How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Somehow writing this was getting me down. I couldn't wait until it was time to go see Marisol, but there was a good half hour before she'd be there, so I picked up the Berryman book and turned to the poems Marisol had quoted from last week. Most of the poems went right past me; I felt like I couldn't get a starting point with them, though the language was so strange I kind of liked being inside their world. (4.21)
Writing and literature transports John to a different world, one where he can be someone other than the guy whose parents divorced and ditched him. John doesn't have to live through the depressing nature of his parents' problems; instead he can float away to a fictional world.
Quote #5
I'd never read anything written like that before, all piled together, and it was sort of fun to figure it out. But this Diana was a tad odd. Maybe she'd been on earth before? What was that, Buddhist or something? New Age or just old hippie? (4.26)
Question: You know how you're not supposed to judge a book by its cover? Well, should you judge a writer by their writing?
Quote #6
"Write it down, Gio. After dinner go to your room and write down what happened and how you feel about it. Your writing is good—it really is. Just don't run away from the feelings." (5.64)
As John attempts to process his feelings about his parents, Marisol encourages him to write it down. He won't be able to run away from his feelings when he puts pen to paper. It's too bad, because some of his feelings are dark, but he still has to confront them.