In the month of December 2010 the National Football League postponed an Eagles football game due to snowy conditions. Governor Ed. Rendell, when asked to comment, stated that the United States was becoming a “nation of wusses.” This sparked a debate in which he used the metaphor attacking governmental policies that have lead the US in a downwards spiral. Rendell received a lot of media attention when in his opinion US lawmakers were “wusses.” This metaphor and constant media attention gave Rendell the title of his new book "A Nation of Wusses: How America's Leaders Lost the Guts to Make Us Great.”  The book explains different experiences the former politician had while he was in his numerous offices, and criticises policies lawmakers have put into the political spectrum.

Before you open this book and take a look at what is in between the pages. Understand that the book is separated into two parts. To start the book you must have an open mind. Rendell talks a lot about how the liberal agenda and government is the best response to tackling a lot of America’s domestic policies, so naturally people with a conservative agenda will put down the book and not even bother to read it. The second being, half the book is just him praising himself of his own accomplishments and successful terms in office as Philadelphia’s District Attorney and Mayor, in addition to his eight years as Governor of Pennsylvania. He proceeds to sing the praises of Bill and Hillary Clinton while talking about how collectively they are the best leaders America has ever seen in it’s existence.

A lot of people before opening the book may think it will talk a lot about political theory and be very bipartisan not just one sided. Rendell has a reputation for “stepping over the party lines” and compromising with conservatives, he does mention it more than a few times in the book but it’s all about the liberal agenda, which means people who don’t agree with the agenda won’t even glance at it. Rendell does criticize President Obama and the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.“Mistake number one: letting Congress write the specifics of the bill. The administration deferred to Congress, and the well-meaning progressive leadership in the House put in dollars for many social programs that did not create or retain jobs.” (A Nation of Wusses 153). He attacks Democrats in Congress who he feels were given to much power to edit and change provisions in the bill. He also attacks the Democratic controlled congress by changing provisions that suited the interest of their party.  

We all like to talk about our accomplishments and build our ego. But writing it down word for word in a book with a big reputation at stake is not the best of ideas. Rendell spends half the book from chapters 1-12 talking about his achievements and accomplishments. (I understand how you have to build up your reputation in the beginning to make you seem more believable and reliable but you shouldn’t take half the book to do so.) I love Rendell as much as the next Pennsylvanian but the Rendell we all know is a modest man who speaks from the gut. It’s apparent that he gave in to the numerous editors and advisor telling him what he should write. It didn’t feel like Rendell wrote this book at all. Which would make him a wuss wouldn’t it?

“A Nation of Wusses” is a lot of things but bold is certainly not one of them. Rendell over killed on the whole liberal agenda and his accomplishments which are unnecessary. A lot of emphasis was put in on the Clintons that made them seem like political gods and may have been used to create some sort of hype for Hillary to run for president in 2016. The book has it’s moments where I feel Rendell sneaks some dirty politics that occur in his own party in a metaphorical sense. It could be Rendell sticking it to his editor and advisors. It’s all up and down and if you’re a strong liberal who loves the Clintons this book definitely for you. But it has no outreach to target someone else and the writing is definitely not the gut speaking Rendell we all know and love. But keep in mind Rendell spends most of the book railing his praise and talking about one agenda, is this the wussification of Ed Rendell?

In this story and more specifically in this part of the story you can feel a very great sense of what justus where the Dragon Korialstrasz wants to hold up as his duty of being a consort of life. But as he is going along the land he keeps seeing the dead rise to slay the living but he is forced by his queen to not enter himself into the human acts. Then when he finally enters the battle you can see his great power unleashed before he flies away. As he get hit though you can see how strong the enemies are when they strike him and weaken him to the point of falling out of the sky.

As I started this this project I thought “Hey lets make a web page because I learned from my Web Design class”.  So as I started to work on the Html Files but when I went onto my CSS code it didn’t work so instead I didn’t use any CSS. Then went onto my java code learned I wouldn’t be able to learn the code in time to complete this project so instead I just made a scratch project. After running into a bunch of bugs and fixing them I finally finished.

I made this a game because the book itself is based off of a game and I wanted to practice my coding skills so I saw this as perfect project to do just that. As I worked through the web page and it was going along well and to make it interactive I Made the game to go along with the Web pages. The challenges that went into this project that I need to overcome and or change to make this work were. Java not working and the overall Css bugs that I could not fix although I didn’t want to use Scratch in the end I used it just as a fall back.

Sharon M. Draper is an accomplished writer and a winner of many awards for her compelling pieces. She has received much praise for all her publications, and she continues to write more. Draper loves to write she says “words flow easily from my fingertips, and my heart beats rapidly with excitement as an idea becomes a reality on the paper right in front of me.” With such ambition, Draper captivates readers with every single word that’s read in her books. The most compelling is Out of my Mind, which is a story about a young girl having a battle between her distinctions and “normality.”

Melody Brooks is an eleven year old girl born with cerebral palsy. This disability hinders Melody from communicating ideas, and she has never spoken a single word. Unlike any ordinary fifth grader, Melody is unable to walk and care for herself. This disability may have fractured 10 year old Melody Brooks’s body, but it has not affected her mind. Melody is a brilliant child with a photogenic memory that allows her to store and analyze everything that happens in her life. Melody is a genius, but nobody knows it. How would you feel if you were brilliant and you couldn’t communicate any of your thoughts?  

Out of My Mind is a book that should be read by everyone. Ten year old Melody Brooks displays a positive way to deal with difficulties of her world by living above all expectations people set for her. Melody’s unquenchable thirst for knowledge encourages her to move on and not quit. She has the help of an electrical word board thats connects to her wheelchair. This device allows her to create phrases, and it speaks her words aloud. This machine allows Melody to express some of her thoughts but its not capable to prove her real intelligence.

For the past week I have been reading David Sedaris’ Holidays on Ice, a short collection of essays, each of which is a reflection of our culture’s attitudes and behaviors around the Christmas season. I do not consider myself an avid reader, but I found this comical collection hard to put down. While at times I found the book discouraging, I feel that it was well worth reading and would recommend reading it if to anyone who haven’t already.

David Sedaris is a well known author and comedian, making regular appearances on many National Public Radio programs such as Fresh Air and This American Life. He is the author of many bestselling books including Naked, Me Talk Pretty One Day and When You Are Engulfed In Flames. He is known for his ability to make everyday situations into hilarious comedy sketches. The humor in his works are further enhanced when he reads them aloud.

Sedaris opens his book with a memoir called “The Santaland Diaries” in which he describes his experiences working as an elf in the Santaland at a Macy's in New York. He talks about his experiences with a combination of humor, spite and cynicism. In one section, he recalls the different requests made by customers regarding Santa’s racial identity, “...a woman approached me and whispered, ‘We would like a traditional Santa. I’m sure you know what I’m talking about.’” Sedaris sends her to one of the store’s two African American Santas. “Two New Jersey families came together to see santa. Two loud unattractive husbands with two wives and four children between them. The children gathered around Santa and had their picture taken. When santa asked what the ten year old boy wanted for Christmas, His father shouted ‘A WOMAN! GET HIM A WOMAN, SANTA!’” Mr. Sedaris does a very good job of conveying humor while still putting out intelligent and meaningful analysis of our society’s holiday culture. In The Santaland Diaries, he’s depicts the greater american populace as a swarm of rude, impatient, and self important shoppers who pay little respect to anything other than themselves.

Many parts of the book however, do not reflect as much of his humor as they do his spite. An example where I see more spite than humor is in this excerpt from “Dinah, The Christmas Whore” “Kettles boiled over and steaks were routinely left to blacken on the grill as my co workers crept off to the stockroom to smoke and play cards or sometimes have sex. ‘It suddenly occurred to me that people are lazy’” There may be humor here, but to me this just sound like another person complaining about their job. It almost irritates me because if I want to hear this type of thing I can just talk to my friend who works at McDonalds. That being said, I found that changing my perspective as a reader and prepared myself for a book that was more analytical than comical it made things a bit more tolerable.

As I write this review, I feel I may not be giving the book it’s due credit. I feel that as a teenager, some of the humor may go over my head. While I do find much of the book funny and have often laughed through much of the santaland diaries, I feel that it is meant for a more mature audience.  While teenagers who read this collection will find some things funny, much of the humor is aimed at a more adult audience. Much of his humor comes across as a deterrent rather than an incentive to keep reading. This passage from “Season’s Greeting to Our Friends and Family!!!” is something that many adults I know found funny but I found overly cynical and even angry. “When his tour of duty ended Clifford returned home, where, after making the second biggest decision of his life (I am referring of course to his brief eight month marriage to Doll Babcock), he and I were reunited.” I do understand that there is humor here. And I understand why it could be funny, I simply Don’t get it. I feel like the older you are, the funnier this would be. Since People my age have not yet experienced or are currently experiencing interactions like this it is hard to look back and laugh. I look forward to reading this book once I reach adulthood when I will understand more of his humor.

Holidays on ice is a book that will appeal the most to those who share Sedaris’ cynicism and dark humor. Even if you are not a fan of this sort of humor I would still recommend reading this book purely because of the variety of interesting content that it offers. It is also worth it just to have the cadence that is David Sedaris’s Writing course through your head. I feel that Sedaris set out to write a comedy and ended up writing a comedy as he planned, but ended up doing  so much more. The book has a wide enough variety of humor that anyone can read and enjoy it, and he made it have enough of a plot so that those who don’t understand his all of his humor like I do can still enjoy this book. If you have not already, I seriously recommend reading it.

Could you ever imagine losing everything that was important to you? Ever visualized being so close to death? It is hard to believe it, but some people have experienced those things. On August 23, 2005, America encountered one of it’s most devastating and deadliest hurricanes. One of the worst hurricanes America has faced was called Hurricane Katrina. Hurricane Katrina has impacted many innocent lives in a way that many people will never forget. Dave Eggers, the author of an award winning book entitled, Zeitoun, is a well known American author who wrote a memoir  about the dangerous experiences one individual faced during Hurricane Katrina. In his efforts in crafting such a life changing story, Eggers wanted to inform the readers that with hard work and determination people could make a difference in the eyes of danger.

The story Zeitoun is about a man named Abdulrahman Zeitoun. Abdulrahman Zeitoun is a middle aged Syrian American who is the father of four children. Zeitoun is a successful owner of a painting and contracting business. Because he wants the best for his family he values hard work. Zeitoun is married to a woman named, Kathy. Zeitoun and Kathy both went through numerous problems, racism being the main issue. Many Americans demonstrated prejudice acts towards the Zeitoun family all because of 9/11 considering their similar appearance to former terrorist. Despite all of the downfalls, his family manages to overcome these boundaries and carry on with their lives. Since the incident of 2001, Zeitoun has demonstrated great strength and determination for his life and the lives of others.

Two days before the storm arrived, thousands of people were already aware that the storm was coming. Many people were preparing to migrate away from the storm. However tensions arose in the Zeitoun household. Kathy decided to take the four children with her to Baton Rouge in order to get her and her children away from the storm. Kathy had persuaded her husband, Zeitoun, to come with them in order to get away from the terrible hurricane, but Zeitoun denied her requests and remained in Louisiana to keep watch over their home and business. Because Zeitoun was born in Jableh, Syria and worked as a sailor for most of his life, he believed that he could survive the tragic storm. At that time Zeitoun didn’t realize how dangerous it was. The next day Hurricane Katrina hit, tossing roofs off of houses and flooding many areas of Louisiana. Louisiana declared a state of emergency and that it was mandatory to evacuate the state.

Overtime Zeitoun made sure to call his wife daily to let her know what was going on. Later on in the story, six armed soldiers showed up at Zeitoun’s house.  At first Zeitoun thought that the soldiers were there to help him, but they actually threatened him with a gun.  After a few days goes past Zeitoun turns out missing and does not ever get in contact with his wife, Kathy. Kathy then believes that Zeitoun is dead and that he would not be coming back. This was very hard for her because she has mixed thoughts about her husband's whereabouts.

Shortly after this alarming event she received a phone call saying that her husband was arrested along with three other men. This was due to FEMA issues. Zeitoun was accused of being a possible terrorist in the United States. The men were held at a facility. This meant Zeitoun could not call his wife to let her know what had happened to him. Later in the story, Kathy found out where he was and bailed him out. After everything was resolved the whole family traveled back to Louisiana to help rebuild their home and community.

After reading this inspiring memoir I encourage other young readers to read this book. The book Zeitoun really touched my heart because it showed me that there are people in this world who are in need, but we as citizens don’t stop and take the time to help them. Instead we care mostly about ourselves and not others. When I think of what Zeitoun has done, knowing that he isn’t a US citizen, it really touched my heart and made me want to make a difference in this country. Zeitoun placed his life on the line for others. Not because he wanted to but it was because he cared. Despite losing everything in the storm he still made a difference in other people lives.

Sharon M.Draper is a bestselling author that received an award for two of her books, Cooper Sun and Forged by Fire. Sharon is also known for winning many awards on her book, “Out of my mind.” Sharon wrote Out of my Mind because she always wanted to know what goes on in a persons mind when they can not express their thoughts. Also, because Sharon has a daughter that is disabled and decided to write a story about a funny, smart and wonderful person that has a future and goals just like everyone else. As Sharon M. Draper says “Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you will never, ever forget.”

Have you ever wanted to tell someone something, but you did not know how to say it or you could not say it at all? Did someone ever say that you were not smart? Melody, a character from the book Out of my Mind, goes through this everyday. Melody is an amazing child who is intelligent but no one knows. Melody remembers everything she sees or hears and she wishes there was a way to stop it. Melody can not walk or talk. She can not do anything herself and faces many challenges on a daily basis.

Melody never catches a break, there is a new challenge everyday that she needs to figure out. Melody is in 5th grade and is eleven years old. She attends school normally, but goes into a classroom that has other students with similar problems. Since no one knows melody is brilliant she does not learn anything past 3rd grade. After a couple months in fifth grade, Melody is put into a classroom with able bodied students and some of them do not accept Melody. Later she is faced with obstacle that seems impossible to face. Melody felt like all her hard work and progress in the classroom was not useful anymore. Melody always has someone by her side helping her and she appreciates everyone who does. Mrs.V  for example has been with her since day one, and will never give up on her. Mrs.V is Melodys next door neighbor. She believes in Melody and will do anything to help her succeed. Everyone needs someone to look up too and sometimes it’s someone other than a child’s parents. If you have someone by your side every step of the way, you feel more confident  and you know there is someone that will help you if something is not going the way you planned. Melody also has a new born sister Penny, who is very different from her. Melody wishes she can be a normal big sister but penny can always look up to melody in ways that are exteremly different from her parents because melody has been through so much then someone can even imagine and still as a huge smile on her face.

This book will teach the reader a lot. One essential lesson that is expressed in the book, is to never give up on something you want because anything is possible. Every page of this book is so detailed and it makes you really feel like you are with the characters in the book. If you are interested in fiction books this is the perfect book for you. It is not based off of a real events but while reading this it feels real and makes you want to meet Melody. Everyone may not look the same or not everyone is able to things “normal” people can do but it doesn't matter everyone is unique in their own amazing way. “Out of my mind” is an unbelievable book that everyone should read.