Madeline

My first impression of the character in True Notebooks was that the main character, Mark, seemed uneasy and conflicted about teaching the criminals in the creative writing class. He thought of them all as "thugs" and listed through reasons why he did not want to teach there. But when you keep reading you start to see his mind change, because he begins to learn that these men are much more then just criminals, and that they have talent and passion. An example of this is when Mark assigns all the inmates to write they're thoughts down and read aloud. Even though his grammar and spelling are not the best, Raashad, one of the inmates, gets up and reads his story about the phone call he got that week hearing that his girlfriend had just given birth to a baby girl. He talks about how happy this made him feel, how he couldnt wait to hold his baby in his arms. This part of the book gave me the strongest reaction from the others, because it's so heart warming and everyone can relate to that feeling which represents love. It reminds me why I chose this book because I think its important to try an see the good in people, despite they're flaws. I think everyone has the potential to do great things. I like how this book seems to highlight that point, and gives you the opportunity to see these inmates in a different light and think of them as people you can relate too.