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diary-ish books
Before we get into the reviews, may I just take a moment to say that I feel hopeful and awkward
about what this category may become? I'm a sucker for diary-format novels of all kinds. I also
think they're really hard for fiction writers to pull off with any sense of authenticity.
Also, I have an erratic online journal of my own
that feeds my ideas about private/public self and narrative self.
Have I ever mentioned that I have a degree
in Cultural Anthropology and spent years studying Geertz, Turner, and others about participant/observation?
All that really means here is that I'm tangled up in a love/hate thang with diaries. I worship them blindly.
I hate them, too. But maybe I love them anyway. In this section, I can't be "critical" (as if you thought I
was being critical and objective in the other categories! ha!), but I'll try to tell you what I think and feel.
Onward!
Please Don't Kill the Freshman
by Zoe Trope
Want angst? Here's the real deal, straight from the heart of an intelligent young woman during her freshman year in high school.
This chapbook is a collection of actual diary entries from Zoe, now 15. Evocative and provocative, dancing on the page in prose poetry, Zoe's words lead you
through the course of her school year, as she searches for meaning in the midst of such profound
transition. If you're past your own freshman year, you'll
appreciate how conscious she is of the ways teachers, parents, culture, and social cliques try to flatten her creativity and
the intensity of her emotions. Zoe is a breath of fresh air, brave and achingly aware. Brava! Go Zoe!
Girls, Girls, Girls
The Black Book, Volume 1, Diary of a Teenage Stud
by Jonah Black
Who is Jonah Black? Well, frankly, no one is sure -- including Jonah. What's real and what's fantasy? Just back
at his mother's house in Florida after having been kicked out of a prep school in Pennsylvania.
Jonah obsessively records interactions and fantasies in his journal, and the line between
fantasy and reality isn't always clear. He's having a hard time
adjusting to being back in his old school. Everyone has changed so much (he doesn't even
recognize some people at first), and his friends keep saying he hasn't changed a bit. But Jonah
knows he's changed... he just can't find the words to explain what happened at the boarding school
in Pennsylvania and the impact it made on him. But who is Jonah really? Rumor has it that
Jonah Black is the pseudonym of a talented, well-loved YA author. From the rhythm in the entries and
Jonah's keen observations about people, I've got an idea of who the real author might be. Do you?
Write and let me know. Volume 2 is coming out soon, and I'm
hooked!
Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging
Confessions of Georgia Nicolson
by Louise Rennison
Imagine if Harriet (from Harriet the Spy) grew up, became obsessed with boys, was a fan of Claire
Danes and that old television series "My So-Called Life," and lived in England... Or, imagine a younger, more
naive version of Bridget Jones (from B. J.'s Diary)... well, then you'd have a bit
of an idea what Georgia Nicolson is like. She's sharp and smart-assed, pouty, and as melodramatic
as an opera diva. This first volume of Georgia's whines and triumphs is a romp!
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