Red, White, and Whole: A Newbery Honor Novel in Verse about an Indian American Girl Navigating Identity and Grief

by Rajani LaRocca

Girls Just Want to Have Fun That’s what the song says, with a catchy melody that makes you sway back and forth. It’s 1983, I’m thirteen. I just want to be like everyone else to fit in to have fun. I want to free my hair from this ponytail, this braid, toss it over my shoulders to unfurl in curly glory.

This album is amazing, and it was such a source of inspiration for me when it came out in 1983. I was blown away by Cyndi Lauper's range, her voice, her style, and her joy for life. I wanted to dance in the streets like they do in the video! What music takes you right back to particular time or place?