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.
Public libraries have been a mainstay of my life. They represent an individual's right to acquire knowledge; they are the sinews that bind civilized societies the world over. Without libraries, I would be a pauper, intellectually and spiritually.
In the end we retain from our studies only that which we practically apply.
I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built up on the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will think more and better, if less showily.
Just like becoming an expert in wine, you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford.
I have been very strongly advocating that poverty must not be used as an excuse to continue child labour. It perpetuates poverty. If children are deprived of education, they remain poor.
He that studies books alone, will know how things ought to be; and he that studies men, will know how things are.
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