More on Meeting Laurie Halse Anderson and a Signed Wintergirls Giveaway!
So after Wednesday’s reading and signing with Jodi Picoult (you are entered in my giveaway for seven signed books aren’t you?), The King’s English Bookshop, my local independent bookstore turned right around and hosted Laurie Halse Anderson who was on book tour for her new young adult novel Wintergirls. The evening was simply amazing and I came right home and recorded my full impressions about the evening in my open letter to Laurie.
The night was off to a great start and as I was able to introduce myself to Laurie before things got started. And then I turn around and there’s Sara Zarr, author of Sweethearts and Story of a Girl, chatting in the corner! So while talking to her who comes up? Why, it’s James Dashner, author of The 13th Reality series! And as if that’s not enough, Jenn (marketing manager at Kings English) waves across the room and calls out “Emily!” Emily as in Emily Wing Smith, author of The Way He Lived, whom we’ve been emailing about an interview together. Why, oh why, didn’t I take my photo with Emily? She turns right around and introduces me to Anne Bowen. And I swear there were a ton of other authors there that I didn’t know who they were.
First, a special message from Laurie just for the readers of Maw Books!
There’s nothing like an amazing author coming to town to get all the Utah writers together in one room. And it was so much fun to be in that room and for once felt comfortable there. I carpooled up with my friend Cari of Book Scoops and while there we discovered that the gals over at My Favorite Author are based in Salt Lake too. That was fun!
I can’t believe how fun the night was and Laurie was kind enough to speak to her fans, local authors and bloggers. I recorded as much of the conversation as I could. Laurie has some wonderful things to say. She speaks about body image, eating disorders, writing Wintergirls and Speak, writing, literacy, on changing the canon of literature taught in schools, and teen book bloggers. Enjoy!
Would you like to win a copy of Wintergirls? Not just any copy, but a signed copy?!
Thank you to The King’s English Bookshop for sponsoring this amazing giveaway!
The Kings English Bookshop has been Salt Lake’s literary resource for independent minds since 1977. We have the most comprehensive children’s book selection in the state of Utah as well as mysteries, new fiction, poetry, literary nonfiction, nature, and western writers. Located in a beautiful residential neighborhood of Salt Lake City, the store provides services to people anywhere in the world. If you are in town, drop by; there are chairs scattered throughout eight book-packed rooms.
There are tons of ways to enter. One entry will get you in, the rest is up to you.
- To enter: Leave a comment on this post with your thoughts about body image and eating disorders or responding in some way to the video.
- One additional entry for each of the following:
- Leave a comment on my open letter to Laurie Halse Anderson, my Wintergirls, Speak and Chains book review and The Ides of March Madness post telling me which book you think will win the charity book reading tournament.
- For TWO additional entries:
- Blog about this giveaway in a post (not sidebar).
- Subscribe to my blog’s feed to receive updates either through your favorite RSS reader or by email.
- Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the giveaway.
- For FIVE additional entries each:
- Visit the King’s English website or blog and come back and tell me one discovery. A new book to check out, a favorite title from a bookseller, a favorite author who calls Utah home, upcoming events that you think I should cover, who founded The King’s English, your favorite author who’s paid the Kings English a visit, etc. You get the idea. Go and discover!
- For TEN additional entries:
- Visit the IndieBound website and tell me why we should shop local. Also consider showing your support of Indie Bookstores by becoming an affiliate.
Contest will close at midnight on Friday, April 10th, the same as the Jodi Picuolt giveaway. Open internationally. Thank you again to The King’s English Bookshop for hosting Laurie Halse Anderson and for sponsoring this giveaway!
Hey you! Yes. You! I've noticed that you've stopped by to visit a few times! But I don't know who you are. Why don't you take a moment and introduce yourself. Don't be scared. I try not to bite. I know you're a lurker but I'd love to hear your thoughts about what's been bringing you here. And if you haven't done so already, don't forget to never miss a post by subscribing to my feed or receiving updates by email. Thanks for visiting!
Category: Giveaways
Tags: book signings, eating disorders, giveaway, Kings English Bookshop, videos
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My children are grown and I am happy about that. It is tough to have the pressure that our young people put on each other these days. I think that is when young people turn to eating for comfort or not eating. It is much harder now and parents have such a hard time taking care of our children. Please include me in your giveaway.
on March 29th, 2009 at 7:17 amThanks
Debbie
debdesk9@verizon.net
What a fabulous evening! After watching these videos, I can see why Laurie can write books that teens relate to. Please enter me – if I win, I promise to give my un-autographed copy to someone else.
on March 29th, 2009 at 7:35 am1. Body image: I’ve read Deadly Persuasion, which isn’t quite image but more how advertisers treat women, but it had an impact on how I look at myself, and what I expose my daughters to. We do, especially in America, put too much emphasis on being thin (and young), and not on being healthy. A book (that’s coming out in May) that does some to combat that is Girl Force by Nikki Goldstein. Both my older daughters responded well to that one.
2. Shannon Hale. Shannon Hale and Shannon Hale. (Oh, how I wished I could have been at her Austenland release party at The Kings English…)
I LOVED the King’s English when we stopped by last time we were in Utah. So charming, so quaint, and the people were so friendly. I wish we lived there so we could visit more often. (Rather than popping in once every two or three years when we just happen to be passing through…)
3. Buy local because that’s how we’re going to keep this economy going. By putting the money in the hands of small, local businesses (rather than the pockets of big, anonymous corporations), we are actually doing more to support our communities than we think. Even if it means driving across town (or further) to get there, and paying more for books. That, and the people are always more helpful than they are at chain stores. (Yay, my local indie store is an affiliate!)
Can you tell I want this book?
on March 29th, 2009 at 11:31 amI’ve struggled with my body image just like every other girl I know. I’ve always been bigger and thought I was nothing because of it. I didn’t really come to love my body until about 3 years ago. I finally realized that my weight didn’t have anything to do with who I am as a person. I also realized that I was the only one who had a problem with it. My family and friends loved me and saw past my outward appearance. I finally understood that saying “the people who don’t care matter and the people who care don’t matter.”
I’m an email subscriber.
I follow you on Twitter.
on March 29th, 2009 at 1:01 pmWent to IndiBound and did not know that more of your money stayed in the local community or that Independent bookstores had a smaller carbon footprint. This is do important to me since I work at a University developing bioenergy products and fuels.
on March 29th, 2009 at 3:56 pmI think that it is so important for our children to be taught about positive body images. It is too easy to throw around words like fat and then wonder why they have weight issues. I’ve got this book on my TBR list…great giveaway!
on March 29th, 2009 at 6:30 pmEating disorders, especially amongst teens and young adults, are a fast and growing problem in today’s society. Being a high schooler myself, there are some teens who are battling with anorexia in my area. The causes of these problems arise from trying to fit the supermodel image. Teens see people like Paris Hilton, Lindsay Lohan, Hilary Duff, Miley Cyrus, and many other women around their age on magazine covers and strive to look as “hot” as they do. What they don’t know is that these celebrities are airbrushed like hell. They hear reports of Nicole Richie or Paris Hilton purging after meals, and consider it a good and cool way to become thinner. Again, what these young women don’t realize is that they are seriously harming their body and way of thinking. Eating disorders don’t seem like such a huge thing, but they really are, and adults and friends provide help, there are going to be some strong repercussions.
I follow you on Twitter (under the name “clemxens”), am a subscriber to your blog.
I also visited The King’s English Bookshop, and found a relatively new book called, “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society” that I am REALLY interested in reading now.
Thanks for this amazing contest, Natasha!
on March 29th, 2009 at 6:53 pmWhat a great contest! I would be ecstatic to win this one! It’s a book that seems like it would be very close to me due to my profession. We have an eating disorders unit at the psychiatric hospital that I work at and it’s so sad. These girls are all so beautiful, yet they struggle with these issues. The other day I had a girl come in who was 5′4″ and 60 pounds. So sad. I certainly think that society plays a huge role in the formation of eating disorders, specifically caucasian society. I’ve rarely seen people of other ethnicities come in. Other cultures seem to celebrate the female figure so much more than our own. I’m all about each woman embracing their body shape. Interestingly, it’s been shown that for many, eating disorders are not so much about body image but about control issues. For a lot of women that lose control of parts of their life, their weight and what they intake is the one thing in life that they can control. I could go on about this topic forever, but I’ll stop now :p
As far as indie bookstores go, we all need to support them! Especially during these rough economic times. Those guys get hurt pretty bad. One of my favorite bookstores here in New Orleans just closed due to a lack of customers. So sad. Indie bookstores have so much more warmth and character than the big chains. I’m all about doing anything I can to support them!
on March 29th, 2009 at 9:50 pmI think that eating disorders are important to address, especially in this day and age when a significant segment of the population is obese. There is so much focus on weight loss and eating healthy (which is great) but I think that girls, and teens especially, internalize these messages even if they are not fat. My boys are little skinny guys but after watching a little bit of The Biggest Loser they started talking about how they needed to lose weight. I keep telling them that they need to eat healthy and gain weight while getting strong with exercises. If my boys are dealing with this I can’t imagine what it would be like to have girls.
I didn’t have an eating disorder, but I was pretty thin in high school and I remember being thrilled at my weight loss when I had reconstructive jaw surgery (my jaw was wired shut). I ended up weighing 85 pounds and thought it was awesome. I did gain the weight back, but it is only as an adult that I look back and see how unhealthy and dangerous my attitude was.
It’s only in the past few years that my focus has shifted away from weight loss (trying to lose the baby weight) to becoming physically strong and healthy.
I think part of my attitude change came when an acquaintance from high school died, leaving her two young children motherless, because she took too many diet pills and had a heart attack. After that being healthy and strong for my boys become much more important than losing that last pesky five pounds of baby weight.
I follow you on twitter and subscribe to your blog via rss.
on March 29th, 2009 at 11:12 pmI visited the Indiebound website and found many reasons why we should shop locally, including keeping more of our money in the community, creating higher-paying jobs for members of the community and saving on packing material.
There are no indie bookstores in my town (it’s pretty small) but there is one in the town where my husband works. I haven’t visited it, but hopefully sometime soon I will get the chance.
on March 29th, 2009 at 11:16 pmI forgot to say that I tweeted the contest (AtHomeWithBooks).
on March 29th, 2009 at 11:19 pmI have a few issues with body image over the years especially after having my children where my weight would go up to about 150lbs on a 5′4 frame. My bone structure has always been small. I have learned over the years its not healthy to starve yourself in order to lose weight but a good diet and exercise is the key to maintain healthy weight. As far as foods that are not healthy I eat them in moderation.
on March 30th, 2009 at 4:57 amOh how neat! Wish I was there!
I wonder if there is even a name for the eating disorder I had as a teenager! I’ve always been skinny (and still am) but once I started growing up I couldn’t help thinking that I may get bigger as all of the women on both sides of the family aren’t exactly skinny (and I’ve always had a sweet tooth). So I began to skip meals and only eat about twice a day or once with snacks. Not conciously really and I could have looked exactly the way I wanted to stay if I had excercised but I guess it was just laziness.
Off to leave more comments on all the posts I’ve missed while Google Reader decided that it wouldn’t update you for me.
I’m re-subscribed via Google Reader and I follow too.
Cool! According to King’s English, Shannon Hale and Heather Armstrong are two of your local authors. How neat! Are you going to take your kids to the Eric Carle storytime?
on March 30th, 2009 at 5:56 amWow, there are some amazing author events near you, I’m so jealous!
I read this book Saturday in one sitting and it just was amazing. I always have had body image issues and am sure that most women do. It’s upsetting to read this story because it speaks so true to life as a teenager. There is so much pressure to be skinny instead of healthy and unfortunately, it leads to girls like Lia.
on March 30th, 2009 at 7:42 amBody image: I never thought I had problems – as a kid, I ate with no consequences (stick thin). But, I think that just about every person has some kind of body image problem – maybe not weight, but hair, face, or some other part of the body/image. I wish we didn’t hold up certain people as the ideal, because who would want to live in a world where everyone looked the same?
Also, I subscribe
Oh, and my favorite local author: gotta be Shannon Hale (though I am a Brandon Mull and Mette Harrison fan too).
on March 30th, 2009 at 4:25 pmI loved the videos above. They were great. I really appreciated what Laurie had to say. I think every girl/woman struggles with body image whether of not that results in an eating disorder. I just checked out some of her books at the library and am excited to get to them.
As far as the contest goes, I blogged about it, I Tweeted it, I have you in my feed reader, I left comments on your posts, and I visited King’s English and the Indie Bound websites.
What I found at King’s English: My favorite book cover was for “Little Bee” by Chris Cleave. The book I most want to read I saw on the site is “The Help” by Kathryn Stockett. Betsy Burton is the co-owner/founder of King’s English. My favorite Utah author found there is Shannon Hale. A book event coming up there is story time on Sat. April 4th. The book is “I Need My Monster” by Amanda Noll. The cover art is just so cute.
On the Indie Bound site I thought the video from Aaron of Aaron’s books was just so cute and sweet. I learned that buying at Indie stores reduces our carbon footprint and keeps money in our communities.
Here is my blog post. http://haikuamy.blogspot.com/2009/03/book-giveaway-wintergirls-by-laurie.html
Thanks for all you do Natasha!
on March 30th, 2009 at 6:32 pmI think that too many people are affected by the media. Many girls have developed body image disorder because of supermodels in magazines that are just airbrushed and unrealistic. I am very excited to read Wintergirls; I loved Speak!
From your bookstore, I discovered a new book. It’s called Little Bee. The description doesn’t say too much; it’s very mysterious. The cover looks cool, too.
on March 30th, 2009 at 7:17 pmI’d love to win this one. One of my two best friends from high school and college was bulimic for years. She flat out DID NOT CARE how it affected her health because she was determined to be skinny. Her mother had picked at her weight for years and it was fully ingrained that she had to lose it. She is now a medical doctor and I’m sure she is no longer bulimic, but she still has issues with needing to be tiny and works out and eats carefully (but healthily, I think) to maintain her small size.
on March 30th, 2009 at 7:53 pmFor initial entry: I recently did a persuasive essay for English class about body image in the media, and eating disorders are really tragic.
+2 I’ve subscribed through Google reader
+2 I’m following you on Twitter and I tweeted about this giveaway
+10 I became an Indie affiliate awhile ago but I gave up because the website was too confusing. But I will go to it again and do my best to figure it out!!
Thanks so much for this amazing contest!
on March 30th, 2009 at 9:30 pmI’ve been wanting to read Wintergirls ever since it came out. Laurie Halse Anderson came to my local bookstore, but I couldn’t go because I had something else I had to attend. I was bummed! But winning this book would be the next best thing.
Also, I subscribe to you.
on March 31st, 2009 at 9:56 amSounds like you had a great night and I have been hearing great things about this book. Can you add me please.
I follow you on twitter.
This is such an important issue in today’s world. So much is placed on everyone to be thin. I have struggled with body imagine for many years and I think I am finally at the point in my life where I am saying if I am healthy then its okay.
on March 31st, 2009 at 9:57 amFor 11 years I was a buyer for what was then the biggest independent bookseller in the northeast. It’s gone now, along with the lovely independent bookstore with whom we coexisted in that town just fine. I think people should shop local because if they don’t, one day they wake up and that choice is gone.
on March 31st, 2009 at 10:10 amI think way too much emphasis is placed on looks. Carrie Underwood looked terrific when she won American Idol, but people called her fat and she lost weight. It’s understandable that other people would feel pressured to be thin if even a thin person in the public eye isn’t considered good enough.
Hmm, I follow you on twitter and Google Reader (and I twittered about this giveaway). I’ll have to save the fun of looking at those links for another day. The storm is gathering strength, here. Must turn off the electronics.
bookfoolery (at) yahoo (dot) com
on March 31st, 2009 at 10:20 amThe last two books I’ve read (The Handmaid’s Tale and The Color Purple) make me not want to point at vague “society,” but women. We make each other miserable and self-conscious with harsh criticism. We sell each other make-up and diet products, brag about going to the gym … we covet those tiny flat tummies instead of the stretch out flabby ones (y’know the ones that have produce new people in this world). We’re just so vain and shallow.
Except women who read a lot. Readers are smart and beautiful, inside and out.
on March 31st, 2009 at 12:14 pmYeah! The videos are up and I finally have a moment to comment. It was a wonderful night and I am so glad I went. The King’s English is such a neat little bookstore, so cozy and full of so many wonderful titles, I could seriously live there.
As far as body image I think women, most particularly spend a lot of time thinking about our bodies. It’s hard not too, with all the emphasis on it in the media, the body fat ads and shrinking bikini butts you see all over the internet. We are often rewarded when we loose weight with compliments and generally skinny people are generally treated better.
On eating disorders, they often have more do with the sufferer feeling out of control and they cope with stress this way. Yeah body image plays a role. It’s an unhealthy way of coping with emotional stress.
By the way, please don’t enter me and I putting up a post about your giveaway and videos.
on March 31st, 2009 at 12:41 pmYeah! The videos are up and I finally have a moment to comment. It was a wonderful night and I am so glad I went. The King’s English is such a neat little bookstore, so cozy and full of so many wonderful titles, I could seriously live there.
As far as body image I think women, most particularly spend a lot of time thinking about our bodies. It’s hard not too, with all the emphasis on it in the media, the body fat ads and shrinking bikini butts you see all over the internet. We are often rewarded when we loose weight with compliments and generally skinny people are generally treated better.
On eating disorders, they often have more do with the sufferer feeling out of control and they cope with stress this way. Yeah body image plays a role. It’s an unhealthy way of coping with emotional stress. Lia the main character seems to internalize a lot of her pain and rather than talk about it and deal with it a healthy way she starves herself.
By the way, please don’t enter me and I putting up a post about your giveaway and videos.
on March 31st, 2009 at 12:42 pmI keep getting sadder and sadder that I wasn’t able to go to this!
Okay, Wintergirls scares me a little because of this subject. I actually have my 14 year old son going through some eating problems. He’s decided he’s fat and for awhile didn’t eat. Then, we got him to eat again, but he hates, and beats himself up whenver he does eat. So, we are doing all kinds of things to help him now, and hopefully we’ll get it figured out soon. But, yeah, it’s scary. And don’t forget that the boys have to deal with it too!
I love the King’s English bookstore and wish it was just a little closer to me. They’ve had so many authors come, I could never pick a favorite. The day that Markus Zusak comes…I will drop everything! Even if my kids need me!
on March 31st, 2009 at 4:18 pmSometimes I feel like it’s an uphill battle with my daughter–even though I have consciously tried to make sure she doesn’t have a negative body image, I keep hearing her say that she’s fat. It’s just out there in the world–the pressure.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 8:40 amThis book sounds so good, and it’s an important topic to read about.
I blogged about the giveaway here: http://sazfreelunch.blogspot.com/2009/04/wintergirls-by-laurie-halse-anderson.html
on April 2nd, 2009 at 8:48 amI am already subscribed.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 8:49 amI just tweeted.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 8:56 amI visited the website and I would have loved to have seen Shannon Hale or Jon Scieszka! It sounds like they do a lot of fun stuff there.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 8:59 amI visited IndieBound, and to be honest had never thought about the benefits of shopping locally. It sounds like it helps the community by keeping the money within the community and provides jobs. It also helps the environment because of less packaging. Stuff to think about!
on April 2nd, 2009 at 9:02 amI worked with teen girls for over 8 years in a treatment capacity through Juvenile Services and saw a lot of peer pressure on girls to be slender to have peer acceptance.I have always been heavy as had my daughter till she reached 30 and went on a drastic diet and lost 200 pounds and acquired an eating, thankfully. I would love to be included in the draw for a chance to win this book. Thank you.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 4:36 pmI think body image is so hard. My husband and I talked one time how it’s hard (as a teenager) to take anything an adult says that is nice about you – like “you’re not fat” or “you’re so pretty” – seriously because that is what adults are supposed to say. It’s much easier to listen to the media or peers who “would never lie” tell you that you are too fat, or short, or whatever your particular deal is.
Also, I’m a subscriber.
Thanks for the opportunity. What a cool night you must have had!
on April 2nd, 2009 at 5:01 pmI don’t know if it was a fluke or what, but nearly every girl I knew in highschool seemed to have an eating disorder or at least be extremely weight conscious. These were the top students. I watched girls I grew up best friends with go from 130 to less than 100 lbs. It’s such an important issue.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 7:44 pmI subscribe through google reader.
on April 2nd, 2009 at 7:46 pmI had an eating disorder when I was an early teenager. At that time I didn’t have anyone to speak to, no real close friends and my family was falling apart. So (like I do with all life crises) I turned to books. But I really could have done with SOMEONE there for me. Which is partially why I’m studying psychology. In the hopes that one day I’ll be a trained clinical psychologist and maybe I’ll be able to help some other young teenager struggling with an eating disorder, depression or self injury like I went through.
on April 3rd, 2009 at 9:12 amIn following my peers’ obsession with body image, I once complained to my grandma that I was fat–I certainly didn’t fit into my old jeans. I was 14 years old.
My grandma hugged me and said, “You’re not fat. You are pleasantly plump.”
And you know, a lot of girls would’ve taken that as a confirmation of being fat, but as I’m a word geek, I instantly started making other categories in my head, and I decided that my grandma was absolutely right. Plump I was (am). And if that meant I didn’t have to feel strange about indulging in a cookie or two, so much the better.
I’ve never felt connected to those people who are so obsessed, who count every calorie or weigh themselves every day. I understand it, on the level of wanting to be able to control something, but I can’t think of much that’s scarier than not being able to have a healthy, happy self image.
on April 3rd, 2009 at 3:11 pmJeez, you fell into the literary lottery, girl! You seriously must have been pinching yourself to make sure you weren’t dreaming or at least hallucinating. Please enter me in whatever you have at this point. I am a follower, so maybe I’ll have a 1/500 chance in winning…
on April 3rd, 2009 at 5:48 pmI blogged about the giveaway here:
http://athomewithbooks.blogspot.com/2009/04/weekly-giveaway-roundup-april-4.html
on April 4th, 2009 at 2:48 pmI’m a follower through my Sage reader.
AND
And I follow you on twitter; here’s my tweet: http://twitter.com/muse2323/statuses/1454762745
on April 4th, 2009 at 7:57 pmIn my exploration of The King’s English’s blog and site, I found pictures from their Breaking Dawn release party, and even though I wasn’t a big fan of the series by that point, it looks like everyone had a lot of fun. (And some of the wedding dress designs they pictured for Bella were very impressive.) Also, there are eight rooms in the store–most impressive.
I started wondering why I hadn’t been to the King’s English on our way through Salt Lake City (on our way to our wedding), and then I remembered–we’d been in far too much of a time crunch to stop anywhere except gas stations and fast food places.
on April 4th, 2009 at 10:33 pmThere are so many reasons to shop indie stores! My favorite is because it helps create/build a sense of community. Too bad that back where I lived in Ohio, to find new books (thinking about the last Harry Potter release…) I had to go to a big chain store–or drive an hour or more.
But we do have an indie store here. And lots of used bookstores.
And now that they created an “other” option for us out-of-the-US folk, I’ve signed up.
on April 4th, 2009 at 11:29 pmI think alot of young people end up having eating disorders because they think that by controling what goes into their bodies they can more easily control their world. Seeing all extremly small models, pop stars, ect. doesn’t really help much either. The media is basically saying be skinny and if your not, get that way.
Shopping locally helps everyone in the community. It helps support the local economy and it also helps you reduce you carbon footprint by cutting down on transportation and less packaging.
I follow you on Twitter https://twitter.com/Brandi_Girl13
I blogged!!
on April 4th, 2009 at 11:32 pmhttp://flute-girl13.livejournal.com/
I also subscribed!
I grew up being called Ethipian, and chicken Legs, all because I was skinny. My best friends was just a little more heavier than I was but she ended up being bulimic & my body size probably didn’t help any. It is a tough world.
on April 5th, 2009 at 10:42 amPlease enter in me the giveaway..
MarieBurton2004 at yahoo dot com
I think body image works better sometimes that just talking. People can relate to that faster than verbal approach.
on April 5th, 2009 at 3:11 pmAs for eating disorders, every one has a disorder of some kind. you go slow, take one step at a time until you come to the solution.
george ferris
littlegeorgie56@yahoo.com
Great videos and great discussion. Looks like everyone had a great time. I already have a copy of wintergirls, so I will let someone else win this one…lol As if it were up to me. Good luck everyone.
on April 5th, 2009 at 5:39 pmBody image is such a tough thing. The media overwhelms you with images of such thin people that it has become the norm. I wish they would focus more on healthy, but don’t see it happening anytime soon.
I also follow you in my reader, and on Twitter.
on April 6th, 2009 at 9:41 amI am not happy with my body but who really is?
on April 6th, 2009 at 7:00 pm+1: As I am a teenage girl, I think that almost every girl my age feels self conscious about their body image at some time. To skinny, to fat, to tall, to short. We forget that it dosen’t matter what we look like on the outside, but it does matter what we look like on the inside.
+5: While visiting the website I found out about a recent presentation “A Child Journey out of Autism” which I think would have been amazingly neat to visit. I wish I could have been there!!
+10: We should shop local because it helps the economy. Instead of shopping at big chain stores that everyone goes to, such as Barnes and Noble or Borders, its good to pay a visit to a locally owned bookstore and look at their selections. By doing this it helps support people that need the money, while building up our economy!
Thanks for the great contest!! I want to read “Wintergirls” sooooo badly! It looks amazing!
countrystars95@yahoo.com
on April 7th, 2009 at 9:43 amI did have an eating disorder in Jr. High and am working on teaching my young daughters about healthy body image. My 9 year old does tend to focus a lot on body size though.
on April 8th, 2009 at 8:16 amI have two pre-teen girls. I try to focus on making healthy choices and being active but it is hard to combact the influence the media has on all of us. It’s such a waste of time to worry about being the perfect size when God made us all to be individual.
I’m a subscriber! Thanks, Natasha.
on April 9th, 2009 at 9:18 amI think it is so important to buy local. The customer service is better then chain stores and more money stays within the community when you buy from the local mom and pop places.
on April 9th, 2009 at 9:28 amI really think that as parents we have an obligations to be very careful how we deal with the very important issues surrounding body image and eating disorders.
on April 9th, 2009 at 10:07 amHello, I think body image problems are definitely caused by the media. I mean I only weigh 130 pounds but if I were to be on America’s Next Top Model I would be a plus size model.
on April 10th, 2009 at 4:51 pmPlease enter me and thank you for this opportunity.
oh and I almost forgot, I am following on twitter.
on April 10th, 2009 at 5:17 pmI think that the root of the problem of eating disorders and unhealthy body image is the media. It says one thing and common sense and doctors say different. But girls always feel the pressure to look “beautiful”, and it has caused a lot of pain and shame.
For TWO additional entries:
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on April 10th, 2009 at 9:58 pmI support indie bookstores! My favorite bookstore is independent. I love them because of their individuality and how they feel more personal. The people who work there get to know my name, and the very arrangement of the shelves has personality. Support indie bookstores!