--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have gotten one question repeatedly…" description: "\"“I have gotten one question repeatedly from young men. These are guys who liked the book, but they are honestly confused. They ask me why Melinda was s..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png" --- # I have gotten one question repeatedly from young men… ![“I have gotten one question repeatedly from young men. These are guys who liked the book, but they are honestly confused. They ask me why Melinda was so upset about being raped.” quote by Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png) > ““I have gotten one question repeatedly from young men. These are guys who liked the book, but they are honestly confused. They ask me why Melinda was so upset about being raped.”” [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Young men are confused about a character’s reaction to trauma, highlighting gaps in empathy. **In simple terms:** Men often misunderstand trauma responses. Key Takeaway Seek deeper empathy for survivors. Themes trauma empathy gender dynamics Mood empathetic inquisitive Type educational reflective When to use this quote - education curricula - support groups - media analysis Key Concepts psychology of victimhood social awareness Questions to Reflect On - Why do we struggle to empathize with victims? - How can literature improve understanding of trauma? A Different Perspective Empathy gaps stem from societal narratives. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Young men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/young-men/) ## Related quotes > [We just had a bunch of guys who liked each other, and we worked well together and sacrificed to win ball games. It was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vernon-law/we-just-had-a-bunch-of-guys-who-liked-each-other-and-we-worked-well/) [Vernon Law](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vernon-law/) > [It was a great time, and I liked the guys. I liked getting up every morning and being a cop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-farina/it-was-a-great-time-and-i-liked-the-guys-i-liked-getting-up-every/) [Dennis Farina](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-farina/) > [I knew I was different. I thought that I might be gay or something because I couldn't identify with any of the guys at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-cobain/i-knew-i-was-different-i-thought-that-i-might-be-gay-or-something/) [Kurt Cobain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-cobain/) > [Hector Elizondo and Adam Arkin were two guys I liked a lot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamey-sheridan/hector-elizondo-and-adam-arkin-were-two-guys-i-liked-a-lot/) [Jamey Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamey-sheridan/) > [We were the band guys who liked All Time Low and they had lots of girl fans and now we are seeing those band…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-hemmings/we-were-the-band-guys-who-liked-all-time-low-and-they-had-lots-of/) [Luke Hemmings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luke-hemmings/) > [The only reason why 30 guys liked your picture is because they can see right down your shirt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-reason-why-30-guys-liked-your-picture-is-because-they-can/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [So let me get this straight,” Carter said. “The two guys you liked—one who was dying and one who was off-limits because he’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/so-let-me-get-this-straight-carter-said-the-two-guys-you-liked-one/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [When I was a teen, I was never really into the captain of the football team or the student body president. The guys I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/when-i-was-a-teen-i-was-never-really-into-the-captain-of-the-football/) [Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/) > [I was never a boy magnet at school. There was always the girl all the guys liked and wanted to date, but it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taylor-swift/i-was-never-a-boy-magnet-at-school-there-was-always-the-girl-all-the/) [Taylor Swift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/taylor-swift/) > [The game business arose from computer programs that were written by and for young men in the late 1960s and early 1970s. They worked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brenda-laurel/the-game-business-arose-from-computer-programs-that-were-written-by/) [Brenda Laurel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brenda-laurel/) > [ \[D\]on't grow old. With age comes caution, which is another name for cowardice… Whatever else you do in life, don't cultivate a conscience. Without… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hesketh-pearson/d-on-t-grow-old-with-age-comes-caution-which-is-another-name-for/) [Hesketh Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hesketh-pearson/) > [Young men have strong passions and tend to gratify them indiscriminately. Of the bodily desires, it is the sexual by which they are most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/young-men-have-strong-passions-and-tend-to-gratify-them/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [We have the power, as lawmakers, to find ways to support our young men and identify solutions to the hardships they regularly experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-mcbath/we-have-the-power-as-lawmakers-to-find-ways-to-support-our-young-men/) [Lucy McBath](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-mcbath/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) ## More by Laurie Halse Anderson > [“The word ghost sounds like memory. The word therapy means exorcism”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/the-word-ghost-sounds-like-memory-the-word-therapy-means-exorcism/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Censorship is the child of fear and the father of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/censorship-is-the-child-of-fear-and-the-father-of-ignorance/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“I have this halfway place, a rest stop on the road to sleep, where I can stay for hours. I don't even need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-this-halfway-place-a-rest-stop-on-the-road-to-sleep-where-i/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I can see us, living in the woods, her wearing that A, me with a S maybe, S for silent, S for stupid, for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-can-see-us-living-in-the-woods-her-wearing-that-a-me-with-a-s-maybe/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Eating plain toast will detonate her. "I'll have some honey." When the bread is done I scrape on a microscopic layer of it and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/eating-plain-toast-will-detonate-her-i-ll-have-some-honey-when-the/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [Cutting pain was a different flavor of hurt. It made it easier not to think about having my body and my family and my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/cutting-pain-was-a-different-flavor-of-hurt-it-made-it-easier-not-to/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I am learning how to be angry and sad and lonely and joyful and excited and afraid and happy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-learning-how-to-be-angry-and-sad-and-lonely-and-joyful-and/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“Leaning against my father, the sadness finally broke open inside me, hollowing out my heart and leaving me bleeding. My feet felt rooted in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/leaning-against-my-father-the-sadness-finally-broke-open-inside-me/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I like cheeseburgers too much to be a model.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-like-cheeseburgers-too-much-to-be-a-model/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I am getting better at smiling when people expect it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-am-getting-better-at-smiling-when-people-expect-it/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“All that crap you hear on TV about communication and expressing feelings is a lie. Nobody really wants to hear what you have to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/all-that-crap-you-hear-on-tv-about-communication-and-expressing/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I doubt trees are ever told to 'be the screwed-up ninth-grader.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-doubt-trees-are-ever-told-to-be-the-screwed-up-ninth-grader/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“It was the most eloquent silence I ever heard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/it-was-the-most-eloquent-silence-i-ever-heard/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [I've dealt with depression my entire life, on and off, which makes me the perfect author for teenage readers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-ve-dealt-with-depression-my-entire-life-on-and-off-which-makes-me/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) > [“What did it feel like to die? Was it a peaceful sleep? Some thought it was full of either trumpet-blowing angels or angry devils.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/what-did-it-feel-like-to-die-was-it-a-peaceful-sleep-some-thought-it/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) [Explore all 437 Laurie Halse Anderson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I have gotten one question repeatedly from young men. These are guys who liked the book, but they are honestly confused. They ask me why Melinda was so upset about being raped.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Laurie Halse Anderson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-from-young-men-these-are-guys/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-from-young-men-these-are-guys/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/22d/laurie-halse-anderson-623_books_i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-fr_1381178.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have gotten one question repeatedly from young men. These are guys who liked the book, but they are…” — Laurie Halse Anderson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Laurie Halse Anderson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“I have gotten one question repeatedly...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-from-young-men-these-are-guys/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-have-gotten-one-question-repeatedly-from-young-men-these-are-guys/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```