SLA Junior Seminar 7: Unfiltered: No Shame, No Respect, Just Me.

'Openness and acceptance is where I exist now. '(p.212) 

     When I browsed Amazon as always, Lily, the woman on the cover caught my attention with the word, 'international bestseller.' The book I introduced on blog for the past a few weeks are recommended by my close friend. However, I finally get a chance to let her share the book I picked up. By the way, do you know Lily Collins? I have never heard even her name, much less her work. She is British working as an actress in the United States. When she was a student,  her family moved there and she had to deal with problems such as her parents' divorce, eating disorder, extreme dieting, and love matter. Since her personality is more sensitive than other girls and keen to become her IDEAL figure, which would destroyed herself physically and mentally in her teens. Even when she became almost dead, there were maternal support to encourage her to look up all the time. 

     If this is the first time you have seen her, I would like you to pay attention to how she overcame all of the problems like which other people experience in their whole life. Of all them, one scene I was impressed by her action is that she struggled to face them and started something new. For instance, the election of President, she took part in a group to advertise Mr. Obama with a public speech. If I were at stake mentally like her, I could not be so brave and intentional that I had been almost homebody. Furthermore, there are a lot of findings and learning from her critical life. When you have other perspective, write the comment and share with me!! 

Collins, Lily. Unfiltered: No Shame, No Respect, Just Me. New York, USA; Harper Collins Publisher. 

     

SLA Junior Seminar 6: Tales of te supernatural

But he hadn't forgotten the feeling that he was out of his body. (p.58)

     When you hear the word 'supernatural,' what comes to your mind? Something thrilling or terrible? In my case, I am afraid of another me like doppelganger because I maybe lose myself and get fainted... In this book, supernatural means being beyond scientific understanding related to ghost. As you have seen it on TV program, it has also the feelings and intention like we do, therefore it plays a trick to us in a mean way, sometimes in a good way. Today, I will talk about a man who have experienced that he is almost dying on a operation table in a hospital.

     He sees that he is lying on a operation table and a doctor and nurses being busy recovering his heart. He is aware of being in danger of the death... Yes. He is seeing another him who are taking heart operation. Hopefully, it goes well and he opens his eyes on his bedroom, and sees a nurse smiling to him like his mother. He dislikes her maternal smile terribly because his mother tries to kill when she is alive, which gives him trauma for good. He talks about his experience that he have done in a operation room to the nurse. Then, she tells that such a strange experience is not unusual for people trying to come back from death. As she expounds longer and longer, her face is changing to other thing like a monster... What does she want to do to him?

     

      This book has more six stories. Each character has various backgrounds and connections with the ghost. Not all the same with your experience, but if you have a supernatural story, tell me how you encounter hair-raising thing in the comment box. 

Brennan, Frank. Tales of the supernatural. (2004) Cambridge; UK: Cambridge University Press. 

SLA Junior Seminar 5: Stories of courage

"It's for all the French Resistance workers in the war." (p.14) 

   

      This book consists of eight nonfiction short stories. Of all them, I was incredibly impressed the most at The Hosewife Spy. It is 1939 when a normal housewife, Odette's life changes. She is French woman and married  to an English man. They live in England with three small children. At that time, more and more countries join World War 2, and the nation needs more useful information about France. One day, Odette receives a phone call from the British Secret Service and they ask her to examine France and accomplish some missions as a spy. At first she hesitates to take the menacing job, however she determines to devote all of her life to England. Soon after she starts her job, everything goes well. However, her secret is disclosed by someone. Can she manage to get over the situation?

    

     Although her life seems to be full of danger and misfortune, she tries to never forget love for love in corner of her head all the time. Her factual story is described lively as if we heard it from Odette. It is often said that your belief or thought makes you more stronger and feel peacefully than you expect. I am sure you realize how important the learning is when you are in danger. 

Swain, Clare. Stories of courage. (2004) Oxford, UK: Penguin Books.

SLA Junior Seminar 4: Wonder

To me, though, I'm just me. An ordinary kid. (p.306) 

     'Do not judge a book by the cover.' It is one of my precept that should be kept in my mind whoever I see all the time. On top of that, Wonder left me additional important question. That is 'What is the normal?' 

     It is proceeded by several characters' view in the whole story. Aggie, the protagonist is a normal boy with a little different face from other children. He has several handicaps with his eyes, ears and other parts of his face, therefore has overcome hard surgeries many times since he was a baby. Because of the surgeries, he has scars on his face, which is also his mental handicap. Although he has common hobbies and ideas like other boys at the same age have, he has never been to school till his mother took him to Beecher Prep. His totally different school life changes him in a good way and gives other students stimulation. 

     In the story, his mother tells him all of the scars are his road that he walked. ( I watched the movie also) I think there could be a better teaching from his mother when he is going to the next step. What we can learn from this is it is essential to change your point of view positively. I believe everyone has at least one weak point or difficulty. Though it is not necessarily appropriate to insist that all of them are just small or trivial things, most of people do not care about them much more than you do. Do not bully with your ideal too much, and do think of enjoying yourself. 

Palacio. J. R. Wonder. (2012) UK; Corgi Books