A brief summary of a mentor text recalling a true story about a 19-year-old high school drop out trying to find an alternative to making money.
Nate Norman, at the time, worked at Pizza Hut and was described as the "fat, funny kid" with a "big heart" who "everybody used to pick on." He met his best buddy and companion, Topher, during work. Topher was nine years his senior and a customer when he met Nate, but nonetheless formed an unlikely friendship.
Nate and Topher eventually recruited a team, up to 30-something members, to smuggle the B.C. Bud cannabis across the Canadian-United States border. They were successful and grew extremely wealthy, purchasing anything that they could afford and splurging their wealth on themselves, their friends, and the women they encountered. Unfortunately, Nate began abusing hard drugs and fell into an addiction that he couldn't break. Up until a murder regarding the scandal, the police has disregarded the ordeal simply because they had other cases to tend to, but this incident sparked an interest in them. Eventually, the boys were arrested, along with Nate's girlfriend and sentenced to at least a decade in prison. He is currently being held in a federal prison in Terminal Island, California.
The author's conversational and humorous dialect was what made this mentor text my favorite out of all we have read throughout this semester. He defies the standards and rules of the English language, creating a work rich in imagery and detail. For example, Binelli at one point capitalizes the first letter of every word in a sentence to emphasize his the point that he's trying to make. From the first paragraph, Binelli draws the reader in and holds the reader until the final paragraph. He's writing to anyone who wants to be entertained-his article is one that highlights one teen's ability to carry out, and get away with for years, the unexpected and something uncommon for his age.
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