Red

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Red. The novel was very honest and very touching. Reading stories from all these adolescent girls makes you realize that you are not the only person going through certain things and even that some people have it even worse than you. I feel that this was a very good book to have in the reading for the class. If anything, I think it was the best. The only problem I had with the book was that after a while it seemed to become redundant and seemed as if the stories were written by the same person. I realize that this is because they were all edited by the same person, however, as I reached the end of the book, the stories had the tendency to almost drone in my head. Despite that, however, I feel that people of all ages should read this book. I feel that adults sometimes forget what it’s like to be young and often don’t realize how hard it can be sometimes. This book also reminded me of Post Secret where secrets from people of all ages and walks of life are written on postcards and published anonymously. I liked the feel of this book and would not mind reading others like it. I also feel like this book has helped many young girls.

My Book

Writing a book like Alexie’s is something that I’ve wanted to do for a very long time. I grew up a little too fast due to my Father’s heart condition and never really enjoyed being an adolescent. While everyone I went to school with were at football games and pep rallies, I was hanging out with people almost twice my age. Since my father had been having heart complications since I was nine, and I had to take care of him most the time, I really did miss out on being a kid. I matured significantly faster than my peers and by the time I reached high school, I couldn’t stand the level of maturity (or lack thereof) in my classmates. During high school I wrote often, in diary form. I always told myself that I would one day try to publish and have one book for every year of high school. The things that I wrote covered everything from petty fights, to sex and drugs, to losing my father. Everything I felt, saw and experienced was recorded. I suppose that would make it part memoir, but if I were to write a book, I wouldn’t want to do it any other way. I feel that writing in this manner gives the material more truth, it keeps things honest. Writing in this way gives the reader more reason to read, to believe and to learn. Being honest is one of the most appealing factors to a reader, so why sway that?

I believe that if this book were to become a reality, it would greatly help at least one person. All it takes is one small step to change someone’s life. When you take something honest, and believable and apply universal truths, people feel for you, they become you, they understand you. I feel that the relationship between a reader and an honest character is a very intimate and valuable one. Over time it becomes almost tangible and always non-judgmental. I feel that if I were to write a book, the previous would hold true.