I have just finished reading a very intriguing book called “Prom” by the author Laurie Halse Anderson. I really enjoyed this book because it always keeps you reading and it never has any dull moments. It really appeals to a lot of teens my age and can really motivate them to start reading. There isn’t that many books are about average teenage kids just like me. It’s a rare occasion but when this author writes it, it becomes special. Considering this book is based on the present and can relate to a lot of teen’s lives, I decided to write my letter on this book.
In the beginning of this book it expresses how a lot of people in the school are, as they say, “messed up,” and things don’t go too well in the school they’re in. The main character, Ashley, doesn’t really seem to care about what is happening in her low-budget, gang filled school because she herself has experienced many of the problems discussed but she still turns things around into a good outcome. When I actually think about it, I am a lot like her. She understands the difficulties and wants to turn some them into good moments but doesn’t know whether to get involved.
“It used to be a lot worse. Kids were stabbed here, a teacher was raped, and the janitors used to smoke pot under the stage in the auditorium. Then all the changes came, including new security guards. They could be rude; they’d pat down the hot girls when they didn’t need to, but people stopped bringing knives. The new custodian (don’t call them janitors) walked around in uniforms with logos of the companies that sold us cleaning. They never got high during school hours and they kept the toilets flushing.” (PG. 7)
That particular passage shows how Ashley’s life has been difficult and how she had to go through a lot herself to adjust to that. First of all they do are in a whole bunch of commotion and then the money for her one and only, once in a life time opportunity high school prom gets stolen! Although it isn’t even Ashley’s...