The number one question I get from kids at school visits every single time. It’s usually the first question they ask is, are you still friends with Megan, who’s my best friend in the graphic novel? And I tell them that, yes, we’re still friends. And that I text her all the time and she knows about the book. And I showed her the book before it got published and that she was so excited about it. And I think they love hearing that. I think they love knowing that people that they’re friends with now, maybe they’ll still be friends with them 35 years later, but it also, I think shows me that I must have conveyed to them how close we were. I think when I think back about that time, I just think about how important that friendship was for me. And they must have gotten that out of the book, gleaned that from the book, that we were so close and our relationship was so intertwined, which makes me very happy.
Of course. And then what other things do they take away? I mean, they’re all appalled that, oh, we had to try out in front of the whole school, and that students voted on who could make the squad. They can’t believe that we did that. They relate to that. I hear a lot from kids, they’ll come up and say, I ran for student council. They want me to know that they put themselves out there too. And I think that’s a big theme of the book also, is you, gosh, I mean, at that time of your life, you are putting yourself out there every day. Even if you’re not trying out for sports or auditioning for a role in the play or something. I mean, just showing up and going to class at that time of your life, you have got to put on a brave face to just even walk in the door someday of your school. So I hope that comes through too, that they know that we recognize that they’re so brave.
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