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Now a high school junior, Samantha tries to decide whether she is ready to have sex with her boyfriend, who happens to be the President's son.Tags
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While I’m initially wary of a sequel to a stand-alone book, I have been proven a few times that it can, indeed, work. I have no idea why I rated this so low at first, but on picking it up again, I loved this book, and actually think it’s better than All-American Girl. Unlike Mia from the Princess Diaries, Sam is a much more emotionally mature and capable character, which is great considering that the whole book is about teen sex and dealing with it in a positive light. Sam and her sister Lucy aren’t afraid to talk about it with each other (even if Sam is a little shy about it), and it really gets into the nasty business of slut-shaming and how to deal with it. Also, I like the fact that Sam and David are very attracted to each show more other, and are comfortable with that fact as well. For every parent who freaks out over their kids reading about “OMG ONOEZ THE SEX BUSINESS”, I highly recommend this book (and the first one!) as a mature approach to the whole business. show less
3Q, 4P
Cabot does a decent job depicting the 17-year-old protagonist's ordinary and at the same time extraordinary everyday life. I like that Cabot touches upon sensitive yet important topics such as safe sex and school bullying. The story is fast paced and the language is true to life. However, the ending seems to me a little abrupt; and the male protagonist's character development is very little compared with that of the female's...though that kind of makes sense as the book is written solely from the girl's point of view.
Cabot does a decent job depicting the 17-year-old protagonist's ordinary and at the same time extraordinary everyday life. I like that Cabot touches upon sensitive yet important topics such as safe sex and school bullying. The story is fast paced and the language is true to life. However, the ending seems to me a little abrupt; and the male protagonist's character development is very little compared with that of the female's...though that kind of makes sense as the book is written solely from the girl's point of view.
Not gonna lie, I love when YA books deal with sex instead of pretending that's something that teenagers never have and never should have. This one even treats masturabtion as healthy way of sexual expression, which is even more awesome, if you ask me.
I used to think that people overreacted to Sam colouring her hair black, in a way that would not happen in real life, but I've realized that since she has natural red hair it's probably not that farfetched. My sister is a redhead, and random people will stop her in the street complementing her hair: I can imagine that America's sweetheart redhead going black might not thrill people.
Other than that there's some sort of other plots going on, but mostly it's about sex and the dangers of show more abstinence-only education and I think it's done in a pretty good way. show less
I used to think that people overreacted to Sam colouring her hair black, in a way that would not happen in real life, but I've realized that since she has natural red hair it's probably not that farfetched. My sister is a redhead, and random people will stop her in the street complementing her hair: I can imagine that America's sweetheart redhead going black might not thrill people.
Other than that there's some sort of other plots going on, but mostly it's about sex and the dangers of show more abstinence-only education and I think it's done in a pretty good way. show less
I was disappointed in this book. While it is about a teen and for teens, the sexual themes were adult. Plus there was a good dose of "sexual education" in this book, that as a mother, I would prefer to be doing - not a fiction book from someone who doesn't know my child. Intentionally or not, Ms. Cabot has created a family that falls down on the job of preparing their children for adulthood, and the consequence is that their children are taking on adult responsibilities without being adequately prepared for them. In the world of this book, sex is fun. In the real world, there are all kinds of consequences - physical and emotional - for engaging in this kind of sexual behavior. This book presents an extreme - parents who are unengaged, show more and want to control their children without even knowing them - as the norm. Maybe it is the norm - but the ideal would be parents who know their kids, guide them in making age appropriate choices, give them knowledge - the whole spectrum - birth control, pros and cons for sexual activity as a teen vs. an adult. Maybe I'm an idealist, but that's how it worked in my family when I was a teen, and what I'm trying to do as a parent. This book left me discouraged about the messages being sent to teens. show less
Reviewed by Me for TeensReadToo.com
Is this book controversial? You bet! Is it funny! No doubt about it. Is it appropriate reading material for all ages? Depends on what you deem appropriate.
I've read with interest the other reviews for READY OR NOT, Meg Cabot's sequel to All-American Girl. I even agree with a lot of them. But before I start my review, let me remind you of one salient point--this book is a work of FICTION. It was written by a HUMAN who has her OWN views of life. Just as everyone on Amazon isn't going to agree on whether or not abortion is right, or the war in Iraq is necessary, or whether religion should be allowed in public schools, no two people are going to agree on whether or not *SPOILER* Sam should have had sex show more with her boyfriend at the age of almost seventeen.
That said, I loved the book. I'm a thirty-year-old happily married mother of two, and I still enjoyed Ms. Cabot's individual brand of humor, the trials of being a teenager, and the ability of one person to make a difference in the world.
The Samantha Madison of ALL-AMERICAN GIRL has grown up. She's older, she's dyed her hair because she "needed a change," and she's wondering what to do now that her boyfriend, David, who just happens to be the son of the US President, has invited her to Camp David over Thanksgiving weekend to play "parcheesi."
Sam is all ready reeling--from the realization that she either looks like a cute Ashlee Simpson (her older sister Lucy's comment on the dye job, which is not good) or a dead Joan of Arc (her younger sister Rebecca's comment on the hair, which could be good depending on how you look at it); the fact that "life studies" in art class obviously means "naked people" (really not good that the first naked man you see is a complete stranger); and the knowledge that the President seems to think providing the teens of America birth-control should not be done without their parents approval.
I truly enjoyed READY OR NOT. The message is a powerful one--the sexuality of a person should be based on their maturity, not their age, and that birth-control is a personal decision of the person engaging in sexual activities. That said, however, never once does the book become preachy about teen sexuality. I can understand where some parents might not like having their teenage daughters reading about a sixteen-year-old who decides to have sex with her boyfriend, but I personally would rather have my daughter read a book about a girl who knows what a big decision it is, comes to peace with it in her mind, and seeks out ways to avoid the dangers that are associated with sex no matter what your age--pregnancy and disease--then have her feel ashamed to research her decision.
I think the subject matter was wonderfully handled, and by no means is the entire book about Sam trying to decide whether or not to have sex with David. A lot of reviewers will attempt to make it be so, just because the subject matter is a touchy one. But it's also about Sam wanting to be her own person, not just "the girl who saved the President." It's about learning to love yourself as you are, and understanding the intricacies of your family, and taking important steps in your life to make the world a better place.
Samantha Madison grew up in this book, and that's how it should be. Any parent who thinks their teenager isn't thinking about sex is sadly mistaken--it's just a fact of life. And Meg Cabot presents a wonderful story about the highs and lows of falling in love, of making life-altering decisions, and being the best person you can be. show less
Is this book controversial? You bet! Is it funny! No doubt about it. Is it appropriate reading material for all ages? Depends on what you deem appropriate.
I've read with interest the other reviews for READY OR NOT, Meg Cabot's sequel to All-American Girl. I even agree with a lot of them. But before I start my review, let me remind you of one salient point--this book is a work of FICTION. It was written by a HUMAN who has her OWN views of life. Just as everyone on Amazon isn't going to agree on whether or not abortion is right, or the war in Iraq is necessary, or whether religion should be allowed in public schools, no two people are going to agree on whether or not *SPOILER* Sam should have had sex show more with her boyfriend at the age of almost seventeen.
That said, I loved the book. I'm a thirty-year-old happily married mother of two, and I still enjoyed Ms. Cabot's individual brand of humor, the trials of being a teenager, and the ability of one person to make a difference in the world.
The Samantha Madison of ALL-AMERICAN GIRL has grown up. She's older, she's dyed her hair because she "needed a change," and she's wondering what to do now that her boyfriend, David, who just happens to be the son of the US President, has invited her to Camp David over Thanksgiving weekend to play "parcheesi."
Sam is all ready reeling--from the realization that she either looks like a cute Ashlee Simpson (her older sister Lucy's comment on the dye job, which is not good) or a dead Joan of Arc (her younger sister Rebecca's comment on the hair, which could be good depending on how you look at it); the fact that "life studies" in art class obviously means "naked people" (really not good that the first naked man you see is a complete stranger); and the knowledge that the President seems to think providing the teens of America birth-control should not be done without their parents approval.
I truly enjoyed READY OR NOT. The message is a powerful one--the sexuality of a person should be based on their maturity, not their age, and that birth-control is a personal decision of the person engaging in sexual activities. That said, however, never once does the book become preachy about teen sexuality. I can understand where some parents might not like having their teenage daughters reading about a sixteen-year-old who decides to have sex with her boyfriend, but I personally would rather have my daughter read a book about a girl who knows what a big decision it is, comes to peace with it in her mind, and seeks out ways to avoid the dangers that are associated with sex no matter what your age--pregnancy and disease--then have her feel ashamed to research her decision.
I think the subject matter was wonderfully handled, and by no means is the entire book about Sam trying to decide whether or not to have sex with David. A lot of reviewers will attempt to make it be so, just because the subject matter is a touchy one. But it's also about Sam wanting to be her own person, not just "the girl who saved the President." It's about learning to love yourself as you are, and understanding the intricacies of your family, and taking important steps in your life to make the world a better place.
Samantha Madison grew up in this book, and that's how it should be. Any parent who thinks their teenager isn't thinking about sex is sadly mistaken--it's just a fact of life. And Meg Cabot presents a wonderful story about the highs and lows of falling in love, of making life-altering decisions, and being the best person you can be. show less
[I wasn't rating my reading at the time I wrote this review. I based my current rating on the fact that, while I liked the book, it didn't really stick with me and didn't leave me with an urge to read the previous book.]
This is the only YA novel I read during my vacation, and I almost didn't finish it. I got it because I remembered that Cabot is very highly regarded over at Forever Young Adult, but it didn't instantly grab me, so I almost quit after the first 20 pages or so. The end of my vacation swooped in, I only had three days left to read anything, and this was the shortest book in the pile of library books I hadn't read yet, so I decided to finish it - good decision. Samantha (aka Sam) has a lot to deal with in this book: she show more finds out her new life drawing class involves drawing naked people (in particular, a naked guy, her first naked guy ever); David, her boyfriend and the President's son, asks her to go to Camp David with him and his family, which she is sure means that he wants to have sex, something she's not sure she's ready for; and her conflict about sex and losing her virginity spills over into all sorts of other areas of her life. For those who are worrying that all this thinking about sex means that there's a graphic sex scene, rest assured that that's not the case. Reading about all of Sam's worries made me wish I could help talk her through them - she's an extremely likable character.
(Originally posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less
This is the only YA novel I read during my vacation, and I almost didn't finish it. I got it because I remembered that Cabot is very highly regarded over at Forever Young Adult, but it didn't instantly grab me, so I almost quit after the first 20 pages or so. The end of my vacation swooped in, I only had three days left to read anything, and this was the shortest book in the pile of library books I hadn't read yet, so I decided to finish it - good decision. Samantha (aka Sam) has a lot to deal with in this book: she show more finds out her new life drawing class involves drawing naked people (in particular, a naked guy, her first naked guy ever); David, her boyfriend and the President's son, asks her to go to Camp David with him and his family, which she is sure means that he wants to have sex, something she's not sure she's ready for; and her conflict about sex and losing her virginity spills over into all sorts of other areas of her life. For those who are worrying that all this thinking about sex means that there's a graphic sex scene, rest assured that that's not the case. Reading about all of Sam's worries made me wish I could help talk her through them - she's an extremely likable character.
(Originally posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less
"1.5 out of 5 stars. Meg Cabot has a way of writing books that I usually like ... but in this instance the narrative ramblings and worries of Sam make reading the book a very slow process. I mean I did enjoy..."
Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-was-i-thinking-all-ameri...
Read more of this review and a TEASER here: https://frommetoyouvideophoto.blogspot.com/2010/05/what-was-i-thinking-all-ameri...
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177+ Works 99,811 Members
Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana on February 1, 1967. She recieved a fine arts degree from Indiana University, Meg moved to New York City, intent upon pursuing a career in freelance illustration. Illustrating, however, soon got in the way of Meg's true love, writing, and so she abandoned it and got a job as the assistant manager of an show more undergraduate dormitory at New York University, and writing on the weekends. Meg wrote both The Princess Diaries and The Mediator: Shadowland (under the name Jenny Carroll), the first books in two series for young adults which happen to be about, among other things, teenage girls dealing with unsettling family issues. Her latest book is entitled, Insatiable. Meg now writes full time, and lives in Key West, Florida with her husband. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
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Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Ready or Not
- Original publication date
- 2005
- Epigraph
- Never doubt that a small group of committed people can change the world; indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.
-Margaret Mead, antrhopologist
After you make a fool of yourself a few hundred times, you learn wh... (show all)at works.
-Gwen Stefani - Dedication
- To Laura Langlie,
a great agent and an even better friend - First words
- Okay, here are the top ten reasons it sucks to be me, Samantha Madison:
10. In spite of the fact that last year I saved the life of the president of the United States, got a medal for heroism, and had a movie made abou... (show all)t me, I continue to be one of the least popular people in my entire school, which is supposed to be a progressive and highly rated institution, but which seems to me to be entirely populated, with the exception of myself and my best friend Catherine, by Abercrombie-and-Fitch-wearing, zero-tolerance-for-anyone-who-might-actually-have-a-different-opinion-than-their-own (or, actually, any opinion at all), blithely-school-song-chanting, reality-TV-show-watching neofascists. - Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Yes," I said with some surprise. "I guess I really am."
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