Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
This book is fiction but it seems so realistic. I deal with teenagers everyday of my life, much of them wanting to tell me thier problems at home so when I started reading this book I instantaneously thought, "this will help me understand teens a little better". Deanna's life is drastically changed after her father catches her having sex with a 17 yr old boy. Its been two years and her life is completely messed up, to say the least. She is considered the school slut thanks to Tommy, her family keeps a close eye on her, her dad can't even look at her, and her two friends have started seeing boys, making her want to be interested. She tries to maintain a close relationship with her older brother, but Darren and his girlfriend are struggling as teenage parents. Deanna learns to protect herself by becoming outwardly tough, but feels her isolation acutely. She can only pour her feeling sto her journal because she doesn't want to share what she feels with others, also writing a story about a girl who experiences the same she does. At this point I can see that she has identity issue. She doesn't really know who she is or who she is becoming. Making one single mistake can truly shape anyone's life but this young girl has no sense of self-worth. I very much felt what she is feeling as I myself have shared some the same issues are her. I love how Zarr told this story. This is a book that i definitely want my 9th graders to read on their spare time.
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