Reading+Reflections

Reading Reflection # 1

I feel Sara is losing sight of her kids Anna and Jesse because she focuses all her time and energy into her dying daughter Kate. Because of this neglect I feel Jesse has become reckless, angry and out of control. Anna has filed a law suite against her parents for the rights to her own body because she wants respect from them and doesn’t want to feel used and taken advantage of. I think she still wants to help her sister Kate because she loves her but she wants to do it on her own terms. Also I think Anna feels that they are never going to stop taking things from her to give to Kate and she needs to look out for herself. This constant attention toward Kate has left Jesse and Anna forgotten and is negatively impacting this family.

A common reaction when dealing with a severe and chronic illness is to elevate that issue above all other mundane issues. This gives us tunnel vision where we ignore other problems and let them fester because we feel that our time is limited with the sick person and so their concerns must take priority and others can wait. I think Sara is a classic case of this. As you know from completing the book, the lawsuit was not about Anna's feelings about being taken advantage of by her parents, but her desire to end her uncomfortable role in hastening the end of her sister's life as Kate wished. I think we miss the clues that Anna and Kate have a close and non-confrontational relationship and that Anna would willingly do whatever she could for her sister. Giving her organs is the least she could do.

Mr. Brunelli

Reading Reflection # 2

Through the first 275 pages of this book it is clear that there are a lot of problems going on in this family. I understand it must be hard on Brian because he is stuck in the middle. He rather be at the fire house than at home with his family because when he is home he has to deal with a lot of problems and tension. I'm somewhat surprised that he told Sara that he agrees with Anna for the fact that if she doesn't want to donate anymore, then they shouldn't force her to. I’m happy that for once someone is sticking up for Anna. I think what the family is going through will rip them apart, especially with Sara and Brian. With the way things are going make it seem that Brian and Sara are very distant from each other and not on the same page. I don't think this tension is just because of the trial I think it’s about everything that is going on. There are many problems in this family, but I think we should consider whether they are caused by Kate's illness or does the illness just reveal underlying tensions that had been there all along. I think that Brian is reacting to Kate's illness with depression. By staying at the firehouse he is avoiding the problems in his family that are spiraling out of control. Some people see depression as just an extreme form of being sad, but others have identified it with the feeling of loss of control: you know your life is bad, but the kicker is that you no longer feel like the pilot controlling its direction. It is said that adversity will bring us together or split us apart. It seems more the latter for the Fitzgerald family. This is why there are often many divorces after the death or sickness of the child. The recriminations among parents putting the blame on each other for their failure to help their innocent and suffering child puts incredible strain on even the strongest relationships.

Mr. Brunelli

Reading Reflection # 3 After reading through page 378 I have no idea what the court is going to decided for Anna. I am very shocked that when Anna got up on the witness stand she said that Kate is the one who encouraged her to file a law suite. I guess it makes sense because I feel like Anna wouldn't just be like I'm not going to donate to my sister anymore even if she is dying because Anna loves her sister and wants her around. I guess Kate is ready to let herself go and she asked Anna to do this for her. I'm very curious to see how Sara and Brian react to what Anna has revealed. I feel that since it's Kate's wishes that Anna doesn't donate anymore the court will rule in Anna's favor. The big Jodi Piccoult turn. The author always has a surprise ending. Personally, I think this shows why she is not a great author, but is wedded to tear-jerker plots. However, I think there is some insight here about how chronically ill persons think about their own illness. While painful, the pain is not really Kate's reason for wanting Anna to withhold treatment. People are often willing to bear whatever pain comes to them personally. However, few of us can stand to see the people we love hurt or suffer. Kate can see what her illness is doing to her family and wants it to stop and realizes the only way it ends is with her own death. You can see this often among the elderly who beg to be allowed to die while their children urge them to keep on fighting chronic illness. Good post.

Mr. Brunelli

Reading Reflection # 4 After reading the epilog I am in total shock. I really can’t believe that Anna got into a car accident, went brain dead and died. It was supossed to be the other way around, I was so sure that Kate was going to die at the end of the book and didn’t even consider anyone else. Well I guess Anna served her purpose in life; which was to keep Kate alive. Also I can’t believe that it happened right after she became medically emancipated; she didn’t even get time to think about everything that just happened. Over all I enjoyed this book, but was a little disappointed at the end.

Thank You For Smoking-Reading Reflection # 1 The main character Nick Naylor has one of the hardest jobs; that is being chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco Studies. His job is basically to present the tobacco industry in a positive light; this is a challenge because most people are told that smoking is bad for you. I think that it is very ironic that he proposed a 5 million dollar campaign to demote smoking to children. It shows that he knows how to please a crowd. I think he is attempting to get good publicity for his company. I’m not a big fan of Nick Naylor’s character, I feel like he thinks everything revolves around him and that he can do no wrong. I’m not sure if he is that way because of his job or that’s just the way he is; regardless I do not like him very much.

Thank You For Smoking- Reading Reflection # 2 I can’t believe the drastic change in events; Nick gets kidnapped then covered with lethal amounts of nicotine patches which could kill him. I find it very ironic that he was assigned bodyguards to watch out for him, but because he thinks he’s a big shot runs away from them then gets kidnapped. This further proves my earlier statement that he thinks he can do no wrong; he would have been perfectly safe if he didn’t run away from his bodyguards. I think all men in general are stubborn and think they are always right, like Nick. Nick was assigned body guards for a reason; people want to kill him because he is promoting an industry that kills many people. The people that kidnapped Nick are trying to kill him with nicotine patches. This whole situation would have been avoided if Nick stayed with his bodyguards and stopped being so stubborn.

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time- Reading Reflection # 3

I find this book very interesting. I really like how the author shows you how an autistic persons mind really works; I find it fascinating. I have observed that Christopher is a very intelligent young man who is very observant and meticulous. He is also very logical and does things a certain way. When he found the dead dog and the police arrived I thought they would be able to tell he had a psychological problem by the way he was acting and interacting with them. That’s why I was shocked they took him to the police station. I am very curious to see who really killed Wellington. I think that a normal person would want to be a detective like Christopher and investigate who killed the dog. I can tell that Christopher really likes math and he excels in it. I wonder if this is really how autistic people think or this is how the author interprets it; the author is not autistic so you never really know for sure if this is what goes on inside their brain.

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time-Reading Reflection # 4

I am extremely fascinated by this book. It has taught me a lot about why an autistic person is the way they are. I was very shocked when Christopher found that letter in his father’s room that was signed by his mother who was supposedly dead. Then it dawned on me that Christopher’s father had been lying to him the whole time. How could someone tell their child that there mother died when she was really alive? I find that sickening. I understand that he was upset that his wife and Mr. Shears had an affair, but he didn’t have to take Christopher’s mother out of his life; he was using very bad judgment. I feel very sorry for Christopher because he already has a though life and the people who are supposed to love and care for him aren’t even helping this poor kid. Christopher didn’t react to this the same way I would have. First of all if I found out that one of my parents had an affair with someone I would be extremely upset and I wouldn’t know what to do with myself because my family means everything to me. I’m not suggesting that Christopher’s family doesn’t mean a lot to him but when he finds out he doesn’t really have a reaction. I guess that is just because he thought his mother was dead at that point in time so it really didn’t matter to him. Then when he found the letter from his mother addressed after she had “died” he was really confused and didn’t know what to think. I think I would react the same way, but logically if I was put in his situation I would figure it out that maybe she was still alive because he didn’t attend her funeral or go to the hospital to see her so how could you know for sure she was dead.

the curious incident of the dog in the night- Reading Reflection # 5

 This book just got extremely interesting. I can't believe that Christopher's father told him his mother is alive, he killed wellington and Christopher is on his way to London to live with his mother, such a turn of events. I don't blame Christopher at all for not wanting to live with his father or trusting his father anymore. I think there is something mentally wrong with Christopher's father, how could you kill and innocent little dog? I think it is ridiculous that he killed the dog because Mrs. Shears showed more affection toward the dog than to him. I feel very bad for Christopher, he must feel very scared because he has no one caring for him. People with autism should not be left alone or go out alone so when Christopher decided to go to the train station to go to London I knew that he was going to have difficulties. I can't believe that he decided to go by himself and I can't wait to see how his mother reacts.

the curious incident of the dog in the night-time- Reading Reflection # 6

I am very shocked that Christopher found his mother on his own, it took a very long time but he did it. I would think that someone with autism would have an extremely difficult time being along because they are not social people; fortunately for Christopher he had help form people along the way. Christopher's mother's reaction is how any mother would react when see their child who hasn't spoken to them in years. She takes him in and gives him what he needs and wants like any mother would. I can't believe the turn of events that occur at the end of this book, Christopher finds his mother, her and Mr. Shears argue, and they end up moving out and back to Swindon. In this whole mess of a situation the only thing Christopher was worried about was his A Level Maths. I think he couldn't comprehend the whole situation and didn't really understand what was going on. I learned that people with autism are non-empathetic, for example when he said "But then everything was ok because Mother got a job on the till in the garden center and the doctor gave her pills to take every morning to stop her from feeling sad" or when he said "And another bad thing was when Toby died..." He shows no emotion toward these events and that is not normal, but he is not normal. Overall I very much enjoyed this book, it helped me understand a lot about autistic people and appreciate them a whole lot more. Now I am not going to judge someone when I see they are different because now I know that they can't help themselves.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat- Reading Reflection # 1

Part 1 of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" deals with patient who have suffered from neurological losses. Each story was captivating and it was hard for me to believe that they were real. The story of __The Disembodied Lady__ and T__he Man Who Fell out of Bed__ were the hardest for me to believe because they deal with proprioception (the sixth sense) which is knowing the position of your body parts. How could someone not know that their body is really there body, or where the position of their extremities are? This was a very hard concept for me to grasp but after reading these stories I understand that all of it is neurological and the person just doesn't know his or her own body. I also thought the story __of The Man Who Mistook His Wife__ for a Hat was pretty crazy as well. The patient Dr.P, couldn't recognize people's faces and he has to use his other senses, as in hearing, to figure out who he was confronting with. I can't imagine living in a world where I couldn't see people's faces, that idea is absurd to me. The story __Eye's Right__ also struck me because the lady could only see things in half. The world would be seen from such a different perspective. Neurological disorders have so many different affects on the way people live their life and I can't perceive what my life would be like if I have to live with one of these infirmities.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat-Reading Reflection # 2

The second part of "The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat" was as equally captivating as the first part. This section deals with patients who experience excesses. In the story __Witty Ticcy Ray__ the patient is diagnosed with turrets syndrome and it becomes a part of their life. When this person was put on medication to calm the tics he didn't feel like himself. It struck me as odd when I read that this man's norm was when he wasn't on medication. Any person who doesn't know what it is like to have a neurological disorder would think the opposite of what is felt by the impaired person. I found the story __Cupid's Disease__ to be very interesting. It is very weird to think of an older person to be behave and feel like a young couple would. In the story __A Matter of Identity__, the patient William Thompson is lost in this world just like Jimmy G from the first section. Mr. Thompson's identity changes in a matter of minutes and he mixes peoples identity because he simply can't remember anything. No matter if the neurological disease is an excess or a loss people who have no sense of self identity are lost in this world and have no sense of setting. It is very upsetting to me to think about living this way but people with this disability probably can't tell the difference because they remember nothing so everything seems okay to them.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat-Reading Reflection # 3 So far, part three of __The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat__ has had the most captivating stories starting with the first story, "Reminiscence". The two cases of Mrs. O'C and Mrs. O'M were very interesting. These two ladies seemed completely sane considering the fact that no one knows what goes on inside of other people's heads. It is unfathomable to think that there is a medical condition in which our brains repeatedly play songs in our heads, as in there is no music actually playing its just all in your mind. I like the story of Mrs. O'C because the songs that were playing in her head gave her a sense of her childhood that she never remembered she had. I really enjoyed the story "A Passage to India". It touched my heart that this young girl found peace and relaxation through these daydream-like states through India (her native country), while she was on her death bed after suffering from malignant brain tumors. This story made me realize that not all neurological infirmities should be looked at as a negative, that can also make the individual feel more comfortable with themselves as well as their surroundings. The other story that interested me was "Murder". It is fascinating how this man did not remember anything about killing his girlfriend till he concurred brain damage, and then he remember every detail enough to drive him insane. What I think is so intriguing about it the brain is that there is a lot on unknown and there are so many different thing that can go wrong that it is hard to find several people with the same exact symptoms.

The Hot Zone-Reading Reflection# 1 (up to page 94) In my opinion, this is the best book we have read all year. Once I start reading I can't put it down; I get so engaged in the fear and horror of the Ebola and Marburg virus. I must say, the author did a very good job at describing every little detail about what happened to these people. The beginning was a bit slow but once the action started it became very interesting. I actually brought the book to school to read on the bus, which I have never done before. The story of Charles Monet and Dr. Musoke was very vivid and made me scared of this deathly virus. It is amazing how viruses spread among the different species, and then spread around in the human population around the world. I really got engaged in this book when I started reading the story of Nancy Jaax. I don't know why anyone would ever want to put themselves in danger on purpose. Nancy was very brave,I definitely could not have done what she did. The whole time she was in level 4 I was scared and nervous as if it were me in there. When she realized that he hand was wet, I had anxiety for her. It is bewildering to comprehend how one pin-hole sized tear in her gloves could have been a way for her to come in contact with the virus. Also this deadly virus could be airborne because the control monkeys who weren't infected with the virus or in contact with the infected monkeys got the virus and died. I get a very uneasy feeling when I think about how easily this virus could be spread and cause an epidemic. These types of virus's are one of my biggest fears.

The Hot Zone-Reading Reflection # 2 ( up to part 2) I feel like as the book progresses it becomes less intense as the beginning was. The monkey house is a very difficult problem to deal with ;do you tell Washington that there is a good chance that there is Ebola in a monkey house right outside of the city or do you wait and tell them when you are absolutely sure of the virus and risk the lives of many people? Personally I would like to know as soon as possible if there was a hot virus exposed that could potentially kill large amounts of people. Then again I would imagine if something like that were publicized there would be massive amount of paranoia. I feel like this country would be able to handle Ebola better then Africa, but I don't think any countries medical staff would be able to contain a deadly virus like Ebola; especially if that specific strain of Ebola is airborne. I don't see myself working with a hot agent because I am very clumsy and I would probably drop something or get a rip in my surgical gloves, and become exposed to the virus. I would love to make a difference in this world and help people but I am not capable of effectively dealing with a hot agent.

The Hot Zone-Reading Reflection # 3 (up to part 3) Part three of __The Hot Zone__ was very intense. All of those army personnel were very brave to go into the monkey house and perform all those tasks to nuke it. I can imagine it was a very tiring and intense job to perform. I think it is amazing that they found out that this strain of Ebola is not harmful to humans. From what I read earlier in the book I inferred that this Ebola in Reston would kill the monkey care takers, but it didn't. The only scary thing is knowing that this strain of the virus can travel through the air. After they get rid of all the monkeys and cleansed the monkey house I would have thought that it would be closed for good or that there wouldn't be monkeys imported from that place where the infected moneys were imported from. To my surprise they imported more monkeys from that place and the same thing happened again. I think that they were crazy to do that. Don't you think one scare of Ebola is enough? I am very curious to know why this particular strain of Ebola didn't kill the humans it was exposed to. I guess we will never know.

Mountains Beyond Mountains - Reading Reflection # 1 (April 30, 2011)

So far, I am enjoying this book. After reading the first chapter I wasn't so thrilled about the book because it seemed boring and I was a little confused. However, after that first chapter I started getting into the book. I really like Doctor Paul Farmer, he is a really great guy. He is one of the most selfless people to walk this earth. I have never met someone that would work more than half a year without getting paid. I really enjoyed how he got to know his patient on a personal level and even bought them gifts around Christmas time. It is amazing how he is a hot shot doctor in Boston and spends most of his time in Haiti, providing healthcare for the less fortunate people. Haiti is one of the poorest countries in the world and they can use all the help they get. Dr. Farmer is an amazing man; he could be in Boston all year round making a lot of money but instead he spends his time in Haiti helping those who cannot help themselves without pay; he lives in a shack with no hot water and lives how the peasants do; lastly he gets to know his patients on a in depth personal level which is a great aspect. This man is someone who we all should aspire to be, he does incredible things and helps for many impoverished people.

Mountains Beyond Mountains- Reading Reflection # 2 (May 8, 2011)

The contradiction between sorcery and germs is presented in this book. It is not common to hear of people thinking they are contracting disease from the spirits. In this day and age everyone knows that diseases such as TB are spread through germs, not evil spirits. Most of the people in Haiti though TB came from sorcery. I think this shows how uneducated these people are. I think Doctor Farmer is doing such a great deed to these people. I think that it is amazing that he set up and executed the plan of "directly observed therapy". This shows that he will go out of his way to make sure all of his patient are cured. The Haitian people must feel very grateful to have someone like Farmer to come in and save lives.

Mountains Beyond Mountains- Reading Reflection # 3 ( May 15,2011)

It was very humbling to read about Paul Farmers childhood. Now I can understand better about him and why he is the way he is. A normal person would think to themselves: this guy has so much potential to have a very comfortable life, yet he spends most of his time in a decrepit area of the world, working and getting nothing in return besides joy. At first thats what I thought but Paul was brought up not having as much as a permanent home and he turned out to be a fantastic guy. It is very impressive to think about all that he has accomplished, he got a full ride to Duke which in itself is amazing and his now is doing the most selfless deed a person could do. I could never compare myself to a great person like that. If I was growing up in the Warden's house I don't know what I would have done. It is amazing to think that they lived in the 1970s without running water! Reading this chapter really opened my eyes to a whole new perspective on life. I think I have to learn that I have an extremely fantastic life and I this makes me appreciate all that I have.

Mountains Beyond Mountains- Reading Reflection #4(May 22,2011)

Reading about Farmer's college experiences made me think of someone I know. Both of these people are driven to learn and expand their knowledge base. Sometimes is it unfathomable to think of Farmer as just a college student when you read about what he did in college. He is very mature and very intelligent. My sister is in college and I can tell you that from what I have experience of college kids and college life, Farmer is very different. Not many college students are as driven and as motivated to do well and to learn. The fact that he spends his leisure time reading up on other subject besides the ones he is learning in school is very impressive. I would like to say I am driven to do well and learn but not as much as Farmer is. It is fairly obvious that everyone who has been involved in Farmers life have realized how great he it. He was not handed a full ride to Duke, he was not handed 1000 dollars to go to Haiti, he worker for it and earned it.

Mountains Beyond Mountains- Reading Reflection #5 (June 5,2011)

I feel very sincere for Paul after reading about Ophelia Dahl and the letter she sent to him. It is very understandable that she would not want to marry Paul because of his lifestyle. It is not hard to see that she does care for him deeply and that she did notice that he is a great man and does so many great deeds for the peasants in Haiti. She just does not want to live in Haiti all her life in a poor environment. Sadly to say, I think I would agree with her on this standpoint. He is wonderful man, but living in poverty is usually not a girls first choice if she has options. I do feel sorry for Paul because he might nerve find a companion and he deserves to be happy.

Mountains Beyond Mountains-Reading reflecion # 6 (June 8,2011)

Dr.Paul Farmer is such an inspiration to all, especially to those who intent to spend their time and dedication to helping the sick. His daily work and lifestyle is unfathomable to many people, including myself. He is a person definitely worth writing a book about and even deserves more credit than a book. I am going into the medical field to someday make a difference and make the world a better place. Paul Farmer did exactly what I just described; he is truly an amazing human being. Reading this book makes me want to become a better person and help the less fortunate. I am very excited to get out in the real world and do something worth while.