STORY INFO
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Shameless

Content

We stopped leaving the garage door open when we were cooking because I told my mom the police were saying criminals had been stealing equipment from garages. My dad was away on an engineering work contract in Dubai like half the Uncles I knew, so we kids were left to help our moms with everything from house maintenance to legal compliance. Back then there was no internet and overseas phone calls to Dubai were expensive, so there were a great many things left unreported to the dads. To compensate for this lack of communication, my mom and...

Outstanding reviews

Wow. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and offering such thoughtful feedback. I was totally intimidated by the caliber of writing submitted as I perused the archives and only submitted as a birthday dare for myself. This is my first go at throwing my writing out into the universe and it's wonderful to know there's a supportive community out there.
Wow. Thank you so much for taking the time to read my story and offering such thoughtful feedback. I was totally intimidated by the caliber of writing submitted as I perused the archives and only submitted as a birthday dare for myself. This is my first go at throwing my writing out into the universe and it's wonderful to know there's a supportive community out there.
Thank you, this is such an interesting point you're making. I've never considered the "why" of the third person objective before and reading your comment got me a little teary eyed. I think your class discussion was spot on. Many thanks.
Thank you, this is such an interesting point you're making. I've never considered the "why" of the third person objective before and reading your comment got me a little teary eyed. I think your class discussion was spot on. Many thanks.
I'm so glad you persevered and thought enough of it to share it with your...fiancé? Thank you for your praise, it means a lot that you took the time to comment. Best wishes for the big announcement!
What a fantastic, funny, warm-hearted account of the many shapes love can take! Love for your family, your cultural roots, your peers. How beautiful!
Just had a chance to read this Parul and it really drew me in to a world I know little about (though a bit more now). Fascinating, believable slice of real life read. Bravo!
A very interesting story. A stream of consciousness that confused me a little in the beginning, probably because of words I didn't understand, but the story came together nicely at the end. Well done and congratulations. Stay well.
I have to say something similar to what I already saw in the comments. This reminds me so, so, so much of Salinger. I remember being so enthralled in the way he structured and told his stories, mere accounts of a mere man, told so ordinarily yet so masterfully, as I read them during my bachelor studies. I wanted to thank you for reminding me, yet again I am reminded of this, that this is what writers do best. Now, may you reply to me and let me know where I can read more of your work.
This is so good! I am 11 and hoping to publish, and this really inspired me. Thx!!
Thank you Harper! When I was 11 I loved to write but unfortunately did not take my writing seriously enough to consider making it a career. I am so very thrilled you're inspired and committing to your dream!
love it
This is really good!
Very well written. You pull the reader in so easily. Great work!
https://taplink.cc/tgotery
Parul, You strike a poignant tone of teenage angst mixed with respect for a culture and the mother who works so hard. The ending was brutal, as rejection is, especially with arrogant teenage boys holding the power. I was shocked by the girl's bold decision to put herself in the position to be shamed. She's the strong one. If the immediacy of that scene could have been felt sooner in the piece, I would have been even more anxious to find out what was coming next in the story. Nicely done, though - a truly heroic scene I'll remember.
Parul, You strike a poignant tone of teenage angst mixed with respect for a culture and the mother who works so hard. The ending was brutal, as rejection is, especially with arrogant teenage boys holding the power. I was shocked by the girl's bold decision to put herself in the position to be shamed. She's the strong one. If the immediacy of that scene could have been felt sooner in the piece, I would have been even more anxious to find out what was coming next in the story. Nicely done, though - a truly heroic scene I'll remember.
Great story. Thank you for putting it out there
This is fantastic! Congratulations on the win ☺️
Story is great! Loved it
Loved reading this story and I'm so glad you had a birthday dare to get you started. I felt like I was on the sidewalk with her, feeling out of place in those k mart jeans and a life that had been chosen before she was born. I hope you continue sharing!
Madison, thank you so much. I love your phrasing :a life that had been chosen before she was born". It's true of her, and then I got to thinking, isn't it true of all of us? Aren't we all just doing our best with the hand we were dealt? And maybe it's the gift of storytelling to remind us of this fact?
I think that's part of what makes your story relatable to a lot of people. Especially those early years when you don't get to choose much for yourself- that's what I think makes this story powerful. Using that common thread brings more people into understanding of the specific struggle of one first generation kid.
Parul, it was a literary masterpiece. Till the end I was not sure of the true identity of bravery but all fitted in well towards the end. You also addressed 'shamelessness' from different angles and adding to the depth of the story. Congrats on a great victory!
Thank you! And I discovered the true identity of bravery as I wrote it. I was surprised myself a bit by what emerged. :-)
What a pleasure to read Parul! As a child of immigrants, I felt this story to the bone. I too had a neighborhood crush on the white boy down the street who acted like I was beneath him, ah the memories, haha. I love how evocative your writing is. Truly, a pleasure to read. thank you.

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