Book Review

Our Lit. Circle group highly recommends Something for Joey. We thoroughly enjoyed the sports aspect as well as the relationships amongst the family members in this book. The book went into great detail of how the family members interacted with each other. Something for Joey gave us strong topics to discuss in great depth. The book brought forth topics that relate to everyday situations. Overall, the story of Joey Cappelletti was a great piece of literature.

Thinking Question... (Chapters 18-29)

Do you want your funeral to be celebrating or mourning your life?

Comparisions Between the Book and Movie

We compared the Something for Joey book and the movie Brian's Song. The similarites between them are:

• importance of a sport(football)
• time period(1970s)
• locker room interviews
• dedication of personal awards
• work ethic
• determination
• perserverence
• sharing the spotlight (Brian and Gale, John and Joey)
• failure (Brian, Joey)
• using humor to avoid problems
• unable to perform (Brian, Joey)
• cancer
• denial of pain and problems
• pain tolerance
• time in hospitals
• multiple operations
• weight loss
• family members fearing loss of loved one (Joy, Anne)
• close relationships
• acceptance speeches
• courage
• young death (Brian, Joey)
• rememberance of life

Discussion Notes...(Chapters 18-29)

In this meeting we discussed chapter 18 to the end of the book.

-Relationships in the family

-Mourning the loss of a love one

-What it would mean to have a trophy dedicated to you.

-The effect(s) different people and events have on you life.

-What it would feel like to lose someone who had been sick for awhile.

-What would you like your funeral to be like when you die.

-Getting yelled by someone who you look up to.

Summary...( Chapters 18- the end)

In the last chapters of Something for Joey, the family makes there trip to New York City to see John recieve the Heisman trophy. When they arrive in New York they are astounded by how big the city actually is. As soon as they arrive the girls wanted to go shopping, but Joey isn't up to it. Joey and his dad desided to stay back and hang out. The next day they went to the banquet. The entire place was crowded from wall to wall with celebrities. John's older brother wrote him a fous page speech. Instead of reading off that he spoke from his heart. He told everyone how Joey inspired him to achieve for the Heisman trophy. Throughout his speech he touched everyone's hearts. He made then realize how close of a bond John and Joey have. John dedicated the entire thing to Joey. Once he finished the announcer made the statement "this speech was not from the mouth, but from the heart." Even though Joey may not have been able to do everything a healthy kid his age would be able to do. He lived his childhood through John's football career and achievements. Unfortunately, on April 8, 1976 three years later Joey dies from cancer.

Thinking Question...(Chapter 18-24)

Do you think you could keep yourself from favoring a terminally ill child?

Discussion Notes...(Chapters18-24)

- Joey realizes he has Leukemia after asking John if it's true
- Favoring a sick child
- John's coach getting close to the family
- John lives his life through John's football career and his achievements
- How important the football team is to Joey
- John has to tell Joey he actually has cancer
- Certain people are the center of the family and keep them together
- Joey finds out his friend Mark dies from the same termianl illness that he has
- Jean cares for Joey, but doesn't know what to say she is the outcast of the family
-The family really needs Jean because she does a lot of little things for the family
- Telling someone they have an illness or telling someone a family member has just died
- Jobs the require you to report bad news

Summary...(Chapters 18-24)

During this time in the book Micheal moved away to college, leaving only Jean and Joey at home with their parents. Joey begins to act out causing Anne to worry about his medication. The real reason he is upset is because he doesn't want to go to the hospital when he "isn't sick." Joey and the family go to see John's game on Joey's birthday. In the locker room before the game Joey asks John for one thing, for John to score four touchdowns in the game. John agrees and gives Joey what he asked for. After the game Joey celebrates his birthday and receives many gifts. One is from John's coach. He gave him his own Penn State jersey with Cappelletti on the back. With all this excitement Joey gets tired and John carries him up to his room. Joey asks John if he has leukemia. The family had agreed to answer all of Joey's questions truthfully so John has no choice but to say yes. John is worried that this with upset Joey, but Joey seems to take it okay, almost as if he doesn't understand. Then Joey asks if John will score four more touchdowns in the next game. John is shocked by the question, but responds with a yes.

John makes another trip home for a school project. Joey asks him to take him to his appointment. Joey wants him to meet Mark, his friends that he had went through treatment with. They then learn that Mark has passed away. Joey shows no emotion almost like he doesn't understand. Joey soon becomes sick again, but when the phone rings and he hears John won the Heisman he suddenly feels better. The whole family hears the news before John does.

Thinking Question...(Chapters 13-17)

Do you think you would be able to coach your son/daughter with favoring him/her? Do you think your parents would be able to do it?

Summary...(Chapters 13-17)

Joey's temper changes drastically. This happens when he starts playing baseball and he thinks he wasn't doing his best. He begins to take it out on his mom. He yells at her and his sister, Jean. He figures out he's not the best player on the team, so he wants to quit. His parents don't want him to quit, but tell him it's his choice. Joey's father talks to him about how John never quit. This makes Joey realize he doesn't really want to give up. He continues to play and in the leauge championship Joey makes his first base hit. This hit wins the championship for his team. Joey gets a Playboy from a friend because he hears the All-American team is in it. He finds that John isn't in the magazine and tells John he should should just win the "Hideman Trophy." John corrects him saying the "Heisman Trophy."

Discussion Notes...(Chapters 13-17)

Yesterday during our blog meeting we disscussed many topics dealing with Joey's life and the lives of his family.
A few of these topics were:

• Favoritism
• Failure
• Quitting
• Generosity
• Genetics
• Living up to other siblings
• Reasons for attitude changes
• College options
• Scholarships
• Parents monetary involvement after graduation
• Athleticism in families
• Those who can't do, teach.
• Predictions for Joey's life
• Make a Wish Foundation
• Disneyland
• Denial

Thinking Question...(Chapters 7-12)

Would you be able to talk to someone who is in a coma?

Summary...(Chapters 7-12)

In this section of reading Joey's family had a choice for either Joey to go to a temorary home or go home with his family. His family choose for him to come home with them so they can take care of him on there own. Months went on and Joey never had any movement and never talked. Then when John came home for the summer Joey finally started moving and talking. Joey's mother thought it was all because of John. Joey wouldn't talk for months then he finally started talking, and they couln't get him to be quite. It toke Joey a while to get back to the way he was before. John then had to go back to collage and left Joey behind. Joey then said Saturdays was the only day that mattered to him anymore. Joey then got to go inot the locker rooms, then one of the players put Joey up to the lockers because Joey said that the position that he played was not important. Joey wants to play in Johns position when he gets older. Joey looks up to John.

Discussion Notes...(Chapters 7-12)

In yesterday's conversation, we talked about what to do if you were Joey's doctor. Joey's doctor didn't know anything about Joey's condition. Joey's mom was goiung phsycotic, for the fact she never left the house. Joey's doctor had mentioned about putting Joey in a temporary home, but the parent's didn't really know what to do. John needed more money in his pocket so he could see Joey. He didn't want to let Joey down. Since he had kept running back and forth, gas was getting low. John decided he should make a snow cone stand... Who would have been more creative?!? Joey looks forward to football becauseit's an escape from all his worries and there, he can let everything go. We also think Joey looks forward to football becaus he looks up to John. Joey was behind in knowledge. He was like a new born baby and didn't know how to control his motor skills. He had to REMEMBER things, and not re-learn them. He knows this stuff, he just needs remember it.

Discussion Notes...(Chapters 1-6)

John and Joey have a really strong bond because they are close in age, and they have the same interest in football. John would always come home in the morning and would always go back to collage at night just so he can spend time with Joey. Joey feels special knowing he can go into the locker rooms with the players. John had no idea that Joey had leukemia. John wanted to bring Joey to one of his weekly visits to the hospital. Joey was diagnosed with the chicken pox and with the leukemia it was making things worse. Joey's mom prayed for Joey to die because she didn't want him to keep on going with the pain. Joey's mom then got an answer that Joey was not going to die so the next morning she felt better about the way she prayed.

Thinking Question... (Chapters 1-6)

Would you ever donate (blood, organ) to a stranger in need?

Summary...(Chapters 1-6)

In these pages the family all go to one of John's practices and football games. John comes home and take Joey to his weekly visit to the hospital for his leukmia treat. On the way home from the football game Joey is in alot of pain and had a temperature. His mothertook him in to the hospital. The doctors ran a whole bunch of painful tests. Joey had chicken poxes and he ha to stay in the hospital. Becasue of his disease the chicken poxes attacked his body more. He was in the ICU, when John came home again. John got to talk to Joey once more before in fell into a coma. The family then tries to look for a donor that matches Joey and had the chicken poxes in the last week. The family found one women, she was willing to do it.In middle of the night Anne confesses to John that she is going to pray for Joey to die to put him out of his pain.