I write books for teenagers because I vividly remember what it felt like to be a teen facing everyday and epic dangers. I don't write to protect them. It's far too late for that. I write to give them weapons-in the form of words and ideas-that will help them fight their monsters. I write in blood because I remember what it felt like to bleed.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the importance of empowering teenagers through literature, reflecting the author's own experiences.
In this quote, Sherman Alexie expresses his motivation for writing books targeted at teenagers. He acknowledges the challenges and dangers that young people face, including both ordinary and extraordinary struggles. Instead of shielding them from these realities, he believes in equipping them with the tools of language and ideas, so they can confront their fears and challenges effectively. The imagery of writing 'in blood' signifies the deep emotional connection and authenticity he brings to his work, highlighting his understanding of the raw experiences associated with adolescence.
In practice
This quote can be used in a speech at a writers' conference to inspire authors focusing on young adult literature.
Gordie, the white boy genius, gave me this book by a Russian dude named Tolstoy, who wrote, 'Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.' Well, I hate to argue with a Russian genius, but Tolstoy didn't know Indians, and he didn't know that all Indian families are unhappy for the same exact reasons: the frikkin' booze.
My wife was the first romantic partner who understood both American and native parts of me - not so much the positive stuff, but the damage.
I draw because words are too unpredictable. I draw because words are too limited. If you speak and write in English, or Spanish, or Chinese, or any other language, then only a certain percentage of human beings will get your meaning. But when you draw a picture everybody can understand it. If I draw a cartoon of a flower, then every man, woman, and child in the world can look at it and say, "That's a flower.
We all have to find our own ways to say good-bye.
A lot of people have no idea that right now Y.A. (young adult). is the Garden of Eden of literature.
I was studying the sky like I was an astronomer, except it was daytime and I didn't have a telescope, so I was just an idiot.
I should think I'm going to be a perpetual student.
Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons, and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones.
Youth is a time when we find the books we give up but do not get over.
Once you allow yourself to identify with the people in a story, then you might begin to see yourself in that story even if on the surface it's far removed from your situation. This is what I try to tell my students: this is one great thing that literature can do - it can make us identify with situations and people far away.
Oppression doesn't disappear just because you decided not to teach us that chapter.
The idea of education has been so tied to schools, universities, and professors that many assume there is no other way, but education is available to anyone within reach of a library, a post office, or even a newsstand.
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