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.