questions

hello ms. hewett.
here there are two questions about your book "coming of age":
- what was your inspiration to write this book ( characters, plot)?
- does the story base on a real background?

Ruthies diary

It was a terrible day at school. Suddelnly Erika came to me and she was very pissed off because of AJ. She told me to stay away from him but I would never do this. I love AJ but I´m scared of Eriks because she knocked me on in the eye and slammed my head against the locker. It really hurts and I couldn´t belive what was going on and I did my best to defend myself. I was sursrised of myself because I broke away from her.She was yelling but I just looked at her saying nothing. Then AJ came and I was so happy. He helped me and finished this very bad situation. My whole body hurted and I was shocked. But now it is over and I have AJ by my side. It´s a good feeling...

summary of the last chapter :)

Ruthie and Anthony are very sad when AJ went to the plane and they cry a long time. After a while Ruthie meets Erika and they talk about their differences. They both miss AJ a lot but Erika now knows that Ruthie is AJ girlfriend; this aspects shows us that also Erika changed. After a talk about their problems the two girls get to know that they have much in common. Now Ruthie feels like a who acts in a better way she does when she was like a "child". Also Ruthie changed in a more adult person.

summary chapter 44

AJ spends the last night with Ruthie and both are very sad that they will go to different universities. AJ leaves home telling good bye to his father, who is very proud of his son, and Franco. After that he drives with Anthony to Ruthies house.

summary chapter 43

Erika talks to AJ on a party and for the first time she feels proud of herself because she knows that she can get over him and she doesn´t need a guy or the girls to lean on.

summary chapter 42

AJ and the guys think about old times and drink beer. Then Ruthie comes tp AJ where Franco wants to give her money for Anthony but Ruthie doesn´ want to take his money. After that AJ and Ruthie drive to her house. Before that AJ drove to a minibank to give some money to Ruthie´s parents to show them that Anthony isn´t a freeloader. Her father doesn´t adopt the money. AJ and Ruthie thimk about their time at college and they know that they can see each other one week.

summary chapter 41

Erika graduated and has now a little job with a decent payment. She is sick of the girls. Then sh gets to know that Kelli, a friend og her, is pregnant and she doesn´t know woh the father is but she wants to have the baby.

summary chapter 40

It´s a cremony at school where Ruthie has a speech and all the senior students get their diplomas. After that Christian invites AJ and Ruthie to his party.

summary chapter 39

Erika is very down. She drinks alcohol and doesn´t want to see someone. She meets Franco who says that she could sleep in Anthony´s room. She talks to Franco about her bad situation. She spends her time with him the next few days and she smokes a lot of weed. Finally she sleeps with him.

summary chapter 38

Imani wants to kick Ruthie´s ass but before she wants to find Erika to see what´s happen with her. After a few days she and her friends went to Erika´s house. The girls want Erika to safe her face because even´rybody thinks that Ruthie is like a hero. Erika doesn´t care about what the others say. Therefore the girls say she is messed up and now they are angry with her.

summary chapter 37

Shanice doesn´t feel sorry for Erika because she done too much shit to her. She is impressed what Ruthie done with Erika on this verbal way without fighting.

summary chapter 36

Erika remembes what Ruthie said to her. Now she feels sad about it and cries because she is angry about herself.

summary chapter 35

Erika wants to fight with Ruthie because she has such a hate of her because of AJ. But Ruthie wats to discuss the problem because a fight isn´t a solution. Ruthie tells Erika how poor she is, that she is a nothing and that AJ isn´t hey boyfriend anymore. Erika tries to hit Ruthie while the discussion but Ruthie can avoid it. Finally Erika run away becuase Ruthie beat her with her arguments against Erika which show her that she hasn´t got a lot of friens and that she always wants to fight and that that´s not the right way. Ruthie is happy to see AJ because now she feels safe in his arms.

summary chapter 34

AJ and Ruthie watch with her parents a t-Ball game in which (where) Anthony takes part. After that he first runs to Ruthie´s parents who say how good he played. AJ feels strange because his little brother doesn´t went to him first; it´s like Anthony forgot AJ.

summary chapter 33

Erika is in Phoenix. She has a meal with her dad, his wife and their children. After that she goes outside and goes to Dane who wants to sleep with her but Erika won´t. Then she leaves his house and walks on the street without knowing what she wants to do with herself. So she decided to go to Dane again. She feels like shit.

summary chapter 32

It´s prom and there Monica gets to know from Kevin, her boyfriend, that he will break it off with her if she do anything to Ruthie because AJ is the one who broke off with Erika. Ruthie is unguilty. Erika isn´t at prom because she doesn´t want to see AJ and Ruthie together; she in Phoenix to see her dad. Ruthie goes to prom with Christian who is only a good friend of her.

summary chapter 31

Erika is so sad that she cries all day. She talks to her mum about her and AJ and after that she has a better feeling. She also calls her dad and asks him if she could stay for a few days at him. Before Erika will drive to Phoenix she demaged Ruthies car and after that she has a fight with Shanice.

comments,toughts etc...

I asked myself what Erika could do to hurt Ruthie because AJ broke it off because of Ruthie. I don´t know an answer, I can´t imagine anything. What do YOU mean about this fact???

summary chapter 30

AJ tells Ruthie, his new girlfriend, that he broke it off with Erika. Ruthie is worry about what Erika will do against her but AJ calmes her down.

summary chapter 29

Erika wants to take mercy on Ruthie. She punched her in her face. Then AJ tells her that he doesn´t love her anymore and that he will break it off with her. Erika cries deperately.

summary chapter 28

Erika gets to know that AJ spend a night at Ruthie and that they had their arms all around each other. Because of this Erika wants to kill Ruthie.

summary chapter 27

Ruthie worries about Eriks but AJ says that he will break it off because he didn´t like her anymore. He tells Ruthie that he loves her.

summary chapter 26

Ruthie is angry and sad about herself because of last night but then AJ tells her that he also has feelings for her.

summary chapter 25

AJ and Ruthie have a very emotional conversation about their feeling and their relationship.Then AJ kisses her and he wants to slepp with her but Ruthie says that they better shoukd stop it. AJ is a bit confused and then the two fall asleep. AT 4h30 AJ leaves her room and Ruthie feels bad because she said that they shouldn´t sleep with eachother but she is happy about the kiss.

summary chapter 24

Erick has her musical-enty. She hasn´t got the main role but she sings beautiful. After that she has a discussion with AJ because he watched the musical with Ruthie which Ericka doesn´t like.

summary chapter 23

Ruthie tell AJ when he came back from Florida that her parents want to keep Anthony for a while because of Franco. AJ doesn´t know what he sould think about it but he´s okay with it althougt he´s a bit sad because Anthony isn´t at home anyway. Anthony is okay with it, too because AJ promises him to see him every day. AJ is some kind of depressed because he doesn´t know what to do with his little brother when he goes to college. He´s in a conflict with himself.

summary chapter 22

Erika said to Ruthie to stay away from AJ but Ruthie answers that she should talk to AJ when sthe has got a problem with her. After holding up Anthony´s suitcase and stuff he, Ruthe and Andrea, Ruthie´s best friend, drove to AJ´s track meet. Ruthie got colser to him when she gave him a backrub.

summary chapter 21

Ericka talks to AJ about his relationship to Ruthie and he declares that there´s noting with her and that she is only a good friend. Ericks thinks that he lies and so she ran away. Because a lot of things (the quarrel with her mum; she doesn´ know if AJ loves her and if she should go to college and if she gets the role in the musical) she is very depressed and has a bad time at the moment.

summary chapter 20

AJ and Anthony come too late to the seconde dinner. While this AJ is absorbed in thoughts and he is also thinking about something while learning. The reason for this is that he doesn´t know what he should do to keep Anthony away from Franco when he is one week in Florida. Rhthie says that he could spend this week in the house of her parents. When she asks her parents they wonder if it is fair for Anthony because this time is enough for such a young child to become attached to someone and the Ruthie´s parents doesn´t want this but finally they agree with her. AJ and Ruthie are very happy about this.

summary chapter 19

AJ is at the cemetary and sits near the grave of his mum to talk to her what he could do that Anthony doesn´t become like Franco. AJ is at the cemetary every day of the week and feels peacefully. Then Ruthis appears there and talks to AJ about his mum and she gets to know that Anthony shouldn´t be born and was a misstake. Therefore AJ mum fought with his dad and after that she shot herself. AJ is surprised that Ruthis can understand his state of mind and for the first time he has feelings for her. Ruthie invites him and Anthony for a dinner at her house. AJ sees that Ruthie respects her parents and that they are a good family. While a walk outside AJ says to her that he worries about Anthony beuase he plays gangster with his friend and sees it just like a gme and he done a drug walk for Franco who pays Anthony for it. AJ doesn´t know how to keep Franco away form Anthony and what he is going to do next year when he´s in Florida. Also a problem is that AJ is going to a workout next week so that Anthony is alone with Franco at home. This shouldn´t be and AJ doesn´t know what to do. Anthony askes AJ about their mum and AJ Tells him that she was like Ruthies mum, who Anthony likes much, becuase he doesn´t want to tell his little brother that their mum had problems with her psyche and killed herself. Next day Ruthis invites AJ and Anthony to another dinner about which he´s very glad.

summary chapter 18

Ruthie has some kind of competition because she would be the one who makes the speech at the end of the high school year. She hasn´t saw AJ since a week and she askes herself where he could be...

comments, thoughts etc....

Something about AJ Ruthie and Erika:
In the beginning AJ is shown as a great football-player who doesn´t really care about the feelings of othe persons. He´s only interested in sports parties and something like that. When he get to know Ruthie his mind changed. He becomes another person who sees that ther are more important things than alcohol and girls. Now he also express his feelings and talks about it with Ruthie. Probably he could fall in love with Ruthie because she is a good girl and had a good education what stands in contrast to AJ. I don´t know why but it could be that this contrast is the start for a love. I think Erika isn´t a good grilfriend because she had trouble at school with other girls and fought with them. This can´t be the way for AJ to become a better person who has a real future. She is a real egoist. Erica gets jealous very fast. Probably she becomes a better person, too but I think it´s not realistic. I think AJ changes his character.

summary chapter 17

AJ tells Ruthie all about his problems concerining family and friends. He also tells her that it is a bit strange for him that Ruthie is so close with Anthony. She´s no social-worker. Ruthie talks about her problem,too. She says that she can´t associate with black people because she doesn´t know how she can respect a person who doesn´t respect himelf. Mot of the black people are thugs, MG´s, dope dealers, criminals or wanna-be gang menbers.This conversation is very hard for AJ and he also gets to know that Anthony broght some kind of stuff for Franco to a friend of him.From this moment AJ decides that the treatment with Franco is very bad for Anthony. He doesn´t want that Anthony takes drugs like Franco. AJ bans Anthony the contact with Franco. As AJ told this his older brother they fight and AJ gets hurt a bit.

summary chapter 16

Ruthis gets to know that Anthonys mum killed herself. When she talks about it with AJ, who doesn´ want to hear something about this theme, they have a very big discussion which end in a fight.Ruhtie is a bit hurted and she says to Mr. Ferris, their teacher, that AJ react in this way because she talks with him about a theme which is very hard for him. Ruthis want AJ to telle her everything because it is very bad for someone to keep his bad experiences inside without talking about it with someone.

summary chapter 15

Ruthie tries to improove Anthony´s reading skills with a special book in which he´s interested. When AJ comes home seeing thar Ruthie is learing with Anthony he doesn´ really know if he should find it good or bad. He thinks that she really cares about him, but it´s AJ´s brother nit hers. When Franco comes home AJ allowed his brother to eat ice-cream with Ruthie.

summary chapter 14

Here we get to know that Erika has the lead, the main role, in the school-musical. She is very happy about it but the only matter is that Shanice, the black girl she "hates", has this role, too. That´s a problem because Erika knows that the musical-teacher, Mr. Pauly, doesen´t like her very much... Erika wants to be better than Shanice.

summary chapter 13

The principal of Ruthis school wants to talk to her. he tells her that she is is a finalist for the Negro Students competition. She is very proud about it and calls her parents who are proud, too. After that Ruthis talks to Anthony becuase it´s her first day tutoring a class. She wants to help Anthony because of his trouble with reading but he rather wants to play nintendo but Ruthie knows how she can help him...

summary chapter 12

AJ signed his letter of intent and now he play football for Florida State University. His friends signed a letter of intent , too but they are on different universities. They celebrate it with drinking beer and they talk about old times and remember what they have done in the pat together. Anthony telles AJ that their class talk about the decision of AJ, Kevin and co. where they go to college and all of Anthony´s classmates want to have AJ´s autograph. AJ is proud about it and hugs Anthony. After that Erika comes and wantsto sleep with AJ.

summary chapter 11

In this chapter the reader gets to know that Ronell has problems with AJ. He talks about it with Franco who isn´t very interested and smokes his pipe.

summary chapter 10

AJ becomes famous. Everybody is asking him at which college he will go to play football professional. Also TV teams vistit him at home. He doesn´ t know where he should sign. So he askes Ruthie that get gets another impression about it. She can´t give him an answer and she told him that she will tutor Anthony because of his trouble with reading. After that he talks to Ronell, a thug, about his football future.

summary chapter 9

Ruthie goes to AJ´s house that they can learn chemistry. She is very scared because she doesn´t like the area where AJ lives. When she knocked on his door and went in his room she sees that AJ plays cards with two of his frinds. He tells her that he forgot that they want to learn on this day. She´s angry about it because therefor she couldn´t go to the aerobic-course. Anthony, AJ´s little brother, went into his room and asks if Ruthis is AJ´s girlfriend. Anthony says that Erika is just in there to take her clothes off. AJ is embarrassed and brings Ruthie to her car.

summary chapter 8

Erika asks AJ if he loves her. For a moment he doesn´t really know what to say because he didn´t expected that Erika asks him such a thing. She asks him because he does a lot of shit an flirts with other girls. AJ says that he guess that he loves her. After that Ruthie and AJ agree that Ruthie will help him with his homework because he went too late to the lesson. Ruthie want to be AJ´s friend. He asks her how it fell when she loves a guy. She answered that she never had a boyfriend.

summary chapter 7

Erika is in the church because she sings there with the choir. She is very excited because she doesn´t want to sing when AJ is at church. Finally he doesn´t come and she can present the people her beautiful voice.

summary chapter 6

In this chapter Ruthis tells her problems compared to the treatment with black people. She just have friend who are white because she thinks that black people have a bad character or something like that. She has got this opinion because she didn´t life in a ghetto like a lot of black people and so she has got another character which is different to the character of black people. She doesn´ know what she wants...

summary chapter 5

In this chapter the reader gets to know backgrounds about AJ life and his situation at home. hHe lifes in a dangerous neighborhood where and the MG´s and other gangs. The consume of drugs is normal in his neighborhood. His mother is dead and his father doesn´t really care about him and his two brothers. So AJ is like a father for his litte brother Anthony. His older brother is a bit stranger because of the drugs and AJ dosen´t really talk to him very much. After that to reader gets to know that AJ is on a party where he meets Erika. She wants to make him jealous because of the story with Ruthie.Therefore Erika kisses a guy from the MG-gang and when AJ sees this he goes to Trina and does the same, too.

summary chapter 4

In this chapter Erika is very jealous. She has a fight with a gang of black girls at school. When she go home she has another conversation with her mum because her mum tells her that she hates black men like Erikas dad. They dont life together.

summary chapter 3

After two days Ruthie comes back to school. She is okay again. She gets to know that Erika is jelous of her because of the contact with AJ. She searched for him to tell him that she finds that the attitude of Erika is very childish. She also talk about it with her friends. One of them, Kevin Blane, says that AJ is a dump-ass, but Ruthie doesn´t think so. On this day she sees that AJ is a very good-looking guy and he tells her that a lot of student think that Ruthie is a snob because of her way to dress her and her character.

summary chapter 1-2

In the first two chapter we get to know three of the main characters: AJ, a excellent football-player, Erika, his girlfriend and Ruthie, a hard working student and AJ´s classmate.
The plot starts with a chemistry lesson in which AJ holds a dangerous chemical over a bunsen burner which explodes in Ruthi´s face. Because of this AJ has to drive her in the hospital to check if she is really hurted. After that AJ drives her home and there they have to wait for Ruthie´s mum that she can drive AJ back to the school.
Back at school AJ meets his girlsfriend Erika who gets him on nerves. She tells him that her friends saw him with another girl (Ruthie). AJ says that they are right and he tells her the whole situation which Erika doesn´t really belive. She tells him that she keep an eve on him...

coming of age

dies ist nur ein test um mich hier überhaupt mal zurechtzufinden ^^