While many girls battle with the tough stage of adolescence, not many turn these hardships into a nationally distributed book. Tufts junior Laura Fruitman, though, decided that she wanted to do something to help other girls who are going through exactly what she did.
Working with her mother, Tufts graduate Marlin Potash (J '72), Fruitman co-wrote a book that aims to help teenage girls strengthen their relationships with their mothers - and make adolescence easier in the process.
"Many books on teenage girls are not written by someone who's actually going through the experience at the time," the New York native said. "A lot of times it's easier for teenage girls to relate to other teenage girls."
Fruitman said that the book she wrote with her mother in 2002 - "Am I Weird or Is This Normal? Advice and Info to Get Teens in the Know" - is an attempt to open up topics that are not usually discussed. "Sex, fighting within the family, indecision or weakness, people are afraid to share that and they think it's only happening to them," she said.
"I think that there are a few main things that it is important to talk to your mother about," Fruitman said. "There are a lot of decisions that are really hard for girls, not only about sex. [The book] helps girls feel that they are not completely alone in this."
Fruitman, a sociology major, has received national attention for her book. She and her mother have appeared on CBS's "The Early Show," talking about their relationship and offering advice on how other mothers and daughters can better relate to one another.
She was also quoted in articles on adolescence and sexuality in The San Francisco Chronicle and The Chicago Tribune.
"When someone your own age says, 'Oh wow, that happened to me also,' it can help you feel less isolated and be helpful instead of missing the point entirely," she said of her advice.
Fruitman's tight bond with her mother was strengthened through writing the book. "My mom and I were always really close, and this big project brought us closer because we were talking about issues more frequently," she said. "We were always very open with each other - that's why the whole idea came about."
The book's aim of creating a more open relationship between mothers and daughters has not been without controversy. "I think it is very important to be upfront and honest," Fruitman said. "[But] if you go on Amazon, there are all these book reviews. Some of them are really nice, but many people thought we were promoting sex or giving girls ideas that shouldn't be in their heads. Many people don't think that mothers and daughters talking openly is good."
Though writing "Am I Weird?" with her mother afforded Fruitman the chance to promote the message of openness that she believes in, she hopes to pursue a career in law, not writing.
"Law is a very wide realm - you aren't stuck to one thing," said Fruitman, a member of the Tufts Pre-Legal Society as well as the Alpha Phi sorority.
In pursuit of her goals in the realm of law, Fruitman began pursuing internships. She worked as a paralegal for the Federal Defender Division, as a clerk intern for the Honorable Sheila E. McGovern, and as a legal assistant to lawyer David Aptaker.
She knew she was interested in the field of law when "during my free time, I wanted to go sit in the court room."
Writing may not be Fruitman's passion, but it helped her excel within her internships, especially in the writing of briefs. "Getting to the point is important," she said. "The better I wrote, the better chance I had of it being submitted to the judge and used in the final decision."
Fruitman found working with "people who are charged with a crime and can't afford a lawyer" with the Federal Defender Division to be particularly interesting. "I believe that you have the right to equal representation, and that that representation should be intelligent."
Fruitman, who is spending the year in London, is having the chance to further explore the logistics of legal representation this year. She takes law classes and interns at a British law firm.
She's a continent away right now, but Fruitman's path may take her back to her home state. "New York state has a lot of public minded people, attorneys who are working to level the playing field," she said.
