How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
But after everything that had happened, I was really freaking out, and I couldn't escape the questions tidal-waving my brain. Where would I be if things had been different? What would they have done with me? From the way my dad was talking, he wouldn't have had much use for me, that's for sure. He'd have stuck me in a nuthouse somewhere, anywhere, and forgotten about me. But then I thought, No! I'm his kid. He wouldn't do that… would he? (7.115)
Bryce has just gotten a whole new look at his father's prejudices—his dad has made it clear that he doesn't have any positive feelings toward the Baker family and Juli's disabled uncle. And now this has Bryce wondering if his father would hold the same prejudices against him if he had a disability. These are some really tough questions for Bryce to face… and the answers might not make it any easier.
Quote #5
Juli Baker had always seemed just plain dusty to me.
I snapped on my desk lamp and dug the newspaper with the article about Juli out of the drawer where I'd tossed it.
Just like I thought—they made it sound like Juli was trying to save Mount Rushmore or something. They called her a "strong voice in an urban wilderness" and "a radiant beacon, shedding light on the need to curtail continued overdevelopment of our quaint and tranquil community."
Spare me. […] The piece in the paper was gag-me gush.
Except. Except for the places where they quoted Juli. Maybe it was just in contrast to the reporter's slant or something, but Juli's parts didn't come off all oh-woe-is-me like I was expecting. They were, I don't know, deep. Sitting in that tree was seriously philosophical to her. (7.141-145)
Before Bryce reads the newspaper article on Juli, he's got some definite ideas about her—in fact, he's made some assumptions about how "dusty" she is. (By the way, that's a weird way to describe someone. What do you think of that word choice?) But when Bryce reads the article, he discovers something new about Juli: she's pretty cool. In fact, she's "deep" (which sounds a lot better than "dusty" to us). Looks like Bryce finally took his Granddad's advice to read the article "without prejudice" (3.65).
Quote #6
Dad also thought we shouldn't talk about Uncle David to others because David was retarded. "People jump to conclusions," he told me. "They assume that, by association, something must be wrong with you. Trust me, I know."
So we didn't talk about it. Not at home, not with friends. It was almost like there was no Uncle David. (8.46-47)
Juli learned about her Uncle David a long time ago, but it's not until the convo about cleaning up their yard that she realizes how important he is to her family. Her dad is so worried about people being judgmental, that they just never talk about David at all. What do you think about this fear? Since Mr. Loski has been so judgmental, it looks like Mr. Baker's worries are justified. But the downside to not talking about Uncle David is that he becomes almost invisible. And that's not a good thing either.