Amy Fellner Dominy

What first interested me about Amy Fellner Dominy's book was its ties to speech and debate. I'll admit it. I was the girl in high school who joined the club, lived at mock trial, spent her days arguing for or against anything they asked me to! I loved the high stress atmosphere and the good natured competition that came along with it. So when I saw that OyMG was about Ellie's life as an orator, I knew I was in. Plain and simple. Little did I know that I'd be sucked in ever further. This book show more is so much more than it seems to be!

From the beginning I was drawn in by Ellie's wit and ability to talk her way through anything that came her way. She is the perfect mixture of sweet, sensible, and downright fierce when it comes to competition. I loved how she was so driven to accomplish her goal of getting into the school she wanted. Despite her age, Ellie knew what she wanted and she was going for it. I so respected her for that. Then when Devon comes on the scene, things get cute and I was even more invested. Ellie is my kind of girl!

However I was only in love with Ellie at that point. The story was fun and sweet, but that's all it felt like to me. An enjoyable read. Until the second half of the book that is. Enter Devon's grandmother and her antiquated views. Without spoiling anything, I'll let you know that she drove me mad. I know that is what Dominy intended, but wow. Anyhow Ellie's struggle from that point on is what really really made me like this book. I saw the two halves of her life at war. The portion of her that knows what is right, warring with the part of her that is so goal driven. It was amazing. To see that struggle down on paper made me smile, because there are so many people out there who need to know that prejudice still exists, even today.

Lest I let Ellie overshadow the other characters, I'll fully admit that they are all fantastic! By far Ellie's zeydeh (grandfather) was my absolute favorite. Spouting Yiddish sayings, keeping Ellie thinking about the "right" path, he was such a vivid character. I think people from all religions and backgrounds will find a little of their own grandfather in him, and I loved him for that. He definitely made this book that much more fun for me to read.

I really enjoyed reading OyMG. I can't put my finger on what kept it from being a five rating for me, it could be as simple as the time I read it. However I can say that it was a book I thoroughly enjoyed and recommend! Ellie's wit, her zeydeh's humor, a little bit of romance, it all blends into a book that is a fun and meaningful read. I say give it a shot! Ellie might argue her way right into your heart. show less

TW: dating violence; self-harm for manipulative purposes; emotional abuse; sexual assault
This romanticizes dating violence. I think in parts of this book, i was expecting adult boundaries and actions out of teenagers, which is unrealistic and unfair. At other times, I solidly believe that I am right in hoping Emma would behave differently. Her boyfriend does not die at any point. At the forty percent mark of the ebook, he burns his arm with candle wax badly enough to need bandages. He does show more this because he's upset his girlfriend is going to Rome without him, and the unspoken addition that -she's continuing her education and beginning a career- without him. At the seventy percent mark, there's implied sexual assault. Emma narrates, so her inner monologue explains her actions and why she makes decisions that she does. At the eighty percent mark in the ebook, her boyfriend carves her name into his arm and cuts his wrist. Run, Emma, run! He's acting this way because you're not doing what he wants. This was all so uncomfortable, which it's intended to be. The ending was abrupt and the author clearly didn't want too much harm to come to the boyfriend for whatever reason, which is how he gets out with so few injuries relatively, and they're not permanent. I was annoyed by this. I wouldn't really recommend this book to anyone. show less

In Amy Dominy‘s debut tween novel, OYMG, faith and love — or at least “sizzle” — clash in one of the cutest stories I’ve read in a while. Of course, it’s not all cute — the book has some wonderful serious moments as well. In fact, for Ellie Taylor, the speech and debate program she’s attending at a Christian-sponsored summer camp will not only be her first experience with sizzle (what her BFF calls that crush-ing feeling), but also with antisemitism.

Ellie loves to argue. show more She’s awesome at it, and is determined to win a scholarship that’s awarded every summer at the camp she’s attending, despite her Zeydeh’s warnings that no good can come of a Jewish girl attending a Christian camp. Zeydeh is the Yiddish word for grandfather, and Ellie’s gramps is really proud of his faith. So is Ellie, most of the time. But it’s not easy to be the only Jew at camp. Every morning all the kids pray to Jesus. And in one of the first speech excercises, she’s asked to speak on — of all things — Christmas trees. Ellie isn’t going to let any of this shake her faith. But when Ellie finds out that the sponsor of the highly coveted scholorship — and the grandmother of her crush — might have something against Jews, she finds herself in a bit of a pickle. Should she hider her faith for her chance at her dreams, or speak out and risk everything? show less

Dominy's heroine, Ellie Taylor, has been arguing all her life. A born debater, confident, funny, and determined, Ellie signs up for Christian Society Speech and Performing Arts summer camp so that she can win a full scholarship to the best private school in her area, the school with one of the best debate societies in the state. Ellie realizes that winning the scholarship also means pretending to be Christian and repudiating her Jewish heritage and identity, this raises all sorts of show more problems. Tough for Ellie, but great for us readers because it also gives Dominy the chance to exploit her skill at comedy.

Dominy has a gift for humor. Everything that might go wrong does - and in such a way that I kept chuckling and laughing out loud. Likable characters, witty dialogue, and situational comedy - OyMG is such a fun read!

ISBN-10: 080272177X- Hardcover $16.99
Publisher: Walker & Company (May 10, 2011), 256 pages.
Review copy provided by the publisher. show less