What is the book Okay for Now about?

What is the book Okay for Now about?

Okay For Now, his latest novel, explores another seemingly improbable alliance, this one between new outsider in town Doug Swieteck and Lil Spicer, the savvy spitfire daughter of his deli owner boss. With her challenging assistance, Doug discovers new sides of himself.

What grade level is Okay for Now?

The school made the 5th – 8th graders listen to this book read aloud. The book presents very descriptive abuse from the alcoholic father to his kid. Although is a story of redemption, the physical and verbal abuse that the kid is subjected to was so extreme that it was difficult for my six grader to handle such story.

How old is Doug from Okay for Now?

Fourteen-year-old

Interview: Gary D. Schmidt, Author Of ‘Okay For Now’ Fourteen-year-old Doug Swieteck has the weight of the world upon him — no friends, an alcoholic father and a brother who has just been injured in Vietnam.

What is the sequel to Okay for Now?

Just Like That
Okay for Now

What happens in Chapter 10 okay for now?

On the first Saturday in June, Doug reports to work at Spicer’s Deli. He is told by Mr. Spicer that he can no longer keep Doug in his employ, as Lil’s hospital bills have left him with no money with which to pay, but Doug stays on anyway.

What does Doug look like in okay for now?

Doug is called a “skinny thug” and “skinny delivery boy” by Lil and Mrs. Windermere multiple times throughout the book because of his slender frame and tough looks. He is always trying to act cool, such as leaning back against the library stairs while talking to Lil so he can appear calm and casual.

Can Doug Swieteck read?

Ferris discovers Doug can’t read, he discreetly arranges for the English teacher to provide some extra help. She makes Doug read Jane Eyre against his wishes, but he concludes it’s not a bad story.

What happens in chapter 9 okay for now?

What is the conflict in chapter 9 of Okay for Now? Lucas manages to get three jobs in May, but gets fired from all of them in short order because of his handicaps. Vestiges of his old anger reappear, and when he talks to his youngest sibling after losing his last job, Doug can tell in the dim light that he is crying.

What happens in chapter 10 of okay for now?

How does music save Ishmael’s life?

For the second time the cassettes of rap music save Ishmael and the boys. When the chief hears the music he makes Ishmael perform. The chief then realizes that they are only children and lets them leave the village in peace. Ishmael’s innocence is seen again when the boys reach the ocean for the first time.

Why is music so important to Ishmael?

Lesson Summary
As he is unsure what has happened to his family, Ishmael uses music as a distraction. When he is captured by a village, the music convinces the village chief that Ishmael is harmless and enables him to be identified by a boy who had seen him perform.

Why is music important to Ishmael?

Music is helping him heal and open again to the possibilities of his future. Ishmael’s breakthrough comes at the end of the chapter when he believes Esther for the first time that perhaps all that has happened to him and all the violence he’s committed is not his fault.

Why did Ishmael like being alone?

Why did Ishmael like being alone? Being alone made surviving easier.

What did Esther give Ishmael?

When Esther brings him a cassette of rap music and a Walkman, Ishmael has a breakthrough in his therapy. He begins telling her his stories and processing his pain. Esther’s unconditional love and perseverance bring Ishmael back to the boy he had been before the war.

Who saved Ishmael at the end?

the Rachel
Clinging to it for a day and a night, Ishmael finally was rescued by the Rachel, “that in her retracing search after her missing children, only found another orphan.”

What does Ishmael symbolize?

The Biblical name Ishmael has come to symbolize orphans, exiles, and social outcasts. By contrast with his namesake from the Book of Genesis, who is banished into the desert, Melville’s Ishmael wanders upon the sea.

What is significant about Ishmael relationship with Esther?

Esther’s unconditional love and perseverance bring Ishmael back to the boy he had been before the war. Though his war experiences have altered him, he learns to trust Esther and reach out to others for help as well.

What nickname was Ishmael in the war?

the Green Snake
Alhaji was given the nickname “Little Rambo” for his conduct during one raid, and Ishmael was dubbed “the Green Snake.” Moriba died in a rebel attack that drove Ishmael’s unit out of Yele.

What was God’s purpose for Ishmael?

God told Abraham that He would establish his covenant through Isaac, and when Abraham inquired as to Ishmael’s role, God answered that Ishmael has been blessed and that he “will make him fruitful, and will multiply him exceedingly; twelve princes shall he beget, and I will make him a great nation.” (Genesis 17).

What killed Queequeg?

Queequeg and Ishmael become friends. The two spend time walking the streets of New Bedford while they wait for the Pequod to set sail. Ishmael even mentions that Queequeg is his ”poor pagan companion, and fast bosom-friend. ” When Queequeg lies dying from fever, it is Ishmael he calls for.

Why is Ishmael important in the Bible?

Ishmael was born and brought up in Abraham’s household. Some 13 years later, however, Sarah conceived Isaac, with whom God established his covenant. Isaac became Abraham’s sole heir, and Ishmael and Hagar were banished to the desert, though God promised that Ishmael would raise up a great nation of his own.

What does Laura Simms represent in a Long Way Gone?

For Ishmael, Laura represents an outsider who truly cares about the fate of children in war-torn countries. She listens to and honors their stories and teaches them how to share their stories with the world. Once Ishmael returns to Sierra Leone, Laura writes often and sends him money.

Why does Ishmael struggle happy?

Ishmael struggles internally with his need for drugs and violence in order to feel “normal” again. Even with the acts of violence they commit against civilians, the need can’t be satiated. Anger and resentment continue to build inside him.

Did Ishmael have PTSD in a Long Way Gone?

The book is about a memoir of a soldier named Ishmael Beah and how PTSD affects his life. Ishmael PTSD trigger was from combat and military exposure. The trigger started when his friend was killed by the rebels. Ishmael was not able to shoot before watching his friend die.

Why did God chose Isaac instead of Ishmael?

God’s goal, however, is worldwide blessing. He means to restore all of mankind to His family. By choosing Isaac over Ishmael, God confirms that all people born of faith (as Isaac was born of his parents’ faith in God’s promise to do the impossible) are truly children of Abraham and thus heirs of the promise.