By Lya Carrera
EDGE Entertainment Contributor
Published Web site: EDGE
Online Version Published Date: April 13, 2006
Online Version Printed Date: May 1, 2006

There has been a lot written about the problems and pressures that teenagers experience today, and the huge gap between them and their parents due to misunderstandings and miscommunications.

The Notebook Girls may be the book to help lessen this gap as the authors-Julie Baskin, Lindsey Newman, Sofie Pollitt-Cohen, and Courtney Toombs-reveal their uncensored thoughts about life, their ordeals, and their celebratory moments as teenagers, and the importance of friendship as a tool to help them change and grow.

In a memoir style format, these four girls-who are now all in college-expressed their views, opinions, and feelings in a 8 1/2 x 11 composition notebook while attending an elite New York public high school called Stuyvesant, located in the borough of Manhattan.

This notebook was passed around, among the four of them, for a period of about two years in order to stay connected with each another in between their classes, social events, and relationships.

It became a journal of their lives, and in it they revealed their issues, such as their insecurities and obsessions; they analyzed their relationships with boys and their parents; they discussed world events, such as New York’s terrorist attacks in 2001 and blackout in 2003; and they talked about their experiential behaviors, such as sex with boys, sex with girls, and drugs, specifically marijuana.

Overall, the notebook served to assist these four young girls in carving out their identities during their teenage years.
“We can all look back at ourselves (and one another) and point out times when we weren’t the best versions of ourselves, but if nothing else, be better people for it,” said Lindsey Newman, one of the authors. “But I guess that’s what adolescence is-a series of painful self realizations and awkward moments, all for the purpose of learning about yourself, so that you can grow to become a better person and better understand life.”

And it was effective. Each girl documented her own growing pains and self-realizations.

For Baskin, it was coming to terms with her sexuality. Although, she was a major supporter of GLBT rights, she made it clear that she was not gay. Later on, she questioned her sexuality and found the courage to explore her feelings; she eventually became involved with another girl. The relationship did not last long, but she acknowledged the fact that she was bisexual to herself and to her friends.

For Newman, it was overcoming her shyness. This was evident in her entries. In the beginning, she did not voice an opinion, but as she became more comfortable with herself, she began to articulate her thoughts. She became outspoken and commented on various world events, such as the Iraq War and the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001.

For Pollitt-Cohen, it was gaining her own self-respect and acceptance regarding her body image, her weight, and relationships with boys. For example, in one entry she stated that she hated her body and society’s unacceptable standard of beauty. She wrote about her doubts, anxieties, and anger. Her friends validated her feelings and supported her as she worked through her emotions. In the end, with the help of her friends, she learned to accept her body.

Finally, for Toombs, it was the pot smoking. Although the others smoked as well, it seemed to have affected her the most. She was an experienced smoker, so when she had a bad reaction to it one night-to the point that she had to ask her parents for help-she became very frightened. This incident taught her the real dangers of smoking this drug and she decided to quit.

I found it interesting to learn that even in prestigious educational institutions, drugs and alcohol were prevalent. I had assumed that they were not because smart kids would have the intelligence to know better not to do it. The authors had dispelled my misconceptions and made it clear that teenagers, regardless of economics, class, or race, are susceptible to these destructive influences.

Despite these difficult growing pains, they were successful in keeping the tone of the book light and funny through their photos, drawings, comments to each other, and the “Words of Wisdom” page. This page contained the oxymoron comments that were made by the authors and others, like this one stated by Baskin, “I feel like blind people are always watching me.”

These features not only kept the tone playful but also enhanced my experience as a reader and made me remember my high school years. Even the front and inside jacket of the book-which resembled the notebook used in high school-contributed to my memory of those formative times.

On a similar note, they also made it easy to understand their world by including a rough drawing of Manhattan, a description of the places they frequented, and the social class structure at Stuyvesant.

This book is interesting to read because it is humorous, sad, thought provoking, and brutally honest even though the reading level is young and it is targeted toward young adults.

It has similar themes, but it is not as intense, to the movie Thirteen-which is about an intelligent, teenage girl who spirals downward when she befriends another girl who introduces her to drugs and petty crimes; and to the book, The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (by Ann Brashares), a novel about the friendship and support of four teenage girls.

In general, this book would be helpful to teenagers (boys and girls) and parents: for teenage girls, it will help them understand they are not alone in their issues; for teenage boys, it will help them understand the opposite sex; and for parents, it may give them insight into the minds of teenage girls and help them find the best way to approach them when things become difficult.

The authors will appear on April 13, 2006 on CNN-TV’s “Showbiz Tonight” and NBC’s “The Today Show.” On April 14, 2006, they will appear on New York’s “WB Morning News” and will be doing a book reading/signing at New York’s “Borders Bookstore” on Columbus Circle at 7 p.m.

In print publications, you can read about them in the April issues’ of “Teen People,” “Teen Vogue,” and “Ellegirl,” and in the May issue of “Vanity Fair. For more information, please connect to www.thenotebookqirls.com.

Publisher: Warner Books. Publishing Location: New York. Publishing Date: April 2006. Pages: 352. Format: Paperback. Price: $22.95. ISBN: 0446578622.

By Lya Carrera
EDGE Entertainment Contributor
Published Web site: EDGE
Online Version Published Date: April 6, 2006
Online Version Printed Date: April 6, 2006

As the debate of gay marriage, gay parenting, and being gay continues throughout the world, many opponents are doing their part to keep the status quo, while proponents are trying to not only challenge it but change it as well. All Aboard! Rosie’s Family Cruise is one documentary trying to make a difference for gay rights, specifically for gay parents.

Directed by Emmy nominee, Shari Cook (Living Dolls: The Making of a Child Beauty Queen), and executive produced by former talk show host, Rosie O’Donnell, and her spouse, Kelli O’Donnell, this film shows a glimpse into the world of gay and lesbian families via vignettes of selected passengers, including the O’Donnell’s and their four kids.

“[It] reminds us that families can come in all shapes and sizes and that the things we all have in common far outweigh our differences,” said Rosie O’Donnell in an HBO interview.

Content

The first of its kind, the film chronicles the seven-day gay and lesbian family cruise in the summer of 2004. The ship - the Norwegian Dawn (one of the largest cruise ships in the world) -sailed from New York City to the Bahamas, with further stops in Key West, Great Stirrup Cay, and Nassau.

The film interweaves the personal narratives with snippets of the day’s activities, such as swimming and dancing to the evening entertainment, such as shows featuring songs from Broadway musicals or movies and comedic performances by the “Queen of Nice” herself and others.

The film also captures the welcome reception the guests received in Key West [Fla.] and the prejudice they encountered by protests groups in Nassau as well as a peek into the forums and panels organized on the cruise.

Analysis

This film sends a clear message and Rosie O’Donnell sums it up in an on-line interview with “Cruise-Reviews.”

“All families deserve respect and all families are bound by love. We’re all equal,” she said. “I think the film shows that the sexual orientation of a parent has nothing do with the ability to parent.”

O’Donnell’s point of view is clearly supported by the scenes depicted in the film of gay and lesbian parents not only kissing and hugging their children but also laughing, playing, talking, and dining with them.

Her perspective is further supported by the testimonials of the teenagers and young adults who are straight.

Megan Jocaby, 20, is the daughter of a lesbian couple, who says that her mother’s partner has been more of a parent than her own father.

“She [Jane, her mother’s partner] has shown me what it is like to have two parents who love and respect me,” she said.

Another testimonial is from New Yorker, Hope Steinman-Iacullo, 17, who is the adopted daughter of a gay couple. She says that she knows that she will always be loved and accepted by her parents.

“I think people need to overcome the stereotypes that they place on us. Once they do, they can see that we are just like them and we are perfectly normal” she said.

It is these types of statements along with the demonstrative love and support shown throughout the film which are effective in driving the other points that this piece is trying to convey-although gay families are different, they are normal; and that gay parents have good parenting skills.

What is also being conveyed is the humanness of the gay community via universal themes through the testimonials of the adults themselves.

For example, the joys and frustrations of pregnancy is the same for everyone regardless of sex, gender, or orientation. This is evident when a lesbian couple - Amy Courtney and Rhonda Sherpy - experience a loss and begin to cry when they find out that they won’t be having a baby. Eventually they find a male couple to be their sperm donors.

On another note, the two seminars offered on the cruise were effective in enhancing the understanding of the challenges that gay parents face on several fronts. It also brought more awareness to these issues.

One seminar talked about the difficulties of adoption for gay parents, and their options to Increase their chances of obtaining a child.

The other seminar talked about the difficulties for gay male parents. Wayne Steinman and Sal lacullo recounted their experiences of almost being arrested on suspicion of kidnapping because they were two men traveling with a child, and they were trying to keep her quiet and entertained. They did feel that if they were two women, it would not have happened.

What is also interesting to know are the experiences that the children of gay parents had with others because they were raised by them. For example, one teen stated that she couldn’t do her family tree because her family was not considered a family.

Background

O’Donnell says that the idea originated when she and Kelli were in Provincetown, [Mass.] for family week. She felt so emotionally fulfilled that she wanted to do something on a yearly basis. Greg Kaminsky, Kelli’s friend, was present at that time, and he had suggested booking a cruise ship. O’Donnell agreed.

Then, the O’Donnell’s and Greg Kaminsky formed the company, R Family Vacations, targeting the GLBT community, their family, and friends-not excluding singles or heterosexual individuals-for family vacation packages.

“We wanted to create an environment where gay families could express themselves in the open,” said O’Donnell in an interview with canada.com. “It was very moving. We had no idea if it would work. We sort of operated on the principle that if you build it, they will come.”

And come they did-sixteen hundred people boarded the cruise that year. Many already felt its impact on their lives the very first day.

One such lesbian mother said, ‘There aren’t a lot places where we can go and celebrate since we are a mixed family … I never felt this free.”

Looking Ahead

The success of the first trip helped spark interest for future voyages, and the interest did not only come from the GLBT community.

“Right now, the biggest growth rate we’re seeing is in the Straight families,” O’Donnell said in an interview with canada.com. “At first, it was a 75-25 [percent in 2004], then it was like 60-40 [percent in 2005], now it’s like 50-50 [percent] because people have so much fun, they rebook with their brother’s family, and their kids … it keeps growing.”

O’Donnell says that there are two cruises slated for this year-one to Alaska in the summer and another to the Galapagos Islands in late fall.

Lya Carrera is currently interning at EDGE. She attended Wellesley College for undergraduate school and studied journalism at Emerson College. She can be reached at lcarrera30@aol.com.