Twilight Nation!

So, as you might know from the posts by my sister and Mom, Twilight is not the favorite book of our household... however I do find it hilarious that it took them reading ALL THREE or FOUR for them to figure this out. :) Anyways, without further adieu, I would like to write my own thoughts on Edward, Bella, and all of Forks, Washington.

I read Twilight in the summer of 2007- before "Edward" was commonplace. My friends were raving about it, and so I had to figure out what all this vampire nonsense was... and thats what I found it to be- nonsense. Now, I will say that I really don't enjoy fiction all that much, and when I read, I like non-fiction about people doing great things, finding themselves, experiencing new culture, or finding enlightenment. Yeah- all Bella finds is Edward. (Who reminds me of the vampire in the movie, "The Little Vampire", so really I couldn't ever get past his paleness and 12 year old features) I found myself struggling through the entire thing, and wondered constantly when it would get good. Much to my dismay, it never did. I was the first person I knew to not want Edward as a boyfriend. I mean seriously? His body is cold and hard as marble, his skin glitters like he's been heavily perspiring, and basically he is albino. Ahhhh... dreamy, right? After the first, I decided I wouldn't continue. And, when my mom and sisters picked up the books, seems they drew the same conclusion.

The best part about these books I think is the hype- no, HYSTERIA girls under 12 & over 40 are experiencing. While discussing this with my friend's parents over dinner tonight (yes, that's right) I learned what this Twilight plague is doing to the US. First of all, many girls think the actor playing Edward is really a vampire, and line up for days and days to see him sign autographs, cry hysterically when they meet him, and my favorite, ask him to bite them. Yeah. Healthy.

Another reason I think this movie/book sleaze is hilarious is because of the message it sends to females. My friend's dad asked us what we thought it was that makes women so drawn to vampires, and so I thought a little. I think the biggest reason is that women want to be WANTED, and hey! A vampire wants his "woman/meal" SO BADLY he would do anything- namely suck their blood, to get to them. Hmmm... yeah, nice. But seriously- what is this teaching girls? In the book, Bella is totally miserable and suffers from low self esteem. When Edward comes along, she throws herself at him, and will do anything to be with him- even if that means separating herself from other people her own age, and subjecting herself to his sometimes emotionally abusive behavior. Now if this isn't the perfect equation to a healthy relationship, I don't know what is! Mainly I don't like it when girls feel that they must have a boy to feel self- actualized, and I feel that this book (I only read the one) puts this ideal on a pedestal and says that having a boyfriend is the only true road to happiness.

RUBBISH.

Want a good book? Read....
1. Born Confused
2. Mutant Message From Down Under
3. Eat, Pray, Love
4. Three Cups Of Tea
5. The Great Gatsby
6. The Good Earth