Ginni Orth, 2016 Level 2, First Place

Dear Laura Smith,

Every teenager has stress, and in my life, stress is a large component. I’m the type of girl who puts stress on herself, whether it’s school, or friends, or family. I try to face it alone. In some ways I find myself relating to Melissa, like how she doesn’t feel like she fits in, or how she feels that she needs to control something. Of course, I’ve never gone as far as starving myself to try to get thinner than I already am, but I have in the past somehow convinced myself that “Pm not thin enough” or “I’m too fat.”

Around the time I started reading Skinny, I was having trouble. I was at a new school, with different grading, and lots of homework. I found myself stressing out a lot, trying to control when I did my homework, or what I did at a certain time, or even what I consumed in a day. I found myself having a lot of mental breakdowns, alone, when neither my family nor friends knew the stress I was under. I was scared, and couldn’t comprehend what I should have done. I even turned away from God.

My family is a Christian family. We go to church, believe in God, and stuff like that, but I never really realized that He was always there. As I read your book, I started to understand it a little, and I kind of understood that I can pray to Him about any of my troubles, but until the part where Melissa realizes she was praying about the wrong thing, did I feel a difference. Shocked is an understatement. It felt like a cold smack in the head with a hammer. I had finally began to realize that my stress, and all the things I do to distract myself from it, were distancing myself from God. That night I prayed to him again like I did when I was a little girl.

Sometimes I wish I was a little girl again. No worry, no stress, no responsibilities, but I have to face my problems, though not necessarily alone. Even now, I still have trouble confiding in my family. My mom is always there, but I have trouble telling her the things I struggle with. My dad works a lot, and even though I see him, it’s like I don’t really know him. But I know I can confide in someone that loves me even though I break down, struggling to stay calm. I know I can pray to God to help me be at peace in my times of need.

Skinny was what you could call a “wake-up call,” and that’s what I needed at the time. I need to use the knowledge from your book even now. I still struggle with trying to control my life, and end up stressing, but I’m working on it. Even now, as I’m showing my emotions through the ink on this page, I’m stressing in the corner of my mind from my algebra homework, and home life, and the talent show coming up for me. But even still, I’m not as stressed as I would have been a year ago, or two.

Melissa tried hard to change, and even though she was still recovering, she was getting better. I’m using her as a role model, so I know that no matter what life throws my way, I can get better. I can get stronger. I need to get stronger, but not by myself. I’m also going to try hard not to separate and distract myself from God.

As I finish writing this letter, I just wanted to say I really enjoyed your book, and you helped me realize that teens can also go through the same problem Melissa did. I’m not going to wallow in my sorrows, as other people can be going through much worse. I’m going to keep trudging through life. But all in all, thank you.

Sincerely,

Ginni Orth