The Book as a Whole: Leo

[Stephanie]

I'd love to discuss Leo with all of you- I think he's an extremely interesting character, but I'd rather not ask a pointed question - I'd like to hear your reflections on him at whatever interval of the book you choose and see where the discussion takes us.

[kiakar]

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Stephanie wrote:
I'd love to discuss Leo with all of you- I think he's an extremely interesting character, but I'd rather not ask a pointed question - I'd like to hear your reflections on him at whatever interval of the book you choose and see where the discussion takes us.

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I think Leo is a complicated character and is the type of character that is going to be hard to know. And maybe he will have a few good characteritics to surprise us with.

[kiakar]

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Stephanie wrote:
I'd love to discuss Leo with all of you- I think he's an extremely interesting character, but I'd rather not ask a pointed question - I'd like to hear your reflections on him at whatever interval of the book you choose and see where the discussion takes us.

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I think Leo is a complicated character and is the type of character that is going to be hard to know. And maybe he will have a few good characteritics to surprise us with.

[kiakar]

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kiakar wrote:

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Stephanie wrote:
I'd love to discuss Leo with all of you- I think he's an extremely interesting character, but I'd rather not ask a pointed question - I'd like to hear your reflections on him at whatever interval of the book you choose and see where the discussion takes us.

---

I think Leo is a complicated character and is the type of character that is going to be hard to know. And maybe he will have a few good characteritics to surprise us with.

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Ohhh!!! A mistake

[aquindlen]

Well, I may be the wrong person to weigh in here because I just flat-out love Leo. love love love him. I think he is such a thoughtful young man, with such integrity. Plus I don't mind saying that my two sons were in part the inspiration for Leo's character. the way he uses an honorific when he addresses the doormen--that says it all!

[Stephanie]

Anna,

I love Leo as well - he's a lot like what I'd like to see my son become. (Any parenting tips? )

I think the most endearing moment for me is when Leo tells Bridget that he won't speak "street" - he says it's lame and insulting for a rich white kid to act as though he's part of that culture. ( p. 147) I so agree with him, as I see many kids of all colors doing just that - trying to be part of a street culture they know nothing about, and would find horrifying if they actually encountered it.

[Bunit]

Oh, I love Leo. What a kind and thoughtful young man. Very mature for his age. He could of been portrayed as a spoiled brat, a product of his mother's fame, but he resisted and became his own man. Do you think he is somewhat like his father?

[LaurenKondrat]

I agree with both of you. Leo is just a really good character in general. We see the depth of his character when, after being shot in a community, he is able to bounce back. Leo has a lot of his mother in him, but being that Bridget helped quite a bit to raise him, he has some of her in there too. A good word to describ Leo - genuine.

[LaurenKondrat]

And he has a very old soul. Did anybody else see that?

[aquindlen]

In the movie version of Rise and Shine my daughter, who is an aspiring actress, has decided that Leo should be played by the young man who played the boy in Little Miss Sunshine for exactly that reason.

[Stephanie]

Anna,

Is there a movie on the horizon? That would be terrific.

[kiakar]

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LaurenKondrat wrote:
And he has a very old soul. Did anybody else see that?

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Yes, I loved that about Leo!

[kiakar]

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Stephanie wrote:
Anna,

Is there a movie on the horizon? That would be terrific.

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Oh! yes! A movie! That is what this book needs! How wonderfully divine, this would be!