Blog #4

In my novel there were many conflicts throughout the story and they began to pile up as the story got closer to the end. The main conflict all had to do with Gordies brother chase and his addiction to crystal meth. He did so much crystal meth that over time it screwed with his mind. Chase was arrested for assault which put his family in debt for his bail. His addiction hurt his family and his mother and father barely spoke to eachother. Gordie lent money and lost it all because his brother ran away with it. Chase pawned his brand new $2000 guitar off for pocket change. Chase broke into his own home and stole jewlery, and any valuable thing he could find. Chase started every conflict that happened in this novel, if his addiction to crystal meth had never happened this story would be very dull. By the end of this novel Chase ends up dying from a drug overdose while running from the cops. After this happens it ends alot of the problems the family faced. Gordies mother and father sold their home to pay for loans they had taken, and soon after they divorced and his mother went to a mental rehab center. Gordie and his father moved into a two bedroom apartment and lived on their own after that. At the beginning of this story there were four people in this family and by the end there were two. I enjoyed the ending of the book, I didn't expect it to end the way it did. The high speed chase was a little unbelievable but it kept my attention and made sense the way it ended. This novel was very short but had a good story behind it. It relates to teenagers because many of us are faced with difficult decisions about drugs, and this shows how drugs could not only affect you but also the important people around you. Some drugs are highly addictive and it showed me that its not something to mess around with. Drugs can leave you broke, alone, dumb, and can ruin your life and the life of everyone around you.

Blog #3

In my book Gordie is faced with many problems throughout the novel. One of the main problems he faces had to do with his crystal meth addicted brother. His brother Chase ran away from home and was on the run from the police. Chase is living on the street and has no money to even support himself. No one has seen chase for weeks until one day he shows up at Gordies work. He runs to the counter where Gordie is standing in a hurry and asks Gordie for money. Chase tells Goride that his drug dealers who he owes money are outside and if he doesn't find money to pay them today they will kill him. Chase tells Gordie to give him money out of the register. Gordie does not know what to do. He could give him money from the till then get fired, or just say no and leave his brother with no other alternative than death. Gordie decides that if he locks the door of his work there is no way his drug dealers can even get to chase. He locks it and tells Chase that no one can get in and they wont touch him. Chase didn't like that idea and he unlocked the door and made a run for it. His drug dealers tackled him to the ground and threw him in the back of the car. The question after Gordie saw what happened was did he do the right thing?


In your opinion did Gordie do the right thing by locking the door? If you do not think it was a good idea what else could he have done?

Blog #2

In my book there are two main characters. The story is told by Gordie who is 16 and is currently trying to get through school. Gordie works allot and is saving money for various things. Because of the situation that is going on in Gordies family it is very hard for Gordie to keep his mind set on anything. Gordie is a very calm, outgoing, and nice guy. He is always trying to help out various people whether its a man he doesn't know or his crystal meth addicted brother. He cares for all and loves his family very much. Because of what is happening to his brother it is partially changing the way he acts around his family. None of his family is really communicating with each other so the only people Gordie really talks to are his friends. Gordie sometimes cares to much for people. They have given his brother a million chances to earn their trust but he always fails them. He continues to give his brother ample opportunities to succeed and stop using crystal meth.

The other main character is Chase, Gordies crystal meth addicted brother. Since he is using crystal meth his brain is not all there. He really does not have much a personality hes always high, tweaking when he wants his next his, or sleeping after his 3 strait days of getting high. He is very dull and very dumb and doesn't seem to know right from wrong. His weakness is clearly his addiction for crystal meth it changed his life, and it will never be the same.

If you were in Gordies position and your brother came and asked you for more money would you give it to him? If you would give him the money how would you ensure that the money is actually going to something he needs rather than drugs?

Blog #1- Tweaked

The book Tweaked is written by Katherine Holubitsky. The book is about a family of four, the main characters name is Gordie and he is 16 years old. His brother Chase is 17 years old and has been using Crystal Meth for 2 years. He runs away from home while taking thousands of dollars at a time, and goes on Crystal Meth binges. His parents do not know of his drug problem until he gets caught by the police. Chase was in a dark alley on one of his binges and beat a man and put him in critical condition. He is sent to jail and his parents bail him out for $50,000.

His parents do not know what to do, and Gordie his little brother is going through a rough time. Currently their parents are in dept and this is causing a lot of heartache throughout their home. His mother is currently staying at home with Chase keeping an eye on him hoping he smartens up and sobers up. At this point in the story Gordie is working trying to save up money, his father is working as a teacher, Chase is trying to keep off the streets at home, and his mother is keeping a close eye on him. I think the author does a very good job in keeping me interested in this book because right when you think the family has hit rock bottom it gets even worse. Its tough to imagine the things that are happening to this family, but its what makes the book interesting to read. The family has gone through alot and I am very curious to see what this family is like at the end of this story.

Question:
Many people say once a user always a user. Crystal Meth is one of the most addicting drugs out there. In your opinion do you think after all that has happened in Chase's life he will quit using Crystal Meth? Explain?