Pushing the Limits Read Along Week 3

*I'm making my way from the hot California sun to Montana big skies right now so please forgive me if I don't comment back for a few weeks.

1. In the beginning of this section Noah decides to ignore Echo because he's angry and hurt. What did you think of this? Have you ever experienced a friendship that went awry and they started ignoring you?


Hmm...a friendship that went awry and then they started ignoring me? That would be called middle school. In Noah's case, it's more of a trust issue. There are very few people that he's let in. Beth and Isiah are probably the only ones. Noah doesn't trust Echo to work through his anger in the same way that he does Beth and Isaiah.

2. Noah has a bit of a false reputation. Everyone thinkgs he's a big druggie and a guy that just randomly hooks up with girls. While some of it is true to a certain extent, we see it's not really him. Have you ever had a false reputation where people draw their own conclusions? Do you think Noah should do something to make people not think that about him?

Noah's reputation is largely up to him. That's not to say it's true, but he knows his reputation. He could try to change people's perception. But it's yet another front. He wants people to be intimidated by him and to leave him out of the norm so he won't have to open up.

3. Ashley finds out she's having a boy and informs Echo she will have a brother 'again'. Echo took this very personally and was extremely upset. Do you think Echo overreacted? Do you think Ashley meant that the new brother would replace her brother?

I have a hard time answering this question without looking at the perspective of the entire book, rather than just this section. Ashley in youngish, excited, and somewhat insensitive. Echo is angry, inclined to see the bad in Ashley, and very touchy. Ashley should have thought about how Echo would react to saying something like that, but Echo also needs to put herself in Ashley's shoes.

4. Echo doesn't remember what happened with her mother and for this reason she has troubles seeing her the way everyone else does. She can't seem to not miss her and still wants to talk to her. Do you think she should pursue finding her mom? Do you think it will help her or do you think she would be in danger?

At this point in the book, it's too soon to tell. Neither Echo nor the readers knows whether seeing her mother is in her best interest. Perhaps Echo's mind really is blocking her mother's horrifying nature or perhaps other people have put a bad spin on Echo's mom. We'll find out.

5 .) Noah doesn't trust the people who have his brothers because of his own past situations. He decides to seek out a lawyer himself and try to get custody. Do you think this is his best move? Do you think there are some other options he should consider?

I don't think it's the best move, but I understand why he'd think it is. Noah is all heart. Plus, he's a teenager and despite a hard life and the best of intentions, I don't think he really understands the difficulty of gaining custody and raising two little boys.

6. Echo finds out that Noah and his parents built houses for Habitat for Humanity. Have you ever volunteered for something like that? What is a cause that you feel strongly about?

I haven't done Habitat for Humanity or other things like it. I'd like to spend more time volunteering. I particularly want to support my local library. It's not the same save a life, change a life type thing as Habitat for Humanity, but libraries can be a haven for so many people. It's always been a comforting, familiar place to me.