The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides Pgs. 1-74

Summary: By far this has been the most interesting book I’ve read ever.  It’s mainly about these five sisters called the Lisbon girls. This family is crazy, twisted and strange from any other family the neighborhood of this suburban place as witnessed. It start off with thirteen-year-old Cecilia, the youngest, is found with slit wrists in the bathtub a picture of the Virgin Mary. She is rushed to the hospital and she is life saved. Neighbors think that Celia attempted suicide because of her deep love for Dominic Palazzolo. Dominic, an Italian boy, who also has a deep desire for her but doesn’t know how to go about it. You would think one time of all this is all you need to take a second look at life. But I guess maybe its not, reading that Cecilia attempted a second time and succeed. The second time she was looking out her window and fell over the window seal on to the fence which killed her instantly.

            Oddly at this time the cemetery workers on the time are on strike. This neighborhood as unnescary seeing that nobody has really passed away except for dogs, goldfishes and such. As time goes on the family tries to “handle” the “accident “death of Cecelia. No one leaves the house except to go to church or to school. Groceries are delivered once a week. Before Cecilia's suicide had attracted no media attention but on October, an anonymous letter in the local newspaper called for the school to address teenager anxiety. A local reporter writes a detailed report on Cecilia’s suicides. Also, a local television station interviews teenagers who regret their attempts at suicide. At the end of the day, the Lisbon girls were entertainment for the neighborhood boys like people and daytime television.

Quote:  “Cecilia’s eye’s opened and her mouth keeps contracting like that of a stinger fish, she had succeeded, on the second trying hurling herself out the world” (Eugenides 46)

Reaction:  When I read this part my mouth dropped. Not because she was successful but that fact she did it again. Cecilia wore a 1920s dress hardly took showers and many other strange things. Personally I feel she was one of two things. Either crazy, as in she be sent to an asylum, or in need of some serious attention. If I was a parent the first my child who does such a thing I would have my eyes on them at all times. It seems as if after her first attempt nothing in the house changed. Then went she was gone for well the serious mourning began. Maybe it’s just a lack of understand on my behalf.

Riding with Society: Riding In the Cars with Boys

  The title of the biography is Riding in the Cars with Boys with the account of the life of Beverly

D’Onofrio. It was publicized by Penguin (Non-Classic) in August of 2000.

            Her life. Beverly D’Onofrio starts her life as being a sweet little girl with good grades, an officer father, dedicated mother and just an overall great life. In life many girls go through what’s called puberty which brings high hormones, misunderstood feelings and lots of confusion on the outlooks of life. In summer of 1968,with Bev being tweleve ,she finds her self doing anything in the world to get a glimpse of “they boy”. As time goes on and her hormones on boys rises uncontrollably to such a point where she’s skipping church to take “Feel up “ rides, showing nothing but skin, disrespecting authority and fall outs with those who feed her. One night taking one of her feel up rides, she decided to turn in her “V-Card” to her 30-second crush Raymond. Because it was her first time having sex she thought she couldn’t get pregnant her first time, condom or no condom.

            As many would guess, she’s now pregnant. At 19 years old, with no high school education. By 20, she has a child Jason with somewhat of a husband Raymond, in a living situation that doesn’t look too great. Bev and Raymond are having a difficult time being parents and unemployed, so they find the outlets of drugs, marijuana to be specific. As time progress, she noticed needle tracks on Raymond’s arm. That very next day he’s at the police station getting help for his heroine addiction. Now she’s a single mother with not too many options. In changing her life around she gets a full scholarship to an elite college in New England and money for taking care of Jason. Bev struggles with society with being the girl with baby in one hand and books in another. When all is said and done Bev graduates and finds herself send her 17 year old son to college, with looking over life with a tear drop and smile.

           

Quote: “I love you too,” he says. I resist the urge to look for him in the rearview. By the time I reach my first stop sign, I’m sobbing so hard I have to pull to the side of the road. It occurs to me that I never felt so alone in my life. I make a turn that points in the directions of Wallingford, and when I see the old river approaching I feel much calmer. I decide to spend the evening at my parents’, but once I reach the entrance to the interstate I’ve changed my mind. I turn south, and go home. (D’Onofrio 204)”

Reaction: This is the only time when Bev had a “misfortune” and didn’t blame anyone for it. This time she confronted whatever problem was in front her and moved forward. A special note is that when she moved forward it was within not with the false pretenses and uses of other people around her. This quote represents how she matured in such a way she can handle her life by herself, without blaming society and other people around her.  If anything this is the part in the story where the main theme came together in maturity and wisdom from within.

ROAR Book #1

My first roar book is an autobiography. The name of this is Riding in the Cars with Boys by Beverly D'Onofrio.

Riding In the Cars with Boys - Post 3

Summary: Now at this point in the story Beverly finds herself at a turning point in her life. Now because
all easy way options are eliminated she feels force to go about her life the right way. So in trying this “new life” out she gets a full scholarship to a college out of town. There she takes her son Jason, her first impression was others will look and ridicule when in reality that were many people in that similar situation. As she goes on she become more familiar with extensive vocabulary that even when she lashes out on her family, they don’t even understand fifty percent of what she’s saying. As time as goes on this get a tad bit harder for her.
            Someway some how on Bev’s discoveries she found some one with a mint green Volkswagen that would come in handy with her having a child and all. Five hundred dollars and a couple of months later her car get stole. She blames her dean, God and other higher figures for her misfortune. One day Bev marches down to the Dean’s office and demands for them to take off one of her classes due to working part time and raising a child. As the story continues Bev graduates and moves to New York. Then before you know it Jason is now 17 going off to college. Here is where Bev challenges her emotions weather to be alone and happy, or with her family and extremely stress.
 
 Quote: “I love you too,” he says. I resist the urge to look for him in the rearview. By the time I reach my first stop sign, I’m sobbing so hard I have to pull to the side of the road. It occurs to me that I never felt so alone in my life. I make a turn that points in the directions of Wallingford, and when I see the old river approaching I feel much calmer. I decide to spend the evening at my parents’, but once I reach the entrance to the interstate I’ve changed my mind. I turn south, and go home. (Onofrio 204)”
 
Reaction: This is the only time when Bev had lost something / someone and didn’t blame anyone for it. This time she confronted whatever problem was in front her and moved forward. A special note is that when she moved forward it was within not with the false pretenses and uses of other people around her.