole time I was very eager to get to the end and find out how he gets away. I had a few ideas of the stuff he went through by hearing stories of people who had already read it but there was no way to predict the horror that that boy went through!

Boy, girl, adult or teenager; I think almost anyone could read this book and relate to it because it’s so full of real issues going on all around us that most people are completely unaware of.

This might not have been the author’s intention in the first place but I think that by having the courage to get his story out there, he may have helped many abused children. Whether it was just letting them know to never give hope or even teaching neighbors, teachers or relatives the signs of an abused child; I think David Pelzer may have saved some lives. I very much look forward to reading The Lost Boy and A man named "Dave".

But these are just my opinions… What do YOU think???

My Choices

I borrowed three books from the library yesterday on our trip. First I found a book called All we know of Heaven by Jacquelyn Matchard which was lying on the table the librarian had set out for us. I first picked it up because it had an interesting cover. Once I read the back I decided to give it a try. Then the librarian suggested another book called Innercity Girl Like Me by Sabrina Bernardo. She told us a little about it and I raced to grab it before Jessica could (haha Jessica!). Since I have a whole shelf of books to read at home I decided I should just stick with two books. As I sat at a table to look over my finds I saw a book someone dicarded on the table. I can’t recall the title but the author was Dave Pelzer. I knew I recognized the name so I went on one of the available computers and typed in his name. The title A Child Called “It” popped up and I immediately raced to find the book! I have several friends who’ve read this book with nothing to say about it but amazing compliments. I read the first page and was immediately hooked! Needless to say I read that one first.

Welcome!

Welcome to Casie's blog! I'm making this blog for my English 20 class so most of it will about books :S well have fun!