Quarter 2 Post 3

For now, the story decides to follow Joe as he continues his escape from Prague. He and Kornblum intend to sneak Joe out in the coffin of the Golem, a Jewish relic made out of clay. They plan to disguise the Golem as a dead giant that needs to be shipped to his home in Lithuania. However, in order to smuggle the Golem out of the country, Kavalier and Kornblum need to find the Golem. Rumor has it that it is hidden in an undisclosed apartment in the city. The two disguise themselves as census collectors and go around the building seeing who is and isn't answering the door. They figure out that there's a window where nobody sees any faces during the day. So, they break in through the window that night and find the Golem in it's simple pine coffin. They get it out the window and manage to get the coffin back to Kornblum's apartment. Now there's a problem. The Golem is a clay sculpture. Joe and Kornblum need him to be a dead giant. They need clothes. Joe is forced to confront his shame and go to his house to retrieve some of his father's patients' clothes. In the dark of night, he goes to his apartment building, sneaks in, and goes to his door. He is surprised to find his little brother sleeping at the door! He eventually wakes up, and swears him to secrecy. He gets the clothes and leaves. Joe has a really hard time with talking to his brother, because he was stiff and cold when he left on the train. Having to run into his brother and face his feelings was difficult, but Joe feels better after leaving his house because he feels redeemed for being so mean to his family. Joe and Kornblum manage to smuggle the Golem out, and Joe makes it to Lithuania. He then succeeds in somehow getting to Japan where he boards a ship for San Francisco, wires Mrs. Klayman for money, and arrives at Sam Klayman's Brooklyn apartment.

Quarter 2-Post 2

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay is a good book. So far, I've learned that Sammy Clay is just another Brooklyn teenager, but he doesn't go to school, so I think it's summer. He lives in a very small apartment. Joe Kavalier has a more interesting history. He grew up in Prague, and when Hitler and the Nazis invaded, his family used up every penny to get him out, and the only reason they could was because he was born out of Czechloslovakia and his aunt is a foreigner. But, ten km from the border, Joe is stopped and thrown off his train because, after the immigration laws were changed that morning, he was one stamp short of having a complete exit visa. When he gets back to his hometown, he's so ashamed of himself that he goes to his magic teacher's house to ask for help. Then, there's a flashback to Kavalier learning the art of Houdini-style escape. His teacher, Bernard Kornblum, is the most famous escape artist since the great Houdini. Josef would go to magic lessons twice a week where he learned how to escape from chains, pick locks, and learn how to control his breath. Meanwhile, Sammy Clay is collecting comic books and hiding his cigarettes from his mom. When Joe arrives at Sam's house, (the book skips around a lot as far as time goes) he uses Sam's old cigarettes to create a cigarette for them to share. It's a very ingenius, and it actually works. I think it's interesting how Kavalier and Clay smoke like chimneys, but Joe is only 19 and Sam is only 16. Sam works for a company that sells everything, from seeds and candy bars to combs and shoelaces.  I wonder why the boy isn't in school. Also, Joe is very connected to his family, which, considering the circumstances of his life. He probably wasn't allowed to go to college, so he lives at home and helps support his family. Imagine how hard it would be to have to live at home with your whole family and have no creative outlet.

2nd Quarter Book

The book I chose to read for my quarter 2 outside reading book is The Amazing Adventres of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I chose to read it because I heard it was a good book from a lot of people, like my older sister. It's about a Jewish artist/escape artist who escapes Nazi-invaded Prague and ends up in New York City. He and his cousin (from Brooklyn) Sammy Clay create stories, characters, and art for comic books that they plan to introduce to America. Some of the characters they create are the Escapist, the Monitor, and Luna Moth. It's supposed to be funny, so I think I'll enjoy it.