T - PEN Center USA

#63/&%*/50.&.03:3FnFDUJPOTPO'BISFOIFJUt1&/*O5IF$MBTTSPPNt'BJSGBY)JHI4DIPPM, Spring 2012
"1&/*O5IF$MBTTSPPN"OUIPMPHZ
'BJSGBY)JHI4DIPPM
-PT"OHFMFT$BMJGPSOJB
Spring 2012
Burned into Memory
reflections on
Fahrenheit 451
A PEN In The Classroom Anthology
Fairfax High School
Los Angeles, California
Spring 2012
Contents
Introduction
5
Editor’s Note
8
M  S
“My mom is very…” by Brionne Gossett 10
Simple Life by David Guerra 11
Her…My Big Sister by Courtney Joseph 12
“There is a person…” by Robert Kim 13
“My brother is…” by Odir Leiva 14
Till I Stop Loving by German Ocampo 15
My Sunshine by German Ocampo 16
“My grandma is one…” by Francisco Perez 17
“My mom is one of…” by Bernardo Veliz 18
B D  H
“The thing I can’t…” by Wendy Castillo 20
“If there were to be a fire…” by Seul-Gi Jang 21
My Photo Album by Luis Angel Mejia 22
“If my house was set ablaze…” by Praditya Moniaga 23
“If the house was burning…” by KJ Seo 24
L W B U W…
“Music doesn’t need to be…” by Eunice Chong 26
Music, Friends, Life by Francisco Cruz 27
“Music is what I enjoy…” by Brian Escoto 28
Sports by Jack Guerra 29
“My dad says that shopping…” by Paris Hugee 30
“I don’t know what I would do…” by Luis Angel Mejia 31
What Is Life? by Albert Na 32
“So many awkward moments…” by Erick Rodriguez 33
“Music is a way of life…” by Alexis Salazar 34
L  B
“I think that what you are doing…” by Brionne Gossett 36
“Books are important…” by Stella Kim 37
“Do you want to know…” by Erick Rodriguez 38
“I completely agree with you…” by Aleksey Romanchuk 39
Letter to Beatty by Issa Traore 40
M
I Believe by Dadrien Craig 42
I Believe by Robert Kim 43
“I used to believe…” by Stella Kim 44
Race by DeMorray Smith 45
Believe by Joel Miller’s 9th-grade English class 46
M E L
“When I was in the seventh grade…” by Wendy Castillo 48
“The book that I read was…” by Dadrien Craig 49
“Books are a mystery…” by Seul-Gi Jang 50
“I was in class and…” by Dalvin Manning 51
“The movie recreation of…” by Praditya Moniaga 52
“The first book I ever read…” by Albert Na 53
“Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen…” by Karen Orellana 54
“I remember going to kindergarten…” by
Francisco Perez 55
“My experience with Diary of a Wimpy Kid…” by
Aleksey Romanchuk 56
“The first book that I ever read…” by Alexis Salazar 57
“The Rocket Boys book is…” by KJ Seo 58
Student Biographies
59
I NTRODUCTION
his year marks the third occasion that PEN Center USA,
a literary nonprofit based in Los Angeles, has taken part
in The Big Read in West Hollywood. The Big Read is a program of the National Endowment for the Arts, in partnership
with Arts Midwest, designed to restore reading to the center of
American culture. The goal of The Big Read clearly resonates
with PEN Center USA’s mission to stimulate and maintain interest in the written word, to foster a vital literary community,
and to protect and defend freedom of expression domestically
and internationally.
Part of PEN’s annual participation in the program — in
addition to facilitating book discussions and panels in the community — is to provide a PEN In The Classroom (PITC) Big
Read creative writing residency to a group of students at Fairfax High School. Since 1995, PITC has published the written
work of thousands of talented youth. A typical PITC residency
involves a tailored curriculum of selected readings, discussions,
and creative writing exercises. A PITC Big Read writing residency is slightly different in that it uses the ideas and themes
of The Big Read text as a jumping-off point, a place to begin.
Where the students go from there is up to their imaginations.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, a native Californian, is a
science fiction novel that imagines a dystopian futuristic society in which books are burned and the very act of thinking
is criminalized. In other words, it is a book that illustrates the
dangers of censorship. As the program manager of PEN In
The Classroom, I visit each residency at the start of the initial
workshop and remind the students of their First Amendment
right to freedom of speech. I remind them that their voices are
T
5
unique and powerful, and that to write their truth on the page
is to advocate for themselves and for their entire generation.
From PEN’s perspective, if a student graduates from high
school without ever having an opportunity to express him- or
herself through words, either written or spoken aloud, then that
student’s First Amendment right has been encroached upon.
Rather than destroy books, PEN In The Classroom encourages
students to cherish them; rather than suppress free thought,
PEN In The Classroom celebrates it. In that sense, I can’t think
of a better book for PITC students to read than Fahrenheit 451.
The city of West Hollywood chose Fahrenheit 451 as the
Big Read text this year to celebrate reading and access to a wide
variety of books, all of which became easier to do last year with
the opening of the beautiful new West Hollywood Library.
Bradbury, who is named a “Literary Lion” by the Friends of the
West Hollywood Library, has said that he received his education in the libraries in and around Los Angeles. In an interview
with The Paris Review, he stated:
I am a librarian. I discovered me in the library. I went to
find me in the library. Before I fell in love with libraries,
I was just a six-year-old boy. The library fueled all of my
curiosities, from dinosaurs to ancient Egypt. When I
graduated from high school in 1938, I began going to
the library three nights a week. I did this every week for
almost ten years and finally, in 1947, around the time I
got married, I figured I was done. So I graduated from
the library when I was twenty-seven. I discovered that
the library is the real school. In the early 1950s, not long after Bradbury had completed
his library-fueled education, he wrote Fahrenheit 451 in the li-
6
brary at UCLA. In today’s world, to be sure, the undeniable
lure of books and libraries has a difficult time competing with
the flashy ubiquity of iPhones, video games, and reality TV
shows that most high school students say they prefer. And
yet libraries are still full of quiet magic and, as this anthology
proves, high school students are still full of engaging stories to
tell. They still have something important and honest to say that
can only be communicated with simple words, ink on paper.
Thank you to Andrew Campbell, cultural affairs administrator for the city of West Hollywood, and Susan Anderson,
manager of the West Hollywood Library, for making this PEN
In The Classroom Big Read residency possible. Thanks to Joel
Miller, PITC host teacher at Fairfax High School, and Danielle Moody, the PEN In The Classroom Big Read instructor. The success of this residency can be credited to your hard
work, support, insight, creativity, and excellent communication.
Thank you, finally, to all of the students who participated in
this creative writing residency and who were brave enough to
put their truth on the page. Keep writing. Keep reading.
Heather Simons
PEN In The Classroom Program Manager
For more information about The Big Read, please
visit www.neabigread.org.
7
E DITOR ’ S N OTE
..am grateful to host teacher Joel Miller for welcoming me
I PEN
into his classroom, and I’m honored to have been part of the
In The Classroom program at Fairfax High School for
this series of eight workshops conducted simultaneously with
The Big Read.
The value of books and reading is a central theme in Ray
Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451. Just as the protagonist, Montag,
struggles to understand what he finds in books, so too did Joel’s
ninth-grade English students grapple with the idea that freedom of expression could be so narrowly constrained.
The student writings in the Burned Into Memory anthology are arranged in accordance with the ideas in Fahrenheit
451, which served as a launching pad from which the students
explored their connections to books in general. Each section in
this anthology is prefaced by a quote from the novel and a brief
description of what these young authors were focusing on as
they wrote the pieces in that section.
In reading these students’ works, I found some of my own
experiences with literature reflected in what they wrote, and it
is my sincerest hope that anyone who reads Burned Into Memory will discover a similar connection.
Danielle Moody
PEN In The Classroom Instructor
8
M OVERS
AND
S HAPERS
She was the first person I can remember who
looked straight at me as if I counted.
—Guy to Mildred
Montag’s transformation in Fahrenheit 451 begins when he
encounters Clarisse, a teenager whose willingness to ask questions disturbs Montag’s acceptance of the status quo more than
he first realizes. Accordingly, the student authors wrote about
the people in their lives who have moved them to take action
and shaped them as people.
Photo of Courtney Joseph
“My mom is very…”
Brionne Gossett
y mom is very beautiful; she is short, light-skinned with
M
almond-shaped eyes, funny, and nice. She is a good singer,
a good friend, and a good mother. She loves to do hair and go
to church. My mom is the most wonderful thing that has ever
happened to me.
When I was twelve or thirteen, I was very bored and read
Charlotte’s Web, and I actually loved it. My mom told me to read
it because I was always texting and watching TV. She said I had
to at least finish reading the book if I wanted to text my friends
and watch TV.
Illustration by Brionne Gossett
10
Simple Life
David Guerra
Three in the morning
a sound of a car engine
awakens me, like a distant sound
so quiet yet so loud.
Ambience, like a cheering crowd
I rustle off my sheets
from my window, I take a peek
It’s too late to go back to sleep
And what I see; my neighbor
I know she was a busy woman
She’d come home around ten o’clock or later
I give nothing but my full admiration
For her family she was full of participation
11
Her…My Big Sister
Courtney Joseph
he’s been there my whole life; she’s cared for and nurtured
S
me. She’s always looked out for my best interests, even
though I don’t always see it. She may be smaller than me, but
she can have a big voice. She’s not rough and tough, but she’s
not cookie-cutter, either. She’s funny, she’s pretty, and she gets
along with everyone. I may not always like her, but we’ll always
be there for each other. She’s not the tallest person, but to me
she’s a giant. And I love her for all she’s done, but I’ll be happier when her work as big sister, with trying to tell me what to
do, is finished.
12
“There is a person…”
Robert Kim
here is a person that really pushes me to my limits. His
T
name is Peter, and he is my older brother. He goes to the
same school as me. I feel special being his twin brother. He
is fifteen years old and only one minute older than me. I have
always depended on him my entire life. Every day we stick together and talk to each other. We make each other laugh. We
always plan when to meet during school, before and after class.
We help each other when we have difficulties. He is my best
friend at school. My brother and I say good luck to each other
when we are about to take tests in class.
13
“My brother is…”
Odir Leiva
y brother is a year older than me. But I am taller than
M
him, and that makes him angry. He also has a very short
temper; anything can make him mad. He has light skin and
almost never smiles. When he does smile, it is only for a short
while. I guess I see my brother as a person who is never really
happy, but overall he is not a bad person. He can be nice when
he wants to be, but that’s very rare.
14
Till I Stop Loving
German Ocampo
he is like the light to my day, my other half that won’t go
S
away. She will stay and talk, and when she goes home, we
text all night long. Her people don’t know about us, but I will
be with her as long as my heart wants to. She makes me laugh,
and I do the same. I could stay with her till the day I go.
15
My Sunshine
German Ocampo
She is the light of my day and night
When I look up at the moon I see her and she sees me
When I’m down she picks me up
It is easy to fall down and get back up
But not easy to fall in love and get back up
The fall will hurt and leave hurt marks
They will go away, but love will leave scars
16
“My grandma is one…”
Francisco Perez
y grandma is one of the nicest ladies; she has had a huge
M
impact on my life. She always gives me advice every time I
get in trouble with my parents and is always on my side. She’s
the person who encourages me to do well, and so do my parents. She has made me the person I am today. I love my grandma. In life there are a lot of challenges; we have to go through
ups and downs. Life is how you make it; you can make it a great
one or a bad one. In life we’ve got to learn from teachers who
are hard to deal with and teachers we enjoy. Life always has its
good sides and bad. I guess that’s just life.
17
“My mom is one of…”
Bernardo Veliz
y mom is one of the most important people in my life,
M
aside from my dad and grandma. My mom is just wonderful. She always pushes me to do better in school, and because
of her I am doing much better than last semester. When I do
something bad in school — like get in trouble, fail a test, or
don’t do my homework — I always think of her and think to
myself my mom wouldn’t be happy about that. I try hard not
just for her but for myself too. I want to be successful in life, so
I’ve got to have a good education, but at the same time I want
to make my mother happy, and I don’t want to disappoint her.
I love my mom, and I think without her I would have dropped
out of school or been a straight-F student, not caring if it was
bad for me.
18
B URNING D OWN
THE H OUSE
There must be something in books, things we can’t
imagine, to make a woman stay in a burning house;
there must be something there. You don’t stay for
nothing.
—Guy to Mildred
The human need for shared experience, which can be found
in books, helps explain why Mrs. Hudson, one of the characters
in Fahrenheit 451, chooses to die with her books rather than
live without them. It’s a turning point for Montag’s character,
which prompted these young writers to consider which, if any,
of their possessions they would be willing to risk burning alive
to save rather than live without.
Illustration by Aleksey Romanchuk
“The thing I can’t…”
Wendy Castillo
he thing I can’t live without would be the photo albums
T
that I have in my room. Some of the pictures are of my
parents when they were young. The pictures that I have in my
room are really important to my life and help me see the world
in a different way. Pictures are memories that can never be replaced. Every picture tells a story in my life. Some of them
show me when I was a baby and I was wearing a white dress.
My mom told me that I wouldn’t want to wear anything else
but that white dress. In one of the pictures I remember I was
about one year old and I took my first step. My mom told me
that when I took my first step was the same time my younger
brother was born. This is why I would die in a burning house
just to save my photo albums.
20
“If there were to be a fire…”
Seul-Gi Jang
f there was a fire at my house and all living things were outIwould
side, one thing I would risk my life to go back in and get
be my photo album. My Pikachu doll is important to
me and is like my best friend, but a photo album is something
I cannot replace. Photos are memories of me that I could never
get back again. Many of them hold my past and the story of my
life and how I got to where I am right now. Not all memories
are good, but those pictures hold the events that I remember
and people I respect and cannot see again; people who have
helped me when I fell and who are my role models. None of
them ever lived their lives with waste or regrets.
Inside the burning house I would also risk my life to grab
my Pikachu, because this doll resembles someone who is special to me. Pikachu is very cute and cuddly. I can hug him and
cry all night till I feel better, and it won’t complain or judge me.
21
My Photo Album
Luis Angel Mejia
I wouldn’t be able to live without my photo album. If
I get..think
my house was burning, that would be the first thing I would
out, because to me the pictures in it are valuable and cannot
be replaced. Electronics can be replaced but photos can’t. The
album contains photos from throughout my life. They are valuable memories. There are photos of my grandmother and me at
the beach, on the sand, with trees, and a maca, which is a net
bed connected by two trees. I miss my grandmother so much.
Sadly, she passed away. Pictures that can never be replaced: her
at the beach with a Nike hat that I gave her for the sun. She
was really happy. Pictures that will never be replaced.
22
“If my house was set ablaze…”
Praditya Moniaga
If my house was set ablaze
There would be one thing I would save
Jumping through the flames
with heat piercing my veins
Sweat drippin’ down my face
I would kick down my closet door
digging through my clothes, pants, and many more
There’s a certain plastic box with many memories stored
Pictures and secrets, notes passed through class
that friends wrote
The box was my treasure chest
filled with memories suppressed
Grab the box and escape before my death
Inhaling toxic fumes
My room would be certain to be my tomb
The box was so important
I’d risk my life with skin scorchin’…
23
“If the house was burning…”
KJ Seo
f the house was burning, I would go in and get my samuI24,000
rai sword. Because if I sell this sword, it will bring me about
dollars, and then I could buy another house to live in
again. The sword is kind of heavy and weighs about the same
as a 3,000-page book. It can cut through twenty-six inches of
tree and is high quality. The sword was made in Japan. I think
my uncle said it once belonged to a warrior of Tokyo. I just got
this from someone as a gift.
24
L IFE W OULD B E
U NTHINKABLE W ITHOUT …
I don’t talk things, sir … I talk the meaning of
things.
—Faber to Montag
Life for Montag soon becomes unthinkable without books.
With Faber’s guidance, Montag begins to understand that the
emptiness he feels stems from a lack of meaning, which he
thinks might be found in books. The student writers considered
a thing about which they feel passionate and wrote about the
meaning those things bring to their own lives.
Illustration by Eunice Chong
“Music doesn’t need to be…”
Eunice Chong
Music doesn’t need to be produced by a celebrity.
Music is literally a way to express liberty.
Music is a mixture of passion, love, and creativity.
This goes out to the people who enjoy music.
No matter what life takes away, you cannot lose this.
Just because you aren’t internationally known
doesn’t mean you can’t kill it on the microphone.
Never give up, keep on dreaming, and strive for it,
then you’ll be awarded and live the privilege and experience
the whole package.
The love of my life, my best companion, the one I cannot live
without. The microphone is what I am talking about. The
microphone brings my true colors out onto the table.
Singing is my number one priority; it is my passion.
The microphone and I go way back.
My microphone is like ice cream in my mouth — sweet and
melting.
It smells like a ball of joy.
It feels like soft blankets, as if you’re home.
26
Music, Friends, Life
Francisco Cruz
usic helps me understand life in many ways that I may not
M
really get. Music helps me by answering questions I have
but no one really has an answer to. In song you may hear some-
one singing about true friends, fake friends, bad friends, or best
friends. The hidden word in all these similar terms is the word
“friends.” Friends mean people you do things with and whom
you can be around because you want to. Then there’s the word
“end.” Friendships end. All kinds of friends end. A bad friend
will be a memory with an enemy. (Bad friend/fake friend.) But
the truth is that this is the way life is. You cannot keep friends
forever ’cause there will be a point when you lose them. Either
you leave or they leave.
27
“Music is what I enjoy…”
Brian Escoto
usic is what I enjoy listening to. There are also lyrics that
M
I can relate to. Hearing music every day is one of the best
things you can do when there’s nothing else to do. Even trying
to come up with my very own lyrics, because me, I like listening
to rap music. And sometimes my friends and I make up raps.
Music is a hobby to me. I cannot live more than a week without
listening to music. It’s my favorite type of entertainment. There
are also times when I listen to a song and I feel like the artist is
talking about me.
Illustration by Stella Kim
28
Sports
Jack Guerra
o me sports are like a passion. Well, more specifically, footT
ball is my passion. Without football I’d be just any other ordinary boy doing everyday things. I can’t go a day without foot-
ball or I’ll go insane. Sometimes I go crazy thinking how it’s
gonna be when the season starts. I play defensive tackle. I used
to play linebacker, but the plays were too hard so I switched
positions.
29
“My dad says that shopping…”
Paris Hugee
y dad says that shopping is not the only thing in life, but
M
to me it is very important. When I have nothing to do, I
like to go to the mall, but sometimes he has a problem with it.
When I go to the mall I like to take my time and look around,
so I spend two to three hours. A lot of my friends feel the same
way. Who wants to go to the mall and not take their time? (My
dad.) When you think about it, my dad has no idea what girls
like to do. Sometimes he doesn’t like the types of things I like
to put on, but that’s what I like to wear. I don’t understand why
he acts that way.
30
“I don’t know what I would do…”
Luis Angel Mejia
know what I would do if I didn’t have my bike. I literalI my..don’t
ly don’t know how I would live without it, because my bike is
transportation everywhere. My mom would love taking me
places I need to go, but I show her how independent I am by
getting there on my own. My bike makes me feel responsible
and mature: Responsible because I have to take care of my bike
and arrive at places on time. Mature because my mom doesn’t
have to wake up early in the morning to drive me to school.
31
What Is Life?
Albert Na
To me life is a journey
It has its ups and downs
There is a beginning but you cannot find the end.
Our life is a second compared to the world
Here today and gone tomorrow
Like a vapor in the wind.
But in this short life, we can do so much
So live like there’s no tomorrow
32
“So many awkward moments…”
Erick Rodriguez
o many awkward moments — from people forgetting your
S
name to people mistaking your race. The important thing is
to not get caught up in them. Everybody is awkward in his or
her own way. One day or another you’ll have an awkward moment, but don’t feel out of place; we’re all human.
Illustration by German Ocampo
33
“Music is a way of life…”
Alexis Salazar
Music is a way of life
it stops people from pulling a knife
depends on the music you listen to
whether it’s rap, classic, or hip-hop
you listen to the music you want to
but when you listen to it in class you have no clue
about what is happening around you
some people are in a different state of mind
and they choose music instead of food on a plate
even if people are facing starvation
there are different types of music around the nation
34
L ETTERS
TO
B EATTY
A book is a loaded gun …
—Beatty to Montag
The students responded to Beatty’s statement — that books
are dangerous weapons — by writing letters to him to explain
why he is mistaken and should reconsider his mission to burn
books.
Photo of Erick Rodriguez
“I think that what you are doing…”
Brionne Gossett
Dear Captain Beatty,
I think that what you are doing to these books is unfair to
people. I know that a lot of people like to read and enjoy books,
but they can’t enjoy reading if you are burning them. Just because you don’t like books does not give you the right to burn
them and take away the things that people enjoy doing.
Sincerely,
Brionne
36
“Books are important…”
Stella Kim
Dear Captain Beatty,
Books are important. I know it’s your job to burn books because you have to, but you shouldn’t. Books give you everything.
They give you knowledge. You said, “A book is a loaded gun.”
You are right, so go read some books and get smarter. Books are
important. They could change lives—maybe even yours.
Love,
Stella
37
“Do you want to know…”
Erick Rodriguez
Dear Captain Beatty,
Do you want to know why young people are acting so violently? Do you also want to know why young people from way
back act differently? The answer to the questions above is because young people used to have books and read them. Back
when books were legal, children and teens used to have intelligence and education, but now they act very barbaric. I hope
you see the error of your ways.
Sincerely,
Erick
38
“I completely agree with you…”
Aleksey Romanchuk
Dear Beatty,
I completely agree with you that a book is a loaded gun, because if people read, they gain knowledge. Knowledge is power.
The man who wants to burn all the books thinks that books
are not important. He also thinks that if people read, they will
know how to defeat him. Reading is very important and sometimes fun; it’s like a movie in your head.
Sincerely,
Aleksey Romanchuk
39
Letter to Beatty
Issa Traore
Dear Beatty,
Do you want me to tell you why young people act so violent? It is because young people watch violent TV and are not
reading enough books. If kids started to read books, it would
enhance their vocabulary and express their imagination instead
of watching people kill other people on TV. I think that the
Silent Sustained Reading time is not enough at our school,
because people really need more time to read. Well, Beatty, I
hope I answered your question.
Love,
Issa
40
M ANIFESTOS
Whether we like this or not, we’re in it … We’ve got
to start somewhere here, figuring out why we’re in
such a mess … This isn’t going to be easy. We haven’t
anything to go on, but maybe we can piece it out and
figure it and help each other.
—Guy to Mildred
The students used Montag’s belief that there must be something worthwhile in books as a starting point for exploring and
sharing their own beliefs.
Illustration by German Ocampo
I Believe
Dadrien Craig
I believe we should be able to wear hats at school
I believe quiet people shouldn’t be considered cool
I believe the First Amendment is the best one of all
I believe females just shouldn’t be tall
I believe that Santa Claus is fiction
I believe Starbursts is a contradiction
I believe that milk will make you strong
I believe that if you don’t smoke you will live long
I believe that all girls don’t write neat
I believe old people shouldn’t show their feet
42
I Believe
Robert Kim
I believe that there is a man in the moon, just like Clarisse.
They are the astronauts.
I believe that my older brother will overcome his fear of
heights.
I believe that I will talk a lot more and be less shy when I
grow up.
I believe that everybody will have some success in life.
I believe that I will be more fit and healthy.
I believe that our planet earth will someday be as clean as
when it was first created.
I believe that people who are failing in school will soon be
very smart.
I believe that my grandparents will still be alive to see their
great-grandchildren.
I believe that I will live a good life.
I believe that I will have fun building homes for the homeless
people in New Orleans.
I believe that technology is getting way too advanced.
43
“I used to believe…”
Stella Kim
I used to believe my parents had answers, but now I realize no
one does.
I used to believe I was in fairy tales and dreams, but now I’m
in reality’s bullshit.
I believe that I need some sleep.
I believe I need to grow.
I used to believe that I was perfect, but I’m full of mistakes.
I believe music is giving me strength to live.
Illustration by Stella Kim
44
Race
DeMorray Smith
Why are so many people racist these days? Why do people
discriminate against Blacks? Why do people want Blacks to
leave earth?
I believe that Blacks should be able to work together as a
team.
I believe that I should be able to do or say anything I want.
I believe that Blacks should be given an equal opportunity.
I believe that racism should be discontinued.
I believe that Blacks should be able to go to any state, city, or
country without being discriminated against.
I believe that there is no such thing as skin color because we
were all created equal by the God upstairs.
45
Believe
Joel Miller’s 9 th-grade English class
I believe that the world is a large place.
I believe that we are all equal.
I believe in standing up for yourself.
I believe in treating animals the same way you would like to
be treated.
I believe that reading books will make you smarter.
I believe money makes people blind.
I used to believe there were ghosts in the closet; now I know
it’s just clothes.
I believe music can help people relax.
I believe that earth isn’t the only planet with life on it.
I believe that if a girl is in love, you can tell by her smile, but if
a boy is in love, you can tell by his eyes.
I believe in my brother getting a full scholarship to his dream
school.
I believe thinking is very important and can give you more
power.
I believe the Lakers will win the championship this year
again.
I think Fogo de Chao is the best meat restaurant in California.
I believe that cheerleading is fun!
I believe strawberries smell good.
I believe in my friends, because they trust me and I trust them
and we help each other in emergencies.
I believe when the friendship starts to fade away, the love also
fades away.
I believe you can learn from your mistakes.
I believe in time travel, because we can’t change anything
from the past but can change some other world’s present.
I believe peace should be a way of life for everyone.
46
M EMORIES E X L IBRIS
Perhaps later … they would begin to talk, or just
say the things they remembered, to be sure they were
there …
Some of the characters in Fahrenheit 451 take on books
as their identities. Imbued with a sense of responsibility to
humanity, each individual has committed an entire book or
chapters of a book to memory. In the following pages, young
authors use memory to explore their own connections to books.
Photo of Francisco Perez
“When I was in the seventh grade…”
Wendy Castillo
hen I was in the seventh grade, The Outsiders was one of
W
my favorite books. I remember I fell in love with four of
the characters;their names were Ponyboy, Sodapop, Danny, and
Johnny Cake. After we finished the book for English class, my
teacher said we were going to see the movie! I was so happy.
I liked the actors who where going to play Ponyboy, Sodapop,
Danny, and Johnny Cake. The book is about the Socs and the
Greasers. Ponyboy and Johnny Cake killed one of the Socs
and had to leave the city. After a month, they were going back
home and saw a church that was on fire and there were kids
inside. They saved them, but Johnny got really hurt and died
from his fourth-degree burns. After the movie finished, I was
crying because of what had happened to Johnny. But I got over
it and learned to go on with my life.
48
“The book that I read was…”
Dadrien Craig
he book that I read was To Kill a Mockingbird, and I really,
T
really liked it. I only had fifteen minutes to read every day
in class, and I simply loved it. Every time I finished reading,
I always fell into deep thought, like, “What is gonna happen
next?” and “I hope such and such happens.”
49
“Books are a mystery…”
Seul-Gi Jang
ooks are a mystery. No one can ever tell what a book is
B
about until you open it and start reading. Out of all the
books I’ve read, one of my favorites and most memorable was A
Wrinkle in Time. It was a very moving story that I read in fifth
grade and still it touched my heart. It is about three siblings going on an adventure to find their dad. I was reading this when
I lost my dad in his battle with cancer. The book made me feel
very proud, as if I was one of the siblings when they finally
found their father.
50
“I was in class and…”
Dalvin Manning
in class and was assigned to read a book. It was not that
I my..was
long ago. The book was called The Titanic. I used to read it in
room while the TV was on. It was a good book and reminded me that leadership is a good role to take on. Even when you
don’t know how to be a leader, you can learn if you try.
51
“The movie recreation of…”
Praditya Moniaga
he movie recreation of Let the Right One In had a deep imT
pact on me. I watched the Swedish original, which goes
under the same title, and the American remake called Let Me
In. The book is about a young boy who is constantly bullied at
school. That caught my attention because I have been bullied
before and got my first black eye in fourth grade. This boy befriends a mysterious girl, who is the same age as him, and she
teaches him how to stand up for himself. The book taught me
to accept love, even if it comes from the most unlikely places. It
inspired me to learn Morse code.
52
“The first book I ever read…”
Albert Na
he first book I ever read by myself was Green Eggs and Ham.
T
It is memorable to me because I remember when the book
was assigned to our first-grade class and we had a party with
actual green eggs and ham — after we were done reading it.
The eggs had green food coloring on them, and although they
looked different, they tasted the same as regular eggs.
The Bible is the foundation of my life. It has answers to
life and tells me about laws I must obey. It contains everything:
stories of life, love, war, sacrifice, courage, leadership, humility,
history, etc.
53
“Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen…”
Karen Orellana
ock and Key by Sarah Dessen was the first book I actuL
ally read and enjoyed reading. My sister was the one who
showed it to me. I was thirteen when I read it. The book is
about a girl who gets abandoned by her single mother. Child
Services finds out and makes her live with her sister, but they
haven’t spoken for about fifteen years.
54
“I remember going to kindergarten…”
Francisco Perez
..remember going to kindergarten one day, sitting on the rug
I rhymed.
while my teacher read The Cat in the Hat. I enjoyed books that
I would be so happy that I had a huge smile. Then
another day in kindergarten they read to us Green Eggs and
Ham. I remember in the fifth grade I started reading a chapter
book by myself. Bridge to Tarabithia made me feel like I was in
the book and not in reality. In the sixth grade our teacher made
us read Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and I enjoyed it because it was
the only humor book that the teacher had us read. Now I was
getting older and beginning to realize what the world was like.
In the eighth grade we read Freedom Writers, and I enjoyed it
because many of us could relate to the journals the students
wrote in this book. Now that I’m in the ninth grade, starting
high school, there hasn’t yet been a book that catches my eye,
and the ones I have read have not entertained me.
55
“My experience with Diary of a
Wimpy Kid…”
Aleksey Romanchuk
y experience with Diary of a Wimpy Kid started in the sixth
grade when, I think, the first Wimpy Kid book came out
and all of my friends were talking about it. I was curious, so I
decided to check it out in the library. I loved it. I bought it at
Barnes and Noble. Now I have all of these books, which are
very fun and entertaining.
M
56
“The first book that I ever read…”
Alexis Salazar
he first book that I ever read was Always Running. Every day
T
I would want to read it little by little instead of going with
my friends. It was an interesting and fun book to read. When
I was done reading the book, it changed the way I viewed the
world. It helped me understand what other people were up to
and what they were doing. The other really good books that I
like from the list I wrote are Swallowing Stones and The Outsiders. A Boy Called It was also a good but sad story; it made me
realize what another boy went through daily.
57
“The Rocket Boys book is…”
KJ Seo
he Rocket Boys book is about some boys who build a rocket
T
and test it. Their dream was to succeed at this. One of the
boys was listening to the radio about Russian missiles and a
rocket, so this boy wanted to build it and see how far his rocket
could go. He made a few friends, and they worked as a team. I
first read this book when I was in the seventh grade. And I read
this book again four or five times.
58
S TUDENT B IOGRAPHIES
Wendy Castillo wishes she had more art supplies and that
her cat would stop waking her up in the morning. Although
Wendy has sometimes hesitated to express herself out of fear
of what people might think of her, she knows that it is beautiful to be alive and reveal herself in her own wonderful way.
Eunice Chong was born in Los Angeles and had a dream that
she passed an audition to be a singer in Korea, which she
wishes would one day come true. She got a start on making
this dream come true when she sang Adele’s “Rolling in the
Deep” in the school talent show.
Dadrien Craig was born in Inglewood and wishes he had an
unlimited number of wishes. He once dreamt that he jumped
off a skyscraper at Fairfax and Wilshire without getting hurt,
and then rode away on his bike with a smile on his face.
Francisco Cruz is sixteen years old and dreams about being
able to drive all over France. School is harder than he thought
it would be, and he wishes summer vacation was already here.
Francisco feels he has been prevented from speaking up in his
ICS class.
Foster Dixon is in the ninth grade at Fairfax High School. He
loves his family and playing Xbox.
59
Brian Escoto owns a lot of rosaries, and seeing his mother
smile brightens up his day. He dreams of meeting all his favorite rappers at once and loves to listen to music on his iPod.
Brionne Gossett has four siblings, wishes that she could get
straight As, and that both of her parents lived under the same
roof. She once had a dream that she was Alice in Wonderland.
She believes in herself and others and will miss her school
friends in summer.
David Guerra once had a dream that he had superpowers and
wishes it was true. He believes in God, freedom of speech, and
the right to universal health care.
Jack Guerra was born in Los Angeles and knows he can be
successful. He wishes he could be as smart as his brother and
dreams of one day playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Paris Hugee has dreamt of being at the beach and watching
the sunset. She is certain that ladybugs are cute and that she
can’t live without her cell phone. She also believes that judging people based on their color is as wrong as judging a book
by its cover.
Seul-Gi Jang was born in Seoul. She knows that practice
makes perfect and once had a dream that the music group
June fought for her and ran away with her in their car. Seul-Gi
believes there is no such thing as an ugly human being. She
fears being alone more than anything else.
60
Courtney Joseph feels censored every time she argues with her
mother. She believes that making mistakes is human and that
flaws make us who we are. Courtney loves how some books can
block everything out and take you to another place and likes to
write her own stories.
Robert Kim once completed a project about the book Holes for
an English class. He dreams about driving a car. Robert loves
using his camcorder to record interesting events and once attempted to film people singing at a concert, but the security
officers told him to stop.
Stella Kim was born in Seoul, South Korea, and wishes she
could teleport. She can’t imagine living without art and music and once had a dream about flying naked with ice cream.
The tale of Snow White and the Korean comic Maple Story are
among her earliest memories of reading.
Odir Leiva knows that we all need air to live. He likes his iPod,
because listening to music is like hearing angels sing. Odir once
had a dream that he got shot, but he spit the bullet out.
Dalvin Manning was born in Los Angeles and loves trees,
which give us oxygen. He dreams of flying and recalls once being told that a thousand miles begins with one footstep.
Luis Angel Mejia dreams of playing football with the NFL. Because his mother gives him strength and teaches him never to
give up, he wishes he could work so that she could rest and enjoy
her life. Luis was once stopped from speaking out against his
mother’s friend when Luis felt the man had disrespected her.
61
Praditya Moniaga listens to hip-hop nonstop, even while doing his homework. He believes thoughts can best be expressed
through poetic rhymes and once dreamt he was performing on
stage with his favorite rapper, Eminem. He has experienced
censorship when trying to use strong language in his rap lyrics.
Albert Na hopes to get into a good college and dreams of having a successful future. He wishes that summer vacation wasn’t
going to be cut short this year and believes that life, too, is very
short.
German Ocampo was born in Mexico. He wishes he could be
young forever and dreams of flying in the sky. German likes to
listen to rap and hip-hop on his iPod. He knows there is truth
in the statement that love comes and goes.
Karen Orellana believes anything is possible and dreams of
Hot Cheetos. She loves the beach, but wishes there wasn’t any
summer. Karen admits to how difficult it is to keep her grades
up, especially knowing that her softball coach is checking them
often.
Francisco Perez was born in Los Angeles. He loves listening to
music no matter what mood he’s in and has dreamt of performing with his favorite rapper. Francisco often thinks of someone
he knew in days gone by and wishes every day that he could get
back in contact with that lost friend.
Erick Rodriguez couldn’t live without his iPhone, which helps
him with his homework and keeps him connected to friends
and loved ones. One of the best books he ever read was a collection of scary stories based on true events from all over America.
62
Aleksey Romanchuk was born in Moscow, Russia. He loves
sports and wishes he was playing in the NBA because he can’t
imagine life without basketball. Aleksey feels happy when he
knows that he helped his team win a game, but if he loses, he
doesn’t feel sad —he just knows what to work on.
Alexis Salazar enjoys listening to music. He loves playing
sports, especially basketball, soccer, and football, and once had
a dream that he scored a winning touchdown. Alexis believes
kids should be allowed to do whatever they want as long as
they are willing to suffer the consequences.
DeMorray Smith was born in Los Angeles and loves his family.
He wishes he owned everything in Jamaica. One thing he does
own is a pair of black Jordan’s tennis shoes, which make him
feel like he’s walking on clouds.
KJ Seo was born in Seoul, South Korea. He enjoys learning
about computers and likes to draw, listen to music, and play
games. KJ has seen people dying in his dreams and wishes he
could protect them and make sure the future holds only peace.
Issa Traore likes to eat at Carls, Jr. He loves hip-hop and the
rap artist Wiz Khalifa. He wishes he could once more see his
beloved dog and grandma and have them back in his life again.
Bernardo Veliz can’t imagine a life without his parents, who are
precious to him. He wishes he could improve in math and science and dreams of one day going to a Lakers game. Bernardo
believes the truth will set you free.
63
4JODF1&/*OɩF$MBTTSPPN1*5$
IBTQSPVEMZQVCMJTIFE
UIF XSJUUFO XPSL PG UIPVTBOET PG UBMFOUFE ZPVUI 1*5$ TFOET
QSPGFTTJPOBM XSJUFST JOUP DMBTTSPPNT UP UFBDI DSFBUJWF XSJUJOH
SFTJEFODJFT JO XIJDI TUVEFOUT MFBSO BCPVU DPOUFNQPSBSZ BVUIPST
BOE EJGGFSFOU MJUFSBSZ HFOSFT BOE EFWFMPQ B CPEZ PG DSFBUJWF
XSJUJOH XPSL ɩF SFTVMUJOH 1*5$ BOUIPMPHJFT BSF XJOEPXT JOUP
TUVEFOUT MJWFT ‰ UIFJS TUSVHHMFT IPQFT BOE UIF DPMMFDUJWF
FYQFSJFODFTPGUIFJSHFOFSBUJPO1*5$JTQBSUPG1&/$FOUFS64"T
NJTTJPOUPTUJNVMBUFBOENBJOUBJOJOUFSFTUJOUIFXSJUUFOXPSEUP
GPTUFSBWJUBMMJUFSBSZDVMUVSFBOEUPEFGFOEGSFFEPNPGFYQSFTTJPO
1&/ $FOUFS 64" JT HFOFSPVTMZ TVQQPSUFE CZ UIF )FSC "MQFSU
'PVOEBUJPO $BMJGPSOJB $PNNVOJUZ 'PVOEBUJPO $JUZ PG -PT
"OHFMFT‰%FQBSUNFOUPG$VMUVSBM"GGBJST5IF+BNFT*SWJOF
'PVOEBUJPO ,BZOF 'PVOEBUJPO -PT "OHFMFT $PVOUZ "SUT
$PNNJTTJPO /BUJPOBM &OEPXNFOU GPS UIF "SUT 3PTFOUIBM
'BNJMZ'PVOEBUJPO%XJHIU4UVBSU:PVUI'VOE6$-"&YUFOTJPO
8SJUFST1SPHSBNBOE+BNJF3PTFOUIBM8PMG%BWJE8PMG
1&/$FOUFS64" t 10#PY t #FWFSMZ)JMMT$" t XXXQFOVTBPSH