Day 3: Allie

George

I think the problem most of the characters in this book have is that they have fallen into the wrong crowd and gotten concerned with the wrong people.  Like Ruben said on page 20, he was "hypnotized" which I think happens often when we're young.  We're so focused on what's in front of our faces instead of seeing everything else around us. In the case of the inmates in this book, a lot of them were influenced by what was around them which turned into all they knew; gang life became their whole life and they didn't know anything more than that. A lot of times when we're young we get focused on one thing and it becomes our only focus.  We think that as long as it's making us happy in the moment that's all that matters; we don't think about the future or the consequences.  I always try to look past my own struggles and realize that struggle is just temporary and good will always come out of it.  If you remain positive and keep your head up, you can accomplish so much more than if you get stuck and concentrate on just one thing.  I always tell myself to look at the bigger picture and to see through what's not important and focus on what really is.  You always have to enstill confidence in yourself and have that voice inside of your head telling you that life is what you make of it so you should make the best of it.  If you focus more on the future instead of living in the past or only living for the moment you will get so much more out of your life and out of yourself, which I think all the characters in the book need to and are learning to do as they face their reality.


Michelle

A. All of the inmates struggle with internal problems and secrets.  A lot of it is they know that they're wrong and they know why they're wrong and why/when it happened. They have to put on acts and be tough to prove who they really are in the jail so that they don't get beat up or walked over.  Francisco struggles with a lot of personal pain and tragedy in his life that he internalized and kept secret, which I think added to the way he is now and why he is in jail. 

B. There has been many times in my life where I've wanted to tell someone something but couldn't because I was afraid of how I thought they might react. It's hard to face the person on a daily basis and carry on a regular conversation with them when you know there's something you're keeping from them and you're dying to tell them but you can't because of how it might affect your relationship or how they might react.  But I believe all things will come out when the time is right and I know that as soon as I tell them I'll feel relief and however the situation plays out, it will all happen for the best. The most important thing to remember with secrets and the person you're telling them to is that if they love you, they will still love you regardless of what the secret is.