Ris’s Comments (group member since Apr 11, 2020)

Ris’s comments from the Nothing But Reading Challenges group.

Volunteering as backup DQ for Gulliver's Travels

Day 4 Qs

16. I think, from an intellectual experiment standpoint, it made sense for Jus to visit Martel. He's been trying to discover himself in all of this and I think he needed to both see one option of responding to things and then reject it for his own.

17. I definitely thought it was rude of the police to approach Jus during his graduation - impression is everything (as seen by the media releases) and so it could have been really unfairly damaging to Jus. Especially because there was suspicion to the claims - like if they had evidence to arrest and that he might be a flight risk, fine. But they didn't.

18. I stood with Jus during his conversation with the police. I think noncompliance is unfortunately not in the favor of the innocent (there's that phrase, "you have nothing to worry about if you have nothing to hide") and I think if the police are going to treat him like an adult, so should his mother.

19. The quote between SJ & Jus: "Jus, I think I hate everything... Why can't we all get along like butterflies." To that quote Justyce thinks to himself that all the butterflies "look exactly alike." Was heartbreaking because it just shows that while SJ might intellectually understand what Jus goes through on a daily basis, she will never emotionally understand. Which I don't think is a bad thing, necessarily, as long as Jus & SJ can have conversations about it in the future, which I hope they do! I think that there is so much hate around people looking different in terms of fear - but particularly, fear of losing power. I think throughout history there has always been the oppressed and the oppressor that it is hard for people to conceive a world were there isn't that dynamic. No one wants to be oppressed and so those in power would rather hold on to that power, even if that means oppressing others, than to risk losing it for the sake of something as abstract as equality.

20. I thought that Justyce's last letter to Dr. Martin was the most meaningful, as well! Jus' whole Martin Experiment was insightful, actually, and showcased that one's relation to their race and the world around them is a continually progressing matter. I think Jus realized that and found that he just had to be true to himself.

21. I was also pleasantly surprised by Jared's change! But I did not feel like, except for Jared and Jus, any of the characters really experienced any change (which is understandable when Blake and Mel were kind of side characters, Manny had died, and SJ started out all righteous in the beginning).

Day 2 Qs

7. So I had absolutely no idea what was going through SJ's head! I thought she totally liked Jus and would have wanted to kiss him! LOL, I wonder if this is an accurate demonstration why guys also say women are so complicated, haha.

8. It is hard sometimes to stand up for what's right! I'll admit, I did judge Manny for just letting his "friends" be dicks, but then Doc put it into perspective that Manny is also dealing with race in his own way, and I think that's key. And I think for me, having an ally goes a long way; it helps to have someone else validating my feelings.

9. I wonder if Manny called Mel after his fight with Justyce, even though he doesn't like her (with good reason!) because he just wanted someone close to him to check up on him. And I hope this is the last we see of Mel as she is - reckless party girl. But I've always been a sucker for a redemption arc. And I've never had a teacher who was as involved with his students are Doc is, but then again, I wonder if the dormitory setting changes things? Though my college professors also weren't as involved - but my college campus was BIG and I imagined Jus' prep school was pretty small.

10. I think the fact that this world is f-ed up means there is no right or wrong way of bringing up their sons. Because even though Jus said he wasn't shocked at Blake and Jared's behaviors, he still was shocked at the cops' aggression towards him. Unfortunately, I don't think that kind of thing is something you can be mentally prepared for - I think it is something you learn from experience, and it is such a sad experience to wish on a child.

11. 😳 OMG! I had to continue!

Day 1 Qs.

(Disclaimer. I finished the novel over the weekend and am answering the questions with knowledge of the full events to come.)

1. I found Justyce to be a likable and believable character! The inner monologue, portrayed as letters to Martin, I thought were powerful.

2. Talking about the girls: So I was kind of disappointed in the representation of the Black girls and women in the novel. Melo annoyed the hell out of me from the very beginning - she's so selfish and inconsiderate! Point A: The attempt to drunk drive. Point B: She cheated on Justyce. I was with Manny - Melo is toxic. And I found Justyce's mother to be kind of cold, especially compared to the wealth of emotion Justyce displays in his inner monologues. Also, her insistence that Justyce only date black girls was problematic (in terms of race relations) and also arbitrary in that Melo presents just as white as SJ. Even Manny at one point says that black girls scare him, and we're not really given a character to offer as a counterpoint. The only other black girl who's mentioned in the novel is used as a sexual plot device. The single positive black women in the novel is Manny's mother, who we don't really get to know well. Just an interesting observation I had.

3. I personally did not find Jared's argument sound - I found it highly ignorant. And I found SJ's counterargument eloquent. There's so much evidence that out there, but I don't think anything would have convinced Jared at the time.

4. OMG, The Equality Brigade - yikes! I think it again was made in ignorance. I think there are individuals, coming from a place of privilege, who do not realize that there is power in symbols and words of past oppression though it may not hold personal power to them. For instance, Blake might not be a Klansman, so the white hood might be nothing more than a costume with little power, but it does have a power connotation that exists beyond him. I think Jared needed to physically see the inherent inequality in his "Equality Brigade."

5. I think it is really hard to be critical of Manny in his situation, a rich black guy trying to fit in with a rich white guy crowd. So while I was disappointed in Manny reluctantly drinking to equality, I am also so glad that when it counted the most, Manny spoke up.

6. I do agree that Officer Castillo's death was most likely intentional. Furthermore, I think Quan was intentionally positioned in jail (specifically for the sort of actions that follow later in the novel). While I think Trey was right to call out a hurtful act, the strife between Trey & his gag and Justyce & Manny made me so sad. I think there's a lot of discrimination even between the Black community - you see it in how Justyce thinks because he's educated and doesn't look like a "thug," he'd be safe from racial profiling from police. But right away, we see that's just not the case.

@Christina - Thanks! I finished Dear Martin, and I agree with your assessment of the ending! And it was your pick, too, right? I loved it! Thanks for nominating it for BOM!

To those who read “Dear Martin” - I’m 75% of the way through the book and I need to know - is the ending emotionally satisfying? I wanna plan my weekend accordingly if it’ll leave me an emotional mess.

@Louise, I can't find Upright Women Wanted on the spreadsheet, but can you add the task #10, set in the future? Thanks!

@Louise, I am so sorry - sending you & your OH well wishes ❤️

Sorry, I ended up having to read graphic novels for work this week and that delayed my completion on some of the books I had planned.

So, I know graphic novels can count if they have a word count of 40,000+, but is the arbookfind.com the only site I can use to get word count. For instance, I read Mister Miracle, An Embarrassment of Witches, & Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations and this site (howlongtoread.com) estimates the word count to be 95,680, 60,996, and 104,351. Can I count them, or no?

@Rina, changed to task #125 "fun" title - which probably would have been a better one to use anyways, haha

So Aug BOM have been announced. I've read Pachinko previously, and as long family epics aren't really my style, I don't think I wanna go for a reread. Can I still participate in the BOM discussion and gain us those points, or does that not work?

Questions about the speaking character qualification (which I didn’t realize wasn’t limited to the MC!): 1. How do I prove that a side character is an actual character of the book if they aren’t named in the précis or the Goodreads character listing or is “proof” not required for this? 2. Do nicknames count?

Hello! Sorry I’ve been MIA; I’m on vacation in the middle of the country and didn’t expect to have no signal AT ALL. This is the first time I’ve been able to access WiFi since Sunday.

As a reading update: I’ve finished three books (Keepsake, Such a Fun Age, and Happily Ever After Playlist) and am hoping to finish a couple more, including the BOM, by the end of the week. Since I only have my cellphone, I will add all my completed books to the spreadsheet when I have access to a computer again on Monday.

Got one more book in before the round closed! (Chaos Reigning)

I forgot how much reading I am able to finish by reading at work, lol. Just finished "Steadfast" and adding it to the sheet now!

I just finished three books - An Unkindness of Magicians, The Order of the Pure Moon Reflected on Water, and The Sun Down Motel - and will put them in when I get to work in two hours.

Yay~ I've found two new U books I'm interested in (Upright Women Wanted) & (The Unwilling) & I am finally all caught up with my tasks at work, so I can read at my desk again!

So, the "poison" tag is my, well, poison! I'll focus on that for Round 3!

@Shelby, that's a good idea to look at past U books!

Added my task to Normal People!