My Sisters Keeper.

I have studied the book called " My Sister's Keeper" by Jodi Picoult. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and found it was difficult to put down. A Tearjerker is definitely understatement, you will reluctantly be sniffling and crying all the way through. It took a while to get into the book and follow it properly but when you did it was worth it! The medical terms and those related to Cancer were off putting but soon enough you catch up.I wanted to compare the book to the film. I definitely prefer the book. The detail is more defined , plot is developed clearer and you can create your own characters and images in your head. I regret seeing the movie before reading the book because in a sense it has ruined the imagination I could have put into it when reading.

In this book there are eight main characters. We are introduced to Anna Fitzgerald in the first chapter. She is a thirteen year old girl who describes her meaning in this world. She was made for one specific reason, and that was to save her sister Kate's life. He sister was diagnosed with acute promyelocytic leukemia. This means a cancer of the bones and the marrow within them. Anna was conceived especially to have a matching blood type and have the possibility of a donor to Kate with whatever she needed.  The main plot around the book is the days during which Anna decides to sue her parents for legal rights to her own body when told she will have to donate a kidney to her sister. As this is a vital organ the procedure would be major for both of the girls involved. To add to the stress it is not guaranteed to work so at the end of it all It Anna could have wasted one of her kidneys.
During the trial based around Anna suing it is revealed that Kate her older sister asked her to sue her parents for emancipation as she believed she would die anyway and did not want Anna to have to go through with the operation. The judge rules in Anna's favor, and grants Campbell ( her representative in court)medical power of attorney. On the way home Campbell's car gets hit by an oncoming truck. Anna turns out to be brain dead and Campbell decides to turn off her life support so that Kate can have the use of her kidney.  Most of Anna's usable organs are removed from her body in the case that they may be needed for Kate in the future. Anna died what she was brought into this world to do. To save her older sister!

I loved the style in which Jodie Picoult wrote this book. Every chapter changes to a new character so a new perspective was used to continue the story. This made it easier to understand everyones point of view and how it effected each individual differently. The language would change from character to character, however Anna, the child in this book often didn't reflect the speech of a normal child. It seemed like she was very mature and had to grow up very fast as a result of all the medical talk and procedures around her. There are many sub plots within this novel which help to create a more realistic story. Drama can happen and then a less dramatic sub plot can be told to hold the reader's suspense. One of these sub plots included Jesse Anna and Kate's brother. A lack of attention in the family caused him to seek it elsewhere. He started fires and it is discovered he does this out of rage because he wished he could help his sister Kate.

I would suggest this book to others however maybe not for very sensitive people. If you are looking for a good cry, sensational storyline, unique plot and believable characters this is the book for you. Don't watch the movie before!

Geography :) post five

New York City, New York.
Nick Cassavetes was born here on May 21, 1959. He is the son of Gena Rowlands a well known actress, and Nick Cassavetes an actor and director. He was reluctant to get into the film industry but after his basketball scholarship had ended he thought it was the only possible solution. Nick chose to follow in his fathers footsteps and after pursuing a career in acting he decided to direct. He directed a major romance movie called "The Notebook" starring Ryan Gosling, Rachel McAdam's, Gena Rowland and James Garner. He is also a sngowriter and has written many famous songs on of which includes what goes around comes around by Justin Timberlake.



New York is the most populous city in the United States.
The location at the mouth of the Hudson River, which feeds into a naturally sheltered harbor and then into the Atlantic Ocean, has helped the city grow in significance as a trading city. New York has a humid continental climate.however the city has a humid subtropical climate. New York is home to the largest Arican American population and the second largest Asian Ameican population in the United States.

Geography :) post three

ABC studios, Los Angerles

The Mickey Mouse club has been a well known television programmes for several years. Ryan Gosling was a member of this when he was a child. Like him other well known celebrities came out of this show. Some of these included Britney Spears, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Jessica Simpson. 
Britney Spears has edged her way into both the music industry along with the film industry too. She has been described as one of the biggest pop sensations of our generation.
Christina Aguilera has also cracked her way into show business and has got herself a well known name for her strong and loud vocal abilities.
Justin Timberlake has been in the music industry for a long time but has know decided he would prefer to persue a career in films. He has starred in The Social Network.
Jessica Simpson has sang, starred in movies and had her own reality show with her ex husband , Nick Lachey. The show was called newlyeds. The show got axed just before they seperated as it was discovered he had cheated on Jessica.


The studios are set in Los Angeles. Los Angeles is a flat and hilly area. It has a subtropical mediterranean climate here. It rains just enough here o keep crops and plants alive. In general there are only 35 raining days during the year here. There is a lot of smog and pollution here as it is very built up and largely populated. May to October is considered smog season. because of the short amount of rain the city cannot depend on this to clear the smog. There have been many acts in order to try reduce the amount of smog in Los Angeles. These are including low emmission vehicles, electric and hybrid cars and a clean air act.With pollution still a significant problem, the city continues to take aggressive steps to improve air and water conditions.

Geography :) Post two

London, Ontario

Ryan Gosling has been on the acting scene for a long time. He has acted in many movies but one really shone out from them all. This Was “ The Notebook”. Starring along side his supporting female actress Rachel Mcadams together the two of them brought a tragic love story alive. Ryan was cast for the movie first and then female actress had to audition with him in order to find the right chemistry between the actors. When Rachel auditioned the chemistry was seen instantly. The two didn’t only have chemistry on set as they did off it. They went out for two years during the course of the movie.

Ryan was born in London, Ontario. The city is named after london in England as it was under English rule for some time.The city has a population of 352,395.
The eastern half of the city is generally flat, except for around the five neighbouring ponds in the south.
Ontario is known for the large number of lakes and rivers it contains. About one-third of the world's fresh water can be found in Ontario. Ontario is also known for being the only province in Canada for touching the great lakes.
Ontario is the most populous province in Canada. The population fo this city is :352,395
  

Geography :) post four

Memphis, Tennessee
Justin Timberlake was born in Memphis in January 31, 1981. He has earned himself a profession in acting , singing, and dancing. He was a member of the mickey mouse club and this helped him to get a foot in the door to the world of stardom. From there he put his talents to use  and joined a band called N Sync. After a while he decided to take a solo career and we know that this was a wise decision for Justin as his full potential was able to shine through. He earned himself a well known title in Hollywood. Not only has he many careers , but in each of these he has strived to be one of the best. He has won two Emmy's and six Grammy Awards. He has had many hit Singles one of which included what goes around comes around, Written by Nick Cassavetes.
Justin Timberlake has decided to take a break in the music industry and to try improve in his acting abilities. He has achieved so much and with this amount amount of determination and motivation , how could he not succeed?

Geography:) post one

Mount Pleasant Street, Charleston, South Carolina, United States.

This was the first place I visited on my movie trip. This area was used for the set of the movie The Notebook, based on the book by Nicholas Sparks.

Rachel Mc Adams is an achieved actress. She began her path on this career at a very young age when she attended  acting school. She studied drama in University. Her breakthrough role was playing the main character in “Mean Girls” called Regina George. She was the main bad girl in the movie and she proved herself in this role. Another major character she played was that of Ali Hamilton in “ The Notebook.” A love story based on the novel by Nicholas Sparks. This character could not be more different from that of Regina. This is my favourite thing about Rachel. She can change from role to role not sticking with the same genre and can play each role equally as well. This makes a true actress for me. She can mess about behind the scenes but when that camera is switched on she is professional from take one. She puts herself in the shoes of her character and its obviously working as she has been nominated and won multiple Awards.   The movie " The Notebook" was filmed in Charlestown South Carolina. 

This city has many geographical facts. For instance it is the second largest city in South Carolina state.  The population is 120,083. Charleston has a humid subtropical climate, with mild winters, hot, humid summers, and significant rainfall all year long. Summer tends to be the wettest season here. Winter is short but fairly descent weather consisting of mild weather. Fall or Autumn consists of warm weather and lasts right the way through until November.

 

Percussion Workshop :)

Dave from Jabba Jabba Jembe came in last week to give us a percussion workshop. It was great! The workshop lasted for most of the day. We learnt about different rhythms and the names of different percussion instruments. We learnt how to play a jembe and other instruments. We were given different helpful rhymes to say while playing in order to help keep the beat. We watched a programme about how a jembe is made in Africa also. It was very interesting because you can see the tree it is made from and the process all the way until it becomes a jembe. We also saw about African culture and the music, dance and music. We might be getting Dave back in again towards the end of the year so we can refresh our skills and play for Ty night:)

Karen x