Toughness Summary so far

                 Toughness, the non-fiction book by Jay Bilas, has personal stories of Jay Bilas of how his parents affected his life by showing him how to be tough in the right sense, to get into the right schools with grades by themselves, and him trying to join the olympic team for the United States.

                 At a local basketball court, there was a tryout for the US Olympic team. So Jay Bilas went to the first tryout as just as an experience to get tougher which he and his dad agreed on since they both didn't think he would make the team. After the tryout, the guy running the tryout asked him he was going to he there tomorrow. But he told them no since he was getting his wisdom teeth out the next day. But then he told them Bilas was the best player at the tryout and wanted him to come back for the team and rescheduled his appointment.

                So another part of this book shows why this is a great book to read. That you should never think bad of yourself because if you do, that's what will happen . So you should always think that you can do whatever you want and you will be able to achieve that.

Character development of a new character

                      A character in Toughness that is an important part of the story is David Henderson. He, Jay Bilas, and two other freshman were in the starting lineup for Duke in Coach K's(the current coach's) first season. He refused to back down to anyone who played against him. One game he heard a younger teammate on the back talking about how good Micheal Jordan and the team of the North Carolina Tar Heels were and he said, "'We didn't go there to suck up to those guys! I don't want to hear how good you think they are. We were going there to win, and we should have won. If you didn't go there to win, then you shouldn't have made the trip. There is no reason we should not have won. No reason at all," (Bilas 27). This part is really important it shows how he was really tough and he wasn't going to let anything get in his way. No matter who they are and what they've done.

                     But in his senior season, he gets put into the 6th man role which isn't so great for him because that's the first one off the bench and doesn't get a whole lot of credit or acknowledgement there. In there senior season, Jay Bilas was named into the All-ACC along with the other two guys who were starters when they were freshman. But he wasn't. Jay Bilas said he couldn't believe that he wasn't and he responded, "Who gives a s***? Let's just win," (Bilas 29). Throughout the seasons that he played it showed what true toughness was and didn't let t get to him. No matter how important it was to him. And he always was looking to get better as a teammate and as a player. Which is why he is a great example for the book Toughness.

Toughness

                    In the beginning of my novel, Toughness, Jay Bilas begins to talk about the actual definition of Toughness that people now day think about when they think toughness. For example, in a basketball game, when your coach tells you to be tougher, what does he mean? Does it mean get overly agressive and start to be physical and get up in another guys face to show you mean business? NO! Bilas uses his parents to show what he thinks toughness is and that's what he believes it is. Not being aggressive and on the verge of starting a fight because that's how serious you are into it.

                    Bilas' father, Anthony Bilas, immagrated here and learned English as his second lanauage and worked at an early age. When he was an adult, he never complained about it or how diffcult it was. He would plan to do a task and do it, and didn't need a compliments about it. One time he took Jay Bilas to the batting cages and when he kept giving advice to Jay Bilas to help him. Jay Bilas thought that he was getting mad, so he yelled at him to do it. He went in and did it with no problem and didn't get mad about it. He just told him the advice again so he would be able to do it.

                    This is one of his definitions of Toughness. Not being agressive, but being calm and relaxed but able to do what your suppose to and don't get upset about it. Which is one way Jay Bilas thinks of Toughness. He also said that he thinks his mom is tough as well, and that's where he got a decent amount of his toughness.
                    Jay Bilas' mom, Margery Bilas, was the daugher of a United States Merchant Marine lieuteant commander and a Scottish immagrant. He describes his mom as tough in character. Will believe in what she believes, always have believed in him. His mom was his personal teacher that would help him be successful in life, and he was smart enough to accomplish anything. She wanted him to do his best and if he did his best he could get the best grades. She made him do things which she said were the right thing to do. His mom also encouraged him to dress well at school and fueled him literally and figuratively. His mom was afraid that he wouldn't be able to get into any school with his SAT score without the consideration of being on the basketball team. The IVY league college said with his grades without basketball he could go anywhere that he wanted to go. Which is showing how his mom was nice like a mother should be but also "tough" at the same time to get him set up for the college he wants to go to and have the job that he wants to have.

                     So if you think that toughness is just being aggressive in a game or in life, your wrong and I recommend that you read this non-fiction novel about Toughness by Jay Bilas.

About the author Jay Bilas

                           As I wait for the Blood of Olympus to come out, I am going to try the book Toughness by ESPN analyst Jay Bilas.

                           Jay Bilas played College Basketball for Duke from 1982-1986. He graduated from Duke law school in 1992. But in 1995, he joined the ESPN Analyst and is now a game and studio analyst. He is a two time nominee for best studio analyst. In 2010 Sports Illustrated gave him the award of best game analyst of the year. He was the "Best Column of the Year" from US basketball writers.

                           On his website jaybilas.com he has categories about himself, his camps, media, and more. It also has a little about the book I will be reading. I would recommend you this book if you were a fan of basketball and sports like I am. It is a New York Times Best Seller. It also has been foreworded by Mike Krzyzewski. The current Duke coach and the coach of Jay Bilas when he went to Duke.

End of House of Hades

                         This book had the biggest turnaround that you would never think of. Percy and Annabeth find the Titan they named Bob who had his memory washed away and wants to defend them instead of attacking them. They find out that a river of fire actually does not burn you alive if you drink it and actually heals you and refreshs you. Which they really needed. And... there's a giant that helped Percy and Annabeth go up the doors of death instead of killing them. And even if they got tricked by someone who wanted to kill them and turn into the mist, it helped them get into the doors of death which helped them get into the mortal world.

                         Frank summoned dead members of the legion to help them fight their way through. Became Praetor of New Rome by Jason giving up his spot. Nico usted the scepter of Diocletian. So all of them above ground were able to contain themselves. Even though they thought that Percy and Annabeth had the short end of the stik. Actually they had to maintain a ship and keep care of seven people and be able to help them get out. Which was hard to get in.

                         So the House of Hades was a big surprise to me after The Mark of Athena. I believe that when the Blood of Olympus comes out in October. It will be one of the better books ever written.

                       

Beginning of House of Hades Predictons

                           Since Percy and Annabeth have recently fallen into Tartarus, I don't think that this book is going to be much happier for Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of the crew for Argo II. Percy and Annabeth were practically the leaders of the Argo II. They also tried to calm everyone down when everyone and everything going on around them was chaotic. So everyone else is going to have to pick up slack if they are going farther into Gaea's territory. Even with their newest recruit Nico. They are seriously going to have to take care of him after what he's been through. Because he is no shape to help the crew and with 5 of them.

                           As for Percy and Annabeth, for all they know, no other mortal has been into Tartarus at all and comeback as well?? Definitely not. So they have some records to set. It is supposed to be the place where monsters go to be reborn and go up the Doors of Death which are heavily guarded. So they're chances of survival is doubtful. And most times they have an idea of what they are facing. This time they have no clue. But they're biggest weakness is that Gaea needs the mortal blood of each gender to be sacrificed on Mount Olympus to be reborn. So Tartarus is on there side so he can very well just capture them and have them sacrificed and the world is over. Great!! So they maybe may need "some" luck.

End of Mark of Athena

                     
                          At the end of the Mark of Athena, everything begins to seem great with what they all did. Annabeth survived her mini quest to find the Athena Parenthos which very few children of Athena have found and Annabeth gets it. She tricks the spider to make a large chinese finger trap from the silk and convince her to go in and fix it. Which made her struggle to get out and fell into Tartarus. They get Nico back from Ephialtes and Otis by Jason and Percy defeating them in a battle with Bacchus on their side.

                         After they find Annabeth with the Athena Parenthos, they find that she has a broken leg in a place that has a hole that leads to Tartarus. Not so friendly. Then the seven of them decide to load the statue onto the ship instead of helping Annabeth out who has been hurt and has some of the silk tied around her leg and doe't know where it is coming from.. Annabeth then starts being pulled by something on the line which makes Percy dive for her and causing them both to go over dangling by a little cliff. Percy tells Nico to take them to the other side of the doors so that they can out. Their crew should be happy since they all survived and got the Athena Parenthos. But they aren't because they lost Percy and Annabeth into a pit that no mortal has ever been into ever before. So then the House of Hades must be even better since Percy and Annabeth have to fight against all odds in opponent territory.