Pulitzer Op-Ed

Pulitzer Prize Winner 2009 Feature Writing: The girl in the window: part one
The girl in the window: part two
The girl in the window: part three

      I believe that this piece deserves to be a Pulitzer Prize winner for several reasons. First, the piece is great for a feature as it is very easy to read and understand. It explains the life of an isolated girl named Danielle. She was locked in a closet when found with a pile of diapers about 4 feet high behind her. The detective describes the room as the window broken and the child surrounded with her own excrement and bugs. When found Danielle was 46 pounds and 7 years old. She was malnourished and anemic. Reading about this is fascinating how a family can be living in such a dirty environment and how a mother just leaves her daughter who is aging in just diapers and locked in a closet. The effects of this is to be known as environmental autism and Danielle is said to be having this. This deserves to be a Pulitzer Prize winner because it does address the conflict of isolation in todays world and how serious it can be. Isolation can lead to autism and not everyone is as lucky to be saved as this girl Danielle. Many are not that fortunate and end up dying or mentally ill for the rest of their life. Everyone likes a feel good story of a person being down to almost death and then rehabilitate to the top and this girl has went from isolation in a dirty feces infested closet, to having her own room, parents, and a brother teaching and caring for her every night. This story is a feel good story and teaches us about the awareness of isolation and how important it really is. This piece extremely deserves to be a winner of one of the most prestigious writing awards.