Coming of Age

Donnerstag, 4. Oktober 2007

question to the author

I ask me, if you are interested in writing a continuatin of the novel like we do. It would be interesting to know what happens with the main characters and which problems they have 10 years later.
Do you think that our continuations are realistics?

Freitag, 10. August 2007

feelings, toughts 6

The last chapter shows that Erika has changed her character. She accepts that Ruthie is AJ's girlfriend and instead of fighting with her she can normally discuss with her.
And Ruthie knows that the things she said to her, were very hard and she is abel to say sorry now.

Mittwoch, 8. August 2007

feelings, toughts 5

I have hoped that AJ and Ruthie became a couple because Ruthie is nicer than Erika.
But now I feel a little bit sorry with Erika. I mean, she is an agressiv bitch but now she looses all she has: AJ. She has problems at home, with her mom and her dad and problems at school. The best thing in her live was AJ. It must be hard for her that he breaks up with her and that he has a new girlfriend. But this is no reson for trying to kill Ruthie. Erika should think about herself and try to change her charachter. Then she will find a new boyfriend an have a better live.

feelings, toughts 4

Ruthie is good for AJ. With her help he can better handle with his mom's dead than before. And she also helps him with Anthony or with his homeworks.
But AJ ia also good for Ruthie's charachter. After becoming a couple she has more contackt with black people. And AJ's friend doesn't think any longer that Ruthie is a snop. They like her.

Montag, 6. August 2007

feelings 3

I think that the talk in chapter 17, between AJ and Ruthie about his mom, family, problems... is very important for him.
Ruthie is the first person who can speak with AJ about his mom.
I guess that now, it will be easier for AJ to handle with his mom's dead.

feelings 2

I wonder me about the relationship between AJ and Erika. She gets on his nerves very often and she is jealous when he talks with other girls. Then both kissed an other boy/girl at a party but they are in a relationship anymore.
If my boyfriend kiss an other girl, I will split up the relationship.

Donnerstag, 26. Juli 2007

feelings

I have only read the first six chapters but I think that Erika is the most unfriendliest person in the story. She is like an arrogant bitch. I think this, because of the fight with the black girls in chapter 4, and because she speaks negative about Ruthie and because she wears to much make-up. I don't wonder that she gets on AJs nerves.
AJ seems to be a little bit arrogant too, because he looks good, but he is more friendlier. For example because he cares about his brother.
Ruthie is a nice and good student but she is boring, because she doesn't go to parties or drinks alcohol.

summary

chapter 1 - 2 :
AJ, a black football player and the proper Ruthie are in the chemistry class.
Aj isn't concentrated because he drank to much last night, and so he put stuff on a bunsen burner. This stuff explodes and Ruthi gets injured.
AJ must drive the girl into the clinic.
Some girls see them walking togehter and they tell it Erika, AJ's jealous girlfriend.
AJ must explain, that there is nothing between him and Ruthi, but Erika decides to keep an eye on them.

chapter 3:
After two days, Ruthie is healthy again and se can go to school.
She hears that Erika is jealous because of her.Ruthie finds that very childish and tells it AJ.
On this day, Ruthie sees that the football player is very good-looking.
AJ explains her that the most of the students think, that Ruthie is a snob, because she speaks and acts very properly.

chapter 4:
Erika observes Ruthie and her boyfriend. She is very jealous.
On the same day, she and her friends get trouble with a group of black girls.
And at home, she has again a big conversation with her mom, because her mother hate black men like Erikas dad.

chapter 5:
In this chapter, the readers lern something about AJ's family and his problems.
He lives in a criminal neighborhood, where drugs are normal.
His mother is dead and his father doesn't care about his 2 sons. Course of this AJ is like a dad for his little brother Anthony.

AJ goes to a Party. He meets his girlfriend Erika there, who gets close with an other boy. Erika wants to make AJ jealous. But he does the same. He searches a girl and he finds Trina. When Erika starts to kiss the boy, AJ does it too.

chapter 6:
Ruthie explains her feelings and her problems with other black people. She has only white friends, because she thinks that black people are egotistical jocks. She can not associate with black people and she doesn't know if she wants it.

chapter 7:
Erika sings a solo in the church choir. She hopes that her boyfriend comes for hearing hear but AJ doesn't come but Ruthie goes to the church.

Erika believes in God because God don't care about the colour of a person, not like her mom.

chapter 8:
Erika wants to know if AJ loves her. He doesn't know what to say, so he asks her if she loves him. She says 'yes' but instead of saying yes too,he kisses her.
In chemistry AJ asks Ruthie how a person know if he loves somebody. Although Ruthie was never in love she knows an answer. She tells him about a wonderful feeling whenever that person is around you.

chapter 9:
Ruthie drives to AJ for tutoring him. But when she comes, AJ sits there with some friends. He has forgot her. Because he let his books in the school Ruthie can't help him and she drives back at home.

chapter 10-11:
Everybody (friends,people at scholl,people from the newspaper or from the TV) want to know where the talented football star AJ wants to go to college. But he has no idea. Some people like Ronell get on his nerves because they always ask him, where he goes to college.
He and Erika aren't in a fight anymore.
In chemistry AJ asks Ruthie where he should sign in. Ruthie says that he is treated like a good everywhere. For her it's ironic that all colleges prefer talented football players and not good students.

chapter 12:
AJ has decided that he goes to the Florida State University.
Now, the newspaper and the TV people wants interviews and pictures.
Ruthie tells him that she wants to tutor his brother Anthony because he needs help with his reading comprehension.

chapter 13:
The principal tells Ruthie that she is the finalist for the Negro Students competition. Ruthie, her parents and the teachers are very proud of it.
After school, Ruthie meets Anthony. It is her first day tutoring him.

chapter 14:
Erika get the main role in the school musical. But Shanice, the black girl, who Erika hates, has the lead too.

chapter 15:
Ruthie teaches Anthony. She gives him interesting books to read. When AJ comes home seeing taht they sit together and read a book, he is angry because Anthony is his brother and not hers.

chapter 16:
Anthony tells Ruthie that his mother has killed herself. When she talks about it with AJ, they get a fight. AJ wants that no one knows something about his mother. A teacher, Mr. Ferris wants to finish the fight but AJ pushs him away. The teacher is very angry but Ruthie saves AJ's neck.
Then, both drive to Bennigan's for drinking something and talking.

chapter 17:
At first they speak about Ruthie's problems with black people.
Then AJ tells the hole story about his family.
At home, AJ gets to know that Anthony run an errand for his older brother Franco, a dealer. AJ wants to save his little brother from drugs, so he bans Anthony the contact with Franco.
In the evening, when Franco comes home, he and AJ have a big and brutal fight.

chapter 18:
Ruthie wants to be the one who can make the speech at the end of the year.

When she cames to Anthony for tutoring him, he asks her, if she knows where AJ is. But she hasn't seen him since a week.

chapter 19:
AJ visit his mom's grave for talking with her about his little brother because. He is scared that Anthony becomes like Franco. AJ does this the hole week, then Ruthie appears there.
AJ tells her all about his mother, that she didn't want to have Anthony and that she had a fight with her husband about the baby, which was the reason why she killed herself.
Ruthie can understand him. At this point he gets feelings for her.
Ruthie invites him and Anthony for dinner. He tells her that he is worried about his little brother because he go to Florida next year and then he can't protect him for Franco.
At the evening, Anthony wants to know how his mother was. But AJ can't tell him the hard true, so he says, that his mom was a nice woman who loved her kids.

chapter 20:
AJ and Anthony are inveted again for dinner.
AJ tells Ruthie that he flys to Florida for one week and he don't know what to do with his brother.
Ruthie offers that Anthony can live in their house for this week.

chapter 21:
Erika is angry because she sees AJ and Ruthie hanging up togehter. AJ want to calm her and tells her that they are only friends.

chapter 22:
Erika is jealous and she warns Ruthie to stay away from her boyfriend.

After Ruthie and Andrea have picked up Anthony's stuff , the 3 drive to AJ's track meet.
When Ruthie gives AJ a backrub after his run, she get feelings for him.

chapter 23:
AJ comes back. He wants to pick up Anthony but Ruthie offers to keep Anthony. On the one hand AJ knows that it is better for his brother to stay at Ruthie's familiy but on the other hand he is sad, because he loves his brother and he will miss him. But finaly he agrees.

chapter 24:
Tonight, Erika sing her musicalrole. She sings better than Shanice and she earns more glory. She feels very happy but then she sees Ruthie and she becomes jealous again.

chapter 25:
AJ visits Ruthie in the night. After 2 hours talking about his and her problems and feelings, they come closer and he kisses
her.

chapter 26:
At the next day AJ and Ruthie talk together about the last night and they become a couple.

chapter 27:
AJ promises his new girfriend to break up the relationship with Erika. He tells her, that he loves her.

chapter 28:
A friend of AJ who has seen him and Ruthie together tells it Erika. Now she wants to kill Ruthie.

chapter 29:
Erika and her friends want to hurt Ruthie. They serach her and then Erika punchs her. But AJ comes for protecting his new girlfriend. Then he breaks up with Erika.

chapter 30:
Ruthie is scared because of Erika . She knows that she will hurt her again.

chapter 31:
Erika is very sad, because of her broken heart. Her mom comes to her for talking with her sad daughter. Erika decides to visit her dad for some days, because she can't stay at home any longer.
Erika damages Ruthie's tires and put a warning letter on her car.

chapter 32:
It's prom. Ruthie is there with Christian because AJ hates prom. And Erika isn't here too, she visits her dad in Phoenix because she doesn't want to see AJ or Ruthie.

chapter 33:
Erika visits an old friend, Dane in Phoenix. He wants to sleep with her but she does'nt do it because the only boy she wants is AJ.

chapter 34:
AJ, Ruthie and her family watch a t-Ball game from Anthony. After the game, Anthony runs at first to Ruthies folks and he doesn't look for his brother. AJ thinks that Anthony has forgotten him.

chapter 35:
Erika wants to fight with Ruthie. Ruthie win it, but not with her fists, with her words. She tells Erika a nothing, because she can't anyhing than fighting and she explains her that the most people of the school doesn't care about her.

chapter 36:
Erika relises that Ruthie was right: She is a nothing.

chapter 37-38:
Shanice is happy that Erika has loosed the fight. But her friends feel sorry with her. They visit her and they want her to fight with Ruthie again because the hole scholl thinks that Erika is a wimp. But Erika doesn't care about the others.

chapter 39:
Franco meets the sad Erika. He feels sorry with her and takes her to his house. She tries to forget AJ with alcohol and weed. She stays with Franco the next few days and she sleeps with him.

chapter 40:
It's the end festival at school and the students get their diplomas. In the evening they they go to Christian's party.

chapter 41:
Erika get a job as a receptionist in a hair-weave studio.

Kelli, a friend of Erika tells her that she is pregnant and she doesn't know where the father is.

chapter 42:
AJ and his friends talk about old times.
Then Ruthie comes for visiting her boyfriend.
Franco wants to give money to Ruthie because of Anthony but she doesn't take it. And AJ wants to give his money, earned by his job, to her family too. But they don't want it.

chapter 43:
Erika meets AJ at a party and she can talk with him because she pulls herself together.

chapter 44:
It's the last night for AJ and Ruthie. Both are very sad.
When AJ leaves his family, his dad and Franco tell him that they are proud of him.

chapter 45:
AJ flies to Florida and leaves Ruthie,her family and Anthony.
After some weeks Ruthie meets Erika. It's the first time that they can speak normaly with each other. Erika accepts that Ruthie is AJ's girlfriend now and Ruthie tells sorry to her for the things she said. They also speaks about their problems.
In the end of the story Ruthie fells like a woman and not as a child anylonger.