shidoburrito's Reviews (1.54k)

Okay, I'm ready to admit a shameful, teen librarian secret: I never read Speak. Whew, that was tough. So coming from that angle, here is my review of this book:
It is a follow up of the author's life, response to her first book, and her book tours and the teens she met there. For the second half at least. As a person who didn't read Speak I'm thankful she included the story of her life in the beginning. My favorite part of the whole book was her time in Denmark. It was very soothing, which I'm sure was her intention. I'm not a fan of prose and it takes me a while to get into it. The POV switch every once in a while was jarring and any reading rhythm I had going was lost.

Anyway, that was my personal review, now on to my Mock Printz review: Has a sequel book ever won the Printz award? Not that it matters. When it comes to Laurie, her books are always well researched, including references and help lines at the end, and as for the material, it's based off her real life, so I should HOPE the content is well researched. Setting... would teens be confused about when this all took place? The author does a good job keeping the story timeless (and sadly teens of today can relate to growing up in a broken family and sexual abuse and rape just as teens in the 1970s could). The book layout was pretty nice, echoes of Speak are evident.
Dunno, I wasn't too thrilled with this one, but that doesn't mean it's not a bad book or doesn't have a chance in winning the Printz!

Was anyone else a bit confused? I guess I should have read this book more quickly, but the wide cast of characters-both living and dead- doesn't help a simple-minded reader like myself. Bouncing between the two of them also didn't help me much. Repressed memories and flashbacks also confuse the heck out of me. I still got the gist of it, and I enjoyed it when I wasn't lost. The very end of the book was a great page turner. It just took a lot to get there. Reading the author's notes, she found her inspiration for this book through her late mother-in-law who was an orphan in Chicago during WWII and the stories she told about her time there. I think she has a solid base for this book and her main character Frankie (based off her MIL Fran) but adding the ghost whose POV we hear this story through (as well as her own story in bits and pieces as she comes to terms with her death) made it a bit scrambled and off the track. Heck, both their stories could be separate books altogether, but in one book it made it feel too crowded. I understand that the story of Pearl and Frankie share some elements but I was still a bit discombobulated reading this book.

Mock Printz Review: Nope, sorry, this one is dead last for me. I know she was a winner of the Printz in the past for Bone Gap, but this book just didn't stand out to me as an example of excellence for teen literature written this past year.

You know what, I'm putting this on my humor bookshelf as well because it had me giving little snorts of laughter throughout the book, with Darius's constant comparisons of real life to Star Trek or Lord of the Rings. But despite it being on my humor shelf, it's one of the most realistic depictions of living with depression (and living with someone with depression) that I've come across in YA literature. As the author says at the end of the book in the Afterword "I wanted to show how depression can affect a life without ruling it". Which is great, because sometimes I feel mental illness is too often used as a plot point and too often authors are quick to make their characters suicidal. In this, both Darius and his father are mentioned many times about taking their medication.

Spoiler

Darius's Dad even mentions about the time his depression became so bad he was having suicidal thoughts but then is able to pull through because of medication. Again, to quote the afterword: "Living with depression...can mean taking medication to stay alive even if it dulls parts of yourself you don't realize are there. (It's absolutely worth it.)" I think that was one of my favorite aspects, where the author does not turn the medication into a scary thing, he normalizes it, he makes sure the reader knows that it's okay to have to medicate to function, it's okay if the medication makes you feel bad, your doctor will get you through it. It's not bad, it's not scary, the doctors aren't out to make a buck, depression is an illness and your family and friends--and even your doctor--are there for you.

My second favorite thing about this book was letting the reader decide for themselves about Darius's feelings towards Sohrab and how deeply that went. This book was LGBTQ friendly without making the book all about relationships and coming out. It is about friendships and family, and it's up to the reader to decide what happens next in Darius's life.

Last but not least: the theme of family. Specifically grandparents. Grandparents that live in another country. The author did a wonderful job writing about the awkwardness of getting to know relatives you don't really know. Seeing your grandparents as people. Getting to know your roots and your family through listening and talking to your grandparents. Visiting where you're from. Those parts of the book were beautifully written and the reader will find themselves falling in love with the family along with Darius.

While I was reading this I just kept looking up at my husband and hitting him excitedly and shouting things like:
"I love this book! The teens are communicating!"
"They're learning from their mistakes!"
"OMG they're speaking up for themselves and avoiding toxic relationships!!"
"And building better and more loving ones and lasting friendships and there's character growth!" "OMFGBFEDHJSSHUFJEDHUFISD!!!!!"
So yeah, I love that!

Let me start out by saying that I loved this book not because it was written well, but because it read like good fanfiction that I would normally enjoy. Certainly not a requisite for the Printz award, but it gets the Angie "I would have love to have read this as fanfiction" award, and in a good way (if you want an example of "reads like fanfiction when I didn't want fanfiction" see my review for Harry Potter and the Cursed Child)!

ANYWAY, Harry Potter is an agoraphobe, and hasn't been outside of his house in 3 years, since a panic attack drove him to shed his clothes and lie in the Hogwarts fountain. He never returned to Hogwarts but takes magical classes online, happy to be at home with his awesome parents who make plenty of money to keep their son comfortable and happy in his safe home indoors.

Hermione is a know-it-all who is determined to get into the second-best magical medical school for psychology. Her project is Harry, whom she is determined to "fix" and then write an essay about to get a full ride into college. Who knew Harry would in fact be fun to hang out with and not crazy at all! Why, she should introduce her boyfriend Ron to this charming young man!

Begin spoilers:

Spoiler

Ah, but Harry comes out as gay to his first real friend, Hermione. And Hermione has been thinking Ron suspect lately as their relationship hasn't gone beyond the merest of touches; and water polo with other boys in Speedoes? Totally suspect. So when Ron and Harry meet and immediately hit it off, Hermione is heartbroken but happy for her friends. Harry begins to improve upon his condition with these two new friends. Until the story just crashes and burns. Like, it's a Love-Train wreck when the truth is out about everything. Who loves whom? Who are real friends?

And this is where the fanfiction ends and the reality begins. Harry/Solomon is an agoraphobe who isn't magically cured by the end of the book. Ron/Clark is NOT gay and doesn't hook up with his best friend. Hermione/Lisa does NOT know everything and is not a licensed psychiatrist and doesn't magically cure anyone and makes some really BIG mistakes. I enjoyed this dose of realism even if I did want Harry and Ron to get together, but let's be real, they are Solomon and Clark and they are two lonely guys that enjoy being homebodies and being best friends. And the ending was perfect. If you want the other ending, find a fanfic, I'm sure this scenario is actually out there somewhere. Or read this manga that is strangely similar, that I happened to start reading at the same time:Ten Count

Definitely for older teens, but it offers some really good, realistic, sex advice for LGBTQ teens. The mystery side of it, with the increasingly abusive and jealous love notes Jack gets, started out strong but ended...I guess I didn't really see it coming!

Spoiler

I do feel that the pacing started out great with Jack's mood slowly depleting as the notes got worse and worse, but then suddenly, within one chapter, he's completely worn down and given up and automatically starts to think like an abused boyfriend? I felt that could have been better built up. Jack is tough, it would take him more than one chapter to completely throw in the towel. It did shock me and make me sad for that whole chapter though when he completely gave up and gave in.

This is a non-fiction book. It is a book about teenaged Shaun going to high school and college in the 90s and trying to find out who he truly is and how to "correctly" identify as gay in a world and a time where being gay was dangerous and misinformed. As the author said, "I was just a confused kid who'd learned the vocabulary of being gay from a world that hated fags." I think that sentence sums up this memoir quite nicely. How can you learn to love yourself when you're growing up in a world that wants you to think the opposite?

So yes, this leads to a very dark, very raw, very open memoir from the author talking about his depression and his identity crisis. He very kindly warns you about the triggering content you will encounter within the book's pages and even tells you where to flip forward to if you don't want to handle his chapter about his attempt to commit suicide.

Mock Printz review:
This is a great book to have available to teens or any young adult even feeling or encountering a smidge of what Shaun talks about in his book, but is it Printz worthy? No. I don't believe this book reaches out to a very wide audience and wouldn't draw in readers from outside of the genre. It's a guide and a lifeboat for those suffering from depression and self-worth and an identity as a queer teen. It's well written, inspiring even I, an avid avoider of nonfiction, to read and finish, but I like to read. This would be difficult for a reluctant reader to finish. It also handles some very heavy material and limits the reader age to a more mature audience.

"Everyone's all baffled why Graphite's world is filled with Renaissance beauty and design. 'Cause I freakin' like it and it's cool. Okay, you hating Internet a-holes?"

Ah, he gets me and my outlook on art. I draw for me. I draw what I like. You don't have to understand it, but it makes me happy if someone does. Art is an escape, and Adrian says as much, and I totally agree. So, the art aspect of this book and the power of art for one's well-being really resonated with me.

As for the rest of the story, it was really cute. It is a pretty easy and quick read, despite it's size, and the characters are all really fun. It just made me really happy! :)