Summary

In "At Home with Baby Dad," Claire's dad was discharged from the hospital. She wondered if he would ever be able to read and write again. At home, Claire noticed all of the changes made in preparation for her father's return. In his bed in the living room, he shouted random words from his childhood. Claire's mom got overwhelmed; her mother-in-law told her everything would be alright. That night, Claire watched her mother and Matthew struggle to help her dad eat. Claire felt discouraged.

In "Some Harmless Cannibal Humor," Claire worked hard on her history project. She chose the topic: "Miserable Deaths of the Explorers" (111). She even wrote a song for the presentation. Hers was the best in the class. Everyone loved it so much, the darkly comic explorer deaths became a class joke. When she...