Merrill Joan Gerber

Back in the 1980s when i was doing childrens bookselling, a lot of teenfics were very, um, issue led. Each publisher had a list of novels that were market researched right-on carefully focussed hack work from the very latest word processor. There'd be an anorexia story, a kindly objectifying story about a wheelchair user, a terminal illness romance, and one about fighting the system of the american high school. Maybe a lesbian story.

They were generally uninspired. Even the dutifully included show more humourous element would be flabby. They were as sanctimoniously moral as Newberry's goody two shoes.

Which is why I'm nervous of reviewing this. Reduced to bullet points, it sounds like bibliotherapy hell.

Heroine's mum stresses about diets and being fat. 16 year old heroine is mildly regretful she has plump metabolism but not remotely stressed about it. I loved the heroine; she was a good person without inducing eye rolling, mature without beiing unconvincing. She wants to learn hebrew from the granny substitute she visits regularly. She loses patience with aerobics-mad friend but bonds with the friend's hippy mum. She gets into belly dancing where being curvy is a plus, fights to maintain boundaries with her mum, and comes out of it all okay.

The background is terribly 80s. There's a bit in a department store where they debate makeup and the colours they mention are pumpkin mustard and camel. show less

Love this book. A girl is continually nagged by her mother and best friend to exercise and lose weight. At the Y she wanders into a belly-dancing class and finds it fits her body type and her personality. A story of self-image, resisting pressure to be something you are not, and finding your true self. A romance doesn't hurt either!

This book struck cords in me that were deep, intense and I don't think I realized were there. Once struck though the sounds of this book will be with me forever. I really can't remember what drew me to this book or how I came about checking it out but however it happened I am grateful that it did. It had a very profound effect on my life and the way in which I identified with this book left me speechless but so much more less confused. God bless, you changed my life.

i don't know exactly why i bought this book. i'm not keen on mothers and i really don't like cats. maybe i just read about the author on the back and i do like memoirs. well i hated the first part which was mostly about the cat. she's got over the cat and the part about her mother was quite interesting.