Dave Mirra

Dave Mirra 

 MLA Citation: Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 5-57. Print. 

 

BMX superstar summary: 

Dave Michael Mirra born on the fourth of April 1974, Syracuse, New York.  He is 

the son of Mike and Linda Mirra, and has a brother.  Dave was into biking he could ride 

at the age of 4.  Dave could do some basic stunts and tricks.  Dave could jump curbs and 

popping wheelies.  Dave was too busy thinking of biking he wouldn’t pay attention in 

class.  Dave thought that he was ready to participate in a BMX race so he did and sadly 

got second to last.  He thought that racing wasn’t his type, so he went deeper into 

freestyle element he learnt many BMX tricks so he joined a BMX Tournament. 3 

professionals Ron Wilkerson, Brian Blyther, and Dave Nourie were impressed with 

Dave’s performance so they tried him on the team.  Daves status was amateur but soon 

turned into professional.  He signed with Haro Bikes and got several sponsors on the 

way. Dave Mirra was doing amazing stunts but would take time to plan them.  

Dave was going to move to Greenville, North Carolina closer to where his brother 

stays. Dave was famous for pragmatism.  One thing that proves Daves honesty is, he 

admitted that he gets nervous before performing a stunt or before going to his BMX 

competition.  Miracle boy was the Dave Mirra’s nickname because he survived fatal 

accidents.  He got hit by a car that was being driven by a drunk driver, luckily he got to 

walk back with only a dislocated shoulder.  Doctors then realized that he had a blood 

clot in his brain and told him that he wasn’t able to ride anymore.  Dave wanted to prove 

the doctors wrong and made an unforgettable recovery.  In 1995, 2 years later dave was 

performing a stunt but was unlucky his short got wrapped around the handlebar which in 

conclusion made him fall 6 meters down. Dave then injured his elbow and had to get 

stitches but his wound got infected.  

Dave Mirra was so popular he has won ten gold medals.  Dave Mirra thanks the X 

games for putting the competitors under pressure.  He admits that some tricks work in 

practice but end up failing in the competition.  

BMX (Bicycle Motocross) was recognized during the 20th century as an extreme 

sport. Dave Mirra BMX 2 was a game that was very successful. 

Dave Mirra showed perseverance by not giving up he got injured several times he 

also failed in some tricks but kept trying to accomplish it.  Dave Mirra motivated BMX by 

doing impossible stunts and by not giving up.  It’s reasonable to say that people look up 

to Dave since he overcame challenges and kept going on. 

 The end 

Dave Mirra made history recently.  “ In 2002, he impressed fans and judges alike 

with his double tailwhips. (Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 34. Print.) 

is one of two evidence that the book’s historical time period took place in recent time.  

Another piece of evidence that proves the time period is, “Dave Michael Mirra was born on April 

4 1974”   (Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 8. Print.) 

 

One way Dave Mirra was influenced to riding bikes was from his brothers and friends 

from the neighborhood. They would make mini ramps and do stunts as mini 

competitions.  He then participated in BMX and sadly got second to last so he kept 

trying.  So losing made him work and learn from his mistakes which led him to be a 

superstar.  His parents were supportive.  Competition existed between bikers. He was 

also sponsored by many companies which also influenced him.   (Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave 

Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 8-13. Print.) 

5 vocabulary words: 

Miraculous: (Adj)  Occurring through divine. (Divine = like a god) Pg 21. 

(Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005.21. Print.)  

Reinforcement:  (n)The action of strengthening. Pg 40.  

(Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 41. Print.)  

          Polyurethane: (V) Protected with paint or varnish.  

(Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 41. Print.)  

          installment: (N) installing something. Pg 42 

(Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005.42. Print.)  

          Infectious: (Adj)  Likely to be transmitted to people.  

(Rosenberg, Aaron. Dave Mirra. New York: The Rosen publishing group, 2005. 47. Print.)  

          Reflection: 

The book matters because it shows perseverance.  The book teaches people to learn from 

their mistakes and never to give up.  Dave lost and got injured several times some of his friends 

gave up, but he did not.  Now he is a superstar. I liked how Dave did not give up and how he kept 

going no matter what.  I recommend this book to anyone who likes BMX and biographies.  He 

showed grit and he never gave up.  I see myself because I do not give up, like Dave Mirra.  I rate 

this book a 100/100. 

M.L.K. Journey of a King

 Bolden, Tonya, and Bob Adelman. M.L.K.: journey of a King. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006. Print. 

 

Summary:

Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on January 15, 1929. He was born in Atlanta, Georgia. At birth his legal name was "Michael King", and so was his father. In the year 1934, When his family went to Germany to attend the Fifth Baptist Alliance Congress in Berlin, his father decided to change his and his his sons name. He named himself Martin Luther King, in honor Of the the German reformer, who was named Martin Luther. Martin Luther King Jr. was the middle child, to one older sister, and one younger brother. When MLK Jr. was young he disbelieved in god, and thought everything written in the bible was fake. Throughout his childhood, he attended Booker T. Washington High School. Since he was an outstanding student, with perfect grades, he skipped ninth, and twelfth grade. He entered Morehouse College at the age of 15, without graduating formally from his High School. IN 1948, when MLK Jr. was 19 of age, he graduated from college with a B.A. degree in sociology. In this period in his life, he figured out that about everything in the bible was true, so he decided to enter a Seminary in Chester, Pennsylvania. Then in 1951, he graduated with a B. Div. degree. In the year 1953, he got married to Coretta Scott. In 1955, MLK Jr. led a boycott. In 1962, he led a struggle against segregation, in Albany, Georgia. On October 14, 1964, MLK Jr. was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, because he combated racial inequality through non-violence. Then on April 4, 1968 MLK Jr. was assassinated. His death lead to many riots in the streets. MLK Jr. demonstrated perseverance by not letting people put him down, by the color of his skin. But the main reason he demonstrated perseverance, is by not giving up to end segregation, and let all the whites, and blacks have equal rights. He even died for the world, trying as hard as he can to stop all this. MLK Jr. faced a couple of obstacles throughout his life. He overcame one of the biggest obstacles, which was racism/segregation. He always had to sit at the back of the bus, or stand. He couldn't go to a white school. He had worse toilets. Everything for the blacks was worse. But he overcame this with patience and non-violence. He had many speeches about these problems too. Another obstacle was the Ku Klux Klan (KKK). He overcame that obstacle by ignoring their violence and and arrogance.

Historical Setting:

Martin Luther King Jr. was born on October 15, 1929. There was a day the clerk wouldn't let MLK Jr. try on shoes, unless he and his dad sat in the back of the store. On another day at age of eight MLK Jr. stood outside a store waiting for his mother when he was slapped by a woman who told him: "You are that nigger who stepped on my foot." MLA citation (Bolden, Tonya, and Bob Adelman. "Chapter 1." M.L.K.: journey of a King. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006. 1-9. Print.)
  
Based on the text above, you can tell that the Historical Setting is when segregation/racism took place. Like where MLK Jr. couldn't try on shoes, unless he sat at the back of the store! Now that is unbelievable. I also picked the part where the woman slapped him and called him a nigger, because between the 1800's until the year 1965, segregation was taking place, and he was born in the year 1929. The woman called him a nigger, which is a big insult at that time, and even now. And if you called someone a nigger, that shows you are being totally racist.

Influence:

His time period affected him because he was black. On page 9 it says that one day MLK Jr. went on a bus with his teacher and they were going home. The bus driver ordered them to stand for white people to take their places. That is when MLK Jr. decided to stop segregation, because he had influenced something that made him feel bad. MLA citation (Bolden, Tonya, and Bob Adelman. "Chapter 1." M.L.K.: journey of a King. New York: Abrams Books for Young Readers, 2006. 9. Print.)

Vocabulary:

Segregation p.15 Def: The action or state of setting someone or something apart from others.
Alluded p.22 Def: Suggest or call attention to indirectly.
Indignity p.22 Def: Treatment or circumstances that cause one to feel shame or to lose one's dignity.
Agape p.29 Def: When a person's mouth is wide open in surprise.
Boycott p.35 Def: To withdraw from commercial or social relations with (a country, organization, or person) as a punishment or protest.

Reflection:

All in all I enjoyed reading this book. In my opinion i liked this book because it taught me how to be more aware in life. I think the so what in this book was to inform the reader about racism/segregation, and how it could be solved through patience and non-violence ways. This book matters because it tells you, and shows how the events about 90 years ago changed our world. I would recommend this book to people who like reading books that teach you valuable things in life, and how life was in the period of segregation. I would give this book a 10/10, because it was an easy and quick book to read, with interesting facts and events. MLK Jr. is important to talk about because if it wasn't for him we would still be living in a world full of segregation, and racism. If I was him, i wouldn't be able to survive for one day, because i have very little patience skills, so i would go crazy.