“Numbers” by Laura Woodland focuses on self-respect. In this memoir, Laura shows how she felt when she got her choir dress size in front of 35 girls. She explains that to her teacher, Laura’s size was just a number, but to Laura, it meant a lot more than that. After this experience, Laura realized that she was not as healthy as she could be.
Laura exercised a lot over the summer, but she overworked herself. She didn’t have any energy, and began to lose color in her skin. Despite this, Laura continued to exercise. She didn’t believe in herself, and thought every compliment she received was fake.
I thought this was a well written memoir because Laura encompasses a problem that is popular with middle and high school students: self-respect. Students compare themselves to their peers, and after a while they think that everyone is better than them. This can cause people to harm themselves. People with no self-respect can form unhealthy habits that endanger their health, and sometimes their life. Respecting yourself is extremely important, and is essential to living a good life.