Book Review- L.B. Gschwandtner's The Other New Girl

Thank you to She Writes Press for providing me with an advance copy of L.B. Gschwandtner's novel, The Other New Girl, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Susannah Greenwood is one of two girls starting at a Quaker boarding school in their sophomore year. Susannah joins the swim team and is quickly accepted by the popular group of girls. The other new girl, Moll, doesn't have an easy time. She quiet and simply different than the other students. Susannah tries to befriend Moll, but a series of events leads to disaster.

LIKE- I've always been drawn to stories that take place in boarding schools. I didn't attend a boarding school and I didn't even go to summer camp, so the idea of kids living away from their parents is somewhat romanticized in my mind. Additionally, I'm drawn to stories about religion. I didn't know much about the Quaker faith and I found that aspect of Gschwandtner's novel to be fascinating. In fact, I wish she had dove deeper into it. 

The Other New Girl is written from the perspective of an adult Susannah who runs into an old classmate which sends her down the rabbit hole of reflecting on a terrible thing that happened in high school. There are themes of guilt and regret. The teenage Susannah is placed in an incredibly difficult position and she is shaken to the core by what happens around her, things that were set into motion by her and that quickly spiral out of control. The Other New Girl is about the domino affect of actions and how your life can be impacted negatively, even when you have the best intentions. 

DISLIKE- I found it difficult to connect with Susannah. I can't pinpoint it, but there was something about Gschwandtner's writing that made me feel distant from the protagonist. Although I found the story compelling, this lack of connection with Susannah hampered my ability to emotionally connect with The Other New Girl. 

I recently read an article ( unfortunately, I can't remember the source, but it was in one of my writing magazines) that mentioned the 1960's as being an over-used era for coming of age novels. The Other New Girl takes place in the late 50's/early 60's and it does have many of the cliche historical/social references of the era. If I hadn't read this article, I probably wouldn't have thought about it one way or the other, but since I did, I wondered how different and perhaps more potent this story would have been, had it been set in a different era? 

RECOMMEND- Maybe. Although I couldn't connect with the protagonist, I still was compelled to read The Other New Girl. It's a quick read and Gschwandtner hit on subjects that interested me. Also, I did a quick scan of reviews and other readers are loving this book. I think I'm an outlier with my dislikes. 

Book Review - Teresa Sullivan's Mikey and Me: Life with my Exceptional Sister

Thank You to She Writes Press for providing me with an advance copy of Teresa Sullivan's memoir, Mikey and Me: Life with my Exceptional Sister, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT - In her memoir, Mikey and Me: Life with my Exceptional Sister, Teresa Sullivan recounts growing up with her older sister, Micky, who is blind, non-verbal, and has brain damage. Although her entire family loves Mikey immensely and they do everything possible to make Mikey's life better, caring for Mikey takes a toll on everyone. Sullivan's memoir explores the impact of Mikey and how having a special needs sibling shaped her life.

LIKE - I couldn't put Sullivan's memoir down and I read it in one sitting. The specifics of Sullivan's story and her willingness to share her life in a raw, honest manner, made her memoir a page-turner. I just kept reading, because I had to know if Mikey and the rest of her family were going to be okay. It's an intense and uncertain read.

Although they try their best to keep Mikey at home, an incident occurs where the courts get involved and Mikey is placed into a facility against her families wishes. They visit her at every opportunity, including visits where she is allowed to come home for the weekend, but Mikey's placement in a facility forever changes Sullivan's family. A piece is missing without Mikey and they all feel guilt in their inability to protect her, especially when they discover that she is being abused in the system. Sullivan turns to drugs and wild behavior in her teen years, her mother gambles and has an affair, and her father turns to alcohol. The entire family dynamic breaks down. It's heartbreaking, especially the horrific abuse Mikey suffers.

Mikey and Me made me feel shattered. I finished it last week and couldn't manage to write the review until today, because I'm still deeply affected and upset by what I read.

DISLIKE- Nothing. The subject matter is tough to read, but Sullivan has written a beautiful tribute to her sister. There is so much love that she has for Mikey.

RECOMMEND- Yes. Mikey and Me is a devastating memoir, but also an important one. Although, as a society we have come a long way in understanding and integrating people with special needs ( especially during the 60's/70's where a bulk of Sullivan's memoir takes place), there is much more than should be done. Sullivan shares not only her experiences with her sister, but she speaks for other families with loved ones who have special needs. She speaks to a need for not only showing compassion and protecting, but to also inclusion for vulnerable members of our society. She also speaks for siblings, who often transition into a caregiving role as their parent's age and pass away. This is an important memoir. 

Book Review- Sherry Stanfa-Stanley's Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares

Thank you to She Writes Press for providing me with an advance copy of Sherry Stanfa-Stanley's Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truths and Dares, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- When Sherry Stanfa-Stanley turned fifty-two, she decided to challenge herself by facing fifty-two activities that would take her outside of her comfort zone. Finding My Badass Self: A Year of Truth and Dares documents Stanfa-Stanley's quest to seek adventure and push her boundaries. 

LIKE- Stanfa-Stanley is funny and relatable. It's easy to root for her as she overcomes personal obstacles, like conquering her fear of heights by going zip lining and riding in a hot air balloon. I think it helps that Stanfa-Stanley is a rather normal person chasing her dreams. She's middle-aged and not in peak shape, yet she attempts adventures. She doesn't have a large budget for her ideas and no one is financially backing her, another element that will make readers feel empowered: If Stanfa-Stanley can achieve her goals, so can you. Get off that couch!

My favorite challenge was when Stanfa-Stanley threw a party for strangers. She asked her friends to invite someone that they knew, but someone that she had not previously met to a party that Stanfa-Stanley was hosting. The friends were not invited, only the strangers. This meant that Stanfa-Stanley was hosting a party and didn't know who was going to knock at her door and none of the other people, knew each other. It was a grand experiment that was a huge success. I absolutely love the idea of a strangers party, especially how it lent itself to diversity in the participants. Although it happened that only women showed up ( men were invited), the women were different ages and from a variety of backgrounds. I think this is a marvelous idea for expanding your social circle. It was heart warming to learn that many of the women stayed in touch,

DISLIKE- Previous to Finding My Badass Self, I had not heard of Stanfa-Stanley. I now know that she has a blog in which readers can follow her adventures. Finding My Badass Self reads like a compilation of blog entries, which I think it might have been. I question the necessity of turning the blog entries into a book. If I was following her blog, it would be delightful to read a few entries at a time and catch up with her life, but as a book, it was tedious. I think a fix would have been to change the format and provide more introspection before moving to the next challenge. There needed to be a bridge between the entries. Not all of the challenges were equally interesting or inspiring, which also contributed to the uneven pacing.

RECOMMEND- Maybe. I'd definitely recommend checking out Stanfa-Stanley's blog. She's humorous and you might find the inspiration to chase one of your own dreams. I'm just not sure that Finding My Badass Self is a better recommendation than just checking out her blog.