My Imitation Of Jodi Picoult

An excerpt from Jodi Picoult's, My Sister's Keeper:
"If Mr. Webster had decided to put the word freak in his dictionary, Anna Fitzgerald would be the best definition he could give. It's more than just the way I look: refugee-skinny with absolutely no chest to speak of, hair the color of dirt, connect-the-dot freckles on my cheeks that, let me tell you, do not fade with lemon juice or sunscreen or even, sadly, sandpaper. No, God was obviously in some kind of mood on my birthday, because he added to this fabulous physical combination the bigger picture -- the household into which I was born.

My parents tried to make things normal, but that's a relative term. The truth is, I was never really a kid. To be honest, neither were Kate and Jesse. I guess maybe my brother had his moment in the sun for the four years he was alive before Kate got diagnosed, but ever since then, we've been too busy looking over our shoulders to run headlong into growing up. You know how most little kids think they're like cartoon characters -- if an anvil drops on their heads they can peel themselves off the sidewalk and keep going? Well, I never once believed that."

      I inched off of the ginormous yellow school bus, creeping slyly through the crowd of children as if I was hiding in a wheat field. The other girls were graced with long, smooth blonde hair, flowing dresses that were vibrant with color, perfect ski slope noses, and straight teeth. I on the other hand was cursed by God with my choppy black hair that frizzed in every direction no matter what kind of spray or potion I used to control it, my brothers baggy old jeans and ragged t-shirt, a pointed nose which I would have traded with Pinochio's if I had ever been given the chance, and teeth that twisted at odd angles which no amount of orthodontics would ever fix. Let's be honest, I was no mother's dream daughter, then again my mom never had time to worry about the way I looked. Our small, blue house was always focused on Bailey. She was the beauty queen, while I was the unfortunate third child. I was treated like another adult, always fending for myself and never truley getting to experience the affection that a child is supposed to be treated with. I was unwanted and my blue house was fully prepared to kick me to the curb. Maybe it was my unfortunate looks. Maybe my personality just didn't compare to Bailey's. All I know is that I was unwanted. By God and the family He shoved me into.

My imitation of the excerpt from My Sister's Keeper uses comparisons and descriptive words to describe a child who believes she is has no good looks, and had to grow up quickly because her family never wanted her. Jodi Picoult uses comparisons and vivid language to acclimate the audience to characters in her novel which is why I utilized these styles in my imitation of her work. The details allow the reader to not only visualize the character, but also to become familiar with her personality.