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Illustrated portrait of Laurie Saunders

A character in The Wave

Laurie Saunders

Laurie is a senior, an excellent student, and editor in chief of The Gordon Grapevine.

The book

Cover of The Wave by Todd Strasser
The WaveTodd Strasser, 1981

A classroom experiment shows how quickly discipline, slogans, symbols, and belonging can replace judgment.

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Who they are in the book

Spoiler-free

Laurie is a senior, an excellent student, and editor in chief of The Gordon Grapevine. She begins curious about the Wave but becomes its clearest student critic after seeing intimidation and enforced conformity. Her motivation is not rebellion for its own sake; she wants people to think before surrendering judgment. She publishes the exposé, withstands social isolation, and helps persuade Ben to stop the experiment.

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