CCBC-Net Archives
Re: question for Julie or others
- Contemporary messages sorted: [ by date ] [ by subject ] [ by author ]
From: K.T. Horning <horning_at_education.wisc.edu>
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:16:52 -0500
Thanks for your reply, Julie. I so appreciate this aspect of your book, and thank you for showing that. My concern is that the characters didn't seem to consider what they were doing as "having sex," and that sex only happens with penetration. I know this is the way many straight teens define sex, so it seemed true to the characters who, although they are sexually active, are really still so sexually inexperienced. (As I recall, this definition of sex was also held by President Clinton, as we learned during his impeachment hearings.)
But for people who haven't yet read your book, I don't want them to think it's only about sex, because it is about so much more. It's a romance without romance, if that makes sense. It's so, so funny, too.
One of the things I also appreciated about your book was the friendship between Becca and Alex. It is such a deep and wonderfully realistic relationship. Often times, I think, when girls and boys get together in books, the female friends -- if they were there at all -- fade far into the background. But I think what you depict with both of them is so true to girls (and women).
Would you please talk a bit more about Becca as a character, and about the friendship between her and Alex?
Thank you so much for joining our discussion!
--KT
On 3/26/2014 8:23 AM, Julie Halpern wrote:
> KT,
>
> It was more about readers learning that there are more ways to
> experience sexual pleasure besides just intercourse. I wanted to show
> female readers that they deserve to enjoy sexual experiences as much
> as males do, and I wanted male readers to recognize that there is
> pleasure in giving, which I think is something not stressed in teen
> life as much as it is in adulthood.
>
> Julie
> www.juliehalpern.com <http://www.juliehalpern.com/>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2014 09:16:52 -0500
Thanks for your reply, Julie. I so appreciate this aspect of your book, and thank you for showing that. My concern is that the characters didn't seem to consider what they were doing as "having sex," and that sex only happens with penetration. I know this is the way many straight teens define sex, so it seemed true to the characters who, although they are sexually active, are really still so sexually inexperienced. (As I recall, this definition of sex was also held by President Clinton, as we learned during his impeachment hearings.)
But for people who haven't yet read your book, I don't want them to think it's only about sex, because it is about so much more. It's a romance without romance, if that makes sense. It's so, so funny, too.
One of the things I also appreciated about your book was the friendship between Becca and Alex. It is such a deep and wonderfully realistic relationship. Often times, I think, when girls and boys get together in books, the female friends -- if they were there at all -- fade far into the background. But I think what you depict with both of them is so true to girls (and women).
Would you please talk a bit more about Becca as a character, and about the friendship between her and Alex?
Thank you so much for joining our discussion!
--KT
On 3/26/2014 8:23 AM, Julie Halpern wrote:
> KT,
>
> It was more about readers learning that there are more ways to
> experience sexual pleasure besides just intercourse. I wanted to show
> female readers that they deserve to enjoy sexual experiences as much
> as males do, and I wanted male readers to recognize that there is
> pleasure in giving, which I think is something not stressed in teen
> life as much as it is in adulthood.
>
> Julie
> www.juliehalpern.com <http://www.juliehalpern.com/>
>
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
-- Kathleen T. Horning Director Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC) 4290 Helen C. White Hall 600 N. Park St Madison, WI 53706 http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc horning_at_education.wisc.edu 608-263-3721 (phone) 608-262-4933 (fax) ==== CCBC-Net Use ==== You are currently subscribed to ccbc-net as: ccbc-archive_at_post.education.wisc.edu. To post to the list, send message to... ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu To receive messages in digest format, send a blank message to... digest-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu To unsubscribe, send a blank message to... leave-ccbc-net_at_lists.wisc.edu ==== CCBC-Net Archives ==== The CCBC-Net archives are available to all CCBC-Net listserv members. The archives are organized by month and year. A list of discussion topics (including month/year) is available at... http://www.education.wisc.edu/ccbc/ccbcnet/archives.asp To access the archives, go to... http://ccbc.education.wisc.edu/ccbc-net ...and enter the following when prompted... username: ccbc-net password: Look4PostsReceived on Wed 26 Mar 2014 09:17:11 AM CDT
