Weekly Blog Post: Dairy Queen

Dairy Queen by Catherine Gilbert Murdock
Spoiler Alert
   
     This book will be the most real and genuine book you will ever find. Why? Not because the characters are relating and just like you (thankfully, because I was getting tired of those characters), but because this girl right here, D.J, is a heroine. She is the weirdest girl you will ever find, trust me, but this is what makes her so, so... right. I mean, I can't even imagine D.J being anyone else, but herself. But what is she? No matter what you think of her, it all comes down to this: She's a diligent farm girl  who plays football and is basically a person who doesn't always get guys. Don't you like her already? I wouldn't ever find this girl in a story, but here she is. D.J Schwenk. The kind of girl who you'll never meet on a daily basis. But you'll never forget this loving and heartwarming story of family, acceptance, stereotypes, honesty, and love.

     D.J's family is... odd. They make her cry, make her happy, and make her wake up at 5 in the morning everyday. But when I read this book, I saw that her family wasn't really family, but just friends that live with her. D.J seems like a complete outsider. And I can tell you that being an outsider is not good. A month or so ago, my friend told me that I was so different from my family. Like I was marching to my own drum. I felt a stinging feeling inside me then because I knew that my friend was right. But like D.J, I didn't do much about it anyway. I just went with the flow since I didn't want to say anything. I could, but I didn't. D.J's parents are stringent and thinks that all their children will be futile if they don't follow the right road. D.J was obedient and never dared to speak up until...never. I can see that Mrs. Schwenk and Mr. Schwenk just want the best for D.J, but they don't allow her to make her own choices. And it's not that D.J's being disrespectful or anything like it, but the Schwenks force their children to roads already imprinted. My parents are the very same; they spent all their life hoping that one day, one of their children would be smart and take responsibilities on then get an amazing job. But roads that are already made somethings get paved; just like D.J'S.

     How would you feel if one day you learned that your best friend had a secret that she never told? Betrayed, lost, deceived... those were all of what D.J was feeling when she realized that her best and closest friend Amber told her about something she never would've guessed: Amber's lesbian. I have a cousin who's actually lesbian and I know it's hard for her. My father and mother, they all disapprove of that decision. But I know how hard it is to be different; you feel like you can't talk to anyone and you're all alone. And there's the catch: accepting someone who's different. It's hard to truly understand someone, but that's mainly because people don't know how to listen; they talk. D.J is the opposite of that. When Amber first exposes this secret to her, D.J listens, alright, but she can't say anything. She simply doesn't know what to say. When someone tells you this secret that's been kept away for who-knows-how-long, what do you feel? I would be in awe, to be honest. I would be shocked to my bones and probably be frozen right there. So just imagine D.J, the girl who has never talked much, being in that situation. She could've dropped right on her knees. The thing is that people mistake silence for a mere ''no'' or a simple rejection. Silence means awestruck, silence means shock. But just because you're different doesn't mean you're a rejection from society. People can accept, heck, they have to learn to accept.

     But some things everyone refuses to let go are stereotypes and breaking them. From this point on can you really imagine D.J having a gorgeous football quarterback boyfriend? Guess not. But that's just the power of stereotypes. Stereotypes are somehow built and molded into your brain and it changes all your views on anything. My neighborhood is full of different races from Muslim to Hispanic. But when I see a Hispanic person walking down the street wearing a do-rag or gang clothing of any sort, I immediately think that that person must be in a gang or that person must be failing badly in school. Thing is, stereotypes are everywhere. I've actually told my friend that her ear piercing was ''stereotypical'' since almost everyone of our race has it. So you must see where I stand when it comes to D.J dating Brian Nelson, the guy that changes D.J's life forever. I think it's sweet and unique, but it's out of the blue. It's even strange. But the football captain doesn't have to always date the pretty cheerleader captain; it can actually be another football player. This book demonstrates that nothing has to be normal to work; sometimes it's the weirdest of a combination.

     Honesty has never been my strong side for me. I would rather lie than tell he truth most of the time, but that's just me. But honestly isn't all about secrets and lies, but it's about really speaking up for your own opinions and being honest about it. Sure, I do know some people are way too honest, but D.J is the exact opposite of those kinds of people. She's quiet and her feelings are worthless since they would never be spoken to make a difference. When you don't talk, there's a lot of stuff that ends up being not said. And D.J, she honestly thinks that her opinions and feelings don't weigh too much. So maybe honesty is the best policy or maybe it's just a way of being true to the people you love. I have learned to speak up over these past years and actually be real and true, but not everyone can pull it off like that; I certainly can't. But what you feel is not only for you, but for everyone. So maybe you can be more honest and true, one word at a time.

     Ah, love. Isn't everywhere these days? Well, not in D.J's world. She doesn't expect to fall in love, she doesn't expect to actually like Brian and she definitely doesn't expect to actually get along with him. But D.J, this country klutz, falls for this boy who hasn't worked a single hard day in his life, and it's amusing to see such a ''tough'' girl to fall or such a snotty, upper class boy. But anyway, that's just stereotypes speaking. But love isn't always easy. D.J hides in the bushes from Brian just so she could keep this friendship going. She didn't want anything, anything, to go wrong so she made sure there were no wrongs in this relationship. And the price she ad to pay was losing her face, dignity, and yes, honesty right in front of Brian. But through this wacky relationship, you see the two of them grow on each other right before your eyes. It's not that often that I see anyone mold onto a person that they never thought they could even be friends with. So love is unique, and hey, who said love wasn't hard?

     D.J was a girl that I thought I would never meet and she was unique, crazy, fun, wild, real, and authentic to herself. She wasn't trying to be anything, but herself. It's hard to find someone like this and it's one in a million if you end up meeting someone like D.J because everyone follows by the rules of society. So when you do meet a person like D.J, say hi to that person for me. D.J can't be anyone else and won't be anyone else, but herself. D.J is a total klutz, but she's still one heck of a person. So really reach to this book and maybe it'll reach to you too.