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panda_incognito 's review for:
Harriet the Spy
by Louise Fitzhugh
This book recently came up in conversation between me and my sister, and I have to say, of all the books I've ever hated, this one had the most positive impact on my life. With Harriet, I got a glimpse into the kind of hateful, awful person I could be if I gave into my worst impulses, and it helped shape my conscience right before I began to consistently keep a journal.
I sometimes wrote unkind things about other people, but when I did, I focused on venting about their observable behavior. Unlike Harriet, I did not snoop on people, cruelly speculate about anyone's thoughts or home life, or write rude things just for the sake of being nasty. Even when I gave way to complete vitriol, I was still focused on publicly observable facts, and I wasn't motivated by sheer mean-spirited nastiness.
I remember finding this book deeply uncomfortable and disturbing. Although it was realistic in many ways, I thought that it was unnecessarily dark, and no one was truly likeable. I made it to the end out of my sense of curiosity and tension, and shuddered and felt terrible over Harriet's experiences as people discovered her notebook. What followed was an honest look into what could have been my future, and even though Harriet didn't learn any real lessons from her behavior, I did. I got a harsh, unforgiving look at the dark path that I could go down if I indulged all of my worst inclinations, and the memory of this book has made me a better, more circumspect person in all of my writing.
I sometimes wrote unkind things about other people, but when I did, I focused on venting about their observable behavior. Unlike Harriet, I did not snoop on people, cruelly speculate about anyone's thoughts or home life, or write rude things just for the sake of being nasty. Even when I gave way to complete vitriol, I was still focused on publicly observable facts, and I wasn't motivated by sheer mean-spirited nastiness.
I remember finding this book deeply uncomfortable and disturbing. Although it was realistic in many ways, I thought that it was unnecessarily dark, and no one was truly likeable. I made it to the end out of my sense of curiosity and tension, and shuddered and felt terrible over Harriet's experiences as people discovered her notebook. What followed was an honest look into what could have been my future, and even though Harriet didn't learn any real lessons from her behavior, I did. I got a harsh, unforgiving look at the dark path that I could go down if I indulged all of my worst inclinations, and the memory of this book has made me a better, more circumspect person in all of my writing.