Week 14- Wow, My Dad Hates Me

Hey! It's been a long week. On Monday, I started the second book in the Trials Of Apollo series, The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan. Of course, you already know that, since I used it to write my monologue. I'm really enjoying this book so far. Rick Riordan has been a huge influence for me. He shaped my love of mythology and fantasy, but he also made up a lot of my sense of humor. All of that is stuff that stays true in this book. The humor is still very sarcastic and self-deprecating, which I love.
Being completely honest, Apollo is kind of my spirit animal. He's hilarious! And the thing I love about Uncle Rick's more recent books is that he's really embracing diversity of all kinds, and in this series specifically, Solangelo (Will and Nico) were a featured couple in the plot, and Apollo himself is openly bisexual and often talks about his previous and current attractions to other men. That's a concept that hasn't been involved in a lot of pop culture or popular protagonists. And Leo, who is a main character in this book, is Latino, an ethnicity that isn't as widely represented as others. But… I do actually have a problem with Leo's depiction in the book.
In his previous appearances, he's been described as being Latino, but it wasn't a huge part of his personality (not anything immediately correlated, at least.) In The Dark Prophecy, however, Leo is now spouting words in Spanish every other page. And while it's cool that a Latino character is actually acting Latino, it doesn't make sense to start making him act that way out of nowhere. It's like Rick wanted to make sure he was incorporating as many ethnicities and groups as possible and decided to remind everyone that Leo is Latino by making him speak in Spanish. But it's so random, and out of character. And most Latino people I know don't throw around words in another language like that, anyways. When you're speaking in Spanish, it's kind of taboo to use a word in English in the middle of the sentence. It's not rude so much as kind of strange and out of place, and people won't see you as deserving as much respect. It doesn't really work the same way for saying Spanish in an English conversation, but it's weird. Please keep in mind that I'm speaking from my own experiences and the way I was raised. I'm not saying that this is true for all Latino people or countries. I just think it's weird to switch languages unless you really don't remember the right word. Sorry for that rant.
I’ll catch you up again next week!

Week 13.5- Mini miniblog

Just letting you know I'm actually not writing my monologue with James. I understand his character, but I couldn't think of anything to start it. Sorry!

Week 13- The Serious One

Hi! I just finished Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets and I loved it! I cried a little because thank god for therapists. And the last chapter was a few pages of free verse in the style of Walt Whitman that were really… I don't know how to describe it. They gave me a warm fuzzy feeling, basically. I was really worried for James, because he's honestly so sweet and emotional, but at the end of the book he finally stood up for himself and convinced his parents to pay for his therapy. Well actually he stole some money at first to get a few sessions behind their backs, but then he actually had the courage to ask for help.

I think I need to address that, actually. This book is… it's inspirational, honestly. And the ending might not be super realistic compared to some kids with similar mental health problems, but it’s kind of like those It Gets Better videos: it shows people that it's okay to ask for help, and that if you do, you'll feel better about yourself, your condition, your life in general. And one thing that I think is really important is that admitting you need help is the first step to improvement. James had his imaginary therapist, Dr. Bird, but one distinction James makes is that talking to someone who is part of you, who you are imagining, is not the same as talking to a real person. He says this specifically, but there are also instances early in the book where he mentions that he's not sure what Dr. Bird means, or rather that he does but won't admit it. Because he admitted he needed help, because he went to a real person and got his issues out in the open, even just those first few sessions dramatically changed his disposition. And in the last chapter, once he can see that real therapist on a regular basis, and he has someone he knows he can talk to, he really picks up. He's like another person almost, and it's a gorgeous if not saddening way to depict mental health: as something that keeps you not only from being happy, but from being your true self. I know this blog has been pretty serious, but I feel really strongly about this book. I'm definitely going to write my monologue from James' point of view; I can't imagine doing it with any other character.

Thanks for reading and putting up with my sappiness! I'll start a new book next week. Yawp!

Week 12- Imaginaaaation

Hi! I know that normally these go up on Saturdays, but I don't know if I can put it up tomorrow. So, let's get started! As you know, I finished The Raven Boys, but I didn't tell you which book I'd be starting (mostly because I didn't know yet). I started reading a happy little book called Dr. Bird's Advice for Sad Poets by Evan Roskos. And when I say it's happy, I'm being 100% sarcastic. The main character is a boy named James Whitman. Because of his last name, he likes to quote Walt Whitman, and is into poetry. I'll be completely honest, and please don't kill me, I don't think I've read a single thing from Walt Whitman. Maybe I have, but I don't remember. Anyways, James is a poet. That's cool, and not what I mean when I say it's not a happy book. What I mean is that James isn't just a poet, he has anxiety, depression, and suicidal thoughts. Yay. Because high school isn't hard enough when you're just joking about wanting to kill yourself. And he hates his parents, which is apparently because his parents don't like him either. Or his sister, who they literally kicked out of the house for something James can't figure out. They never explained it to him, and he wasn't in the room. But then he finds this box in her closet and OH MY GOD THERE ARE KNIVES IN THERE and BLOOD and poems and stories about CUTTING HERSELF I AM HAVING UNWANTED FEELINGS RIGHT NOW.

Right. Well, now that that's out of the way, I should explain the title of the book. So, James clearly has some issues. So he decides he wants to see a therapist. But he doesn't want anyone to know he has a therapist. And even later on when he asks his parents, they don't want to pay for one. So instead, James makes a therapist for himself. In his mind. With imagination.

And his therapist he creates is human-sized pigeon named Doctor Bird. Doctor Bird is female, in case you were wondering. A giant, female, human-sized pigeon. Because... reasons. If I was going to make up a therapist for myself who wasn't human, I'd at least make it something interesting. Maybe something magical, like a dragon or unicorn? Or if it was a real animal, something exotic. Like a zebra. But a pigeon? That's so weird. Although maybe it makes sense, because James seems to be really close with nature. He literally hugs trees to shake off anxieties or depression, and he threw himself in front of a bus to save a bird with a hurt wing. That scene was interesting to read. I'm not even joking, it was hilarious. He wanted to impress a girl, so he jumped into the street and all of a sudden he says, "I think I've been hit by a bus!"

I started cracking up in the middle of Outback.
So basically, this book is not happy, but it is indeed funny. I actually really like it so far. And it's short, so I think I'll finish it soon. TTYL!