When the Black Girl Sings (pg. 225-266 Chapters 30-32)

Summary:
In the final chapters of When the Black Girl Sings, we conclude with the night of Lahni's singing competition. Chapter 30 starts off with Marcus picking up Lahni from her house to arrive at the school early. He was wearing a silver-gray suit. Once they arrived at the school's parking lot, Lahni felt nauseous and threw up there. She was nervous and had the feeling that she was not good enough for the competition. But, Marcus reassured her that everything is going to be fine. They went backstage where the people who are performing that night. Amber, one of the contestants for the singing competition is so confident that she is going to win that she didn't practice her song. We learn that Amber is being accompanied by Mr. Faringhelli on the piano, Lisa is being accompanied by her father, Henry Shin on the violin, and Lahni is being  accompanied by Marcus on the piano. There were 3 judges who were going to decide the competition. One special guest judge is the mayor's wife. After the orchestra played, there was a brief intermission to begin the competition. Lisa is going to sing first, then Amber, then Lahni. Lisa sang a Korean song, Amber sang a Broadway song, and Lahni sang a spiritual song. When it was Lahni's turn to sing, she gained confidence out of nowhere. She didn't want to be scared anymore. She didn't want to be scared of what might happen to her family, and from then, she knew exactly who she was. The song made her realize that whatever may happen in the future, she would be okay because she knows that God is watching her. The winner of the competition was...Lahni!

Quote:

"Oh I wouldn't mind if I sit with my parents," Amber said brezzily. "I just don't have anything to change back into my gown when it's time for me to go on" (Wright 237).

Reaction:
This quote was spoken by the one and only Amber. I can automatically tell what kind of person she is, conceited. Amber is a person that only sees herself and doesn't care about how she makes you feel. For example, she was late to dress rehearsal and didn't apologize. When she asked Lahni if her afro was a wig, that was really rude. She makes people feel embarrassed publicly. When she said that Mr. Faringhelli forgot to introduce her song, she said that the title was English so he should have had no problem with the pronunciation, referring to him not being able to pronounced Lisa's song title since it was in Korean. He felt embarrassed. In fact, he turned red. Then after the competition, she is complaining why the judges take so long to decide who the winner is. She claims that the minute they hear that person, they know their decision. If she is going to have that kind of attitude in the real world, then she is going to lose friends and be all by yourself. She can't be that much pride in herself. If she doesn't change, that attitude will come back to bite her and that will not be good.

When the Black Girl Sings (pg. 182-224 Chapters 24-29)

Summary:
The rehearsal at the school didn't go as well as Lahni planned it to be because of the incident she had with Onyx 1. So, it was finally time for Lahni to tell the truth about Onyx 1 to her mother. Ursula wanted to call the police on Onyx 1, but Lahni said that she didn't have to. After that, Ursula made Lahni call her dad concerning about the singing competition Tim was upset that Lahni didn't tell him sooner, but he was coming. So, Lahni asked her parents a huge favor; they have to sit next to next and pretend as though they are a happy couple. The singing competition is approaching and Lahni still does not have a dress to wear. Then Ursula goes crazy in looking for the perfect dress. Lahni is annoyed and she wanted to go home. After all of this hunting, Lahni found a lavender dress with pearls that Carietta gave her. Her shoes to match with her dress with her dress is a little small for her feet. She is also going to have a big afro. Then, Lahni finally told Katie her big secret that her parents are separated and getting a divorce.

Quote:

"I won't embarrass you. We won't embarrass you. You have my word" (Wright 210). 

Reaction:
This quote is from Ursula reassuring that her and Tim will not get in a fight. Ursula and Tim know how much this competition means to Lahni and they don't want to be the ones to mess it up.When the competition comes, I wonder if Ursula and Tim are going to keep their promise of siting together and to not get into a fight. Will more people find out about Ursula's and Tim's separation? Will Lahni be distracted while she is singing because of her parents and will that cost her the competition?   

When the Black Girl Sings (pg. 121-181 Chapters 17-23)

Summary
Chapter 18 starts out with Lahni and her dad going to his hotel and that she is not too excited about it. Then, when they arrived at the hotel, Lahni found a woman in her father's bathroom and that was the last straw for Lahni. So, she called her mother to take her home from the hotel. She doesn't want her dad to take her home. Ursula was really mad for what Tim has done to Lahni. Then, Mr. Faringhelli is still waiting for Lahni to pick a song for the competition because time is running out. Soon, she picked the song "His Eye is on the Sparrow" and wanted Marcus to accompany her on the piano. Marcus will be present for rehearsal night. Then, the stalker of Lahni, Onyx 1, tapped a photograph of himself to her bike seat having written U R 4 ME. Then she learned that he got into a fight with 2 black boys and got suspended because he called them black apes and had a knife with him. That was a double whammy. Finally, Lahni had the courage to tell her mom that she is in a singing competition and agreed that they would go shopping for the right outfit. Ursula was upset that Lahni didn't tell her sooner. Then, when it was rehearsal night, she finally met Onyx 1 face to face and acted like a "female dog" towards him. He asked her to go out with him and she turned him down like he was dirt and said that he does not want to mess with her.


Quote:

"My father was already part of a different world. A world I didn't want to take part of....and now he knew what an idiot he'd been. He'd have to beg my mother's forgiveness and mine too, for being so dumb" (Wright 129). 

Reaction:
This quote was from the trip to the hotel with Lahni and her father. This trip added insult to injury on the father-daughter relationship. That made the family situation worse and is portrayed that Tim is being the bad guy. He is the person to blame for the divorce and the distant relationship between him and his daughter. I don't blame Lahni for actions for not going back home with her father because she does not want to be with the person that broke her mother's heart and made her depressed. Now it is clear that Lahni is not comfortable with Tim at all and wants to stay away from him as far as possible. There are a few things I want to learn. I wonder if Tim will reconcile with Ursula before the divorce is final and can be a happy family again. I still question if that woman in the bathroom is really Tim's girlfriend. Lahni thinks she is but the reader is not entirely sure. Last, I wonder if that will be the last time Lahni and Tim will ever meet.

When the Black Girl Sings (pg. 65-120 Chapters 8-16)

Summary
Chapter eight starts out with Lahni's parents having arguments and as a result, their marriage is failing. Ursula thinks that Tim has a girlfriend and that's why he doesn't stay home and travel a lot because of "work". But Tim kept telling Lahni everything is going to be fine. but she really knows it won't be and smells a divorce coming in her direction. And the divorce came to break this family apart. One day, while Lahni was riding her bike to school, she felt someone stalking her and she called that person "Red High-Tops" because when she saw that same person the first time, he was wearing red high top sneakers. Red High-Tops has been stalking Lahni for a long time and she does not know why. Then, she later learned that his real name is Harry Tiboldt, known by Onyx 1. He is a junior, loves hip-hop and think that he is a black guy and tries to act black.One Sunday morning, after church, Lahni wants to meet the soloist of the choir, Carietta Chisolm so she can give her singing lessons to get ready for the competition. Carietta said no to the request but suggested that Lahni join the choir lead by Marcus Delacroix, the choir director and organist of the church. Marcus gave her a chance to join the choir as a soprano and gave her her first solo for next Sunday. When Lahni told her mother, Ursula was thrilled by the fact that her daughter is going to be in choir. That Sunday, when it was time for the choir to sing, everyone, especially Marcus and Cartietta was surprised at Lahni's voice. The problem was she was very loud and she has to share the sound because this is a choir, a group.Next, Tim called Lahni and asked of they can talk face to face about the divorce. Lahni agreed to meet him. The first thing that Lahni asks is if he has a girlfriend. Tim said no and he would like Lahni to visit him at the hotel where he is staying. Lahni said yes, but it is not clear if she is really going to visit him. Then, Donna gave Lahni a note from Onyx 1 saying: Onyx1 +U.U.=MINE, but Lahni didn't think much of it.

Quote:

"Why would you marry somebody who wants everything around her to be perfect, if you knew you couldn't live up to it? Sure maybe nobody could. But knowing you-you probably made her think you could pull it off, you big fat liar. And now look at her" (Wright 90).

Reaction:
Lahni said this quote. This is supposed to be said to her father, but this is only her inner thought. She said that because her father ruined her mother's life and made it worse; one example being that Ursula is tired and stressed all the time because of the divorce. I can tell that Lahni favors her mother more than her father because of the divorce. The tone from this quote is angry, and generally, a negative tone. The hatred of Tim from Lahni is growing stronger and stronger. In fact, she called him "a big fat liar". I wonder if she is going to say that to her father or even have the courage to reveal her inner thoughts. If she does, I think that will hurt Tim's feeling deeply and as a result, he will feel guilty.

When the Black Girl Sings (pg. 1-64 Chapters 1-7)

Summary:
Lahni Schuler is an African American girl attending Darby Prep. She is adopted by two, loving, white parents. She has a best friend named Katie. The novel starts off with Lahni, the protagonist taking a shower after she had P.E. After she finished, she could not find her towel. So, she had to walk out out of the shower stall being nude and embarrassed in front of the other girls. Later on, Lahni complanied to her mom asking why that she has to go to a school like Darby. She really does not like the school at all. Her mother said that her and Lahni's father did research and the saw that it was the best school for them. Then, she brought up the race comment that why did 2 white parents picked a black baby to adopt. Ursula, Lahni's mother replied that she didn't care what color the baby was, she loved Lahni and that is what matters. Now, During the time that Lahni was graduating from middle school, Ursula and Tim's (Lahni's dad) marriage was falling apart and may result in divorce. Coming up was the Kent-Darby middle school mixer but the narrator which is Lahni herself didn't really say what it was about. Then, back at home in chapter four Ursula and Tim continues to argue with each other until Tim leaves the house. Then, we shift over to the scene in the music room. Mr. Faringhelli announces that there will be arts awards given to students through nominations of their peers. Lahni was nominated but declined it. Lahni said to Mr. Faringhelli later on she is not the competition type. Mr. Faringhelli replied that she doesn't want to let people recognize her talent. Lahni asked if that will have a problem. He said that won't be a problem for him but it will be for her. So, Lahni gave in and entered in the competition with 2 others Amber and Lisa. Then, Ursula suddently wants to go back to church and Lahni comes with her. The church's name is the Good Shepard. It is an interdenominational church. They noticed that they are many races attending the church and Lahni was surprised that a Black man named Marcus Delacroix III was playing Bach on the organ.

Quote: 

"I wondered how soon it would be before it was obvious to her that the whole thing has been an awful, stinking mistake" (Wright 24).

Reaction:
What Lahni is referring to her mother soon realizing that adopting a black girl has been a big mistake. She used 2 adjectives to describe the mistake as being awful and stinking. I don't think that she should feel that way. In fact, she should be grateful for what her parents have done for her. They want her to have the best education. Nothing is wrong with that. However, I do feel her pain in being the only black girl in the school but she can deal with it. Also, Lahni should be thankful for having parents that love her and care for her. Race should not matter to her anymore. She should stop complaining and love her life.

 

This Boy's Life (215-288)

Summary:
Toby and Arthur have drifted apart from each since the start of high school and they have been brutal with each other. When Mr. Mitchell saw them fight, he signed them up in his annual "smoker". The smoker is a school event in which enemies fight one another in a boxing ring. Dwight trains Toby for the smoker. When the fight takes place, Toby won the fight over Arthur, known as a sissy. Toby is scared by the fact that he has gotten closer to Dwight during his training and his moves in the boxing ring. Toby was rejected by all the private schools he applied for except for the Hill School. Mr. Howard, an alumnus of Hill school, was sent to interview Toby. He assured Toby that Hill is not an easy school. Later in the novel, Toby almost slices his hand during shop class. He spent nearly a week in the hospital.Toby took some of Dwight's alcohol to ease the pain in his finger. When Dwight realizes that some of his alcohol was gone, he confronts Toby. When Toby talks back, Dwight pushes Toby (not violently), that he stumbles and landed on his injured finger. That incident was the last straw for Rosemary so she sends Jack to live with the Chuck Bolger and his family.
Chuck gets drunk every night and often gets violent with himself. He and Toby would go to this girl's house named Veronica to drink and play poker. The reader learns that Mr. Bolger is a preacher. So Toby goes to church with the Bolger family. At church, Toby is fond of the liveliness of gospel music and goes to the "Amen Corner" where members of the church shout and clap to show their faith. One night, Toby, Chuck, Huff, and Psycho decided to drive to Bellingham but Chuck knew he won't have enough fuel to drive all the way there. So Chuck had the idea of stealing gas from the Welch farm. They walked a lot to get the gas and walked so much to go back. They were so tired that they didn't go to Bellingham after all. The next morning, Mr. Bolger woke the boys up and commands them to go back to the Welch farm and return the gas and apologize. Chuck apologized but Toby did not. Mr. Bolger asked why Toby didn't say anything. Toby didn't answer so Mr. Bolger had no choice but to call his mother and take him home. Toby then meets Father Karl and asks him sternly why he did what he did and if he wants to make his mother unhappy. Father Karl didn't get through Toby well. Chuck, Huff, and Psycho was charged with statutory rape that happened to an overweight, fifteen year old girl named Tina Flood. To not go to jail, Chuck had to marry her, which he didn't want to do. Then Huff agreed to marry Tina.
Toby gets accepted to Hill School and Mr Howard picks out his clothes to go to the school. Rosemary has a new job in Seattle which she will start in about 1 week and seems happy without Dwight. Then Toby is going to spend time with his father and Geoffrey in California during the summer. After that summer, Toby breaks into Dwight's house and steals his rifles, a pair of  binoculars, and a hunting knife. He goes to the pawn stores and didn't receive a good price for the rifles. During Christmas break, Dwight meets Rosemary at Washington D.C where she lives now and tries to strangle her but she kicks him in the groin. Next, he steals her purse but got caught and arrested. Toby is doing terrible at Hill school that he gets kicked out in the middle of senior year. Last, Toby remembers as an adult now that he was driving to Chinook from Seattle singing hymns from the radio.

Quote:
"Chuck apologized," I said. "I didn't" (Wolff 247).


Reaction:
This quote was from the incident of the boys stealing gas from the Welch farm Chuck apologized for his actions but Toby didn't. This puzzled me. Toby was in the stunt of stealing gasoline but he did not want to take fault in the incident. From this passage, it shows that Toby has so much pride in himself for him to think that he should not apologize. I mean, Toby says as though that he feels sorry about the gasoline incident, but he can't say these two words, "I'm sorry" because, he said that he just can't. That is not a good excuse. That caused a strain in Chuck and Toby's friendship. I wonder why he doesn't want to apologize. That's the right thing to do, but he 's doing the opposite of good in keeping his mouth shut and to not take part of the blame. At least he was honest and said that he didn't say anything. 

This Boy's Life (155-214)

Summary:
Toby plans to run away to Alaska with eighty dollars in his pocket that he earned from his paper route job and money that he stole from other customers. Toby told Arthur about his plan and he didn't want him to come along but he soon changed his mind because he does not want to feel lonely in Alaska. Every November, Toby's scout troop goes the Gathering of the Tribes in Seattle. There, Toby tries to stay away from Arthur, so while he was there, he participated in a swimming tournament. Also, at the Gathering of the Tribes, he meets a trio of boys that came from Ballard, another troop and hangs out with them. One thing they all have in common is that they smoke. When the Ballard boys saw Arthur, they made fun of his name by asking if he is a "king". They asked him to smoke weed, but fortunately, Arthur said no. Later on, Toby made up with Arthur by giving him a stuffed pink pig. When Toby returned home, he met a new dog named Champion. One night, Toby took Dwight's car and took it for a spin. Then, the car got in the mud. Suddenly, a man drives past him and took him home. The next morning, Dwight confronts him of taking the car and he also met the man who was taking Toby home. Dwight knows the incident now and as a result, he went on top of Jack and started beating him up, so he abuses him.
Toby starts off his freshman year at Concrete High with good grades by copying other people's homework. Every morning before school, Toby and his new friend Chuck would smoke. During his sophomore year of high school, Toby receives a letter from his long lost brother, Geoffrey and sent him a Princeton t-shirt. Then Toby had an idea that he could hitchhike to Princeton to be with Geoffrey, but to do that, he had to forge a check and he almost got caught with that fake check. Toby and Geoffrey continued to talk to each other. After Dwight slaps Toby for throwing away a mustard jar when it wasn't "empty", Toby called Geoffrey and told him the story. Geoffrey was disgusted. Then, Geoffrey talked him into applying in a prep school like Choate and Deerfield. Then, Toby's real father called him and told him the same thing.

Quote:
"Then he was on me. He caught me with one hand under the covers...he was kneeling on the bed, his legs on either side of me, locking me in with the blankets...he kept hitting me in a fast compulsive rhythm and I knew he was beyond all hearing..." (Wolff 177).

Reaction:
The first thing I have to say is that this quote from Toby is very explicit. The picture is just....ugly, in a way that a parent or a step-parent should not be doing this abuse to their child. I don't know how Toby can handle this abuse. To think that Dwight was going to be a good step-father. What I notice is that every time that Toby gets abused, Rosemary (Toby's mother) is not present. Sometimes, that does not make sense to me. What I want to happen is that Rosemary finds out all that abuse Toby has been suffering through and for the two to move out and live somewhere else and for Rosemary to divorce Dwight. At least Geoffrey knows about Toby's predicament and he will find a way for Toby to get out of it. One question that I have is that why isn't Toby telling his mom about this? This is important and it has to stop. Another question that I have is why is Dwight abusing Toby in the first place? Even though Dwight doesn't like Toby that much, that is not an excuse for treating the kid like trash.

This Boy's Life (107-154)

Summary
Toby and three others were on the sidewalk making fun of Arthur Gayle, who had a reputation of being called a sissy. However, no one has ever called Arthur a sissy directly to him, until Toby, also known as Jack now came along. After Toby called Arthur a sissy, he didn't respond very well. In fact, he responded with a fight. At the end, Arthur won the fight and made Toby take back what he said about him. Later in the novel, the reader learns that Skipper, Dwight's son is going to graduate high school. After he graduated, he took a job at the power company and continued living at home so he can save up money to buy his own car. Soon Skipper earned enough for his car and drove to Mexico with his friend. Toby felt sad that he left without him, but got over it. Skipper came back home in a few weeks.  At school, Toby is a basketball player and one of the best of his team. Norma and her boyfriend Bobby always picked him up after games. Meanwhile, Dwight has a drinking problem and everyone in the family can see that because he always mimics people, and doesn't even sound like the person. One time while he was drunk, he accused Rosemary for not thanking him for taking in a divorced woman with a kid who is a liar and a stealer. Rosemary didn't even fight back.

Toby likes to go through people's private items. One day, he found a letter in his mother's drawer and it was from his Uncle Stephen. He lives in France. When Toby copied his uncle's address, he wrote to him about his nightmares at Chinook and begged him to bring him and his mother to Paris to live with him and his family. Stephen replied back with expressing his sympathy and proposed that Toby live with him and his family for one year, but soon changed it to five years, so about now to when he finishes high school. Dwight was all for it. He wanted Toby to move away. When Toby changed his mind about moving to Paris, Dwight was outraged with his decision and forced him to change his mind. That didn't work. A couple of weeks before Christmas, Norma, who already graduated from high school, called up to say that she wants to marry Kenneth, a new boyfriend, instead of Bobby. When Kenneth came for Christmas dinner, nobody liked his personality. In fact, Dwight tried to convince Norma to not marry him. Soon, Norma did marry Kenneth and had a child together, but she didn't seem happy living with Kenneth.

Quote
"She and Dwight weren't getting along. They hadn't gotten along since the night they returned from their honeymoon in Vancouver, two days early, silent and grim, not even looking at each other as they carried the suitcases into the house and down the hall to Dwight's room" (Wolff 111).

Reaction
When the narrator stated that quote, I could visualize it in my head. What I question is that what happened during the honeymoon. I mean, coming back two days early, something must be wrong. My prediction is that Dwight was drinking during the honeymoon and maybe he spoke phrases that he shouldn't have said or didn't mean them in a serious way. My evidence is on page 132, when Dwight said that Rosemary should be thanking him for taking her in and her lying, stealing, and just plain horrible kid. I think from that place is the start of the downfall of their marriage. Also, on pages 135-136, when Dwight came out of the tavern, he had the keys to the car to drive. That is a bad idea because he came out drunk. Rosemary would not get in the car unless she takes the keys. After a long time, she finally got inside the car but without the keys. As a result, Dwight started driving recklessly. Rosemary and Toby begged for him to stop, but he mimicked them back, and shows that he does not give a darn. All I am saying is that if he doesn't stop his drinking, he might be a divorced parent...again.

This Boy's Life (57-106)

Summary
Marian, Kathy, and Rosemary(Toby's mother) all decided to rent the house together. Rosemary picked the place. The yard was high in weeds, there was a collapsed barn. When Kathy and Mariam were flabbergasted when they saw the apartment. Soon, they did some repairs so the apartment would look descent. On Halloween, Toby, Silver, and Taylor broke some windows of the school cafeteria. When they got away with it, that causes the trio to do some more crimes like damaging street lights, opened the doors of cars and releasing the emergency brakes so they be smashed with the other cars and stealing. Meanwhile, Marian tried to fix up Rosemary with a man she can be with. After all the men Rosemary interviewed, she finally found a man who was descent whose named was Dwight. Dwight had 3 other children Pearl, Skipper, and Norma from a previous marriage. He lives in a place called Chinook, 3 hours north from Seattle and kept driving down to Seattle to visit Rosemary every other weekend and eventually every weekend.

Sometimes, Toby, Silver, and Taylor would hang out in the bathroom, smoking. Toby showed his rifle to his friends. While Toby was in the bathroom, he scratched  f*** you with his comb into the soft paint of the wall. Soon, the vice-principal was 100% sure that it was Toby who wrote the profanity on the bathroom wall. When his mother was called up, Rosemary did not believe a single word that the vice-principal was saying. As a result, Toby was suspended for only 1 week. Later on in the novel, Dwight has the baddest attitude toward Toby. Mariam told Dwight that Toby was making fun of him by mimicking his attitude when he (Dwight) drinks. When Toby stays over Dwight's home, he works hard on chores as a slave, then Toby makes up lies to his mother that him and Dwight are quality time together. Toby knows how much Dwight means to his mother so he keeps his slavery a secret.

Quote:
"My mother had faith in me. She didn't have faith in discipline. Her father, Daddy, had given her plenty and she had yet to see the profit from it" (Wolff 59).

Reaction:
At first, I didn't believe that quote. Maybe Rosemary doesn't want to discipline his son hard because she does not want to turn into her own father. Rosemary's father was really strict and he spanked her every night even if she did not do anything wrong. To think that parents completely trusts their children with no doubt on the back of his/her head, that is hard to believe. I had that thought until the profanity incident. When, the vice-principal AND the reader knows that it was Toby who put that profanity on the wall, the mother bravely went against the vice-principal's word and actually trusts his son. When Rosemary asks Toby if he did the crime, he said no and she thought that was the end of discussion. While I was reading that part of the novel, I asked if Rosemary had a doubt in her head. Also, I'm asking if she showed any discipline to Toby because in my opinion, he should not be let off the hook that easily. I wonder if the discipline towards Toby will begin when Rosemary and Dwight officially gets married and Dwight is the new step-father. The author of the book makes it seem that Toby is kind of in charge of his mother because she wants to make her son happy, no matter what and Toby takes advantage of that. I just hope that advantage doesn't go too far.

This Boy's Life (3-56)

Summary:
First set in 1955, Toby and his mother Rosemary are moving from Florida to Utah to flee from the mother's violent boyfriend. It has been 5 years since the divorce.They both wanted change, a new beginning and to leave the past behind. The first change that Toby wanted was his name. He wanted to officially be known as Jack. Toby's father did not like the idea at all. Also, his mom was making him take catechism classes. The father didn't like that idea either. Before he was about to get baptized, he was going to have his first confession to the priest. That did not go well as planned but it did happen anyway. A few weeks later, Roy, Toby's mother boyfriend tracked the family down and lived with them. Later on, Toby received his first rifle from him. When Roy stated to Toby that he and his mother was thinking of having a baby, Toby didn't explicitly said no, bad idea, but he just nodded, hiding his feelings. One day when Toby came home from school, he saw two suitcases already filled and saw his mother packing another one. He learned that he and his mom was moving...again to Seattle. So they are moving away from Roy, but the narrator does not say why. At Seattle he and his mother live at a boardinghouse and he befriends Terry Taylor and Terry Silver. They spend a lot of time together, especially at Silver's house.

Quote:

"I saw the good humor leave my mother's face, just as I knew it would. She looked at me coldly and I looked coldly back at her. The subject of bicycles turned us into enemies. Our problem was that I wanted a bike and she didn't have enough money to buy me one. She had no money at all" (Wolff 52).

Reaction:
I think Rosemary feels embarrassed but the fact that she doesn't have a lot of money. Toby described his mother's face as coldly. I know that it shows that she wants to make his son happy with his needs and his wants. In my opinion, I think that Rosemary feels that she failed as a mother by not getting him what he wants, a bike. On the other hand, a bike is a want not a need. I think that this is the reason why Rosemary and Toby move constantly, to find more opportunity to make a living and live life to its fullest.

Welcome

Welcome! This blog is about the memoir This Boy's Life by Tobias Wolff. Toby's parents are divorced and he has to live with his mother. He and his mother are constantly on the move. When Toby receives his new, abusive stepfather, he will see his experiences in the joys and downfalls of his adolescence.