ALEXANDER

The book that has had the biggest impact on my life is It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini. It fictionalizes the life of Craig, a fifteen year old boy, growing up on the Upper East Side. He isn't very popular and has only a few close friends. They are all very smart and as they enroll sophomore year they are introduced to a new high school which only has years eleven and twelve. This high school is extremely competitive; the students that apply have straight As and go to several after-school programs. Craig is eager to get in, so one year ahead of the appliance test, he starts studying every day.

Life goes on and he starts getting depressed as he notices that nowadays all he does is study. He feels that there is so much pressure put on children at such young age. He barely sees his friends anymore and one night, he decides to commit suicide by jumping of the Brooklyn Bridge. On his way there he passes a hospital and instead of killing himself, he enrolls a mental institute at the hospital. There he meets a lot different people. He comes to realize that they all have a lot worse problems than he does. When he is there he meets his future girlfriend, gets a semi-mentor and he meets many other life changing characters. Finally, as he gets out of the institute he quits his competitive high school and soon applies to a art college.

I read this book during the fall of 2010. My age and being in ninth grade at the time are the two key reasons why this book changed me way of viewing life. I could really relate to everything the author wanted to express, Craig applying to high school and me applying to upper secondary school, all the weight that is put on our shoulders, how one's future can depend on a few tests' and essays' results. But as Craig realizes at the mental institute, everything isn't about academics,for example one doesn't have to be the most famous businessman in the world to truly be successful. Instead, being successful is being successful by one's own standards! And it doesn't have to be about work, it could be something you have accomplished personally as well. Also, something that removed some of the pressure on me was that mistakes one makes when one is fifteen isn't going to destroy one's life, instead one should learn from his/her mistakes. This book is very inspiring if you feel that people expect to much of you. After I read this book I don't worry as much about school as I did earlier. I have come to realize academics aren't everything! :D