Dear Bill, Remember Me? and Other Stories

This book with it's extraordinary series of short stories and memorable characters touched my heart and soul when I was a teenager. I have never ever forgotten this book and I grieved when my mom accidently threw out my box full of stuff (with this book in said box) after I joined the Army. The internet has been a magical place to locate long lost friends. Including this book. :)

In "Chocolate Pudding", the story focuses on the life of Chrissy, a young girl living with her alcoholic father and uncle. Lacking comfort in her relationships with people, Chrissy finds it in devouring chocolate pudding (a profound metaphor to be interpreted in any number of ways by the reader.) But Chrissy discovers that the pudding is not enough to satisfy her loneliness. Only when she develops an unexpected friendship is this hole filled.

This collection of 8 young adult stories contains some of the most thoughtful and sensitive material that I have ever read! Though at times the author is needlessly depressing; there are other times of small, rewarding redemptions. "UP ON FONG MOUNTAIN" tells the story of Jessie, a girl forced to write in a journal for an English assignment. In the journal entries, the reader learns about Jessie's blossoming romance with controlling, but intriguing BD and how she decides to deal with it. "PETER IN THE PARK" is one of the most heart-wrenching stories I have ever read in my entire life. It is about a friendship between a naive little girl and a stranger she meets in the park. Sure, it is realistic and the feelings are true and honest; but, the ending leaves a chilling outlook on what life can be like if we do not seize our opportunities. I feel that this incredibly sad ending was too excessive and I thought about it for some time. "SOMETHING EXPENSIVE" is about a push-over type of girl whose existence is apparently dependent on the goodness of her mother.. When she learns that her mother is far from being a perfect angel, her life falls apart. She realizes that she must learn to stand on her own. "MIMI THE FISH" is just a space-filler in this otherwise great collection. It is a somewhat typical story of Mimi, a girl with an embarassing family, who has a chance with the boy of her dreams. There are some funny moments, but this story does not leave any kind of impact. "DEAR BILL, REMEMBER ME?" is a series of letters from Kathy to her older sister's ex-boyfriend-of-long-ago, Bill. Kathy is still in love with Bill. After many years of not hearing from him, she wants one last chance to express her feelings before his wedding. "CHOCOLATE PUDDING"----THE BEST STORY IN THIS COLLECTION!!! Chrissy has a sad life--she lives in a dumpy trailer with her alcoholic father and uncle who sporadically leave her alone. She has little in her life and has never fit in with her classmates. The only joy in Chrissy's life is chocolate pudding, until she has a chance to share this passion with an unexpected friend. The two stories I did not read were "Guess Whose Friendly Hands" and "Zelzah: a tale from long ago". I think that it is safe to say that the 6 stories I did read do not pretend that teen-age life is "sugar and spice and everything nice". NO WAY. There is plenty of salt and vinegar in these stories. In some respect, the stories are like what you might be expected to read in a high school English class. However, since you are not forced to think or reflect on the significance of the stories, you actually WANT to, believe it or not