#17 Reader’s Journal 12/25/11
Dear Mrs. Zrihen,
I started reading the humor book, Dumb White Husband vs. The Grocery Store (A Short Story) by Benjamin Wallace.
The ONLY passage that stood out to me was:
“A message from his wife appeared across the screen. ‘Also need milk, cat litter and dog food. <3’
‘That’s not less than three,’ he said to himself as he dropped the phone into his pocket.”
I chose this passage it was the only thing in the whole book that was slightly funny. I was expecting to laugh more and this was the only thing that made me smile. It is significant to the story because it shows how John, the main character, is supposed to be funny and a “dumb white husband”.
Before, during, and after reading I used many strategies. Before reading, I read the title. It seemed funny because I figured it would be making fun of middle-aged men and I thought it would be interesting to read. I also read the reviews. The majority of them were positive so I decided to read the book. While reading, I took notes on my Kindle about any new vocabulary, figurative language, or literary elements. I also made predictions. While reading the following passage made one prediction:
“He scanned the list. There were a lot of words but only four items: lemons, tomatoes, chicken breast and pasta. Good. It was short enough that he could run to the store, get back, zip through two commercial breaks and be caught up to real time sports. He set the list in the chair. ‘It’s just a couple of things. I don’t need a list.’
‘Please take the list.’
‘I don’t need the list.’”
I predicted that there would be a whole scene at the grocery store because he forgot what was on the list. After reading, I went back to confirm my prediction; however, my prediction was incorrect because in the end, John took the grocery list. I also reviewed all my notes to write my reader’s journal.
The genre of this book is fiction. The subgenre is humor and short story because it focuses on one main plot, can be read in one sitting, and has comical characteristics. The protagonists are John and Jenny. They are both round and dynamic because they are clearly explained in the book. John is a “white, middle-aged man”. Jenny is “still beautiful. After all of these years it was as if she had aged only a fraction compared to him. Long red hair draped over the light fabric of the gray hooded shirt that she always wore around the house.” Some foil characters are Jimmy, Sarah, and Erik. They are all flat and static because we do not know much about them. Jimmy and Sarah are John and Jenny’s children. Erik is their neighbor. There are no antagonists.
The setting isn’t clearly stated in the book. All we know is that it starts off in John’s house and then a grocery store. I am able to infer that it take place in modern times because of type of cars and technology that is mentioned. The weather conditions are not stated at all. One social condition is that John is a “dumb white husband”.
The plot of this book was really bad. There wasn’t really an exposition, rising action, climax, falling action, or resolution. The book was basically just, John was watching a game on TV. His wife forces him to go to the grocery store. John goes to the grocery store. John comes home. The end. There was absolutely no plot line.
The conflict is man vs. man. John was fighting with his wife in the beginning who forced him to go to the grocery store. Also, he had a “fight” with the grocery store and the self-checkout machine. This isn’t exactly a “man” but I don’t know what type of conflict that would fall under. Man vs. man is external. The tone of this book is humorous and the mood is bored. There is no theme, moral, or motif. The point-of-view is third person limited because the narrator only knows what John is thinking and feeling. The author’s purpose is to entertain readers with a comical short story. The pattern of organization is climatic order because it tells what happens from beginning to end. The author’s perspective is objective because he does not share any personal opinions or beliefs.
I was surprised to find that this book contained no figurative language
To respond to this book I made connections:
-This book reminded me of my dad and how he always has trouble at the grocery store.
-Although I didn’t read the author’s other books, this book reminds me of them because they all have almost the same title. For example, “Dumb White Husband vs. Santa”.
-This book relates to the world because there are men like John in every family across the world.
Overall, this book was really bad. I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone! I believe it was a waste of time to read. I rate it a 3 out of 10 stars because I simply hated it. The reason it got a three is because of the ONE joke that was kind-of funny. If the author hadn’t included that, I probably would have rated this book a one.
Your Student,
Bailey Levy
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