Reading Response 3rd Marking Period

Everyone has goals in life. A goal can be from getting a good grade on a test, to wanting to be famous someday. In the book “The Secret Story of Sonia Rodriquez” by Alan Lawrence Stomer, Sonia’s goal is to be the first one in her family to graduate from high school, and go to college, so she can pay back her dad for everything he has done for her and her family. Sonia’s dad jumped the border to get to the United States. He went through a lot just so he could provide a better life for his children. Because of this Sonia feels the need to pay him back. So far from reading this book I think the main idea is that having a goal in life can push you through anything.

Sonia has a lot of work to do around the house, “I cook, I clean, I mop, I sweep, I shine, I bake, I dust, I do laundry, change diapers, wipe countertops, and scrub the groopy grime off the tile floor in the shower, I even do windows.” As you can see this is a lot to do everyday. Plus she has to do homework, which keeps her up late everynight. From reading this book I have noticed that no one in her family is very thankful about all the hard work Sonia does around the house. They think that since she is a girl she is supposed to do it. Sonia’s mom is pregnant with her 8^th child, and expects Sonia to take care of the younger children, and do everything the mother asks her to do. Her brother sits on the coach all day eating Oreo’s and bossing Sonia around. Her uncle is always drunk and expects Sonia to clean him up. And her aunt thinks Sonia worshopes the devil because she doesn’t do her chores on time. So why does Sonia keeps doing them? Because she knows one day when she is out of the house and graduates college she will get a job so she can pay her dad back, but for now she has to go through rough chores at home. This shows the main idea because Sonia is pushing through her hard time at home, because she know one day she will graduate college and have a better life.

Another way Sonia’s goal pushes her through life, is with a boy she met at the pet store, she likes the boy, but knows she will not concentrate on school work if she keeps seeing him. And if she does not concentrate on school work she will never graduate. “I couldn’t risk having the stupid boy distract me from my goals. He’d really fuzzed up my brain for a few days, and I didn’t have time for that anymore…boys were absolutamente out of the picture for me.” As you can see Sonia is taking her goal very seriously. She is putting boys out of the picture, even though she really likes this one.

Overall the main idea of having a goal in life can push you through anything shows when Sonia’s pushes through her rough time at home, and when she decides not to see a boy she likes anymore. From reading this book I have realized that having a goal is a great idea, and decided that I want to make a goal for my life.