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I'm 15 and live in Round Rock. This summer I read Reviving Ophelia, by Mary
Pipher. I sat up in bed for hours, reading and weeping with grief for my friends
and myself. I hardly was able to put it down.
I definitely felt a drastic change within myself after I hit adolescence, but I had
never before been able to verbalize what I was experiencing or even understand
it. I remember my younger years of childhood fondly. I was confident and full of
energy, open to new ideas, up for anything, and interested in everything. Adults
who had only just met me would comment that I was a star waiting to happen.
My parents were proud of me. Their only concern was that I was perhaps a
little too fearless for my own good. If this sounds familiar it is probably because
most girls are confident and enthusiastic as children, and like myself, most girls
notice a huge decrease in their self-esteem once they start middle school.
In Reviving Ophelia so many girls had been abused or were using drugs or were
sexually active, and I found it strange to find myself relating so well to their
feelings while I seemed so different from them. I have come to realize that this
is not a problem only within myself, but a universal problem that affects all
teenage girls. Reading this book has opened my eyes in so many ways. It has
inspired me to hold on tight to my true self, to fight for my spirit, which has been
buried underneath all of my self-doubt and the demands of others around me. I
am so grateful that this was written, and I truly believe that it can help girls to
stay strong and true to themselves.
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