pages 216-340
Summary- So many important things happened in this section of the book. David moved from the Cantanzes home, because it was a big problem moving back after everyone knowing about his problems and juvenile hall. Although David was attached to Lilian and Rudy he was "placed" in the home of Alice and Harold for fours day and then "placed" in the foster home of Joanne and Michael. He is now thirteen years old so he is more mature and starts to notice what's going on around him. He starts noticing that Michael and Joanne got in arguments, because Michael didn't want the presence of David in his home. Knowing that things would only get worse he told his social worker,Gordon that he needed another home. David wrote down the addresses and phone numbers of all his foster homes to keep in touch with those who helped him.
Then David is moved to a foster home less than one miles from his mother's residence. During David's months in Fernando Riviera Junior High he became friends with a boy called Carlos. Even though they didn't speak the same language they could read each others minds. While walking home David chooses to pass by his old elementary school and he meets his brother Russell. The next day David goes back to his school to see Russell, but he meets his mother there who tries to follow him. His friendship with Carlos doesn't last since his foster father is accused of raping one of the girls who lived in the foster home ,so David is taken back to Alice's house. During his stay with Alice he meets with a psychiatrists who helps him understand things better and gets David to read books on basic psychology. As he grows older David worries about how he is going to survive on his own in the real world when he turns 18. As a result he starts getting jobs and earning his own money. Alice gets 3 new foster children who steal David's money so one day he decides to move on.
David had to stay in a juvenile hall for a couple of weeks and then he was "placed" with John and Linda Walsh. John and Linda moved with David to Duinsmoore Drive where he experiences his happiest teenager years. He befriended to boys who lived in the neighborhood. He held races with his friends in the streets and he had a new adventure with them everyday. Some people from the neighborhood judged him for being a foster child, because they believed that foster children weren't capable of doing anything. There was one man that helped him go through the obstacles he faced who was called Mr.Marsh and who became his mentor. He gave David a book about airplanes which made David happy since he always liked airplanes. Then David moves back again with Alice and Harold to find out that they are the "mom" and "dad" he had been searching for. David dropped out of high school to continue working since he wanted money that he would need in the future. He enlisted in the United States Air Force.
Quote
"In March 1994 I was in Ohio presenting a keynote address to local enforcement officer,teachers and social service workers.The lady who preceded me made a statement that made everything crystal clear : It takes a community to save a child." (Pelzer 313)
Reactions
This part of the story is where David realizes that he shouldn't worry about the past anymore. From what the narrator says I can say that he just wants to look in the future and stops trying to find out why he went through all that abuse. Pelzer also uses foreshadowing to show that something bad is going to happen. When he lives with one of his foster parents he explains that he feels likes back in his mother's house because his mother would always yell. I think this book was mainly written to show what foster children go through and the role their social workers and foster parents play in their life. The quote above shows that David now understands how each person in his life made him a responsible adult. He couldn't have saved himself without the help of his teachers who called the polices and his former social worker Ms.Gold ,who he called his angel. The epilogue also demonstrates that Dave Pelzer wrote this book to show that the system of foster homes is good but the hard thing is "adapting" to it. He still remembers all his foster parents and how they helped him survive.
No comments:
Post a Comment