Read on Twitter
Resharing this highly personal essay I wrote about my HS years and the cruel girl-on-girl judgment & hate I experienced. And how it influenced my writing of JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME (out Tuesday). https://www.yabookscentral.com/blog/spotlight-on-jack-kerouac-is-dead-to-me-gae-polisner-plus-guest-post
Just writing it brought the pain & emotions back to the surface, but I think we need to talk about this. It's still going on, worse than ever, & I can't help asking how much stronger women would be if we, as girls, stood up for one another. If our friendships weren't so fragile.
When I go into schools, I talk to the girls, I see the pain in their eyes. We talk about how we don't have to be friends. We don't have to hang out. But we should try hard not to judge (so often falsely), we should lift one another, even if we don't hang out.
So many girls tell me how painful the judging is. The cruelty. I face it both physically and emotionally in HS all those years ago. You'd think it might have gotten better. And in some regards, maybe it has. But in others, not so much. What I want to talk about with KEROUAC...
is the relationship between JL and Aubrey, how this moment in JL's life might have been different, if Aubrey had truly and strongly stood by her. I also want to talk about what JL could have done different. Friendships are a two-way street. ALWAYS.
If you are a HS educator who wants to use JACK KEROUAC IS DEAD TO ME, and want me to Skype/Zoom/whatever in, feel free to reach out to me. Know the book is for UPPER YA. Has intense and details sexual situations (you know, the kind HS students engage in . . . 
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Sorry for the typos in this thread. Writers HATE it when we can't edit our twitter typos. I write good, I swear. Really. 
