Black in America

Did you know that 19.5% of African American males are unemployed? Did you know that 84.6% of African American men will commit death by homicide? Did you Did you know that 17% of African Americans in Indiana will not graduate high school and 58% of inmates in the U.S. jails are African Americans. This is shocking and you might ask yourself, “Why is this?” The following paragraphs might answer this question.
Black in America is a documentary about well, being black in America. Soledad O'Brien, from CNN, interviews many African Americans. All of the people she interviewed came from very different walks of life. Also while interviewing these people, O’Brien revealed shocking statistical facts about African Americans.
Some of the men she interviewed are ex cons that grew up in the “ghetto” and turned their lives around because they realized the effect it was having on their families and themselves. Also, she interviewed African Americans who grew up in the “ghetto” but didn’t want their families living like that so they got jobs and now they are working middle-class families, and African American men and women who grew up without father figures.
I gathered from this documentary that leading cause to African Americans doing drugs, participating in domestic violence, and going to jail is having an absence of a father figure. These young men do not have a role model, someone who they can look up to and follow after, so they become like their fathers. Doing what their fathers do is the only thing they know, so when these men have children, they will be like their fathers and this will carry on for generations unless someone breaks the mold and becomes a role model.
One of the most shocking, but empowering stories to me was about a comedian who lived in a very harsh area of L.A. He was a member of the ‘Blood Gang.’ He said the reason he joined this gang was because it made him feel safe. He didn’t feel safe for long. His cousin was in a gang too and the ‘Blood Gang’ murdered him. After his cousin was murdered he left the gang because he didn’t want to kill people and he didn’t feel safe anymore.
This comedian now has a son and he tells his son to respect the law-enforcement, but be careful what you say to them because what you say can and will be used against you, especially if you are an African American.
In today’s society you would think that people would be more accepting of different races, but in truth, they aren’t. Yes, there are some people who believe that everyone is entitled to equal rights, but there are some people who don’t. Think about it this way; it is like being a team. Like they say, “there is no ‘I’ in team.” “I” stands for individual and until that individual learns to be a teammate there will never be a team.
So, unless those people who can’t break out of there old ways, there will be no end to discrimination against African Americans and no start to helping them achieve better lives.

Last Days of Summer

Joey is a young, Jewish boy living in a Catholic neighborhood. When Joey was younger, his father left him and his mother for his secretary. Joey calls her Nana Bert and he is not very fond of her. After Joey’s absence of a father figure, he has been craving to have a dad. Joey swears his father is going to take him to the world fair, but this never happened. Joey is the type of kid who is constantly getting bullied. Joey wants the bullying to stop, so he writes the N.Y. Giants, 3rd baseman, Charlie Banks. Joey wants Charlie to hit a homerun for him and announce it on the radio. He believes if Charlie does this all of the boys will stop beating him up. Instead of telling the truth about being bullied, Joey makes up stories about his life and how he has all of these illnesses and diseases. Charlie soon realizes that these letters are fake and becomes furious with Joey. He writes letters back, calling him names and telling him never to write back again, but Joey keeps on persisting and Charlie keeps writing back. Later on in the book, it seemed as if Charlie took on the role of Joey’s father. He stood up for him in dangerous situations, took care of him when he was “drunk” and Charlie always had Joey’s best interest at mind.
Charlie Banks always had a perfect record in baseball until little Joey came into his life. It seemed as if Joey was playing a mind game with Charlie. He soon began dropping many baseballs and his team was on a losing streak. Charlie couldn’t’ understand why. Also, Charlie has always been a troublemaker. He was constantly getting into fights with other players and the umpire. Not only was Charlie a troublemaker, but also he was scared to be in a serious relationship. His brother Harlan passed away when he was younger. From reading this, it seemed like Charlie had a very close relationship with Harlan. We don’t know why or how Harlan died, but maybe Charlie is feeling the guilt of his brother’s death. In losing his brother, Charlie might have felt that he is not worth hiving his heart to someone. In my opinion though, Hazel, his girlfriend, is the love of his life and he is scared of commitment. Why is Charlie scared of commitment? He doesn’t want to lose the one person he truly loves.
The way this novel is written coveys the book really well. Last Days of Summer displays how Joey goes from a young boy who strives for attention to a young boy who can stand up for himself. Joey used to make up radical stories about his life and now he is becoming more emotional now that he has a “father figure” and someone he can relate to. Also, how Charlie goes from a rough, partying, “player” type of guy, to a mellow, caring person. Charlie used to be rowdy and now he is emotional because he realizes that love can change who you are. Overall, this books shows the emotional triumphs both Joey and Charlie accomplish together.