Hooked on YA books 2015 discussion

Task 10.1

“It is not like Halloween at all, “ Maria says. “The whole point of el Dia de los Muertos is to learn to live with death . . . make fun of it a little . . . and it won’t hold so much power. That’s why the skeletons look a little silly” (Cooner 65). Torrey is asking questions and learning about another cultures perspective on death to compare to her own beliefs and practices that shape her identity. Perhaps another perspective will help her to cope with the death of her sister. Not only is she getting another view on death through another’s cultural traditions, but she is also learning about death from the cultural point of view of a family who runs a funeral home removing ethnicity as a factor.

Task 11.1
Torrey Grey is YouTube star known as BeautyStarz15. Her world is surrounded by social media communication. She prefers to vlog about fashion and makeup on her YouTube channel, and text messaging. One of the main themes throughout the book revolves around Torrey's vlog. She was supposed to be out filming with her younger sister and friend when her sister, Miranda, was hit and killed by a drunk driver. The vlog is a piece of guilt for Torrey, as she always comes back to "what if" they were doing something different. Yet, at the same time her fame from her vlog is a huge part of Torrey's identity. "So I say nothing and the camera keeps filming for another two minutes of silence. Finally, I get out of the chair, turn off the camera, and get into bed. I don't even take my makeup off. It just seems like too much trouble" (83). In this scene Torrey is trying to make a new vlog and she is constantly thinking about her subscribers and being on camera, but she can't. Something that used to seem so natural to her, is not so easy anymore because it reminds her of her sister. Torrey compares her interactions at school, with her parents, to her vlog, until the end. This particular quote shows that she does not know what to think about herself and who she is without her vlog. This of course puts her out there for others to see and criticize. People she has never met can make positive or negative comments about her, and that becomes a point of stress for her as well. She is always wondering about the comments being made and the views or likes she may or may not be receiving. Then she also feels guilty for wanting to know about these things or thinking about her subscribers, when she should be thinking about her sister. This is a great book to show the influence of social media.

This book was not what I expected it to be. Initially, I was hesitant to read it by looking at the cover. I thought “girl drama” and I was not much interested in that. However, one of my colleagues told me I should try it, and I must admit I really enjoyed it. I liked how Donna Cooner incorporated technology into the story. She formatted chapters with tips from the main character at the top about fashion, beauty, or making a video blog. Each chapter title was the title from one of Torrey’s vlogs, and she used the image of the play button to signal a memory Torrey was having/sharing. Yes, there was some drama, but the way Torrey analyzed the situations and described her own thoughts and feelings made it more real. She was aware of cliques and the manipulation and shared that with the reader. Her struggle to deal with her sister’s death and trying to keep things how they used to be really connected to me as the reader as something that someone would really go through. I would definitely read other work by Donna Cooner.