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Lori Cannon’s letter to author Alice Sebold, “Lovely Bones”

Dear Alice Sebold,

I have read your book, “Lovely Bones,” and it made me think, and by thinking, I have learned new things about myself.  I look at things in a different light now.  I think of death differently, it has given me the wonderful chance to learn about my world, and the worlds outside of my own.

Once of the things that I see differently is how safe the world is.  Your book reminded me that the world is not always as safe as I would like it to be.  I always need to watch out for myself, and teach others to do the same.  It is scary to think that someone so close could kill and hurt you in those ways.  I am thankful that nothing as drastic as the murder in the book has happened to a person close to me.  I must always remember to watch out for the harmful people in the world; as the book has shown, they can be anyone, even someone that no one would suspect.

Another thing that your book inspired me about is how short life is.  Bad things happen all of the time to people, some of them you have no control over.  At any moment, your life could be taken away from you, and I have to always remember to live my life and not let my life live me.

The book also gave me a new outlook on heaven itself.  Your book shows that there are essentially two steps to heaven.  The first step is to get over being dead, so you can move on to the real heaven.  This is a new idea to me, and it intrigues me.  I would like to think if I did die that I could watch over my family to see what they are doing.  In the book, the main character is able to somehow, when she tries hard enough, to make her family members feel her presence.  That is an awesome thought as well.  I would love for my family and friends, after I’m gone, to be able to feel my presence and to feel the love I have towards them.  I think for me, it would be hard to let my friends and family go.  The idea that I could somehow be their guardian angel, gives me peace of mind.

The last thing that your book has made me think about was how one person affects all different kinds of people.  I never thought about how so many people are connected to one individual.  There are so many people that I am around everyday; family, friends, peers, teachers, and people of the town (that I may not personally know, but they somehow know me).  I am part of their lives everyday, and if I were gone, they would be affected by my absence.  That thought blows my mind.  I never felt important until I started to think about how many people I am around everyday.

In life, there are so many obstacles that everyone has to face.  I have learned so many things in my life thus far, and this book has made me think and learn in many more ways.  Life, death, and everything in between…all combined together to any individual person.  There are so many things I have yet to experience, and I am just grateful that I still have the chance to learn.

Sincerely,
Lori C. Cannon