My Little Bullet Sucker

7: Do you read? If so, what are your three favorite books and why?

Hell yes I read!

1.

There are so many things to be learned from the life of Christopher McCandless. Some might see his untimely death as a waste of life, and maybe it was. Maybe he paid a very steep price for the happiness he found by living his life the way he wanted to, as opposed to the way Society thought he should. There’s something about his story that strikes a cord with me, and every damn time I see the movie “Into the Wild,” I want to just disappear for a while and center myself. It’s so easy to get caught up in the every day bullshit that it’s easy to lose track of the simple things that make us happy. This story is a reminder to me that real happiness is all around if me if I just open my eyes wide enough.

2.

Such a tragic love story here blended masterfully with a murder/suicide pact. Chris was so obviously head over heels in love with Emily, and yet, she had this whole other person she was keeping hidden inside herself. It just goes to show that no matter how much you love someone, we all have our secrets. It begs the question of how well do we ever really know anyone? What are we capable of when no one is looking? And can love really be enough to save us from our darkest demons? It’s a touching story that I find both heartbreaking and thought provoking.

3.

This should be required reading for all high school students. Being a member of what has been called “Gen Why,” I remember where I was when Columbine happened. I remember watching it on the news. I remember the way schools started to really take bullying a little more seriously, and I remember the kid in my high school who got arrested for having a hit list of his own taped up in his locker. It had been there for months prior to Columbine. I remember the bomb threat that got called into my school because some asshole jocks didn’t want to go to basketball practice that day. I remember seeing my “freak” friends get made fun of for listening to goth rock and dressing differently. Who cares that they were artistic, funny, smart and some of the kindest people I’d ever met. They didn’t conform to the general norm, so it was only right they should be ostracized, ridiculed and publicly shamed for their choices. I think if it were mandatory for high school students to read this book, they might have a better idea of just what goes on in the psyche when a person is exposed to abuse over and over again. Maybe, just maybe, this book could help save lives. Maybe it already has.