Overall I do like the book, its pretty funny at some parts. What I like about the book, is that even though it is written in diary form you don’t really notice it. I also found it interesting how Steve (the main character) went from being a star 4.0 student, to a flunking pothead. Do you guys think he changed because of the divorce, or did he just meet the wrong people, like Doug? Does Steve hate his parents because of the divorce? Also I don’t really understand his relationship with his sister, if she is still a good student then why isn't Steve? Does he feel as though the divorce was his fault? Also I just wanna make sure I read this part right, but on like page 40, did Steve give his counselor a marijuana plant? If he did that’s pretty raw, but why would he do that, and why didn't he get him in trouble? Also why doesn't he become an official member of G.O.D? I found it funny when Doug had his G.O.D t-shirt on, but is G.O.D the same group as skate or die? I also want to know if Doug was ever a good student. Do you guys think he will win his bet with his dad?
The way that Thomas writes in semi-diary form is truly so off-kilter that it is hard to recognize how the main theme changes, except for the font. Since I have read to the end of the book, the change from this near-perfect student to a low kid, takes a long time. For most of the book he is on track to be in great shape, then one event changes all that. Thomas writes in a way that teenagers could relate to the events of Steve’s downfall. Even if his sister seems to be on the best track to success, and Steve doesn’t, they start to come together as the story progresses, like siblings in real life. Assignment #2 Arthur Lemcke
I was confused about the plant also, so when we were discussing it in our group that immediately became my favorite part. I also agree with Arthur I don’t really like the whole back and forth theme. It is quite confusing and hard to notice sometimes. Abbi Assignment #2
Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas is a confusing read. It isn't a personal relatable book due to the fact that I am not a rebellious kid and not interested in doing drugs. It is however interesting that the relationships between the family members is just thrown at you at the beginning of the story. That would be my only negative feedback so far. The only way I can find this book relatable would be that I see the troubles Steve has gotten into almost every day. Kids decide one day that they don’t care or make it seem like they don’t care for the acceptance of their peers. In Steve case it is just some kid that got pushed too far and wants to have control. But with control comes responsibility, which I predict that Steve is going to have to face during this story. I am unclear at the moment about the father, he must see that everything he wanted in his son is in his daughter; she’s intelligent and obedient. If he really wants his name to live on why can’t a girl do it? Is this a period where woman are seen as fragile puppies or is he just a sexist human being? This may have nothing to do with the story line, but it seems that there would be no story without these questions. -Abbi
Good Abbi, it’s nice to know that you are not interested in doing drugs. Anyways, the fact that the relationships of the family members are thrown at us in the beginning is a weird aspect that I see as a good thing. It helps foreshadow how their differences start bringing them together by the end of the book. I also think that the control that Steve wants will be achieved throughout his year of being a senior. His relationship with his dad does get beter, but the wait will show how long it takes them to fully come together. Assignment #2 Arthur Lemcke
Abbi you’re definitely an anti-rebel, but to get on topic I feel as though the relationship between a father and son is completely different than a father and daughter relationship. The love just isn’t shown as much in father-son relationships. I also don’t believe their dad is a sexist maybe he wants both of his offspring to bring glory to his name, to their name. He also might be trying to focus on Steve a little bit more, so that way he can steer him on the right path to success.
Rats Saw God by Rob Tomas has been a very interesting read. In the beginning of the book, the main character, Steve York is immediately thrust between a rock and a hard place when he is given an assignment: Write a 100 page paper, or don’t graduate. So far this has been a monumental task for York, whose only hope is to trudge through it. A gimmick that Rob Thomas uses quite often is to display Steve’s novel throughout the book. This is how he brings together the events of Steve’s past and present; it describes how he got from being a good student to needing a paper to graduate. This book is truly one of a kind to how it brings together the life of one boy, and to how he is to fix it. -Arthur
Arthur I completely agree with you one hundred percent. It’s an interesting book, and I also like how it switches back and forth from Steve’s novel to present time. At first it may seem confusing but it really allows you to see his transformation from good to bad. Rob Thomas does a good job of showing the change.
The book Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas is a very different book it is interesting but rather confusing to. Something i like about this book is that instead of waiting to tell you about there family they just throw it all at you at the begging like the father is an astronaut and his sister is a good student with perfect grades. Couple of questions i have is why did steve drop from perfect grades to non passing grades? Did his parents divorce affect him? The most interesting to me about this book is that the author just doesn't stick to one single theme he uses many more then just one. Something that I'm confused about is the father or known as the astronaut is he a sexiest person or why does he only seem to pay attention to his daughter or could it be that he wanted a smart good graded child? why does the father not have a good bond with his son to like his daughter?
As you progress in this story those last questions do get answered. I had similar thoughts in the beginning as well about the divorce. Yet I think it is because he feels like everything was his father's fault. I don't want to spoil anything because i don't know how far you are but that does come up again. Abbi Assignment #2
“Did you know she got married on the first day she legally could after the divorce was final?” This has to be one of the most important quotes in this book because throughout this book it has been about how horrible the father was. How he only married his mom to have someone to stand by his side like a show pony. Steve’s relationship was terrible with this father, due to the divorce and the knowledge that he knew. So when his sister got angry and yelled this at him it was like this invisible wall shattered. It doesn't say how he felt about this but I can infer that he was pissed at mom and sadden that he neglected his dad. I like this quote because it starts to bring this new emotion he is feeling into the story. Confusion, he seemed to not know what to do for the first time. He had always hated this man, but now there was nothing to justify it. This all pretty much sums up why I choose this quote. I hope that this strengthens the relationship between Steve and Sarah. They are both great characters but they don’t really seem to relate in the story. This quote doesn't explain why this book banned for other schools, yet I assume the use of drugs and the sexual intercourse may be the core of the problem. Abbi Assignment #2
Arthur Lemcke Assignment #3 Rats Saw god by Rob Thomas was good enough to make me, a non-book reader into a die-hard fan; I did not want to put this book down until the end. This book begins with the main character Steve York, who has to write a 100 page paper to graduate. Throughout the book, Steve finds out how writing this paper, and his life form a story that “might not make sense” as the front of this book suggests. One thing I liked about this book was how the paper Steve is writing is written directly into the book. It is a great way to compare and contrast his past life to present day. I also liked how the author writes in a way that could easily spark emotion and sympathy in other students or readers. But, on the other hand one thing that was not very god about the book was how Rob Thomas decides to end a strong relationship that had been building throughout the story. The characters are written with passion in the story. As you go and read along, you almost start to feel connected with them, almost to an emotional level. You could easily feel their pain as it was your own. The style in which the book is written is in a league of its own. The two parts of the story integrate so well that it really brings his life story together. But, the most interesting thing about this story is its plot. The idea that a great student went so low that a 100 page paper was needed to graduate? It is a great addition to a great book. My first impression of this book was one of confusion. I had no idea of what was in store for me. But as I progressed through the book it became a whirlwind of emotion and trial that could easily be followed and understood. At the end of this I would gladly recommend this book to another person, especially another student. They could easily pick up this book and relate to the problems of Steve. Altogether, truly a great book.
I agree that I liked the fact that he put the paper in the story but not how he would go back and forth so quickly. Did that not annoy you at all? Abbi
Rat Saw God by Rob Thomas was a pretty horrible book. Thomas is known for his famous series “Veronica Mars”. It getting over 3 ½ stars has motivated readers to read some of his earlier books. This is where I am sorry for whoever had made this decision. This old out dated book is dull and seems to have no purpose. I was stunned when I began to read this book; I thought it was written by this amazing author who can connect with young adults. I do understand that most of this book is placed in the 1990’s where it can connect with the Kurt Cobain suicide and bands of the time, MudHoney. Yet I can’t find a way to connect to this book, but I think that in this day and age this book does not work. I do believe this book was a hit wonder of the time it was published, I am not accusing Thomas of being a bad writer but his book doesn’t work with the new “trend” that young adults are looking for. The main character who tortures you with his bad life and dark humor goes by the name of Steve. This young man is on his way to failing high school when his guidance counselor gives him the choice to either write 100 page paper on whatever he wants or not graduate. We see him as he discusses his past and present life as him struggle through love and relationships, lies unravel and force Steve to man up. I will say that I did enjoy the part where Steve put something extra special in his gift to his guidance counselor. This gave me hope that I would enjoy the rest of the book, yet that did not happen. The layout of the story is very abrupt; the only way you can tell the difference in time is the font. This was the most annoying part, you would be reading and all of a sudden there was a three sentence section that had no relevance to what you had just read. It was like being in slow traffic, stop and go the whole way. Rob Thomas is a very descriptive writer and does try to put lessons in his story. He gives hints about the discussion of protection for sexual relationships, and how it is a very important decision. He doesn’t have guys pounding beers and getting into dangerous situations, he shows that there is always a safe decision. He has marijuana in this book yet he isn’t trying to say it is okay to use, just trying to tell young adults that it shouldn’t be used as an emotional anesthetic. All these things contribute to reasons why this book is banned, yet he isn’t trying to get kids to do it but learn safer ways of doing it if in the position. I can’t say I would recommend this book because the plot of the story is dry and not interesting. I do however say that Rob Thomas can be a great writer and recommend reading Veronica Mars. #3 Abbi Eyestone
Books seem to be banned without a student or parent realizing it. Kids are having decisions made for them without their input. I believe that there is never a time for a book to be banned in High School. I say only in High School because of the maturity level that slaps you in the face as you enter through the doors. We are becoming adults and should start having more responsibility such as deciding what books we should read. I understand that some parents and other adults don’t want to have us kids knowing about sex and drug, but we are taught about them almost every day. They are in everyday talk and are usually the pun in every joke. You can’t take something from a teen and not have them want it even more. The book I read “Rat Saw God” was banned because of the sex and drugs, but the book was trying to show that doing or using these things are not a good thing. This isn’t just about the students but also the parents. Their responsibility of placing rules on their child’s reading is decided by some stranger they don’t even know. If there is anyone to fight to get them to stop banning books it would be the parents. We students need to focus on other thing but our parents should be the ones to help with this battle. #4 Abbi Eyestone
Books are written in a way that seems to be like they are ready for any challenge that it's tested by. In an age of a newer generation, there will always be people who think that their ideals are the best for any youth. The main idea that people have about "disheartening" books is that it could harm a youth in some way. The real world situations that kids will go through will seem 10 times as worse as some book experience. A book should not be banned because someone thinks it is bad, but should be thoroughly thought about and be discussed about for a long period of time before an educated professional working around kids deams it "unsafe" Our literature circle book "Rats Saw God" by Rob Thomas was banned because of "bad content" like sex drugs and alcohol. But these situations will just be part of growing up and should be acceptable in a book that panders to young adults. Arthur Assignment 4
Overall I do like the book, its pretty funny at some parts. What I like about the book, is that even though it is written in diary form you don’t really notice it. I also found it interesting how Steve (the main character) went from being a star 4.0 student, to a flunking pothead. Do you guys think he changed because of the divorce, or did he just meet the wrong people, like Doug? Does Steve hate his parents because of the divorce? Also I don’t really understand his relationship with his sister, if she is still a good student then why isn't Steve? Does he feel as though the divorce was his fault? Also I just wanna make sure I read this part right, but on like page 40, did Steve give his counselor a marijuana plant? If he did that’s pretty raw, but why would he do that, and why didn't he get him in trouble? Also why doesn't he become an official member of G.O.D? I found it funny when Doug had his G.O.D t-shirt on, but is G.O.D the same group as skate or die? I also want to know if Doug was ever a good student. Do you guys think he will win his bet with his dad?
ReplyDeleteThe way that Thomas writes in semi-diary form is truly so off-kilter that it is hard to recognize how the main theme changes, except for the font. Since I have read to the end of the book, the change from this near-perfect student to a low kid, takes a long time. For most of the book he is on track to be in great shape, then one event changes all that. Thomas writes in a way that teenagers could relate to the events of Steve’s downfall. Even if his sister seems to be on the best track to success, and Steve doesn’t, they start to come together as the story progresses, like siblings in real life.
DeleteAssignment #2
Arthur Lemcke
I was confused about the plant also, so when we were discussing it in our group that immediately became my favorite part. I also agree with Arthur I don’t really like the whole back and forth theme. It is quite confusing and hard to notice sometimes.
DeleteAbbi
Assignment #2
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteRats Saw God by Rob Thomas is a confusing read. It isn't a personal relatable book due to the fact that I am not a rebellious kid and not interested in doing drugs. It is however interesting that the relationships between the family members is just thrown at you at the beginning of the story. That would be my only negative feedback so far. The only way I can find this book relatable would be that I see the troubles Steve has gotten into almost every day. Kids decide one day that they don’t care or make it seem like they don’t care for the acceptance of their peers. In Steve case it is just some kid that got pushed too far and wants to have control. But with control comes responsibility, which I predict that Steve is going to have to face during this story. I am unclear at the moment about the father, he must see that everything he wanted in his son is in his daughter; she’s intelligent and obedient. If he really wants his name to live on why can’t a girl do it? Is this a period where woman are seen as fragile puppies or is he just a sexist human being? This may have nothing to do with the story line, but it seems that there would be no story without these questions.
ReplyDelete-Abbi
Good Abbi, it’s nice to know that you are not interested in doing drugs. Anyways, the fact that the relationships of the family members are thrown at us in the beginning is a weird aspect that I see as a good thing. It helps foreshadow how their differences start bringing them together by the end of the book. I also think that the control that Steve wants will be achieved throughout his year of being a senior. His relationship with his dad does get beter, but the wait will show how long it takes them to fully come together.
DeleteAssignment #2
Arthur Lemcke
Abbi you’re definitely an anti-rebel, but to get on topic I feel as though the relationship between a father and son is completely different than a father and daughter relationship. The love just isn’t shown as much in father-son relationships. I also don’t believe their dad is a sexist maybe he wants both of his offspring to bring glory to his name, to their name. He also might be trying to focus on Steve a little bit more, so that way he can steer him on the right path to success.
Delete-Cris
Assignment #2
Rats Saw God by Rob Tomas has been a very interesting read. In the beginning of the book, the main character, Steve York is immediately thrust between a rock and a hard place when he is given an assignment: Write a 100 page paper, or don’t graduate. So far this has been a monumental task for York, whose only hope is to trudge through it. A gimmick that Rob Thomas uses quite often is to display Steve’s novel throughout the book. This is how he brings together the events of Steve’s past and present; it describes how he got from being a good student to needing a paper to graduate. This book is truly one of a kind to how it brings together the life of one boy, and to how he is to fix it.
ReplyDelete-Arthur
Arthur I completely agree with you one hundred percent. It’s an interesting book, and I also like how it switches back and forth from Steve’s novel to present time. At first it may seem confusing but it really allows you to see his transformation from good to bad. Rob Thomas does a good job of showing the change.
Delete-Cris
Assignment #2
The book Rats Saw God by Rob Thomas is a very different book it is interesting but rather confusing to. Something i like about this book is that instead of waiting to tell you about there family they just throw it all at you at the begging like the father is an astronaut and his sister is a good student with perfect grades. Couple of questions i have is why did steve drop from perfect grades to non passing grades? Did his parents divorce affect him? The most interesting to me about this book is that the author just doesn't stick to one single theme he uses many more then just one. Something that I'm confused about is the father or known as the astronaut is he a sexiest person or why does he only seem to pay attention to his daughter or could it be that he wanted a smart good graded child? why does the father not have a good bond with his son to like his daughter?
ReplyDeleteAs you progress in this story those last questions do get answered. I had similar thoughts in the beginning as well about the divorce. Yet I think it is because he feels like everything was his father's fault. I don't want to spoil anything because i don't know how far you are but that does come up again.
DeleteAbbi
Assignment #2
“Did you know she got married on the first day she legally could after the divorce was final?”
ReplyDeleteThis has to be one of the most important quotes in this book because throughout this book it has been about how horrible the father was. How he only married his mom to have someone to stand by his side like a show pony. Steve’s relationship was terrible with this father, due to the divorce and the knowledge that he knew. So when his sister got angry and yelled this at him it was like this invisible wall shattered. It doesn't say how he felt about this but I can infer that he was pissed at mom and sadden that he neglected his dad. I like this quote because it starts to bring this new emotion he is feeling into the story. Confusion, he seemed to not know what to do for the first time. He had always hated this man, but now there was nothing to justify it. This all pretty much sums up why I choose this quote. I hope that this strengthens the relationship between Steve and Sarah. They are both great characters but they don’t really seem to relate in the story. This quote doesn't explain why this book banned for other schools, yet I assume the use of drugs and the sexual intercourse may be the core of the problem.
Abbi
Assignment #2
Arthur Lemcke Assignment #3 Rats Saw god by Rob Thomas was good enough to make me, a non-book reader into a die-hard fan; I did not want to put this book down until the end. This book begins with the main character Steve York, who has to write a 100 page paper to graduate. Throughout the book, Steve finds out how writing this paper, and his life form a story that “might not make sense” as the front of this book suggests. One thing I liked about this book was how the paper Steve is writing is written directly into the book. It is a great way to compare and contrast his past life to present day. I also liked how the author writes in a way that could easily spark emotion and sympathy in other students or readers. But, on the other hand one thing that was not very god about the book was how Rob Thomas decides to end a strong relationship that had been building throughout the story. The characters are written with passion in the story. As you go and read along, you almost start to feel connected with them, almost to an emotional level. You could easily feel their pain as it was your own. The style in which the book is written is in a league of its own. The two parts of the story integrate so well that it really brings his life story together. But, the most interesting thing about this story is its plot. The idea that a great student went so low that a 100 page paper was needed to graduate? It is a great addition to a great book. My first impression of this book was one of confusion. I had no idea of what was in store for me. But as I progressed through the book it became a whirlwind of emotion and trial that could easily be followed and understood. At the end of this I would gladly recommend this book to another person, especially another student. They could easily pick up this book and relate to the problems of Steve. Altogether, truly a great book.
ReplyDeleteI agree that I liked the fact that he put the paper in the story but not how he would go back and forth so quickly. Did that not annoy you at all?
DeleteAbbi
Rat Saw God by Rob Thomas was a pretty horrible book. Thomas is known for his famous series “Veronica Mars”. It getting over 3 ½ stars has motivated readers to read some of his earlier books. This is where I am sorry for whoever had made this decision. This old out dated book is dull and seems to have no purpose. I was stunned when I began to read this book; I thought it was written by this amazing author who can connect with young adults. I do understand that most of this book is placed in the 1990’s where it can connect with the Kurt Cobain suicide and bands of the time, MudHoney. Yet I can’t find a way to connect to this book, but I think that in this day and age this book does not work. I do believe this book was a hit wonder of the time it was published, I am not accusing Thomas of being a bad writer but his book doesn’t work with the new “trend” that young adults are looking for.
ReplyDeleteThe main character who tortures you with his bad life and dark humor goes by the name of Steve. This young man is on his way to failing high school when his guidance counselor gives him the choice to either write 100 page paper on whatever he wants or not graduate. We see him as he discusses his past and present life as him struggle through love and relationships, lies unravel and force Steve to man up. I will say that I did enjoy the part where Steve put something extra special in his gift to his guidance counselor. This gave me hope that I would enjoy the rest of the book, yet that did not happen. The layout of the story is very abrupt; the only way you can tell the difference in time is the font. This was the most annoying part, you would be reading and all of a sudden there was a three sentence section that had no relevance to what you had just read. It was like being in slow traffic, stop and go the whole way.
Rob Thomas is a very descriptive writer and does try to put lessons in his story. He gives hints about the discussion of protection for sexual relationships, and how it is a very important decision. He doesn’t have guys pounding beers and getting into dangerous situations, he shows that there is always a safe decision. He has marijuana in this book yet he isn’t trying to say it is okay to use, just trying to tell young adults that it shouldn’t be used as an emotional anesthetic. All these things contribute to reasons why this book is banned, yet he isn’t trying to get kids to do it but learn safer ways of doing it if in the position. I can’t say I would recommend this book because the plot of the story is dry and not interesting. I do however say that Rob Thomas can be a great writer and recommend reading Veronica Mars.
#3
Abbi Eyestone
Books seem to be banned without a student or parent realizing it. Kids are having decisions made for them without their input. I believe that there is never a time for a book to be banned in High School. I say only in High School because of the maturity level that slaps you in the face as you enter through the doors. We are becoming adults and should start having more responsibility such as deciding what books we should read. I understand that some parents and other adults don’t want to have us kids knowing about sex and drug, but we are taught about them almost every day. They are in everyday talk and are usually the pun in every joke. You can’t take something from a teen and not have them want it even more. The book I read “Rat Saw God” was banned because of the sex and drugs, but the book was trying to show that doing or using these things are not a good thing. This isn’t just about the students but also the parents. Their responsibility of placing rules on their child’s reading is decided by some stranger they don’t even know. If there is anyone to fight to get them to stop banning books it would be the parents. We students need to focus on other thing but our parents should be the ones to help with this battle.
ReplyDelete#4
Abbi Eyestone
Books are written in a way that seems to be like they are ready for any challenge that it's tested by. In an age of a newer generation, there will always be people who think that their ideals are the best for any youth. The main idea that people have about "disheartening" books is that it could harm a youth in some way. The real world situations that kids will go through will seem 10 times as worse as some book experience. A book should not be banned because someone thinks it is bad, but should be thoroughly thought about and be discussed about for a long period of time before an educated professional working around kids deams it "unsafe" Our literature circle book "Rats Saw God" by Rob Thomas was banned because of "bad content" like sex drugs and alcohol. But these situations will just be part of growing up and should be acceptable in a book that panders to young adults.
ReplyDeleteArthur
Assignment 4