As a girl in my late teens, I loved to read pocketbooks whether it is English or written in my own language which is Filipino. My favorite Filipino author is Martha Cecilia. She is currently writing for the Precious Heart Romances, my favorite distributor of Filipino pocketbooks. On the other hand, my favorite English author is Julie Garwood and Sidney Sheldon. They are awesome in different ways. Sidney Sheldon's books describe life as solitary, poor, nasty, brutish, and short as what Hobbes said. Julie Garwood's novels are always a happy ending, and as a teen, of course, I would believe these things. Of course I know that her works are just fiction. But teens like me can't help but believe what we read and saw right?
So until I haven't entered my college that I still believe that life is like what Garwood describe in her novels. I first stumble on her novel in my junior year. I used to be a Book Lover's Club member. When one boring day and I was in charge to be on duty, I had seen her novel entitled Ransom. It has a great cover which really caught my attention. As I began to read it, it describes the life of a woman which is English who falls for a Highlander who hate Englishmen.
Julie Garwood describes in almost of her novels chivalry and love. And I used to believe that. I used to believe that life is full of colors and it is full of fun but then now I was awaken. Life is not a bed of roses. Life is unfair in all aspects and it would always be. In our generation, there is no such thing as chivalry. Most of the teens in the world right now live in urban areas, in cities, where as a matter of fact, I am referring as the reality. I am not living in Highlands where there are brave and handsome men who were ready to fight for the woman they love and ready to set wars between clans. Men who live in cities are most not exercise chivalry. If there were men who exercise that they can be counted on hands.
I am not against on what Garwood is writing, in fact I idolize the way she writes, and it's just that the teens should be critical on what they're reading. Also I am not against to those Highlanders. Actually, I am looking forward to meet some of them someday. But most of all, I don't think that in our generation, where all the teens are liberated and got pregnant at a very young age, that love exists.
Most marry because of money, fame, power, ambition, and own interests. So where is love? What I am trying to say is that teens should be out of the allegory of the cave. That's all my point.
