As stated in the main page, this blog is specifically for my AP English Literature class. Therefore, throughout the curriculum other than the books I choose to read, I will also be required to read the books assigned. The first book assigned for this school year is (excluding the summer assignments), Always Running, by Luis J. Rodriguez. The first chapter begins with the narrator detailing his ride to Union train station. In it, the tense atmosphere is only matched by the diction Rodriguez uses to portray the growing distance between his "mama" and "father". Before they reach their destination, however, Grillo takes the rest of the chapter to recall all the moments that led up to this, explaining his family's history and how his life was in LA.
This way of structuring the chapter is what was really interesting to me though. By using flashbacks, the first scene felt a bit more tragic. Before this, they were abused and kicked out of their home, and now the family, barely, barely staying together at this point, is on the verge of separation. A moment that truly captures the tone of this depressive chapter is early on, in page fourteen where Grillo shows how he escapes into imaginary worlds to cope with all of the pressure he's being faced with in real life. When I read on about how he was beaten by his brother and the other kids, and how his parents were being torn apart, I felt that he was justified with his escapism. He was a young boy. I feel that knowing that this very much could have happened, and probably did happen to someone, gave me a deeper look into the tragedy of people back then. Does it still happen today? I can't say for certain. Furthermore, it's because I lack the understanding of this topic, I can not even begin guessing on what might happen. I can say for certain, I do worry for what might come.
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