Adopted Town

   My understanding of "Adopted Town" in The Place You Love is Gone is that Melissa Holbrook Pierson moved from her old town of Akron Ohio to Hoboken New Jersey.  She had a very hard time getting used to the change of a different town. "But of course: New Jersey sold its soul to the devil for as many car as it could drive."  I feel that this quote shows her being negative toward her first impressions of Hoboken.  I think she is trying to say that she believes that town may be materialistic or maybe even over populated.  "Still, maybe this was meant to be. You cannot stop progress, after all."  I really liked this quote because I feel like it finally gives Melissa something positive.  Although she is not enjoying her change to Hoboken I feel like that quote shows that she is being somewhat optimistic, maybe sarcastic, but she is giving it a thought that "hey maybe this was just meant to be,it was meant to happen,and I am here for a reason." These quotes help be better understand her writing because I can pick certain quotes that I enjoy and then go back to them and break down what I believe she is trying to say.  I make a very good connection between the text and my own experiences.  I too have witnessed progress hit my hometown and I've felt very negative toward it.  I watched my old house transform into something unrecognizable and had to move to a different town that I hated.  I felt trapped in a little town where there was nothing to do but sit at home in front of a TV.

   In some ways Salem has become my adopted town because I go to school here so I spend a lot of my time here.  Although I do go to school here I don't consider it to be my town because I am a commuter so I don't spend all of my time here.  Salem State University really hasn't become my adopted home.  Again, I believe this is because I am a commuter so I don't live on campus.  I think of Peabody and the new house that I am in as my adopted city and home.  Salem and Salem State University to me can only connect to the reading because I used to live in the town over from Salem so I have seen progress hit Salem and have watched it changed over the years.  But I don't feel angry or sad about these changes because this has never been my hometown.