READING FOR 9/20/21

1. NOVEL: Shuggie Bain By Douglas Stuart:
   1. Chapters 1-11

• 1992 The South Side – Chapter 1 – Pages 3-13:
  • “Tomorrow was something to look forward to.” (3)
  • Shuggie stands there and forces a smile over there indecisiveness. (4)
  • Relating to ENG 276, it was talking about dreams and we talked about those in that class. (5)
  • Shuggie wants to go to hairdressing college. (5)
  • Shuggie describes people in such an interesting way, I like it. (5)
  • Shuggie is 16 years old and 3 months. (6)
  • Shuggie started hanging out with an older woman, but they sensed that there was something wrong with him, they said they could pity it. (6)
  • Shuggie is imagining people looking at him after he opened his eyes. (7)
  • Why would they think Shuggie not having family is a disgrace? Do you think he chose to be a 16 year old boy with no family? (8)
  • Shuggie let a man into his room. (11)
  • I don’t get why it matters? We are all born differently. (11)
  • Shuggie rarely goes to school, he doesn’t have a good subject. (12)
  • I think one of them took their clothes off but I’m not sure exactly… (13)
• 1981 Sighthill – Chapter 2 – Pages 17-36:
  • Is she going to jump? (17)
  • She didn’t jump. (18)
  • Someone bought all the women new, matching bras and all the women started changing right there. (21)
  • Catherine is Shuggie’s older sister, Agnes is Shuggie’s mother. (22)
  • Lizzie is Agnes’ mother (Shuggies grandma) (22)
  • He has an older brother Leek. (23) 
  • Wow that was pretty harsh. (26)
  • Shug is Agnes’ husband and Shuggie’s father.
  • Agnes ended up leaving her first husband for Shug. (28)
  • Is Shug cheating on her? Does she know?
  • Agnes begs to have another drink and I soon realized she lied when she said she was taking it slow. 
  • “Everyday is something with you. I’m exhausted trying to keep up.” (33) Worst line of the book.
  • Woahhh a lot just happened. (34)
  • Wait what just happened? A guy is hurting a girl?
  • You’re joking, I can’t believe that happened / that’s what he said. (36)
• Chapter 3 – Pages 37-49: 
  • To me chapter 3 seems all over the place and I’m not sure how to interpret it. 
  • “The city was changing; he could see it in people’s faces. Glasgow was losing its purpose, and he could see it all clearly from behind the glass. He could feel it in his takings.” (43)
  • What is happening? (45)
  • Anne Marie? (45)
  • Aggressive! (47)
• Chapter 4 – Pages 50-56:
  • What in the world is going on ?! (51)
  • Did she set a fire off in front of Shuggie, again?? (55)
• Chapter 5 – Pages 57-70:
  • Catherines family are trying to find someone for her to marry. (58)
  • Sad 🙁 (59)
  • Who was it? (60)
  • I can not believe this is happening right now. 
  • No way that he knew who she was about!
  • She ran away from the boys and Leek found her. (62-63)
  • I’m confused, what’s in the darkness? (70)
• Chapter 6 – Pages 71-82:
  • She was put under surveillance. (72)
  • Why does Shug think Agnes is like that because of him? (74)
  • OMG! Are you kidding? Disgusting! (75)
  • Sabbath? (78)
  • I’m so confused. (81)
  • Agnes wants a fresh start with Shug. (81)
  • Warning Agnes about Shug. (82)
• Chapter 7 – Pages 83-95:
  • They moved into their new place. (85)
  • Preach it girl! (88)
  • “The good cathloic had done all he could to hold his restless wife.” (89)
  • Agnes just wants a better life where her husband will actually focus on her. (90)
  • “… it was like trying to make a fire with wet wood.” (91) I thought this was a powerful line. 
  • There are no bars around in the town, I wonder if that’s why Shug picked it. (92)
  • Stour? (94)
  • No way Agnes is sneaking alcohol… (95)
• 1982 Pithead – Chapter 8 – Pages 99-110:
  • Shuggie is funny. (101)
  • The family is meeting new people. (101)
  • Agnes is still hiding alcohol from everyone. (103)
  • Shug saw mould in the house and wants to leave, he doesn’t want to be with Agnes anymore. (104)
  • Agnes asked Shug why she isn’t enough for him, he couldn’t believe what he had heard. He said “No, m’lady. Why was I not enough?” (104)
  • Catherine checked to make sure her mother wasn’t drinking bleach. (107)
  • Shug is already seeing someone new. (109)
  • I thought that the last paragraph was powerful. (110)
• Chapter 9 – Pages 111-117:
  • Weans = kids. (113)
  • Agnes is lying. (114)
  • They caught Agnes drinking. (115)
  • Someone suggests to Agnes to try Valium which is a drug. (117)
• Chapter 10 – Pages 118-126:
  • Shuggie was getting harassed by some boys. (120)
  • Shuggie referred to himself as “Huge” or is that his real name? (121)
  • Poor Shuggie, I don’t know why he would go in a washing machine though…(123) 
  • They got chlorophyll in his cuts!! (124)
  • “After all his years of practice, Leek was angry that it was Catherine who was disappearing first.” (125) I feel like this has a lot of meaning.
  • Leek is leaving to go to granny’s. It also talked about how Leek found his birth father’s address. (126)
• Chapter 11 – Pages 127-136:
  • Shuggie is the sweetest and had to do so much while being so little. (128)
  • I hate how Agnes can’t see that what she is doing is wrong. (129)
  • I would consider this karma. (131)
  • He asked Agnes if she’s gone to AA. (134)
  • “Ye should just get the fuck on with it.” (136)

READING FOR 9/22/21

1. NOVEL: Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart:
   1. Chapters: 12-16

• Chapter 12 – Pages 137-144:
  • Catherine is taking Shuggie somewhere. (138)
  • I think they go to an uncle’s house. (139)
  • Catherine tells Shuggie to pray for her because her husband has to go work in Africa. (138)
  • There was a lot going on. (143)
• Chapter 13 – Pages 145-159:
  • YTS? (147)
  • Leek got accepted into college but he found out the day his dad left and no one else knows about it. This part made me cry. (149)
  • Shuggie is a strong little boy, “still Shuggie kept on.” (149)
  • Leek is mean to Shuggie but he still cares. (150)
  • Shuggie got stuck in mud and Leek found him and saved him (157-158)
• Chapter 14 – Pages – 160-174:
  • Wellies = boots/shoes. (161)
  • Disgusting! (166)
  • She just wanted to do something nice for Shuggie, but that man ruined it! (168)
  • Agnes is drinking again. (169)
  • Was it drugs? Was it the drugs that person a few pages back giving out? (174)
• Chapter 15 – Pages – 175-192:
  • Agnes and Shuggie go to the hospital to see her father. (177)
  • Wullie and Lizzie have a moment while he is, I think, dying. (175)
  • Why is the nurse worried about Lizzie? That’s just how she’s coping. (178)
  • Shuggie asks the nurse about heaven and hell. (179)
  • “They don’t take anything because it’s not their bodies that go to God. It’s their spirit.” (180)
  • Shuggie then asked the nurse, since our bodies don’t go to heaven, it must not matter if a boy “did something bad to [him].” (181)
  • Why should he blow the smoke in his face? (183)
  • Agnes loves gossip by the second it’s about her she throws a fit. (184)
  • I’m confused, is this a flashback or present time? (185)
  • Wait what? Where did a baby come from? (192)
• Chapter 16 – Pages – 193-197:
  • Agnes’s dad died of lung cancer. (193)
  • And then Agnes’s mother died a couple months after. (193)
  • Wow a lot happened, Shuggies grandma got hit by a bus. (197)