How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"I know Mom talked to you about some of the body changes girls go through. She was certainly more of an expert on those kinds of things than I am, but if you have questions about that stuff, maybe you can ask Aunt Jennifer, or Deborah, or…" (12.6)
Okay, Dad, listen to us: We're Team Joci's Mom all the way on this one. Give that woman a copy of Our Bodies, Ourselves and a Victoria's Secret gift certificate and tell her you need her to do you a solid.
Quote #2
"Oh, and one last thing, honey. When you need supplies at the drug store or the grocery store or wherever you buy those things, just go ahead and toss them in the cart, okay? I don't want you feeling embarrassed." (12.16)
Way to tell your daughter the most embarrassing thing in the world, and follow it up by telling her not to feel embarrassed. Still, Corinna's dad is lost in his own grief, and he's doing the best he can. He might not realize Corinna needs clothes, but at least he realizes girls have periods.
Quote #3
When did you get your period? When you said you were a late bloomer, is that what you meant? When am I going to get mine? Almost all of my friends have theirs already. Is there something wrong with me? Does being sad make your period come later? (12.19)
This is one of those times when we wish Sophie had written Corinna a letter before she died, or at least filled in a few more pages in her journal. Our hearts are breaking over here.
Quote #4
I see Alex looking right at me, right into my eyes. He's only two feet away from me, and he's wearing his orange shirt […] That frozen-but-hot-and-sweaty feeling takes over my body. (15.15)
Oh young love… bodies aren't the only things that change in adolescence. Crushes are a doozy, too.
Quote #5
I'm in the girls' bathroom between classes, having just checked again to see if I got my first period. I'm paranoid that it's going to come at school. (16.21)
Running to the bathroom between classes to check for your period has to be a drag… as well as something that pretty much every adolescent girl has done at some point.
Quote #6
I never imagined that my first bra would be bought by someone else's mom. (21.37)
Ouch. But hey, at least she has some nurturing mother figures in her life. They don't make up for her mom, but we like knowing Corinna has someone to help her out in the lady department.
Quote #7
I've been feeling more and more self-conscious about being flat when all my friends are filling out and moving from exercise bras to real bras. My body seems to be stuck. I've thought about what I could do to get it going but haven't been able to come up with any ideas. (21.44)
Corinna's been Googling, but she hasn't found any answers. Her body will probably start cooperating any time now, but a few months feels like an eternity when you're waiting.
Quote #8
My mom said I couldn't get my ears pierced until my sweet sixteen because she got some terrible infection that spread all over when she got hers pierced. She was worried that I would, too. (30.3)
When Corinna goes against Sophie's wishes and engages in a normal act of teenage rebellion, it's a sign she's healing. Acting like a typical teenager for an afternoon is the first small step toward actually being one.
Quote #9
Dad brings up the idea of us taking the trip to Japan we had been planning to take with Mom this summer. They had wanted to wait until I was old enough, whatever that means, and apparently fourteen is the right age. (38.3)
Growing up isn't all about physical development—it's about intellectual development, too. At least Corinna's dad recognizes she's made some strides, even if she hasn't put any of "that stuff" in the shopping cart at the grocery store yet.
Quote #10
I wonder if I would have talked to my mom about this boy stuff. I can't really imagine talking to Mom, much less Dad, about it in any detail. How could Dad know what it's like to be a girl? (40.9)
He can't, but he knows what it's like to be a teenager and have crushes. We hope Corinna will eventually be able to recognize this and talk to him about it.