Search This Blog
April Reviews Link-Up
May Reviews Link-Up
June Reviews Link-Up
July Reviews Link-Up
August Reviews Link-Up
September Reviews Link-Up
October Reviews Link-Up
November Reviews Link-Up
December Reviews Link-Up
2024 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (3)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho (2)
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (1)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee (1)
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia (1)
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (1)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
2024 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
Wednesday, August 31, 2016
Raw, Real Medical Memoir Compulsively Readable. Really.
4:56 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
From a young age, Emily Wing felt different from the kids around her. Her emotions seemed out-of-whack, making her feel alternately aggressive, angry, anxious, lonely, and sad. Impulsive behavior and frequent dizziness also plagued the little girl. Starting therapy at six helped a little. Mostly, though, she found solace only in writing stories. "Words never let me down," she recalls. "With words, I never let myself down" (62). A near-fatal accident at 12 led to a discovery that went a long way toward explaining Emily's feelings of otherness—doctors found a tumor the size of a grapefruit growing at the base of her skull. This "miracle" find changed the life of pre-teen Emily, who was determined to overcome the lingering, debilitating effects of the brain tumor to fulfill her dream of becoming a successful author.
In the fickle world of YA lit, memoirs are a rare breed. Cruise the teen shelves at the library or bookstore and you'll find only a few. That's one of the reasons All Better Now, a new memoir by YA novelist Emily Wing Smith is so refreshing. It's unique, yes, but it's also honest, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful. A tale like this could so easily veer into a sappy, platitude-filled story; it doesn't. It's uplifting while remaining both raw and real. Teens, especially, will appreciate Smith's forthrightness. No matter their age or experience, readers' hearts will go out to young Emily, an entirely empathetic heroine with a wholly compelling story. All Better Now is not the kind of book I usually describe as compulsively readable, but in this case, it's true. I devoured it in one sitting. Hand this one to teens—or anyone, really—who enjoys a quick, enlightening read that will make them look at the people around them with new eyes and a more compassionate heart.
(Readalikes: Reminded me of Small Steps by Peg Kehret and This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Grace Earl)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, non-graphic mention of mature subjects (prostitution, sex, child molestation, male anatomy, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of All Better Now from Amazon using a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
3 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)
Reading
Listening
Followin' with Bloglovin'
-
-
Fancy Pants1 hour ago
-
-
A Bookish Trio...2 hours ago
-
-
First Line Fridays: March 29, 20245 hours ago
-
Daily Prompt 28 March Thursday9 hours ago
-
Again and Again - Jonathan Evison12 hours ago
-
Time Travel Thursday17 hours ago
-
American Zion19 hours ago
-
Review: Trespasses by Louise Kennedy20 hours ago
-
Digging Up Trouble by Kitt Crowe21 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
Thank you1 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
One in the Chamber by Robin Peguero2 days ago
-
Top 5 Tuesday ~ Female Authors3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Review: Beartown1 week ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?5 months ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra9 months ago
-
-
-
Sundays with Sam – The Sunday Post11 months ago
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ▼ 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
I need to get my hands on this one. I've met Emily a few times and would love to learn more about her.
ReplyDeleteI had lunch with Emily and her writing group a few years ago. She's so sweet and positive, you'd never guess how difficult her life has been!
DeleteI really need to read this one. I love Emily so much and I'd love to read her story. I'm glad you liked it and I can't wait to get to it.
ReplyDelete