Carrying all the wounds in my smile

Christopher OKeefe - reader
"Carrying All the Wounds in a Smile" is a great view into the mind and heart of an adolescent girl. Ms. Pana has assembled a collection of essays on diverse topics. Of course, there are essays about love but also about other relationships. She writes about friendship and her interactions at school. She also writes about her parents. In an essay entitle The Real Heroes, she takes her parents perspective and credits them for putting up with all of her inconsistent and at times irritable adolescent behavior. She writes about a variety of emotions: love, confusion, hope, and hate. Her essays also cover a number of current topics teens face today. There is one devoted to teens' concerns with how people treat the environment. She also addresses the critique that today's teens are asked to do too much and be a part of too many things. The author clearly loves being busy, but she is also the one who sets the agenda for her busy schedule.

This is a great book for parents or anyone who wants a fresh perspective on adolescent girls. It's also something that a teenage girl would enjoy reading because they would see so much of themselves in it. It would help to normalize many of the things they feel. They would know they are not the only one struggling with these issues. It would also encourage them to write.