ROAR Post # 2 Slam by Nick Hornby

 In this next section of "Slam" by Nick Hornby, Sam spends more time with his girlfriend, Alicia, and eventually comes to the time where she wants to have sex. Although, it isn't inappropriate for this to happen, especially because it is a bildungsroman, Sam agrees, and later on comes to the point where they have sex again, but this time unprotected. Ever since then, Sam has been feeling weird, and never spoke of that night, not even to the one he spent it with. As his birthday came closer and closer to the present day, Sam starts to feel 'bored' of Alicia because its the same thing everyday and every time he goes over to her house: eat, watch TV in her room, and sometimes have sex. He starts to feel as though they're starting to break up, up until he gets a message from Alicia, saying that she needs to talk to him urgently. As terrified as Sam was at the moment, he knew what was going to happen, and admits that he just messed up, that night started to make his life go down hill. After finding that Alicia was three weeks late for her period, both start to assume that she is pregnant. Once this thought had occurred to him, Sam started to dream as if her was the father of his, and Alicia's, baby, and immediately coming to the decision that he wanted his old life back.

"One night I got a very sad message from her. It just said ... Actually, I don't want to tell you what it said. You'll end up feeling sorry for her, which isn't what i want."

After reading these sentences from the text, I was starting to get curious about what it said. I really wanted to know what Alicia texted to him and why it would make readers like me feel sad for her. Although, other than that, the way Sam was being gentle with the readers made it feel like he was a real person, with emotions and everything. Nothing like a robot, that wouldn't have a life at all, except when it wants to do something, but it won't match the qualities of a human being, no matter how close it can get.

ROAR post # 1 "Slam" by Nick Hornby pages 1 to 61

In the very first section of this new book of the next term, Sam is another student that likes to skateboard and has an interest in the arts and designs at his school. in the very first section of this book, Sam introduces many peopl in his life that is important to him, being Tony Hawk, his mother, and a girl named Alicia. Tony Hawk is his idol, in his room he talks to a poster of Tony Hawk and recieves answers that he generates himself after reading a book about Tony's life. Alicia is a girl that he met at a party that his mother wanted him to go to. At first they intimidated one another, and eventually got closer, then after a while of spending so much time together, Sam's mother thinks its unhealthy to see too much of Alicia. What they decide to do is go out to see a movie. In the end, all his mother wanted to know is if he was having sex with Alicia because of all the time that he spends out of the house with Alicia.

" 'I don'twant to go to the cinemas with you and your boyfriend," I said. Do you see my plan? This was my way of finding out what was going on.' " After reading this in silence, I started to laugh maniacly because this is what most characters say when they're on a roll. I started telling my brother about what had just happened, where Sam and Alicia are just starting to talk and she wants to hang out. This felt like television in my head because the author made me feel like he was connectiong with me, and other readers.

A New Book meaning a new post!!!

Starting a new post for the ROAR books. Now it is a bildungsroman called "Slam" by Nick Hornby.

ROAR Post #5, "Rat Bastards", John "Red" Shea Pages 222-277

Now, this next and last section of this autobiography of John Shea's life, is illustrated first by John's next twelve years being spent in prison. There, in the Fort Dix prison, John experiences many things and meets new people. Such new acquaintances would include a Jamaican man that he got a long with very easily, more like teaming up with him, one of his first friends in prison. Also, John meets another man named Dominic, who really isn't the type of guy who would hurt a fly. Now, other than meeting new people at this prison, John also experiences the things they do, such as playing "futbol" with a bunch of people. Since this is a prison, its not really expected of them to play clean, rather they start to play dirty with each other as soon as the game starts. Finally, after his prison time is over, John is released to the world, and the first thing he does is go home, this also showing a circulation in the plot, where the beginning is close to how this ends. He finds out that he and Penelope can't be together anymore and that Whitey is still out there, or at least was on the run for eleven years. This is the last section of the book, ending the same way it started.

"What?" he says.
"Not all of them were rats."
"You know," he says "that's right, that's right. There was one guy... just got out of prison not long ago. I can't remember his name. One guy stood up and took it. The rest of them - you couldn't shut 'em up."

After reading this last quote to end this book, I realized immediately that John and his friend were talking about how John was the only man out of all of Whitey's gang. At the same time, I found it funny because John wasn't as famous as he is now, which is only because he wrote this book.

ROAR Post #4, "Rat Bastards", John "Red" Shea Pages 166-221

The next 55 pages for this section, illustrates the results of Whitey breaking the decorum of John's, and every other person, of never ratting on anyone no matter what. In this section, John is convicted of assaulting an officer and is ratted out, by Whitey, that he is the drug dealer of South Boston. Even though John did go to prison in the end (Fort Dix), he was still backed up all the way by his friends, family, and Penelope. Before going to prison, John is also helped by other people that he has lately been acquainted to, such as the cab driver and the warden. John eventually goes to prison, and appears to know what prison is like, although he's never experienced one up until this point in the book. By the end of this section, John finds that going to jail is justice, but justice on the wrong person, and continues to blame Whitey Bulger for it.

"Two wrongs don't make aa right. You knew before you crossed that threshold what could happen. Even if Whitey is ratting, you don't rat. You continue to be a man."
Once I read this quote from the book, I said to myself "OH MY GOD!!!! THIS IS DECORUM FROM MY ENGLISH CLASS!!!! Whitey Bulger is seen as the man that broke a law of society that everyone follows, well everyone that is like John, without it being written down. This rule that was broken was that no one was to ever rat someone else out, even if it meant saving your own skin.

ROAR Post #3, "Rat Bastards", John "Red" Shea Pages 111-165

Now, this next section of John Shea's life involves many things that have to do with being in the Irish Mafia and his outside life. Continuing from before, John meets a young girl, by the name of Penelope, at a birthday party. for the next ten to twenty pages, it is about how John met her, before and after the party. They got along very nicely, they kissed, and "made love." The last thirty five to forty five pages are about his relationship with Whitey, and how he has conflict to either progress it or keep it low. After a test of life or death, John became the new drug dealer on Whitey's turf. Everyone that worked for him, recognized him as one of the top bosses because drugs were the next important thing to Whitey, other than himself. This section is more about how John is Whitey's drug dealer, and how he takes his new role in Whitey's business. Half the time of his new job, John goes overboard on a random guy because he was selling drugs on his turf, didn't pay him, or just irritated John for an unknown reason.

I took a deep breath. I looked straight at her. "I can't make that promise, Mrs. Howard. All I can tell you is, i promise nothing will happen to Penelope, ever."

Once reading this in the chapter, I thought that John really knew how to take care of a woman. From this, he is easily able to tell Penelope's, his current girlfriend, mother that he will protect, no matter what the cost. I also thought to myself that this is one of those phrases that knights in shining armor say to a king, whose daughter is trapped in a locked tower. At this point,I found it to be another fairy tale for John Shea.

ROAR Post #2, "Rat Bastards", John "Red" Shea Pages 56-110

Now, this next section is different than the first section with many contrasts. first off, this section of the book is about how John is doing from the age of fourteen to eighteen. Also, this is about him, rather than being about the people around him, such as his family and school. This section is more about how he is doing in the boxing business, his fights, in or out of the ring. At the same time fighting, he is being traded between many different owners that area wither the best or just the worse towards him. This section isn't only about his fights, but also about the people he is meeting and their relationship. As John is starting to meet more and more people, he also gets the chance to get closer to Whitey, the one that broke the rules of being a "Southie Kid", who he is presently looking up to. Although, he didn't see this coming from Whitey.

"I appreciated his candor. I appreciated his humor. It relaxed me."
After reading this quote from the text, I thought to myself how much he is going to find out about Whitey later on in his life. Like how Whitey is going to betray the law of them by ratting someone out to save himself.