Alek & The Quilt - A Novel Study of two Influential Characters

In MJ's class, we read two books that called, Alek and The Quilt. While Alek was about a Sudanese refugee escaping from a war ridded villiage, The Quilt by Gary Paulsen showed a boy's life with his grandmother and stories about the Quilt. They are both autobiographies but just written differently. 

      Alek is a international model. But the road to getting there was nothing but hard work. In her hometown she was nothing that anyone would expect. At a early age, she had developed a medical disease called Psoryasis and had lived her life in a small dusty home with her numerous family members. She and one of her siblings is lucky enough to be able to be flown to London to live with their other sister. As her life continues in London, she is given the opprutunity to become a model after Alek and her friend arrive at a festival. Soon, her entire family has everything they ever wanted thanks to Aleks modeling courier.                                                                         

 The Boy's story differs greatly but common connections can be found easily. As the boy progresses through his childhood, his dad must serve his country in war and not long after his dad left is mother had started doing very adult things and was sent to his grandmothers home. There he learns of the quilt and how it is a symbol of all the lives of important people that were special to the grandmother and the other women. Years later he becomse a famous writer.

Connections

 Alek and the Boy both come from different places but there stories are nonetheless oh so common.

While both people are fleeing from war, they find refugee at a relatives house, in this case, Alek going to London and the Boy going to his grandmothers house.

More connections are that not only does the war force them to move, but it also affects the other people around them, everyone that lived with Alek in Sudan was hurt by the war, the Boy was affected because Kristina was devestated when days after she had her baby, she finds out that her husband, Olaf died after he was killed in the war.

Even after every bad thing that happened to both of them, in the end, they find their own way and was able to make a good future.

There are also more smaller connections - While Alek is in London she misses her mother and when the boy was in his grandmothers home, he was also missing his mother from Chicago.

 Alek and the boy both had hard work before getting their fame, Alek had to clean toilets at the BBC broadcast station and the Boy had to help around the farm.

The Boy and Alek also lived a while at thier relatives homes. Even though the more obvious differences are more easy to see, both people led their lives to the top. So never be discouraged too much when life gets tough! =D

ANNNDDD theres more on the poster!