Boktips.

Virginia Euwer Wolf har skrivit trilogin om LaVaughn, en tonårstjej i en amerikansk storstad. LaVaughn är uppvuxen i "the projects" med en mamma som jobbar hårt och som har inpräntat vikten av en collegeutbildning. I trilogins andra del, True Believer, har LaVaughn blivit 15. Mamma har träffat en ny snubbe, hennes två bästisar börjar prioritera kyrkan och världens vackraste pojke har flyttat tillbaka till huset där hon bor. LaVaughn funderar mycket kring sex och kärlek, framförallt kring de konsekvenser som kan uppstå - tonårsgraviditet (kompisen Jolly är 17 och har två barn, noll inkomst och tveksamma pojkvänner), abort, HIV. Men samtidigt vill hon inget hellre än att.. ja vad vill hon egentligen? Hon vill gå på en dans med världens vackraste Jody, hon vill gå på college, hon vill vara LaVaughn, men hur fan går allt ihop egentligen?


Me and Myrtle & Annie,
we all want to save our bodies for our right husband
when he comes along.

There are several ways to do this saving.
One is be snarly nasty to boys and not be their friend
and they will stay away from you.
But there is this girl everybody knows about,
she hated boys and men of all kinds
and one day she got raped just by going
to the discount store, she is a wreck you pity,
she slides her back along the locker doors in the hallways
and has lurching eyes.

Another way is Cross Your Legs for Jesus.
This is the club Myrtle joined, and Annie will probably too.
For the club you memorize Bible verses,
and in the club you will go to Hell if you have unmarried sex.
The club has many retreats and parties and fun picnics.
Boys are in it too.

The third way is never go anywhere by yourself.
I believe in my heart each of these 3 are not for me.
Be nasty to all boys and men?
No. I like them.
And it didn't work for that poor girl.

And Cross Your Legs for Jesus seems like a good idea at first.
But it doesn't feel right
when I think about it.
Does Jesus want that droopy raped girl to go to Hell?

And numer 3 is trouble from beginning to end.
Never go anywhere alone? Sometimes I like to be alone.
To think.

I don't know how you recognize your own special husband
when he comes along. Will he look
totally different? Or does he look like everybody else
and you're the only one to recognize him?

I sure would like to get kissed.
How that would feel on my mouth.
How different I would be after,
a changed climate down in my insides.