My name is Madison and I am a high school student like you. I have read many good books this summer, though your story, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, is among my favorites. I also went to summer camp at the Maryland Zoo and the Maryland Institute College of Art. At the very beginning of summer break I visited Washington, D.C., with my best friend for a one-week leadership forum.
The time when you regained your memory and remembered who your friends were and why you liked the yearbook was pretty cool. I enjoyed when you reinvented yourself, cut your hair, and gave up trying to be how everyone else remembered you, but the part I like best about your novel was how you and Will started to rework your friendship. Also, the fact that you were found n a typewriter case and the way that this played into your life was fascinating and very unique.
Gabrielle Zevin told your story quite well. It was descriptive, yet interesting and to the point. I found it to be quite realistic. Your feelings about your mother and half sister seemed so true and the way they shifted and changed appeared even more so. Many of your choices were unexpected and still fit your character perfectly, adding suspense and creative twists to the story.
I want to know more details about what it was like starting on the yearbook again when Will was in the hospital. Was it super awkward? Did any of the other students on the committee make snide remarks about you leaving? I know Gabrielle said that the committee accepted the fact that you were filling in for Will, but was anyone really happy to see you, welcoming you back? Also, do think you'll ever be more open talking about your adoption? Does it bug you that you'll never know your true roots? Or are you completely content with what you have with your adoptive parents? What was your main motive for not acknowledging your memory when it returned? I think that if you told someone about it or started acting a bit more like you used to earlier on it might have been easier to patch up your old relationships.
Before reading your story, I'll admit I hadn't thought about identity loss much. Now I have an idea of what it is like to lose such a big and important part of yourself. Our past affects our present and future so much and nobody can fill the gap but you once its gone. In the future, maybe you could give a speech at the hospital telling of your experiences to doctors, nurses, and sociologists. It might help them to understand how much memory loss affects a person and that it's just as serious as many other injuries and may lead to mental issues, such as depression.
Thank you for listening to my thoughts about your story. O also want to thank you for showing me to stay true to my friends and hobbies. You might want to take my and Will's advice and wear a helmet when you go down the school steps.
Sincerely,
Madison M.
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| My leadership forum group and Abe Lincoln |
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