Review 3: End of Book Project

I read Handle With Care. In the book, the little girl has a really rare disease called Osteogenesis Imperfecta. I decided to do my project on how well the author presented the facts of the disease. Jodi Picoult added a lot of details about OI that were very insightful. The prezi shows that she did a great job on getting the facts right. Every fact I found in the book, was correct. I really enjoyed how realistic she made the disease seem and doing extra research on the illness made it a lot easier to understand.

Reflection 3: What is a book?

A book is a connection. It is a way of relating your life to the imaginary or maybe even realistic stories that a book will give you. You can either relate or learn about different situations. It is a pathway to the rest of the world. The knowledge you gain from a book is more powerful than any computer. I agree with Joe Meno’s comment, “I’ve come to acknowledge or slowly accept is that the idea of the book is more important than the actual form it takes-the message.” It truly does not matter how you read a book. For me, there is something about the physical feeling of a book. It might be weird but sometimes the smell does play a factor. A new book smells promising. There is also the satisfaction of turning the pages of a book and seeing how far you are and how much you have left. I have read on a Kindle before and I felt that the book was a black hole and I thought it would never end. You have no perception of length with an electronic. I still got the same story from the Kindle, but I would prefer a real every day.

Review #2 Handle With Care pages 100-250

The storyline of this book contains some pretty controversial ideas. The parents of an extremely sick child are faced with some difficult decisions. The problems presented in this book make you connect and think about what decision you would make if you were placed in the same situation. After talking to a lawyer, the parents of Willow are forced to decide if they want to follow through with a wrongful birth lawsuit against their best friend who was their obstetrician. Wrongful birth is when a child is born with defects, and the parents feel like the doctor could have terminated the pregnancy earlier. In some people’s eyes, this is saying that the parents wish their child were never born. That is a hard concept to grasp. The parents in the book love their child but they are really just doing it for the money. The child is old enough to understand what wrongful birth means. Is it really worth all the money to have your child thinking that you wished she were never born? I had a tough time dealing with this idea. The money they would gain from the lawsuit would improve Willow’s quality of life. My thought was that Willow will never forget this lawsuit. And earning money from a wrongful birth law suit could act as a constant reminder that her parents thought about how life would be without her. I could never live with myself as a parent doing that to my child. The mother claims that you would do anything for your child and that’s why she is doing the lawsuit. But is it worth your child’s self-esteem and their value on this earth? If it were me, I would never sue for this particular reason. It’s easy for me to say this now because I’m not in the situation.

Reflection: Why should kids read?

Kids should read because it increases overall knowledge of everything. Reading can make you a more rounded individual. Your vocabulary can increase greatly and you can improve your sentence structure by reading books. Some books are up to date and contain information regarding current events. Everybody should know at least a little bit about what’s going on in the world. Learning about other cultures is possible during reading. Most people only know about what’s going on in their own bubble. There are so many other people on this planet and it would be considerate to learn about them.  Also, reading is more productive than watching television and playing games on the computer.  Imagination is lost through technology. In a good book, your imagination can travel as far as you want. Computers and the TV can limit that. If we set the example of watching TV and using the computer more often than reading, children recognize that and copy the behavior. We need to stress the importance of reading at home. Not only at school because that reading is normally not desirable to students. If we portray reading as an enjoyable experience, then that is what the kids will want to do.

Review #1 Handle With Care pages 1-100

I have been reading Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult. This book has opened my eyes and even my heart and I'm not even done with it yet. In the book, Willow is not the main character but she is the reason behind the book. Her heart is bigger than her smile which is hard to believe. She was born with an extremely dangerous disease that is not curable. Her bones are super brittle and break at a simple touch. All that being said, this book has made me realize a lot of things. Every time I open up the book, I am reminded to take nothing for granted. How lucky am I to live every day without a care in the world? I know Willow is fictional but her disease is real life. There are kids fighting this exact battle every day. Not only are kids living with this disease, but thousands of other diseases that debilitate children for one reason or another. I have worked with children who have special needs and that never fail to put a smile on my face.Their happiness is unconditional. It makes me stop and think. I have nothing to complain about. I have been blessed with good health while many other kids my age are living with a devastating illness. They manage to keep smiles on their faces so why can't I? A lot of people go on with their daily schedules without a second thought. There are people, like Willow, who are so fragile they could break at any given moment. They have to carefully live their lives. Every single step is important. I am not saying we should take careful steps. Maybe just stop and smile a little more. No matter what your situation, you were put on this planet for a purpose. That right there is enough to smile. Enjoy what you have while you have it. Like everyone says, you don't know what you have until it's gone.