Journal Three Cameron Watson

In the very out of the box book Holding On, I have found myself to enjoy this book very much.  I wasn’t really sure what this book was going to be like because of the various images on the front and the vague description on the front as well.  So far the reading is going great.  Each person has a new story to bring to the table that is very strange yet fascinating.  The strengths of the book include imagery and a certain form of a guessing game.  Imagery with all of the different and unique faces represented throughout the book, but a guessing game in the sense of every person is different.  Each person has a story or a preferred lifestyle that is different. As of now there truly isn’t any obvious weaknesses in the book, just eager to continue reading.  Throughout the course of this book I have ben actively reading.  Underlining with pen important areas of the book as well as interesting dialogue and sentences that have meaning.  Also, every now and then I like to look up these people on the internet to see what they are up to now or if they are still alive and well. 

           A big theme that I see throughout the book so far was this idea of unfairness and injustice.  Even though not all stories end with being arrested or in federal prison, a lot of them deal with the injustice of life and the blatant disregard for some people’s well being.  For example you have Moreese Bickham who dealt with the unfairness of racism and was thrown in jail for protecting himself.  Then you have a hobo who is trying to make an honest living who in reality does just that but in his own way, being treated or looked down upon because he is considered a “bum”.  A lot of times we tend to judge a book by its cover and with Maury Graham, that’s what unfortunately a lot of people did. 

            There was a time in my life where I was the one who unfortunately was on the judging end of the spectrum.  I was in high school and there was a new kid who came and I was asked by one of the deans to spend time with him, and to make sure that he felt comfortable and to just have him shadow me for a few days until he felt safe and got the hang of things.  The guy had piercings all over and was someone that was constantly starred at while we walked through the halls.   I remember thinking to myself that this guy probably was strange, weird, and hard to get along with solely off of his looks.  This prejudging was wrong and unfair to him.  I was at the balcony one day with a couple buddies of mine and the guy came over because we were headed to my next class.  As we were leaving one of my friends shouted “Cam that kid’s scary watch out.”  At that moment I knew that I was wrong in how I felt.  I felt unjust, that I hadn’t given him a fighting chance right out of the gate.  For the remainder of the year were friends and till this day although he attends Wyoming college, we still keep and touch and I have learned to always give someone a chance to warm up to you before you judge.