Summary Of True Notebook

“A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading.” This quote was said by William Styron. Reading the book True Notebooks by Mark Salzman has left me feeling like I was apart of the book. I started reading the book thinking it was going to be dumb, but actually enjoyed it as a person! I was not able to put the book down even if I felt like I was going to fall asleep. I would recommend this book because of the enjoyment I have gotten from the book, relationships that are built, and the overall mood.
To recommend a book to someone you need to enjoy it as a person. I really enjoyed how Mark Salzman, the author of True Notebooks, put this book into his own words. He

was able to say things to the inmates and they understood and respected him as a person. This book made it more real for myself, since you get to hear from different characters. Hearing about people in a juvenile hall and stories they wrote makes you open your eyes about their life’s and what they are going through. Some of the inmates write about freedom, things they have never noticed, and how they want to change. A story that really stood out for me, was a story that Mark first got to hear on his visit. The story was by an inmate named Ruben and how he has never noticed clouds before being in a juvenile hall. We know Ruben noticed a cloud before being in a juvenile hall because he says, “I never took the time to look up at a cloud and just stare at it” (Salzman, 19).
Building a relationship with people is really hard because you need to enjoy their presence, the conversations you hold, and how you connect with them.

The relationship between Mr. Jenkins and Mark is a respectful and trustworthy. Mr. Jenkins is always respectful to Mark, not rude like the other guards. An example of this is when Mark first started his class and Mr. Warren, another guard, did not trust him to be in the library with a bunch of juveniles in there. Mr. Jenkins then stepped in and said, “I can see the library from where I’m at. I’ll keep an eye on ‘em if you want” (47). Mr. Warren was not happy about this decision, but let it happen anyways. Another example, is when the prisoners were in lock down but Mr. Jenkins let Mark still have his class with two students, Kevin Jackson and Jimmy Wu. Mr. Jenkins let those two students come to the library because, “They’re never any trouble” (72). Another relationship in the book is Mark with his students. He cares for them and shows it by coming to class every Wednesday and Sunday, creating a retreat so they could share their stories, and spending time by typing up their stories to look professional. His students care about him and one student showed it by stuck up for Mark, on his birthday, when his editor said his book was bad and needed work. Francisco shows this by saying, “she don’t know. She don’t know what the f*** she’s talkin’ about!” (180). This shows that Francisco stuck up and showing that he truly cares about

his teacher.
The mood of the book was energetic, confident, and lonely. The inmates are always energetic and ready to work. When they walk into the library, they greet Mark and talk a little bit then come up with a topic to read. They are always talking to each other to see what is going on with their case or how each other are doing. All of the inmates are confident wit the stories they tell. Nathaniel Hall showed confidence when he got up in front of everyone and read his story at the retreat. Francisco volunteered him and Hall said, “If no one else’ll do it, I guess I will have too” (156). That was a confident moment for Hall and he showed he wrote well and then it encouraged others from the retread to read aloud, too. Being lonely kills you inside, especially when you do not have anyone there for you. Francisco told us about this when he wrote a letter to his mom and said, “I know you think I don’t appreciate everything you’ve done for me, but it’s the opposite” (96). He tells Mark that he does not want to send the letter because he wants to be strong for his mom, but he might send it one day. Being lonely is not easy for those guys in the juvenile hall, because they do not have immediate family and most of their family has given up on them.
Reading True Notebooks will leave you with many questions: how am I ever going to find a book that left me that much enjoyment, how can I build relationships like that, and what moods did I feel when I read this book? Having all of these thoughts will make you feel like you won’t be able to find a book like that again. I would never have thought that a book about a juvenile hall would interest me as much as it did. I could see myself reading this book again in a couple of months!