I recently finished reading Hoops by Walter Dean Meyers. This is a very interesting story about a 17 year old African American boy named Lonnie Jackson. He lives in a Harlem ghetto in New York and loves to play basketball. His dream is to be a professional player in the NBA.
Lonnie is like many poor African American boys in that his only dream is to be a pro basketball player, but he's not sure how to do it. He wants to reach his dream but because of where he lives and the people in his neighborhood, he sees a lot of bad things like crime and drinking. He has a hard time deciding which way he should go.
I can make a text to self connection with Lonnie in two different ways. First, he loves to hang out with his friends and play basketball which is something I like to do. Sometimes there will be lots of kids at my house and we will play a game of basketball in my driveway or a game of horse. This is fun and a good way to get exercise.
The other text to self connection is the opposite from Lonnie. He lacks a father figure and although Cal, his basketball coach, is sort of a father figure he is not the best role model. Cal has a lot of problems like drinking and gambling and he even does something sneaky to Lonnie near the end of the book. (I won't spoil this part!) I am lucky because I do have a father who is very involved in my life and tries to offer good advice to me. Also, I am glad that I do not have to live in a city ghetto.
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