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I find myself relating to the main character Jay many times throughout the book. When Jay is singing karaoke with his aunts having an amazing time he states, "I start feeling really f-ing sad about MIa having a boyfriend and the fact that un isnt here singing with all of us" (Ribay 222). I can relate to Jay here because I find that the happiest times can end up bringing out some sad thoughts sitting I've sat with.

I can see myself within Jay the main character when it comes to himself worrying about schoolwork, yet I learn that other people in the world are being faced with problems 10x worse. When Jay learns Jun was kicked out for using weed he states, "All of that not over meth, but over weed--a drug probably half of humanity has tried at least once" (Ribay 168). This quote is a direct example of the hypocrisy of upper class

A direct example from the book of why our sense of belonging to a certain group comes with unspoken rules would be when Jay's friend Seth tells him he is no different from the white kids at their highschool because he acts just like them.

Adversity impacts the way people see us because it can make people seem more self-dependent and strong. As Jay eats with his Tito Manning he is verbally challenged many times, at one point Jay states "But I'm pretty sure if I Told him that he'd slap my plate off the table" (Ribay 94). This shows Jay interprets Tito Manning as a strong traumatized person who is not to be trifled with.

The article I read today connects directly to the book. The drug war in the Philippines is an evil act of what they call justice. When talking about the death toll the government has racked up the article states, "the police have admitted killing more than 6,200 suspected drug users or dealers" (Human Rights). In the book the main characters friend becomes part of this death toll and it heavily affects him.

The opening of the book struck me as relatable, the main character says, "we hang out, play video games or basketball or whatever" (Ribay pg.5). I find that this is what I do almost all the time with my friends, I think this text will be very enjoyable as it will be both a mirror and window for me.

Berger talks about how other people affect someone's behavior: "It's clear that others can motivate us to work harder or save energy" (Berger pg.204). I find it very interesting that when others are around us it boosts performance and motivates us. When looking back on past times in my life I can agree that I have performed better when others were around.

A connection I can make from the book to my everyday school life is how much I can observe how people dress based on similarities to their peers. As Berger talks about similarity he states, "The latter can often be described as homophily, or tendency of people to interact and become friends with similar others" (Berger pg.176). I see this so much in everyday life and how people copy others to fit the norm.