#2

In this week's reading, we learn more about why Thomas and Dominick Birdsey have big problems of their own. Their mother won't tell the twins who their father is, but she married Ray Birdsey when they were young. Ray is a war veteran two times over, and almost all of his interactions with his step-sons were to "toughen them up". He took control of their mother's life, deciding what she would cook for dinner, how much money would be spent on the boys' college education, and each day would count out the money she would need for the day, never more. Ray has tried to exhibit total control over his new family in all aspects of their lives. Although a good guy at heart, he is definately a promoter of tough love. On the morning after Halloween, Dominick sneaks his candy into church. This is exceptionally rebellious because Ray is very religious, and serious about church behavior and attendance. During mass, Dominick slips Thomas a roll of Necco Wafers, and the crunch gives him away. Ray beats Thomas up in the church parking lot--just demonstrating his fatherly power. During his hours in therapy, Dominick is always wondering if the abuse from his step father is what triggered Thomas' schizophrenia and his own problems with anger management. I think Dominick also blames himself for being favored by Ray. It was almost like the anger that should have been taken out on two was taken out on just one twin, and Dominick feels responsible by not pulling his share of the weight.

#1

The beginning of "I Know This Much Is True" is interesting. It begins with Dominick's brother Thomas cutting his hand off in a library--what a kick start into describing the mental illness. Thomas has been hearing voices in his brain since he was nineteen years old. They tell him that he is God's messenger, and that he needs to get the people's attention before war breaks out between Iraq and the United States. When questioned about his self-mutilation, he replied that he wanted Saddam and George W. Bush to "wake up and stop fighting." The paranoid part of his Schizophrenia is also very strong. He is always afraid of something, be it communists or members of al-Quaida. The illness is so bad for Thomas that he can't eat normally in a McDonalds, he hides from terrorists in the bathroom and orders a Happy Meal for the Little Mermaid toy. The difficult part for Dominick is the fact that he can't understand why Thomas acts this way. He USED to be normal, he USED to have a regular brain. Dominick has trouble being patient so far, but undoubtedly loves his brother very much. After Thomas cuts his hand off and the story becomes public, the media has a field day. The incident could cause criminal charges, and so instead, Thomas is sent to Hatch, a state mental hospital in Connecticut, for a period of two weeks. During that time, he will be observed by the staff and reevaluated. If the people working with him decide he is stable, he will be released to another type of low security nursing home. If not, Thomas must stay in Hatch for a year. Dominick feels like that would be a breach of his promise to his mother, and goes on a rampage to keep Thomas out.

I KNOW THIS MUCH IS TRUE

For this quarter's outside reading, I chose to read "I Know This Much is True" by Wally Lamb. He is one of my favorite authors-his books are the kind you never forget. I read "She's Come Undone" a little under a year ago, and I'll never forget the story of Dolores' problems with sexual abuse and her weight. The story has the same theme as a book we read earlier in the year, "Animal Dreams". In each book the character is struggling to find themselves and hopefully my new book will be the same. The inside cover hints at the story; I'm really excited to learn more about it. The main character Dominick has a twin brother that's a paranoid schizophrenic, and makes a promise to his mother on her deathbed that he will take care of him. The story accounts the struggles of taking on another person almost like a son, as well as switching back between his grandfather's memoir. This should be a great read.