"The Mask You Live In" Discussion

When I was in mid-elementary school, the Wii first came out. Christmas was coming soon, and my older and younger brothers begged for one. They were extremely excited to receive this video game, and so was I. 

      When my brothers received the Wii for Christmas, they started playing immediately. I remember asking to have a turn and being ignored or being told "You wouldn't like games like this." Unlike my older sister, who was very girly and had never attempted to play a video game in her life, I wanted to give it a try. I told my mom that I was upset about it, but she told me I should be relieved that I was not wasting my time.  

I didn't understand. Why would it be a waste of my time but not a waste my brothers' time? 

In The Mask You Live In, it talks about the amount of time young adult males will waste playing video games. However, this is not something girls are known to waste their time doing. I think that this is because girls were told that they shouldn't play video games from such a young age, but this is not the standard for boys. Even though I am glad that I spend my time doing other things, I think it is unfair that I never had the opportunity to have video games as an outlet like my brothers did. 

The Perks of Being A Wallflower

The Perks of Being A Wallflower, written by Stephen Chbosky, is a coming of age novel narrated by Charlie, a freshman in high school. The book isn't set up like a traditional novel, though. It is a series of letters Charlie writes throughout his freshman year to an anonymous stranger. His letters begin with him being an outcast, always alone and dealing with severe depression. However, he befriends two quirky seniors who change his perspective on life.

I hate to admit it, but I actually saw the movie before I read the book. I really enjoyed it, so I bought the book, and it was a completely different experience. Since the book is a collection of Charlie's letters, it differed so much from the movie and I enjoyed it much more. I read this book in the beginning of my sophomore year, and I think it was perfect timing. At the time, I was going through a lot emotionally, and the lessons that I learned really changed my perspective. I felt like I could relate to many of the characters, and I found their success quite uplifting. I loved how many of the characters Charlie befriended did what made them happy instead of trying to fit in. I really would recommend this book to anyone, especially in their teens