The Blind Side by Michael Lewis

        The Blind Side by Michael Lewis is about a boy who grew up in a family with a crack addict for a mom and eleven other siblings. His father, his real name, and even his birthday remains a mystery to him. He doesn't even know how to read or write. He had no source of entertainment or passion in his life until the Tuohy family comes along. The rich, Evangelic family takes him off the streets and into their home to raise him as one of their own. The boy's name was Michael Oher and his emotional and unusual story tugged on the heartstrings of many people throughout this book.
        Michael gravitated towards football, specifically an offensive lineman, not just because of his size, but because of the idea that the job of the offensive lineman is to protect the quarterback at all costs. Despite his past, Oher proves himself to be a powerful force on the field. At the high school Oher attended, every one judged. Not only for the color of his skin, but because of his size and stature. When it came time for Oher to be considered for the NFL, Tom Lemming, an NFL recruiter, offered some insight on Oher's potential. He said, "He was different from just about every other kid," and "if Michael Oher in the flesh was anything like Michael Oher on the videotape, Lemming was afraid not to make an exception of him"(Lewis 30-31). This just shows that just because someone is different or out of the ordinary, does not mean you should judge or make assumptions about their talent.
        A story a out judging a book by its cover was reported by CBS News. Malcom Mitchell, a Georgia football player, was at a book store waiting in line. He just so happened to be next in line to a woman named Kathy Rackley. Rackley and Mitchell got to talking and somehow started talking about a book club that Rackley had just joined. Mitchell was immediately interested, to Rackley's surprise. Rackley said, "I don't know if you want to join mine". She assumed that, because of his appearance that he wouldn't be as much of a book enthusiast as Mitchell really is. Mitchell said that he finished The Hunger Games series in just three days! The article summed it up perfectly when they said, "Sometimes football makes men great. And sometimes, great men just happen to play football."

The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

I started The Perks of Being a Wallflower just recently and I can already tell it is going to be one of the better books I have read. Originally, I went to the library with another book in mind but due to the fact that it was unavailable, I had to find another one. I am definitely not the biggest book reader so I only take suggestions from my friends because we all do not really enjoy reading so we usually only read popular books that everyone has talked about. So many people have recommended this book to me and I have just never thought of reading it until now. I try to stay in the area of books about "growing up" or teen-related books. I have already seen the movie adaptation of this book and it is one of my favorites, so I am interested to see if I will like the book just as much if not more than the movie.

Stephen Chbosky created a story with a lot of different types of teenagers in mind, but specifically for the ones trying to find their way, not just in high school, but in life. In my short time of reading this book, it seems like Chbosky drew inspiration from The Catcher in the Rye. I read The Catcher in the Rye my freshman year and although it was an older novel, I really enjoyed it because it was a coming of age story and that is very relatable for my age because I am still growing up and trying to find my way. In Chbosky's novel, he introduces a character named Charlie. Charlie is a very dynamic character who writes letters to someone unknown as he enters the uncharted territory of high school. On August 25, 1991, Charlie writes his first account. He starts out with, "So, this is my life. And I want you to know that I am both happy and sad and I'm still trying to figure out how that could be"(2). This quote completely encompasses Charlie's struggle with his emotions and his want for trying to find himself. Many teenagers could possibly relate to this statement. Hardly any teenagers in high school know exactly who they are and what they want to do.

Self-awareness can have the potential to be quite a long journey for many people in high school. It can lead some down a dangerous path or it can lead others down a successful path where they hopefully get a better understanding of who they are. In this blogpost from The Huffington Post, Katie Atkinson, a high school junior, writes about her journey of gaining self-awareness. Her advice is to try not to do what everyone else is doing and put yourself in a risky situation just to fit in. Charlie is out under the influences of his friends to do stuff he maybe wouldn't have if it had not been for the group of people he hangs out with. If his friends smoke pot, he will smoke pot. If his friends drink, he'll drink. Charlie, like many other high schoolers, tend to follow the crowd and just try to get through high school when it should really be the other way around and young adults should see where their own path leads them.