Author: Nick Hornby
Date: July 20, 2010
Time alloted for reading: (chapter 1-3) one day
Summary
This book is from a boy's point of view and it is easy to read because the hero of the story is a teen. The boy is named 'Sam', a 15 year old kid, who is a skater and lives with his divorced mother. He is a typical teen but what makes him interesting is the fact that he has a sort of imaginary friend in the form of a life- size poster of the greater skater Tony Hawk, who has Godlike powers when he starts skating from sky- high ramps and successfully landing without slamming his face on the floor. Sam tells everything to Tony or TH (it is his code for Tony), from embarrassing moments to his constant practice of a new skating trick. At the start of chapter three, the book turned to Sam's relationship with his girlfriend Alicia and their constant intercourse. Hornby convincingly writes from the perspective of a teenager overwhelmed with the burden of consequences of his actions and tackles the issue of teenage pregnancy with bluntness and honesty. One of my favorite moments of Sam’s introspections comes when he contemplates running away from the problem of his now ex-girlfriend Alicia, by leaving for Hastings.
Insight
While reading this novel, all I was thinking about was the big difference or gap between Filipino and Western adolescents. The two seem to come from two different worlds. One of the biggest difference is their perception on virginity from watching American- produced films and television programs it has. What is with these Westerners and their immediate need to engage in sexual intercourse? I suppose one of the many things to which sends a lot of messages to its audience- young audience to be exact. And these messages are not exactly on the positive side because these films portray 'sex' as a pleasurable act and a satisfying experience. Young adults are receptive to this and tend to enact it without realizing what the outcome will be. These films do not show to its audience the reality behind unsafe sex and the consequences people have to face after a brief moment of euphoria. Environmental factors greatly involves to a teen's way of thinking or for any person for that matter. Since media seems to be the center of all that is influential and also the fact that Americans are bombarded with ads, movies, TV, programs, magazines and other form of media which display lust and obscenity, it is no wonder American teens tend to grow is acting exactly like what they see on billboards. But for me, it is still up to the person if he/ she will give in to those external factors despite them being incredibly influential and powerful. It is the values of a person that are deeply ingrained that determine their sense of morality. By having these moral values deep within them, they can resist negative influences around them.
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