Ben Kim Exploration 2

The person I really liked in the book Holding On was Maury Graham.  I admired him because I thought his story was interesting and it educated to reader. I learned how to differentiate a "hobo" and a "bum".  Before I had any knowledge, I thought that hobos and bums were essentially the same people, and what they would do was beg for money. The story changed my perspective of hobos and how hard-working they are.  In the book it shows how different people can tell Hobos and Bums apart. In the book it says that "you can tell a hobo by the way they're dressed, and also you can tell the hobo by their conversation- usually not shady." The person demonstrates the theme of creativity by first explaining the difference between hobos and bums. The narrator talks about the history of the hobos and the struggles they went through.  For example, they would use trains as transportation.

The fact that the son was able to be open about his rough childhood and his father's alcohol issues surprised me.  I felt like he wanted to express his feelings with the audience and get the word out that anyone out there dealing with the things he faced are not alone.  In the book he mentioned that he was not an alcoholic like his father was and he wants to set an example, and become a role model his father really wasn't.  In the passage, I have learned that life can be difficult at times and you can easily overcome the obstacles.  The narrator had a difficult past and now he is moving in a positive direction.  "I write, therefore, to drag into the light what eats at me- the fear, the guilt, the shame- so that my own children may be spared." (Sanders 191)  This really grabbed my attention because he wants to hide all the struggles he had during his childhood to his children and he wants to be greater than his dad was to him.

The book is called "Holding On." So what is the message behind the title, what are these people holding on to?