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You been too strong," she said firmly. "I know about that. Strong starts out being the right thing. Your hands grow strong enough for your work. Your back strengthens under your burdens. Soon your mind becomes strongest of all; has to be to get through the hard days. " - Serafina Ashes: Seeds of America - Laurie Halse Anderson"
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Trying to figure out what you want to do, who you want to be, is messy as hell; the best anyone can hope for is to figure out the next step.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Welcome to the only class that will teach you how to survive. Welcome to art. This is where you find your true self, if you dare(16)"."
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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A kid asked him what his painting was. "It's Venice at night, an accountant's soul, the blood of imbeciles. Smoker's lung. Tenure. The inside of a lock, the taste of iron. Despair. A city with the streetlights shot out, the heart of a school board director." Some teachers whisper he's having a breakdown. I think he's the sanest person I know(181)"."
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Congratulations," she said formally. "You have gradated."
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Defense lawyer did his job by attacking the victim shouting that she drank, she danced, she dressed to look good she wanted it, she followed him liked it rough or planned on marriage or extortion as she cried on the stand, long blonde hair in front of her face, a curtain for her sanity, he painted her into a corner with accusations
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Persephone tucks a lock of Ophelia's hair behind the shell of her ear and Ophelia takes Persephone's hand and gently kisses the palm.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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stories entertain engage, outrage uplift, help us overcome our troubles . . . stories activate, motivate, celebrate, cerebrate, snare our fates and share our great incarnations of hope
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I try not to dwell on this.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Nothing. It all sounds stupid.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Don't forget how to be gentle," she warned. "Don't let the hardness of the world steal the softness of your heart. The greatest strength of all is daring to love."
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I need to study David Petrakis.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I want to kill him.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I'm feeling pretty damn good for a change.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I stand on the edge of a cliff, wondering if I'm going to fall or jump.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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My fingers stroking the bark, seeking a Braille code, a clue, a message on how to come back to life after my long undersnow dormancy. I have survived. I am here. Confused, screwed up, but here. So how can I find my way? Is there a chainsaw of the soul, an ax I can take to my memories or fears?
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I can grow. I look at my homely sketch. It doesn't need anything. Even through the river in my eyes I can see that. It isn't perfect and that makes it just right.
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life
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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I sniff again and wipe my eyes on my arm. The bruises are vivid, but they will fade.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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It takes more to scare me now.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Some stand-up comic cracks, 'No, Melinda no es linda.' They call me Me-no-linda for the rest of the period. This is how terrorists get started, this harmless fun.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Nothing good ever happens at lunch. The cafeteria is a giant sound stage where they film daily segments of Teenage Humiliation Rituals. And it smells gross.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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When one suffers, all are weakened, but when everyone thrives, we dance.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Heather is not at school today. Everybody is griping about her lame decorations. I bet she calls in sick the rest of the year. Heather should run away and join the Marines immediately.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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It is easier not to say anything. Shut your trap, button your lip, can it. All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to say.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Hurry up," Gracie called after him. "I want to talk to dead people."
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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Dr. StupidParker says that when I'm sad it really means I'm angry and when I'm angry it really means I'm afraid.
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fear
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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The taste of shame smells like stubborn vomit in your hair lingering no matter how often you was it sometimes you have to shave yourself bald and start again like a newly hatched chick leaving the faint rot of broken magic in shattered eggshell pieces behind you.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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A trained assassin who babysits.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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If you touch me, I'll cram your nose into your brain with the heel of my hand.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |
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She got too tired and went to sleep. Somehow, I dragged myself out of the dark and asked for help.
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Laurie Halse Anderson |