Leo Song > Recent Status Updates

Beartown is rebuilding its A-team, and Benji chooses to stay and play for free instead of joining Hed. I think the author did this to show that loyalty in the town is not always negative, but can also be meaningful and strong, suggesting that this same loyalty could help rebuild the community in a better way.

Amat chooses to give Maya a meaningful gift instead of something like hockey skates. I think the author did this to show that Amat cares about Maya as a person, not for what she can give him, which contrasts with how others treat her. It also highlights Amat’s character, showing that he values kindness and genuine connection over status or attention.

The hockey players are angry at Amat for being disloyal, regardless of what they believe about Kevin. Amat, however, stands up to them without hesitation because he feels more secure in who he is. I think the author did this to show how losing everything can make someone fearless, and to highlight how the team chooses loyalty to Kevin over doing what is right.

Maya starts moving from fear to wanting to act for herself. I think the author did this because he wants to show her growth after what happened to her, while still keeping her next move unclear. The hint that her action comes from “darkness,” along with earlier violence in the story, makes the reader suspect she may be planning something extreme toward Kevin.

People in the town cope by turning Maya into someone they can blame instead of a real person they know. I think Backman shows this to explain how victim blaming happens step by step and how people slowly convince themselves of the wrong version of events. He also shows that the way people talk about the situation affects what others believe, making it easier for the truth to be ignored.

Peter and Kira don’t yet know how drastically things are about to change for their family, but they are already thinking about their love and concern for Maya, showing that their children are their top priority. I think Backman includes this moment to contrast their strong family values with what is about to happen, making the situation more tragic and showing how quickly everything can fall apart.

It was interesting when Robbie went into the Bearskin and was surprised to see Ramona getting ready to leave for a hockey match. She can’t bring herself to go very far, and Robbie comforts her. I think the author shows this to explain how hockey affects everyone in the town, not just the players, and to show the struggles people face because of the town’s obsession.

The story is still building tension around the hockey team, but the author is using the town’s obsession with hockey to show how people ignore bigger problems when they are desperate for hope. I think the author does this to criticize how communities can prioritize success over people, which hints that when something bad happens, the town may choose to protect its reputation instead of the truth.

The book set ups for the story to begin. The author says people cannot live in Beartown, only survive it, which makes the town feel harsh and hints that something bad is coming. I think this builds suspense early and makes readers pay attention to details. The story then focuses on the struggling, hockey-obsessed town and introduces multiple characters who seem important to what will happen in the future.

As the story finishes, Dex ends up in the mountains surrounded by nature, while Mosscap moves closer to the cities. When I noticed this, I immediately thought about the book cover. Even though Dex and Mosscap meet in the same place, their paths do not intersect and eventually lead in different directions. I think the author intentionally shows this to highlight how two beings can connect yet grow in separate ways.

It was interesting to see Mosscap observe humans constantly staying busy, even when they already have what they need to live well. From an outside perspective, that endless striving seems unnecessary. I think the author is pointing to our modern world, where people rarely pause to appreciate what they have. Instead of always chasing the next goal, we should sometimes step back and recognize how far we have come.

Mosscap is not built in a factory but is wild built, made from parts passed down from another robot. This connects to the modern world because many things around us are reused and repaired instead of completely remade, like refurbished electronics. Nothing truly starts from nothing. I think the author chose this to reflect how identity are built from what already exists, not from constant mass production.

The first thing Mosscap, the robot Dex encounters, asks is, "What do people need?" This relates to his name Mosscap, which comes from a mushroom. What mushrooms usually do is help others, such as eating up dead things and returning nutrients to the soil. Therefore, I think the author tried to show that just like how mushrooms are mostly beneficial, Mosscap will also keep trying to find a way to help.

Dex leaves the City because of his curiosity on the sound of crickets, which seems like an oddly small reason to abandon a paradise like city. As I went through the book, I found an irony, that once they was in the wilderness, they heard many noises from birds, insects, wind, and water, yet not the crickets. I think the author does this to highlight that the crickets represent the deeper emptiness Dex feels inside.

I found the futuristic setting peaceful and sustainable rather than dark. The City feels almost ideal, which makes Dex’s decision to leave it more interesting. There is nothing obviously broken, yet Dex still feels restless. I think the author does this intentionally to show that even in a perfect society, personal dissatisfaction does not disappear. External problems can be solved, but internal questions remain.

I was astonished by the final page of the book. When Changez and the American went to the hotel and detects a glint of metal, I realized right away that this moment was shown in the opening of the book. The uncertainty over whether the metal is a gun shows the constant sense of danger related with America. The ambiguous ending left me thinking about what happened later.

It was shocking to read that Erica had a suicide. As Erica, who represents America, disappears, Changez also loses his American dream. In the past, he was chasing the success and love he believed he could have achieved in America, but now he has become his true self, no longer forcing himself to act like an American. Since the book is coming close to the end, I am excited to see how Changez's journey will conclude.

It was shocking to read that Erica had a suicide. As Erica, who represents America, disappears, Changez also loses his American dream. In the past, he was chasing the success and love he believed he could have achieved in America, but now he has become his true self, no longer forcing himself to act like an American. Since the book is coming close to the end, I am excited to see how Changez's journey will conclude.

Earlier in the book, I predicted that Changez might face a major challenge that would lead him toward failure, and that is what happened in this chapter. After the 9/11 attacks, he returned to Pakistan. I personally felt pity for Changez when he lost his American dream, and I believe he will face even more tragedy in the future.

When Changez and Erica were lying in bed, Changez tried to kiss her. He closed his eyes, waiting for Erica to do the same, but she did not move her lips or close her eyes. Reading that moment made me feel embarrassed and sorry for Changez, since he is trying to move the relationship forward while Erica remains stuck in the memory of Chris. Later, when Changez began to act like Chris, her body no longer denied him.

I did not felt great when I read about Changez getting treated differently after 9/11. People around him began to view him with bias as a terrorist just because he was a Muslim man. I felt especially empathetic because as an international student, I have sometimes felt people watching me weirdly when I visited New York with my family. I hope later in the book Changez finds himself equally with others.

It was interesting to see Changez smile on TV when the 9/11 attack happened. I personally learned more about Changez that his real identity is Pakistani. Although he has accomplished many things in the U.S and has built a life here, it was surprising to see him smile after the incident. This made me realize that his heart does not really belong in the U.S.

At this point in the book, I have all my attention in the relationship between Changez and Erica. Erica represents America. She is beautiful and promising, but unable to accept Changez fully because she is trapped in nostalgia with her boyfriend, Chris, who died. I feel so frustrated since not much progress is shown, with Changez constantly reaching out while Erica remains locked in the past.

I was happy that Changez finally got his job at Underwood Samson. I think that it was mostly because the interviewer, Jim, saw himself in Changez during the interview. However, I felt something weird through the reading as if Changez will not be able to succeed like Jim. There is no clear evidence yet, but I guess in the future that Changez will face a major challenge that could lead him to a significant failure.

I was intrigued to The Reluctant Fundamentalist because of how it explores identity in the story. Changez’s experiences as an outsider in America made me think about cultural assumptions and the little ways people judge one another. His reflections on love and his connection to home reveal a character who is both thoughtful and conflicted, which kept me engaged and curious about how his story would show out later.

Wes arresting Frank felt like a huge moment because it showed that he was finally choosing justice over family pressure. It clearly showed that he wasn’t going to ignore the truth. However, Frank’s suicide came completely out of the blue. Instead of facing what he’d done, he left a different kind of weight on everyone. At last, when Wes leaves Montana, I think the author has implied a meaning inside there.

I did feel a little relieved, but I was also really interested in the argument between Wes and Julian. The argument stood out when Wes finally raised his voice and called it a “murder”. That moment showed he was willing to take the side of a Native woman instead of protecting his own brother. It made the situation feel more serious, and it showed how determined Wes was becoming.

Since Marie’s death, David has been behaving strangely. He’s started believing something his grandmother once said, even though his parents told him not to. Her death was sudden and hard to understand because she had seemed to be recovering. Frank stands out as the main suspect, partly from what David noticed, but also because his medical explanations seem like a cover for what really happened.

When Wes spoke with Julian and later with Frank, I felt tense the whole time. Neither talk really solved anything, which made me think there’s more conflict ahead. I kept wondering what would happen to Frank and couldn’t relax while reading. The part where David doesn’t hear their conversation might show how unaware he still is of the truth. I think the innocence is what really keeps him in the dark.

Finding out that Julian had known about what Frank did for a long time shocked me. It shows how far people will go to avoid facing the truth. He cared more about protecting the Hayden name than helping the women who were hurt. What makes it even worse is how racism allowed him to ignore it, like Native women didn’t matter as much. That attitude keeps people quiet and injustice alive.