Life
is a labyrinth of trouble and disaster for the late-90s teenager, Mary Rose, as
told through her numerous personal journal entries. Dear Nobody: The True Diary of Mary Rose is an unaltered version of
the teen’s struggles, put together by journalists, Gillian McCain & Legs
McNeil. In the book, Rose describes her true feelings and dangerous daily
encounters, such as drugs, bullying, and relationship abuse – all encapsulated
in her diary. Rose’s issues at home with her mother’s abusive boyfriend lead to
daily hard-drug use, and drinking, which cause her to end up in a
rehabilitation center. For example, on Rose’s third night home from her 31-day
stay at the Curon Rehabilitation Center, her mother’s boyfriend, Joe, calls,
asking to speak to the mother. Rose is taken back by the nerve he has, and
describes her worried feelings, comparing Joe’s request to the following: “It’s
like telling her (Rose’s mother) to go ahead and dress yourself up as whore […]
It’s like telling her to go ahead and hang out at some shitty bar while her
daughter sits at home all alone” (McCain & McNeil 74). Rose goes on to list
more juxtapositions, all of which retain to the risk that Joes poses on her mother.
By doing so, Rose clarifies why she should not give her mother the message that
Joe called. Furthermore, Rose’s choice in this particular situation supports
the overall purpose, to do what is in her own best interest. By writing down
her negative experiences and poor choices, the author is presumably trying to
warn her adolescent audience not to make the same mistakes; the right decisions
will end up benefitting their interest. So far, due to the numerous consequences
that Rose faces, any attentive reader would understand that Rose is clearly in
the wrong to harm herself in the ways that she does, but (current) Rose
herself, has still yet to learn that.
Visual: http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-03/science-psas-do-anti-drug-ads-keep-kids-drugs
Caption: "Pressure Leads to Poor Decisions"
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