What does James learn about himself through finding out about hat do we learn about ourselves by understanding more about our parents?

James found out that he was technically Jewish because his mother was born a Jew and he also found out that his grandfather hated blacks which was a little ironic considering Ruth ended up having 12 black children. I think by asking our parents about where they're from, how they're raised, etc. and understanding those things, we can learn a lot about our heritage and where our ancestors and grandparents are from and how they lived and worked. For example, I found out a couple of years ago that my family has German, Irish and Dutch  backgrounds and it surprised me because I had never known that I was part German, Irish and Dutch. This is what James learns about his background and how we learn more about ourselves through our parents past.

The Best Things About "The Color of Water"

I think that the best part about "The Color of Water" is that I can visualize the events and settings in the book because of how descriptive they are. It makes it so much easier for me to understand what happens in a book when I can actually "see" the event in my mind. One other thing I really like about the book so far is how the author writes, it makes it seem like he is comfortable with the way he writes and it makes the book more enjoyable to read, especially since he writes as though he is actually speaking to someone instead of at them. I also like how the characters are able to overcome their obstacles and the emotion put into the words describing the obstacles, so because they are so descriptive, I actually feel sympathetic of the characters especially since the events that happened were real. These are, in my opinion, the best things about "The Color of Water".

Important Line From "The Color of Water" Ch. 14

The quote, "Who are you? You ain't nobody! If you want to drop out of school and shoot people and hang on this corner all your life, go ahead, it's your life!" This quote is from the Chicken Man speaking to James and it is important because James had dropped out of school after his stepfather died and his mother had sent him to his stepsister Jack's house every summer to "straighten him out." James was always hanging out with the drunk men on the corner and claimed that the Chicken Man had no idea how smart he was, when the chicken man asked why he was failing and if he was so smart why was he there? James actually decided to take these words to heart and decided to try to quit using drugs and drinking and go back to school so he could eventually get his grades back up and go to college. This is why Chicken Man's quote is important.

My Current Opinion on "The Color of Water"

Right now, I am on chapter 10 of "The Color of Water" and I think so far, it is a pretty good book. I like the way that it switches between the mother speaking about her childhood and James speaking about his childhood. I like how I can picture the characters in my mind because of their personality descriptions, it makes it easier for me to understand what is happening at certain points. I also like it because the book can actually make me sometimes happy, sad, and angry because the chapters are descriptive enough that even though I do not actually know the characters, they seem like real people to me, and it can sometimes feel like I am actually "watching" those parts of the book. So overall, it is a good book.

Rating on "City of Heavenly Fire"

I just finished "City of Heavenly Fire" yesterday and overall it was a good book. I would give it 4 out of 5 stars because I liked that none of my favorite characters died, but at the same time, they announced 6 character deaths before the book came out in May, I was really anticipating who would die, but none of them really made me sad in any way, there were only deaths of 5 side characters and one main character which happened to be the main antagonist. I would recommend it to teens who like any stories with vampires, werewolves, demons, etc. The main "bad guy" died, but I would much rather have preferred that at least one or 2 of the main characters died while they were trying to get to him. It just seemed like a disappointment to me that even though it was announced there were 6 character deaths, they weren't really major. This is why I'd give "City of Heavenly Fire" 4 out of 5 stars.

Summary- City of Heavenly Fire

Since I am very close to finishing "City of Heavenly Fire", I figured it would be a good time to summarize what has happened so far. (Spoilers) Clary, Jace, and their friends go into a demon realm called Edom to look for Sebastian and kill him to save their world. They end up getting to Sebastian but find out that he lured them there. He tried to make Clary the "Queen" of Edom, which would heal her world, while also making Sebastian stronger in his own world. She ends up saying she will be the "Queen" but only ends up tricking Sebastian and killing him with the "Heavenly Fire" that was in Jace's veins. The "Heavenly Fire" ends up absorbing all of the evil from Sebastian, which also ends up killing him. They end up becoming stuck in Edom, until a major demon of that realm helps them, but only if they gave up their friend Simon in exchange for their safe return to their world. They give up Simon and return to their homes. This is where I last ended in the book.

Settings- City of Heavenly Fire

The two main settings towards the beginning of "City of Heavenly Fire" are located in modern-day New York and in an imaginary land called Idris. (Spoilers) Idris is the land where the "Shadow hunters"(demon hunters) live, it affects the main characters, Jace and Clary, because it is basically a second home to them but it eventually becomes unsafe to them because Clary's evil brother, Sebastian, becomes too strong and powerful to where he can actually go into Idris, which is supposed to keep demons out, but he ends up finding ways in, even with demon blood inside of him. New York affects them both because it was an original safe place for Jace and Clary because it is where they are from, but they end up having to leave due to the fact that Sebastian is attacking major areas where Shadow hunters live, with their home being a possible location Sebastian will attack, they both have to leave, which affects them because they do not really have a safe place to call home anymore, they are stuck worrying and looking over their shoulders wherever they go because they worry that Sebastian is out looking for them. 

Why I Chose "City of Heavenly Fire"

I chose the book "City of Heavenly Fire". I chose this book because it is the last book in my favorite series and I wanted to finish the series. I also chose this book because the genre is fantasy and it has mythical creatures such as vampires, werewolves, faeries, etc. It was also recommended to me when I read books like "The Hunger Games" and "Divergent". That's why I chose to read "City of Heavenly Fire".