I’ve read many novels in my 13 years, and no other novel compares to The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things. I felt like I was inside of the book, like I was Virginia’s shadow following her everywhere she went. Even though Virginia is slightly chubby and I am a little on the skinny side; I could still relate to her emotions, feelings, and thoughts that every teenager has sometime in their teenage life. This book has not only inspired me through my writing, but in my life as well.

The book The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things, has inspired me to make use of more writing elements in all of my papers and portfolio pieces; such as humor, voice, emotion, and opinion. For instance in my article about Chinese inventions, I have employed humor, to keep the audience reading so the piece wouldn’t sound dull, voice, and opinion about the inventions. Our class has also written a numerous amount of poems; and with a little of your help from your brilliant ways of expressing emotion, my poems had passion, feeling, and enthusiasm.
Your book and your way of writing has improved my writing this year, but I have improved by myself, by trying different techniques of writing; and by discovering about my way of writing, and what works the best for me. My favorite writing piece out of my memoir, poems, and articles; was my poem about my mother’s eyes, “Her Windows”. This poem was so important to me because she does everything for me and I love her, so my feelings exceedingly showed. Therefore it was effortless to express my emotions because it was a piece that I desired to write, since I care for my mother. When I want to write a piece I’ve noticed that the piece expresses a lot of feeling, emotion, and is well written. But when I’m assigned to write about a specific subject that I don’t care for, it’s dull and uninteresting and expresses no emotion, and is a poorly written piece. Our teacher has given us questions about the book we are reading that has improved my writing called, “reading, writing workshop”. This has helped me with my writing by getting me familiar with expressing my views of things and showing my creativity.
All in all this year, your technique of writing has enhanced my way of writing like a recipe. A pinch of your method of writing, a dash of imitation, and 2 cups of my own style, and my writing pieces are a delicious master piece that the audience craves.
This book is not just the type of book where people read it and then move on to the next, and not think a thing about it. This book is the type of book that makes people think…. makes people wonder about the world; and how it can be so cruel and judgmental. Just because of Virginia’s weight her peers ignored her and never got to know her personality. They were so disapproving. Subsequently, Virginia determined that she wasn’t going to be unnoticed any longer. That’s why I love this book and that’s why it taught me a lesson. It taught me that I can be different like a colorful striped zebra in a colony of same black and white striped zebras. So what did she do? She took a dangerous risk and dyed her hair purple and pierced her eyebrow, and strangely, now her peers noticed her and talked to her like a human being. That’s why Virginia and I are so alike, we have the courage to be diverse and not care what people think. Now I wouldn’t dye my hair purple or anything but I am my own person, different and unique.
I know what you mean when you say “Never underestimate yourself” I think you are saying that just because of your weight, of your size, or knowledge doesn’t mean that we can’t make a difference or stand up for what we believe in; because by Virginia dying her hair, and piercing her eyebrow she showed that we don’t have to be afraid to be different.

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things has taught me that we all are different in our own ways. I was in the shadows before I read this book, and now my light is shining bright for everyone to see. My writing was in the shadows too. I wasn’t reaching my full capability. But now since I’ve learned to express emotion and use more exhilarating words, my writing is slowly moving it’s way out of the shadow and into the light.