I'm Only Human After All Q&A with Dominion High School
Here is a write up of a Q&A I did with the students of Dominion High School in Sterling Virginia on my book, I'm Only Human After All.
From Edwin: "I want to know why Alex I. Rogers is important in this book we read." [I asked him to explain, and he said that he wants to know more about the circumstances that led me to write the book.]
To Edwin: I wanted to write this book because at the time of the events of the story, I knew things weren’t supposed to be the way that they were. It wasn’t right to be bullied, it wasn’t right to treat others unfairly. I knew these things in my heart but during that course of events I was somewhat reluctant to share. As I got older (junior/senior in high school) I got the idea to publish my thoughts and experiences to share with others that things get better. I hoped that through my writings and life story, others would learn to treat people with respect as well as gain insight in their own lives.
From Daniel R.: "What makes you write [this] book?" (Paraphrasing--What makes you write? What does it satisfy in you?)
To Daniel R: I write because ever since I was a young boy, I always had the need to express myself in writing. Written language is powerful thing. Aside from that, with I’m Only Human After All and the rest of the series; I feel a conviction to share my story to help others going through or have went through similar situations that I have faced. It brings me joy to know that through an unpleasant time in my life, something positive can come from it.
From Mehdi T.: "What are you doing in your life now? Are you thinking of doing something else?"
To Mehdi T: Currently, I am finishing up my undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management. I’m actually about a week and a half away from graduation. I’m 22 now, so after graduation I may go back home for a bit before planning out my next career move. Book wise, I just finished the second book in the Empowerment Series, Drifting, and hope to kick-start a completely new series that involves a young man fighting to start a revolution against a tyrant who controls the world through his legion of super-humans. The good guy(s) have powers too, but are outnumbered. I can’t spoil too much just yet. If you’ve ever heard of “The X-men”, it’s a good reference point.
From Alexis C.: "What I want to know about you is, how do you support all [the people being] bullied? Why didn't you do (how did you manage not to do) anything against the people who were making jokes about you? When I grow up, I want to think like you."
To Alexis C: I support people who are being bullied by sharing my experiences through my book. Recently I was on TV with MTV UK for a documentary with Firecracker Films in which me and other people around the world shared our thoughts on the issue. I have also done some speaking engagements locally. In the past it has been hard to travel and speak because of me being enrolled in college courses, but now since I am graduating, I hope to be able to do more.
During the events when I was bullied in I’m Only Human After All, I didn’t physically fight back because I knew that it would only lead to more violence. I didn’t have to hit them to stand up for myself or prove a point. I do admit that I acted to late with telling the principal or another authority about what was going on with my bullies and me. If I would have told on them earlier, things would have been a lot different for me during those years.
From Saikat K.: "Who encouraged you the most to write this book?"
To Saikat K: I wrote this book because I felt the need to share what happened to me with others in a unique way. In a nutshell, I wanted to help people. I knew that other people had gone through what I had gone through, but yet, nothing was being addressed in schools. It wasn’t till recently that bullying has been brought to the forefront of issues with the school system.
From Ilia J.: "Why is there a girl on the cover of the book and what do she & the sunset have to do with the story?"
To Ilia J: The girl that is on the cover of my book is a representation of Jessie. The sun in the background, to me, represents hope. At that point in my life during my early high school years, hope was all I had. With each new day comes a second chance. Each day is a new beginning.
From Grover C.: "How did you feel when you found out that Jesse had cancer? How could you help her fight it even though you knew that she would die?"
To Grover C: Jessie was a character in my book that actually represented two people that I knew at one point in real life. In the time frame of I’m Only Human After All I did meet a girl who was a friend’s cousin but she didn’t have lung cancer. She had Cystic Fibrosis. The stories are somewhat similar but in order to keep certain events of my life personal and to respect others; some details had to be altered. ( As you can tell there was more to this question that was addressed in the session but not in the write up. For personal reasons I'd rather not have it mainstreamed.)
I had an amazing time reading your questions and answering them. Hopefully I tied up all of the loose ends you had about me and my book. You guys seem to be an amazing class, as well as amazing people. Thank you for taking the time to read my book and I wish the best for all of you!
From Edwin: "I want to know why Alex I. Rogers is important in this book we read." [I asked him to explain, and he said that he wants to know more about the circumstances that led me to write the book.]
To Edwin: I wanted to write this book because at the time of the events of the story, I knew things weren’t supposed to be the way that they were. It wasn’t right to be bullied, it wasn’t right to treat others unfairly. I knew these things in my heart but during that course of events I was somewhat reluctant to share. As I got older (junior/senior in high school) I got the idea to publish my thoughts and experiences to share with others that things get better. I hoped that through my writings and life story, others would learn to treat people with respect as well as gain insight in their own lives.
From Daniel R.: "What makes you write [this] book?" (Paraphrasing--What makes you write? What does it satisfy in you?)
To Daniel R: I write because ever since I was a young boy, I always had the need to express myself in writing. Written language is powerful thing. Aside from that, with I’m Only Human After All and the rest of the series; I feel a conviction to share my story to help others going through or have went through similar situations that I have faced. It brings me joy to know that through an unpleasant time in my life, something positive can come from it.
From Mehdi T.: "What are you doing in your life now? Are you thinking of doing something else?"
To Mehdi T: Currently, I am finishing up my undergraduate degrees in Business Administration and Human Resources Management. I’m actually about a week and a half away from graduation. I’m 22 now, so after graduation I may go back home for a bit before planning out my next career move. Book wise, I just finished the second book in the Empowerment Series, Drifting, and hope to kick-start a completely new series that involves a young man fighting to start a revolution against a tyrant who controls the world through his legion of super-humans. The good guy(s) have powers too, but are outnumbered. I can’t spoil too much just yet. If you’ve ever heard of “The X-men”, it’s a good reference point.
From Alexis C.: "What I want to know about you is, how do you support all [the people being] bullied? Why didn't you do (how did you manage not to do) anything against the people who were making jokes about you? When I grow up, I want to think like you."
To Alexis C: I support people who are being bullied by sharing my experiences through my book. Recently I was on TV with MTV UK for a documentary with Firecracker Films in which me and other people around the world shared our thoughts on the issue. I have also done some speaking engagements locally. In the past it has been hard to travel and speak because of me being enrolled in college courses, but now since I am graduating, I hope to be able to do more.
During the events when I was bullied in I’m Only Human After All, I didn’t physically fight back because I knew that it would only lead to more violence. I didn’t have to hit them to stand up for myself or prove a point. I do admit that I acted to late with telling the principal or another authority about what was going on with my bullies and me. If I would have told on them earlier, things would have been a lot different for me during those years.
From Saikat K.: "Who encouraged you the most to write this book?"
To Saikat K: I wrote this book because I felt the need to share what happened to me with others in a unique way. In a nutshell, I wanted to help people. I knew that other people had gone through what I had gone through, but yet, nothing was being addressed in schools. It wasn’t till recently that bullying has been brought to the forefront of issues with the school system.
From Ilia J.: "Why is there a girl on the cover of the book and what do she & the sunset have to do with the story?"
To Ilia J: The girl that is on the cover of my book is a representation of Jessie. The sun in the background, to me, represents hope. At that point in my life during my early high school years, hope was all I had. With each new day comes a second chance. Each day is a new beginning.
From Grover C.: "How did you feel when you found out that Jesse had cancer? How could you help her fight it even though you knew that she would die?"
To Grover C: Jessie was a character in my book that actually represented two people that I knew at one point in real life. In the time frame of I’m Only Human After All I did meet a girl who was a friend’s cousin but she didn’t have lung cancer. She had Cystic Fibrosis. The stories are somewhat similar but in order to keep certain events of my life personal and to respect others; some details had to be altered. ( As you can tell there was more to this question that was addressed in the session but not in the write up. For personal reasons I'd rather not have it mainstreamed.)
I had an amazing time reading your questions and answering them. Hopefully I tied up all of the loose ends you had about me and my book. You guys seem to be an amazing class, as well as amazing people. Thank you for taking the time to read my book and I wish the best for all of you!
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