Look Me in the Eyes (to page 69)
By Sunday Night (January 27th), at 8:00 p.m., please comment on your reaction (so far) to Look Into My Eyes. You might consider what you like/don't like about it (and why––the "why" is the most important piece here). You might comment on the author's writing style. How is it different or similar to other things you've read? What surprised you? What made you laugh? What other emotions did the writing evoke? The more specific you can be in your response, the better. Comments should be at least 300 words.
I was excited to start reading Look Me in the Eyes. It seemed like it would have a similar storyline to Wonder, a book that I enjoyed very much. Wonder is about a kid who had a facial difference, so I thought that these two books would have similar plots, about how they overcome their differences. While reading, this quote stood out to me: “Maybe that was why Chuckie had ignored me, too. Or maybe Chuckie was another defective kid, like me.” It made me really sad to read about how he thought he was defective. Defective is a very judgemental word and it seemed like a very harsh word to use to describe himself. As I was reading I just thought of him as being different than the other kids he went to school with.
ReplyDeleteJohn Elder Robinson talks about how he moved often as a kid. Although I cannot relate to moving so often, I can relate to his thoughts about living in the country. I found it very fun to read about about, because I too live in a small town in the country. He talked about exploring the woods near his house with his friends. I also enjoy exploring the woods with my friends.
When I was reading about his home life, I found myself comparing it to mine. He had a very hard life at home. He was getting abused by his father, and his parents were constantly fighting. It made me feel very lucky. I have had a safe environment to live in my whole life. It made me take a step back and appreciate how fortunate I was to have that.
The format of Look Me in the Eyes seems very similar to the format of most books. I am also reading The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time. It is another book about a kid with Aspergers. The format of that book is very different. It was written in a way that made me feel like I was in the character’s head. I found that to be a much more engaging format than Look Me in the Eyes. Overall, Look Me in the Eyes seems like a book I’m going to enjoy.
I like what you wrote about him thinking he was defective. It's hard to think that anyone would think that of themselves, right?
DeleteI was not sure if I would enjoy Look Me in the Eye or not because I haven’t read anything like it. But so far, I do like it. Something specific in the book that I really enjoyed was on page 30. John mentioned how he had smiled when he overheard someone talk about a child’s death. He was looked at like he was a sociopath. But he talked about how he couldn’t help but smile. He reflected on that childhood moment and explained what he must have been thinking. He said he was happy because he was not the one who got killed. I liked this little bit of insight because it helped me to make sense of why he smiled. Someone who doesn’t know much about Asperger’s would consider his smile to be an awful thing, but after reading that section of the book I learned something about how people who are on the autistic spectrum might perceive certain situations. I also liked this part because he compared that moment to what he might do now. He said, “Today my feelings would be exactly the same in that situation. The only difference is, now I have better control over my facial expressions.” I found this reflection really cool because he could teach himself to look like he was reacting like a “normal person” would but he couldn’t control how he thought. John doesn’t explain his exact thought process all the time, but any sort of perception like this I really like. Another thing that caught my eye was the struggle he experienced at home. He was doubted when he said he wanted to do more than people thought he could do. Also, his house was not a healthy or safe environment. However, he still managed to succeed with doing what he loved. This was touching because he has had to deal with having Aspergers his whole life and without being supported, it seems like he may just want to give up. His determination to do what he loves makes me want to keep reading to see what he’ll do next on his own. This book not only shows the story of someone with Aspergers, but it also shows that they can do just as much anyone else. It touches on a theme we are thinking about in English with The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, which is that everyone is human. One last thing I like about the book is how the author formatted it. Each chapter seems to be a new challenge or experience in his life. I enjoy it because it keeps the story organized and for me, it just makes sense. With all these things in consideration and my wanting to read ahead, I think that I will continue to like this book.
ReplyDeleteGretta, I really like how you focused on the facial expression piece––particularly the part about where he smiled after learning that someone had died. It's a particularly interesting passage. Good work.
DeleteLook me in the eyes is a very interesting and unique book. I have never read anything like look me in the eyes and I've found, for me, its very hard to read. I like how interesting and riveting the storyline is, but I don't particularly like the writing style. When I first started reading I loved seeing the world through John Elder’s eyes, I especially loved the beginning of the first chapter. As the book progressed I became more and more confused. He seems to skip a lot of things and that gets me lost which makes the book a little less enjoyable. A couple of things I do like about the book is the cover and the title. It think they both work really well together. Some parts of the book were very gloomy and made me sad. The parts where his father hits him and beats him is awful. I could never imagine going through such a difficult and heartbreaking thing. The thought of his own father getting drunk and beating him makes me sick. I really liked the way the writer wrote about his father and how clearly he described him. The scene where he recounted his father in the doorway was very descriptive. I could really see his father standing in the doorway, drunk, and taking off his belt. I also really loved his little brother. The way he wrote about him made me feel happy. I could tell they really had that brotherly love, and I loved that. I actually loved the tww scenes where he held and met his little brother for the first time in the hospital and the other part where he plays a trick on their other. I thought these two moments really showed this love and support they have for eachother. Overall I think I will like this book, but I haven't quite gotten into it yet. It has an engrossing storyline that I really love and connect to.
ReplyDeleteDan, I'm glad you find the book interesting. I'd love to hear more about why you don't particularly like the writing style (especially because you mention that you also find it engrossing). Say a little more about that. I also found the scene you mentioned disturbing. It's a tough one.
DeleteAfter I finished reading to page 69 of Look Me in the Eye, I immediately compared it to the other books about autism and asperger’s I had read or was currently reading. Those two books are called Gus and Me which is about a ten year old boy with autism and his therapy dog. The book I am currently reading about autism is called The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time which I am reading in English 9. In Gus and Me the book was told through the eyes of the dog it was about how the dog was trying to understand Gus and his world. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and Look Me in the Eye are told through the person with autism and trying to understand the world around him. I like both styles of writing but I prefer the style of being told the story through the persons eyes because it makes it easier to sympathize with them and understand the world around him from a different point of view. There are many factors that make Look Me in the Eye an amazing read but the big one is being able to see the world through someone else’s eyes. Like Atticus Finch said in To Kill a Mockingbird, “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view” (Harper Lee). This book is an amazing read but there is one little thing that irks me about it. That thing is how this book skips around a little bit. This book stays mostly in chronological order but sometimes John Elder Robinson switches around from one subject to another. After seeing this it made me take a step back and really look at why the book was written this way. This again made me see how John Elder Robinson sees the world.
ReplyDeleteMack, I really like how you connected to other works of literature---especially To Kill a Mockingbird. I'll have to check out Gus and Me!
DeleteSo far Look Me in the Eye has been fun to read. It's been interesting to read about the way he thinks, and how he reacts to different interactions. John Elder's is the main character in the book, and he has Asperger's. John loves everything in a certain order, for example the first time John really tried to talk to another kid was when he saw Chuckie in a nursery school. He tried to be very controlling, and tried showing Chuckie the "correct" way to play with trucks. As he grew up he always was moving to different places, and schools. His family always seemed to be fighting over something, and he was beaten a lot by his father. His father was a very depressed man that loved alcohol. I feel like his fathers behavior effected John's little brother more than him, because John didn't have much for feelings. John seemed very fascinated with electronics and cars. He always was messing around with radios and TV's around the house. It makes sense to me how John became a class clown. He came from a dysfunctional family, and had a hard time fitting in. I didn't really like how he started telling people false story's, because he took advantage of them trusting him. Although John is a very smart boy I feel like he could of made better decisions. I don't really know what to think of his doctor, Dr. Finch, I can't really tell if he really has helped John or his family. I hope John's family stays together, and becomes stable again. It's been very interesting to read about John Elder's life.
ReplyDeleteSorry, this was from Connor Mazzarella.
DeleteGood comment, Connor. I like what you said about trying to be controlling in the nursery school. As you comment, be thinking a little less about summary, and more about reacting to the reading. Otherwise, well done.
DeleteFor starters, the title is already explained in the start of the book which I liked because you don’t see that that often. The book really grasped my attention and it was hard not to go beyond 69 pages. I really thought the way the book was written was really interesting and the story behind the book. Since his little brother “Varmint” was the one to tell John Elder to write the book as seen in the Foreword, knowing that ahead of the book was a smart move by the author because if the foreword wasn’t there I probably wouldn’t have read the book as intensely as I did. I really enjoy John Elder’s personality, he has a interesting sense of humor, especially with his relationship with his brother. I also enjoyed the way John Elder wrote because it allowed me to feel what he might be feeling as an “Aspergian.” For example since he had a hard time saying people's names, he would create his own nicknames for people, like Varmint and Little Bear. I thought that was funny. I also found it funny when he became a trickster and pranked his family and teachers. I haven’t read anything that is similar to the way this book is written. From the pages that we were meant to read was all about John Elder’s childhood and growing up. He was born 8 years before his brother which is similar to my family where my brother is 5 years older than me. John Elder grew up in many neighborhoods and different cultures. He grew up with an alcoholic father that abused John Elder and a broken mother. I felt very sorry for John Elder because my family also had experiences with an alcoholic father and it is not an easy thing. So far I have really enjoyed "look me in the eye" and Iook forward to more readings.
ReplyDeleteElliott, Glad you are enjoying the book so far. I especially like what you said about the nicknames he created for people---especially the fact that he even had one for his wife. Just be careful of run-on sentences.
DeleteAfter reading to pg. 69 in "Look Me In The Eyes" by John Elder Robinson, I started to think about some other books I've read, that remind me of this one. For instance, the book we are currently reading, "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time" by Mark Hadden, because both books are relating to kids with some sort of autism. These books fascinate me, because it really helps me to understand how people with these disorders, see things. It tells us how they think, feel, or act around others. What I like so far about this book, is that it is funny, but it isn't that purposeful, like in the book we are reading in English 9. For example, I liked the part where it said "I did hear the mothers whispering, but I never knew what they meant." Then he goes on to say each thing, but I found it funny how he described it. I also like the various nicknames he gives people because he had trouble saying peoples names, like "Varmint" for his little brother. It was creative and a good way to deal with this struggle he has. I feel a lot of sympathy for John Elder, because his family isn't really that functional. His father is an alcoholic and would abuse John Elder, he also grew up in many different places. "Look Me In The Eye" has really caught my attention. I usually am not hooked by these types of books, but it really has hooked me. I am eager to continue reading this.
ReplyDeletesorry this is Liam Patterson
DeleteSophie's Comment:
ReplyDeleteI have looked at the book Look me in the eye before this class but never read it. I was happy about getting a chance to read it, after being interested in it before. I like how he describes his childhood and how he moved around alot. I like how he explained how he moved around alot because it gives us an insight on how he learned how to cope and live with aspergers. It seemed that moving around helped him to learn and develop because he was meeting new people which allowed him to gain social skills he was never taught. It took about fifty pages for him to explain some of his childhood and I think that he could have made that part a little shorter. Something that surprised me was when a shrink told his father he had to stop hitting him and his brother and he actually stopped. He was a teenager and was living in Hadley, A doctor told his family that they should go see a shrink. His mother, and father both had mental problems so him, his mother, and father went to see a shrink to try to help them solve their problems. The doctor told his father that he could not hit John anymore and his father didn't hit him again. This surprised me because his father had a mental problem and was abusing his wife and children. Usually it takes therapy or medication to stop being abusive but his father stopped when a doctor told him to. Another thing that surprised me was when John made a stun gun out of old wires and a capacitor and made a game with it by using it on his brother. This surprised me because I didn't think he would make a stun gun to use on his brother. After he stunned his brother his brother told his mother and she didn't take away his stun gun or tell him to not stun his brother.
Sophie,
DeleteI like what you had to say---particularly your observations about abusers and how it usually takes a little bit more to get them to stop. Be sure to proofread, thoroughly. Otherwise, well done.