Teen Girl Self-Help

“I get mad a lot at little things that happen. I don’t show that I’m upset, but in my room I cry.  I try to tell my family about it, but either they don’t listen or telling them makes it worse. I don’t know what to do.”

         -Feeling Angry-

Dear Feeling Angry,

Being a teenager is exciting and scary. You’re experiencing lots of new things and may not know how to handle certain situations. Please know that all women have gone through the same process and we are here to help. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Knowledge is power. You can make it through your unique journey. You may feel out of place most of the time, but that feeling will pass over time. Don’t listen to others who will try to put you down and make you doubt yourself! You can do anything that you set your mind to. Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you.

Often times, it becomes you may feel that you parents – or anyone for that matter understands you. Please know that they have gone through similar things and are a wellspring of information and advice. Look for a smart adult, from which you can learn –whether that be you parents, an aunt or uncle, a teacher, or a coach. 

Sincerely,

About To Turn 20

Janis (from Mean Girls) - a social outcast who maintains a sarcastic yet happy outlook on life.

Burn Book (from Mean Girls) - where the popular group wrote horrible things about people they didn't like.

Book Information:

Title: The Feelings Book: The Care and Keeping of Your Emotions (American Girl Library)

Author: Dr. Lynda Madison

Publisher: Pleasant Company Publications 

Copyright: © 2002 by American Girl, LLC.

Summary: This book deals with the emotions of teenage girls. It is better suited for younger girls and helps them to identify and handle different emotions.

Quote: Page 8 – “Emotions are reactions you have to things happening around you, and you use “feeling” words to describe them. Because the events you react to are changing, it’s natural that your emotions would change, too! (That’s why the word “emotion” has “motion” built right into it. You can be soaring to the top of the world one minute and feel stuck in the mud the next. Sometimes you may not even be sure how you feel at all.”

         “Feeling Angry” quote, from the top of this assignment, was taken from the first page also containing publishing and copyright information.

         As a child, my mom gave me the first The Care and Keeping of You (American Girl Library) that dealt with the physical changes that occur during a girl’s early teenage years. This is why I decided to pick this book, which deals with the emotional side of adolescent girls. 

"Murder on the Yellow Brick Road" by Stuart Kaminsky

Los Angeles, 1940 (right). War is looming, the film industry is booming, and people can’t seem to stop killing each other. Private Investigator Toby Peters (left) receives a call – from someone claiming to be Judy Garland – to get down to the M.G.M. Studios movie lot (lower left) as soon as possible. He arrives to find an actor who played a munchkin in The Wizard of Oz lying in the center of the yellow brick road, dressed in full Munchkinland-soldier’s garb, with a knife sticking out of his chest. Who was the Munchkin? Why was he on set in costume after the movie had premiered over a year ago? Why was he murdered? Who murdered him? These questions and more are answered by the sarcastic and observant P.I. Toby Peters in Murder on the Yellow Brick Road.

Stuart Kaminsky’s dark murder mystery novel, centered in 1940 Los Angeles was not what I expected it to be. Murder on the Yellow Brick Road seemed – to me at least – to be marketed to younger adolescents, (see the cover of the book, left), but contained rather mature material for readers of that age. Murder was obviously going to be present in the book, but very strong language, sexual encounters (although not explicit) and sexually deviant content were also included, and actually were essential to the plot of the novel. With these themes, the book seemed to move from an adolescent audience almost to an upper high school or adult audience, but given its subject matter and length, these audiences might pass over it in a bookstore.

One technique I did enjoy, though, was Kaminsky’s ability to weave this fictional account with well known names of the time, including Judy Garland (middle right), Clark Gable (bottom right), and Raymond Chandler (bottom left); this added to the novel’s sense of authenticity. The story was pretty solid, although it seemed to wander at times, and overall it was an “OK” read. (6.5/10)

Murder on the Yellow Brick Road by Stuart Kaminsky. Published in 2000 by ibooks inc. in New York, New York.

"The Vow" by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter

I read the book "The Vow" by Kim and Krickitt Carpenter.

 This story is about two people who fell in love, and got married within the course of a year. Two months after their wedding, while traveling to visit Krickitt's parents for Thanksgiving, they were involved in a terrible car accident.

This accident nearly killed both of them. Kim writes about the struggles he faced shortly after the accident when the emergency room doctor handed him his wife's wedding ring and said "I'm sorry Mr. Carpenter." Not knowing if his wife would make it through the night Kim and Krickitt's family witnesses a miracle that was truly from God. Krickitt began to improve on her vital signs and eventually was released to an inpatient therapy hospital.

Krickitt suffered from a tremendous brain injury that left her with no recollection of the last eighteen months. She had no idea that she was married and did not even recognize her husband. Kim writes about his struggles of trying to help his wife recover even though she has no idea who he is.

 After several therapy sessions Kim's therapist suggests that Kim and Krickitt should "date" each other again. Since it is clear Krickitt cannot remember their past life together, making new memories is what is suggested to keep their marriage together.

The book which has recently become a movie starring Channing Tatum and Rachel McAdams, focuses on the "vow" that Kim and Krickitt made to each other on their wedding day.

Kim's vow to Krickitt at their second ceremony:

"I promise to defend our love and hold it in highest regard. I promise to be forgiving, understanding, and patient. I promise to tend to your every need. I promise to respect and honor you fully. Most of all, I promise that no matter the adversaries we may face, I will never ever lose the vow of commitment to protect you, guide you, and care for you until death do us part...."

Kim and Krickitt now have two children and although her memory has never returned she is able to reflect on the new memories she has made.

Interview of Kim and Krickett

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bELs8Uh86QM


This story is the truest form of love for your spouse and committing to the vow, "for richer or poorer, in sickness and in health..."


Publication info:

B&H Publishing Group
Nashville, Tennessee
2012

I read the Nobel Peace Prize winning book, Night by Elie Wiesel, which was translated by his wife, Marion Wiesel. It was originally written in Yiddish and published by a French company in 1958, but was recently re-published with the new translation in 2006. 

Night is an auto-biographical narration of Elie Wiesel’s horrendous journey through the Holocaust. The story begins when Eliezer is fifteen, living in Sighet. At this point in time, Elie’s main priority is studying the Talmud and finding a master to teach him the Zohar. His father continues to tell him that he is too young to be involved in these things and he should just learn the regular school subjects, but Elie refuses. His father hardly knows him anyways, he is never home. As one of the heads of the community, his father was always being consulted on community matters, leaving very little time for him to spend with the family.

“My father was a cultured man, rather unsentimental. He rarely displayed his feelings, not even within his family, and was more involved with the welfare of others than with that of his own kin.” 

[This picture, taken before the deportation, shows some of the members of Sighet, standing in front of one of the synagogues in their small town.]

This book begins quickly; you have very little time to learn about normal life in Sighet before everyone is put in ghettos, and deported soon after. Because Father is such a privy member of society, he has a good idea of what days certain events are going to take place, and is therefore, able to warn his friends and family in ample time. By page 30, the family is in line at Auschwitz, waiting to be separated into the appropriate camps. 

“ “Hey, kid, how old are you?”
The man interrogating me was an inmate. I could not see his face, but his voice was weary and warm. 

“Fifteen.”

“No, you’re eighteen.”

“But I’m not,” I said, “I’m fifteen.”

“Fool. Listen to what I say.”

Then he asked my father, who answered: “I’m fifty.”

“No,” The man now sounded angry. “Not fifty, you’re forty. Do you hear? Eighteen and forty.” ”

From then on, those were the ages that Elie and his father were; it was the only way they wouldn’t be alone. They had to stay together, which meant they had to lie.

The rest of Night deals with Elie’s journey in many different concentration camps.  No matter where he goes though, his main priority is his father. The man he had once felt so distant from was the only driving force through this period of genocide. He did not concern himself with anything other than finding food and protecting the health of his father, who was much less agile than himself.

“My father had never served in the military and could not march in step. But here, whenever we moved from one place to another, it was in step. That presented Franek with the opportunity to torment him and, on a daily basis, to thrash him savagely. Left, right: he punched him. Left, right: he slapped him.
I decided to give my father lessons in marching in step, in keeping time. We began practicing in front of our block I would command, “Left, right!” and my father would try. The inmates made fun of us...But my father did not make sufficient progress and the blows continued to rain on him.”

[This is actually a picture from Elie’s camp. He is in the second row of bunks, seventh from the left.] 

Elie also deals with his relationship with God throughout this journey. He doesn’t understand why all the Jews continue to praise God, even though He is the one allowing them to be tortured like this. He doesn’t like that they celebrate God’s faithfulness, when he feels as if God is being far from faithful. He begins not to celebrate holidays, or pray, when the other Jews are, just out of spite for God. 

Wiesel does a great job with the imagery of the Holocaust. You are able to learn how some of the inmates really thought throughout this time. They weren’t always optimistic, they weren’t always kind, they weren’t always reliant on God, they dealt with all kinds of things we could have never imagined. It is especially interesting to hear all of this from a fifteen year old boy who is trying to be a man. 

[The children of Buchenwald camp being liberated by American troops.] 

In the original Yiddish writing, Wiesel included a line that said, “Books no longer have the power they once did. Those who kept silent yesterday will remain silent tomorrow.” I am very thankful that Mr. Wiesel did not remain silent and that he had hope that books still have power, because I, among others, believe his book definitely gave power to many people.

The Hunger Games

I read The Hunger Games for my blog review. I found it to be an intriguing book that I enjoyed, although I felt much of my intrigue stemmed from the noteworthy cliffhangers Suzanne Collins wrote at the end of each chapter. The story revolves around a narrative of a dystopian society in which a boy and a girl from one of 12 districts—formerly known as North America—are chosen to compete in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games is a competition which produces one survivor who has fought and killed off as many of the other “Tributes” from the opposing districts in order to survive until the end.

Katniss Everdeen has taken the spot of her sister Prim, landing her as District 12’s girl Tribute. Her story is complicated and disenfranchised as she must fight against other Tributes who she has no will to harm, including Peeta Mellark, the other Tribute from District 12 who she has a personal history with and who claims to be in love with her.

As the story progresses, Katniss’s struggle is not only for survival, but also for the right to freedom and life for all of humanity. What is encountered in the Hunger Games is the effect of a society that is so focused on entertainment and “surreality” that it has lost touch with what it means to be a living being. Katniss’s plight, though to extremes, shows the brutality man will put his peers through if society allows itself to be driven by hyper-sensationalism and extreme needs for drama and other realities. 

Dear Katniss,

            I watched you on television last night. Ever since your sister was chosen to represent District 12 I’ve been following your story—as you were the one to claim her spot, taking her place. You did more than just stand up for your sister that day. You represented the voices of our nation that fail to be heard over the Capitol’s.

When watching you in the Hunger Games, I see the lack of affection you have for Peeta Mellark. I know there’s a place for him in your heart, that he means something to you, but I don’t think it is a place of romantic love. When you sheltered him, I saw apprehension and a need to prove to others what your intentions are, perhaps to win outsiders’ votes. Deep down, I know your only wish was to make it out alive, or for Peeta to make it out alive—a win for District 12 meant the world for your people, as it had been a long time since good fortune came your way. But watching you and Peeta both win The Games last night was unheard of. I suppose the Capitol would have received too much hostility and admonishment from the nation if they broke apart a pair of “lovers.” Something tells me you know that’s why they kept you both alive, allowing a double win for District 12.

Be careful, Katniss. The Capitol may seem to be allowing you a dual victory now, but I know its kindness can’t last for long. It’s only a matter of time until somehow they use your personal matters to hike up the ratings for the next Games. I only hope you’re in good health now and in a better place than the technological world of the Hunger Games. 


Sincerely, 
An observer