Shug

Author’s Note- I wrote this piece on theme and to show quotes from the book, Shug.

In the book Shug, by Jenny Han, Annemarie or “Shug”, falls for her best friend growing up, Mark Findley. The two of them have known each other since they were born and they grew up down the street from each other. Even though she’s just 12, she’s fallen head over heels for Mark, and he’s oblivious to it all. Throughout the whole book, “Shug” and Mark go on a rollercoaster of good and bad times together. Young love is the main theme in the book, as well as many other great novels.

When you’re younger, everyone tells you you’re too young to love someone, but Shug says differently. The way she feels about Mark is indescribable and her heart hurts just thinking about it. I can relate because last year I thought I was in love, but all my friends would tell me I’m too young or that I’m crazy. However, now they know what I was talking about, because you can’t even put your emotions into words. Shug truly does love Mark with all her heart, but she just doesn’t know how to tell him.

“Make love or make war Shug, but make something happen.” This is some advice Shug’s older sister Celia gives her about Mark and her whole situation. Shug’s sister is the most beautiful girl in their whole town and all the guys drool over her every move. Shug on the other hand is underdeveloped, tall, and just plain awkward. Although her body isn’t the way she wants it to be, her heart pushes right on past that and loves anyways. Shug’s new at the whole loving thing, so she goes to Celia for help and she just tells her to go for it!

Another book with this same theme of young love is Romeo and Juliet. When they fell in love they weren’t even 16 and although these stories are very different, they both fall in love at a very young age. Whether it’s at age 16 in 1303 or age 12 in 2008, it’s inexpressible love. In the book Shug, her family is very supportive about her liking Mark, while in the book Romeo and Juliet, they have rival families that cannot know about their secret adoration for one another.

Another great novel with the same theme is Twilight. Edward can’t fight his overwhelming feelings towards Bella, even though his kind shouldn’t be around mortals. However, his heart takes over and he romances Bella and they end up having a half vampire, half human baby. They’re love isn’t like anyone else’s because Edward is immortal and falls for a mortal, it’s very rare. Again like Romeo and Juliet, Edward and Bella’s love isn’t wanted.

Overall, there are many books with the theme of ‘young love’ and many reasons as to why that’s the main theme, especially in Shug. Nowadays, young love is a very popular theme in books because that’s what teenage girls like reading, but to find old stories such as Romeo and Juliet with the same theme is isn’t very common. There are many more themes in this book but young love is definitely the main one. It shows that no matter what age you are, you heart has a mind of Its own and it’s okay to let it do what it wants sometimes.