Truth in Fiction II None of the Above by I.W. Gregorio

She'd said that one of the reasons I was so depressed was that I'd been bottling up my emotions. " You might find it helpful if you shifted from inward repression of your feelings to outward expression," she explained. p.237

"I'm just telling you to be careful of letting other people define who - and what - you are." They were words to live by. Yet like so many things in life, easier said than done. p.238



It seemed like a small offering, when I thought about the big picture perspective that Darren had talked about that day we'd run up to the top of the hill. But then I thought of a different perspective - that of a ten-year-old-girl sitting in a doctor's office, waiting for her mother to get called in. And I remembered how from that point of view, the right magazine or a good book was as large as the world.

We were both silent for a minute. And I wondered for the first time whether "feeling feminine" just meant feeling good in your own skin. p. 250

You can tell something is a true comfort food when you feel better just having ordered it. p. 276



One day I would find my own place. I couldn't run there, though, because it didn't exist yet; I had to build it myself, out of forgiveness, truth, and terrifying gestures of friendship. 305

Truth in Fiction? None of the Above by I.W.Gregorio

Hello All,
Generally my truth in fiction posts highlight all of the wonderful quotes I find in the books I read. Today's posts is a bit different. Today's post will highlight some commonly held "truths" that when repeated to others, particularly young people can cause harm. As many of us know, words can and do hurt.

I am so glad I read this book. I am even more glad that I will be able to hear the author, along with other favorites, at the Public Library Association's We Need Diverse Books Author Luncheon this Spring.

"Pain is weakness leaving the body." page 3
Pain is pain and should not be ignored. The roots of both physical and emotional pain need to be addressed.

"...as Aunt Carla always said, low expectations were the key to a happy life." page 14 emphasis mine
If a person spends their life setting their expectations as to not be disappointed, they may never know the exhilaration of true happiness, the feeling of success after much hard work, or the lessons learned from not reaching a goal.

"It's like you were the keeper of the only diamond in the world, and when you gave it to someone, it disintegrated. You can never get it back...And after that, you can never look at the world in the same way again." page 21

I agree that physical intimacy is sacred, precious and valuable. I believe that we can teach young people to respect and honor their bodies, to make informed decisions about sexual activity, that physical intimacy changes relationships... without making them feel like they have made the worst of all possible mistakes if they have sex under less than ideal circumstances. 

The idea that a young woman choosing to have sex while in high school, before marriage, or at any other time that certain members of society deem too early or inappropriate will alter the way she looks at the world for the rest of her life is just a bit much.

Truth in Fiction Happy by Pharrell Williams

HAPPY!

I love, love, love this book. Anyone who knows me knows that I love the song, so when the book was published I had to get it in my hot little hands, and I am so glad I did. The photographs in this book are amazing. They feature bright, colorful, joyful young people diverse in age, size, and ethnicity. Because I had fun reading this book, I am an official Happy Helper! My duty as a Happy Helper is to pass this book along and spread happiness.

The book itself is simply the lyrics to the song, BUT with the wonderful photographs I mentioned above. At the end of the book, Pharrell writes a letter to readers. In that letter, Pharrell writes several statements that I consider to be truthful. 

Everyone knows how to do something that makes people happy.

I believe it's everyone's responsibility to bring more laughter into the world.

It's pretty obvious every human being on the planet needs to feel happy.