The book that I have currently just finished is called Go Ask Alice and it is written by anonymous, which means no one knows who the author is. It is about a young teenage girl who goes to visit her grandparents for one summer and everything just goes south. She goes to a party where she is slipped LSD into her soft drink without knowing and is automatically hooked. She believes that drugs are not as bad as she told by others but rather dangerous and exciting, which she becomes addicted. She swears she won't ever do drugs again, but then does it again.
I really enjoyed this book personally because it is relatable. It is relatable because you may know someone who has wanted or has tried drugs and has become addicted. It shows the endless battles that a teen may go through due to peer pressure as well. And you may even recall a time where you have felt pressured to do something, but never go through with it because it can turn into something horrible.
I believe in having an open mind and forgiveness. A closed mind can lead a person to think negatively about something before giving it the time of day. It can lead a family to not speak to one another due to a misconception. A misconception that was not even once thought to be something worth understanding. The idea that people have about certain places and the comparisons they make between people, I have dealt with.
My family does not consist of having both a mother and a father. I have two moms and the battles they go through are something I go through with them. There is an idea that they are not capable of raising me because they are both female, which is both ridiculous and rude. I believe a family is not having both a mom and a dad. A family is having someone or multiple people, no matter if they are blood or not blood, care for you when times are tough. I came to this idea when I was very young. My “dad” has not been around since I was born. He was not there in the room when I came into this world and he has not stuck around to see the person I have become today. I use to think it was my fault that he hadn't, I would visit his job when I was 5 years old and thought they meant the world. I had this idea that he wanted to see me and get to know me, but then I learned I was wrong. The true people who care for you are the ones who go to see you at times, not the ones who always want you to come to them. They do not lie and they love your perfections and flaws.
The power of an open mind and forgiveness can cause greatness. And it may sound cliche, but it can change a person, but so can other things. As I said before I have a biological mom named Felicia and I have a stepmom named Maria, but I call her Cuca. But that is another story for another time as to why we call her that. Now you would think, “Oh Amelia has two moms,” but you're wrong because most people only say I have one mom. My family is some of those people who say that. There was a disagreement at a family event that showed their true colors. It was a nice, sunny Sunday and my grandma decided to host sort of a family dinner. My grandma invited my aunts and cousins. The day was going good and we stood for a while before getting ready to leave. I was waiting for my parents while they talked and I felt someone kicking the back of my leg as if they were trying to trip me. I turned around and it was my “aunt,” Lucy. And before I continue, I would like to mention that I was raised to respect people who are older than me, but I was also taught to defend myself. Now in this situation I was conflicted because I couldn't kick her back because at the end of the day, she was still my aunt. So I didn't react with violence, but instead I used my words to tell her and I quote, “If I accidentally kick you back then it is not my fault.” That sentence is what fueled the fire. It was like she was waiting for me to speak up for myself.
A sentence that caused someone to be cruel and ignorant. At first I thought that she would stop after I spoke up because she is way older than me and her daughter is younger than me, so I thought she would know to stop. Instead, she told me, “You’re not going to hit me because I’m your aunt and I’ll hit you.” This got me mad because in this situation I’m the child and she was the adult, but she basically said I couldn't defend myself because she will hit me. My Mom, Maria, overheard what my aunt said she didn't like it, so she stood up for me. She took the position any parents would have and simply said, “You aren't gonna hit my daughter.” Now I remind you that she has helped raise me since the age of 5, so she has the right to be my mom and carry an equal amount of responsibility as my other mom. But I guess it is not seen that way to others. My aunt decided to say, “She’s not your daughter so be quiet.” That was when all chaos broke loose.
That day was the day that I declared that my “aunt,” Lucy, was not my family. People can say that we are family because we are blood but blood doesn't mean anything. She is older than both my parents and I, but still does not understand the value of change and respect. I forgive the words she had spoken that day, but I will not forget them. I will be civil to her, but I will never call or see her as my “aunt” ever again. I have learned the real meaning of family and who my family truly is. I understand that it is harder for some than others to have an open mind towards change and the differences between people. I am aware that many will not agree on something from time to time, but I am also aware that people can take the time to listen and understand. They have the power of keeping their opinion to themselves and know when to be respectful.
In life there will be people who will say things and it will hurt you a little bit. The saying, “sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me,” I never truly believed. The words people speak do hurt, but how you let them affect you depends on you. It is hard to forgive and hard to take some things into consideration, but it is how conflicts are resolved. In a conflict, you can take the words someone has said and let them change you to not act the way that they do, but instead show them that they have zero affect on you. Your actions and your words define who you are. Who do you want to be?
A friend told me that I shouldn't depend on people because we were not born with another person attached to us. I believe in what she says because it speaks the truth. Everyone nowadays does not really have a mind of their own. We follow what the majority of the crowd does and never break away as a leader. They use the term bandwagon. Where did that term start from? I don't know. We never question and we never second think. But thinking is key. If we don't think then we might just make a decision that can affect everything. We can become a pawn to a bigger problem; fuel the fire.
There is a constant message that our parents try to teach us as we grow older, the message is to be yourself. But I think what they don't understand is how things have changed since they were our age. In the average middle school life, we are more vulnerable than we usually would be. And Ithink the best thing we could do is use our words to express the ideas/thoughts that exist in our mind. Change the way of the world starting with ourselves.
Music, to everyone describes who they are. It is an outlet used to escape the world. When the music turns up, the dancing shoes come on and no, you don't have to know how to dance because the beat tells what way to move. In other words, music is the calling to everyone's ears. It isolates them with their lyrics
We believe that if you come from a good family and a good life, then why would you possibly want to do harm to your body? Is it the pressure or feeling you get from it? Those are the questions I asked as I read Letting Ana Go written by anonymous. This story is about a girl in her teens and how she suffers from aneroexia. The book is unique because the girls name is not "Ana," they never mention her name nor do they mention anything that could give away their identity. The book discusses the people who influenced her decisions and what happens because of it.
I found this book very interesting because it is not the usual teen fiction material that most authors write. I also find it intriguing that the author is not mentioned at all and prefers to be "anonymous." The girl shows how vulnerable someone could be when suffering from this kind of illness. The book allows into the life of a teenage and her problems that basically anyone can go through.
Our society is made up of different backgrounds, different ethnicities, and etc. We make up the world. WE decide what we BELIEVE in. But it's hard to have your own opinion/beliefs because our world affects that. They reach into our minds and make us think a different way. We can't question it though because it is "wrong" to question our economy and the way it is built. We are told what they think we should be told. I want to break the endless cycle of being clueless about the battles happening around me. I can't function when being told that I shouldn't do "this" or "that" because it's not "right." How would you define what is right? Do you believe what your heart and mind says is right or do you believe what the people around you believe is right?
I want to be able to fly on my own. I want to go through obstacles on my own. I want to believe what I want on my own and learn from it if I'm wrong. I am one person, not a hundred. I will NOT follow the crowd, but instead start one of my own with just me, myself, and I. We do not go into the world with all the knowledge of it and we don't go in it already having people with us to go through it together. Our society puts the idea that we should think and do things a certain way, but why? Why should we do what they tell us? Why can't we decide on our own? Let's the break the cycle why not. Set us free from the cage that holds us within. Think on your own, believe what you want, and question everything.
High school is scary when you haven't thought about it. But I've been thinking about it since third grade, I've planned my future and I am determine to follow through with it. I graduate 8th grade in just a couple months and then I'm heading off to Trinity. I am leaving everything I have ever known and moving forward. I'm going in blind. I am going to be vulnerable, but would it be so bad? Isn't it good to start off new?
When you first start high school, your parents tell you to just be yourself. But what if yourself isn't good enough? I enter high school with this thought in my head. I don't fully know if I believe it, but I consider it. Sure, I have all IB classes (AP), except for math because its not really my strong subject...yikes. And sometimes I'm outgoing and antisocial because I get nervous. I think way to into some things, but only because I'm mortified. Embarrassed that maybe I won't be ready for high school. But I'm going to push the negativity to the back of my mind.
I have come to the conclusion that no one is ever really ready to start high school no matter how much you have planned it all out. There are going to be obstacles that are going to make you second guess or hide in the shadows. I dont want to hide. I am going to be who I am and if that's not good enough, then too bad. I am entering a new world but only I can determine what I do with it.
