Viswanathan Should Not Get A Break, Must Apologize

Re: “Girl Interrupted,” comment, Apr. 26.

It appears that many people believe that Kaavya Viswanathan should be given a “break.” Well, it appears to me that she has been given more than a few “breaks” in her life to date, such as a wealthy upbringing, international experience, entry into an Ivy League college, a very lucrative book contract, and an even more lucrative movie deal. I would hazard to say that many people in this world would consider themselves more than lucky to be the recipient of a single one of the above “breaks.”

That aside, it would be wrong to say that I don’t have any sympathy for Viswanathan, because I do. She is falling hard and fast, and it is probable that a certain amount of blame for this situation may be the result of some misdirection by third parties. However, we all have to grow up sometime, and I would have more sympathy for Viswanathan if she had accepted responsibility for her actions or shown the slightest bit of remorse. She has done neither, and unless she stops and acknowledges that she has learned her lesson, she is in danger of repeating this type of behavior over the course of her life.

SONYA F. ROBERTS

Toronto, Ontario

April 26, 2006