1. In the beginning of this section Noah decides to ignore Echo because he's angry and hurt. What did you think of this? Have you ever experienced a friendship that went awry and they started ignoring you?
A: Yes, definitely. Especially at school age, this is common. I thought it was sad, but not necessarily out of character.
2. Noah has a bit of a false reputation. Everyone thinkgs he's a big druggie and a guy that just randomly hooks up with girls. While some of it is true to a certain extent, we see it's not really him. Have you ever had a false reputation where people draw their own conclusions? Do you think Noah should do something to make people not think that about him?
A: I don't think I've ever had an interesting enough reputation to make people talk either way, and that's always been fine with me. As for Noah, I don't know if he should do something to change it or not, but I don't think he will. He's one who doesn't care what other think, and even uses it as a defense mechanism at times.
3. Ashley finds out she's having a boy and informs Echo she will have a brother 'again'. Echo took this very personally and was extremely upset. Do you think Echo overreacted? Do you think Ashley meant that the new brother would replace her brother?
A: This is hard to answer with a simple yes or no. For a teenager who recently lost her brother, no, I don't think Echo overreacted at all. In fact, I think her reaction could have been much worse. But I also don't think Ashley meant anything by it. She was just talking.
I'm really on the fence about Ashley. On the one hand, she's obviously far from saintly because of the way she entered Echo's family dynamic. That said, I think she now truly wants to be Echo's friend. The only problem with that is that Ashley is very self-centered. (She'd have to be, considering, again, her entrance into Echo's father's affections.) She doesn't dig deep to really get to know Echo or help her. Everything is superficial with her. On the other hand, because she's the 'step mom' and Echo misses her really mother, Ashley is never going to get fair treatment, and sometimes, like when Echo got angry about the "brother again" comment, it's obvious she isn't being vicious, she just didn't realize what she'd said or how Echo took it, so I feel bad for her. If Echo weren't a teenager dealing with SO MANY horrible issues, she and Ashley could probably be civil, if not close. Of course, this is not that story. :D
4. Echo doesn't remember what happened with her mother and for this reason she has troubles seeing her the way everyone else does. She can't seem to not miss her and still wants to talk to her. Do you think she should pursue finding her mom? Do you think it will help her or do you think she would be in danger?
A: I don't think she should pursue her mom just yet. Maybe when she's out of high school and has gotten some more distance from whatever happened, when she's finally remembered everything and allowed her mind to heal, then she could safely confront her mom again. For now, there's a real chance of both physical and psychological danger. The fact that everyone freaks out to the extent they do about her contacting her mom should be a major red flag for Echo, but she just seems to dismiss it as everyone else's overreaction.
5. Noah doesn't trust the people who have his brothers because of his own past situations. He decides to seek out a lawyer himself and try to get custody. Do you think this is his best move? Do you think there are some other options he should consider?
A: His best option? Hard to say. It's true that he needs to be certain he can take care of the boys. And I don't think their foster parents are as bad as he thinks. Yet, despite all the logical arguments, I'm with Noah on this one. If my parents died, I would move heaven and earth to get my siblings under my roof and take care of them for the rest of my life. I think that of my siblings, too. I'd raise their kids in a heartbeat if anything ever happened. I think keeping a family together (so long as no one's being put in danger) is more important than almost anything else. If he left them with a good family and just saw them a lot, and that worked for him, fine. But if he wants them and they want him and he can prove that he can provide for them, I say let him do it. One hundred percent.
6. Echo finds out that Noah and his parents built houses for Habitat for Humanity. Have you ever volunteered for something like that? What is a cause that you feel strongly about?
A: Hmm. If you can't tell by my answer to #5, family tends to be my biggest cause. Charity through Deseret Industries is another one I give to a lot. And supporting LDS missionaries (especially my brother who is currently serving in Tacoma, WA.--Hi Abe!) :D
How are you liking the book?
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