"Almost Home" (1)

Almost Home by Kevin Ryan and Tina Kelley is a very introspective and depictive book describing the real - life scenarios of teenagers just like us who have been born into underprivileged families and live in poverty. Each Chapter serves as a small book in itself, telling the lives of several teenagers - their background, what their families do, and how they manage to get through their difficult lives. So far, I have a read about a boy named Paulie, who grew up in a broken home, but worked up the motivation to become a champion kickboxer and cook despite his challenges at home. He lives in a trailer in Palmer, Alaska, where the weather is always cold and earthquakes are frequent. His father, Hank, left him and his mother to become a crab fisherman on the Bering Sea, leaving them without a job or source of income. To pass the time, Paulie practices kickboxing and cooking in addition to spending time with his younger siblings, trying to make the most of their situation.
Up to this point, the book seems very surreal. As teenagers living in a community like Maplewood / South Orange, I think we sometimes forget there are people just like us living like this. It definitely puts things in perspective and makes me realize all I have to be grateful for in my life.