An American Plague by Ms. George

Victims from the Influenza Epidemic of 1918

A few years ago, I got on a plague/epidemic kick. At that time, I read half-a-dozen books all about diseases. Some of these books included:

• The Great Influenza by John M. Barry
  
• Invisible Enemies: Stories of Infectious Diseases by Jeanette Farrell
• Dr. Jenner and the Speckled Monster: The Discovery of the Smallpox Vaccine by Albert Marrin.

This week I was assigned to read An American Plague: The True and Terrifying Story of the Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1793 by Jim Murphy for my adolescent literature class. Like the other titles, this book was terrifying.

Jim Murphy described, in detail, the symptoms of Yellow Fever and the panic that gripped the city of Philadelphia during the 1793 epidemic. Murphy wrote, "The skin and eyeballs turned yellow, as red blood cells were destroyed, causing the bile pigment bilirubin to accumulate in the body; nose, gums, and intestines began bleeding; and the patient vomited stale, black blood" (pages 13-14). How could I not recommend this book?

I also have to recommend Fever, 1973 by Laurie Halse Anderson. This book is historic fiction. It follows the lives of fictional and historical people during Philadelphia's Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1973.

Post Card by Iyan

Dear Star,
I'm in Thailand. It's beautiful here and the sky is beatiful and clear. I'm camping by a lake. I've been fishing, canoeing, and swimming.
The water is shallow so it's easy to fish here. The forest is green. I've also been hiking and bird wachting. Wish you were, Sis.
Love,
Iyan

Chris's bucket list

1.buy a house
2.fighit a cop
3.rent a frog costume and play froger on a streat
4.repaint my truck
5.refurnish my tuck
6.go to a broncos game
7.play for byu
8.go to japan
9.go to sct land
10.shoot a moose

Iyan's bucket list

1. go to Europe
2. get shot
3. blow up a building
4. go shark fishing
5. hunt a alligater
6. cross the border to Mexico
7. jump out of a plane
8. spend a week on death row
9. go over Niagra Falls
10. go rafting in Alaska
11. bow hunting in the Amazon
12. drag race
13. watch Nascar
14. join a poker tornament
15. hunting in Africa
16. go to October Fest
17.climb Everst

These are the things I want to do before I kick the the bucket. There is one thing I got to do last.

18. tell family on my death bed don't cry at the funaral!

American Born Chinese

I just finished reading American Born Chinese, a graphic novel by Gene Luen Yang. Although I had never read a graphic novel (nor was I planning on doing so), I had to because it was assigned in my adolescent literature class. The novel contains three different stories that cleverly weave together in the end. It contained a lot of humor and had an important message about accepting who you are and overcoming the desire to fit in. I highly recommend it!!

To read more about American Born Chinese or Yang's other books, click HERE.

One of my favorite pages.

Postcard by Chris

Conechiwa
Greetings from Tokyo, Japan.
It's beautiful here the trees are pink, they are called Cherry Blossom. I saw a pagoda in an old forest. It's hard talking to people here, they speak Japanese. It is funny to hear how quickly they speak.See you later love Chris.

Hippie be Gone by Chris

Back in the 1960's the US military asked profeser Hughes to figer out a way to get ride of hippies. Happyly accepting his assignment he got to work. After months of studying,experitmenting,and a loss of his pinkey finger he fond how to get ride of hippies. So he called the military to tell them his sucses. "Finally the day we have ben wating for has arived we now know how to get ride of hippies"said profeser hughes. "Well what is it profeser"?asked the president. "after meny months of testing i've invented a spray made of soap,air freshiner,meat,and ash from a tie die shirt"."when can we try it out?""from what my resuch the best place is woodstock."Once woodstck opend the profeser and his assistent went inside. once thy got it set up a drunk hippi fell back words and destrod the spray. "OH NO!"yelled the profeser "WHAT IS THE MATER WITH YOU YOU DAMN HIPPI!""what what hapend?""you destrod my inveten""i'm sorry i'll pay for it.""What hippis dont have money.""whatever dude.""well whats the worst that can hapen?" 20 years later "Mr.presedent the hippis have taken New Jersey & started on Pensilvenea."said the president's secetery "we have to bomb the damn hippis.""but mr.presedent that is 40 states!""I know but it is what I have to do." THE END