Reading Response

The Coldest Winter Ever, Sister Souljah
8/20 - 10 min., 8/21 - 30 min., 8/22 - 45 min., 8/25 - 75 min. 
Total: 160 min. pp. 1-347

Winter Santiaga is the daughter of a notorious drug dealer. She has always had a luxurious lifestyle which consisted of her doing anything she desired. But on one particular day, her life transformed into a nightmare. Her mother was shot in the face by her father's enemies, and her father was sent to prison by the FBI. They seized their mansion and everything in it, as well as withdrawing all of the money in their bank accounts since it was all bought by drug money. Winter tries to survive on her own.

I really like how Sister Souljah starts off with this book. It's about Winter claiming to be extremely disgusted by Sister Souljah, who is the author. I especially admire Souljah for creating such a distinct voice. As each word goes by in the book, I know how Winter (the narrator) sounds like. Since Winter and her family are from the ghettos of Brooklyn, NY, I can depict how they would speak. She uses what people call "ghetto dialect": (pg. 1) "Brooklyn-born I don't have no sob stories for you about rats and roaches and pissy-pew hallways." I believe in the saying: "you reap what you sow." People who go through life providing kindness and goodness to others will be rewarded for their behavior. But those who lack kindness and produce hatred will be suffered from their actions and receive the hatred that they produced. Winter is incredibly selfish and believes that nobody is better than she is. She receives everything she wants, and she treats those who are poorer than her like pests. Therefore, because of her actions, she suffers the punishments.

I haven't finished the book yet, but it's a hard book to put down. Sister Souljah instantly grabbed me by the first page with Winter's spiteful introduction. I really enjoy this book because it's so enthralling to read about a lifestyle opposite of mine. Winter has nothing to hold her back from doing what she wants, while I have no liberty at all. It's fascinating to compare our different lifestyles, and viewing how she reacts to everything as a homeless woman. I think because she's always lived a life of royalty, she doesn't understand the meaning of hard work and how to react to certain things that common people would know how to react to. This book never ceases to surprise me. You'd think Winter would stop thinking/acting maliciously after she becomes homeless, but she in fact becomes a corrupted individual, and far worse than what she was before.