Essay --

Shreya ShirodkarMs. LaneAmerican LiteratureJanuary 17, 2014Laurie Halse Anderson Changing the Scope of Young Adult FictionHow do you write about the major, live-changing events of people youve never met? How do you write about sensitive issues in an engaging, but still thought-provoking way? How do you write about your consume demons so that others do not follow your path? Writer Laurie Halse Anderson could provide the answers to these questions. Written at a time when difficult topics, such as sexual harassment, were just beginning to be spoken about, her stories were a combination of her struggles and the struggles of teens across the country. Through her gift of storytelling, Laurie has brought previously taboo topics, such as date rape and depression, to the attention of teenagers and adults domainwide.LIFEShockingly, this world famous young adult novelist did not always enjoy committal to writing. Born in Potsdam, New York in 1961, Laurie initially had trouble reading and wr iting, but versed and eventually excelled in both as a result of the guidance she received from supportive teachers. Laurie specifically thanks her second grade teacher, who helped her realize that writing was cool (Anderson) during a lesson on haikus. Despite her newfound appreciation of writing, Laurie still didnt want to become a writer instead, she wanted to become a doctor (Laurie Halse Anderson) Unfortunately for her, Laurie was not very good at either mathematics or chemistry. For her final year of high school, Laurie decided to do something different. As part of a students exchange program, Laurie traveled to Denmark to study, where she had to work on a pig farm. Her experiences in Denmark helped her to grow into an independent young woman. After... ... kinfolk from WWII. Late at night, Laurie would hear her father shrieking, having nightmares about the war. As her fathers condition worsened, Laurie grew increasingly detached from the man she once knew and loved. Recallin g the pain of that limit in her life, Laurie wrote the story The Impossible Knife of Memory. In the story, the main character Hayley is attempting to take care of her father, who has PTSD. It can be assumed that some of Hayleys experiences were in truth Lauries own experiences. Today, Laurie has moved on from the past and shares a good rapport with her father, who unfortunately still suffers from PTSD (Deutsch).Throughout her youth, Laurie suffered from a disease of her own body image issues. She was made of fun by her peers and was even called Baby Hippo (Anderson). For years, Laurie had an unhealthy relationship with food (???)