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\\All Your Tote Are Belong to ME!!!!!!;
Okay, I wasn't really cosplaying as Winston but the resemblance is uncanny! I love Sweet Valley so much that I used blue markers to draw hearts inside the front covers of all my Sweet Valley High books. The characters are unique and memorable and dynamic and I always feel like I can connect with each and every one of them. When I first read Alone in the Crowd I grew my hair out and teased it so it was frizzy, and I bought fake glasses even though I wear real glasses so I could understand the full extent of Lynn Henry’s suffering. The plots were always riveting and kept me on the edge of my seat as I turned every page and devoured every word with the ferocity of a rabid bulldog! I love the setting--just thinking about it I can smell that sweet California air and see the beautiful blue-green Pacific that sparkles like the eyes of the Wakefield twins. I lived for reading the twintros. They were such an inspiration, I wanted to have liposuction and dye my hair blond and get colored blue contacts to wear under my fake--and real--glasses just to attain one tenth of their perfection. My Sweet Valley books went with me wherever I went until my collection was too large to fit into one giant sports duffel bag: I always brought them when I slept over at my only friends house. (Seriously. I really, really did this.) There’s NOTHING I don’t adore about these books! Because of the realism of the Sweet Valley plotlines, I have learned and applied many important lessons to my own life. One of the biggest was in watching Tom McKay’s struggle with his gayness. It has made me more compassionate towards gay people. Every time I see one I smile meaningfully as my heart goes out to him. I was so happy for Todd when I realized through the subtext that he had found true love with Jeffrey French. I was also interested to learn that lesbians are really just a myth. Go figure. I also learned how to be tactful when dealing with poor people. They don’t like to be taken out into public. When I do go out with them, I sometimes even wear nasty, grungy, holy jeans just to make them feel better about their own pitifully gruesome wardrobes. I’ve made a lot of poor friends since reading the Sweet Valley High books: learning about Roger Barrett Patman’s plight has strongly influenced me for the better. But, by far, the greatest lesson I ever learned is how fat people are inappropriate for camping, as pointed out by Elizabeth. "Barry Cooper had just emerged from the tent he had shared with Mr. Collins and was trying, without much luck, to stuff his sleeping bag--as bulky and inappropriate for camping as Barry himself was…" Perfect Summer, Page 17 I now try my hardest to only buy thin sleeping bags, and to stay thin myself so I can still go camping, my favorite pastime since reading the Summer trilogy about Camp Echo Mountain. Aside from Elizabeth and Barry, Margo Black also taught me a lot about life. She was the inspiration of my childhood. I wanted to BE her. I thought she was so smart the way she killed all those people. She taught me how to beat my little brother into simpering submission without getting caught. I wore flannel shirts and ate nothing but toast for weeks trying to understand how she felt. I’m a method actress. It touched me when I found out she had a twin because I always wanted a twin. I felt cheated and understood her frustration. I wanted to kill Elizabeth, too. I was so disturbed by Margo’s passing I held a memorial service and was in depression for months. The Return of the Evil Twin made my cry for days. Through all the laughter, tears, and triumphs I have bonded with the twins and their band of quirky friends in a way I have never managed to with real people. Thank you, Francine.
Me cosplaying as Courtney. |
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