What would I do for a Klondike bar? Do you really want to know what I’d do for a Klondike bar? I don’t think you really want to know. Does anyone want to know? Like, truly, who would want to know? Well, since you’ve persisted, I’ll let you know my little secret about Klondike … Continue reading What would you do for a Klondike Bar? →

For this blog post I am going to dive into a topic that I feel is very important, but not discussed often. The pressure that society and social media puts on adolescent girls and how that impacts their lives. Most people have smart phones, tablets, and other devices to explore the world of social media. … Continue reading Social Media Pressure on Adolescent Girls →

Throughout our semester together, we have looked at the stories of many adolescents and how they each find their sense of belonging and/or their identity. In If I Ever Get Out of Here, we saw Lewis find his sense of belonging with the Haddonfield family through their shared music interest. In The Miseducation of Cameron … Continue reading Fandom Spaces in Adolescence →

Even though I consider myself an adult, I still reflect on my adolescence and feel as though I’m still emotionally in the same position I was during that age.  Hence, sometimes the novels I read about are on young adults, who are navigating life’s many obstacles.  Additionally, as a woman I enjoy reading novels that … Continue reading Gender and Cultural Expectations in Youth Literature →

In a course that has tackled themes as heavy as poverty, abuse, sexuality, and racism, to inquire about something as trivial as sleep might seem blatantly irrelevant. Yet, as counterintuitive as it may appear, I think this is an invaluable topic to investigate given our subject matter. After all, sleep takes up about one-third of … Continue reading Sleep Deprivation: the Hidden Monster of Adolescence →

We began discussing the subject of social media in class and how it has become a large part of the adolescent culture. One of the most prevalent social media apps right now is TikTok. We talked about in class whether these social media apps are inherently “good” or “bad”, but I would like to delve … Continue reading Social Media in the Time of Adolescence →

In our very first class we talked about the definition of adolescence and did a discussion board about it. Many people, in varying phrasing, defined it as a period of extreme changes and development in many areas of one’s identity. This idea was reinforced in many of the novels we read; adolescence was marked by … Continue reading How Do You Know If You Have Left Adolescence? Asking for a Friend →

Samantha Wittenberg Earlier in the semester I had the the wonderful opportunity to attend two different CAAPP Black Study Intensive events. These events were able to highlight, promote, and share the poetry work of African American writers. Furthermore, the events focused on collective protest and rebellion while exploring different art mediums such as poetry, writing, … Continue reading Extra Credit: CAAPP Black Study Intensive →

Escape, a word with many meanings, but always a meaning of an alternative reality. Throughout Dread Nation, Jane McKeene uses reading as her escape. Now reading for her is a privilege as many negroes in her time period were not given lessons on learning to read or write. Jane is a one of a kind at … Continue reading Escape From Reality →

By: Rachel Bunado *This is a continuation of the diary entries from blog post 2* This week in class we talked about social media and its relation to adolescence. Personally, I did not even have social media until high school. I was lucky enough to go through my “awkward phase,” which was around middle school, … Continue reading TikTok is going to be the bane of my existence →