"Born On The Fourth Of July" by Ron Kovic

Essay by Anonymous UserHigh School, 12th gradeA+, February 1996

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This was an extremely powerful book. Ron Kovic is very able to get his point accross to the reader. He brings you throughout his life showing you, no. . . showing cannot describe the feeling adequately enough. He puts you into his life, when he goes through the trenches, you go with him. When he hits a home run for little league you can experience, not the joy it brought him at the time, but the pain in remembering that joy now that he can no longer do those things. When he makes love with a woman in mexico you can completely understand how stirring, meaningful and frightening the experience is for him.

This is a book about self discovery. From beginning to end, you see him struggling to survive life. He is constantly trying to be the best at everything. From the very start he was working out his arms trying to make himself bigger that way to make up for being to short.

He joined the cub scouts with his friends and marched in the memorial day parade. He hit a home run his first time at bat in little league. When he grew he joined the wrestling team and constantly won first place in competition. When he lost, it was so emotional that he would cry. He would do anything to be first, even if it meant incredible agony.

The coaches made us do sit-ups, push-ups, and spinning drills until sweat poured down our faces and we were sure we'd pass out. "Wanting to win and wanting to be first, that's whatÔs important," the coaches told us. "Play fair, but play to win," they said. They worked us harder and harder until we thought we couldn't take it anymore and then they would yell and shout for...