Please Stop Laughing at Me
by Jodee Blonca
Summary
Jodee Blonca is a smart girl trying to live the life of an average teen. However, everything is flipped upside-down when bullies began to torment Jodee. No matter what she did she couldn't find a way to fit in. The torment she endured in her first school was too much and she decided to transfer. Summer was great! Jodee made new friend and she finally felt like she fit in! But that dream was short lived. Jodee realized she wasn't completely being herself and she didn't like how the kids treated each other. Finally, she stepped up and was rejected. The bullying grew more intense and there were several incidents were she was brutally attacked. Jodee almost gave up this fight but she didn't. Jodee carried on and became an inspiration to thousands.
Jodee Blanco
Jodee was very tall with curly hair. She has a condition that made one breast abnormally larger than the other which caused some internal conflict through out the novel. Jodee is extremely social awkward and was never able to fit in. Jodee is very intelligent and is amazing when it comes to public speaking. Throughout the novel Jodee grows more and more desperate to fit in with her peers. Towards the end Jodee becomes stronger and leans that it's important to be herself.
Peer pressure and lack of self acceptance drove Jodee to make the decision to have plastic surgery to correct her breasts.
This novel raises awareness for bullying using a true story to show that situations like these can really occur.
Theme
This book shows that no matter what the situation is you must keep pushing forward. You have to stay strong no matter what life throws at you. Even though Jodee has had her breaking points she's still her today. She wrote this book to show that it's possible to keep going.
Jodee Blanco gives presentation on bullying at Onekama Schools
Conflict
No matter what teenage girl, Jodee Blanco does she cant seem to fit in. Jodee is constantly tormented by her peers and becomes to be afraid to be herself. The relentless bullying drives Jodee to severe depression and social anxiety disorder. There really seems to be no break with Jodee's torture and she reached several point where she wanted to give up. Jodee saw a therapist, took medication, tried physical treatments, and a support group. Finally she met people at the support group who went through similar situations to her own. Jodee didn't feel at alone anymore and as she grew she got stronger. Despite going through all this pain in high school she kept pushing herself to move forward and made it through.
Final Review
I thought this novel was very well written and inspiring. I found myself relating to a lot of the material in the book. The author did a wonderful job on helping you understand the characters feelings. I really felt for Jodee because I relate to her greatly on a personal level. There were some parts that were a bit slow and uninteresting but the story always picked up speed close after. i would most definitely suggest this book to one of my peers because this was a very inspiring story and important for kids who are going through similar situations to read. No one is alone in this world.
Citations
Anti-Bullying presentation:
Jodee Blanco. "Jodee Blanco Gives Presentation on Bullying at Onekama Schools." Interview. Youtube.com. N.p., 17 Apr. 2012. Web.
Book quotes/ect:
Blanco, Jodee, and Jodee Blanco. Please Stop Laughing at Me: One Woman's Inspirational Story. Avon, MA: Adams Media, 2003. Print