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.

The Radioactive Boy Scout

Summary:

David Hahn is an American boy scout born on October 30, 1976.

In order to get a scout’s badge in atomic energy reactor as a source of limitless amounts of energy.

At the age of 17, he tried to create a homemade breeder nuclear reactor.

He made secret experiments in the backyard of his mother’s house in Michigan.

He made this radioactive material by collecting several household products especially from camping lanterns, smoke detectors, docks…

Hahn hoped to create a breeder reactor by transforming thorium and uranium into fissionable isotopes.

His homework reactor didn’t reach the critical mass but it emitted dangerous levels of radioactivity.

He felt anxious and started to take apart his experiments.

By mistake the police discovered his activities, which made the FBI and the Nuclear Regulatory commission dismantle the shed and its content and buried them in Utah.

Hahn refused any medical tests for radiation exposure. 

It takes place in October 30, 1976 were he does many things and goes to places and it talks about how he is trying to create a nuclear reactor.

It influenced David Hahn because he went through many things like after the FBI found out about everything that he is doing he had to run away from them and they tried looking for him everywhere and especially that David Hahn had to go somewhere he had to disappear from the police.

Vocabulary:

1)   Tended: regularly or frequently behave in a particular way or have a certain characteristic.

2)   Astonishing: surprise or impress (someone) greatly.

3)   Optimism: Hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.

4)    Barium: The chemical element of atomic number 56, a soft white reactive metal of the alkaline earth group.

5)   Sealed: Fasten or close securely.

Reflection:

I think that this book matters because it tells you about people a long time ago and how they created things and did amazing experiments.

An example is that he tried creating a nuclear reactor and did experiments in the backyard of his mom’s house and especially that he was young, he was 17 years old.

Then the police discover things about him, and what he is trying to do.

I rate this book a 7 out of 10 because sometimes I would read things that were really boring and I didn’t like the book a lot, I only liked the part were he would try to create things and then the FBI would find out about what he is doing. So that’s why I rate it a 7 out of 10.

BB4 Mystery

Bailey, Linda. How can a frozen detective stay hot on the trail?. Morton Grove, Ill.: Albert Whitman & Co., 1996. Print.

Summary:

When Stephanie Diamond arrives in Winnipeg she doesn’t expect to be solving a crime, especially not when freezing to death. However, when she learns about Jesse’s uncle, Misha’s, problem she has to change her plans about him from flirting to crime-solving. Misha had recently joined a carnivorous plants group. Now, someone stole a lot of money’s worth of rare carnivorous plants from the greenhouse they were using to keep the plants ready for display at the Winnipeg Museum. Not to mention, whoever did do the crime managed to frame Misha as his car  was the only car that passed by the home of the owner of the greenhouse. Stevie and Jesse go with a reluctant Micha to find out a little more about the case at the next carnivore club meeting.. The owner of the greenhouse, Muffy, has a huge house. She is rather old and it is her greenhouse so they don’t identify her as a suspect. Then, there is Veda Bickel, the leader of the carnivore club, who hates Micha. This makes her a suspect because she could have gained money and gotten rid of Micha, in one go. There is then Lester, a world-renowned expert on carnivorous plants. While Stevie thinks he is innocent, Jesse, a vegetarian thinks that he is guilty because he enjoys the death of innocent insects.  Stevie just writes him down as a suspect not to argue with Jesse. The next day, they go to Oliver’s house, Micha’s best friend. They find a huge ice rink in the backyard. Unfortunately for Stevie, she doesn’t really know how to ice skate. She does, however, overhear Oliver saying he feels rich and Micha saying that he can take his car whenever he wants. Stevie adds him to their list of suspects. Later, when Stevie is looking for the pet hamster she finds soil in Oliver’s room. They then go back to Bobbi’s house to spend time with Jesse’s relatives. The next day, Stevie has the idea to make a trap, and stakeout the thief. She designs it like a carnivorous plant by using the promise of valuable plants to lure in the thief and a super strong glue to get him stuck. Stevie and Jesse sleep there but they wake up with Jesse somehow in the pool of glue. However, there are leads that Stevie is positive she touched a face and heard something resembling a lawn mower. Also, there are footprints that suggest big feet. The next day, they go out in search of one last piece of evidence when the blizzard strikes. How will they catch the thief now? Who is the thief?

Main Characters:

Stevie Diamond: Stephanie Diamond is a twelve year old, going to 13, novice sleuth who lives in Vancouver. She is the main character of this book. The three main personality traits I would describe her as are clever, socially awkward, and stubborn. She is clever because she put together the evidence to find the true culprit of the crime and because she has the idea to make a trap based on how carnivorous plans work. I describe her as socially awkward because she gives Micha the impression that she is outrageous. She is stubborn because she refused to wear a lot of layers when she came to Winnipeg but she was freezing as soon as she came out of the airport.

Jesse Kulniki: Jesse Kulniki is Stevie’s friend, neighbor and detective partner. They work together on all their cases. Jesse is a vegetarian and he loves birds. The main adjective I would use to describe him is squeamish because he is scared of the carnivorous plants and because he feels pity for the insects.

Setting: This book takes place in Winnipeg during modern time; to be exact I would say the late 1980’s during the weeks after Christmas and at the time of New Years. As minor settings there is the Winnipeg museum, Oliver’s house, Bobbi’s house, Muffy’s house, and the house of the neighbors.

Theme: I think the main theme of this book is manipulation because the real culprit of the crimes used manipulation to at first not even be considered as a suspect. The main theme is also manipulation because Stevie and Jessie try manipulating the culprit into a trap to catch him.

Reflection: I would rate this book a 6 or 7 out of 10 because, though it is very good and thought provoking. However, I would personally prefer a more important crime, like a murder, and professional detectives. I would recommend this book to people who like mysteries with teenage detectives. I would also recommend this to people who are fascinated by how carnivorous plants work, as this book talks about the subject often. This book is a very good way to get your brain thinking. It gets your brain analyzing possibilities. It gets you looking for explanations not even in the book. What is good about this book over many other books in this genre is that it ties up all loose ends and that it shows a bit of life other than the case and gives a background about the detective.

Keefe, Sherry. Spin: the story of Michael Jackson. Greensboro, N.C.: Morgan Reynolds Pub., 2011. Print.

 

Michael Jackson was a musical prodigy from day one in the musical business. He had his unique idiosyncrasies, his bad habits, and his bizarre thoughts. Since day one he challenged himself. After he released his first solo album, Off the Wall, in 1979, it achieved great success, despite much conflict in his life at the time. This conflict consisted of his father’s great displeasure at his decision to create a solo album, his father and mother’s marital problems, and last, Michael Jackson felt he could not cope with all the fame he achieved with The Jackson 5. In the next few years, as he gained even more acclaim and fame, Michael created his signature move. This legendary signature move was the moonwalk, and the first time he performed the moonwalk was at Motown Records 25^th Anniversary Celebration. Michael then released Thriller in the year 1982. This album would turn out to be his most famous album. Over 100 million copies sold worldwide. It was then that he had earned his title, “The King of Pop.” One tragic incident that would never be forgotten occurred while he was performing a commercial for Pepsi-Cola. As Michael was performing, behind him were fire lit silhouettes on display. Something malfunctioned with the timing, and unfortunately Michael’s hair and scalp set fire. Injuries and effects of the malfunctioning were worse than first expected, as Michael remained at the hospital for up to one month. This is what caused Michael to become addicted to painkillers. The chemicals used to treat Michael are what people presume had changed the color of his skin. (As an aftereffect.) During these years, life for Michael was difficult. His sister accused him of being a pedophile. His fans began to dislike him, as a result of these allegations, and he was voted worst singer of the year on Rolling Stones magazine. Many of his albums, such as HIstory, Bad, Dangerous, and Invincible did not receive as much success and acclaim when compared to the success of Thriller.

Throughout his life, Michael would repeatedly attempt to beat the success of Thriller. When recording, Michael would recurrently record a song, until it was perfect in his perspective. This is the main way Michael Jackson had demonstrated perseverance.

            During the 1990s, Michael’s life had come to pieces. His sister accused him of being a pedophile while being interviewed with her husband. She accused him of molesting children. This is said to what have put an obstacle on his career and success. After her statement went global, she agreed to be put on a lie detector with the presence of thousands of people in the audience to confirm her claim. However, right before approaching the stage, she refused to be tested and demanded more money. Her request was denied, and she fled the building. The big statement would not be confirmed that day. It was not until 2003 when she took back her statement and apologized to Michael. It was too little too late as the damage had already been done and his reputation had already been tainted.

            In 2008, as Michael was approaching the big 50, he agreed to perform one last tour and to release one last album (This Is It.) Sadly, one week before his first performance in London, he returned to California as he was in agony as a result of sleep deprivation. He was injected with harmful chemicals; and he suffered from a massive cardiac arrest. After being rushed to hospital, he was then pronounced dead. Michael was a huge icon in entertainment. He achieved greatness, prestige, and achieved success during a time where “blacks” were not supposed to be famous.

            The book covers the 1950s to the first decade of the 2000s, as this time period is the span of Michael Jackson’s life. Here is text from the book for more proof. “There is speculation that perhaps Michael had been left alone between the time of the injection and when Michael’s bodyguard placed the call for an ambulance at 12:21 P.M. on June 25, 2009.” (Page 130) “In 1982, Epic Records approved a budget of $750,000 to produce the next Michael Jackson album.” (Page 55)

            The era that Michael Jackson lived in made it difficult for him to succeed in the music business. During the 1960s and 1970s, “blacks” were racially discriminated against. In my opinion, I think that if Michael Jackson did not live in this particular era, then he wouldn’t have made it. He wouldn’t have recognized a challenge, meaning that he wouldn’t have perfected most of his music, as it was tough for blacks to make it in the music business. An example of this is how he was the first “colored” person to be aired on MTV. In my opinion, Michael Jackson was born at the perfect time. He was an outlier.

            This book matters and is significant because it demonstrates how Michael Jackson was an outlier and the challenges he faced. He achieved greatness in a tough world. What I liked about this biography was that it exhibited how Michael Jackson achieved great things in his life, just because he set his mind to it. Michael Jackson is important to talk about because he is a great idol and example in musical excellency, dance, and philanthropy. Out of 10, I would rate this book an 8/10 because it was not very reliable as many false reports were stated about Michael. I see myself in Michael Jackson because like Michael, whenever I set my mind to something, I do it.

Vocabulary:

Pedophile: Child molester

Loitering: Stand or wait by without purpose

Sanctity: The state or quality of being holy or sacred.

Choreograph: Dance steps

Rhinoplasty: Plastic surgery performed on the nose