I have the fortune of working in place that allows me access to books, and plenty of them. A book that I managed to get my hot little hands on is Or Not, by Brian Mandabach. This is a YA publication about an eighth grader who, through her vegan, lp-listening, mountaineering ways, just doesn’t fit in at junior high, and suffers hell because of it. Though I’m only about 100 pages into the book, I must say I’m hooked. The character is (through boughts of depression and teenage angst) struggling just to decide not the cliche “what is life about” but rather if life is even worth living. If the rest of the world isn’t going to fight for what is right, what’s the use?
Told via journal entries, my main problem with the book is the fact that the diction, writing style, and sheer knowledge of the main character surpass that of any 13-year-old (Honestly. I was a smart cookie at that age, but what 13-year-old talks like a sarcastic post-grad?). But, I think that’s what makes me like the book so much. Because it’s written in a style/level that appeals to me now, it makes me feel just a tad less weird about reading it. I was reading The Grapes of Wrath in eighth grade. Now, over a decade later, I’m reading a book I wouldn’t have touched with a ten foot plastic pole at age 13 (I was far too cool for YA books as a teen. It’s amazing what adulthood does to hupris, no?) Truly, I’m reading a book that makes me reflect on what it was like to be that outcast teenager and it makes me ponder the state of things now (we live in a time where the blind lead the blind, and ignorance is truly bliss. or not.)
Until I finish the book, I suppose I won’t know the answer to this question, but I’ll pose it anyway: in a world of text messages, iPods, and myspace, how is a spiritually-attuned 13-year-old supposed to exist? Or the rest of us, for that matter?
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2 Comments
October 25, 2007 at 5:52 am
Thanks for the mention! So glad you are likeing it.
I’m new at this–Or Not is my first book–but I seem to remember that I’m not really supposed to argue with criticism, but I will say one little thing:
My 8th grade readers had no problem with the vocabulary or what Booklist called my “veering into precocious pretension.” (lol–I LOVE that phrase!) Adults have, though they’ve still appreciated the book.
I think that’s because teens see themselves as more sophisticated than adults tend to see them, and when given a mirror that shows them as articulate and insightful, it looks just right to them.
I was and am delighted by their reaction. And again, I also appreciate your response!
October 25, 2007 at 3:11 pm
Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Mandabach–it is appreciated! I did finish Or Not shortly after writing this post, and I will say I was pleasantly pleased with the book. (And I will definitely agree with your observation about teens feeling more sophisticated than they are perceived…I think my biggest complaint about my youth was not being taken as seriously as I felt I warranted). I look forward to the next one!