Imagine a cult, where its leader has convinced your only family to leave their life for religious nonsense; where you have to live at a camp for the rest of your childhood, to give away your life to a religion enforced by a lunatic with the silver tongue?
     This is the past of Allison, the girl who now lives in a foster home miles away from her original home. The setting is modern America, in Meridian as Allison and her childhood friends visit their hometown to gather for the funeral of a friend who would become the first of the victims of the story. The beginning of the killings start after the teenagers settle in a hotel, only to find that one of them died after the night. Slowly, one by one the others keep dying until Allison and David discover that not everything of the cult remained in the past, and a man was trying to kill them to use as martyrs for a religious catastrophe. The book ends in a negative tone implying that the world was consumed in fire. 
     One main theme of "the Unspoken" is: no matter how overbearing your past life may have been, one cannot simply run/move away and expect their problems to go away. At many points in the novel, Allison tries her best to simply forget about her old life, after moving with her foster parents. However, her dark past comes back in an email reporting about how her friend drowned with his body found miles inland. Then when the teens arrived in Meridian, they started dying one by one, only to find that the distance from their problems made no difference on how it affected them. 
     The fact that most of the story was set in Meridian gave way to many important parts of the book. The fact that the town was so isolated gave the novel a frightening element of the fear of having no one to help. The fact that the town was so small made the impression of brainwashed townspeople easier to portray. If the setting was to be a city, the author would have a harder time convincing the citizens of the area are brainwashed by a single man. 
     Allison is the protagonist of the story, and faces many challenges throughout the novel. Most of the story is told in third person through the experiences of Allison. Her conflicts include the overbearing memories of her unforgettable painful childhood memories, stubbornness of her childhood friends, and the man behind the deaths of her friends and the brainwashing of her childhood town. The conflicts changed her from a teen with regular problems in the beginning of the novel to a mature, realistic girl with a promising view of her future. 
     David is a secondary character in "the Unspoken". He faces his fears of his past and is forced to confront his fears again when he is buried alive for the second time near the end of the book. David is shown to have matured from an emotionally sensitive, dream hoarding individual, to a grown young man in a very stressful point in his life. He supports Allison in many of her ideas and acts. 
     The book starts with the prologue of the children huddled around as they watch a building burn to the ground, while apparently the building still contained the entirety of the cult by the name of the Divine Path. The story then shifts to Allison's life in the present, with her foster parents and her few high school friends. The story goes on with many flashbacks of the life before and during the brainwashing of most of the town of Meridian. Throughout the story, flashbacks are triggered by her own memories of certain events, Allison's epileptic seizures, or when the author is giving information on the dark history surrounding Allison's friends.      The author often uses his syntax to instill fear  into the heart of the reader, with quote such as "The mysterious man played the flute, rattling in the way he played. He slowly started moving towards Allison, moving as if she was going to be hunted."(pg. 67) Thomas Fahy even uses his syntax to show how the teens interacted in a realistic way, with quotes such as "I don't care what happens, I'm just going to get drunk tonight." The author also used his style of writing to portray a pessimistic ending,  with the book ending with "And for a second, a split second, Allison thinks the world may not end after all." (pg.232)
     The burning of the church building containing most of the cult was caused by the tensions on the children brought forth from the unrelenting abuse from the cult leader exploiting their every fear. It resulted in the teens being forced to move away from each other to foster homes scattered around the country. Most of the deaths of the teenagers were caused by an old acquaintance of the cult leader, leading up to the end of the book where the Earth was implied to have been burnt to a crisp. The cause of many of the fears in the teenagers in the novel was from the cult leader of the Divine Path, when he tortured the children to a point where the children could never overcome their fears. 
     (Source: http://www.amazon.com/The-Unspoken-Thomas-Fahy/dp/1416940081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365132007&sr=8-1&keywords=the+unspoken+by+thomas+fahy) 
     I agree with the statement of, "he (Thomas Fahy) pulls out all the necessary stops as he constructs the terrifying story of what comes to pass five years later as the surviving teens are being murdered one by one, according to the cult leader's prophecy", as the story does in fact stop many times to set up the following acts which kill the teens according to their worst fears. I also agree with the statement, "The author gives readers gory visual descriptions of the crime scenes, tension-building cliffhangers and the type of unexpected surprises that if translated to film would make moviegoers scream, and he nails each device beautifully.", as the story is filled with scenes of extremely bloody deaths which would probably make a movie blockbuster. However, I do not agree with the statement, "A page-turner that just might keep readers up at night--especially given the loosely resolved ending.", as the ending of the story obviously implies that the story ended with the prophetic vision Allison had earlier in the book during her latest seizure.      So, why would this book be of any importance to any reader? Well, the novel contains many of the classic elements which make up any great horror story, such as dark secrets which are only revealed over the span of the story. The story also contains many transcendental elements which make more sense to the reader as the story moves forward. "The Unspoken" is a good read for many young adults and teens who enjoy reading horror stories. 

Recipient: A person or thing that is obtaining something. 


Sentence in book: She can tell that the message has been forwarded to several undisclosed recipients.
Example sentence:I was the recipient many Christmas presents this year, bestowed upon by many family members. 

The man is the recipient of the award.

Schwartz, John. "Helping a Child Come Out". New York Times. 10/5/12. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/07/fashion/helping-a-gay-child-to-come-out.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0.

     This article shows a new age of hope. It shows how many people can now be comfortableMany more children are now "coming out of the closet", showing their true selves and becoming overall happier people. with who they are, and how they can broadcast their views without nearly as much persecution as they would have recieved a few years ago. Many more children are now "coming out of the closet", showing their true selves and becoming overall happier people. John Schwarz addresses the difficulty some children face, and how many of them fear discrimination from many, including their own friends and parents, despite the leaps and bounds society has overcome to include homo/bi-sexual views today.  The article also shows how some children in school may show resistance to many ideas, persecuting those who show themselves. 

http://goanimate.com/videos/0eb9w341pkw4/1

Many of my friends have special hobbies that define them, such as Soccer, photography, and even sightseeing around the world. However, I have gone into the hobby of swimming, which can be described as the exercise of the body to push through a pool of water. It takes strength and determination to finish and surpass those who race against me. To me, swimming is the challenge of literally trying to go farther than my peers in reaching a goal. 



          I have always liked being in the water, the feeling of weightlessness in a world where everything will weigh you down. I started swimming in the summer of 4th grade, when most of my friends were swimming competitively against other kids of our age. The challenge was easy, as all one would have to do was to literally pull yourself through the water to get to the other side. As time progressed, I learned that to go faster, you have to split the water as you pass through it, making the heavy water that you swim through, slide by instead of weighing you down. I also learned I could not play other sports, as a health condition kept me from playing contact sports. Learning that swimming was one of the only sports I could now excel at, I now exercise and practice so I can be the best at one of the few sports I can participate in. 
       So if you can do something well, pursue it to the point where it can benefit you the most. 

Dear Chamblee News,

          What might you think about our school, Chamblee? Do you think it is a teacher/student friendly environment for learning? Do you think the teacher’s jobs are well-paid and in the right hands? No? Then you are agreeing with the teachers’ strike in Chicago.

          Would you lower the wage of the teachers of your children? Would you do it based on test scores that are affected by children who may not even care about their education? Although the school system is for the children, the teachers definitely deserve more concern.

          So what might teachers be dissatisfied with in the school system? Well for one, their salaried are dependent on test scores of ALL children, not just kids who care about their education. If some children don’t even care about their education, why should it affect the wages of our school teachers, when it might as well have been caused by an out-of-school event!? And when this happens, the local community should worry about it more than school teachers.

         Teachers everywhere are also having their wages cut and their healthcare lowered. Are you willing to have our teachers have their earning reduced?
 
                                                                       Sincerely,
                                                                       Concerned Students (Patrick L. and Michelle S.)

    What is your favorite sport? What skills are needed to become an elite athlete in that sport?
Have you tried swimming against your friend? Have you ever thought that swimming competatively was actually a major sport? Well swimming is actually a large-scale sport, and one of the foremost sports in the Olimpics, contributing to why it is my favorite sport. 
    There are many aspects to becoming an elite athlete in swimming. First and foremost is a healthy respiratory system, as oxygen is a vital fuel for your body when swimming, and breathing can be particularly difficult in an agitated situation such as a swimming sprint. A good swimmer also has to have a strong body, as you use all parts of your body to propel yourself through the water. Elite swimmers also have to practice very often, usually 5 times a week, to reach peak physical condition for swimming, as strength and endurance can be lost very quickly. Overall, to become an elite swimmer, one must be in peak physical condition and must know proper technique to prevent possible injury (such as swallowing water).
    Swimming is a major sport in my life, and is an exciting sport. The energizing feel of water rushing by as I propel myself through the water is exhilarating, with the deafening sound of water slowly attempting to fill my ears. It is awesome in that it is not dull like running, as one can be constantly be looking toward a goal that is so within range and can be won within a fraction of a second. It is also a non-contact sport, thus making injury minimal. What might your favorite sport be, and how does it affect your life?
 

            “Meet your new family, Jacob,” said the child, showing the dog his father and his home.

            The child, who was just a high scholar, was very reminiscent of Jake. The child’s name, learnt after years in the family, was Charlie. Charlie, the awkward child at school, often consolidated his emotions and problems upon Jacob, the misunderstood Shiba Inu. Never judging, Jacob usually sat through Charlie’s emotional rants, which ranged from his alcoholic father to his cruel and merciless peers at school. However, on some occasions Jacob had to protect his new owner, often barking away potential threats to his kind owner, who resembled Jake like a resonant image.

            Sadly, this blissful relationship could not last, as one day Charlie’s father had one drink too much. With any impending threat, Charlie ran to Jacob, hoping for consolidation and shelter from the bad things in the world. This time, Charlie’s dad was prepared for the dog, bringing a baseball bat to protect himself from the Jacob’s vicious bites. As his dad loomed toward the teen/dog duo, Charlie tried to assuage his father, to no avail. Charlie’s father made the first strike, hitting the dog’s thick and unyielding skull. The strike damaged something in Jacob’s head, shifting his attention from protecting Charlie from his dad to attack (and kill) any threats to the dog. With wolf-like tenacity, Jacob reduced the dad to a gruesome corpse, after which he calmly tried to huddle next to his best (and only) friend in the world.

However, due to this scene of unimaginable gore, the once friendly Charlie backed away from the dog, throwing anything that came within his grasp.

“Get away from me!” shrieked the teenager.

 Now the new threat to Jacob, the dog made short work of Charlie, making the whole house a scene out of a horror film. Upon arriving on the scene, animal control officers soon found they had to exterminate the once friendly Shiba Inu.

Born in Louisiana, a litter of Shiba Inus were born to a surprised family. The family quickly bestowed the puppies to families and friends. Two pups were soon given to John Trench, a college graduate with many troubles in his life. Jake, an uneasy sole inhabitant of a suburban home, soon grew to love the dogs as if they were what was missing in his life. He soon named them Jacob and Wilhelm, after the brothers who wrote the fairytales which helped him throughout his troubling childhood. Instead of writing in a journal, recording his thoughts and emotions on a lifeless piece of fiber, Jake had two living, loving animals that would never judge him and forget all faults. Jake’s life soon started to reach equilibrium, a good balance of his miserable life at work and the intervals of pure joy with his new friends at home.

            Similar to all pleasant things, Jake’s lovely time with his canine friends was limited. The neighborhood in which Jake lived in was as diverse as the lucky charms that were admired by the children of the neighborhood. Having to resort to thievery and petty crime, some of its populace were not the luckiest of people. A prime target for robbery, Jake’s house appeared unprotected and vulnerable to burglary. A night’s worth of planning, two men dressed in dark clothes and armed with a revolver and knife snuck into the house with insignificant amounts of commotion generated. To their dismay, almost every room were filled with items with minute value, for the dogs were always causing destruction to the material objects in their wake. Finally, there was one room left to examine, a room which was closed off to the world, ominous and foreboding. The burglars slowly creaked open the door, to find two fully conscious and aggressive Shiba Inus ready to pounce on the unwary thieves.

            “Oh my god!” exclaimed the thief, as he took as step away.

Wilhelm struck first, jumping on the man with the revolver, biting the man’s neck, and waking up Jake. The resulting shot killed Wilhelm, scaring Jacob into jumping and attacking the man with the knife. Jacob dispatched the crook after a short fight, sustaining slight injuries, all before Jake could stop the two from causing such a violent outcome.

            Distraught with the loss of one of his only friends, Jake collapsed and started weeping, with only one of his friends to comfort his loss. After about five minutes of quietly struggling, the man with the revolver was finally able to push off the corpse of Wilhelm. He slowly aimed his revolver to the dog, in an attempt to take away the last thing Jake cared about in the world. Upon seeing that the dying burglar was about to make an attempt to eradicate the dog, Jake kicked up the revolver out of the thief’s hand, causing the revolver to go off, killing Jake. After making his last stand, the thief slouched on the ground with an expression of peace. Considering the lack of life within the household, Jacob searched the house for an escape from his deep-rooted establishment. He soon found an opening which turned out to be a window, observed when he jumped through a now shattered glass barrier.

After making his escape, Jacob made his way to the streets, limping his way to any sign of hospitality. Following a month of hopeless wandering, Jacob came across a friendly teenager. He was kindly towards Jacob, offering food and speaking to the dog as if it could understand complicated emotions and thoughts. Jacob soon found himself ushered to a household, a friendly place with two inhabitants, reminiscent to his old residence.

“Meet your new family, Jacob,” said Charlie, showing Jacob his father and his home.

So, you have a major drawing of Jesus, a major symbol of the most popular religion in the world. It's very old and important, with lots of value to the Sanctuary of Mercy Church, and has is very damaged. Suddenly, an elderly woman approaches with a mediocre drawing, which is meant to be a restoration of the famous painting. The elderly woman (anonymous) desecrated an old painting by Elias Garcia Martinez when she tried repainting the image by brush.

    The elderly woman took a highly valued painting and ruined it. Although with best intentions, restorations should be done by professionals with plenty of training and experience. Once the painting is damaged as it was in this story, the damage cannot be undone. How an elderly woman could have easily taken the painting and ruined it, I don't know, but there should be added precautions to protect paintings as valued as Elias' painting of Ecce Homo. The painting now resembles a "crayon sketch of a very hairy monkey in an ill-fitting tunic" If someone were to take a highly valued piece of art from your community and desecrate it in an attempt to "restore" it, how would you react?