Sam's Notes Taken Along the Way
I remember thinking the first time I read this book that it really puts your life into perspective. Like, no matter how shitty things seem, you still have to try and persevere because there are people going through awful shit and aren't willing to give up, so you can't, either.
I was always so confused that the brothers never stood up for him. I guess it must be "mob mentality" or something.
Why wouldn't someone in the school offer to buy him clothes, or even offer lost and found clothes for during the school day? It's bad enough to be abused at home, but to be ridiculed by the students is even worse.
How were his teachers "risking their jobs" by calling the police on obvious abuse? I thought that was a part of their jobs.
Why didn't Dave get put into his father's custody instead of going to Juvenile Detention / Foster Care? The parents were separated at that point.
I find it intriguing that the actual "writing" isn't very good; especially for a 35 year old. I feel like the content is probably the only reason the book got as popular as it did.
Does Dave blame alcohol alone for his mother's behavior? There is never any other potential reason given throughout the book.
Can a parent actually make a school keep their kid back a grade?
One of the first awful claims is that the mother put Dave's arm over an open gas flame. But wouldn't he have permanent burn scars? Or would it depend on how long he was burned for?
Why didn't he try to hide some of his lunch food in the basement? Since he didn't go to school at the same time as his brothers and mom, I think he could have gotten away with squirreling away some of his lunch.
I don't understand how the father could know everything and just let the mother "win" arguments and things all the time. What did he think she could do to him?
How did people not see or act when the mother was abusing her son in public? If this did go on for years, how did it go unreported for so long? Unless Daly City is a shitty area and no one cared.
I bet he was at the top of his "class" in bootcamp for the military, after everything else he had gone through in his life.
