Would I drown saving him? by Ellen Hopkins

Would I drown saving him?

Ellen Hopkins

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Categorized in : Saving

Not exactly. I see a girl who wants to present someone special to the world. Someone beautiful. The pinnacle of beauty. But she has lost her hold on reality. Real beauty isn’t thin. It isn’t size two, unless you happen to be four foot ten. What the world sees when they look at you is someone who believes self-worth is all about how she looks, and that very often means that what she’s missing is love. Not someone else’s love. But love and respect for herself.

girl real beautiful

But Hey, Guess What Crazy means I'm not liable for my actions. So screw it, I'll go home, propped up on Prozac against distractions

crazy home mean

When I was little, my friends would gush over wedding gowns and honeymoons. But I saw too many people flush decades together down the toilet over money or kids or meaningless flings. My own parents chose to stay married, which I think is rather funny, since they show about as much affection for each other as pit bulls in a ring. Tying the knot means slipping a noose around love and choking it to death.

mean kids thinking

Death Is only the easy way out if you are the one who dies. by Ellen Hopkins

Death Is only the easy way out if you are the one who dies.

A Problem Is really just a solution in need of a reason to exist. by Ellen Hopkins

A Problem Is really just a solution in need of a reason to exist.

problem reason needs

Too much to take in, too much to purge. Why must every memory, once sweet, dead end in such ugliness?

too-much sweet memories

hindsight is gained through experience by Ellen Hopkins

hindsight is gained through experience

Defiance rose up like vomit. I swung back and yelled, "Don't ever... by Ellen Hopkins

Defiance rose up like vomit. I swung back and yelled, "Don't ever do that again!

And how can it be he's so in love with me? To grow up without lov... by Ellen Hopkins

And how can it be he's so in love with me? To grow up without love, and still have so much inside?

growing-up grows stills

The truth is, I don't have a real clue what love is - how to find it, how to give it. Once upon a time I thought I knew.

real love-is giving

Never say never, dear. You might be surprised at what you can do,... by Ellen Hopkins

Never say never, dear. You might be surprised at what you can do, should circumstances dictate

never-say-never should might

Communication Was never big in my house. We sat together over dinner, but the only sound you'd hear was crunching and chewing and the little ones asking for more, please. We lived, all boxed up in invisible containers. We hardly knew the people we called sister or father. Jackie and I were the exceptions to that rule.

communication father people

I felt angry, frustrated. I felt I didn't belong, not in my church, not in my home, not in my skin. Amidst the chaos, i felt alone, in need of a friend instead of a sister, someone detached from my world. The "woman's role" theory disgusted me. I would soon be a woman, and I knew I could never perform as expected. I was tired of my mom's submission to her religion, to her husband's sick quest for an heir, to his abuse. I was sick of my dad, of reaching for him as he fell farther away from us and into the arms of Johnnie WB.

dad husband mom

Learning by example is valid, but when you have the information to know that turning in a certain direction can lead you to a very wrong place, most of the "blame" is on the individual.

blame information example

Too many people believe they can control their drug of choice. But the drug is almost always in control. If an addict truly wants help, it is available, but it is a rocky path. The monster always calls. Never give an addict money. Clothe them. Feed them. But enabling them is the quickest path to watching them fade away completely. This may seem harsh. But I've watched my own child relapse, after six years sober. I love her. Always. But I can't help her die.

believe children years

I carry a strong anti-drug message, and it's important young people especially hear a "real" story about addiction and how it affects not only the addict but also the people who love him/her, rather than "just say no."

strong real people

I have a really good idea of who my readers are and always write with a sensitivity to my audience. I use the F word when necessary, but there are words I won't use, mainly because I don't like them. I don't write about body parts when I write about sex. It's not about the physiological, it's more important for teens to read about the emotional aspects. I do think there are times when self-censorship is important.

emotional writing sex

I think parents should know what their children are reading, and if they truly object, they should tell their kids why, rather than summarily removing a book from their possession.

reading book children

Why are people so afraid of giving their kids necessary information that might prevent an unwanted pregnancy or disease? But they're not worried about the violent nature of video games or movies or books.

pregnancy kids book

Authors have to write for their characters, for who they are, that's the strength of books. Don't worry about censors. Just write the story you need to tell and the rewards will come.

writing character book