Contemporary Women Writer

     I chose Ellen Hopkins for my contemporary women writer presentation.  Hopkins typically writes young adult novels. I really enjoy her writing style.  Her novels are written using poems unlike typical chapters.  Another thing I really like about her writing is that it is very raw and honest.  Her books are mainly about realistic struggles that young people face such as drugs, sex, suicide, violence, etc.  While researching her I found out that one of the reasons she became a writer was to show her daughters that they don't have to have a stereotypical female career.  She wanted to show them that you don't have to fall into the pressures of society to be a successful female.  
     Hopkins book Burned is a perfect example of a teenage girl that doesn't want to become her father's idea of a women.  He was a very religious man who believed a woman's role was to have babies, male of course, cook, clean, and obey their husbands.  He was destructive and abusive toward his children, his wife, and himself.

http://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/262533-burned