QT. 3 Outside Reading SIX

Today I read a short story in Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul II title Hero of the 'Hood by Paula Mcdonald. This story provided and showed hope in multiple ways. One way hope was illustrated is the fact that the main character of the story Mike, pushed through all the odds of having no money, love, or support to raise a family of children. Mike was barely eight when he began caring for his multiple brothers and sisters. He had to care for them because his parents were ex-cons and addicted to many drugs. The caring Mike did illustrates hope because he fought all the odds to raise mature responsible young adults. Another was hope was illustrated in this story was the fact that Mike and all his brothers and sisters stayed out of the streets and lived lives that were pure, and not full of hustling and drug dealing. It would have been so easy for all them to just give up and follow their parents awful example, but they did not. This showed the reader hope for 'hoods around the world. It made me hopeful that one day we will live in a country with no gang violence or people waisting their lives away on drug addictions that steal everything the addict. This story was very heavy and emotional but after reading it, I got a strong sense of hope.