Rainy Lake..

Rainy Lake really has the feeling of a family novel rather then a piece of adolescent literature. The novel has great lessons for families. Teaching Rainy Lake would be very beneficial to students in the high school area because it allows children to draw comparisons. I am not a girl which would really help males in the classroom see that it isn't just a novel for women. I think if I could tell them how it relates not only to females but to males as well. It is a family piece which most people who take vacations can probably see. I noticed for a while when we used to go on family vacations that they were in fact vacations. Year after year went on and the strength of our family diminished because of growing pains. Eventually, my family stopped going on vacations together because we couldn't be in the same area without a huge fight breaking out.

I also relate to this story because of how characters tended to just settle for things instead of striving for what they wanted. I think a lot of people do that, and I can't say I don't in some respects, but I did just end a relationship because I was unhappy. I had been unhappy for awhile but settled because it was the easy way out. Many of the characters, like Terese, were sticking to something they weren't in it for. They settled. The jewish boy's mom would be upset if they got married because she wasn't jewish, so the passion there was never going to stick. even Danny didn't go for what she wanted, she ended up settling for Larry rather then be with Billy. Given, she had to deal with the racial aspect because of her parents and society. She could have broken that trend but decided to settle for something less than what she wanted. Every time she kissed Larry she thought of Billy. If you think about Billy and how you want to be with him, why not just take a shot?