Reading response: A Room on Lorelei Street

    This book is about a girl named Zoe who rented out a room on Lorelei Street, and she works at a small diner slinging hash. She feels like she's in the shadow of her mom, and feels like she needs attention from her family.She also feels comfortable in her room on Lorelei Street, and she doesn't want to give it up when her grandma demanded her to come home to her mom. But she doesn't because she feels like it was all about her mom, and not her; it was also because she works hard to make ends meet, while her mom doesn't, and feels that she lived two lifetimes because she acts like an adult, she does all of the chores, takes care of Mama, and she just wants to relax and act like her age.
    Throughout the book, she goes to school and feels like her teacher controls her and doesn't respect her like an actual human being. She feels disrespected and she responds by acting immature like cursing, but then she tries to keep her patience during class. Zoe represents some teenagers in the outside world. Some work hard to pay bills, curse, and feel like everyone controls her. For example, her teacher, her grandma, and the guidance counselor. Some teenagers also do things so that they can get attention because they feel in the shadow. In Zoe's case, she moved out into her own room so that she would get attention and not her mom. She also feels like she owes everyone something. For instance, she owed the landlady her rent, she owed her mom her care and attention, and that she owed her grandma for not being kicked out of the family. In the book, Zoe feels that she worked hard to keep things together, like her grandma. In Zoe's case, she tries to go to a group session and work hard on her tennis team as well. In her grandma's situation, she tries to keep the family together and not fall apart when Zoe moves out, Mama drinking, and her Zoe's father's death.
   I also think Zoe represents some teenagers in the outside world because they have to grow up faster because of a parent's death, or their parents are not either healthy enough or sensible enough to take care of the family. So they are left to pay the bills, taxes, and work for the money they need. Sometimes they are stressed because of that early development, and they would crack, like disrespecting their teacher and they are feeling like that they don't need help from others, but to be honest, they do need help and are afraid to admit it.
  I also think that the book is a bit about second chances. In the end, Zoe decides to start fresh, and moves to Brownsville so that she could have her second chance in life. She feels that she has made bad choices, and  tries to begin a new chapter in her life.