Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere Book Review

In Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere by Julie T. Lamana, Armani Curtis, a young African-American girl living in the Ninth Ward district of New Orleans, is completely uprooted from her world when Hurricane Katrina rips through her neighborhood. In her search to be reunited with family members, she discovers personal strengths and the real meaning of community. The publisher lists the book for ages 10 and older. Summary of the Story Its late August 2005 and 9-year-old Armani Curtis, looking forward to her birthday weekend, cannot wait to join the double digits club. Nothing, not even the persistent rumors of a storm, can burst Armani’s excitement until she notices her parents’ apprehension. Focusing on her celebration, Armani is disappointed when the other members of her family, including her beloved MeMaw, seem preoccupied with threats of a dangerous storm. When her older brother Georgie tells her the next door neighbors are evacuating, she makes him promise not to tell her parents until after her birthday. Despite their worries and a stormy black sky, Armani’s parents celebrate her tenth birthday with a Bar-B-Q, a delicious buttercream cake with blue frosting, and a brand new puppy which she promptly names Cricket. The celebration is cut short when a neighbor bursts into the backyard telling everyone it’s too late to evacuate and to prepare for a major storm.   Powerful winds begin to blow shattering windows and panic ensue when Georgie notices a rapidly approaching wave of water rolling over everything in its path and heading towards their home. The levee protecting their Ninth Ward neighborhood has broken and there is nowhere to go. The family flees to the attic to save their lives, but their nightmare is just beginning. Trapped in the attic with the floodwaters rising, Armani’s asthmatic baby brother is gasping for air while there are only a few bottles of water between them.  Their crisis grows more distressing as Armani’s brother and then her father, jump into the fast-moving floodwater to capture her birthday puppy. Stranded, the family of refugees must wait for rescue while worrying about the outcome of those family members who jumped into the water. Once on dry land, Armani is left to watch over the younger kids while her mom searches desperately for a clinic to help the sickly baby. Armani realizes it is up to her to keep her small group together amidst the crisis around her. In the process, she discovers how to trust, how to survive, and how to nurture hope in the face of great despair. Author Julie T. Lamana Julie Lamana knows first-hand the destruction brought on by Hurricane Katrina. In 2005 Lamana worked as a literacy aide in a Louisiana school. In the aftermath of the hurricane, she helped displaced children and found in her experiences the seeds to write a story. As a child growing up in a military family, Lamana moved many times and found it difficult to create lasting relationships and thus found comfort in books. Now retired from education, she spends her time writing and is currently at work on her next middle-grade book. Lamana and her family Lamana live in Greenwell Springs, Louisiana.   Recommendation and Review For readers who like survival stories, Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere is a fearsome read. Real life scenarios based on Julie Lamana’s personal experiences dealing with Hurricane Katrina create the story foundation for those uncertain first few days in the Ninth Ward district of New Orleans, Louisiana.  These experiences provided material for an authentic, emotional story for readers who value accurate detail and realistic characters. The character of Armani Curtis transforms from a self-centered, judgmental child, to a conscientious young girl who learns to accept and trust others. Despite many warnings of the approaching storm, Armani is determined to not let anything take away from her special occasion. Lamana deliberately highlights Armani’s self-centered character (pretty typical of her age) so readers can clearly identify the great emotional changes the hurricane brings about forcing Armani to put aside her childish ways in order to make independent and protective decisions about her younger siblings. Within a matter of days, Armani’s childhood vanishes.  Fear and distrust color her every action, but over time Armani begins to allow others to help her rebuild trust. Like a gathering storm, this story starts out at a leisurely pace gradually building in intensity. A typical day of riding the bus, dealing with bullies, and sitting on the front porch swing with her beloved MeMaw slowly moves into whispered rumors of a gathering storm. Television newscasts, neighbors’ midnight evacuations, and an ever-changing colorful sky take Armani and her family from a birthday celebration to a fight for survival.   A Gentle Warning for Parents Julie Lamana has personal experience with Hurricane Katrina and she witnessed the devastating physical, social, and mental effects of the hurricane. Hence, she gives readers an authentic story where a very young girl must deal with death, disease, and despair. While not graphic in detail, there is no sugarcoating about the dead bodies floating in the water, the mass looting, or desperate â€Å"crazies† that Armani meets as she struggles to make sense of the chaos around her. A worthy book to understand how a natural disaster affects a community and a family, I highly recommend Upside Down in the Middle of Nowhere. Be sure to have a box of tissues close by. (Chronicle Books, 2014. ISBN: 9781452124568)

Summary Of Louis Macneice s Poetry Essay - 2317 Words

Poetry is an expression of one’s emotions and feelings, often people overlook this and read simply what is there instead of divulging further. It is important to remember that â€Å"any contemporary poet is a mouthpiece of the Zeitgeist, but, as mouthpieces alter what you put into them, it is helpful to consider the shape of the mouthpiece itself† (MacNeice, 1968). When studying Louis MacNeice’s poetry, it is important to research the context around his texts, especially his childhood. His uncommon upbringing as a child then later his tumultuous adulthood is clear throughout his writing. However, concentrating solely on MacNeice’s childhood when analysing his poetry, it is clear to see that he had a traumatising infantile. With the death of his mother at the age seven (1914 of Tuberculosis), Elizabeth, MacNeice’s sister describes her brother in relation to their mother as â€Å"His last memory-picture of her walking up and down the garden path in t ears seems to have haunted him for the rest of his life†¦ I think that the shock of seeing the sudden change in the mother whom he loved so much, followed by the uncertainty of her return, may have been the chief factor which caused Louis’s memories of childhood to be so sad and sometimes so bitter† (Terrence, 1970). This can be seen throughout his poetry as a common theme throughout is that of despair and isolation, instilling a clear feeling of melancholy for the reader. As his childhood had such a huge effect on his writing I will beShow MoreRelatedAn Unknown Girl Analysis1379 Words   |  6 Pages↠ A Passage To Africa. (Narrative Article, Literary  Analysis.) Poetry Analysis: An Unknown Girl- Moniza  Alvi. 28May In the evening bazaar Studded with neon An unknown girl Is hennaing my hand She squeezes a wet brown line Form a nozzle She is icing my hand, Which she steadies with her On her satin peach knee. In the evening bazaar For a few rupees An unknown girl is hennaing my hand As a little air catches My shadow stitched kameez A peacock spreads its lines Across my palm.

Lyndon B. Johnson s The Great Society - 1450 Words

Throughout the course of American history, there have been programs made in the interest of not only the government, but for the people of the United States. During the presidency of Lyndon B. Johnson the goal was to create a â€Å"Great Society.† The Great Society was a series of programs carrying aspects of what the common people live through each day. Programs for education, the end of poverty, conservation of the wild, housing, social security and the list goes on and on. So how did the Great Society improve or try to improve people’s lives in America by trying to end poverty and discrimination through programs for education and what are the effects today? Lyndon B. Johnson inspired by Franklin D. Roosevelt wanted to create something similar to the New Deal that attempted to help the less advantaged people of the United States and also increase government commitment. After the death of President John F. Kennedy, President Johnson rushed to pass these programs, changing his conservative ideas to liberal wanted to finish JFK work and also prove that he deserved to be President. Johnson passed the Civil Rights Act, which was one of the bills that JFK left in progress of completion. This bill banned all racial discrimination in facilities opened to the public like schools, theaters, and hospitals. Johnson also passed the Voting Rights Act officially naming it unconstitutional to have literacy tests done to African Americans or any other group of voters. These bills were a wayShow MoreRelatedPresident Lyndon B. Johnson s Great Society1248 Words   |  5 Pagespresident Lyndon B. Johnson’s â€Å"Great Society†, which focused on improving the quality of life among all Americans, he initiated the War on Poverty during the 1960s. 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Negative as Well as Social Consequences of the AASB 138 Intangible As

Question: Discuss about the Negative as Well as Social Consequences of the AASB 138 for Intangible Assets. Answer: Introduction The AASB 138 was initially introduced in Australia by July 2004. This was mainly aimed at providing some standards on how numerous intangible assets are valued. Under this accounting standard, research has to be written off once they are incurred (Brahim and Arab 2012). With these considerations, this paper aims to present some negative and social consequences of the introduction of AASB 138. To start with, introduction of the AASB 138 has some negative effects in that reporting organizations that has at one point incurred expenses on their research which was expected to generate some economic benefits were forced to incur some costs to cater for their expenditures. In this case, these expenditures are mainly treated similar to expenditures on the research which is believed to result in future economic benefits (Cheung, Evans and Wright 2008). Therefore, this accounting standard does not permit individuals to differentiate in between organizations that have valuable research as well as those one that do not have; hence, from the efficiency perspective, merit of AASB 138 is highly questionable. In essence, under AASB 138, all organizations are usually treated similarly irrespective of their success status, both the unsuccessful and the successful researchers (Jaafar 2011). As a result, managers would know that those researches they undertake would have some negative impact on their profitability. For instance, those firms suffering from poor profit might view that it is preferable to defer the research until the subsequent periods when their profits are higher and thus, they are better in absorbing their expenditures. The reduced expenditure from conservative treatment would have some obvious economic impacts. As a result suppliers of research-connected supplies would receive lesser finances. On the other hand, introduction of AASB 138 resulted to some social consequences. For instance, adoption of the AASB 138 encourages different organization to increase their personnels education; hence, making these personnel active members in the society growth and development. Introduction of the AASB 138 also alleviates the conservative behaviour of potential investors. This means that introduction of the AASB 138 makes investors less conservative while making their investment decision. Further, introduction of AASB 138 would make managers act appropriately in maximizing their reputation; hence, maximizing their remuneration from their future and current personnel. This means that introduction of the AASB 138 bring a tendency of being more attentive while remunerating future and current personnel; hence, maximizing their remunerations. References Brahim, HB and Arab, MB 2012, The relevance of the information about intangibles: Some determinants, International journal of accounting and financial reporting, 2(1), 219. Cheung, E, Evans, E and Wright, S 2008, The adoption of IFRS in Australia: The case of AASB 138 (IAS 38) Intangible Assets. Australian Accounting Review, 18(3), 248-256. Hunter, L, Webster, E and Wyatt, A 2012, Accounting for expenditure on intangibles, Abacus, 48(1), 104-145. Jaafar, H 2011, Accounting for intangible assets, firm life cycle and the value relevance of intangible assets (Doctoral dissertation, University of Tasmania).