Status Updates From Montana 1948[MONTANA 1948][...

Uncle Frank's suicide is a dark event that shows how bad actions and secrets can destroy a person. After being accused of rape and murder, Uncle Frank takes his own life, unable to face the things that have happened throughout the book, and now he is probably realizing he should not have done what he had done. This act leaves his family with many questions and a lot of sadness.

to end I think that this book really showed things that happened back then that where not right. all these injustices that are not fixed because of social status are things that people struggles with back in Montana 1948. but not just there in all the United States this book is just an example that clears our mind of what some people had to go through.

I think throughout the book, David has matured a huge amount since the last time I wrote about him because the topics that David keeps listening to are getting more confusing and more about rape, and now murder is a crazy topic for a 12 year old to listen to. I think David, when he is older, will have a dark life knowing everything he has listened to at a young age, and it might haunt him the rest of his life.

David and his family are not worried about Frank being locked in the basement because it is a crazy circumstance they would never have believed could happen. Wesley, the sheriff, is arresting his own brother for rape and just locking him in the basement, careless about his actions. After all, they have completely caught Uncle Frank with rape and (murder, they suspect), so this is a very interesting part in the book.

After reading the epilogue I still have one final question, Why did the author chose Montana in 1948? I understand the whole story revolves around this setting but it is a fictional place so why here? I got this thought when old Wes yelled out "Don't ever blame Montana!" This confused me because if it were almost any other place besides Montana, all of this might never have happened.

I was wondering at first why Frank killed himself? As I was thinking though it all made sense. People in town knew Frank as an amazing man. A war hero, star athlete, and many other things. As news broke out though people would change their view of Frank. Frank would have hated people thinking of him being a bad person instead of a good person. So Frank killed himself to prevent people from talking bad about him.

I just finished the book and I have to say I really enjoyed it. I liked the characters and the story. The end was kinda sad and Frank didn't have to suffer for what he did, because what he decided to do at the end. I can't believe what's going on in Wes mind after the incident. Also grandpa does not want to talk with him anymore which is crazy. But yeah I really enjoyed the book and can recommend this to everybody.

I understand that Wes was trying to protect his brother by keeping him in the basement, but once Frank began smashing and throwing things, it felt like the moment Wes should have moved him to jail. Acting sooner might have even prevented Frank’s death. I was also surprised that David’s parents didn’t split up, though this crisis seems to have drawn the family closer in the end.

It was really intriguing to read the flashback of Wes and Uncle Frank when they were younger. I think the core memory Wes looks back on is why he keeps Frank “safe” in the basement rather than facing the public. I also feel that if Uncle Frank stays locked in the basement much longer, something bad is bound to happen.

I kinda knew that something would happen in the next pages but guys with guns was a thing I never would expected. I can't believe what granpa is doing right now. Why would he risk his grandson and his childrens wife because of uncle Frank has done terrible things to native american girls. I'm excited what's going to happen in the end of the book and can't wait to see what's going to happen to uncle frank and grandpa

I really enjoyed reading Wes and Frank's flashback. I think it was a very vital part of the chapter because it displays what Wes is feeling in this whole situation. How he still cares for his brother, and does not want to completely lose him even after everything that he has done. I believe this is also why Wes is keeping him in the basement, not just to save him the embarrassment.

David is starting to understand that Uncle Frank may have hurt not only Marie and her friends but also other women in the community. David has to be in a mental war, which is really hard to deal with at 12 years old. I’ve grown to hate the grandfather for downplaying Frank’s crimes and disrespecting Wes. I’m also worried about Wes telling David not to let his grandparents in—it makes me feel something bad is coming.

I was surprised how Grandpa reacted when Wesley told him about Frank. Grandpa said that even out of all of the horrible things that Uncle Frank did you can't arrest him. Frank is a respected war hero and most of all your brother. I wonder if Grandpa reacted like this because Frank was his favorite, or because this was going to hurt the Hayden name and that's all Grandpa cared about. He only cared about having power.

Uncle Frank is currently at an all out rampage throwing their inventory of glass jars all over the basement floor. I don't understand why Wes wont go down into the basement to try and stop him. Yes it could be dangerous for him with all the glass but it is even more dangerous for a mentally unstable man like Frank to be playing with sharp glass. I believe Frank will commit suicide if let alone long enough.

I was surprised when Marie's mom didn't want her buried in Montana. She wanted to take her back to North Dakota. Did Mrs. Little Soldier not know what the Haydens did for Marie? They gave Marie a place to live and gave her a job. Instead Mrs. Soldier didn't want to hear. She just wanted to leave. I wonder if she thought that Marie's death had something to do with the Haydens so that's why she didn't talk to them.

At the very start they could not attend Marie's funeral witch sound crazy and sad. When Wes bringed Uncle Frank to their house I thought that they would have just a normal talk, but then it went silence. I was sure that Wes killed Frank. Grandpa wants Frank out there but Wes don't let him go and thats a good thing imo. After that convo Wes said to David that if Grandpa comes to the door don't open it which sound sad.

The fact that David saw Uncle Frank around their house or leaving their house at 3, and Marie suddenly dying, strengthens my theory of Frank killing Marie. I think Len also saw Uncle Frank at that time, and that's why he is drinking again and brought up David's grandfather, saying that what it means to be a peace officer in Montana means knowing when to look and when to look away. Len is choosing to look away.

Marie's death significantly affects David because she was a kind and familiar presence in his life. He knew her and liked her, so her sudden illness and death are shocking and unsettling. In the book, it says Marie dies from sickness, but I believe that she dies from poisoning from Uncle Frank's medicine that he prescribed. This is a huge turning point in the book because most of the conflicts have been about Marie.

I think Marie’s sudden death after seeming to recover feels strange and suspicious. The tense riverbank scene between Wes and Uncle Frank shows Wes finally confronting him about his crimes. I think Frank might be nervous now that his actions are being exposed, and I suspect he’s involved in Marie’s death. It's frustrating that Wes isn’t investigating his brother's crimes anymore; maybe he will now that Marie is dead.

I was very intrigued by the author talking about how Gloria and Frank cared for David. Usually, in my mind, David is a mature child because the experiences he goes through involve adult conflict, but I often forget he is still a child who needs to rely on his family for support. I think the author wrote this way to show the challenges David goes through, where he has to show strength and courage even as a child.

I was shocked when Len was talking to David on page 86. Did Len love Davids mom? He would always try and help her out whenever he could and always looked good around her. Len also could be jealous of Wes? Wes is an important figure in town with being the sheriff. Len might think that he should be the sheriff and get all of the benefits that being a sheriff comes with.

One part that really confused me was right before Marie died when she said to David "he hard to see when you look for him." My initial thought was that she was talking about the coyotes that David was hunting, but when I read further and kept thinking about that line I started to think maybe the author was foreshadowing something bigger. Was Marie talking about Frank, the coyotes or something else?

From the start of Chapter Two, up to page 51, I found it interesting that Ollie Young Bear, a local Native American, is so respected and successful in northwestern Montana, especially considering how segregated the community is. I’m also disappointed that Wes isn’t making the investigation into Uncle Frank a priority, and I suspect the pills Frank prescribed to Marie might be making her condition worse.

The author hints at many different topics during this novel. David's naive nature expresses the boy within him. For example, “Instead I tried to see how fast I could fire off a whole clip, shooting the ground just to see the dirt fly.” Even when David handles a weapon that can kill, the child reveals his inner self. As the novel progresses, David matures to some degree. However, David is still a boy.

The start of the pages I read were crazy. I did not expect that at all. At the start when I heard that, I was shocked. Then I heard that David might seen uncle Frank just before Marie died. I bet that Uncle Frank has something to do with the death of Marie because he did bad things to native Americans. I'm honestly so pissed right now about what happened to Marie if i'm right with my theory.

On page 63 I was surprised that Uncle Frank used to like Indian girls. That Grandpa Hayden caught him hanging out with an Indian girl when he was a little bit older than David. I wonder if Uncle Frank truly liked her? and if he did why does he do the stuff that he does now. I wonder if something changed the way he thinks about the Indians so that's why he does that stuff now. Also maybe his father told him not to.

Where I am in the book Wes has just confronted his brother Frank about all the allegations against him. I find it interesting that even though Wes is the sharif and he learned all the allegations were true, he still decided to chose family first and do nothing to press charges. The only half conclusion they came to was Frank saying he wont do it again which I can make an educated guess on and say it's not true.

Where I am in the book Wes has just confronted his brother Frank about all the allegations against him. I find it interesting that even though Wes is the sharif and he learned all the allegations were true, he still decided to chose family first and do nothing to press charges. The only half conclusion they came to was Frank saying he won't do it again which I can make an educated guess on and say it's not true.

I heard a lot more facts about uncle Franks wife. She sounds like a great person and good wife. I don't know how does she not know about his husbands messed up stuff. Also Grandpa gave a gun to David to hunt and that felt kinda crazy for me to give a gun to a young boy. David also thinked about killing uncle which sounds crazy. The things Frank did are not right but those thoughts are not okay what David thought.

I was surprised that Wes Hayden decided to meet with Ollie. Earlier in the book we learned that Wes kind of discriminated against Indians. Also not only did he just meet with Ollie but he enjoyed Ollie. On page 48 Wes said "He's a testimony to what hard work will get you." He's saying that Ollie is a very hard worker when earlier in the book he said that Indians were very stubborn and lazy.