All of these teen essays were originally published in New Youth Connections, a newspaper completely written for and by teenagers in New York City. (get it, they’re both NYC?) These essays are about subjects that are close to teen’s hearts and totally down to earth. Chris K. tells about the trauma of shopping with Mom, while Delia C. writes about how she’s come to deplore designer name brands. On a deeper note, Allen F. tries to figure out what’s up with the “N” word in the chapter on race, and Victoria L. struggles with her decision to become a vegetarian in the chapter on choices. Gotten yourself grounded? This is the perfect book to take to your room, ‘cause when you flip open the pages, it’s just like your friends talking to ya.
Month: May 2007
In My Room: Teenagers in their Bedrooms by Adrienne Salinger
This is a great book for the closeted peeping toms among you, because you get the voyeuristic thrill of seeing another person’s most intimate space – their bedroom. In this collection of forty photo essays, you’ll see and read some of the most personal details of these very different teenagers’ lives. My only beef with this book is that it doesn’t give specific info about the picture itself. For example, Anne I. has a very plain room except for a HUGE wall hanging of Jim Morrison (whom I love, I’m a big Doors fan), but her essay is about being grounded all the time. I’d rather read about her obvious Morrison obsession, but maybe that’s what makes this book so good – by looking at the stuff in people’s bedrooms, it tells you everything about that person without them having to say a word.
The Shared Heart: Portraits and Stories celebrating lesbian, gay and bisexual young people by Photographs by Adam Mastoon
This is a beautiful book, not just because of how it is presented, but also because its content. Next to 40 stunning black and white photographs appear painful and sometimes funny feelings, stories, and coming out experiences of teens who are not afraid to show who they are. The captions to each picture contain text that is written in the teen’s own handwriting, which makes each of their stories that much more personal and touching. Chris writes about how hard it is to be a closeted gay in a close-knit, Irish Catholic community, while Mollie poses with her obviously loving parents whom she came out to long ago. The book’s title comes from the fact that no matter how different we all are ethnically or sexually, we all share the same heart. I totally agree. With escalating violence against gays in the news, this book promotes tolerance and peace. It’s a keeper.
“A Totally Alien Life Form”: Teenagers by Sydney Lewis
Sydney Lewis interviewed about 60 teens to get this collection of 40 essays that document teen life, liberty and pursuit of popularity. She divides the essays into subjects like “Outcasts”, “Faith” and “Secrets”. The essays are written in the teens’ own words, with just a short intro to each where Lewis provides brief background info and a physical description. What’s cool about Lewis is that she’s worked closely with Studs Terkel, a cultural historian who’s written books on everything from WWII to the state of America in the 80’s. With greatness like that rubbing off on her, Lewis is golden. Last, but not least, this hefty volume definitely has the coolest cover – with black and white stripes and magazine cut-out faces. Give it a look-see!
Coming of Age: The True Adventures of Two American Teens by G. Wayne Miller
Except for the lameness of the title (hello, MOST books about teens are some sort of coming of age story) this is actually a pretty good book. Like A Tribe Apart, it documents the day to day lives of Dave and Beth, two teens from the class of ’93. However, Miller doesn’t interject as much of his opinions as Hersch did in Tribe. He basically just observes, takes in the action, and saves his shtick until the afterword. Again, this book is interesting because the fly-on-the-wall perspective. As teens, we all want to know what other teens are up to and how close they are to being like us. The good news is, by reading the books listed here, you’ll find out that you’re all normal (if definitely not all the same!).
Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
Donnie’s older sister Karen has always been the person he turns to when he gets upset about their parents’ constant fighting. But now Karen is the one who needs help – the family has discovered that she has anorexia and everyone will need to work together to make sure she gets better. Except Donnie’s parents can’t stop playing the blame game when it comes to Karen, and Donnie begins to feel invisible at both school and home in the wake of Karen’s illness. He feels guilty for feeling relieved when she’s in the hospital and he actually gets some attention from their parents: “Without her to absorb all the energy, there’s some left for me.” When the worst happens, Donnie will have figure out who he is if he’s not the family peacemaker, not the invisible son, not Karen’s nerdy little brother. This first novel is a riveting look at how anorexia affects not only individuals, but their families and friends as well. Donnie is hauntingly real and his pain is palpable. Keep some Kleenex handy.
Second Star to the Right by Deborah Hautzig
This book had a tremendous impact on me as a teen and I’m thrilled to see it back in print. The author went through anorexia herself and a lot of this story is autobiographical, which makes it all the more powerful. Leslie Hiller is a privileged, white, uptown girl. Her parents live to please her, especially her mother. But sometimes she feels that her mother cares too much, and finds that attention smothering. When she can’t control her mother’s feelings for her, she decides to control her weight.The scene from this book that has always stuck with me is when Leslie’s mother takes a plate of pork chops to her room and begs her to eat them. Leslie swears she will as soon as her mother leaves the room. In the shadow of her mother’s anguish, she calmly walks over to the window and scrapes the food off the plate to the ground outside. Tough stuff that was ahead of its time and almost too painful to read. So, of course, you MUST read it.
Stick Figure by Lori Gottlieb
Finally! They said it couldn’t be done–but Lori Gottlieb has done it. She has written a memoir about anorexia that is FUNNY! Not to trivialize the seriousness of this disease, but Gottlieb’s descriptions of her shallow Beverly Hills family in high 70’s camp style is really hilarious. The downside to all that humor is the sad fact that Gottlieb became anorexic when she was ONLY ELEVEN. That’s way too young for anyone to feel fat. If you want to read a really DIFFERENT book about anorexia, check out Stick Figure.
Life Size by Jenefer Shute
Josie can’t figure out where it all went wrong. She was just being her usual, calorie-counting self when she ended up in this rehab for people with eating disorders. Hello?! It’s all those other people who can’t stop shoveling food into their mouths who have an eating disorder, not her. Josie is pure and clean and empty. Josie weighs 69 pounds. Try and figure out how Josie ticks in this insightful novel about anorexia. Flashbacks between her present hospital life and the past that shaped her disease really shed light on this girl trapped by her inability to eat. A great book that touches on all the social factors that can cause anorexia.
Wasted: A Memoir by Marya Hornbacher
This compelling biography reads like a novel. Marya paints a chilling portrait of how bulimia and anorexia took over her teen years, and how she still struggles with her eating disorder, even today. Dragging the reader through her highest highs (a great political internship in Washington D.C.) and her weight dropped to 76 pounds) Marya gives you the inside scoop on what eating disorders are really like — and it’s no runway model’s life! But the part that really sticks is when Marya discusses, without a trace of self-pity, how ravaged her body and heart are from the disease, and how many years anorexia has taken off her life. (She’s only 23 years old, but strangers guessing her age think she’s 36) A haunting book that will stay with you for days.
I am an Artichoke by Lucy Frank
15 year old Sarah is thrilled when she gets the perfect summer job — as a mother’s helper in New York City! She’s looking forward to fun and sun in the Big Apple, until she finds out that Emily, the young teen she’s in charge of, has an eating disorder. Sarah begins to feel like she may be in over her head as she tries to deal with Emily’s strange eating rituals, Emily’s crazy divorced parents, Florence and Elliot, and her own blossoming romance with Angel, a mysterious boy who lives in Emily’s building. One thing’s for sure — things are going to get worse for Sarah and Emily before they get better, but you can count on a happy ending with this somewhat lighter take on eating disorders. If you find yourself bonding with Sarah, read about her further adventures in Will You Be My Brussel Sprout?
Nell’s Quilt by Susan Terris
Nell’s problem is that she’s ahead of her time. A wanna-be feminist in 1899, Nell doesn’t get much sympathy from her traditional family when she tries to turn down her cousin’s marriage proposal in favor of attending college. To distract herself from the impending doom of matrimony to a man she doesn’t love, Nell immerses herself in the making of a crazy quilt. As Nell’s obsession with quilt grows, her body shrinks as she refuses both food and support from her concerned relatives. As the end of the book draws nearer, you’re not sure what will be finished first, the quilt or Nell’s life. An interesting historical novel that portrays anorexia in a way that has nothing to do with modern society and bikini-clad babes in Seventeen magazine.
Life in the Fat Lane by Cherie Bennett
My Sister’s Bones by Cathi Hanauer
Hunger Point by Jillian Medoff
My Sister’s Bones, this novel is about a girl with a sister who has an eating disorder. But unlike Billie, Frannie(the narrator of Hunger Point) is about as obsessed with food as her anorexic sister Shelley. After Shelley is checked into a hospital for her disease, Frannie discovers her own self-destructive tendencies (dating guys that she calls “Rat Boys”) as she tries to understand why her sister won’t eat. With an uncommunicative father and a mother who obsessively diets and counts the calories on everyone’s plates at dinner, its easy to see where Frannie and Shelley have gotten such backward ideas about food, love and perfection. It’s only after a long depression following Shelley’s death that Frannie can learn to deal with her situation and come back out on top. A sad and funny novel about redemption.
