"The Daughters of Juarez" by Teresa Rodriguez

Wow I am Astonished ! As soon as I opened the book and read "The desert sky is vast and cloudless. It shelters all and hides nothing. The desert sun is unforgiving. It bleaches all beneath it. The desert breeze walks through the landscape, softening the searing sun, or freezing beneath the evening star. It is a landscape of extremes. A desert landscape can be beautiful - cactus flowers, an endless horizon, creatures which thrive somehow. But in Ciudad Juarez it is a backdrop for murder. It is a vast unwilling graveyard." I was immediately blown away. I had never pictured something this clear in my head before, just by reading a couple lines in a book. It amazes me that in such short sentences of description fits the beautiful picture of the city of Juarez, but which later on collapses down into ugly scenes of murder and death. This is my type of book for sure, in every little word and description I can feel what is going on without the author having to tell me straight up in an obvious sentence. This keeps me intrigued wanting to read more and more, having to find out my own conclusions by the clues they give me and teaching me about the reality of life that goes on outside our doors.

Joana Juarez Interview

What books have impacted your life. And why? Well, there have been many books that have impacted my life so far but one particular book that did was "The Daughters of Juarez" by Teresa Rodriguez. This book opened my eyes to many things in life that I didn't quite see along the way. It had a sense of reality that I had never read in a book before, it was really controversial, and I think that was why I felt attracted to it when I saw it at the library. It was such a cruel reality that was sadly happening in Mexico where we have family and friends that live similar to the stories of the daughters of Juarez. Why did these books matter so much to you? This book matters a lot to me because it could be going on anywhere, and that frightens me. It is mostly based on true unsolved murders that are still going on today and nobody wants to get involved because they are too scared. It's a shame that we can't count on the police to feel safe in our own homes and that to me is a real problem that has to come to and end. I think we should start taking actions into our own hands helping our people, and together have each others trust. Teresa Rodriguez is an amazing women who knew how to do that and much more. How old were you at the time? I think I was around your age, about 16 years old when I discovered this book. It was fascinating to read this book at my time because I had never read something as real as this that gave every little detail about what happened in Juarez as it was in the newspapers. What was going on in your life while reading these books? During the time that I was reading this book, I think I was more scared of the fact that many people were crossing the border illegally and those people who aren't at fault for anything were getting murderered and raped along the way. I was very into this subject and for this book to be introduced to me at the right time made me connect with both issues and reflect on how I could value my position in life better. Many people don't have the luxuries of going to school and becoming someone they want to be in life. There are many ways to destroy the needs of others and there are many examples of these situations in the book, it is absolutely horrible how many barriers the people in the city of Juarez have, not only that but other countries as well. If the books changed you, how so? The book definitely changed me in a positive way and made me realize all the things that I had at home as a women. I have many privileges that others might want and reading this book made me appreciate them more as well as help others who might have be in troubled situations. Who would you recommend this book to? I would definitely recommend this book to people who are looking for that life changing journey where you read real life testimonies about real people and realize many things about your own life that you didn't expect to appreciate. This is a book for mature people aren't afraid of the truth.

"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

“Look’ee here, Pip. I’m your second father. You’re my son—more to me nor any son. I’ve put away money, only for you to spend. When I was a hired-out shepherd in a solitary hut, not seeing no faces but faces of sheep till I half-forgot wot men’s and women’s faces wos like, I see yourn. . . . I see you there a many times plain as ever I see you on them misty marshes. ‘Lord strike me dead!’ I says each time—and I goes out in the open air to say it under the open heavens—‘but wot, if I gets liberty and money, I’ll make that boy a gentleman!’ And I done it. Why, look at you, dear boy! Look at these here lodgings of yourn, fit for a lord! A lord? Ah! You shall show money with lords for wagers, and beat ’em!” I love this quote. It is remarkably touching in a way that makes you wonder how many people are deep inside. The revelation that Magwitch told Pip was an eye opening situations where the story changes and so do the feeling of the characters. I would have never expected Magwitch to be the one whom helped Pip be a gentleman and have a higher education than he had. An action that he did as a humble child stuck through this poor mans mind and had a greater plan for him than just being an orphan. I love that the author explained in great detail why Pip wanted to be a great gentleman, serving for only one womens love, but instead Pip turned out to find his path to being a gentleman from another mans appreciation towards him. I think that this book turned out to be what I had expected and it surprised me that it wasn't a typical love story instead it was an even better connection of ambitions for a better education and an appreciation for a humble a man.

"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

Going along through the book it has been very difficult to understand some words but so far, I've been considering a dictionary to help me understand situations that Pip has encountered while being poor as well as rising to his fortune. I think that Charles Dickens has been very wise to choose the various words that he uses. They are very powerful and strong. They have many different meanings to them but when I'm reading the book I immediately have a clue of what the meaning of the word will be. This uncommon vocabulary to me is rare, but as I get used to the book more, I start understanding phrases a lot better. “Pip, dear old chap, life is made of ever so many partings welded together, as I may say, and one man’s a blacksmith, and one’s a whitesmith, and one’s a goldsmith, and one’s a coppersmith. Diwisions among such must come, and must be met as they come.” This quote is a great example of what I'm seeing all throughout the book. With this quote Joe is talking to Pip about how there are different levels of people and how they are determined. Since Pip is now a gentleman and really doesn't know what the whole meaning of being a gentleman is, he is reassured by his brother in law whom raised him until he could.

"Great Expectations" by Charles Dickens

So basically what is happening in the beginning of the book, from what I have understood, has been that it takes place in England, and the main character of this book is a little boy named Pip. He is a very sweet, nice and humble boy who got to live a very sad life where basically all his family has died and the only one left to take care of him is his sister whom he lives with. The author describes Pip in a really sensitive way, he thinks of him as a vulnerable person who depends on other people in order for him to be someone in life. Reading through Charles Dickens descriptions of how Pip lived made me feel very appreciative of what I had at home. Pip lived very poor in a little town and never had anything that belonged to him. He was always very honest about everything he did, he never lied until he met a dirty scary looking guy in the churchyard in front of where his families tombstones were. He was very frightened so when the man told him to steal food for him, he did whatever he said. And this was the first time he had ever done such a thing.

Alejandra Goularte Interview

What books have impacted your life. And why? Great Expectations impacted my life when I was a teenager because it was the first difficult novel I read. The book itself is quite intimidating and difficult to read, and when I opened it I felt scared. I was scared that I wouldn't be able to finish the book, that I wouldn't be able to understand it, and that it would hurt my grade in my honors English class. I took on the challenge and faced my fear of the book by reading one page at a time. I was able to get into the story, and was able to finish the book. Great Expectations was my introduction to the world of Charles Dickens and I loved it! This book helped me develop a love for reading and a love of classic novels. There were many times in my educational life where I recalled reading Great Expectations when I was faced with a difficult academic challenge. I would think, "if I was able to read Great Expectations, I can do anything!" Why did these books matter so much to you? This book was important in my life because it symbolized my own personal educational challenge. I was very proud of myself for getting through the book. I had been so scared and intimidated by the book, that finishing it meant a great deal to me. I proved to myself that I was capable, and that I knew how to read (I read it and comprehended what I was reading). Having read this book so early on in high school was also very impacting in my high school career. I always used the Great Expectations reminder for myself when I faced challenges in my later years of high school and in college. Since I proved to myself that I could read Dickens, I knew that reading Homer's The Iliad or The Odyssey would be a piece of cake! I also liked the main theme and title of the book: Great Expectations. I related to Pip's character in that he wanted a better life for himself, and he had 'great expectations' of what his life would be in the future. I liked this theme. I too had 'great expectations' of myself and of my life. This has been a theme in my own personal and educational life. I always set great expectations for myself, and just like Pip, this can also lead to great disappointment. It's good to have great expectations of yourself, but when life happens and things don't turn out the way you want them to, you (meaning, me) end up feeling greatly disappointed and sad. How old were you at the time? I was in 9th grade when I first read this book. I was 15 years old. What was going on in your life while reading these books? When I first read this book, I was dealing with my parents' divorce. I remember that this book was assigned to me during Christmas vacation. So I spent most of December reading Great Expectations. I remember that Christmas was the last Christmas I spend with my father. My father was going to go to Nicaragua a few months after, so this was a significant Christmas season. I remember that on Christmas eve, I couldn't put the book down, and my mother scolded me in front of my dad and my siblings and told me to put the book down and to enjoy Christmas with the family. I remember being so angry at my mom because she was now delaying my reading progress. It's funny to think about it now, but it shows how much I enjoyed Great Expectations and what a significant impact it had on my educational life. If the books changed you, how so? I think the book changed me in the sense that it provided me with another source of educational motivation. It helped me to not give up on school and to tackle on challenges. Did the books make you see things more clearly? How so? I guess it made me see school assignments in a different way. As I said before, it allowed me to prove to myself that I was capable of handling a difficult book and was able to really enjoy it! I learned that learning--even when it's difficult--can be fun and enjoyable. Who would you reccomend these books to? Or who are these books intended for? I would recommend this book to anyone who hasn't read it because it's my favorite book! :) But I would especially recommend this book to students who are in high school. This book made such an impact in my life when I was in 9th grade, that I hope it would also influence other students positively in the same way it influenced me. I really enjoy introducing students to Charles Dickens!