Book review

Book read: Lottery
Author: Patricia Wood
Questions I will be answering:

20) What lesson did you learn from the story?
26) If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
40) Write a poem about this book.
56) What did you think was the most interesting part of the book? Why?


First, I shall start by giving you the main ideas and a summary of the book.

This book is written in a first-person point of view. The reader takes on the perspectives of Perry L. Crandell, a person who is mentally challenged, having an IQ of 76, and insists that he is not retarded, though he is just one point of being a retard, that is, with an IQ of 75. Since his birth, Perry has been living with his grandparents, until his grandfather died one day while coming back from sailing. His grandmother has since taught him many things, including writing things down so that he would not forget, and many other life skills which might help him improve in his critical thinking.

As when someone is mentally challenged, the society would be biase towards him. his was the case with Perry, being a worker at a small shop selling boat equipment. He suffers insults and frustrations such as the cashier, who would not hand the change to him, handing it to his accompanying grandmother. His cousin-brothers, including his mother, would not even talk to him, let alone acknowledge as having him as a relative. So, all through the years, Perry lived with his grandmother. All that changed when Perry won the twelve million dollar lottery.

Perry, after winning the lottery, gains instant fame, regardless of press, society, who would now readily talk to him, even his family members have now come for him. The people who meet Perry are just curious on how he feels after winning the lottery, however, his family members want the money that he is holding on to.

Perry's best friend is Keith, a crude and rude person, but is a true friend to Perry and befriends him not for his money.Together, they stick through thick and thin, go on a holiday to Hawaii and helps each other to settle problems. Keith and Perry's next best friend, Gary, together help Perry fend off the multiple attempts by Perry's family to get the twelve million dollars. Through the book, Perry learns to overcome his disability, learn how to handle his new found riches and learn whom to trust.

Towards the ending of the book, Keith dies and leaves Perry and Gary alone. Overcome by sadness, and his knowledge of the importance of sharing, and signs a legal document, then, for Perry, none of his lottery money remains by his side. Perry claims that he was happy and still does not notice the mistake he made by giving the money to them. Actually, Perry's cousin-brothers have all taken the money and fled, due to some law issues. Perry helps his store receive an award for Business Vision. Finally, Perry has outlived his days as being a retard, and has now become his long awaited dream of being a businessman.


Now, for the first question: What lesson did you learn from the story?
From this story, I truly understand how someone's determination and will can make him successful. Though Perry is mentally challenged, he lives through the mean comments and gestures that people make when close to him. He has willed himself through his grandmother's teachings, to go through every word in the dictionary, something which many people find a tedious task to complete. One can really admire his passion for learning, his will to overcome and his spirit to forgive. He reads the papers, though he can only finish one in a week, has overcame the challenges and cruelty of the society towards his mental disability, and has forgave his family members for what they did to him and eventually gives them the money since they so wanted it that much. I have also realised that the society now has not been fair to people with disabilities. The society now is neglecting the people with disabilities, they laugh at them, stare or laugh at them whenever he or she does something funny, or worse, hurl direct insults at those with the disabilities. People should try to understand the needs of these 'special people'. When people understand, they are able to feel their pain, and change their attitude towards these people. Only then, will our society improve, and then, people of different needs will be able to live among the rest.


The next question: If your story happened in a foreign land, compare that land with Singapore.
In comparison, the place where Perry lives in, Everett, the people there seem to be of a colder attitude towards people with these special needs. They criticise the special people in public and look down on those with these special need. They feel that they are a burden to society and also a threat to their businesses or lives. They only talk to them when they get some reward in return. While in Singapore, though some people are as bad as those in Everett, I would say that majority of the people in Singapore recognise the position that the "special" people are in, and they show compassion to them, making them feel that they are not alone, and that we would always except them. For this kind of scene, in which someone readily renders help when they stand nothing to gain, is almost extinct in the book's state of Everett. The children would not play with Perry as he is not as smart as them and is unable to control his urges as well as they can. This could happen in Singapore, but it rarely happens, this sets Singapore apart from Everett.

I move on to my next task, to: Write a poem about this book.
I now begin:

Poor Perry Crandell was close to being retarded,

"I am not stupid, just slow" he insisted.

He lived through all the insults,

With his granny and Keith to consult,

He turned into a stable adult.

Whenever he was bullied,

his granny and Keith worried.

All these went on continuously,

almost driving poor Perry crazy,

until the day he won the lottery.

Perry could not believe he won the lottery,

and believed that his L stood for Lucky.

Now, almost everyone knew about his wealth,

strangely, people started to care for his health,

when he thought that they were leaving him on the shelf.

With the new found fortune he just had,

he wanted to share with his grandma and grandad,

but a pity, they were already not there.

His family members now pester him,

but their thoughts look dim.

Now Perry finally has the ability,

to give him and others some luxury,

but his family wants more than that,

they want his entire bank.

Poor Perry is now at a lost of who to beg.

A tragic end meets Perry's friend,

a nightmare that haunts and will never end.

He turns sad with much anguish

of why he did not make the wish,

the wish was for him to stay.

Finally, after their long wait,

Perry's family members get their own way.

They got Perry's lottery prize,

and fled the country like a dozen mice.

They got themselves into lawsuits that were not nice.

Perry now receives an award,

his boss gives him another reward.

For now, Perry is happy,

he is finally getting recognised in the nation,

all because of his grim determination.

Now that the poem's over, here comes the last part: Which part of the book was the most interesting and why?

For me, I think that the most interesting part of the book is when Perry finally wins the lottery, and gets to do all the stuff that he listed out in a little game he and his gram used to play, about listing the things you would do with the money if they won it. I think that I would see it as interesting is because some really funny things happen on the trip, such as when Perry and Keith go to Hawaii, and that Perry was trying to find a present to give to his friends and that Keith was trying to peek under the coconut bra worn by a hula girl doll. That part knocked me out. (Not literally) Many other interesting events also happened during the time when Perry was spending his money, so I would find it the most interesting part of the book.

So, that is the end of my review, hope you enjoyed it, I really do hope.