Make connections with other texts or concepts or events

    As I finished up God Don't Like Ugly, I could not help but notice the similarities between this book and The Glass Castle. Both girls came from a broken family and a very difficult childhood, but they both made something of themselves. Both Annette and Jeanette, leave their home at a relatively young age, get a job, and try to live a normal life. "It was the personnel representative at the Erie Manufacturing Company, one of the two factories where I had applied. They had a job for me. 'When do I start," I yelled." (344). Annette now has a reliable job and a steady income so that she never has to live like she did as a child. Jeanette happens to go to New York and find herself a job there.
    
    Also, there is a definite turning point for each of the main characters in both books. For Annette it was, " 'You're right, Muh'Dear. I'll never be the same again' I said sadly. I promised myself that the old Annette Goode was dead. My rebirth had been a long time coming. I was leaving behind all the ugliness I had known for eighteen years," (320). Annette finally realizes that she deserves better and that she is going to do her best to obtain a better life. Jeanette's changing moment was when she decided that she was going to get to New York no matter what it took. 
   
    Although Annette never found a husband, like Jeanette, they both became much more comfortable with who they were and much stronger people, which became evident when Annette easily told Levi off after finding out what he had done to her. " 'You better get home to your wife and your son!' I barked, already attempting to close the door... 'The only way you'll ever get back into this apartment is if you break in!' " (386). I think that had Annette never left, she would never have been strong enough to let go of the person she had only ever had a serious relationship with. The same thing happened for Jeannette in that she became a much stronger person having dealt with her childhood.

Try arguig with the author.

       In the final stretch of God Don’t Like Ugly, by Mary Monroe, I was extremely disappointed on how a few events played out. I believe that the finale of every book should end on a good note. One of the first things I would change is Annette’s situation with her dad. How come she was never able to meet him? When Aunt Berneice told her about her father and her three half siblings trying to get in touch with her, Annette was ecstatic. “My daddy was still alive and has been trying to get in touch with me. I had siblings who wanted to meet me.” (P. 314). It just baffles me that the author didn’t have Annette contact her father immediately. If her father had been trying to search and contact Annette and her mother for all these years, why wouldn’t Annette finally contact him? Why didn’t she allow us to read and visualize the interaction with Annette and her father at the end of the story? I would have changed the story around, and instead of going back to Richland, I would have made Annette fly to Florida first to visit her daddy. Then after they bonded and such, I would have had her go back to Richland to let everyone know her and her father are on good terms.
       The second situation I would have changed was Annette’s friendship with Rhoda. What in the world happened to that? After Rhoda confided in her best friend, thinking she could officially tell Annette everything and put it in the past, Annette turns on her. What kind of friend would do that? After Rhoda had told Annette about the cop, her grandmother, and April that she had killed, along with Mr. Boatwright, apparently Annette decided she had enough. “Rhoda, how can I go on being friends with you now….. Do you realize what you’ve done to me? You’ve burdened me with information that could destroy me.” (P. 332). Obviously I understand that Annette doesn’t want to be friends with Rhoda, now knowing that she’s killed four people instead of just two, but strangely I feel bad for Rhoda. It’s almost as if Annette is abandoning her in this desperate time of need. All Rhoda was doing was being honest to her best friend. Yes, clearly it’s immoral to kill anyone, yet alone four people, but I just feel terrible how that’s the way Annette and Rhoda’s friendship had to end. It’s almost as if Annette considers her life just as good as Rhoda’s now, and no longer needs her as a friend. Their friendship ending was probably my biggest upset in the book, Rhoda was my favorite character.
       The third and foremost situation I would change is Annette’s and Peewee’s awkward relationship.  This two act as if they’re dating; they go on dates, hang out almost every night, and have had sex together. I don’t understand why Annette can’t just be happy in the end and finally get married. “Peewee and I even double dated with her and her husband-to-be.” (P. 337). Everyone around Annette was living a happy life and getting married, besides Rhoda, and Annette was yet to get engaged. When will her time come? Or will Annette just be stuck dating guys randomly here and there and just having sex with random people for the rest of her life? I just want to know why she never received a happy ending. Even her mother was able to marry Mr. King and go to the Bahamas! In conclusion, Annette’s lived a pretty tough life and even going back to the very beginning of the book, there would be a lot of events in her life I would have changed. Mary Monroe gave Annette one of the toughest lives, even right down to the end, but yet Annette managed to survive every second of it.   

Ask yourself a question about the text

 While reading this last section of God Don't Like Ugly, by Mary Monroe, I began to ask myself a few questions about the text. One being, after all that Annette has been through, how is she able to progress and be so smart as a person, so well? After having so many memories in her life time, from her father leaving her, moving from shacks, apartments, basements, and houses, to being sexually assaulted daily, it is crazy how much Annette can remember from such a young age. Being older then I, it amazes me how she can remember things at the age of three. She says, "I remember a lot that happened when I was three and four years old. All that walking to get to your work, my squirrel with the white paw, that old woman that hit you with her cane, that tornado, and most of all, those dreadful clodhoppers we found in the trash can that you made me wear... I remember my daddy. He left the morning after that tornado with a white woman in a green car"(256). Although some of the things Annette remembers are vague and small, it still amazes me that she can remember these things considering how young she was. It also saddens me knowing the fact that if she is able to remember these things, then further down the line, she will always remember the horrific events in detail that her life has consisted of. Rape, murder, and prostitution is recently all she has known, so the fact that she is able to remember a squirrel she had at the age of three, is somewhat sad considering other things she will remember later on in life. Another example of Annette showing her progressing smarts is when she has left for Viginia and is residing in a motel that she has been staying at for a couple of weeks. After being asked many times by other tenants in the motel to babysit their children, and refusing, Annette says, "As bad as I wanted and needed friends, I promised myself I would avoid anybody I thought was out to take advantage of me"(274). After saying this, it also surprises me at how much Annette is now sticking up for herself. It shows how she has gained self-respect and that she refuses to be taken advantage of any more

Another question I had about the text, was how can Annette mother go from acting as though she cares so much about Annette and wants her to stay home so badly, but never answers or returns the phone calls Annette makes to her. Whether it goes to the answering machine, or it is Mr. King answering, it  seems strange to me how distant Mrs. Goode has become since Annette has left. She explains, "Once again I called up Muh'Dear and just as I expected, she was out" (272). Although it was only one phone call of the many she has made, it confuses me to see Annette struggle in such a big city by herself, and her mother not be there just to talk to her on the phone once in a while. Being aware of the fact that Annette has struggled by herself her whole life, her mother's ignorance not only irritates me, it amazes me. In conclusion, after reading the last section of God Don't Like Ugly by Mary Monroe, I had many questions about the text but two specifically about Annette progressing as a smart individual, and another about Mrs. Goode's ignorance.

How much does the text agree or clash with your view of the world, and what you consider right or wrong?

    As I read this section of God Don't Like Ugly, many specific events jumped out at me as being wrong. I could not believe some of the things that many characters in the book regarded as completely fine. For example, I was astonished to learn that Moline believed that there was nothing wrong with prostitution. "...she used to be in the sportin' business. She was a damn good whore. Ain't nothin' wrong with a good pesterin', especially when you gettin' paid for it," (233). How do they think that this is even remotely acceptable? To me, prostitution is never okay and I would never advise a young, teenage girl about the possible advantages to becoming one. Moline thinks nothing of it, and, in fact, she goes on to tell Annette about other girls that had to stop but should have gone on longer. What are they thinking?! Not only is it against the law, it is morally wrong. I also found myself shocked at the fact the Annette would not and could not tell her mother about the horrible rapings that Mr. Boatwright made her endure almost on the daily, "I can't hurt my mama by telling her what I went through. What good would it do now? She would die of guilt for putting me in that position in the first place. She would never get over it. I want her to be happy... Who would believe some man would rape somebody that looks like me?" (281). It is nice that Annette is worried about her mother's happiness, but what about her own? Although I can't even begin to imagine the position that she's in, she would probably feel so much better if she finally told her mother. She has been wanting to for some time now and has always found that something is stopping her. It could be that she thinks her mom wouldn't believe her but that's crazy. Any good mother would not just treat this like it was nothing, she would help Annette. I was very surprised at how against Annette was about telling her mother, especially when she found out she was pregnant! I think that is wrong, because a mother needs to know what her own daughter has been going through and for years, too. Lastly, my jaw dropped not only when I found out that Rhoda killed Mr. Boatwright, but that she seemed to think that there was nothing wrong with it and that she shouldn't have to suffer through any accompanying consequences. When Annette finds out about the murder she runs up to actually make sure Rhoda isn't lying and Rhoda is so casual about the whole situation that it's almost creepy, " 'Oh, he won't answer,' Rhoda told me casually... waving her hand like she was dismissing the whole situation," Murder of any kind of purely wrong and Rhoda just brushes it off like it's something that happens everyday.  That is almost disgusting to me that she could take someone's life, now matter how bad the person, and treat it like nothing happened and that it is so casual. Ending another human being's life is not something to be taken lightly. This section of God Don't Like Ugly certainly had its fair share of surprises.

Ask yourself questions about the text.

The chunk of text we had to read this week of “God Don’t Like Ugly” by Mary Monroe, confused and baffled my mind. One character that baffles my mind every time he speaks is Mr. Boatwright. While at Granny Goose’s funeral, Mr. Boatwright tries to sound intelligent while he was talking to Rhoda’s dad and Judge Lawson but just couldn’t seem to fit in. They were talking about presidency and Mr. Boatwright blurts out “A woman president would mean the end of the world, sure enough. She’ll get in one of them PMS moods and every month she’ll push a button and nuke a foreign country.” (P. 184). Why on earth would Mr. Boatwright say this? In this time period mostly all of the men thought women were only good for cooking, cleaning, and sex. God forbid we get an office or high positioning job, yet alone be president. It’s almost as if women were considered to have no intelligence at all, and sometimes I feel as if men still think of us as Mr. Boatwright did. But in reality, women are more level headed than men are, meaning we can comprehend and deal with situations a lot better than they would ever be able to.

The second character that confused me greatly was Rhoda. Did she or did she not kill the policeman that killed her brother? The clues kind of give away the fact that she did. “They found him layin’ along the side of the road off the Sampson Rive Bridge in the bushes. He been layin’ there a few days, and they say it look like a hit-and-run.” (P. 198). Later on in the chapter, when Annette asks Rhoda where her car is, she claims that it’s in the body shop getting fixed. She also says that she was trying to avoid an animal in the road and hit a mailbox, which I highly doubt. How coincidental is it that her cars in the body shop around the same time the policeman died from a hit-and-run? Also, when Annette called Rhoda saying she heard what happened to the police man, all Rhoda did was reply with an “Uh…huh.” (P. 199). Therefore, I feel as if Rhoda will come out later in the book and tell Annette what she has done, along with killing Mr. Boatwright later in the section.

Finally, Annette was the character who astonished me the most. As much as she hates Mr. Boatwright, for some reason, when Rhoda finally killed him she was not amused. “’Why, Rhoda? Why did you kill Mr. Boatwright?’ I gasped.” (P. 205). My question is, why does Annette care so much that he’s dead? Mr. Boatwright tortured and raped her for literally years. If that’s not a reason to kill someone, then I don’t know what is. I really just don’t understand why she doesn’t want him dead? After all these years of hatred towards this old, horrendous man, the second Rhoda ends the misery for her, Annette starts yelling at her asking what she’s done. I also find Annette’s reaction kind of rude. Rhoda puts her life on the line for her best friend and doesn’t even receive a ‘thank you’ back, instead she’s yelled at for the act. To conclude this section, there were many characters that shocked me and mixed my opinions towards them. I am sort of left dumbfounded and speechless in the end.     

Topic Chosen: Ask yourself questions about the text

While reading this portion of the book, God Don't Like Ugly, by Mary Monroe,  I began having trouble understanding a few things in the story. One being, Rhoda's personality. I don't understand how at some times Rhoda is an excited and fun person, then a young and reckless child doing things that are way beyond her age, to an angry young women killing an old man. For example, one thing that surprises me is how at such a young age, and only being with her boyfriend for such a short period of time, Rhoda is already having sex. Annette explains, "Rhoda and Otis cut class right after lunch and sneaked off to a motel, so I had to suffer through the afternoon without seeing her between classes. I was thoroughly disappointed that sex had become such an important thing with her" (192). This example of Rhoda's action perplexes me because for such a young women, who has so much going for her, I am surprised that she would act the way in which she is, especially when she is completely aware of the way her best friend, Annette, feels about sex.

Another example of Rhoda's actions and personality surprising me in the story is at the point in time when Annette says, "I didn't see or talk to Rhoda for two days. She didn't call me or come to my house and was "out" each time I attempted to reach her. 'I needed some time alone,' she explained a day later at school" (194). Being fully aware of Annette's situation at home with Mr. Boatwright, why would Rhoda treat Annette, who is supposed to be her best friend, this way? How could you look at your best friend who you  know is dealing with hell and back, and ditch her to hang out with you're new boyfriend, or because 'you need some time alone'? Up until this point in the story, I actually favored Rhoda's character and the fact that she befriended Annette, despite the fact that no one else was friends with her. The topic of one of my previous posts actually states many things about how I admire Rhoda for being such an amazing person, but now I only feel as though she is being a terrible friend to Annette.

One last example of Rhoda's behavior that surprised me was when she told Annette that she was going to make them both tea, and left the room, and out of spite, killed Mr. Boatwright. I understand the fact that Mr. Boatwright is a terrible man, and actually does deserve what he got, but I don't understand how a girl of Rhoda's age could commit a murder and be completely fine with it. Annette explains, "Rhoda stood up too and looked me straight in the eyes, and told me, 'Yep. I-just-killed-Buttwright.' I couldn't believe my ears" (203). After reading this part of the story, I was literally in shock. I couldn't believe the fact that a girl in high school had the power to walk into a room, and kill a man without a problem. Although Mr. Boatwright isi a downright evil man and does deserve to rot in hell, I feel as though it wasn't Rhoda's place to put him there. I did not expect this type of behavior from Rhoda at all while first being introduced to her character. I figured that she would help Annette during this rough time, but never go to this extreme. In conclusion, after reading this section of the book, God Don't Like Ugly, by Mary Monroe, I have many questions about Rhoda's actions and personality changes through out the story. How can a sweet, and beautiful girl, turn into a bestfriend-ditching murderer in a short amount of time?

Make connections with your own experiences.

In the second fraction of God Don’t Like Ugly, by Mary Monroe, the story line really started to pick up. While reading the section, from start to finish I began making connections with my own experiences. I consider myself like Annette when it comes to Rhoda getting a boy friend. Annette feels left out and kind of worthless now to Rhoda, as if she has to compete with Otis now for her attention. “Rhoda, you stood me up tonight to be with Otis. The night I was supposed to help you bathe your grandmother, you took off with him, too.” (P. 163). I see where Annette is coming from on this because when your friend gets a boy friend, it’s like your automatically dropped because he’s “the best thing that’s ever happen” to them and you now become less important. You’ll stop hanging out as much, not talk every day, and soon begin to fade apart. But it’s not only the part of losing them, but the feeling of hopelessness that you’ll be alone forever and never as happy as they seem. In Annette’s situation, though, she truly loved Rhoda; more than a friend, so that would be like finding out your crush never liked you and you were stuck in the friend zone forever. This clearly bothered her and she made no point in hiding her feelings from Rhoda by telling her exactly how she felt about their friendship.

Another connection I make in this section is with Rhoda. Once Annette finally tells her about Mr. Boatwright raping her, Rhoda goes ballistic. Annette had been hinting around it for some time, but never came flat out and said it until she became real close with Rhoda. Rhoda’s immediate response was “Well, he can’t keep doin’ what he’s doin’ to you! ...We can tell a teacher. Miss Tripp, the music teacher.” (P. 115). This was Rhoda’s best idea to try to help her best friend out of trouble. I feel as if I connect with her by helping people in tough predicaments. When my cousin was going through a depression she was really bad, but every day I checked up on her, made sure she was happy, and made sure she was eating because in this depression she was cutting along with starving herself. Trying to help people in such a shallow hole is a difficult process that takes many hours of work and cannot just be an overnight process. But Rhoda tried the best she could and was always there to listen to Annette and help her through the sexual abuse. The last page we read in our section was probably the highlight of the whole text, so far. While Annette was fighting with Mr. Boatwright one day, she finally had enough and blurted out, “You can like me all you want, but you can’t touch me again.” (P. 177). This was Annette’s most glorious moment. She finally had the courage to stand up to Mr. Boatwright, was ready to put this all in the past, and start her life from scratch. I give credit to Rhoda for Annette’s final outburst because she had encouraged her so much to tell someone or at least to make him stop, and Annette finally received to courage to do so. I assume that Rhoda’s feelings are going to be similar to mine as we both helped someone achieve a great accomplishment. Just as Annette broke away from Mr. Boatwright, my cousin broke away from cutting and her eating disorder. And the best feeling in the world is knowing you were the one to help that person achieve the end result. The fact that both Rhoda and I never gave up on our companion showed strength and how we never gave up.