A couple years ago, author Gabrielle Moss was feeling “worn down by the world” and found herself impulse buying an entire crate of “Sweet Valley High” books on eBay for $25.
“I started wondering … what was the impact of reading all these books?“ she says. She attempts to answer that question in Paperback Crush, a deep dive into teen lit of the ‘80s and ‘90s. Check out her conversation with NPR’s Ailsa Chang here.
– Petra
The perfect story for “Sweet Valley High” fans -Emily
“I started bodybuilding after my chemotherapy. At first it was just a way to get healthy again. But I discovered I was good at it. I started winning competitions. And I got hooked. My boyfriend didn’t like it. He thought it made me less desirable. But the worse our relationship got, the more I focused on working out. It just felt so great to be recognized for something. I was really, really good at it. And the bodybuilding community is so great. They’re some of the least judgmental people because they’re used to being judged all the time. For the first few years I was really self-conscious about my body. But I’ve gotten to the point where the small comments don’t really bother me anymore: ‘ew,’ gross,’ ‘disgusting’, things like that. I can usually block people out if they can’t type more than a sentence. But occasionally the criticism sinks in. It still hurts when people question my gender. Or my sexuality. And I’ve had some awkward Tinder dates. The last guy said: ‘Holy fuck, you’re bigger than I thought you’d be.’ But despite all this, I’ve gotten comfortable in my own skin. I actually feel more feminine now than I did growing up. I was always skinny. I never had breasts. I didn’t ever feel like a natural woman. But what is natural? Is make-up natural? Or botox? Or fillers? Or breast implants? All of us are flawed. My mask might be different than other people, but we all hide behind something. I just hide behind my muscles.” (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Everybody says Seb isn’t like Bucky… but he IS. He’s Bucky without a mask on. Bucky’s always wearing some sort of mask. Even around Steve. Seb is what Bucky would be like if he’d had the chance to just ~be~.
While cleaning out my room I found a paper that my therapist gave me some time ago to deal with obsessive and intrusive thoughts. Sorry the paper is a little crinkled and stained, but I figured I’d post it in hopes that it will help someone like it helped me.
Here it is again with text for anyone who can’t see the picture
That thought isn’t helpful right now.
Now is not the time to think about it. I can think about it later.
This is irrational. I’m going to let it go.
I won’t argue with an irrational thought.
This is not an emergency. I can slow down and think clearly about what I need.
This feels threatening and urgent, but it really isn’t.
I don’t have to be perfect to be OK.
I don’t have to figure out this question. The best thing to do is just drop it.
It’s OK to make mistakes.
I already know from my past experiences that these fears are irrational.
I have to take risks in order to be free. I’m willing to take this risk.
It’s OK that I just had that thought/image, and it doesn’t mean anything. I don’t have to pay attention to it.
I’m ready to move on now.
I can handle being wrong.
I don’t have to suffer like this. I deserve to feel comfortable.
That’s not my responsibility.
That’s not my problem.
I’ve done the best I can.
It’s good practice to let go of this worry. I want to practice.
