JERK

The title of my book says for itself, because the title is JERK, California. Could you imagine yourself jerking or twitching at one point or another, or even constantly in your lifetime?
Well the main character in the book, Sam Carrier twitches when he feels nervous about something. I think it would be terrible having Tourette’s syndrome. Everybody made fun of him because of his syndrome and he felt like it wasn’t his fault. He was born with it and couldn’t help it. A person having Tourette’s would be made fun of constantly because other people seeing them would think that person is a FREAK. Sam Carrier was known as a freak in the book and seemed like he knew it all along, but didn’t want to keep showing it. He fell in love with a girl that he met in the woods during a race. He noticed when he would talk to her; he wouldn’t have the urge to jerk. When I noticed that, I thought hopefully this girl keeps seeing Sam because then he would have someone to be with, not make him twitch as much, or even have less people making fun of him.
I noticed it is very hard to watch someone having Tourette’s because people have different types of Tourette’s. I’ve watched people on TV that had Tourette’s and I imagined myself having it and I don’t know how they go about their days with that not holding them back. I would not want to step in public and have an urge to jerk every so often. I used to know a friend that had Tourette’s, I would tell my mom that there was something wrong with her, and my mom told me the truth. I couldn’t believe what I heard and it all came to me that was the answer. I felt bad seeing what I saw but I couldn’t help the person. I feel bad as I read along about Sam Carrier dealing with his Tourette’s too. As I read along I hope that I get a better understanding of how he reacts with these jerks.
Jerk is an excellent title for this book because it shows an understanding of how Sam Carrier is dealing with Tourette’s and gives you a mental image of how he jerks. The title of this book is the main reason why I chose to read it because people need to know how an individual acts with Tourette’s.

Free Choice - JERK

I noticed that most people in the classroom picked similar books that they wanted to read for the next half of the summer. I chose something that was totally out of my comfort zone to read. I chose the book JERK and pretty excited to start reading it. Most of the classmates in the class chose the book 13 Reasons Why to read, and I voted for that book in the beginning of the semester to read as a class, but I don’t like reading a book that EVERYBODY is going to be reading out side of school because they may talk about a part that you haven’t read; it makes you wonder if that’s true, and it screws up the ending for you. So I wanted to pick a book that none of the students wouldn’t think of reading. You have to pick a book you want to be interested reading and learn more about it. I noticed that nobody picked the book JERK; that was shocking because I must have been the only one thinking how it would be different reading a book about a teenager diagnosed with Tourette’s syndrome, going about his life living with this syndrome, and trying to live each day like it’s the last. The main character Sam Carrier seems like a normal teenager trying to live a normal life but has the Tourette’s syndrome holding him back. I have experienced people with Tourette’s syndrome and it’s hard to see them in pain, by them twitching, jerking, and fighting the urge. I’m hoping this book is an interest to me, like I hope it is and makes me imagine I’m Sam Carrier and how Tourette’s syndrome really is in life.

Free Choice - JERK and The Perfect Shot

It was hard for me to choose a particular book I wanted to read for the rest of the semester. I honestly had no idea what book I wanted to read because there were so many to choose from. I wanted a book that was just like the feeling of Hate List. I was debating on two books that looked like they had the same compelling feeling. The first book I thought looked great was JERK. Jerk is about a guy named Sam Carrier and his bitter, abusive stepfather, Old Bill, is ashamed of his son’s Tourette's syndrome, and makes the teen feel that shame at every turn. He also makes Sam's life a misery by constantly telling him that his father was a no-good deserter. Upon his high school graduation, Sam meets George, a friend of his long-dead father, who attempts to undo the harm that Old Bill has done over the years. Sam (whose real name turns out to be Jack) embarks on a cross-country road trip to discover his roots, his identity, and his love for Naomi, who tags along, bringing some unexpected baggage.
After reading the information about the book JERK, I thought this would be a compelling book because of the boy dealing with a girl and having Tourette’s. I want to know why Sam Carrier changed his name to Jack. This book had a lot of reviews on it and the people said it was a must-read so I figured it looks good to me so why not give it a try. My first feeling about this book was if it was going to be describing how the Tourette’s affects Sam’s life and describes how a person reacts having Tourette ’s syndrome. It would be very hard seeing a person with Tourette ’s syndrome trying to function and they twitch every so often. It would make me want to try and help them but you can’t because they were born with this syndrome and they can’t even stop the jerks. I think the title is a great one because you know it’s going to be about Sam jerking from his Tourette’s and dealing with his life with the syndrome. I am excited about reading this book because I know that having Tourette’s syndrome will affect a person’s life very much and I want to know how the book affects Sam’s life.
The second book I wanted to read was The Perfect Shot. This book seemed really intense because the description of the book is stated that it’s about someone murdering Brian's girlfriend, Amanda. The police think it was her father. Brian isn't so sure. But everyone he knows is telling him to move on, get over it, and focus on the present. Focus on basketball. Focus on hitting that perfect shot.
Brian hopes that the system will work for Amanda and her father. An innocent man couldn't be wrongly convicted, could he? But then Brian does a school project on Leo Frank, a Jewish man lynched decades ago for the murder of a teenage girl—a murder he didn't commit.
Worse still, Brian's teammate Julius gets arrested for nothing more than being a black kid in the wrong place at the wrong time. Brian can't deny any longer that the system is flawed. As Amanda's father goes on trial, Brian admits to himself that he knows something that could break the case. But if he comes forward, will the real killer try for another perfect shot—this time against Brian? After reading this description, my first thought was Wow! I want to read this book because it seems like Hate List. I like reading books that are intense and want to know how the murder happened.
I would have got both books and read one of them for extra credit but I like to take time reading one book at a time. I would like to have the time one day to read The Perfect Shot though, but I am really psyched in reading JERK and seeing if my thoughts are brought within the book.

My Reading Process Physically

Where do you read? When? How fast or slow? Tell everything that could be figured out from a complete video recording of your reading from start to finish.

It really depends what I’m reading and where I will choose to read it at. When reading Hate List, I chose to read in my room because it is away from everyone else and there are fewer distractions around me. I would rather read there than anywhere else because it is my comfort zone for reading easier. If I had to read something in a classroom, it would be harder for me to concentrate because there are students surrounding me while they are trying to read as well. I would be pressured getting the reading done on time in the class, whereas reading at home there would be no time limit and no people around me.

When reading the sections of Hate List every week, I would read a few days before the reading was due because I can’t start reading then stop and start up again a few days after, ill forget what I read previously. I would rather read the pages in one sitting then starting all over again because I wouldn’t remember what I read. I would probably turn the pages back a lot just to remember what I read previously. When Stephanie said we could use the notes on the Down and Dirty Quizzes, I was thankful because I sometimes forget what I read earlier. I loved the idea that we could of wrote notes while we read because it’s easier for me to take notes, refer to them later on, and understand what I wrote about the reading.

Whatever I am reading really depends on the speed. If I do not understand what’s going on in the reading clearly, ill read real slow. If I don’t understand it, I tend to reread the sentence or paragraph a few times to understand it more. If I’m interested in the reading I will pick up the pace a little by reading it faster. I noticed while reading Hate List, that I read slower because there were a lot of characters to remember, plus I stopped every time I thought something was important and wrote notes on it. There were a lot of flashbacks in the reading so you would sometimes stop and think what all ready happened then go on reading.

If I had a complete video recording of me reading from start to finish, I would be in my room, laying on my bed, reading my book that I’m going to hopefully be interested in, take notes if necessary, and try not to take any breaks away from the reading so I understand the book more.