"More than a stunning debut. It is the announcement of a bold new literary voice"
—Stephen Chbosky, author of The Perks of Being a Wallflower

Childhood – when things were a whole lot simpler. When the whole world was filled with wonder. When everything was black and white. When your parents’ relationship seemed perfect. When Mom never cried in front of you, when Dad never showed his fatigue to you. When your sister wasn’t old enough for a douchbag boyfriend who made her life a living hell and therefore made everyone else miserable as well. When you could run around in the dark and catch fireflies instead of looking around your shoulder for a possible attacker. When you could just have fun in school without wondering if this grade is going to ruin your future. When you just smiled and waved at everyone, their race or job or gender not once playing a part. When you thought the whole world was perfect and everyone was happy…
Then cracks began to appear in the wall.
There are a lot of things I love about growing up. I can drive, I have a job, I don’t have a bedtime, and I’m going off to college to pursue my dream job. Sometimes, though, whenever I watch your movies (or your studio’s movies) – which I still frequently do – I wish I could go back to the time when I didn’t get Robin William’s adult jokes in “Aladdin,” or the lustful intentions of Frollo in “The Hunchback of Notre Dame,” or the racism allegory in “Zootopia.” Life was so much simpler and a lot less messy back then. Back then, Mom never cried in front of me, pleading, “Tell me what to do,” and Dad never raised her voice at her in front of me or my sister. My brothers seemed really happy with their wives when I was little, but then I grew up and realized that their relationships were absolute disasters. My sister has always been melodramatic, but ever since this boy – he will never deserve to be called a man – came into her life, her depression and panic attacks have been anything but fake.
I just wish that all of the bad stuff would leave us – leave everyone. I want to live the Hakuna Matata life. I want my wish upon a star to come true. I want Peter Pan to come and take me to Neverland, so I can be a kid again, even if it’s just for a little while.