As you begin reading the book, what are your first impressions? Make as many comments on this post as you wish, but you must create at least two. ONE of those comments must be a well-organized paragraph. Use specific details from the reading in your comments: characters, events, setting, or other details from the book. If you're having trouble coming up with a way to start your comments, check out the sentence starters, which might give you direction on this generic first post. You have until Monday, November 26 to comment.
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As you begin reading the book, what are your first impressions? Make as many comments on this post as you wish, but you must create at least two. ONE of those comments must be a well-organized paragraph. Use specific details from the reading in your comments: characters, events, setting, or other details from the book. If you're having trouble coming up with a way to start your comments, check out the sentence starters, which might give you direction on this generic first post. You have until Monday, November 26 to comment.
10 Comments
S. Matthews
11/21/2018 06:32:57 am
The first thing that came to mind as I began reading this book was total astonishment that what happened in the book took place so close to where I live. Michigan is far from the most excitement-filled place on the map, so knowing that such a big and strange mystery happened right here is amazing, to me. Growing up here, everything basically stayed the same. Nothing surprising or different ever happened and everything was so stuck in the patterns of life that they had followed that far that no one really did anything out of the ordinary. Even now that I am in High School- which is, albeit, incredibly different from life prior to coming here- things, overall, don't change. You see the same faces, you do the same things, you visit the same places, and nothing really happens. This book, though, shows the truly strange and upsetting things that have happened in this area.
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Anna D.
11/25/2018 10:16:03 am
I completely agree. I was very surprised when I saw that this story took place in Michigan; and not too far from we live. Not a lot of books take place in this state so it is refreshing when I see some stories take place here. It is also interesting when I am able to actually recognize or at least know of some of the places the narrator talks about.
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Zoe M.
11/25/2018 05:15:24 pm
I had a similar reaction once I began reading. It completely baffled me that something as intriguing as this happened so close to home. Overall, I would consider Michigan a pretty quiet place, so it was interesting to find such an interesting story happening in the area. Compared to how calm life seems here, this novel seems almost like a work of fiction.
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Emily D.
11/26/2018 01:15:59 pm
I completely agree! Even in fiction, most stories I've read take place in almost any other location but Michigan. Even if it does take place in Michigan, it's never so near to where I live like this story is. I think that the location being so close to home helps me connect to the story much more than I would have if the story took place elsewhere. Knowing that the events detailed in the book happened in a place I've come to associate with being dull and mostly uneventful makes me want to continue reading.
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Emily D.
11/25/2018 09:54:19 am
I think it's really interesting that in just the first few pages, the author shows how much society's view on mental illness has changed. For a long period of time in history, those who had mental illnesses were hidden away in asylums and often kept secret from their own families. The novel shows that when the author makes a call to a mental hospital to find out more about the aunt he never knew about, and the woman on the other line tells him that inquiries like his were common and many people found they had secret family members who were mentally ill. Today, though there is still much stigma surrounding mental illness and those who have it, we have improved how we view mental illness. Society generally works to help those with mental illnesses rather than isolate them and hide them from the rest of society.
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S. Matthews
11/26/2018 09:48:17 am
Yes, I completely agree with this! Mental health and mental illnesses used to be extremely stigmatized. However, currently, they still are, though not nearly to the same extent. Many people hate to admit that they have anything neurally atypical about them. Even nowadays, many people would prefer to suffer in silence and hide their problems rather than ask for help or try to address them.
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Anna D.
11/25/2018 10:12:51 am
One of the first things that I found interesting is how certain cultures look at mental illnesses, and how the public views them. Some families saw mental illnesses and disabilities as curses and even refused to accept people with them as family. They see it as shameful for the public to know and prefer to keep it hidden. I was both shocked but not entirely surprised at this fact. I knew that in the past, mental illnesses were not seen as they were today and extremes would be done to "cure" the mentally ill person. I also understood why the family did this to Annie, seeing as that they have a background with the Holocaust and people like her were more likely to be executed. Of course, these views have changed today, but I am sure that some cultures hold a few of these views on the mentally ill.
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Kate C.
11/26/2018 12:23:06 pm
I agree with this, for this time period, following the Holocaust, has captivated people ever since it occurred. You're right on the prospect of people seeing disabilities and mental illnesses as a liability and a 'curse,' for I know that the old Irish and Scottish cultures in the medieval times thought of them as curses. This also somewhat relates to 'Things Fall Apart' with the people in Achebe's novel seeing twins as a curse that needs to be rid of.
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Zoe M.
11/25/2018 05:58:48 pm
Once I began reading, I was completely enthralled by this story. The author leaves you wanting to know more about the true story behind his aunt. His use of imagery really puts you in the moment, almost as if you were in the middle of a mystery. Considering that non-fiction isn't really my forte, this book seems like a refreshing twist on the genre. There were some moments where it even seemed more like fiction, considering how stories like this aren't really talked about in mainstream media.
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Kate C.
11/26/2018 12:19:35 pm
Upon beginning this book, I was really surprised on how their mother was able to keep such a large secret from her family for so many years. To believe that this is a true story is astonishing, especially since it happened here in Michigan. The title really drew me in and once I started the book, it really has kept me engaged, wondering if they, and the reader, will find out who Annie is and her story. This book draws in readers from being mysterious and since it is related to the Holocaust, which is a significant and horrendous event in history, it keeps the readers guessing. I want to know who Annie is and why she was kept a secret for over twenty years.
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