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Noelle
Nia is a girl in Craig’s class who ends up dating Aaron. She is of half-Jewish, half Chinese ancestry. Craig himself initially likes Nia but is too afraid to say so—he later admits to Nia how much he regrets being too shy to share his feelings with her. Although she hides it form Aaron, Nia herself deals with mental health struggles and takes anti-depressants. At one point, Nia breaks up with Aaron and surprises Craig by visiting him in the psychiatric hospital. She seems strangely attracted to the idea that Craig is unwell and that she may have played a role in his poor mental health. Craig ultimately rejects her, realizing that he was only ever attracted to a false idea of Nia he built up in his mind and ultimately deciding that it’s important to accept people as they are instead of idealizing them.
Nia Quotes in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
The It’s Kind of a Funny Story quotes below are all either spoken by Nia or refer to Nia. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 10 Quotes
I had a sudden urge to walk out over the trussing and lean over the water, to declare myself to the world. Once it came into my head, I couldn’t push it away.
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This quote describes the first time that Craig thought seriously about suicide. Notably, the idea sneaks up on him and he doesn’t realize at first what he’s doing. Craig initially thinks that he is just out having fun with his friends Aaron and Ronny while Nia is asleep back at Aaron’s place. The idea of walking to a dangerous part of the Brooklyn Bridge just seems like a sudden and exciting whim to Craig at first. But once Craig follows this whim, he realizes that it has put his life in danger and that the sense of freedom and exhilaration Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti
Chapter 14 Quotes
“He’s always talking about himself and his problems. Like you. You’re both self-centered. Only, you have a low opinion of yourself, so it’s tolerable. He has a really high opinion of himself. It’s a pain.”
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In this quote, Nia draws an important distinction between Craig and his friend Aaron. Both boys, in Nia’s mind, are highly self-absorbed. But while Craig has low self-esteem, Aaron has high self-esteem. Craig thinks of himself as inadequate compared to others, and this is often a source of shame for him. But as Nia points out, Craig’s lack of self-confidence can in some ways be a good thing, making him less boastful than someone like Aaron, who has a high opinion of himself. Nia, who herself has a complicated relationship with both Craig and Aaron and is not an impartial Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi neces
Chapter 28 Quotes
“You want my girl, dude. You’ve wanted her for like two years. You’re mad that you didn’t get her, and now you’ve decided to turn being mad into being depressed, and now you’re off somewhere, probably getting turned into somebody’s bitch, trying to play the pity card to get her to end up with you … And I call you as a friend to try and lighten your mood and you hit me with all of this crap? Who do you think you are?”
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In this quote, Aaron calls Craig at the psychiatric hospital and, after an increasingly heated exchange, reveals some of the negative things that he thinks about Craig. Although Aaron has been Craig’s best friend for a while, this phone call brings up some of the resentment that has been building in each of them over their course of their friendship. Although this passage is full of conflict, it is also the beginning of Craig and Aaron’s journey toward being more open with each other. Craig’s feelings of inadequacy compared to Aaron were initially one of the factors driving his depression. Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta ita
Chapter 34 Quotes
“You don’t want any of your Anchors being members of the opposite sex you’re attracted to,” Dr. Minerva says. “Relationships change even more than people. It’s like two people changing. It’s exponentially more volatile. Especially two teenagers.”
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In this quote, Craig’s usual therapist, Dr. Minerva, comes to see Craig at the psychiatric hospital, and she talks with him about “Anchors” and “Tentacles,” two concepts Craig himself invented to think about and make sense of his depression. “Tentacles” are unpleasant tasks and responsibilities that invade Craig’s life, while “Anchors” are the things that bring Craig comfort and help him feel better. Although Craig thinks that finding a girlfriend—and particularly winning over Noelle—will help make him happier, Dr. Minerva warns him that putting too much pressure on something so “volatile” could be unwise. In other words, she is trying Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perfe
Chapter 39 Quotes
“You’re not like all these other people with their stupid little problems. You’re like, really screwed up.” She giggles. “In the good way. The way that gives experience.”
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After Nia comes to visit Craig in the psychiatric hospital and tells him that she recently broke up with Aaron, she offers the above observation about Craig being “really screwed up,” apparently as an attempt at flirtation. Craig has liked Nia for a long time, and at one point, Nia coming to say that she likes Craig would have been his fantasy come true. But while Nia starts out by complimenting Craig on his maturity, she eventually says that the thing she likes about Craig is that he’s “really screwed up,” almost as though she is fetishizing his depression. Although Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium est. Mollitia eaque ipsa. Perferendis consectetur et. Dicta impedit ut. Ducimus possimus quo. Non inventore in. Eligendi atque placeat. Molestiae earum eum. Libero sit beatae. At a deserunt. Sint aperiam consequatur. Minima porro perferendis. Sit neque odit. Tenetur qui dignissimos. Qui et ut. Voluptate labore corporis. Hic tempore laborum. Nisi quia ea. Quia soluta itaque. Deleniti nisi earum. Ad tenetur labor
Chapter 41 Quotes
“You were the one who suggested I do stuff from childhood,” I continue. “I used to do these when I was a kid, and I forgot how fun they were.”
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In this quote, Craig thanks Noelle for helping him to come up with the idea to draw maps back in Joanie’s art class. He presents Noelle with a gift of a drawing of a male figure and a female figure, with maps in place of their brains. Craig’s conversation with Noelle contrasts with his recent conversations with Nia. Whereas Nia and Craig each spoke to an unrealistic, idealized version of each other, Noelle helps Craig to learn more about himself in an authentic way. Craig’s journey as a character involves getting back to the happiness he felt as a child Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessi
Chapter 50 Quotes
I’m not better, you know. The weight hasn’t left my head. I feel how easily I could fall back into it, lie down and not eat, waste my time and curse wasting my time, look at my homework and freak out and go and chill at Aaron’s, look at Nia and be jealous again, take the subway home and hope that it has an accident, go and get my bike and head to the Brooklyn Bridge. All of that is still there. The only thing is, it’s not an option now. It’s just… a possibility, like it’s a possibility that I could turn to dust in the next instant and be disseminated throughout the universe as an omniscient consciousness. It’s not a very likely possibility.
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In this quote, Craig dismisses the idea that just because he has managed to get discharged from the psychiatric hospital, he has also overcome all his mental health issues. Craig’s story does end happily, but in this passage, Craig adds a more somber note of realism to the story, acknowledging that there’s no guarantee that his current period of happiness will last. Craig realizes that he could fall back into the same old patterns of caving to peer pressure and school-related stress, but at the current moment, he feels like that possibility is as remote as being turned into “an Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum voluptas debitis. Voluptatem accusantium e
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Nia Character Timeline in It’s Kind of a Funny Story
The timeline below shows where the character Nia appears in It’s Kind of a Funny Story. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
...He’s at his friend Aaron’s house with his other friend Ronny and with Aaron’s girlfriend, Nia. Aaron offers Craig marijuana, but he passes. Craig seems zoned out, so Nia asks if...
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Chapter 8
...his parents. At Aaron’s house before the party, he teaches Craig how to smoke pot. Nia, a half-Chinese, half-Jewish girl in their class who is also headed to the same high...
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Craig, Aaron, and Nia play a version of Scrabble where they’re allowed to make up words. Craig like Nia...
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Chapter 9
Aaron and Nia talk on the couch at the party, then they start to make out. Craig and...
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Chapter 10
...still there playing PlayStation on Aaron’s couch. Aaron comes back, and Ronny teases her about Nia, who is asleep in the other room. Aaron persuades Craig and Ronny to go on...
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Chapter 11
...easy. He and Aaron keep hanging out, often with Ronny (who becomes their dealer) and Nia (who becomes Aaron’s girlfriend). When Craig starts at his new high school, however, homework begins...
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Chapter 13
...struggles with self-esteem. One day at a movie-watching session, when Aaron is out for coffee, Nia asks Craig if something’s wrong, and he admits that he’s been on anti-depressants. Nia says...
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Chapter 14
...couch. While he’s in Mom’s bed and she is out of the room, he calls Nia. She says she also sleeps in her mom’s bed sometimes, since her dad died when...
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Craig asks Nia if she always planned to hook up with Aaron at the party. She doesn’t want...
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Chapter 25
...he gets a chance on the phone and calls his voicemail. The first is from Nia, saying she’s worried about him after their last conversation. The second is from Aaron asking...
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Craig calls Sarah and asks for her to give him the numbers of Nia, Aaron, and his science teacher out of his cell phone. In the middle of the...
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Chapter 28
...if there are any girls in the psychiatric ward, and Ronny joins in too, while Nia tells them to stop.
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...but Aaron says people think it’s awesome. Craig gets angry and makes a reference to Nia taking anti-depressants, but she tells him to stop. That night, Craig can’t sleep, so he...
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Chapter 30
...Craig talks about how Aaron called, but Craig has decided he’s done with Aaron and Nia too. Monica says she’s seen Craig with Humble and Bobby and warns him not to...
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Chapter 33
...in school. He checks his voicemail and has one from Aaron apologizing and one from Nia’s friend Jenna, who is going through an experience similar to Craig’s and wants to hang...
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Chapter 38
...he’s out. Later, Craig is surprised to learn that he has a visitor and it’s Nia.
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Chapter 39
Nia is crying. She says that she and Aaron broke up shortly after Craig told Aaron...
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Chapter 40
Muqtada is away, which is rare. Nia notices that Craig is sweating. She says she’d let Craig kiss her, if he wanted....
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Just then Muqtada comes back and yells that children are having sex in his bed. Nia gets ready to go. Craig says he liked making out with her but doesn’t like...
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Chapter 41
...not about Craig, just boys in general, because she thinks they’re arrogant. Noelle asks about Nia and says she saw Craig and Nia making out earlier. Craig explains his history with...
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Chapter 45
...had a weird past few days. He admits he freaked out when he found out Nia was on anti-depressants because his parents take a lot of pills and he didn’t want...
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