Journal 3 Jessica Onate

Part One

                I actually have enjoyed reading Holding On. Some of the stories are very intriguing, like the one from Bickham. One of the strengths I notice in the reading is that each story has a particular theme, and gives an insight on  people’s passions, dreams, and beliefs. Almost every story involves a character fighting through obstacles to reach his or her goal.  I also like how the profiles are written differently. Some are like a biography, while others are dialogues. This helps grab the reader’s attention.  Some stories, however, are not that interesting or inspiring. Personally, I did not enjoy the one about the dinosaur park. It’s too unfortunate that the guy spent thousands of dollars to put up a park that ended up being shut down.

Part Two

                One of my favorite profiles from this week was the about Sylvia and Pine. This story struck me because it talked about the first time the these people stood up for themselves instead of being submissive to the authorities. The profile was interesting because it was very descriptive, which helped me picture what Sylvia’s life was like. I also liked the suspense in the story told by Pine about the raiding at the Stonewall. The picture also helps because Pine and Sylvia are such opposites. Their look fits their personality/role perfectly. One theme that was important to me was anti-discrimination. I enjoy learning about civil rights, and believe everyone should be treated equally. I strongly believe in perseverance and in fighting for what you want, so this theme stood out to me. I liked how Isay included an interview from Sylvia and one from Pine. This helped see the story from the two different points of view. I like the quote that says “Oh Lord Jesus, the revolution is finally here! Hallelujah- it’s time to go do your thing!.” This event was a revolution for gay rights. One question I would ask is what happened to the Stonewall Inn and what is of it today?

I researched the Stonewall Inn, and I found that this June 2016 Obama named the Stonewall Inn the first national LGBT monument. This is a big step for the LGBT members.  The online article on CNN mentioned the Stonewall riots that are in Isay’s narrative.