What does LDI represent to the author in the memoir, Guts by Raina Telgemeier?

The LDI - or Lecture, Demonstration, Instruction is a symbol of the embodiment of Raina’s shame and fears, as well as the themes of food is scary and the motif of green. As the memoir unfolds, in the end the LDI becomes a symbol of Raina’s improvement through therapy. Mr. Abrams announces the LDIs the students will each give on page 34, saying any subject is “fair game” (34).

At first Raina presents about the Girl Scouts with Jane in her green uniform, but she panics and runs to the bathroom in the middle of the presentation. This embodiment of the color green demonstrates the embodiment of Raina’s fears. When Michelle gives her LDI on the salad her family likes to make on page 141, Raina is fearful of the food. When she sees how others in her class enjoy the salad though, she begins to wonder if her fear of food is her own struggle.

Towards the end of the memoir, after many therapy sessions, Raina presents her LDI on the connection between body and mind. She teaches the class how to breathe through their fears. This time, she does not wear green and gets through her presentation without fear. Later, Michelle confesses to her how “that breathing thing you showed us in class” “helped a lot” as she went through her own stomach and intestinal problems (206).