Topics/Events
1) My book is about the life of Jimi Hendrix. It tells of his harsh upbringing in Seattle as a young boy. Through his adolescents and up into his adulthood until his untimely death.
2) Charles R. Cross chose to write about Hendrix because of his interest into his unique life. Especially since Jimi's life had many twists and turns before he became famous. Also since Hendrix is from Seattle where Charles R. Cross has spent all of his professional career as a journalist and editor for many Seattle based magazine's.
3) I chose this book because Hendrix is one of my favorite musicians. And I also wanted to know more about his life before he became famous. I decided to read this book when I really started to listen to his music on a consistent basis. The detail in the book is really incredible. Cross somehow get's information that most people would overlook. The detail about Jimi's childhood is what really drew me in at the beginning of the book.
4) Mostly everything about the book was realistic. There were some stories in the book that seemed to be made up but that was just Jimi's life. There are some similarities of certain instances that happen in the book but that also happened in my life.
People
1) Author's I think do tend to report about stuff based on their own interpretations. Especially if the thing they are reporting on is an interest to them. I suppose we would see the subject in a different way but only if we had a different image or idea of what they might be like. Cross seemed to write this book just based on his intrigue into Hendrix's life. The only difference between me wanting to know more about Hendrix is that if I want to know more about him it won't compel me to then write a book.
2) Jimi Hendrix was tall was also skinny and had a slight build. He had a mustache and a pretty sizable afro. Dressed in fluorescent colors wore clothes that didn't necessarily match but it didn't matter to him. He is soft spoken most of the time until he got onstage. There was also a certain sadness to him that never really ever went away. This sadness was caused by many events in his life that never left his mind. But he was known for being a joyful guy that liked to party. I would use direct characterization since he has a complex personality.
3) Everything about Hendrix is interesting. From his life and the events that made him the person he was. To his look and his persona on and off the stage. Especially the kind of person he was off the stage the person who not many people knew.
Character/People
1) One example of direct characterization is where Cross shows his Jimi's caring nature. Although it is about Hendrix and his guitar it showed how much he could care about something. It happened at a music festival in San Francisco where Hendrix after this show became well known. What happened was that during the end of his performance he decided to burn his guitar. And before he did it he told the crowd that what he was about to do was very difficult for him to do. One example of indirect characterization is where Cross shows Jimi's vulnerability and his delicate personality. Hendrix is at a bar in London with a friend and the bartender comes up to him and tells him that his kind isn't welcomed here. Hendrix then proceeds to reply to the bartenders remark but with a stutter Hendrix had as a young boy. Hendrix while replying the remark talks in a quiet, nervous and somewhat afraid manner. The bartender then explains that he didn't mean African Americans weren't allowed but that people in the circus weren't allowed. The bartender mistakenly thought that Hendrix was in the circus based on the way he dressed.
2) Cross does use lengthy descriptions in order to give a better visual to the reader. He doesn't really use this descriptions that involve a lot of dialogue. If he didn't use these lengthy descriptions the book would loss a lot of quality. And the book wouldn't be as good as it is and I may have not have read the book because of that possibility.
3) The authors attitude toward the subject was a good one. He seemed to have a lot of pleasure writing about Hendrix. Even though a lot of his life was filled with sorrow. And the authors attitude towards the readers has to be a good one. Especially since he isn't just writing this book for himself but also for the people and fans of Hendrix. I think any author who writes a biography has to have a good attitude towards the audience because if they don't I think their writing will suffer. And the book would ultimately be not worth writing about.
4) Cross used newspapers, some video recordings but mainly relied on the stories of the family and friends of Hendrix. None of this changes my thinking because without it the book would not be as good as it should be.
Bonus Questions
1) I think that Hendrix learns that he has to be his own person which means he has to be the person he wants to be. Which is hard for him when it comes to his life and especially to the style in which he played the guitar. He learns it when he finally gets confident in his guitar playing skills and his skills as an overall performer. I knew he learned it when I read certain stories of how he performed. Especially when he finally got that supreme confidence in himself after being down on himself for so long. Without this confidence he wouldn't have succeeded.
Enduring Memory
I expect to remember a lot from the book. But I will remember one story of how Hendrix hung out with the Beatles. I'll remember this story because it was an interesting story that could only happen during those times. Another story I will also remember is when Hendrix performed at Woodstock for many reasons. The main reason is that Hendrix was either the last or one of the last performers and at least two thirds of the people there left before he went on. And that Hendrix not long before he went on came up with an alternate version of the star spangled banner. Which is one of the craziest sounding things I've ever heard.
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