{Week Three} Pushing The Limits Read-A-Long

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?

I think it sucks. Echo ignored him at school, too, but two wrongs don't make a right. They both had their jerk moments. I definitely know what it's like to be ignored by people who were once friends. In elementary school, my group of "friends" would pick a different person each time they felt like it to ignore, and run away from on the playground. I was 'chosen' a few times, so I'd just go play on the tether-ball courts with other kids if that happened. Kids are friggin' mean.

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?

I was always "the quiet one." Got on my nerves, really, but the only reason I was so introverted and shy in high school was because I had such shitty "friends" in elementary, and in middle school we finally broke apart and I became kind of a loner and spent lunch in the school library (where I discovered Harry Potter). Normally around real friends I'm really loud and funny, but only if I'm with people I'm comfortable with. Otherwise, I'm quiet and unnoticeable. Honestly, it doesn't matter what everyone thinks of Noah. Who the hell cares? He's a good person. If people choose not to see that, it doesn't matter - it's not like he'll see them again. All that matters is that he allows the people he cares about know the real him.

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?

I think Ashley annoyed the hell out of me, because she chose to ignore any real issues. I would have been pissed, too, if I were Echo. What they should have done was talk to each other. Then things would have been easier. They were both in the wrong, but Ashley could have tried harder, since Echo was the one going through some tough and emotional times.

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?

Of course she should try finding her mom. She's her mom. If you want to solve a problem, you have to start at the root. And Echo needs to do what she thinks is necessary to help herself, because she is the only one who truly knows what she needs. Plus, if she manages to meet her mom, she could always do it in a public place if she feels unsafe.

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? 

I think he believed it was the best thing to do at the time, but I really wish he would just think things through rationally. He's acting purely with his heart, and not much of his head. He was in no position to provide for those kids. What really should have happened was that he should have gotten together with the foster parents and had a long discussion. But he didn't think things through, and once again, he wasn't the only one to blame: the foster parents were acting like jerks, and that one social worker was a pain, too, with a false image of Noah.

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?

I would like to volunteer for them, but I haven't yet. In high school I used to volunteer at the Region 19 head-start every other Friday for a semester. I also volunteered regularly for a few years at a non-profit store that gave all proceeds to the Child Crisis Center. And in college I volunteered for a semester to help teach kids in an under-privilaged neighborhood how to read. I really enjoyed that. Illiteracy is a major problem, and I'd like to do more to help with that cause.