Reading Journal 1

Standing against the Wind
By: Traci L. Jones

I enjoyed reading this book so much. It was neat to read about a lifestyle and culture that I am not personally familiar with. The use of setting and dialogue made the characters and their lives jump to life. It was easy to become enthralled with the book and the day to day life of Patrice.

Patrice was such an in-depth character. I felt the author did a wonderful job portraying who she was as a person. When introducing the other characters, I almost left as though Patrice was going to be a certain way and fall into the mold of her new environment. It was a pleasant surprise to read that a girl of such a young age knew who she was and didn’t change for anyone. The author did an amazing job balancing Patrice’s emotions as a teen girl being nervous and unsure of her, whiling knowing who she was and wanted to be as well. It was great to see that conflict in her and yet watch her grow and choose to stay true to herself. I felt that Patrice is a character any young girl can relate to even if they are not in the same exact situation, because her core struggles were things many girls face. It was great that her situation was also something that not all people deal with, because it was a chance to become a part of a different life and learn about others, while learning respect and understanding of that person.

While reading the book I was a little nervous to see if I would get into the story, since it was different than anything I have experienced. As soon as I began reading the detailed, true to form dialogue I couldn’t help, but feel the author did an amazing job bringing the story to life. The slang was accurate and believable to each person and well kept up with throughout the entire story. I was very impressed with the amount of dialogue and how well it was used for each different character.