Absolutely American

     For my first true independent reading book of Honors English IB, I'm choosing to read a book that will detail the exact reason that I even enrolled in this course. The title, Absolutely American, is a basic description of one of the few locations in the country that are absolutely American, West Point. As of right now, I want nothing more in my life than to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point, also known as "Army," and graduate to have an excellent career in the US Army.

     West Point is a federal service academy located along the Hudson River in New York. Here, the roughly 4,000 students (cadets) that make up the Corps of Cadets will go through four years of academic, physical and military training to become the excellent leaders of character committed to the values of Duty, Honor and Country that will, upon graduation, command the enlisted soldiers in the United States Army.

     Four thousand cadets may seem like an excessive, plentiful amount of potential leaders of America's Army, but it is even less so than you may think. West Point is not for everyone. The academy ranks 11th among the nation's universities in "Lowest Acceptance Rate" at 9.0%; not to mention this is of qualified applicants, whom need congressional recommendations, exceptional grades and test scores, and outstanding moral character to be considered for admission. USMA is suited for the best students in the country with ambitions of service and leadership, and only the elite of this minuscule collection of exceptional persons may be accepted. Not everyone is can handle the responsibilities of West Point, not even all of the 4,000 that are accepted to attend can uphold the standards of the academy, and are forced to drop out before commissioning, or graduation. This is the reason as to why I chose to enroll in Honors English; not because I like reading and writing, no. Now, is taking "Honors English" going to get me in to West Point? NO. But it may have an impact: the more rigorous one makes a high school career, the more likely one is to be accepted to West Point.

     To even consider this, though, there a great argument must be won in your  mind. Do I, or do I not want to be forced to live up to the standards of the academy? Can I, or can I not uphold these standards? Is it worth it to me to give up the convenience of campus life at other universities to attend West Point? Do I want to give up four summers and four grueling academic work to become a Commissioned Officer in America's Army? Am I able to deal with being away from home and loved ones for extensive amounts of time? Am I physically capable of attending the academy? Most importantly, am I committed to leadership and service, and am I able to live by the values of Duty, Honor, and Country? The answer to every question must be unanimously "yes" in order to consider the United States Military Academy for your future, and I think that in the book, we will learn of some cadets that may have questioned some of their answers, and think of, or do drop out of the academy. I think in the book will also be a detailed description of life at the academy and how cadets handle it. The book may be used as an informational guide as to whether or not West Point is for you, or it may not be, but regardless, that is the sole purpose I am reading this book.

Fat Boy Chronicles

     Everyone that has taken Health with Coach Pop has read Fat Boy Chronicles. And, chances are, even if you didn't take Mr. Popivich's Health class, you've either read the book as well, or at least heard about it somehow. After all, it is about a kid whom once walked the same halls you do every day, here at "Good Ole' Willy Mason High School." If you've taken ECA with Mr. Geotz and Ms. Borock, you'd get that one too.

     Most of you will already know what the book is about, but I'm going to tell you anyway. It's about the freshman experience of Jimmy (Doug Henning). The book is set up like a journal that he was assigned to do by his freshman English teacher (I don't know who he had for English, I don't know one student that has had to journal for English I). So, the journal may be a fictitious aspect of the book, but the actions that take place are all but fake. Jimmy has what he claims to be a "less-than-average-appearance." Here's the deal: Jimmy is overweight and there are some kids in his class that use that as source for their jokes. Some worse than others, but everyone seems to get their piece of Jimmy one way or another. You may be thinking, or remembering the beginning of the book and thinking 'Awe, poor kid,' but Jimmy did have a group of friends. Now, this group will change throughout the course of the book, like some of yours may through the course of high school. His friends have their problems as well, and you may recall them or find for yourself, but Jimmy has the worst time at school than any of them by far.

     Jimmy visited the doctor and received some news that didn't exactly make him the happiest person in the world. In fact, it terrified him. The doctor was talking to him about how he was a bit heavier than the rest of the kids his age, and if he didn't do something about it starting then, he'd stay like that for the rest of his life. Did you hear what I said?! For the rest of his life. Jimmy thought his body was just going through a phase, but for the rest of his life? There was no way in heck that Jimmy wanted to stay like this for the rest of his life. As you can tell, this quote is a key aspect of the book. It is the spark that ignites almost every action that takes place later in the book.

     There is a clear theme in the book, and it is a very influential read that I feel should be read by everyone, whether it's a requirement, or not. When I first was assigned to read this book, I though, 'Oh, great. I get to read about another bullying story.' It's not that at all. The book is more than just a story, it gives you a chance to reflect on how you treat others and how you deal with situations of witnessing. I'll have to thank Mr. Popivich later for inspiring me to write this.

     I know this is getting long, and if you're still reading, congratulations. You're probably thinking, 'Oh my good golly, there's more?! Dude, you're on your fifth paragraph now. You know you only need two, right? Wrap it uuuup, let's goooo!' And I'm just going to ask you to turn down, and take it down a notch, because I'm wrapping it up right here. I could write about this book all day but I'll go ahead and conclude with a couple questions you can answer in the comments (you're welcome :) ). First, how do you treat others? I know you're not perfect, nobody is. That's not the point. I'm guilty of some minor joking around here and there, and I'm sure you are too; but when it all comes down to it, are you the person someone comes to for help, just a friend, or the cause of the pain? And it also speaks to your character how you react when you see someone getting constantly harassed. What kind of character are you? You don't have to announce it for the world to know, but I challenge you to ponder that for a while. Anyway, I'll wrap it up, the bell's about to ring. Outie.

Rags to Riches

     The book I most enjoyed reading during Trimester 1 was the one that I had to read for English IA: One Shot at Forever by Chris Ballard. I'll be honest, I chose to read this book because it appeared to be about baseball (and it was), but, I knew there would be another meaning to the book, because it couldn't be just about baseball. Why? Well, for starters, it wouldn't be on the summer reading list; and two, there are a gazillion books that are just about baseball, and none of those are any fun to read. If you're not into sports, read it anyway. Like, I said, it's not about baseball, it's about adversity and how to handle it. And if you are into sports, read it. One, it's a good read that includes a story of a sports team, but also, it teaches you the same lesson any good coach will teach you: ignore the hype and play ball like y'all can. Now, if the story isn't about baseball, what is it about?
                                                       
     This story is about a small town in Illinois, near Chicago, called Macon. The Macon baseball team hasn't had much success in years prior to spark any hopes that change will come anytime soon. Coach Sweet is new in town, and isn't taken kind to in the conservative farm town of Macon. Lynn Sweet is an English teacher at Macon High School, and the parents of his students strongly disagree with his teaching style, and when he becomes head baseball coach, the confidence in the Ironmen was really lacking. And it may be cliche, but even though they were underdogs given no chance at making a "State Run" and, obviously they went as far as they could (you can read to see how far and all the details of their journey if you wish). Now, that's a basic summary on the book--that you can find on SparkNotes... but it's much better if you read the book because you then get the chance to learn the true meaning of the book, which is also a cliche, and which you may also learn on your own. :)

P. S. The theme of the book isn't the Coaching Speech I mentioned, trust me. I wouldn't ruin the story for you like that. Theme goes deeper than just the plot of a story, but it can be supported by thoughts and actions in the story.

P. S. S. We learn that in English class.