The importance of being yourself

(Editor's note: Tuckahoe Middle School seventh-grade English students recently wrote editorials designed to persuade Henrico citizens to read, listen to or watch a story or book that reflected their individual cultures, as a way to help others better understand them. This is one of those editorials; click here to read others.)

I am an African American, White, and Native American girl. I am a younger sister. I grew up in Virginia and moved around a lot in my life. I recently moved to an apartment with my mom and sister this summer, where I have met many kids my age. I have become a lot more confident, and I am not shy anymore. I am twelve years old, which is why I love this book. I recently got my braces off and have a condition called scoliosis, which affects your back and makes it so your back is not straight.

To learn more about my culture and/or how I’m like, you should read Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy. It is a modern retelling of Little Women, and it is written by Rex Ogle. I highly recommend everyone in Henrico to read it. This book not only shows the importance of how you should always be yourself, but it also shows you should never give up. It shows the relationship between four sisters who all have their unique problems. I can relate to it because the youngest had to deal with racism/discrimination, fat-shaming, and bullying.

The second-oldest had to deal with hiding the truth about who they love because they didn't want people to change their perspective on them, and the third-oldest and/or the middle kid had to deal with being scared of everything, so I can relate to them. One example of the bullying was when this girl went up to Amy and said, “Go back to Africa.”

This will change the community because it's sweet, silly, and heart-warming and you’ll learn to appreciate people that are different. It will help you realize that maybe the reason someone is rude to you is that they have something and going on in their life. Another reason could be that they just want to pick on someone for a laugh. The book helps LGBTQ+ people that need help coming out and think that no one will accept them when they are your family and they want you to be you. It helps people going through bullying to stick up for themselves, and it helps people to dream big and pursue their dreams.