My Opinion of the Book

I liked this book a lot throughout for I believe that it is realistic for it has not just happiness, but also problems that I myself can relate to. I liked how Gerard Bauer finishes the book and how he ads funny jokes that I can understand. I also thought that it was funny where Gerard Bauer ads sarcasm throughout the book.

Chapter 50

Ishmael starts going home and sees all his memories of where he was with his friends, where he helped Marty Faulkner, where the football game was at. Ishmael thinks to himself that he has found true happiness and is also finally proud of his name. Michael Gerard Bauer finishes the book the with the same three words of the first line that the first line with the first three words that Moby Dick begins.

Chapter 49

Ishmael receives a note from Prindabel sent from his sister that was sent from Kelly so really he got a note from Kelly Faulkner. In the note Kelly asks Ishmael if he would go to a boy and girl party with her and also to invite his friend Razzman to come too. Kelly also gives Ishmael her phone number to call her.

Chapter 48

Once Ishmael stops talking with Barry, Mr. Barker talks with Ishmael. Ishmael was not in trouble, but Mr. Barker wanted Ishmael to know that James will be fine and will be coming back the following year.

Chapter 47

Bagsley finds Ishmael and starts to threaten him for what Ishmael was about to do, but all his threats stop when Bagsley's mother comes. Mrs. Bagsley talks to Ishmael and she comments on his name for it was unique. Afterwards the mother leaves to talk with Mr. Bagsley, Barry then starts to threaten again Ishmael, but Ishmael does not worry at all for he says that he is ready for him.

Chapter 46

Ishmael explains that he did not want to humiliate Bagsley for he saw his face and saw the face that Bagsley made people have when he bullied them. Before Ishmael leaves the school for his vacation he talks to the Razzman and Kingsley about what they will do during their vacation, they all agree on meeting each other to watch a movie.

Chapter 45

Ishmael and the rest of the debate team are asked to do speeches for the last assembly of the year and they all say yes, except for James for he is not going to come back for the rest of the year. Ishmael planned on changing his speech to say that everybody should pray for Bagsley for doing his evil mischievous things. Although Ishmael feels that humiliating Bagsley would be best he knows that it would not, and therefore he does not humiliate Bagsley.

Chapter 44

Ishmael goes home still wondering and debating in his mind whether or not if he should fight Bagsley. Ishmael has a dream where he is in Cap'n Ahab's crew and that he is fighting the whale, I believe that this dream foreshadows that Ishmael will fight Bagsley.

Chapter 43

Ishmael still starts to wonder if he should fight with Bagsley and he is still more influenced to fight him. Ishmael feels more influenced to fight, because Bagsley still name calls, pushes,  and destroys other peoples property, Bagsley does this now more frequently to Kingsley since it bugs Ishmael.

Chapter 42

When Ishmael reads the book Moby Dick he realizes that he has nothing in common with the character Ishmael from the book, instead Ishmael does have something in common with another character. Ishmael has several things in common with the character Cap'n Ahab. Ishmael reads the book and starts to wonder if he should fight his enemy like Cap'n Ahab against the white whale.

Chapter 41

Ishmael takes Kelly's advice and asks his father for the book Moby Dick. Ishmael starts reading the book and is surprised of what he reads.  

Chapter 40

Ishmael talks with Kelly faulkner at the finals of the debates. Kelly says that it was okay, because it was all just an incident. She also thanks Ishmael for getting her brothers hat from Bagsley. Kelly also asks how he got his name and why does he not like it if he has not read Moby Dick.

Chapter 39

Ishmael thinks of fighting Bagsley, but decides not to. Ishmael talks with Razz to know what to do to Bagsley as payback, but Razz says to not do anything to him, because you stoop down to his level. Razz also says to not feel bad, because Bagsley has nothing to do and is dumb and that is what causes him to be a bully either way everything he says are lies.

Chapter 38

After the finals happened of debating there had been an assembly awarding each member of the debating team a certificate showing that each member was valuable, and honor of being in the semifinals. Kingsley loses his award, and Ishmael helps him find it. Kingsley's award was messed up with sharpie and a fat joke with a picture of a fat person. Ishmael suspects that it was Barry Bagsley. Ishmael swears vengeance for everything that Bagsley has done to anyone.

Chapter 37

Once Ishmael leaves the debating area Miss Tarango hands him a letter from James. Ishmael reads the letter and finds out that James is in the hospital, because a shadow appeared where his old tumor used to be and it probably was nothing. James writes that words do hurt like Miss Tarango said, because probably could become something bad.

Chapter 36

Ishmael and his debate team go out to debate. They did really great points and so did the Preston kids, but it seems that Ishmael's team has the upper-hand since the judges seem more interested in their statements. In the end a surprising win went to the Preston team, but Ishmael's team still were good sports and were happy that they had done great.

Chapter 35

After Ishmael, Razz, Prindabel, and Kingsley know who they are up against they think it is impossible unless if they receive the side of the debate that is best, but they receive the what Razz would call "the crappy" side. The topic that they had received was "That science-fiction and fantasy films have little relevance to the problems facing today's world." (Gerard Bauer 174) The team felt better off dead instead of going up to Preston with "the crappy" side of the argument. The team is then surprised for Kingsley then starts pointing out strong arguments how fantasy and science-fiction films do have relevance to today's problems. It was decided that Kingsley would be the third speaker replacing James for he knew most of this topic, and this was their lethal weapon to win this debate.

Chapter 34

It is the semifinal rounds of debate, and James Scobie will not be able to attend due to personal issues. Since Scobie will not be able to attend to the semifinals Ishmael will have go attend as the replacement for Scobie. Ishmael's team then know that there opponent is Preston. Preston is a school where the children are expected to become the president, and if the children do not become president then they should be ashamed.

Chapter 33

Ishmael's friends still keep on talking and laughing about him touching Kelly's breast during lunch. Afterwards Ishmael goes home and starts thinking about how he could go back to school with all this embarrassment. Ishmael then believes that his life will just go horrible and he does make it happen with self fulfillment prophecy.

Chapter 32

Ishmael goes to school the following day and his friends try to cheer him up also, but then they ask him if he knew what he did last night. Ishmael responds that he fainted, but his friends then ask him if he knew what he did with his hand. Ishmael responds that he pointed his hand towards Kelly and fell, but nothing more than that. James then reveals that Ishmael pointed his hand towards Kelly and touched her left breast, Ishmael refuses this and does not believe his friends. Ishmael's friends then make jokes about how he fainted, and about how he touched Kelly Faulkner's breast.

Chapter 31

Ishmael goes home after Razz's mother takes him. Ishmael feels embarrassed and when he arrives home his family tries to cheer him up with jokes that made him only feel worst.

Chapter 30

Ishmael goes up to debate, but feels better if he was dead since he did not know what to say and he feels embarrassed in front of Kelly Faulkner. Ishmael tries to speak, but something kept on bothering his leg for there was a small object scratching his leg. Ishmael puts his hand in his private part for the object was there, but took his hand out for everyone saw him do this action. Ishmael then tries to speak, but the object still annoys him and then the object fell and it was the clothes peg of Ringo. Ishmael felt so embarrassed that he fainted.

Chapter 29

Ishmael tries his best to take notes meanwhile Kelly was stating her points of the argument, but Ishmael cannot pay attention to what Kelly is saying for he is paying attention to how cute she is with her small movements. Ishmael then must go and rebut for he is the next speaker to go after Kelly's team is done.

Chapter 28

In the fourth debate that Ishmael attends he is asked by Scobie known as James to debate, because Prindabel is at a band concert and Kingsley has to be time keeper since his voice is lost. Ishmael agrees, but he then regrets going for he sees that one of the opponents is Kelly Faulkner, who is the girl with the red shirt from before. Ishmael was in a hurry and had to get his clothes from the hang lines and removed all the clothes pegs and left in a hurry to the school to have his debate where he saw his team and Kelly Faulkner's team. He thought to himself that he would rather be dead.

Chapter 27

In this chapter Ishmael only talks about how he feels so normal and that he believes that he is now completely cured of Ishmael Leseur's Syndrome.

Chapter 25

The team is embarrassed when they are debating for they were not ready, but they still manage to win. The debate team only wins for James makes his part of the argument so persuasive that the judges vote for St. Daniel's Debate Team to win.

Chapter 24

The debate team has received their first topic, but they do not seem capable of forming an argument. The team cannot get started with what points they will use to argue, because Razz makes jokes and complains, Bill is daydreaming, Prindabel just screams out loud facts that have nothing to do with their topic, and Ishamel and James try to get everybody to start working together as a team, but cannot.

Chapter 23

Ishmael tries to concentrate on something else other than Kelly Faulkner, but wherever he goes he is just reminded of her. Ishmael also tries to disprove Razza's by also using the four steps of rebuttal, but cannot.

Chapter 22

Ishmael attends the debating workshop at Moorfield High school, and is distracted by a girl wearing a red shirt. The girl's name is Kelly Faulkner, Ishmael only knows this, because he sees her name tag. The Razzman or known as Razz who is actually just Orazio, uses the four steps of rebuttal to prove that Ishmael had not been paying attention throughout the workshop and instead has been looking at a girl with a red shirt. Ishmael refuses this explanation although he knows that it is true.

Chapter 21

There had been a debate team formed. One of the members was Ignatius Prindabel who knew all sort of facts only problem is he was like a search engine where if you told him a phrase he would only base his search on one word instead of everything. Bill Kingsley was the second debate team member, but Bill wanted to attend the chess meeting from the week before he still joins the debate team surprisingly. Orazio Zorzotto was the third member of the debate team. Orazio had only joined, because he knew that the other school teams would have girls and he wanted to meet them. The other two team members had been James Scobie and Ishmael Lesuer.

Chapter 20

Ishmael has always had a problem with talking in front of large crowds, but that did not stop James from signing him up for the debating team. Although Ishmael had been signed up for the debating team he had nothing to worry about for he would only be an editor and writer for the arguments, therefore not needing to speak in front of a large crowd.

Chapter 19

After James announcement of debate he makes a poem for the schools' football team for the next game against the undefeated Churchill. After James is done with his poem the football coach asks James to go to the football game in case if he is needed. James goes to the football game and St. Daniels football team is losing by a great score against Churchill, but James is called up to go say his speech.  When James had been done with his speech the crowd roared with cheer, and then the game resumed and the football team had made a combat. The amazing combat had helped St. Daniel's team win, and it was all thanks to James motivating poem.

Chapter 18

After the bug incident there is an assembly, and James talks in it. James announces to the school that there is now a debating team at school for this school has not had one. Also James believes that there are many people who could use skills learned in debating. James makes his announcement catch more peoples attention by quoting Shakespeare. James quotes Shakespeare in Hamlet

"What is a man,

If the chief good and market of his time

Be but to sleep and feed? A beast , no more!"...

"He that made us with such large discourse,

gave us not that capability and godlike reason

to fust in us unused..." (Gerard Bauer 9)

James says that a debate club is needed for reason is what separates man from animals and we must use reasoning to make decisions knowing the consequences and the benefits. 

Chapter 17

Once Miss Tarango and Mr. Barker had entered to the classroom they both had been surprised and screamed for they were shocked by the mess created by the animals. Mr. Barek asks where the little critters had come from, and everybody had pointed at James Scobie's desk. Mr. Barek questioned James if he had anything to do with this incident, but James just replies with a no. (Also Mr. Barek realizes that James has a spider on his glasses and freaks out demanding James to take off his glasses, but James just says not to worry since the insect is harmless. James takes off his glasses to remove the spider from his glasses.) Mr. Barek then questions of James knew who might have done this, but James says that he has no idea, but Ishmael knew that of course it had to be Barry Bagsley and his crew of trouble-makers. Mr. Barek then searches everybody's backpacks and desks to find any evidence, and finds boxes with holes in Barry's, Danny's, and Doug's backpacks. Mr. Barek punishes these three boys with after school detentions for twelve consecutive days.

Chapter 16

The next week after Bagsley had bullied James, Ishmael is called to the office. After Ishmael finds out that the office had never really called him he headed to his first class In his first class he saw Danny Wallace and Doug Savage had been on Scobie's desk early in the morning which was unusual for they usually got there after the bell. Ishmael suspected something for James had not been in the classroom like he usually would be. Ishmael asks Danny and Doug what happened with James and they say that he was with Barry outside in the playground. Ishmael starts to become extremely suspicious for he cannot believe that Barry Bagsley is becoming fiends with James. After James walks inside the classroom towards his desk class begins. Once James opens his desk little critters like grasshoppers, cockroaches, spiders, phasmatodeas and other insects. Everybody in the room jump from their seats to not be in contact with one of the small insects or arachnids for they are afraid of them. Once everybody is calmed down they all realize that James had not moved an inch from his seat since the surprise.

Background on James Scobie

When James Scobie was talking to Barry Baglsey between his fight he told everyone that he had been afraid of cockroaches, grasshoppers, and any other type of insects.

James Scobie wears glasses, shorts and tucks his collard shirt.

James Scobie likes to use the power of speech to make his points and to solve problems than resorting to violence.

He is an intelligent boy.

Chapter 15

Barry just seems not to understand to stop bullying James, therefore James starts to defend himself with the power of knowledge. Barry threatens James and makes jokes and asks questions, and James just answers his questions nicely and makes sort of fun of Barry. Barry cannot take anymore of James that is why he starts hitting James, but not a scratch is made upon his skin, James stands up for himself and does not allow Barry to put him down. This battle was won by James Scobie, who defeated the unbeatable.

Chapter 14

Since from the last chapter Mr. Barker has to leave the classroom, because he is the "go to" person where there is trouble in the school, and unfortunately for James and Ishmael there was an emergency that he had to attend to. Meanwhile Mr. Barker is away from the classroom Barry Bagsley decides to start annoying James by throwing spit wads at him. Finally after James is shot twice James gets up from his seat and throws away the spit wad and asks Barry to stop spitting spit wads at him. Unfortunately for James Barry starts asking why he should and Barry keeps on telling James to shut up.

Chapter 13

Ishmael Leseur somehow manages to not run away from James even though he knows the chance of him being picked on more just, because he is seen with James. When Ishmael and James go inside their next class with Mr. Barker there are only three seats available. One seat is in the corner, next to Bill Kingsley a daydreamer of galactic wars and fantasy stories in space. Another seat is in the middle row of seats right in the center seat. The last chair is in front of Barry Bagsley, Danny Wallace the class bullies. Ishmael is allowed by James to not have to sit with him, and James takes the center seat meanwhile Ishmael takes the one next to Bill Kingsley.

Chapter 12

As James is told to follow Ishmael for he needs help to know where his classes are at, Ishmael does not want to help James. The first reason that Ishmael does not want to help James is that Ishmael will have to spend a whole day with the new kid. Ishmael knows that James is a perfect target for Barry Bagsley the school bully. Ishmael knows that if he is with "The New Target" then Ishmael will be affected. The first effect made on Ishmael would be that he will PROBABLY not be bullied anymore, now remember PROBABLY. The second effect made on Ishmael is that he will be bullied even more if he is seen with James Scobie, this is something that Ishmael wants to avoid.

Chapter 11

A new character had been introduced in the book. The new character is named James Scobie a young boy who is always trying to be perfect with his organization. James Scobie is also a strange by for he is always moving around his mouth to perform an expression. James is also strange for he states that he has no fear of anything since he had received an operation where he had to get  a tumor removed. James explains that when he had the operation at the end there was a side effect where he has lost fear and can no longer be able to fear anything.

When Ishmael Leseur claims symptoms had begun to show

Ishmael Leseur had started to claim that his symptoms for his syndrome were now showing. Ishmael makes this claim by including Barry Bagsley the bully of St. Daniel's School. Ishmael feels like a magnet for danger for Barry bagsley always makes fun of Ishmael for his name.

Another Reason that Ishmael Hates his Name

Ishmael hates not only his name, because it is a syndrome, but he also hates it, because his father cannot be stopped from telling anybody how Ishmael had received his name. Ishmael also has a second theory for his syndrome it is that anybody who is exposed to him then they will take different behaviors than their usual behaviors.

Who Ishmael Blames for his Syndrome

Ishmael only blames three people for the syndrome that he has. The first two people that Ishmael blames is his parents for they were the ones who had given his name, although this may be true it was there decision and the parents had only done it since they both had English Literature in college and that is where they met. The other reason that Ishmael's parents name him Ishmael it is all because they remembered about the book they read named Moby Dick.

Chapter 3

Ishmael also is not the best person in science, but he still believes strongly in his belief that the syndrome that he has is only made when the names "Ishmael" and "Lesuer" are combined. I myself would have a different theory for I believe that the syndrome that Ishmael is fake and he just says this to make himself feel better with a syndrome that he had made up. I believe this, because Ishmael never really does talk about what his syndrome does and what are the effects for about the very twenty chapters.

Chapter 2

In the second chapter of the book Ishmael has a sad mood for he feels depressed. The reason that Ishmael feels depressed is that his parents do not really pay attention to him at all since he is not very great at school. Ishmael feels more depressed since his parents only pay attention to his younger sister who is smarter than he is with an IQ close to being a genius like Albert Einstein. I can relate a little with Ishmael here since I am not the most brilliant and my family and also, because my dad pushes to be more like my oldest brother Xavier. When my dad says that I should be more like XavieI feel more motivated to do more better than what my brother did, but I have yet not accomplished that goal to this day.

Chapter 1

So far in the book Don't Call Me Ishmael there is a kid named Ishmael and he believes that he lives the worst life ever imagined and this is all, because of the combination of his names Ishmael and Leuser. He is the only person in the whole wide world with this syndrome for he is the only person who has this combination of names. Ishmael feels like a walking disaster due to the syndrome that he carries.