Independent Reading Blog

Ian Brown’s impressions of the L’Arche communities in France and Montreal were skeptical. Ian found himself in a strange place when visiting the communities. Originally Ian had mixed emotions about the L’Arche community. The fact that L’Arche had been founded based on Catholic pretences changed how Ian perceived the community, but once he visited the Montreal campus he found himself not as familiar and became a stranger instead. “They weren’t an option for Walker: the waiting list was twenty years long and they accepted only adults. But Munn wanted me to visit him in Montreal. There, in a former church hall in Verdun, a working class community on the southern edge of the city, I saw for the first time the outline of the unthinkable community I was looking for. In that community, I was the stranger

I have learned that living a life with a profoundly disabled child can tear apart families. Having a child with disabilities such as Walker’s can wreck marriages because each parent could blame each other for the creation of the child. I commend Johanna and Ian Brown for being able to stick together through the childhood of their son Walker. Having the money to keep Walker alive, such as health care providers and care givers can help keep a family together. The guilt that parents have of seeing their own disabled child living the life he or she does. Many parents wish their disabled child dead because of the extreme pressure they’re under. When parents place their children in an institution they often regret it because they feel like they’re letting go and usually question their motives.

1. Do you feel like you have neglected your daughter?

2. Was putting Walker in an L’Arche community the appropriate choice?

3. What is the most important lesson that Walker has taught you?

TheGameSharpe

Neil Strauss tries to penetrate the secret society of pickup artist but to his surprise he would become the leader. He becomes a PUA, pickup artist who they call each other online. Neil Strauss, also known in the subculture as Style becomes the one of the most sought after and successful PUA's before he digs a hole that not even he could get out of.

Neil Strauss makes the reader interpret the type of diction as in your face young adult type of english. Neil makes the book very modern and current but in turn makes it very hard to relate to the characters because of the uniqueness of each PUA. I found the dialogue that was written for the protagonist to be very convincing but the supporting role was very unbelievable.

"I'll do a science experiment where I transport a lab technician over the Internet. Then the finale will be a bank heist and cage vanish. So I need a male kid, a rave, you. someone to play the lab technician, and a couple people to be the bank guards." (p.99/2)

This quote refers to the PUA's plan to receive more money by creating a plan that shows students or men that are trying to become PUA's like Style and Mystery. Mystery would like to put on a show to attract more people. Neil shows the imagination of the characters and how far they are willing to penetrate the system of pickup artists.

"I live in Los Angeles," I continued. "It's where the most beautiful women in the country come to try and make it."

Los Angeles is where most of the pickup artists live because of the women. I found this quote funny because the lines that PUA's say to women to pick them up are very strange but do work.

"And she looked at me and goes, I hate it when guys do that. Now I will never ever like him. I only want a guy who doesn't want me. I hate guys who want me. I hate it."

I enjoyed reading this line because this is what pickup artists are meant to do, they push away from a women so that the women will be interested in them and get even closer and end wanting the pickup artist.