Blog post #5 Reader Response Theory

Having grown up in a different setting and a different life style then Baby, I found it heard to relate to her experiences.  I grew up with a mother and father who care very much for me and made sure that I had a life that was the best they could give me. Baby on the other hand, had no mother and an absent father who abused drugs. It was difficult finding experiences to mine own, but instead of looking at the bug topics such as prostitution and drugs, I looked at the other things that I could relate to, like fitting in.

I can relate to moving schools and have the excitement of meeting new people in a new environment. I had to move to a new house and a new school because my mom got remarried. Baby had to move to a new apartment and new schools because Jules had misunderstandings with his drug “friends.” “My new school was within walking distance of many more houses, so I didn't have to worry about having enough students. It took up most of the block and was made out of large grey stones, like a museum. I didn't mind changing schools at all and was very optimistic about it.” (O’Neil, 97)

Having Baby as a first person narrative, brought the story to life as if it is happening to you. As she describes what she is feeling, you can put your self in her shoes and sympathies with her and understand why she made he choices she did. Reading through this novel, I like to compare my life to hers. Although they are completely opposite, I find my self-relating to her feelings rather than her experiences.  In elementary school, I was bullied a lot so I felt isolated from everyone else. When Baby was trying to reconnect with her friend Zoe, it turned into Zoe and her friends against Baby. “All of a sudden, without saying where I was going or good-bye or anything like that, I climbed over Greg and out of the car at a red light. I heard Cherie laughing hysterically as I sloshed down the slushy street. Zoe got out of the car and called after me. (O’Neil, 270)

With the society we live in, there are not a lot of thirteen-year-old girls who have been through the experiences that Baby has. Prostitution for example isn’t common for young girls to do to fit in and feel loved and wanted. The way Baby would describe her experiences and emotions with situations, made it feel as if you were right beside her through out the whole book.