Book Review- Emily Layden's All Girls

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of Emily Layden’s novel, All Girls, in exchange for an honest review.

When a scandal from 1995 surfaces and threatens to damage the reputation of Atwater, a prestigious all-girls boarding school in Connecticut, the current students are left wondering who they should trust. All Girls is set during a single school year and each chapter focuses on a different student, high school girls with different dreams and personalities, all trying to navigate the complications of adolescence.

As the girls are being dropped off at Atwater in the fall, they encounter a series of yard signs alerting them to a rapist living on campus. In 1995, a student named Karen Mirro was raped by a teacher and subsequently expelled from Atwater based on an unrelated incident, with no repercussions for the rapist. Now in her late thirties, Mirro has brought a lawsuit against Atwater, and although none of the students firmly know which of their teachers is a rapist, the rumors run rampant and distrust is high.

The school year proceeds with its usual traditions and events, as the administration struggles to keep the lawsuit on the down-low, including none of the staff being removed from their positions. The student paper tries to publish an edition regarding sexual assault and they are barred. Just as the signs mysteriously appear, so do other reminders of the case, such as flyers and unusual artwork. Atwater is awash in the mysterious identity of both the rapist and the person calling attention to Mirro’s case. But even more, the girls all worry if their beloved school, which is steeped in their identity, would protect them if they were in Mirro’s shoes?

I was initially drawn to All Girls because the blurb likened it to one of my all-time favorite novels, Curtis Sittenfeld’s Prep. I can see the reasons for the comparisons, but All Girls was especially timely due to recent revelations about my high school years.

I graduated from a prestigious arts high school in 1995 and during my time in school, I did not realize boundaries that were being crossed between teachers and students. Sure, I saw things that seemed borderline inappropriate, but like Layden’s characters, when you are a teen, sometimes the lines are very blurry. Since graduating, I have heard stories from close friends of very, very inappropriate behavior towards them from some of our male teachers. More than one story, more than one teacher, and certainly more than one female student being affected. It hurts to realize this was happening and that friends were hurting in silence.

All Girls highlights an issue that has been raised recently among my friends, that there has been a shift in the current generation. Mirro was of my generation, which now I realize, we didn’t feel that we had the ability to speak up. She files the lawsuit decades later, because now, during the “me too” movement, she feels like she has a voice. The current Atwater students may still have some uncertainties regarding boundaries and inappropriate behavior, yet they are also raised during a time when they know the power of their own voices. They know that it is vital to hold Atwater accountable for protecting its students.

Layden’s novel took me right back to my teen years, not that I attended a boarding school or grewup with social media, yet the teen emotions were similar. I enjoyed how she framed the novel with focusing on a different student for each chapter and how the book took us through a single school year. I liked having different voices tell their experiences of Atwater and Mirro.

I’m in my early 40’s, and I feel that hindsight gives me a different perspective then if I had read All Girls during my teen years. I have a stepdaughter who will soon turn fourteen, and I couldn’t help but see her in a few of the younger characters, particularly cringing with some of the cruelties that the girls inflict upon each other, hoping that she will make true friends and that her “bad decisions” are mild.

All Girls is poignant and beautifully written. I highly recommend it and I look forward to reading Layden’s future works.

Book Review- Laurie Notaro's Crossing the Horizon

Thank You to Gallery Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Laurie Notaro's, Crossing the Horizon, in exchange for an honest review. 

PLOT - Through research, including interviews with family members, Laurie Notaro, tells the true story of three fearless women, who in the 1920's attempted to become the first female to fly across the Atlantic. The women include :

Ruth Elder, an young Alabama native, who used her winnings as a beauty contestant to pay for flying lessons. Ruth's charm managed to capture the attention of investors, who paid for her plane, "American Girl" and backed her attempt to cross the Atlantic with her flight instructor. 

Elsie Mackay, the daughter of a British Earl, who had to hide her flying scheme from her family and the press. She used her wealth to pay for a WW1 ace fighter pilot to teach her to fly and accompany her on the voyage. Like Ruth, Elsie had a true passion for aviation. 

Mabel Boll, a rich and gregarious socialite with a dubious background. Although she had no interest in actually flying a plane, she hoped to garner fame for being a passenger. 

LIKE- As readers of my blog and reviews already know, I'm a huge Laurie Notaro fan, but this is a departure from her usual non-fiction humor books. I'm so happy that she tried something new, Crossing the Horizon was absolutely enthralling. Driving my husband nuts, I basically refused to put the book down until I had finished it. I just had to know what was going to happen, this is a page-turner. 

I had not heard of Elder, Mackay, or Bolls previous to reading Crossing the Horizon, and truly, I didn't know much about early aviation. This lack of knowledge, kept the story suspenseful and me, glued to my seat. There were moments where I was holding my breath reading, the excitement too much to take. It's an intense story. I loved reading about aviation fever, and the way the press and public were clamoring for stories about these early pioneers. 

What works best is the strong personalities of the three main characters. Elder and Mackay are adventurers, with passion and charisma. I wanted to see either of them succeed. I liked the contrast in their backgrounds, Elder from a poor small town in America, and Mackay from an immense wealthy British family. Bolls, while not necessarily likable, is highly entertaining. She's a large than life personality, the kind of person you wouldn't want to have as a dinner guest ( she'd drink all of your best champagne and smash the crystal!), but who you'd want to hear the latest gossip. All three of these women are vibrant, with fascinating stories. 

DISLIKE- Not a single thing. I enjoyed the ride start to finish. If anything, I was left wanting more. I'd love to see Crossing the Horizon turned into a documentary or film. 

RECOMMEND- Yes!!! Crossing the Horizon is one of the best books of 2016. It will make you long to learn more about the early years of aviation. Notaro is a masterful storyteller. This book will grab you!

Book Review- Barbara Amaya's Nobody's Girl

Thank You to Animal Media Group for providing me with an advanced copy of Barbara Amaya's memoir, Nobody's Girl, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- In her memoir, Nobody's Girl, Barbara Amaya recounts sexual abuse at the hands of family members, leading her to become a runaway at twelve years old, and soon after, falling into the hands of sex traffickers, ultimately developing a heroin addiction to cope.

LIKE- Amaya is very brave for sharing her story. Hers is a tragic life and through most of the book, I did not think it would end well. It's a relief to know that her life has turned out positive, and that she is able to help so many other victims of sex trafficking as a speaker and advocate. Nobody's Girl was shocking, horrific, and very depressing. It made me aware of the dire need for police and social workers to help other kids and adults on the streets. I was most amazed at how Amaya, with her many arrests as a teenager, was just filtered through the justice system, able to skate by with multiple aliases. The sheer shock value of Amaya's story made her book a page-turner. I read it in a single afternoon.

DISLIKE- I feel like I shouldn't admit this, but I'm committed to giving honest feedback: I had a difficult time connecting with Amaya. It isn't simply that her life is the polar opposite of mine, but I gave it a lot of thought, and I think the reason for the disconnect is that her story is told very matter-of-fact, lacking emotion. It's not that she doesn't express emotion, but in her writing it's stated bluntly " I was angry", rather than written in a way that is lyrical or impactful. If that element had been in writing, I likely would have been blown away, but as it is, I read it from a distance.

The reason that I feel guilty for admitting this is Amaya has put herself out there by sharing her story. Although she did return to college as adult, as a child, she only received a formal education up until six grade, and was certainly not encouraged to read or write while on the streets. In fact, in one vivid scene, her pimp rips a book from her hand, and degrades her desire to learn. She did not use a ghostwriter for this book either. 

RECOMMEND - Yes, Nobody's Girl highlights an important social issue and Amaya's story is one that deserves to be heard.