Blog #9. "Does She Love People In Her Heart?" Drama City, Ch. 1-3.
Drama City is the most contemporary work we're reading this year, published in 2005. George Pelecanos has since published five more novels (he has written 17 in all) as well as having written for the HBO series The Wire, Treme, and The Pacific. Pelecanos is a much respected crime novelist; and while Drama City certainly fits the description of a crime novel, it is, much like The Wire (for which he also served as a producer) something more and greater. It is a sociological study of urban America, specifically of Washington D.C., and it asks, as did The Wire, what happened to the American city? In this novel, we will never come near the Washington most of us know. The world of Lorenzo Brown and Nigel Johnson, of Rayne and Lakeisha, of Rachel Lopez and Sarge and Shirley, is only a few miles away from the Smithsonian and The White House, but as we read on, we realize those destinations may as well be in another country for our characters. But their world is absolutely real: Pelecanos makes sure we know exactly where we are in the D.C. of these characters. Google Map Park View Elementary School, Washington: it is exactly where Pelecanos says it is, a block from where Lorenzo sees Nigel's mother's house. Pelecanos is not making this world up.
So write a couple hundred words answering the following questions:
1. What's your reaction to the first three chapters of the novel?
2. What moment or scene particularly jumped out at you—and why? Go ahead and quote from the book here.
3. In a word: what is the depiction of the city so far in the novel? And why? Quote from the book here.
Finally: no doubt Pelecanos's research in writing for The Wire influenced this novel. Take a look below at a scene from the final season of the series. It's an N.A. (Narcotics Anonymous) meeting and some of the dialogue comes straight from the novel.
Hope everyone had a restful break. See you all tomorrow.
1. At first, it’s a little confusing because there are so many characters and names that are being mentioned both from Rachel’s side and Lorenzo’s side so after a few people were introduced I would have to check back to make sure Pelecanos wasn’t talking about a character I had already met. After I started to get a hang of some of the characters, it became a little clearer to me. I’m still a little fuzzy about some parts of the book, but I think that the confusion will clear up as I continue reading. So far, I like how each of the characters (especially Rachel and Lorenzo) are described with such detail, and it really helps create an image of who these people are. I think the characters are all very realistic and I like that because I think that it helps us as readers to understand them more.
2. The part that stuck out to me was when Rachel sat in on the Narcotics Anonymous meetings. I found it interesting when Pelecanos said “Rachel was not in recovery, but she frequently dropped in on these meetings. The struggles, setbacks, small victories related here gave her perspective, and a spiritual jolt she had never found in a synagogue or church” (22). While she said that it was also a way to check in on her offenders, I found it interesting that she found motivation to potentially change her life through listening in on a meeting that didn’t really relate to her that much. I also liked how it gave her the jolt that religion could never give her because most people turn to religion when they are struggling and fighting their inner demons.
3. Gritty. Rachel hasn’t detailed her movement around the city as much as Lorenzo has and I think what Lorenzo describes holds a lot of grit and its own personality that can’t really be found anywhere else. From the people to the alleyways “that smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay” (16). This part of D.C just comes off as tough and almost stuck in a way that makes it difficult for anyone to progress and the residents just have to deal with the grit and toughness of their city.
1. I agree with Tanja that it was a little disorienting at first. I kind of like the style that Pelecanos is using though. He writes like we already know what’s going on. We’re left to piece together the setting and the back-story for ourselves (for the most part). After re-reading a couple of sections I was able to get a pretty good picture of everything that’s going on. It’s nice that he doesn’t feel the need to put in a long introduction to get the reader ready for the story. As for the story itself, I’m interested to keep reading. Aside from the fact that we’ve been warned about the bad things to come, it’s clear that in this world of poverty, drugs, and possibly animal abuse, something is going to take a nasty turn. 2. One moment that jumped out at me came in chapter one. When Lorenzo is walking past his old elementary school. “He passed the mural painting of successful black folks, Frederick Douglass and George Washington Carver and the like, that covered an entire wall. They’d had pictures up of folks like them in just about every classroom Lorenzo had ever been in, but the pictures hadn’t stopped him or anyone he knew from going down to the corner”(6). This is one of many ways that Pelecanos tells us that Lorenzo used to be in a bad situation, and that most of the people he’s around are in a bad situation. Nothing can stop the shady business that goes on there. 3. Dilapidated. The people and the physical locations are all in a state of disrepair. The quote I used in question 2 shows this. When Lorenzo goes to visit J.J. and he describes the poor conditions that the dog is living in we get a sense that he encounters this type of thing all too often. People are being led down bad paths. The kids are not in great hands. “The T-shirt and jean combination was the uniform of choice for young men in the lower ranks of the drug game, but Brown had noticed both white and black kids in the suburbs, straight kids, honor students, whatever, wearing the same hookup”(16). Those kids are either young, poor drug dealers, or privileged kids dressing and acting like poor drug dealers. It’s a culture and society in decline.
1. The book is very different from anything we’ve read this year, and at the beginning I found that it was difficult to adjust to pacing of this book and the style of it as well. With The Bell Jar, we were very in Esther’s head the whole and we were only focused on her point of view the whole book, but here, we have been going back and forth between two characters, so this book is really a breath of fresh air. The problems and issues in Drama City are just as troubling as the ones in The Bell Jar, but having some sort of distance from the characters is a bit of relief. I really like it though, and it’s so descriptive and as I’m reading it, I feel like I’m watching a film; it’s very cinematic.
2. The moment that stood out to me was the exchange between Lorenzo and Lakeisha because up to this point the novel, everything was being described as very dark and severe and almost hostile, but this interaction brought kindness and light to this world Pelecanos was portraying. It was a simple exchange between two people, but somehow it meant something. Lorenzo describes his feelings towards Lakeisha as “barely knowing her but loving her.” It jumped out at me because it was a kind instance in a harsh world.
3. Harsh. The city is unwelcoming and the people in it are struggling. Even when they seem to be recovering, they are still fighting against something. Sarge, for instance, is trying to stay clean but the community that was supposed to help him didn’t. Sarge says that he “don’t judge nobody... ain’t got no right to,” and I think the same thing goes for the city. It’s not in its best shape, but yet it is still judging its residents as they are falling apart. The crime and conditions of this city are just another thing the residents have to overcome, along with their own personal struggles.
1. So far the book reads a little bit like the books that I used to read as a kid. Maybe this is just because it is a more male oriented book, but I feel like the way the author writes, with breif physical descriptions and mysterious characters, is really similar to pre-teen writing. I like the book, but I am extremely aware that it seems like the kind of book that I'd read when I was in junior high. So far, i think that I liked the Bell Jar more. 2. The moment that stood out to me the most was the Narcotics Anonymous scene. When I was reading it I felt like I was watching an episode of Breaking Bad, which is a big compliment coming from me. I just wish that one of the main characters, Rachel or Lorenzo, was more involved with the story. As I said before, the two main charcaters still remain very mysterious to me. 3. The city is a concrete jungle. The only things that it consists of are drugs, gangs, abusive families and a lot of dog shit. It feels very cold. Even the narcotics anonymous group is a little cold, when it's probably one of the more open groups that we'll see in the city.
1) Reading this novel is like watching a documentary. There is nothing fancy or artsy about it, just the series of events that make up everyday life. This style of writing has it's pros and cons, but it makes for an interesting read. Because the tone of this book is very emotionless, we are forced to make decisions ourselves about the characters and their intentions. After reading The Bell Jar, this book does come off as a little bland. The Bell Jar was extensive in it's descriptions and emotions and it makes this book seem very simple. Like Jenny said, it takes time to adjust to this style but I think I will grow to enjoy it as we read further.
2)I really liked the scene with Sarge. I don't really have any huge reason for liking it, but the scene caught my attention because of the harsh honesty that I have a feeling will be a theme throughout this book. In the meeting, people are talking about the positivity and happiness of recovery, ignoring the real reason they're there. Sarge blows right through that and forces everyone to rethink their happiness. "Not one of you called me back" (26). I have a feeling this kind of confrontation and honesty will be a theme throughout the novel.
3) Barren. The city is filled with dreary and hopeless people who don't seem to have any purpose or meaning in the world. Every character seems to loiter around and wait for the day to end rather than doing something active. This is an emotionless book filled with characters burdened by the problems of everyday life. This first reading shows no signs of hope or chance of escape.
1. Drama City is quite hard for me to read. I had such an easy time reading The Bell Jar. I thought that everything flowed well with that novel and I could easily relate to the various aspects of the book that involve being a woman. However Drama City is something quite different. In the first chapter, I had lots of trouble getting in to it. I feel like everything was constantly changing and switching and there were so many story lines, etc, so I was a little confused to say the least. I reread the first chapter and than moved on to the next two, and suddenly it was perfectly easy for me to read. I really like that we look at different writing styles in this lit class. I really enjoy the narrative of this book much more than I did with The Bell Jar. I really like how suspenseful and mysterious it is. Drama City is the kind of book that leaves you curious to see more.
2. The opening scene definitely stuck out to me. I really enjoyed the way Pelecanos gave us little insights into Lorenzo's past in a very simple and straightforward manner. Pelecanos described," Lorenzo no longer did push-ups. They reminded him unpleasantly of the five hundred push-ups he had done for eight years, every day, in his cell" (3). I like how he transitioned from describing Lorenzo's exercise routine to telling us that Lorenzo was once in jail.
3. The city is dying. Everyone in this city is struggling to live. One can smell death in the streets, as Lorenzo saw in the alley: "The alley smelled of...something that had once been alive and was now in decay" (16). Even the people are struggling to live, as seen in the Narcotics Anonymous group sessions and in the way that Rachel's commute to work was described: "...on the way she'd been held up by crime scene vehicles..." (10). This city is barely getting by in every sense possible.
1. I have enjoyed the beginning very much. Secrets of the past are still shrouded in shadow but I have the feeling soon all will be revealed. The characters seem full and although we have only scraped the surface I am drawn to Lorenzo Brown. We already have been given hints that he has come from a bad place but is trying to right himself in societies eyes. I find that powerful and from inside his head see him as a trustworthy guy. I agree with other bloggers such as Jenny and Tanja that this world Pelecano has shown us is gritty and harsh. I feel that this allows for a deeper connection to the story and characters. The struggles and hardships these characters overcome are even harder because of what they live in and have to deal with. Not saying that we in Paideia don't have it hard, but I would bet these Characters lives could top ours. Though if life were easy would there be any good stories?
2. For me when Lorenzo was walking his dog after seeing Lakeisha and passed by Nigel and his boys. When one commented on Lorenzo's appearance to the other of Nigel's men they laughed, but the moment that stuck with me was after that. When Nigel said something to them about Lorenzo that made both men with him shut their mouths. Nigel then turned toward Lorenzo and acknowledged him with a flick of his chin. I saw this as a huge amount of respect and still feel curious about what has happened between them to cause such respect. Many ideas form in my head but an interesting line in that passage; "Even from this distance, Lorenzo could still see the boy in Nigel's eyes" (8) speaks of a relationship that has lasted a long time.
3. Respect. Both between Nigel and Lorenzo and between all the people at Narcotics Anonymous. This world that these characters live in depends upon the respect of others. When someone isn't worthy of respect or can't be trusted people get hurt. I think Lorenzo is just recovering from a harsh fall in the drug world. Maybe he got busted or is just trying to get clean but he is respected for his decision. When a person no longer is respected in this world Pelecano has set up he is barely alive.
I like the way this book is written, that style where the author does not present all of the information at once, but presents a little bit at a time and forces the reader almost to piece the information together themselves. For example, Rachel says she has some sort of problem, that she is almost two people, and we don't know what that problem is in the beginning. Lorenzo does not make it clear what his job is exactly, or what he did to land in prison for eight years. We do not find out the relationship between Rachel and Lorenzo until later on. This style allows for the reader to actually do some work, and by doing so it ultimately gets the reader more involved in the reading. Not only do I like the style of writing, but there seems to a be a darkness to this book thus far that I really enjoy. And, I have to say, of course all of the drug related violence is interesting and exciting, despite how horrifying it is and how real it still is today.
I think the moment or scene that jumped out at me was first, the Narcotics Anonymous meeting, and then within that meeting the man who spoke up that when he made calls for support, no one called him back. "'I called a few of the male names on the list. And you wanna know somethin'? I got nary a call back. Not one. But I just wanted you to know: not one of you called me back'"(26). It's fairly obvious from the first few chapters that drugs play a prominent role in this community, but the meeting itself, as well as the man's story, really brings up the reality of this issue for the first time. Thus far we seem to know that drugs run the streets, and that people make their names and end up in prison on account of these drugs, but nothing until this point is said about the harmfulness of drugs and how detrimental they can really be. And then you have this scene, where one can really get an idea of the struggle of addiction and how very real it is in this community. One can get an idea of the support needed, and how sometimes support will be difficult to find. We are still learning about the setting of this book as it's the first few chapters, and this scene helps us get a better idea and understanding.
While I think you could argue against this, I think a word to describe this city so far is hopeless. Physically, what has been described is a truly poverty stricken, nasty city, and there doesn't seem to be much going for the city as far as solving this problem. "'I'll tell J.J. he got to clean it up. But that ain't gonna make no difference. You know, this alley just stinks natural'"(18). There are characters all throughout the town that really have nothing going for them as well, everyone from old drunks to offenders of some kind to drug dealers who "run the streets". Crime seems to take precedence, and even with characters such as Lorenzo and Rachel, who seemingly are attempting to make the community a little better, the city seems to be in a bad place and on a downward slope.
1. It took me a little while to understand exactly what was going on, but by the third chapter I settled into it. I'm starting to get a feel for the characters and the city that they live in. Lorenzo's life and environment is being revealed to us with every page. Every character that is mentioned has a story, a background, Everything has meaning behind it. I like the book so far and I am curious to see what happens next. I like the two main characters that are presented to us. They both have a depth that will be interesting to read about. Pelcanos is setting the story up with any old day out in the character's lives. We know that a lot has happened in the past and with each page these themes will unravel in the present.
2. The moment that stood out to me was when Rachel sat in on the Narcotics Anonymous meeting. It says a lot about her character and her devotion to her job. This meeting shows the reality of the situation. The moment in that meeting that stood out to me the most was when Shirley came up to speak about her daughter. She talks openly about watching her from a distance: "I didn't want to bother her or scare her or nothin' like that. Lord knows I scared her plenty back when. I'm not ready to come full into her world just yet" (23). She then goes on to talk about her actions in the past and how that affected her daughter. Her daughter being taken from her was the wake up call that she desperately needed. I can't imagine what it would feel like if I had a daughter and she was taken away from me. These meetings help and people can get the weight of their stories off their backs. It was really interesting to see this meeting and Rachel's reaction to it.
3. Rough. Everyone living in this city is having a hard time. Lorenzo had to work hard to become clean in this city. There world is a rude awakening. Lorenzo's job brings out the crustiness of the city. He faced many things that we don't know about before his imprisonment and he has seen everything. The environment that the dog that Lorenzo visited in chapter two lived around showed a lot about the environment of the city itself, "The alley smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay. The August heat and lack of breeze made the smell strong and sickening" (16). The dog is in fine shape, besides its curable eye disease. but the yard it lives in is not cleaned up after the dog, the only shelter available is a shaky car on cement blocks, and right outside the fence is an alley that smells horrible. Lorenzo can't walk his own dog with out running into his old friend who is connected to the life that got Lorenzo landed in jail. The city is full of danger and is definitely rough around the edges.
1. "Drama City" is much different than any other book we've read this year. It's not all about the upper class business men. It's mainly through the perspective of the lower middle class, which I think will definitely shows us a totally different perspective of the American Dream. Lorenzo and Rachel have much different specific American Dreams than Willy or the men in Glengary Glen Ross. I don't really have an opinion on the book yet. We've just been thrown into this story and there's a few questions that popped up like we don't know much about their history or past.
2. The moment that stuck out the most to me was a little moment but it left me curious. It was in the first chapter when Lorenzo runs in to Nigel. "Nigel Johnson said something to the young man who had made the comment, and the young man's smile vanished... Even from this distance, Lorenzo could still see the boy in Nigel's eyes." I'm just curious to know what Lorenzo is talking about, "the boy in Nigel's eyes". There's clearly a history between them, and I'm interested to learn more about Lorenzo's past.
3. This may seem like too dramatic, or it may be an exaggeration, but the city seems cruel and cold. There doesn't seem like there's much light there. Every corner it just seems cruel and harsh. It's full of gangs, drugs, and violence. Even Rachel's group therapy session seems forced and depressing. It doesn't feel like Rachel is getting anything out of it. This city just seems hopeless.
1. I felt that regardless of the amount of information provided in the first three chapters, this book is a faster read and not as confusing as the Bell Jar. I feel like the story is straight forward and I enjoy reading it. I seems like a radical change from previous books and I am wondering how much in common they actually have since they appear to be very different. I like how Pelecanos introduces the characters very intimately since the beginning of the book and even though there are many characters, we know them very intimately. I am excited t to see how this stories come together. 2. I enjoyed both scenes where Lorenzo and Rachel are introduced. They are both getting up and they are very different. Lorenzo’s morning is more normal and somewhere hopeful. His interactions with Jasmine make me believe that there is hope for him. Coming out of jail recently, he is beginning life again where “he could walk free”. Rachel on the other hand is doing the opposite. Her morning is dark and full of past regrets that are making her life harder by the day. Her life is not happy and it does not appear to be getting better. She is trying to get simply move on from mistakes instead of avoiding mistakes, “Even without the war paint, and with what I did to myself last night, I still look good”. How they are living seems to be interchange as oppose to what their careers and past are. 3. Communal. By the way the book is presented with its myriad of characters and places, everything seems to be different yet they all appear to go together. It seems that what one person does affects everyone and that no matter how much time passes, things don’t change that much, “…where his grandmother stilled lived in the house in which he’d been raised”. Times goes by but things stay the same and the same group of people stay the same in the same place.
1. This book is written very differently than the other books we have read this year. It’s more of an action movie than an artistic film, but is still easy to read. The topics that the book explores are interesting, and the details that are used to describe the scenery and the characters is clear, which helps me paint a clear picture of what is going on. The characters are also very human, not saying that the characters in the Bell Jar aren’t, but their condition is closer (yet still very far) to our world, which may make them more relatable. I found that this book was easier to read than the Bell Jar, but it’s too early to say which book I liked better.
2. The scene where Rachel goes to the narcotics anonymous meeting was initially confusing, since I thought it was Lorenzo attending the meeting, but having Rachel there, listening to “the struggles, setbacks, and small victories” for a “spiritual jolt” was strange and kind of reminded me of Fight Club. The stories that the people tell are touching, but it seemed a bit off that one would go to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting for a “spiritual jolt”, rather than another activity.
3. The city is neglected. Just like the dog left under the hood of the car, the city has been deemed passable and ignored. The problem of the city is not “direct abuse, but rather ignorance”. Gangs run around in the streets unchallenged, robbery murders occur, and there is very little that can be done about the situation. The alleyways and people are unkempt and it seems like nobody cares about anything anymore.
1. It was a very interesting first three chapters. It is a little confusing at first as all these books are because they just plunge un, the readers, into this new world that we do not know a lot about. So far, I am really liking this book. It is easy to read, but based on the back, will have a lot of action. It is most definitely a faster and easier read than The Bell Jar. It is interesting that the author decided to give up such an in depth background, directly or indirectly through stories, or so many characters, and of little things, like Lorenzo’s dog walking route. 2. I think the scene that really jumped out at me was Sarge. The other two people before him who we heard were all talking about how thankful they were for the others, and how the others had helped them get through their drug problems, that “[they] saved his life” (22) in regards to Rogers. . And then boom, in comes Sarge, who seems to cast a slight pall of negativity on the group, claiming that he “got nary a call back” (26). 3. I think that so far, the city have a very negative and depressing feel about it. While not representative of the whole city, the area that Lorenzo visited was very dilapidated and gloomy. The stink of dead animals, trash littering the street, drunks sitting around, and a poor dog having to lay down under a car. As Alex said, the city is reflected in the ignored dog, where the problem is not “deliberate abuse, but rather ignorance.” People ignore the problems in the city, the bad stink, the gangs, everything.
1. I definitely agree with Sohail, that Pelecanos writes in a way in which the reader feels as though they’ve missed a lot. I agree with most of the girls as well, that it was hard to get into. I had to re read the chapters two or three times before I began to understand what was going on. It reminded me of the books that I read on the plane that you can sometimes buy in the newsstands in the airport. I definitely liked the book and the detached feeling that is shown so far, it just took me a little bit of time to get into the book. 2. The moment that stuck out to me is the dialogue between Lorenzo and Lakeisha. It’s such an innocent moment to start the book off with, especially knowing so little about Lorenzo’s past. I love the line: “Does she love people in her heart?’ ‘Yeah she loves people. ‘Specially little princesses like you” (7). This was such a sweet moment to see between these two characters and it shows the sweet side to Lorenzo, who as an ex-convict could be painted as someone maybe not so sweet. 3. I was so confused as to which city the book took place in until I actually looked at the back and realized it was in D.C. I sort of took the city as mirroring the character’s moods, almost like a chameleon. I agree with those who say it seems desolate and hopeless, but I also feel like the city could be seen as home, and cozy, especially for someone like Lorenzo, who has come out of jail. The way Pelecanos describes the city feels very familiar. I can’t pin point any quotes from the book, but I get the feeling from especially Lorenzo’s point of view, that the city is very routine as well.
1. As many others have stated, Pelecanos’ writing style is unique and took the first reading to get used to. I enjoyed how she presented the characters to us by describing them through their actions and behavior than by narrative alone, allowing us to piece together an image of the character as the reading progresses. In addition, she treats minor characters, who we might only see once, with such detail and depth that is not present in the other books we have read. 2. The moment that stuck out to me the most was Rachel’s visit to the NA meeting, which she is not obliged to go to but attends anyways. Not only is it therapy for those in the program, but for her as well, as she describes the “spiritual jolt” she receives from attending the meetings. I also found Lorenzo’s walk and brief run-in with Nigel of interest, as it demonstrated the environment of the neighborhood where he lives. 3. In a word, I would have to say, the city seems derelict. This is shown when Lorenzo is on duty and visiting J.J.’s home, as Jefferson describes the alley by saying, “it stinks natural.” Lorenzo doesn’t react to a great extent to the alley or the conditions the dog is living in, which he must deal with on a daily basis.
1. I completely agree with Jake-- the moment I started the book, the writing style immediately reminded me of junior high novels. Straight, to the point, overly dramatic intuition. I find the book entertaining, but the language lacks substance. It is a completely different read from the Bell Jar, but I think its not only style that's different but quality. Besides that, I'm interested to see how the book unfolds. I'm interested to see what conversations this book leads to. 2. A moment that stuck with me was when Rachel handed Shirley a cigarette after the meeting. The description of this young woman was so sad to me. "[Shirley] looked to be thirty, but had given her age as twenty at a previous meeting. Her drug use had stolen ten years from her looks. If her daughter was in first grade, Shirley had given birth at fourteen." To add to the sadness of Shirley's situation, we realize her poverty when she saves the cigarette from Rachel, and Rachel knows to give her matches since Shirley wouldn't have any of her own. I thought that this character description was touching and real. 3. I agree with Albert, the huge issue of the city is ignorance. The fact that these situations are easily ignored and daunting to change. Yes, there are negative aspects to this city Pelecanos paints for us, but also the relationships formed are strong and real. People care for one another, people care for animals. The city is not heartless, it's human. It's a flawed creature. This book focuses on its flaws, but one cannot deny the presence of the good.
1. I think the book is good so far, but it hasn't hooked me like the Bell Jar did. I prefer the story being told through the perspective of a character, rather than a third-person narrator. But I like the characters a lot, even though we are not in their heads. I especially like Rachel and am interested to see how her story develops. I'm also interested and excited to read about this gritty world that we have yet to encounter so far this year. 2. A scene that stood out to me was when Lorenzo went to go check up on the dog. The scene was so honest in its depiction of the neighborhood: "The alley smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay" (16). Lorenzo seems to have a good ability to understand people and see who they really are. Lorenzo knows that Jefferson is an alcoholic: "You mean you need to have another drink thought Lorenzo" (16). I began to really like Lorenzo in this scene, because he is tough, yet at the same time very caring. 3. Ruin. When I was reading, I pictured everything in a steady state of decay. This is probably due to the second line of the novel: "He stared at the cracked plaster ceiling and cleared his head" (1). I think the people in the town are managing to get by, but the town itself is an urban wasteland. Still, in general I think the people are fairly depressed, and only manage to find happiness in little things.
I like the description of the character’s daily life that is depicted in these first few chapters to set up the story, because it’s different from the books we have read so far. I am interested to see how Rachel and Lorenzo interact in the story. “To wake you up for work now, little girl. No one is going to do that for you anymore.” (3) This suggests to me that change is still coming and Rachel is going to have to cope with it as an adult/on her own. This whole book is about transition periods or changing trying to get one’s life set straight and all the problems which come along with that. Tangled. Everybody in this city is tangled up in their problems and has to deal with other people’s. Lorenzo is trying to keep himself in order and in the meantime his job is to make sure other people are doing their “jobs” and are taking good care of their animals. Lorenzo has also live in this area since he was little, so he has a lot of history in this neighborhood and with the guys he sees on the street. Rachel also has to cope with her duties and perspectives while trying to make sure that she helps all her clients keep in line.
1. I'm not really sure how I feel about this book yet. Nothing really stands out to me. In most books that we've read this year we are dropped right in the middle of the story and w're left to figure out who everyone is. However in this book we are given a little more insight into his daily life and at an earlier point in the story. 2. The whole NA meeting stood out to me. I was really struck by the guy who we see in the clip above who talks about how no one called him back. It really shows a flaw in the system. If you really need someone, what happens when they're not there? We are always told to lean on each other for support, that's the point of having a sponsor if you're an addict, but we can't make them help us. This scene exposed a really sad truth. 3. The word that comes to mind is dirty. I mean dirty in more than just the literal sense. It's full of people who don't clean up after their dogs, drug users, allies where things "stay dead," and I imagine the weather as cold and cloudy.
1) I’m intrigued right away with the two separate narrations and I’m excited to read this book because of the good reviews it has. I feel as if though it will be a thriller I don’t want to put down and so far that was true by the end of the 3 chapter. The reason why I liked the switch between the narration of Rachel’s point of view and Lorenzo’s point of view is because I will be able to relate more if there is a woman main character. I also can’t decided yet if I like the extreme amount of detail the author puts in. I assume it’s for a good purpose later in the novel. So far it really helps me create this world in my mind.
2)The moment that stayed with me after I finished reading was the moment when Sarge was giving his [sort of] complaint but didn’t want to end his sharing moment on a negative moment and said, “‘Awright, then. I can accept that. I ain’t mean to bring no negativity up in here. Just, you know.’”(27) I thought it was pretty courageous and strong-willed of him to say this because earlier he’d say he wasn’t much for hugs and talking and all the emotional stuff. And in a way this might be the most relatable moment so far because I’m sure many of us have indeed gone looking for help and not received a call back. Perhaps these moments of actual or seeming rejection are necessary. Or perhaps he was just calling the wrong people.
3) I mostly agree with Alex Lin in that the city is very neglected by its owners. I think this is why there is so much emphasis on the narration of when Lorenzo goes to check up on the dog. He describes the alley smelling as if there were something dead and sure enough Jefferson confirms it by saying, “‘Whole lotta shit stay dead back in here,’” (19) It seems to me that the part a “whole lotta shit” means that the alley is constantly like this and people notice the amount of garbage like the feces on the sidewalk but don’t care.
1. I really like the novel so far. At first it was a little confusing because of all the names they threw around in chapter one, but after chapter two I found it easier to understand and more interesting. I like the two main protagonists the book has introduced so far, Lorenzo seems like a nice guy who is honestly trying to make his way in a life that wants to bring him down, and Rachel, his probation officer, who wants to help out Lorenzo as much as possible. I like it as much, if not more than, the bell jar, because the writing style is very dramatic but easy to read. 2. I liked both the Narcotics Anonymous scene, and the scene where he goes to visit the guy who's dog lives under a car. I thought Shirley was just such a sad character. The line " Shirley looked to be thirty, but had given her age as twenty at a previous meeting. Her drug use had stolen ten years from her looks." was just so powerful because it shows the effect of drugs on a person. I also liked the dog scene, because it shows how much Lorenzo actually cares about animals. When he was talking to the guy in the alley, he showed that it was more than his job making him talk to the guy, he actually wanted to help the dog. I thought it was a great moment. 3. I think the city is used. It seems like an odd word to describe a city with, but I think it fits. The city is just so rundown, drug users run rampant, trash and garbage is littered everywhere, there are countless strays running around, and he gangs seem to be very powerful. I think Lorenzo is going to try and clean up the city with Rachel, but I think the line "The alley smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay" and the line where he says "That smell is probably a dead cat" really show how trashed the city is.
1) I like the book. At the beginning, I wasn't sure about all of the details, I thought they could either end up helping the story or hindering it, but I think I've decided I like all the details. It definitely started out a little bit confusing and I feel like there are a lot of people to keep track of (all of Rachel and Lorenzo's clients) but I am enjoying it so far. As always, I need to read a bit more before I am really involved in the book but after reading the first three chapters I think I'm going to enjoy the book. 2) One scene that really stuck with me was when Rachel attended the NA meeting. I like that it shows how Rachel needs both these meetings and her job because they "gave her perspective." I think that makes her much more interesting because she needs her clients (I'm not exactly sure what to call them) just like they need her. I also really enjoyed when Lloyd was speaking. I liked how you could hear his rage building but it ended up with a soft comment about how no one would reach out to him. This softer side was a nice thing to see. 3) Broken. Everything in the city is broken in some way. Lorenzo, who now has a good job that he really cares about, started off as a drug dealer. Rachel, who has a respectable job, is "burning the candle on both ends" and can not find spiritual peace without the perspective that those that attend NA give her. I feel like this book makes a point of the fact that nothing in this city is completely right.
1. I agree with some others that have said that they don't really like the dual-narrator thing that the book has goin' on right now. Other than that minor thing, the book has seemed pretty interesting so far. I found myself more interested in Lorenzo's sections than Rachel's.
2. One moment that really jumped out at my was when Rachel went to meet one of her people, and she had the thought that "time spent looking for a job is more useful than any meeting with her could be." Between this and her description of getting up in the morning, it feels like Rachel really feels like she has a pretty useless job. Maybe that will turn into some kind of commentary on the American Dream
3. The description of the people in the city makes everyone feels almost stagnant. Everyone is either "working just for rent" or selling drugs on the street. It seems that either you have a menial job that you get no satisfaction from, or you're just sitting around wasting your life in a different way. Everyone is just trying to get through the day.
1. I really like this book. The faster paced narration and multiple characters add a gritty crime novel feel to me. I am really interested to see Lorenzo open up and develop as a character later on. The way Pelecanos describes his scenes leaves me wanting more about his backstory. I'm also interested to see how Rachel and Lorenzo connect and develop in the future. It is obvious Lorenzo is above the average crop of parolees, but I wonder if he backslides into his past ways, and what effect that will have on the story.
2.The scene that stuck out for me was when Rachel left the support group meeting, and Shirley asked her for a cigarette. "'Scuse me,' said Shirley... 'Can I get one of them marlboros?' 'Sure.' Rachel shook one from the deck. Shirley took it, and Rachel offered her a light. 'That's ok,' Said Shirley, 'I'm gonna save it'" (28). That scene kind of struck me as odd, how they just left a meeting about getting over addiction, and Shirley was asking for a cigarette just as she left the door. It felt like she was giving in, in a way, to her addiction, even if it is with a cigarette.
3. Struggling. It seems each character, in their own way, is struggling to get by and make it in the city. One line that seemed to maybe fit the description of the city's inhabitants, was when Lorenzo was picking out his dog at the pound. "He couldn't save them all. All he knew was, this was one good dog" (2). The people all struggle to survive, just like the dogs at the pound, but not all make it. Only the strong, like Lorenzo, survive.
1. Honestly the first three chapters of this book were exactly what I expected from one of the creators of The Wire. Each of the three chapters could easily take a place in the gritty TV show based in Baltimore. Everything from the scene with the interaction between Lorenzo and and Nigel to the AA meeting, which is essentially identical to Bubbles's speech in the clip above. At first the style and content confused me because I had become so used to The Bell Jar's deep first person and melancholy atmosphere. But after reading a few chapters I began to enjoy the story and and grow accustomed to the new style.
2. It has been mentioned previously, but the scene that caught my eye the most in the reading was the interaction between Nigel and Lorenzo at the end of the first chapter. I may be harping on about this, but the scene stuck me as exactly the kind of interaction that would occur in The Wire. Something just reminded me of the second season and the dealers on the street corners. As we discussed in class there is an important aspect about this scene in that in such a small paragraph we learn an immense amount about the past that Lorenzo and Nigel share. The most obvious indicator of this relationship has already been mentioned by Graham, which is that when we see Nigel Pelecanos mentions that Lorenzo can, "Still see the boy in Nigel's eyes." This takes the interaction beyond a simple hint at a past relationship and makes it a fact that they had been acquainted for some time.
3. Bleak. While we really haven't gotten very far into the book the city that we have witnessed so far is far from pretty. We've witnessed rotting alleyways, AA meetings, drug dealers, and ex-inmates. So far these are the only aspects of the city that we have been witness to. When Lorenzo visits JJ's house to inspect the dog he comments that the bthe block was, "A typical D.C. strip of of brick houses topped with turrets." The image I get from this is entirely bleak and unchanging.
I have really enjoyed this book so far. I disagree with people who are saying it is childish and writing weirdly. I actually like the screenplay style because it is very descriptive and it gives me an idea of how the environment is. It also allows for me to have a visual in my head as a I read which makes me picture what I am reading. I also like how real places (streets, restaurants etc) are described in the book. I like how the book was recently written so it’s “during our common times”. I like the scene where Lorenzo is with the little girl Lakeisha and he is letting her play with his dog Jasmine. Her mom, Rayne even thanks Lorenzo herself “for being nice to [her] baby” . It seems like a sweet moment and is makes me wonder why Lorenzo was in jail because he seems like a really good person who is friendly and dedicated to his job. I would use the word troubled to describe the city. There are different, but similar situations going on in this world Pelecanos brings us into. He describes the rouble youth, to the troubled alleys and setting through descriptions of Lorenzo’s job. We see this world through Lorenzo’s eyes and see how it is all very similar.
1.Don't know what I think about this book still. I dont love it and I do not hate it. I do not exactly understand everything that is going on and it is a bit frustrating. However I know that I like that we are reading a new style. A very simplistic straight forward style of writing. I also like the fact that we are reading something that shows us a different side of life, not the high class that is dirty but the lower class that is clean. 2. The NA meeting was a really important and difficult scene for me because it got down to the nitty gritty. It was not there to make me feel comfortable bu it was there to push me to my limits and make me consider the world we have just been thrust into. One of the parts that stayed with me was when we heard shirley described, " Shirley looked to be thirty, but had given her age as twenty at a previous meeting. Her drug use had stolen ten years from her looks." this just made me think of the reality. The fact that this women looked 10 years older because she was a hard core drug addict, this just made this world real because it made me imagine all of those horrible before and after pictures of people on drugs. 3. betrayed. I think this city was counting on its patrons to help it succeed and it was betrayed when all the people did was use it all up and not give anything back. The people are betraying each other for money and status. People are betraying the innocent trust of animals. This entire city is turning on one another, and they are stuck in this horrible cycle, where everything constantly "stay dead," because they are stuck in a cycle of dead things.
1. At first, it’s a little confusing because there are so many characters and names that are being mentioned both from Rachel’s side and Lorenzo’s side so after a few people were introduced I would have to check back to make sure Pelecanos wasn’t talking about a character I had already met. After I started to get a hang of some of the characters, it became a little clearer to me. I’m still a little fuzzy about some parts of the book, but I think that the confusion will clear up as I continue reading. So far, I like how each of the characters (especially Rachel and Lorenzo) are described with such detail, and it really helps create an image of who these people are. I think the characters are all very realistic and I like that because I think that it helps us as readers to understand them more.
ReplyDelete2. The part that stuck out to me was when Rachel sat in on the Narcotics Anonymous meetings. I found it interesting when Pelecanos said “Rachel was not in recovery, but she frequently dropped in on these meetings. The struggles, setbacks, small victories related here gave her perspective, and a spiritual jolt she had never found in a synagogue or church” (22). While she said that it was also a way to check in on her offenders, I found it interesting that she found motivation to potentially change her life through listening in on a meeting that didn’t really relate to her that much. I also liked how it gave her the jolt that religion could never give her because most people turn to religion when they are struggling and fighting their inner demons.
3. Gritty. Rachel hasn’t detailed her movement around the city as much as Lorenzo has and I think what Lorenzo describes holds a lot of grit and its own personality that can’t really be found anywhere else. From the people to the alleyways “that smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay” (16). This part of D.C just comes off as tough and almost stuck in a way that makes it difficult for anyone to progress and the residents just have to deal with the grit and toughness of their city.
1. I agree with Tanja that it was a little disorienting at first. I kind of like the style that Pelecanos is using though. He writes like we already know what’s going on. We’re left to piece together the setting and the back-story for ourselves (for the most part). After re-reading a couple of sections I was able to get a pretty good picture of everything that’s going on. It’s nice that he doesn’t feel the need to put in a long introduction to get the reader ready for the story. As for the story itself, I’m interested to keep reading. Aside from the fact that we’ve been warned about the bad things to come, it’s clear that in this world of poverty, drugs, and possibly animal abuse, something is going to take a nasty turn.
ReplyDelete2. One moment that jumped out at me came in chapter one. When Lorenzo is walking past his old elementary school. “He passed the mural painting of successful black folks, Frederick Douglass and George Washington Carver and the like, that covered an entire wall. They’d had pictures up of folks like them in just about every classroom Lorenzo had ever been in, but the pictures hadn’t stopped him or anyone he knew from going down to the corner”(6). This is one of many ways that Pelecanos tells us that Lorenzo used to be in a bad situation, and that most of the people he’s around are in a bad situation. Nothing can stop the shady business that goes on there.
3. Dilapidated. The people and the physical locations are all in a state of disrepair. The quote I used in question 2 shows this. When Lorenzo goes to visit J.J. and he describes the poor conditions that the dog is living in we get a sense that he encounters this type of thing all too often. People are being led down bad paths. The kids are not in great hands. “The T-shirt and jean combination was the uniform of choice for young men in the lower ranks of the drug game, but Brown had noticed both white and black kids in the suburbs, straight kids, honor students, whatever, wearing the same hookup”(16). Those kids are either young, poor drug dealers, or privileged kids dressing and acting like poor drug dealers. It’s a culture and society in decline.
1. The book is very different from anything we’ve read this year, and at the beginning I found that it was difficult to adjust to pacing of this book and the style of it as well. With The Bell Jar, we were very in Esther’s head the whole and we were only focused on her point of view the whole book, but here, we have been going back and forth between two characters, so this book is really a breath of fresh air. The problems and issues in Drama City are just as troubling as the ones in The Bell Jar, but having some sort of distance from the characters is a bit of relief. I really like it though, and it’s so descriptive and as I’m reading it, I feel like I’m watching a film; it’s very cinematic.
ReplyDelete2. The moment that stood out to me was the exchange between Lorenzo and Lakeisha because up to this point the novel, everything was being described as very dark and severe and almost hostile, but this interaction brought kindness and light to this world Pelecanos was portraying. It was a simple exchange between two people, but somehow it meant something. Lorenzo describes his feelings towards Lakeisha as “barely knowing her but loving her.” It jumped out at me because it was a kind instance in a harsh world.
3. Harsh. The city is unwelcoming and the people in it are struggling. Even when they seem to be recovering, they are still fighting against something. Sarge, for instance, is trying to stay clean but the community that was supposed to help him didn’t. Sarge says that he “don’t judge nobody... ain’t got no right to,” and I think the same thing goes for the city. It’s not in its best shape, but yet it is still judging its residents as they are falling apart. The crime and conditions of this city are just another thing the residents have to overcome, along with their own personal struggles.
1. So far the book reads a little bit like the books that I used to read as a kid. Maybe this is just because it is a more male oriented book, but I feel like the way the author writes, with breif physical descriptions and mysterious characters, is really similar to pre-teen writing. I like the book, but I am extremely aware that it seems like the kind of book that I'd read when I was in junior high. So far, i think that I liked the Bell Jar more.
ReplyDelete2. The moment that stood out to me the most was the Narcotics Anonymous scene. When I was reading it I felt like I was watching an episode of Breaking Bad, which is a big compliment coming from me. I just wish that one of the main characters, Rachel or Lorenzo, was more involved with the story. As I said before, the two main charcaters still remain very mysterious to me.
3. The city is a concrete jungle. The only things that it consists of are drugs, gangs, abusive families and a lot of dog shit. It feels very cold. Even the narcotics anonymous group is a little cold, when it's probably one of the more open groups that we'll see in the city.
1) Reading this novel is like watching a documentary. There is nothing fancy or artsy about it, just the series of events that make up everyday life. This style of writing has it's pros and cons, but it makes for an interesting read. Because the tone of this book is very emotionless, we are forced to make decisions ourselves about the characters and their intentions. After reading The Bell Jar, this book does come off as a little bland. The Bell Jar was extensive in it's descriptions and emotions and it makes this book seem very simple. Like Jenny said, it takes time to adjust to this style but I think I will grow to enjoy it as we read further.
ReplyDelete2)I really liked the scene with Sarge. I don't really have any huge reason for liking it, but the scene caught my attention because of the harsh honesty that I have a feeling will be a theme throughout this book. In the meeting, people are talking about the positivity and happiness of recovery, ignoring the real reason they're there. Sarge blows right through that and forces everyone to rethink their happiness. "Not one of you called me back" (26). I have a feeling this kind of confrontation and honesty will be a theme throughout the novel.
3) Barren. The city is filled with dreary and hopeless people who don't seem to have any purpose or meaning in the world. Every character seems to loiter around and wait for the day to end rather than doing something active. This is an emotionless book filled with characters burdened by the problems of everyday life. This first reading shows no signs of hope or chance of escape.
1. Drama City is quite hard for me to read. I had such an easy time reading The Bell Jar. I thought that everything flowed well with that novel and I could easily relate to the various aspects of the book that involve being a woman. However Drama City is something quite different. In the first chapter, I had lots of trouble getting in to it. I feel like everything was constantly changing and switching and there were so many story lines, etc, so I was a little confused to say the least. I reread the first chapter and than moved on to the next two, and suddenly it was perfectly easy for me to read. I really like that we look at different writing styles in this lit class. I really enjoy the narrative of this book much more than I did with The Bell Jar. I really like how suspenseful and mysterious it is. Drama City is the kind of book that leaves you curious to see more.
ReplyDelete2. The opening scene definitely stuck out to me. I really enjoyed the way Pelecanos gave us little insights into Lorenzo's past in a very simple and straightforward manner. Pelecanos described," Lorenzo no longer did push-ups. They reminded him unpleasantly of the five hundred push-ups he had done for eight years, every day, in his cell" (3). I like how he transitioned from describing Lorenzo's exercise routine to telling us that Lorenzo was once in jail.
3. The city is dying. Everyone in this city is struggling to live. One can smell death in the streets, as Lorenzo saw in the alley: "The alley smelled of...something that had once been alive and was now in decay" (16). Even the people are struggling to live, as seen in the Narcotics Anonymous group sessions and in the way that Rachel's commute to work was described: "...on the way she'd been held up by crime scene vehicles..." (10). This city is barely getting by in every sense possible.
1. I have enjoyed the beginning very much. Secrets of the past are still shrouded in shadow but I have the feeling soon all will be revealed. The characters seem full and although we have only scraped the surface I am drawn to Lorenzo Brown. We already have been given hints that he has come from a bad place but is trying to right himself in societies eyes. I find that powerful and from inside his head see him as a trustworthy guy. I agree with other bloggers such as Jenny and Tanja that this world Pelecano has shown us is gritty and harsh. I feel that this allows for a deeper connection to the story and characters. The struggles and hardships these characters overcome are even harder because of what they live in and have to deal with. Not saying that we in Paideia don't have it hard, but I would bet these Characters lives could top ours. Though if life were easy would there be any good stories?
ReplyDelete2. For me when Lorenzo was walking his dog after seeing Lakeisha and passed by Nigel and his boys. When one commented on Lorenzo's appearance to the other of Nigel's men they laughed, but the moment that stuck with me was after that. When Nigel said something to them about Lorenzo that made both men with him shut their mouths. Nigel then turned toward Lorenzo and acknowledged him with a flick of his chin. I saw this as a huge amount of respect and still feel curious about what has happened between them to cause such respect. Many ideas form in my head but an interesting line in that passage; "Even from this distance, Lorenzo could still see the boy in Nigel's eyes" (8) speaks of a relationship that has lasted a long time.
3. Respect. Both between Nigel and Lorenzo and between all the people at Narcotics Anonymous. This world that these characters live in depends upon the respect of others. When someone isn't worthy of respect or can't be trusted people get hurt. I think Lorenzo is just recovering from a harsh fall in the drug world. Maybe he got busted or is just trying to get clean but he is respected for his decision. When a person no longer is respected in this world Pelecano has set up he is barely alive.
I like the way this book is written, that style where the author does not present all of the information at once, but presents a little bit at a time and forces the reader almost to piece the information together themselves. For example, Rachel says she has some sort of problem, that she is almost two people, and we don't know what that problem is in the beginning. Lorenzo does not make it clear what his job is exactly, or what he did to land in prison for eight years. We do not find out the relationship between Rachel and Lorenzo until later on. This style allows for the reader to actually do some work, and by doing so it ultimately gets the reader more involved in the reading. Not only do I like the style of writing, but there seems to a be a darkness to this book thus far that I really enjoy. And, I have to say, of course all of the drug related violence is interesting and exciting, despite how horrifying it is and how real it still is today.
ReplyDeleteI think the moment or scene that jumped out at me was first, the Narcotics Anonymous meeting, and then within that meeting the man who spoke up that when he made calls for support, no one called him back. "'I called a few of the male names on the list. And you wanna know somethin'? I got nary a call back. Not one. But I just wanted you to know: not one of you called me back'"(26). It's fairly obvious from the first few chapters that drugs play a prominent role in this community, but the meeting itself, as well as the man's story, really brings up the reality of this issue for the first time. Thus far we seem to know that drugs run the streets, and that people make their names and end up in prison on account of these drugs, but nothing until this point is said about the harmfulness of drugs and how detrimental they can really be. And then you have this scene, where one can really get an idea of the struggle of addiction and how very real it is in this community. One can get an idea of the support needed, and how sometimes support will be difficult to find. We are still learning about the setting of this book as it's the first few chapters, and this scene helps us get a better idea and understanding.
While I think you could argue against this, I think a word to describe this city so far is hopeless. Physically, what has been described is a truly poverty stricken, nasty city, and there doesn't seem to be much going for the city as far as solving this problem. "'I'll tell J.J. he got to clean it up. But that ain't gonna make no difference. You know, this alley just stinks natural'"(18). There are characters all throughout the town that really have nothing going for them as well, everyone from old drunks to offenders of some kind to drug dealers who "run the streets". Crime seems to take precedence, and even with characters such as Lorenzo and Rachel, who seemingly are attempting to make the community a little better, the city seems to be in a bad place and on a downward slope.
1. It took me a little while to understand exactly what was going on, but by the third chapter I settled into it. I'm starting to get a feel for the characters and the city that they live in. Lorenzo's life and environment is being revealed to us with every page. Every character that is mentioned has a story, a background, Everything has meaning behind it. I like the book so far and I am curious to see what happens next. I like the two main characters that are presented to us. They both have a depth that will be interesting to read about. Pelcanos is setting the story up with any old day out in the character's lives. We know that a lot has happened in the past and with each page these themes will unravel in the present.
ReplyDelete2. The moment that stood out to me was when Rachel sat in on the Narcotics Anonymous meeting. It says a lot about her character and her devotion to her job. This meeting shows the reality of the situation. The moment in that meeting that stood out to me the most was when Shirley came up to speak about her daughter. She talks openly about watching her from a distance: "I didn't want to bother her or scare her or nothin' like that. Lord knows I scared her plenty back when. I'm not ready to come full into her world just yet" (23). She then goes on to talk about her actions in the past and how that affected her daughter. Her daughter being taken from her was the wake up call that she desperately needed. I can't imagine what it would feel like if I had a daughter and she was taken away from me. These meetings help and people can get the weight of their stories off their backs. It was really interesting to see this meeting and Rachel's reaction to it.
3. Rough. Everyone living in this city is having a hard time. Lorenzo had to work hard to become clean in this city. There world is a rude awakening. Lorenzo's job brings out the crustiness of the city. He faced many things that we don't know about before his imprisonment and he has seen everything. The environment that the dog that Lorenzo visited in chapter two lived around showed a lot about the environment of the city itself, "The alley smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay. The August heat and lack of breeze made the smell strong and sickening" (16). The dog is in fine shape, besides its curable eye disease. but the yard it lives in is not cleaned up after the dog, the only shelter available is a shaky car on cement blocks, and right outside the fence is an alley that smells horrible. Lorenzo can't walk his own dog with out running into his old friend who is connected to the life that got Lorenzo landed in jail. The city is full of danger and is definitely rough around the edges.
1. "Drama City" is much different than any other book we've read this year. It's not all about the upper class business men. It's mainly through the perspective of the lower middle class, which I think will definitely shows us a totally different perspective of the American Dream. Lorenzo and Rachel have much different specific American Dreams than Willy or the men in Glengary Glen Ross. I don't really have an opinion on the book yet. We've just been thrown into this story and there's a few questions that popped up like we don't know much about their history or past.
ReplyDelete2. The moment that stuck out the most to me was a little moment but it left me curious. It was in the first chapter when Lorenzo runs in to Nigel. "Nigel Johnson said something to the young man who had made the comment, and the young man's smile vanished... Even from this distance, Lorenzo could still see the boy in Nigel's eyes." I'm just curious to know what Lorenzo is talking about, "the boy in Nigel's eyes". There's clearly a history between them, and I'm interested to learn more about Lorenzo's past.
3. This may seem like too dramatic, or it may be an exaggeration, but the city seems cruel and cold. There doesn't seem like there's much light there. Every corner it just seems cruel and harsh. It's full of gangs, drugs, and violence. Even Rachel's group therapy session seems forced and depressing. It doesn't feel like Rachel is getting anything out of it. This city just seems hopeless.
1. I felt that regardless of the amount of information provided in the first three chapters, this book is a faster read and not as confusing as the Bell Jar. I feel like the story is straight forward and I enjoy reading it. I seems like a radical change from previous books and I am wondering how much in common they actually have since they appear to be very different. I like how Pelecanos introduces the characters very intimately since the beginning of the book and even though there are many characters, we know them very intimately. I am excited t to see how this stories come together.
ReplyDelete2. I enjoyed both scenes where Lorenzo and Rachel are introduced. They are both getting up and they are very different. Lorenzo’s morning is more normal and somewhere hopeful. His interactions with Jasmine make me believe that there is hope for him. Coming out of jail recently, he is beginning life again where “he could walk free”. Rachel on the other hand is doing the opposite. Her morning is dark and full of past regrets that are making her life harder by the day. Her life is not happy and it does not appear to be getting better. She is trying to get simply move on from mistakes instead of avoiding mistakes, “Even without the war paint, and with what I did to myself last night, I still look good”. How they are living seems to be interchange as oppose to what their careers and past are.
3. Communal. By the way the book is presented with its myriad of characters and places, everything seems to be different yet they all appear to go together. It seems that what one person does affects everyone and that no matter how much time passes, things don’t change that much, “…where his grandmother stilled lived in the house in which he’d been raised”. Times goes by but things stay the same and the same group of people stay the same in the same place.
1. This book is written very differently than the other books we have read this year. It’s more of an action movie than an artistic film, but is still easy to read. The topics that the book explores are interesting, and the details that are used to describe the scenery and the characters is clear, which helps me paint a clear picture of what is going on. The characters are also very human, not saying that the characters in the Bell Jar aren’t, but their condition is closer (yet still very far) to our world, which may make them more relatable. I found that this book was easier to read than the Bell Jar, but it’s too early to say which book I liked better.
ReplyDelete2. The scene where Rachel goes to the narcotics anonymous meeting was initially confusing, since I thought it was Lorenzo attending the meeting, but having Rachel there, listening to “the struggles, setbacks, and small victories” for a “spiritual jolt” was strange and kind of reminded me of Fight Club. The stories that the people tell are touching, but it seemed a bit off that one would go to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting for a “spiritual jolt”, rather than another activity.
3. The city is neglected. Just like the dog left under the hood of the car, the city has been deemed passable and ignored. The problem of the city is not “direct abuse, but rather ignorance”. Gangs run around in the streets unchallenged, robbery murders occur, and there is very little that can be done about the situation. The alleyways and people are unkempt and it seems like nobody cares about anything anymore.
1. It was a very interesting first three chapters. It is a little confusing at first as all these books are because they just plunge un, the readers, into this new world that we do not know a lot about. So far, I am really liking this book. It is easy to read, but based on the back, will have a lot of action. It is most definitely a faster and easier read than The Bell Jar. It is interesting that the author decided to give up such an in depth background, directly or indirectly through stories, or so many characters, and of little things, like Lorenzo’s dog walking route.
ReplyDelete2. I think the scene that really jumped out at me was Sarge. The other two people before him who we heard were all talking about how thankful they were for the others, and how the others had helped them get through their drug problems, that “[they] saved his life” (22) in regards to Rogers. . And then boom, in comes Sarge, who seems to cast a slight pall of negativity on the group, claiming that he “got nary a call back” (26).
3. I think that so far, the city have a very negative and depressing feel about it. While not representative of the whole city, the area that Lorenzo visited was very dilapidated and gloomy. The stink of dead animals, trash littering the street, drunks sitting around, and a poor dog having to lay down under a car. As Alex said, the city is reflected in the ignored dog, where the problem is not “deliberate abuse, but rather ignorance.” People ignore the problems in the city, the bad stink, the gangs, everything.
1. I definitely agree with Sohail, that Pelecanos writes in a way in which the reader feels as though they’ve missed a lot. I agree with most of the girls as well, that it was hard to get into. I had to re read the chapters two or three times before I began to understand what was going on. It reminded me of the books that I read on the plane that you can sometimes buy in the newsstands in the airport. I definitely liked the book and the detached feeling that is shown so far, it just took me a little bit of time to get into the book.
ReplyDelete2. The moment that stuck out to me is the dialogue between Lorenzo and Lakeisha. It’s such an innocent moment to start the book off with, especially knowing so little about Lorenzo’s past. I love the line: “Does she love people in her heart?’ ‘Yeah she loves people. ‘Specially little princesses like you” (7). This was such a sweet moment to see between these two characters and it shows the sweet side to Lorenzo, who as an ex-convict could be painted as someone maybe not so sweet.
3. I was so confused as to which city the book took place in until I actually looked at the back and realized it was in D.C. I sort of took the city as mirroring the character’s moods, almost like a chameleon. I agree with those who say it seems desolate and hopeless, but I also feel like the city could be seen as home, and cozy, especially for someone like Lorenzo, who has come out of jail. The way Pelecanos describes the city feels very familiar. I can’t pin point any quotes from the book, but I get the feeling from especially Lorenzo’s point of view, that the city is very routine as well.
1. As many others have stated, Pelecanos’ writing style is unique and took the first reading to get used to. I enjoyed how she presented the characters to us by describing them through their actions and behavior than by narrative alone, allowing us to piece together an image of the character as the reading progresses. In addition, she treats minor characters, who we might only see once, with such detail and depth that is not present in the other books we have read.
ReplyDelete2. The moment that stuck out to me the most was Rachel’s visit to the NA meeting, which she is not obliged to go to but attends anyways. Not only is it therapy for those in the program, but for her as well, as she describes the “spiritual jolt” she receives from attending the meetings. I also found Lorenzo’s walk and brief run-in with Nigel of interest, as it demonstrated the environment of the neighborhood where he lives.
3. In a word, I would have to say, the city seems derelict. This is shown when Lorenzo is on duty and visiting J.J.’s home, as Jefferson describes the alley by saying, “it stinks natural.” Lorenzo doesn’t react to a great extent to the alley or the conditions the dog is living in, which he must deal with on a daily basis.
1. I completely agree with Jake-- the moment I started the book, the writing style immediately reminded me of junior high novels. Straight, to the point, overly dramatic intuition. I find the book entertaining, but the language lacks substance. It is a completely different read from the Bell Jar, but I think its not only style that's different but quality. Besides that, I'm interested to see how the book unfolds. I'm interested to see what conversations this book leads to.
ReplyDelete2. A moment that stuck with me was when Rachel handed Shirley a cigarette after the meeting. The description of this young woman was so sad to me. "[Shirley] looked to be thirty, but had given her age as twenty at a previous meeting. Her drug use had stolen ten years from her looks. If her daughter was in first grade, Shirley had given birth at fourteen." To add to the sadness of Shirley's situation, we realize her poverty when she saves the cigarette from Rachel, and Rachel knows to give her matches since Shirley wouldn't have any of her own. I thought that this character description was touching and real.
3. I agree with Albert, the huge issue of the city is ignorance. The fact that these situations are easily ignored and daunting to change. Yes, there are negative aspects to this city Pelecanos paints for us, but also the relationships formed are strong and real. People care for one another, people care for animals. The city is not heartless, it's human. It's a flawed creature. This book focuses on its flaws, but one cannot deny the presence of the good.
1. I think the book is good so far, but it hasn't hooked me like the Bell Jar did. I prefer the story being told through the perspective of a character, rather than a third-person narrator. But I like the characters a lot, even though we are not in their heads. I especially like Rachel and am interested to see how her story develops. I'm also interested and excited to read about this gritty world that we have yet to encounter so far this year.
ReplyDelete2. A scene that stood out to me was when Lorenzo went to go check up on the dog. The scene was so honest in its depiction of the neighborhood: "The alley smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay" (16). Lorenzo seems to have a good ability to understand people and see who they really are. Lorenzo knows that Jefferson is an alcoholic: "You mean you need to have another drink thought Lorenzo" (16). I began to really like Lorenzo in this scene, because he is tough, yet at the same time very caring.
3. Ruin. When I was reading, I pictured everything in a steady state of decay. This is probably due to the second line of the novel: "He stared at the cracked plaster ceiling and cleared his head" (1). I think the people in the town are managing to get by, but the town itself is an urban wasteland. Still, in general I think the people are fairly depressed, and only manage to find happiness in little things.
I like the description of the character’s daily life that is depicted in these first few chapters to set up the story, because it’s different from the books we have read so far. I am interested to see how Rachel and Lorenzo interact in the story.
ReplyDelete“To wake you up for work now, little girl. No one is going to do that for you anymore.” (3) This suggests to me that change is still coming and Rachel is going to have to cope with it as an adult/on her own. This whole book is about transition periods or changing trying to get one’s life set straight and all the problems which come along with that.
Tangled. Everybody in this city is tangled up in their problems and has to deal with other people’s. Lorenzo is trying to keep himself in order and in the meantime his job is to make sure other people are doing their “jobs” and are taking good care of their animals. Lorenzo has also live in this area since he was little, so he has a lot of history in this neighborhood and with the guys he sees on the street. Rachel also has to cope with her duties and perspectives while trying to make sure that she helps all her clients keep in line.
1. I'm not really sure how I feel about this book yet. Nothing really stands out to me. In most books that we've read this year we are dropped right in the middle of the story and w're left to figure out who everyone is. However in this book we are given a little more insight into his daily life and at an earlier point in the story.
ReplyDelete2. The whole NA meeting stood out to me. I was really struck by the guy who we see in the clip above who talks about how no one called him back. It really shows a flaw in the system. If you really need someone, what happens when they're not there? We are always told to lean on each other for support, that's the point of having a sponsor if you're an addict, but we can't make them help us. This scene exposed a really sad truth.
3. The word that comes to mind is dirty. I mean dirty in more than just the literal sense. It's full of people who don't clean up after their dogs, drug users, allies where things "stay dead," and I imagine the weather as cold and cloudy.
1) I’m intrigued right away with the two separate narrations and I’m excited to read this book because of the good reviews it has. I feel as if though it will be a thriller I don’t want to put down and so far that was true by the end of the 3 chapter. The reason why I liked the switch between the narration of Rachel’s point of view and Lorenzo’s point of view is because I will be able to relate more if there is a woman main character. I also can’t decided yet if I like the extreme amount of detail the author puts in. I assume it’s for a good purpose later in the novel. So far it really helps me create this world in my mind.
ReplyDelete2)The moment that stayed with me after I finished reading was the moment when Sarge was giving his [sort of] complaint but didn’t want to end his sharing moment on a negative moment and said, “‘Awright, then. I can accept that. I ain’t mean to bring no negativity up in here. Just, you know.’”(27) I thought it was pretty courageous and strong-willed of him to say this because earlier he’d say he wasn’t much for hugs and talking and all the emotional stuff. And in a way this might be the most relatable moment so far because I’m sure many of us have indeed gone looking for help and not received a call back. Perhaps these moments of actual or seeming rejection are necessary. Or perhaps he was just calling the wrong people.
3) I mostly agree with Alex Lin in that the city is very neglected by its owners. I think this is why there is so much emphasis on the narration of when Lorenzo goes to check up on the dog. He describes the alley smelling as if there were something dead and sure enough Jefferson confirms it by saying, “‘Whole lotta shit stay dead back in here,’” (19) It seems to me that the part a “whole lotta shit” means that the alley is constantly like this and people notice the amount of garbage like the feces on the sidewalk but don’t care.
1. I really like the novel so far. At first it was a little confusing because of all the names they threw around in chapter one, but after chapter two I found it easier to understand and more interesting. I like the two main protagonists the book has introduced so far, Lorenzo seems like a nice guy who is honestly trying to make his way in a life that wants to bring him down, and Rachel, his probation officer, who wants to help out Lorenzo as much as possible. I like it as much, if not more than, the bell jar, because the writing style is very dramatic but easy to read.
ReplyDelete2. I liked both the Narcotics Anonymous scene, and the scene where he goes to visit the guy who's dog lives under a car. I thought Shirley was just such a sad character. The line " Shirley looked to be thirty, but had given her age as twenty at a previous meeting. Her drug use had stolen ten years from her looks." was just so powerful because it shows the effect of drugs on a person. I also liked the dog scene, because it shows how much Lorenzo actually cares about animals. When he was talking to the guy in the alley, he showed that it was more than his job making him talk to the guy, he actually wanted to help the dog. I thought it was a great moment.
3. I think the city is used. It seems like an odd word to describe a city with, but I think it fits. The city is just so rundown, drug users run rampant, trash and garbage is littered everywhere, there are countless strays running around, and he gangs seem to be very powerful. I think Lorenzo is going to try and clean up the city with Rachel, but I think the line "The alley smelled of excrement, garbage, and something that had once been alive and was now in decay" and the line where he says "That smell is probably a dead cat" really show how trashed the city is.
1) I like the book. At the beginning, I wasn't sure about all of the details, I thought they could either end up helping the story or hindering it, but I think I've decided I like all the details. It definitely started out a little bit confusing and I feel like there are a lot of people to keep track of (all of Rachel and Lorenzo's clients) but I am enjoying it so far. As always, I need to read a bit more before I am really involved in the book but after reading the first three chapters I think I'm going to enjoy the book.
ReplyDelete2) One scene that really stuck with me was when Rachel attended the NA meeting. I like that it shows how Rachel needs both these meetings and her job because they "gave her perspective." I think that makes her much more interesting because she needs her clients (I'm not exactly sure what to call them) just like they need her. I also really enjoyed when Lloyd was speaking. I liked how you could hear his rage building but it ended up with a soft comment about how no one would reach out to him. This softer side was a nice thing to see.
3) Broken. Everything in the city is broken in some way. Lorenzo, who now has a good job that he really cares about, started off as a drug dealer. Rachel, who has a respectable job, is "burning the candle on both ends" and can not find spiritual peace without the perspective that those that attend NA give her. I feel like this book makes a point of the fact that nothing in this city is completely right.
1. I agree with some others that have said that they don't really like the dual-narrator thing that the book has goin' on right now. Other than that minor thing, the book has seemed pretty interesting so far. I found myself more interested in Lorenzo's sections than Rachel's.
ReplyDelete2. One moment that really jumped out at my was when Rachel went to meet one of her people, and she had the thought that "time spent looking for a job is more useful than any meeting with her could be." Between this and her description of getting up in the morning, it feels like Rachel really feels like she has a pretty useless job. Maybe that will turn into some kind of commentary on the American Dream
3. The description of the people in the city makes everyone feels almost stagnant. Everyone is either "working just for rent" or selling drugs on the street. It seems that either you have a menial job that you get no satisfaction from, or you're just sitting around wasting your life in a different way. Everyone is just trying to get through the day.
1. I really like this book. The faster paced narration and multiple characters add a gritty crime novel feel to me. I am really interested to see Lorenzo open up and develop as a character later on. The way Pelecanos describes his scenes leaves me wanting more about his backstory. I'm also interested to see how Rachel and Lorenzo connect and develop in the future. It is obvious Lorenzo is above the average crop of parolees, but I wonder if he backslides into his past ways, and what effect that will have on the story.
ReplyDelete2.The scene that stuck out for me was when Rachel left the support group meeting, and Shirley asked her for a cigarette. "'Scuse me,' said Shirley... 'Can I get one of them marlboros?'
'Sure.'
Rachel shook one from the deck. Shirley took it, and Rachel offered her a light.
'That's ok,' Said Shirley, 'I'm gonna save it'" (28).
That scene kind of struck me as odd, how they just left a meeting about getting over addiction, and Shirley was asking for a cigarette just as she left the door. It felt like she was giving in, in a way, to her addiction, even if it is with a cigarette.
3. Struggling. It seems each character, in their own way, is struggling to get by and make it in the city. One line that seemed to maybe fit the description of the city's inhabitants, was when Lorenzo was picking out his dog at the pound. "He couldn't save them all. All he knew was, this was one good dog" (2). The people all struggle to survive, just like the dogs at the pound, but not all make it. Only the strong, like Lorenzo, survive.
P.S. Partial credit
Delete1. Honestly the first three chapters of this book were exactly what I expected from one of the creators of The Wire. Each of the three chapters could easily take a place in the gritty TV show based in Baltimore. Everything from the scene with the interaction between Lorenzo and and Nigel to the AA meeting, which is essentially identical to Bubbles's speech in the clip above. At first the style and content confused me because I had become so used to The Bell Jar's deep first person and melancholy atmosphere. But after reading a few chapters I began to enjoy the story and and grow accustomed to the new style.
ReplyDelete2. It has been mentioned previously, but the scene that caught my eye the most in the reading was the interaction between Nigel and Lorenzo at the end of the first chapter. I may be harping on about this, but the scene stuck me as exactly the kind of interaction that would occur in The Wire. Something just reminded me of the second season and the dealers on the street corners. As we discussed in class there is an important aspect about this scene in that in such a small paragraph we learn an immense amount about the past that Lorenzo and Nigel share. The most obvious indicator of this relationship has already been mentioned by Graham, which is that when we see Nigel Pelecanos mentions that Lorenzo can, "Still see the boy in Nigel's eyes." This takes the interaction beyond a simple hint at a past relationship and makes it a fact that they had been acquainted for some time.
3. Bleak. While we really haven't gotten very far into the book the city that we have witnessed so far is far from pretty. We've witnessed rotting alleyways, AA meetings, drug dealers, and ex-inmates. So far these are the only aspects of the city that we have been witness to. When Lorenzo visits JJ's house to inspect the dog he comments that the bthe block was, "A typical D.C. strip of of brick houses topped with turrets." The image I get from this is entirely bleak and unchanging.
I have really enjoyed this book so far. I disagree with people who are saying it is childish and writing weirdly. I actually like the screenplay style because it is very descriptive and it gives me an idea of how the environment is. It also allows for me to have a visual in my head as a I read which makes me picture what I am reading. I also like how real places (streets, restaurants etc) are described in the book. I like how the book was recently written so it’s “during our common times”.
ReplyDeleteI like the scene where Lorenzo is with the little girl Lakeisha and he is letting her play with his dog Jasmine. Her mom, Rayne even thanks Lorenzo herself “for being nice to [her] baby” . It seems like a sweet moment and is makes me wonder why Lorenzo was in jail because he seems like a really good person who is friendly and dedicated to his job.
I would use the word troubled to describe the city. There are different, but similar situations going on in this world Pelecanos brings us into. He describes the rouble youth, to the troubled alleys and setting through descriptions of Lorenzo’s job. We see this world through Lorenzo’s eyes and see how it is all very similar.
1.Don't know what I think about this book still. I dont love it and I do not hate it. I do not exactly understand everything that is going on and it is a bit frustrating. However I know that I like that we are reading a new style. A very simplistic straight forward style of writing. I also like the fact that we are reading something that shows us a different side of life, not the high class that is dirty but the lower class that is clean.
ReplyDelete2. The NA meeting was a really important and difficult scene for me because it got down to the nitty gritty. It was not there to make me feel comfortable bu it was there to push me to my limits and make me consider the world we have just been thrust into. One of the parts that stayed with me was when we heard shirley described, " Shirley looked to be thirty, but had given her age as twenty at a previous meeting. Her drug use had stolen ten years from her looks." this just made me think of the reality. The fact that this women looked 10 years older because she was a hard core drug addict, this just made this world real because it made me imagine all of those horrible before and after pictures of people on drugs.
3. betrayed. I think this city was counting on its patrons to help it succeed and it was betrayed when all the people did was use it all up and not give anything back. The people are betraying each other for money and status. People are betraying the innocent trust of animals. This entire city is turning on one another, and they are stuck in this horrible cycle, where everything constantly "stay dead," because they are stuck in a cycle of dead things.