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24/02/2026 8:59 am
In the Ted Talk, How a penny made me feel like a millionaire by Tania Luna, when she was younger she lived in Ukraine, her family was very poor but she always looked at the positive things, the things she did have. When she was one her and her sister experienced the Chernobyl Accident, and spent many months in the hospital. Because of the Chernobyl Accident they get asylum in the U.S. They came to America and found a penny on the ground, back where they came from no one leaves money on the ground. So, she picked it up and thought a rich person must have left it there, and she felt like a millionaire. The family grew up in America and live happily there, they are so grateful for everything they have, and everything to come.
Brighter than the Sun by Daniel Aleman. The main character is Sol, she lives in Tijuana, Mexico. Her mom got pregnant with Sol and rushed over the border to give birth to Sol there, so that she could have a good education and a better life. Sol’s mom got sick later on, and it was hard running the restaurant for her and her dad, Abuela, and both her brothers Diego and Luis. Eventually the mom got so sick that she passed away. She was the whole reason the restaurant stayed open. Because they spent all their money on their mom’s medical bills they had to stop selling certain food items at their restaurant to save money. Everyone stopped coming to the restaurant. They were barely keeping food on the table at the time, and were almost about to lose their restaurant that was the last piece of their mother left. Sol had to start working in America because they pay more there than in Mexico. The only job she could get was very far away from the border, so she had to move in with her friend to be able to go to work and school in America. The only time she gets to see her family is on the weekends. She struggles but makes it through, her weeks are starting to get better for her, and her family.
Sol’s family is very poor, they barely have food being put on the table, and Tania’s family also was very poor. A quote from Brighter than the Sun, “This might be another good thing about me not being here during the week–with one less mouth to feed, they must all be getting a bit more food than usual during dinner” (Aleman 99). A quote from How a penny made me feel like a millionaire, “So we take the pizza, our very first pizza, and we devour slice after slice as the delivery man stands there and stares at us from the doorway. And he tells us to pay, but we don’t speak English. My mother comes out, and he asks her for money, but she doesn’t have enough. She walks 50 blocks to and from work every day just to avoid spending money on bus fare” (2:40 Luna).
In Brighter than the Sun Sol’s family is poor and can’t afford the things that they want. In the Ted Talk How a penny made me feel like a millionaire they also couldn’t afford the things they wanted either because of money. Is there something in your book that is stopping your main character from having something they want, or is something forcing your character away from something they want? If so, what is stopping your character from getting what they want?
For participants:
-Never use a peer’s real name, only use their username
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-If the question doesn’t directly apply to something that appears in your book, be clear about what you’re seeing instead
-Make sure to include a summary of your book so far
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To exceed: Incorporate a quote from a different Ted Talk or a different CommonLit text that has not yet been discussed in your group
This topic was modified 2 weeks ago by cstubbs10
26/02/2026 12:37 pm
In the book all my Rage by Sabbaa Tahir, Noor and Salahudin are family friends who had a big fight. As the book tells the story of them their dearly loved auntie dies and shatters both of them. Salahudin struggles with his father, has alcoholism and has no one to turn to.In my book noor and salahudin are family friends who had a big fight and won't talk to each other. They both want to mend things together but pride and insecurity take a part in why they won't. “And that makes me remember how I used to feel about him.” (23) this shows how she used to feel about him before their fight. She still wants to be there for him but doesn't know how without over stepping. This goes back to the original question because they both want to reunite just don't know how.
27/02/2026 10:58 am
I can see how that answers the question, and in my book Sol, the main character chooses to help her family fix things by making money to help keep the restaurant up and running, even though she doesn't have to. This also kind of relates to what you were saying by how your characters want to mend things with eachother and fix things, but can't figure out how. My main character Sol is having insecurities about America, and how she wants to be like everyone else in America, but also feels like she has to spend all of her time with her family and fix things for them and be the glue they need.
amelanson27 reacted
03/03/2026 10:47 am
Like a love story by Abdi Nazemian follows three teenagers in New York in 1989 during the AIDS crisis . The story follows Reza, an Iranian immigrant who has just moved to the city and is struggling to accept his sexuality because he fears the judgement of people . He becomes friends with Judy, a passionate aspiring fashion designer, and her openly gay best friend Art, who is deeply involved in AIDS activism . As Reza starts dating Judy, he secretly develops romantic feelings for Art, forcing him to choose between being who he really is and not disappointing his family .
Reza is a teenage boy who has recently moved to New York City in 1989. What Reza wants most is to feel safe, accepted, and loved especially as he begins to understand that he is gay. However, what stops him from getting what he wants is fear .Reza is terrified of being openly gay because of the AIDS crisis happening during the time period in the book . He sees how society treats gay men . But what he worries more about is being openly gay will disappoint his mother , who is Persian, and expose him to discrimination and danger. Because of this fear, he tries to hide who he really is.This fear pushes him into dating Judy, even though he is developing feelings for her best friend, Art. Reza wants to be with Art, but he is too afraid of how people will treat him if they know he loves men . ‘’ My mother has already lost so much. I can’t be another thing she has to lose.”(p.52)
04/03/2026 10:09 am
In my book North of Happy by Adi Alsaid, we see how Carlos is held back from pursuing his true passions because of the pressure from his dad and the sadness of losing his brother, Felix. Carlos feels like he’s no longer seen as his own person but just as a replacement for Felix. This is clear when he says, “My father didn’t lose a son. He lost his heir.” (72) This quote shows that Carlos believes his dad is more focused on trying to fill the gap left by Felix rather than understanding who Carlos really is. Because of this heavy expectation, Carlos feels stuck in a life he didn’t choose, which stops him from fully embracing his love for cooking and discovering his own identity.
05/03/2026 12:30 pm
I agree with you that your character can't get the things he wants because of the society and everything going on in the world at the time. This is similar in my book that my character Sol can't get the things she wants because she has to provide for her family because of their financial situation and there are many people around her also experiencing the same financial situation.
rbabbidge27 reacted
05/03/2026 12:37 pm
I agree with you that Carlos is definitely being held back from his passions, and doing what he wants because of the pressure of his dad. That is very similar to my book where Sol is being held back from going to the college she wants, or doing the things she wants because of the pressure of providing for her family after her mom died and as they are struggling to keep the restaurant up and running because they don't have a very good financial situation.
rbabbidge27 reacted
06/03/2026 12:14 pm
In my book Strike Zone by Mike Lupica there is a family that is not from America. Nick is the main character, and he plays baseball. Nick is afraid of being deported because he is not here legally. The only thing that is stopping my main character from pursuing what he would like to do is the fact that he is illegal and not supposed to be in the United States. They have not gone into detail about why it's so hard to do what he truly wants to do, but it's getting there, “ What if he’s watching me? What if he’s here for my family? What if he works for ICE? What if…”(Lupica 24) This quote shows that Nick is afraid of his family being deported by ICE, but they haven’t gone into too much detail on how he got here or why he is here illegally.
