| Synopsis: |
This book is based on a true life story. Drue is a young girl who goes through the struggles of the average American female teenager; falling in love, heartbreaks, depression, drink, self-hatred and self-harming. In the end, she comes out strong and is still dancing in the rain. The author tells her story here, with the hope that those who feel they are alone will realise that they are not. She says - you are never truly alone, no matter how much you think no one cares, someone does. So reach out: to a parent, a friend, a school councillor, or a help line. Self mutilation has sometimes been quoted as the "new anorexia" with a reported 2 million cases in the US alone. It is estimated that one out of every 200 teen girls between the ages of 13 and 19 regularly practice self-harming behaviour. These numbers are staggering. Many teenagers have some issues they are dealing with; be it cutting, burning, safety pins, depression, anorexia, bulimia, or suicide, these are all just part of life. This has become common, yet, each one of us feels alone, as if we were the only ones going through this hard time. A woman once commented, "I would never want to be a girl growing up in today's world.The pressures put on you are more than anyone should have to bear." And she was right. No teen should be bombarded with magazines telling us we aren't thin enough or standardized tests telling us we aren't smart enough or social rankings that tell us we aren't popular enough. But if this is inevitable, then where are we to get the validation or positive reinforcement to balance out all these pressures? They should come from our friends, our parents, those we love - telling us we are perfect just the way we are, that they are proud of us. |