I am beginning to question whether I should give up on memoirs altogether. It seems that almost every one that I read lately has not really grabbed me. Maybe my issue is the fact that I had such high expectations for Everything Sucks. The title alone gave me hope - that and the fact that a fellow blogger recommended this book earlier this year. Unfortunately, I am left feeling rather meh about it, and I am not happy with that.

At first, I found this book painful in a good way. It made me look back upon my own teenage years, which I feel is in keeping with this year of personal development and reflection. I realized that everyone experiences the same doubt, pain, and suffering while in high school. Then, I started to reflect. Here's my problems with Ms. Friedman's story:

First of all, the synopsis makes it seem as if her extreme behavior is just that - extreme. However, I found the problems were not as obvious or extreme as they were made to appear. I never got the impression that Hannah ever truly fit in to the popular crowd; she makes mention of the fact that she cannot afford the same designer clothes that her friends purchase, and she also discusses the backstabbing ways of her closest "friends". Her food issues are understated, as are the drug problems. So, I went in expecting this major drama and extremist behavior and just was not satisfied on that end.

Then, I realized that yes, high school does suck. There is tremendous pressure to fit in, get good grades, but millions of people don't turn to drugs or bulimia to fit in. We all contemplate the idea of a fresh start during high school; Ms. Friedman gets that chance and almost ruins her life during it. This got me thinking - what gives her the right to complain about this? She made her choices all on her own. No one forced her to start taking drugs or binge and purge. So life sucks in high school. So what? It sucks because she made the wrong choices. The self-righteous tone adopted throughout the book as Ms. Friedman tries to justify her high school behavior to her readers really began to bother me.

Also, I do recognize that Ms. Friedman overcame some major issues. However, how exactly did she recover? At one point in time in the book, she has a major drug problem and is severely bulimic. Then, she is in college with no problems. At no point in time, she makes no mention of rehab or how she recovered. This is a major failing given the target audience. I do recognize the fact that Everything Sucks would be powerful reading for teens, which concerns me about the lack of discussion regarding resolutions to her problems. The drug and eating problems were severe enough to require medical attention of some sort, and to avoid discussing this part of the story may give those same teen readers the idea that they too can miraculously resolve their issues without any outside help. It is extremely misleading, in my opinion, and also quite a dangerous omission.

As I mentioned, I imagine this memoir to be quite popular among teenagers, but I found it whiny and pretentious as an adult. Then again, I am more than convinced that memoirs are not for me. Honestly, I start thinking about why publishers/ people feel their stories are better than others, and it bothers me. If I could relate more to Ms. Friedman, I might have felt differently about this particular book, but her whining grated on my nerves and her life choices caused me to shake my head in frustration. I am glad that I read the book, if only to be more aware of the pressures my own children may face when they get to high school. ( )

When everything sucks,
change everything . . .

And that's exactly what Hannah Friedman set out to do in an ambitious attempt to bust out of a life of obscurity and absurdity and into an alternate world of glamour, wealth, and popularity.

Being dubbed 'That Monkey Girl' by middle school bullies and being pulled out of sixth grade to live on a tour bus with her agoraphobic mother, her smelly little brother, and her father's hippie band mates convinces Hannah that she is destined for a life of freakdom.

But when she enters one of the country's most prestigious boarding schools on scholarship, Hannah transforms herself into everything she is not: cool. By senior year, she has a perfect millionaire boyfriend, a perfect GPA, a perfect designer wardrobe, and is part of the most popular clique in school, but somehow everything begins to suck far worse than when she first started. Her newfound costly drug habit, eating disorder, identity crisis, and Queen-Bee attitude lead to the unraveling of Hannah's very unusual life.

Putting her life back together will take more than a few clicks of her heels, or the perfect fit of a glass slipper, in this not-so-fairy tale of going from rock bottom to head of the class and back again.

My Thoughts:

Yeah Hannah is crazy(in a good way),just hilarious. I loved how she told her story. There was never a dull moment. She comes off as very relatable. You know somethings just SUCK! like homework lol. and BS' ing teachers.

I liked Hannah. She puts her whole life out there and didn't hold back.She tells you like it is, or like it was, good or bad. That's why i really enjoy this book. She does tackle serious points like her drug use and eating disorder, she puts it all out there.

This is the first memoir i have read, i exactly LOVE it. The writing flowed, great personality, it was almost like it wasn't a memoir. I think everybody should read this book at least once. You won't regret it! When everything sucks, change everything.... ( )

Free spirit parents, a live in monkey 'sister', touring Ireland in a band bus while being home schooled, overweight, unpopular, reinventing yourself in a private school, exploring drinking, drugs and sex, losing and finding yourself. Sounds like a great premise for a fiction novel or even a TV pilot doesn't it?

Yes, except that it happens to be the real thing. This is Hannah Friedman's life. And all of the above? All true.

I love this quote from her mother when Hannah objects to going on tour in Ireland.

We have fed you and clothed you and paid for piano lessons and glitter rainbow shoes, and I spent sixteen hours in labour with you, and now we've finally found a competent monkey-sitter after twenty-seven interviews, so you. Are. Going."

Definitely not your typical suburban upbringing. Hannah yearns to be popular and fit in. Academically gifted, she wins a scholarship to a prestigious private school and is able to reinvent herself. Hannah finds herself in THE popular clique. Happy at last. But is she? She begins to experiment with drinking, drugs and sex.

What struck me the most was the brutal honesty in Everything Sucks. Friedman puts it all out there, the disappointment, the anger, the shame, the wondering, the search and the journey to find her place in life. No subject is sacrosanct.

A fantastic read, one I couldn't put down. Hannah's journey to find what's really cool was addicting. I think the book's dedication speaks volumes -

" For everyone who is sure they will never fit in. And for my parents, who taught me that it's just more fun not to."

Friedman is an amazing young woman. She was the youngest person to have an article published in Newsweek magazine - ironically about the battle to get into a 'good' school. Her voice is fresh, funny and real. I hope she continues to write - I'd love to hear about her next 20 years. ( )

Hannah Friedman’s parents are what I like to call free spirits. Her dad is a not quite successful hippie musician and her mom is a former animal trainer who has taken in a monkey that is treated like a member of the family. They did off-beat things like build a car to resemble a shoe and take Hannah and her brother out of school for a year to join them on a band tour of England.

Hannah is very bright and hard working, but had a lot of trouble fitting in socially in middle school. Thinking that she would fit in better at a prep school, Hannah applied, and was accepted to one of the most prestigious schools in the country. She felt like she had a fresh start and worked hard at being cool and found that she was! She was part of the popular crowd, she was class president and she had a cool, older boyfriend. But along with all of that, she developed a drug habit and an eating disorder. She also felt like she was watching her life instead of living it.

Thankfully, Hannah saw how self-destructive her habits were and how shallow her “friends” were before it was too late to change her life. When she began her college career, she was thrilled when someone from her past recognized her and called her “Monkey Girl” – a name she used to despise.

It took me a few chapters to get into EVERYTHING SUCKS by Hannah Friedman, but once I did, I couldn’t put the book down! Hannah is brutally honest in her memoir and I really got attached to her and her misguided attempts to fit in. I was appalled by the actions of some of the girls in this book and can’t help but wonder why adults dismiss such behavior. This book made me realize just how much more difficult it is to grow up in today’s society than it was back in the dark ages of my youth.

I think everyone who has a child (especially a daughter) approaching high school should read EVERYTHING SUCKS. There is some language, drug use and sexual situations in it, but I think it presents a very realistic picture of what young people of today face. I also think students who are struggling to fit in may find some comfort in this book because it shows that fitting in isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. ( )

Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com

EVERYTHING SUCKS is the blase and brazen memoir of Yale graduate Hannah Friedman, recounting those awkward childhood and teenage years when everything truly does suck.

Imagine being a first-born human child only to live in the shadows of a monkey. Thus begins Hannah's life, with Amelia the monkey as an older sibling of sorts who can get away with anything. Hannah's mother saved Amelia from an opium withdrawal death and adopted her into the family. Amelia repaid the favor by garnering a Hollywood movie role that bought the Friedmans' house. While there might be a few pros to having a monkey at home, ultimately it just really sucks. Hannah becomes known as The Monkey-Girl Freak at school and, try as she might, she never can quite integrate herself into public school social circles.

When her father uproots the family to the United Kingdom for a whirlwind music tour to promote his new album, Hannah balks at the idea. No, her father - Dean Friedman - is not a rock star, rather a one-hit wonder from the 1970s. Hannah is dragged along for the ride, witnessing a colossal bust of a tour, though there are some fun Twinkie dinners and eccentric people to brighten up the rainy days.

Back in middle school, Hannah is determined to reinvent herself. Perhaps with her newfound worldliness she can charm her way into the upper echelon of popularity. Alas, her dreams are shattered when she finds herself even lower (if that's possible) on the totem pole than before.

Imagine Hannah's surprise when she transfers to a private boarding school and finds herself inadvertently in the midst of the most popular and glamorous clique there is. Unfortunately, the world she now finds herself in is more complicated, bitchy, superficial, and ugly than she ever would have guessed from its glossy appearance. The constant battle for supremacy is consuming - everyone strives to be the sexiest and thinnest while backstabbing anyone who gets in the way. The drama takes its toll on Hannah, whose values and self-esteem are easily molded by those around her. Eating disorders and drug problems aside, Hannah is finally becoming the girl she always imagined she could be.

Translation: This sucks way more than being Monkey-Girl Freak ever did.

Friedman successfully recaptures her teenage angst and desperate need to fit in, reliving some of the most embarrassing and difficult times of her life thus far. For most young college graduates, writing a memoir is out of the question. The result would be a dreadfully boring, typically short-sighted narrative. Friedman, on the other hand, can already reflect thoughtfully on her experiences of the recent past and provide a heartbreakingly honest voice of the teenage girl.

While EVERYTHING SUCKS occasionally harmonizes with Mean Girls, Friedman's autobiographical foray is unique in its approach. Simply put, she tells it like it is. ( )