Red: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today: Teenage Girls in America Wri

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In Red , fifty-eight girls? Francine Prose essays about everything from politics to pop culture; from post-Katrina New Orleans to Johnny Depp; from the loneliness of losing a best friend to the loathing or pride they feel about their bodies. The authors of Red are brave and honest documentarians of their own lives. These girls are the best shades of red not pink: These collected essays, at last, offer a key to understanding the inscrutable teenage girl-one of the most mislabeled and underestimated members of society, argues editor and writer Amy Goldwasser, whose work has appeared in Seventeen , Vogue , The New York Times , and The New Yorker.

And while psychologists and other experts have tried to explain the teen girl in recent years, no book since Ophelia Speaks has given her the opportunity to speak for herself-until now. In this eye-opening collection, nearly sixty teenage girls from across the country speak out, writing about everything from post-Katrina New Orleans to Johnny Depp; from learning to rock climb to starting a rock band; from the loneliness of losing a best friend to the loathing or pride they feel about their bodies.

Ranging in age from 13 to 19, and hailing from Park Avenue to rural Nevada, Georgia to Hawaii, the girls in RED-whose essays were selected from more than contributions-represent a diverse spectrum of socioeconomic, political, racial, and religious backgrounds, creating a rich portrait of life as a teen girl in America today. I can't say enough good things about about RED. Let's listen to what girls have to say about their lives.

And let's start with this book. Nov 18, Jennifer rated it it was amazing. Most are about their bodies and some others are about their appearance. While reading the book, I realize their tone in writing. All they need is the support they can receive. Amy Hunt is a curious individual and speaks about her life and what she goes through in a depressed and miserable tone. She realizes the mistakes she has made and continues to make along the way but has not found a way to make herself feel safe and secure and accomplished. Amy hangs out with a crowd that is the opposite of her, the crowd she is with can be considered as plastics, and with them she is popular yet miserable.

She can't keep up with the other so blames her mom for not having a steady check. Amy speaks about how her mom is a temporary assistant and how she can go weeks without work at times. She says this is a pitiful way although you can tell she cares about her mother more than anything else. Another is how she speaks to herself in her mind she makes it seem as if she is slowly losing her mind. Each inside thought is more dramatic and sounds as its bringing her closer to insanity due to mis believe. Allison is on a completely different story.

She is still depressed and miserable but she is confident on speaking up. She tries and although she doesn't succeed she doesn't give up. Allison is really skinny and her family is concerned always saying she needs meat on her body.

Her friends think she is perfect and wish they had bodies like her. Allison is tired and depressed that no matter who she is surrounded with no matter whom it is they still manage to make decisions on her that she can't change. All she wants is to be happy she wants to feel that she is going to make the right choice. The problem she faces though is that no one listens. She is concerned about her weight but doesn't solve it. Not many go through this situation and it is a curious one to see how the individual deals with it. After all everyone having a say in your life except you is hard.

She is criticized and hurt but still strong enough to continue her battle against the words being thrown at her from family and friends. Allison has a powerful and summoning tone that can bring a bit of hope into anyone. While reading this essay, I felt like my hair was completely than hers. Her hair is curly and puffy, while mine are straight and wavy. Overall, her tone in this writing was not in angry tone. She was perfectly fine while writing this, and it sounded like she was just explaining how her hair is and how she feels it makes her feel different in a way.

In conclusion, these girls made me feel somewhat insecure in the beginning, because I know that in this world, I always doubt what other people have to say about me. These girls make me feel like no other, they actually made me think that we girls can be beautiful no matter what we have. Overall, I rate this book a five out of five stars, because first, it touched me and it made me feel like I was living it. Second, because it was well written and it was very descriptive. Mar 06, Bianca rated it it was amazing Shelves: This book is a collection of personal essays written by teenage girls from all over the country.

Teen Locked in Autistic Body Finds Inner Voice

There are essays about the body to relationships to identities, and the majority of them are touching. It fascinated me as I read all these truthful stories about what had happened to these girls, from ages Some of them were very sad and I was shocked to read them, but some were light-hearted and made me smile. Some of the essays were pages and pages long, to where they just went on and on in This book is a collection of personal essays written by teenage girls from all over the country.

Some of the essays were pages and pages long, to where they just went on and on in my opinion, and some were only a page long, to where I didn't get the significance. But I know that no matter how long or how short they are, there is something hidden deep within it, and that it means a lot to someone. I am going to point out a specific essay that really stuck with me, called TLC: Three Days by Annie L.

This one actually made me cry, it was so sincere. I no longer have the book with me, but I remember that this girl made such a terrible mistake, that her parents no longer wanted custody of her. It was a very touching story, but shocked me that something like this would happen. There are other essays that shocked me. The places and homes that these girls come from and write about , the things they go through, the parents they live with, really made me realize how brave these girls are to write about it and share it with the public.

They opened my eyes to the real world. I discovered this book in English class, when our project was to do our own personal essay like in this book. We wrote about something that we cared stongly about, and so I was able to experience what it's like to write like this. I then followed in reading this book it took me so long to read, since I was reading 4 books at once. Now don't let the word 'essay' make you think differently of this book -- it's not boring, but instead its filled with many personal essays written by passionate writers, about "what fires up their lives".

They are all talented, and I could practically feel their emotions and picture what was happening.

Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their LivesToday

This book is definately worth your money, and I plan on buying it soon as well. Teen girls and their mothers. I'd figured I'd put this back into my bookswap when I finished it, but nothing doing. This one is a keeper. There are 58 essays about everything under the sun--twinhood, body image, family relationships, Johnny Depp, spelling bees, first crushes, religion and world poverty. The only uniting theme is true essays by girls between the ages of 13 and Some of the essays are funny. Some of them are heartbreaking. Some are thought-provoking or uncomfortably revealing.

Some I didn A great collection. Some I didn't enjoy at all. Some of the girls I couldn't relate to at all. But every essay is a piece of another girl's soul, and that is fascinating, comforting, frightening. I rolled my eyes when I read the glowing introduction by the compiler, Amy Goldwasser, the first time. When I read it again after my perspective had changed, and I understand her passion for this daunting project. Sure, it isn't as big and world-changing as maybe she thinks it is, but aren't we all that way with our darlings sometimes? If you are or ever have been a teenage girl, one of these essays will speak to you and make you feel less alone, less alien, in this world.

For me, the healthy, broccoli-salad benefit of this book was in the essays of girls worlds different from me, but the soul-comfort ice-cream-and-apple-pie was when I found me in a stranger. Jul 20, Erika rated it liked it. The one good thing I can say about waiting an hour to see my allergist is that I got to finish this book! Having recently become addicted to teenage feminist writings and blogs, I thought this book would pump me up and make me feel great about being a teenage girl. I loved how each entry gave me a new idea of what it's like to be a teenage girl in a different part of America.

While girls can relate about hormones and body image and finding friends, there are so many more issues we face that are The one good thing I can say about waiting an hour to see my allergist is that I got to finish this book! While girls can relate about hormones and body image and finding friends, there are so many more issues we face that are unique to each individual.

Red Teenage Girls in America Write on What Fires Up Their Lives Today

Being able to catch a glimpse of new places and people was really fascinating. While I enjoyed many of the entries in this book, I am only rating it three stars because far more stories than I expected were poorly written and lacking the emotion and voice that the cover advertised. If these girls are the next generation of American writers, I'm hoping they've taken some writing classes since this book was published. The second half was easier to get through than the first, and I took some inspiration from several entries for my own fiction.

It wasn't until I got to the author bio at the very end that I noticed the editor is from a city right next to mine. Apr 01, Celina rated it it was amazing.

I chose this book because I like books that have multiple stories in them that were all written by different authors and the awesomeness factor was raised by when I realized that every story was a true story written by an average teenage girl. The book as a whole was a collection of stories on all different topics, such as love, family, school, and more.

My favorite quote was in a story about a girl who's best friend attempted to commit suicide, but it obviously didn't work. I turned my head and pretended not to notice her doing the same thing. These are the daily lies that she and I have lived. And the biggest lie of all is that I am here. What kind of a friend am I? I found each author's writing style very unique and very brave for being able to publish stories about self-harming experiences, attempted suicides, and weight problems without being afraid of being harshly judged by anyone who reads their stories.

I highly suggest you read this book because it is such a refreshingly unique book that nobody would read if someone hadn't suggested it. May 16, erinbobarin94 rated it liked it. At first I started out really not liking this book. It seemed like the wrong choice to me to start the book out with the collection of essays on body image and beauty, and I started seeing this book as kind of superficial. There isn't really a whole lot of depth to girls discussing what they hate about their hair and what they like about their curves.

Then, as the book progressed the stories got better, but there were still a few weird ones in which the author never really lets on what she's tal At first I started out really not liking this book. Then, as the book progressed the stories got better, but there were still a few weird ones in which the author never really lets on what she's talking about completely.

While most of the essays I'd say were so-so, there were a few really good pieces mixed in there. This was a good book to read in the context of a Women's Studies class, as it opened us up to discussions over a vast spectrum of issues, but it never seemed as hard-hitting and emotional as, say, Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul. This is another book that I really love for several reasons.

The book is composed of dozens of short stories written by teenage girls of various ages. It contains stories about all different types of "girl problems" and things that every girl experiences. For this reason, this book is great because you can read stories from girls across the nation that have gone through something you have as well. I could never do it. How can you give up your kid?

You just keep persevering, you know," an emotional father explained. Most frustrating was Carly's inability to speak. Her therapists desperately needed to find some way for Carly to communicate her thoughts. Thousands of hours over months and years passed, and Carly's progress was excruciatingly slow.

Therapists introduced picture symbols that would allow her to communicate her needs. For example, if Carly wanted chips, she would point to the picture of chips.

See a Problem?

But then one day, three years ago, when Carly was 11, she was working with two of her therapists when she started to feel sick. Unable to communicate what she needed, she ran to a computer and began to type for the first time. Her therapists were shocked: They had never specifically taught her those words, and they wondered where she had learned them.

Carly's typing showed them that there was a lot more going on inside her head than they had thought. For the first time she was able to communicate independently. After nine years of intensive therapy, and not much to show for it, Carly was finally emerging out of her silent, secret world.

When first told of Carly's breakthrough, the family didn't believe it.

RED the Book: the Tour

They had every right to be skeptical. Carly refused to repeat the exercise for her parents and her other therapists. Because nobody apart from two people had ever seen it, the skeptics were desperate to see proof. Going forward, the plan was to use tough love to get Carly to type. If she wanted something, she had to type for it. Several months later, Carly started to type, and what came through her finger, typing one letter at a time, with fluency that no one could believe, was simply remarkable.

Intensive Therapy Attempts to Find Way for Carly to Communicate

Take time to know me, before you judge me. I am cute, funny and like to have fun. Through her torrent of words, Carly began to unravel some of the mysteries behind her often wild behavior , like banging her head. It's just like when you shake a can of coke. If I could stop it I would but it is not like turning a switch off, it does not work that way. I know what is right and wrong but it's like I have a fight with my brain over it.

Carly started to realize that by communicating she had power over her environment, and she wasn't shy about expressing her desires and frustrations. I want to be able to read a book by myself without having to tell myself to sit still. I want something that will put out the fire. For the first time, Carly was able to have conversations with her parents, even instant-messaging her father at his office.

Her family stopped looking at her as a disabled person and instead met the funny, sassy, intelligent girl that had been trapped inside. They also said they were "horrified" that for most of her life they spoke in front of her as if she wasn't there. For all her progress communicating, Carly still needs constant supervision. A family member or aide is always at her side, directing her through simple daily tasks like brushing her teeth, fixing her hair, even eating. But like most teens, Carly likes music, boys, clothing and of course going to the mall.

Carly has been very clear that she sees herself as a normal child locked in a body that she has little to no control over.

So in public, everything has to be broken down and planned to control her impulses. In the past she has wandered off, even stolen goods. Side by side with her twin sister, Taryn, it would be easy to dismiss Carly as intellectually challenged. That is, until you ask her a question.

For instance, Why do autistic kids cover their ears, flap their hands, hum and rock? We create output to block out input. Carly's brain, unlike most of ours, is overwhelmed by the senses of sight, sound, taste, smell and touch. She calls it audio filtering.

We take in many sounds and conversations at once.

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