--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: At the time I was, and would continue to…" description: "\"“At the time I was, and would continue to be for many years, obsessed with the Sweet Valley High books. I read them voraciously because I was nothing l..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/roxane-gay-520_bad-boy_at-the-time-i-was-and-would-continue-to_2957321.png" --- # At the time I was, and would continue to be for many… ![“At the time I was, and would continue to be for many years, obsessed with the Sweet Valley High books. I read them voraciously because I was nothing like Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield or even Enid Rollins. I would never date a boy like Todd Wilkins, the handsome captain of the basketball team…” quote by Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/roxane-gay-520_bad-boy_at-the-time-i-was-and-would-continue-to_2957321.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/roxane-gay-520_bad-boy_at-the-time-i-was-and-would-continue-to_2957321.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bf0/roxane-gay-520_bad-boy_at-the-time-i-was-and-would-continue-to_2957321.png) > ““At the time I was, and would continue to be for many years, obsessed with the Sweet Valley High books. I read them voraciously because I was nothing like Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield or even Enid Rollins. I would never date a boy like Todd Wilkins, the handsome captain of the basketball team, or Bruce Patman, the handsome, wealthy bad boy of Sweet Valley. When I read the books, though, I could pretend that a better life was possible for me, one where I fit in somewhere, anywhere, and I had friends and a handsome boyfriend and a loving family who knew everything about me. In a better life, I could pretend I was a good girl.”” [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. She used popular teen novels to imagine an alternate self, highlighting how media can offer escapist hope and identity exploration. **In simple terms:** She imagined a different life through books. Key Takeaway Use stories to explore possibilities. Themes identity escapism media influence self‑discovery Mood nostalgic reflective Type inspirational personal When to use this quote - teen reading - personal growth - self‑esteem building - cultural critique Key Concepts narrative imagination social comparison Questions to Reflect On - What aspects of the story resonated most with you? - How can you translate imagined ideals into realistic goals? A Different Perspective Fiction may set unrealistic expectations for real life. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad boy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-boy/) [Basketball team](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/basketball-team/) [Better life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-life/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Loving family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/loving-family/) [Obsessed Sweet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/obsessed-sweet-4486064/) [Sweet Valley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sweet-valley-693656/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) [Todd Wilkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/todd-wilkins-4486066/) [Valley Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/valley-read-4486065/) ## Related quotes > [When I first thought of the idea for 'Sweet Valley High,' I loved the idea of high school as microcosm of the real world.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/when-i-first-thought-of-the-idea-for-sweet-valley-high-i-loved-the/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [She had me at Sweet Valley High. Gay playfully crosses the borders between pop culture consumer and critic, between serious academic and lighthearted sister-girl,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-harris-perry/she-had-me-at-sweet-valley-high-gay-playfully-crosses-the-borders/) [Melissa Harris-Perry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-harris-perry/) > [I love 'Sweet Valley,' but I love it from a different angle. There are people for whom it is their adolescence. They own it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/i-love-sweet-valley-but-i-love-it-from-a-different-angle-there-are/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [“I'll move mountains to live in your sweet valley"-King”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nona-day/i-ll-move-mountains-to-live-in-your-sweet-valley-king/) [Nona Day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nona-day/) > ['Sweet Valley High' is fantastic, fabulous, a little bit campy, and - dare I say it - cinematic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diablo-cody/sweet-valley-high-is-fantastic-fabulous-a-little-bit-campy-and-dare-i/) [Diablo Cody](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diablo-cody/) > [“I just can’t wait to get out of Sweet Valley,' Jessica explained. 'I feel like I’ve been dancing with the same ten cute guys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-pascal/i-just-can-t-wait-to-get-out-of-sweet-valley-jessica-explained-i-feel/) [Francine Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-pascal/) > [“Everyone was so worried about me when I broke my ankle and it confused me. I have a huge, loving family and a solid…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/everyone-was-so-worried-about-me-when-i-broke-my-ankle-and-it/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Everyone in the world needs someone they can depend on. Be their faithful friends, determined advocates, or a loving family. But occasionally in life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice/everyone-in-the-world-needs-someone-they-can-depend-on-be-their/) [Mary Alice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice/) > [Righteous marriage is a commandment and an essential step in the process of creating a loving family relationship that can be perpetuated beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-a-bednar/righteous-marriage-is-a-commandment-and-an-essential-step-in-the/) [David A. Bednar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-a-bednar/) > [Being popular is the most important thing in the world!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/homer/being-popular-is-the-most-important-thing-in-the-world/) [Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/homer/) > [I'm blessed with fabulous friends and a loving family!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-m-blessed-with-fabulous-friends-and-a-loving-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It's a lot to do with the Marvel ecosystem. It's different from the traditional studio system. Because it is, for how absurdly, incredibly successful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-pascal/it-s-a-lot-to-do-with-the-marvel-ecosystem-it-s-different-from-the/) [Amy Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-pascal/) > [Happiness makes a home. Big or small. New or old. All it needs is a loving family to make a house a home.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/happiness-makes-a-home-big-or-small-new-or-old-all-it-needs-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“if you wan to love the world go home and start loving your family”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-terisa/if-you-wan-to-love-the-world-go-home-and-start-loving-your-family/) [M.terisa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-terisa/) > [A loving family provides the foundation children need to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-bunning/a-loving-family-provides-the-foundation-children-need-to-succeed/) [Jim Bunning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-bunning/) ## More by Roxane Gay > [“Human endurance fascinates me, probably too much because more often than not, I think of life in terms of enduring instead of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/human-endurance-fascinates-me-probably-too-much-because-more-often/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Being useful was a balm.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/being-useful-was-a-balm/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [No woman or man is any one thing and the men in my stories, well, some of them are good and some of them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/no-woman-or-man-is-any-one-thing-and-the-men-in-my-stories-well-some/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I was a daydreamer and I resented being pulled out of my daydreams to deal with the business of living.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-was-a-daydreamer-and-i-resented-being-pulled-out-of-my-daydreams-to/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Feminism is, I hope, a way to a better future for everyone who inhabits this world. Feminism should not be something that needs a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/feminism-is-i-hope-a-way-to-a-better-future-for-everyone-who-inhabits/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Fiction offers escape but it also interrogates the world we live in, whether the past, present or future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/fiction-offers-escape-but-it-also-interrogates-the-world-we-live-in/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I've noticed while cooking, how ingredients in their individual and naked state and be a bit repulsive but necessary, kind of like people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-ve-noticed-while-cooking-how-ingredients-in-their-individual-and/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I shouted, “This is not right,” knowing my words were useless. There’s no room for such distinctions in a country where too many people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-shouted-this-is-not-right-knowing-my-words-were-useless-there-s-no/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Most of my favorite tweets go completely ignored but most of my favorite tweets are probably really lame or inside jokes between me and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/most-of-my-favorite-tweets-go-completely-ignored-but-most-of-my/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“What about other women of color? For Hispanic and Latina women, Indian women, Middle Eastern women, Asian women, their absence in popular culture is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/what-about-other-women-of-color-for-hispanic-and-latina-women-indian/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [There has been, and there will continue to be, vigorous discussions about race in America. I worry that little will come of these discussions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/there-has-been-and-there-will-continue-to-be-vigorous-discussions/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [Writing, at its best and truest, can offer solace and salvation for both readers and writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/writing-at-its-best-and-truest-can-offer-solace-and-salvation-for/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“I knew I was in love with The Hunger Games when I did not want to get off the treadmill”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/i-knew-i-was-in-love-with-the-hunger-games-when-i-did-not-want-to-get/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Just because you survive something does not mean you are strong.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/just-because-you-survive-something-does-not-mean-you-are-strong/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) > [“Celebrities understand the economy of thinness, and most of them are willing to participate in that economy, taking to social media, where they pose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roxane-gay/celebrities-understand-the-economy-of-thinness-and-most-of-them-are/) [Roxane Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) [Explore all 503 Roxane Gay quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roxane-gay/) ## More Bad boy quotes > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“I know the guy your parents don't like is exactly the kind of guy you think you want. But the idea of the bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shana-norris/i-know-the-guy-your-parents-don-t-like-is-exactly-the-kind-of-guy-you/) [Shana Norris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shana-norris/) > [I like the bad-boy types. Generally the guy I'm attracted to is the guy in the club with all the tattoos and nail polish.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megan-fox/i-like-the-bad-boy-types-generally-the-guy-i-m-attracted-to-is-the/) [Megan Fox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megan-fox/) > [“I looked down at the doors of the forbidden Dorms and studiously examined the bulletin boards covered with incomprehensible information about events and rules…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/piper-kerman/i-looked-down-at-the-doors-of-the-forbidden-dorms-and-studiously/) [Piper Kerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/piper-kerman/) > [You're my bad boy fairytale Since jamming with the dark side I wanna be your bad girl You bring out my wild side Your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/selena-gomez/you-re-my-bad-boy-fairytale-since-jamming-with-the-dark-side-i-wanna/) [Selena Gomez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/selena-gomez/) > [--Hero!? Forget it! We're Pirates! I love heroes but I don't wanna become one! Do you even know what it takes to be a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eiichiro-oda/hero-forget-it-we-re-pirates-i-love-heroes-but-i-don-t-wanna-become/) [Eiichiro Oda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eiichiro-oda/) > [The biggest misconception about me is the bad-boy image that everyone stuck me into due to my tattoos, drug days and the constant changes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-mclean/the-biggest-misconception-about-me-is-the-bad-boy-image-that-everyone/) [A. J. McLean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-mclean/) > [I just like guys who have an edge to them. But it could go either way. Like, I have been into the surfer blond…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ashley-tisdale/i-just-like-guys-who-have-an-edge-to-them-but-it-could-go-either-way/) [Ashley Tisdale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ashley-tisdale/) > [“If there was a bad guy we could appeal to the people because, like it or not, we, the huddled masses, want our public…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-carter/if-there-was-a-bad-guy-we-could-appeal-to-the-people-because-like-it/) [Bill Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-carter/) > [We started this together, Leo. Seems only right you come along. You find us a ride, you're in." "Yes!" Leo pumped his fist. \*…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/we-started-this-together-leo-seems-only-right-you-come-along-you-find/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [The paranormal bad boy is usually a fiercely loyal partner for the heroine. Once his sights are set on her, he doesn't notice other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeaniene-frost/the-paranormal-bad-boy-is-usually-a-fiercely-loyal-partner-for-the/) [Jeaniene Frost](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeaniene-frost/) > [“This man was gorgeous. I'm mentioning this because women live their lives secretly waiting for their lives to become movies. We act like men…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lidia-yuknavitch/this-man-was-gorgeous-i-m-mentioning-this-because-women-live-their/) [Lidia Yuknavitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lidia-yuknavitch/) > [Some girls do like dating nice guys. Multiple nice guys at once, with a bad boy on the side.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/some-girls-do-like-dating-nice-guys-multiple-nice-guys-at-once-with-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Then angels were all around them, the old crew who'd formed at Sword & Cross and hundreds of other places before that. Arriane, Roland,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-kate/then-angels-were-all-around-them-the-old-crew-who-d-formed-at-sword/) [Lauren Kate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-kate/) > [“You know that half the girls in school would have been after you." He gave a soft laugh. "If they were into someone who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-a-weatherly/you-know-that-half-the-girls-in-school-would-have-been-after-you-he/) [L.A. Weatherly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-a-weatherly/) [Browse all 456 Bad boy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-boy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“At the time I was, and would continue to be for many years, obsessed with the Sweet Valley High books. I read them voraciously because I was nothing like Elizabeth and Jessica Wakefield or even Enid Rollins. 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