As a one-time high school theatre geek, this book was right up my alley. I found it inspiring and fascinating. It was at its strongest when it followed the lives and happenings of the people directly involved in the theatre program. There were some frustratingly weak sections spent convincing the reader that the town was totally working class, which felt both heavy handed and long winded, or inserting the author’s own history and experiences, which felt unnecessary. Luckily these parts were skimmable and the bulk of the story was a compelling and immersive enough to make up for it.

3.5 I loved the subject of this book, the questions it raised, the complexities it addressed with nuance, the themes of gender and parenting and uncertainty. But, I just didn’t love the writing. It felt like she was writing from real experience, but the characters and world she built felt a little shallow to me. Wanted to love, but it just wasn’t for me.

What a story. Funny and heartbreaking and educational. Definitely worth listening to the audiobook, narrated by the author.

Meh.