Tweak by Nic Sheff

     In the book "Tweak" the author Nic Sheff allows the reader to learn about how painful bad habits can get. When the protagonist is hooked on drugs and can't seem to stop for long periods of time he knows he's in deep. To him there's no way to stop. He's been to rehab and tried to do other things but he always seems to end up at the same place. Throughout the book the reader gets to see just how stuck you can get with a terrible habit and just how much it hurts.
     For example, when Nic was younger it was just something he did on spare time. He would just do it for fun or sneak into his parents liquor cabinet with his friends. But as time went on he could hardly spend a day with not having it. The drugs and people he hung out with were just getting worse and and he was completely addicted. Also, Nic would do anything he had to do to get the drugs. He would save up all his money just to make it last through the night. It got so bad Nic would steal from his own house. Taking his sisters piggy bank and stealing his dad's credit card. Nic had turned a fun thing to do into a painfully bad habit that he couldn't break.
     Another example of how the author lets us learn how painful bad habits can get, is how Nic is so addicted he will turn down help to have what he wants. First his parents wanted to help him and get him into a good rehab center.  But instead he decides he wants to keep on doing drugs and his family kicks him out of the house. Also, when Nic stayed at Lauren's house instead of using it as a time to calm down and start paying back the big fees he owed, he just used it as a great place to package his drugs to sell them and drink wine. This shows us how it wasn't something he could just fix instantly and he was in an extremely sticky situation.
     All in all, the book shows you how deep into trouble you can get and how hard it can be to stop certain habits. It took Nic a really long time to realize this wasn't gonna stop on its own. It's really amazing to see Nic slowly figure the whole issue out.

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

     I just finished reading the book "Speak" written by Laurie Halse Anderson. The main character was a girl named Melinda who has a bad past at a party and was having a really difficult time getting out of it. She lost all her friends and had to start all over again even though there was hardly any place to start. But Melinda soon realized that not speaking up wasn't going to change anything. And we know that even if it really didn't effect her situation that much at least it will still change for the better. That is why I think the theme of this book is doing something is better than nothing. If Melinda had spoken up sooner much more would have been lifted off her shoulders.
     The theme of the book is doing something is always better than nothing. For example, Melinda didn't try to do anything to fix her problems. She wouldn't try to get better grades and work harder to make friends with people in school. Even if it wouldn't have worked she would have tried and felt better about herself. Also Melinda constantly avoided all the opportunities to have a good time. She would never spend the night with her friend Heather and when David invited her to a party at his house she responded no. These are things that would've helped her break out of her shell and forget the future. But instead of making the situation improve Melinda just acted like she didn't care.
     Another reason I think the theme of the book is doing something is much better than doing nothing is because of how Melinda great she felt when she opened up. She finally opened up about what happened at the party and was able to tell the truth by writing Rachel a note. After this she realized that maybe she did have the potential to change her situation in high school and not spend everyday hiding. In addition she was able to stand up to Andy Evens after he confronted her and say no. After this she also decided to talk to her art teacher Mr. Freeman who had bee wanting her to open up for quite some time. You know that after this even if there wasn't an amazing change something changed for the better.
     To conclude, the theme doing something is much better than doing nothing really does fit the book "Speak" and the things Melinda did i the end should have been done a long time ago. When she finally opened up you knew that it was only down hill from there and that it was a new beginning.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

      I'm reading the compelling book "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. The main character is a boy named Pi who ends up on a life boat with a zebra, orangutan, hyena, and a tiger. He was on a ship with his family moving to Canada to start a new zoo. But soon the only animal left is the tiger. Back in India he feared the tiger but now grew to love him. This is why i think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems. Pi went from avoiding the tiger at the zoo to living with it in the middle of the Pacific ocean.
     I think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems because of pi's image of the tiger before he was stuck with him. One example of this is how his father scared him and his brother by feeding the tiger a whole goat right in front of them. It was to teach them never to go near the cage and just how wild these zoo animals were. But it did more than that. It truly spooked them. Also Pi would avoid all the animals in the zoo he didn't like including the tiger. Instead of reaching out to them Pi just thought something of all of them.
     I think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems because of how Pi bonded with the tiger after he tried too. First, after being a friend to the tiger he saved Pi's life by killing another man they encountered lost at sea who wanted to eat Pi. This really made him realize how kind the tiger was. In addition, once they got to know one another they found an island to stay on for awhile and went on many adventures together. They looked out for each others backs and made sure the other was okay. This is why I think the theme of this book is not everything is what it seems.
     To conclude, when Pi was forced to live with the tiger he realized that not only was his father wrong but he was too. It was his choice to be afraid of the tiger in the first place and he really learnt a valuable lesson.