LWG Ch. 19-20

This part seemed a lot more light-hearted to me than the rest of the book. It almost seemed like he was trying to tone it down for everyone so the book ends less strongly. There's a bit more humor, like the part where he says he thought that Christmas must be everyday in New York. You get to see the child in him, marveling at the sights and sounds of New York City.
It made me very happy for Ishmael that his new family is so great. They are always happy and very welcoming of him, knowing his past. But there again was the foreshadowing. I don't know what is going to happen, but it seems like something with him and his foster family is going to happen. This would then cause him to move to New York with Laura. It would really make me sad if Ishmael lost another family, and such a great one at that.
It strikes me that Ishmael is so calm about going to the UN and addressing so many people about such an important issue. If it were me, I'd be a nervous wreck! Maybe it's just that he doesn't talk much about being nervous. But he does seem to be a person who is comfortable speaking/performing to a bunch of people; he dances to rap cassettes a lot throughout the book. It's really not that important, but it just struck me.
What also made me think was the way he ended chapter 20. He said,"Because if I was to get killed upon my return, I knew that a memory of my existence was alive somewhere in the world." It was a uncanny way to end a chapter that was pretty light overall. His deep sadness sort of gets through to you because you get a glimpse of the grief and depression he's still going through. Even after being happy and visiting New York City, he still believes in the fragility of happiness and brings a depressing note into the end. That line interested me because of how it just came out of nowhere.