Book 2 Post 1

For my second book I decided to read American Like Me by America Ferrera (along with 32 other individual authors). So far this book is much different than any other book I've read. Each story told is slightly different from the next based on the authors personal experiences, yet they all show very similar themes. Being different and not fitting in is something that a lot of these stories have in common. It's very interesting to see how such big celebrities have struggled at times with their own identity in the US.

My favorite story that I've read is Jeremy Lin's. Being a huge sports fan, it's cool to see into a players childhood and experience growing up trying to fit in. Jeremy talks about how he was the only Asian kid on any of his basketball teams, and was often times the only non-white kid playing. He was always seen as the weak little Asian kid who didn't belong on a basketball court. He constantly fought with himself over his identity, as he got in his head and ultimately hurt his playing ability. One story of his that I thought was funny was how his main goal was to get taller. So like any kid trying to get taller would do, he drank inconceivable amounts of milk, stretched his body from the monkey bars, and measured himself every morning.

I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the stories in the book and see how themes continue to reoccur. Having a short attention span (like almost everyone else in the world these days), this book has been perfect for me. Take 15 minutes to read a story or two, then repeat the next day. I truly do wish all books were this easy to ready!