I am infatuated with the memoir and corresponding Broadway musical Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic. Alison Bechdel wrote and illustrated this story as a graphic novel—an unusual, but perfect format for the journey of her “coming out,” and her relationship with her closeted gay, but surprisingly unsupportive, father. Moving easily between the periods of Alison’s life, we see the little-girl version of Alison as part of a quirky, but typical family—mother, father, and two brothers, then the adult Alison of today who remembers with embarrassment her journey toward a sexual identity.

“Do you have a girlfriend yet?” my dad asks my younger brother. My brother laughs and shakes his head, but I am left to wonder. Why does my dad make the assumption that all boys are interested in girls? And it’s not just him. 

I am my best self when I’m on stage. There, I can escape from whatever curveballs life throws. I can be whoever I want: a magical witch, an inner-city youth, a nightclub performer, even a Wickersham monkey or a horse’s behind. Whether acting, singing, or playing an instrument, every performance gives me the opportunity to show what I’m capable of. However, my desire for the limelight didn’t reveal itself immediately. What is now my passion used to be my worst nightmare.

Some people believe access to new mobile technologies is causing people to question whether reading traditional literature is important. These advancements of technology are a very positive event in our society. However, there are negative aspects of these changes that are clearly being noticed in the world today. 

The number of rapes in Liberia has increased by a large number in the last decade, as has the number of rapes across the globe. Twenty-seven million people have been raped worldwide, and the majority of victims have been women. Women in Liberia are often forced to become sex slaves, performing sexual favors to earn money for their families.