Connection~ Charlie St.Cloud

I read pages 45-96. Tess Carroll was a young adult who was planning on taking a sea journey around the world. This trip would take about four months possibly longer. She rode her boat over the weekend to test it, making sure everything was working correctly for her journey. Unluckily, Tess ran into a storm. It was one of the worst storms she has been in. Thankfully, she made it out alive. After the storm, Tess went to the cemetery, where Charlie worked and her father was buried, to visit her fathers grave. Charlie saw Tess at the cemetery, they began talking, and he soon asked her out on a date. Before the date, just like every other evening Charlie went out to play baseball with his brother. Charlie was given a second chance to keep the promise he made to his brother, to stay with him forever. He was given the power to see the dead. Doctors gave him medication, but none of it worked, soon Charlie stopped telling people what he could see.  He continued playing everyday with his brother. Somebody close to me has faced something very similar to what happened to Charlie. His younger brother also died in a car accident. This helped me realize how Charlie felt and how hard it was for him to get through the death of his own brother.

Connection& Summary- Charlie St.Cloud

         The novel I am currently reading, Charlie St.Cloud, by Ben Sherwood is about two brothers, Charlie and Sam, who shared a special bond. They were both daredevils and always getting into trouble. Charlie had a crazy idea to take their steal neighbor's car and drive to the red sox's baseball game. Their mother was at work and wouldn't be back till after the game ended. Both Charlie and Sam were not old enough to drive nor did they have a license. On their way back from the game, Sam distracted Charlie by the size of the moon, which looked closer than usual. While Charlie was watching the moon, a truck hit the car and Sam and Charlie both died. Luckily, the firefighter was able to bring Charlie back to life, but sadly Sam did not survive the accident.

          A major issue in this novel is the car crash. Many people in present day who aren't old enough to drive, get into car accidents. Some of these accidents are very tragic and do not end well. The car crash in this book was disastrous and depressing. An innocent boy died and the doctors could not help him. As the text states, "Charlie raced the moon, and in a final second before the end, he saw the perfect image of happiness... And then there was only fracturing glass, metal, and blackness." This proves he was too distracted by the moon to notice the truck coming toward him. I can connect this to present day because many young and reckless teenagers are getting into car accidents. Many of the teens who are in the accident should not be driving because they are to young. All in all, Charlie St. Cloud made the mistake of driving when he was too young and lost his bother in return. 

http://www.car-accidents.com/teen-car-accidents.html