Looking for Alibrandi

After I read Jellicoe Road and fell in love with this author, I couldn’t wait to go back and read her first book, because it was the one that garnered all the awards. I have to say however that I think all of her later books are better than this first one, but it’s still very good, and definitely worth reading.

Josie Alibrandi, 17, is a high school senior at St. Martha’s, in a suburb just outside of Sydney, Australia. She lives with her single mother Christina, who was practically disowned by her strict Italian family when she got pregnant with Josie at age 16 and the father took off. Josie, whose school is dominated by rich Anglo-Saxon Australians, feels doubly persecuted, both for being illegitimate and for not being “pure” show more Australian. Still, life is fairly normal until Josie’s "nonna" (grandmother) decides to be a surrogate mother for a friend’s son who has just moved to town, Michael Andretti. Michael, it turns out, is Josie’s father. And suddenly Josie's world turns upside down.

Discussion: Josie is overly focused on her perceived status as a victim, because she doesn’t have a family with money, prestige, or a nuclear family, and because she doesn’t look Anglo-Saxon. She is constantly on the defensive, seeing prejudice even where there is none, and antagonizing people when they really don't deserve it. She thinks her own problems are worse than anyone else’s. When not obsessing over herself, however, she is smart and funny and interesting. But she has a great deal of growing up to do. Take this exchange, between Josie and her mom after Christina announces she is going on a date and Josie throws a fit:

"‘Does me being your mother make me less human, Josie?’ she yelled, grabbing hold of my shoulder. ‘I have needs like other people, and once in a while I like being with people my age.’

‘Oh great. So now I find out she regrets having me and I’ve stopped her from being human,’ I yelled, walking to the kitchen and opening the oven.

‘Well, just remember that he won’t just want to hold your hand,’ I said, throwing the meat loaf down the sink.

‘How dare you say that to me?’ she said, shaking her head almost sadly.

I stood by my desk and stuck my fingers in my ears so I could ignore her, but she walked over and pushed me back.

‘You are such a selfish, unreasonable child, Josephine. One day you’ll understand.’

‘Screw your understanding,’ I yelled, throwing my books across the room angrily. ‘Why should I understand you when you’ve never understood what I’ve gone through? I’ve suffered in my life, you know, and you’ve never understood.’

She walked away in disgust.”

But finally Josie starts to change. She actually starts listening to her nonna, and learns a lot about her mother and the rest of the family that she didn’t realize, especially the extent to which her suffering is nothing compared to what they endured. And she gets to know her father, who also has much to teach her about perspective and forgiveness. I loved this wonderful discussion Michael has with Josie, when she asks him what happened between him and her mom:

"‘We can look at it now, Josie, and say that you were a result of it, so it had to be worth it, and we can never regret you as long as both of us live, but it was a thing that we couldn’t handle. Kids shouldn’t play grown-up games. I don’t mean having the baby bit either, because I wasn’t around for that so I don’t know how hard it was. I mean the sex bit. It was a whole new ball game for me, because I was involved emotionally and not just physically. What we did made her feel so ashamed and me so inadequate. I wasn’t making her feel good as far as I was concerned, so I hated her. When I think of it now, very few men know how to make teenage girls feel good emotionally as well as physically. They always lack something. It comes with practice.”

Josie also falls in love, and not with a boy that would “have people look upon me with envy” as she used to envision, but one that just makes her feel good. But she has to learn that one must give and not just take. After she finds out she has hurt Jacob, she tells him she is sorry, but he isn't buying it:

"‘Why is it that every time I apologize to someone these days they won’t accept it?’ I asked in frustration.

‘Because you probably come across as insincere. You probably think that an I’m sorry is going to make you feel better,’ he said angrily.

‘I didn’t realize.’

‘You never do,’ he said in a tired tone. ‘You go about whining and wailing about the way people treat you, but you never think about the way you treat people. I was hurt. But you wouldn’t understand that, would you?”

I’ve quoted way too much, and this isn’t even my favorite book of Marchetta’s! But her characters are so good – so alive, and so real – I love them all. They try so hard, like Josie does. She sincerely wants to be better and get things right, but somehow keeps screwing up. But she doesn’t give up, and you just know that eventually, she’s going to figure out how to be a whole and mature person in the world, even when she doesn’t know all the answers.

Evaluation: One reason Marchetta got so many awards for this book was her groundbreaking portrayal of ethnic bias in Australia. But in addition, she is just a darn good writer, and an excellent conjurer of character. It is probably my least favorite of all of her books I have read so far, but that doesn't mean it isn't a terrific read! I highly recommend it. show less

Josephine Alibrandi knows what it's like to deal with labels. She never felt like she fully fit in, because she was born in Australia but had Italian roots, and has a single mother. Now she's a scholarship student and a senior at a Catholic high school, still struggling to know herself. Josie has to navigate relationships with her mother, her Italian grandmother who seems to find nothing good to say about her daughter, and her father, Michael Andretti, who shows up out of the blue after abandoning her mother eighteen years ago. She wants to break free of everyone's rules and expectations, but does Josie even know what she expects of herself?

Written in an almost-diary format, Josie has a compelling and authentic voice of a show more seventeen-year-old coming into her own. Each chapter is written in first-person past tense, but comes across as if the events she relates just happened. It's not quite a diary, however, as there are no dates heading up each chapter, and weeks can go by between pages. Almost an entire year is covered, as Josie learns about herself, her family, and her dreams. The story covers a lot of ground in terms of her relationships with friends, boys, her father, and her grandmother, but the theme holding the story together is Josie's coming of age and growing to know herself. Realistic teen fiction doesn't always age well, but this search for identity will always have currency, and the only parts that date the story are brief references to Doc Martens and a tape deck. Though not as streamlined or complicated as Jellicoe Road, this is still a book I would recommend. show less

Okay, here's a good start. LOL.

It's interesting to see the world from a different window. And I feel torn. It's wonderful and complex, but the feelings I have are complicated. There are things that make me stop and stare, make me uncomfortable and unsure.

But the thing is, this is probably one of the most wonderful stories about growing up I've read. I struggle to define what this book gives me, yet I know it's something solid and true and precious.

It's sad and wonderful and hopeful. It feels like life in all its glory and all its dread. It's different, oh so very different. And it's true. And maybe it never happened but it's a glimpse of a life well lived.

HEA=2

FINAL VERDICT: READ, OWN, SPREAD THE LOVE

Oh what a tangled web she weaves! And no, I’m not referring to Shakespeare or even deception for that matter. I’m talking about Melina Marchetta and her wonderful way of weaving a story with such breathtaking and dynamic relationships. It’s almost as if I can feel the emotions that her characters are going through; which leads me to believe that I’m either an empath or Marchetta is just that good. I’m going for the latter.

I’m not going to waste time (yours or mine) by giving you a plot summary. Frankly, you can read the synopsis, other reviews, or better yet, the actual book. Instead I’ll focus on sharing a few of the many things that made me love this novel.

1. My love for this book would not be complete without show more Josephine Alibrandi. She has such a warm heart and forgiving nature. I loved the way she welcomed her father into her life without resentment. I love that she has values and a strong sense of family.

2. Australia has been dubbed one of the friendliest countries in the world. However Marchetta has given the rest of us a glimpse of the real Australia. And while I am sure it is a country filled with smiles, rainbows, and butterflies I’ve learned that these are not its defining traits. It is a country filled with a rich history, diversity, prejudice, and some very kick ass slang. I mean, who walks around saying words like wog? And wagged? The Australians that’s who! And while most of the slang in this book went over my head it didn’t take away from the enjoyment factor (it added to it).

3. Can I just say how refreshing it was to read about ‘real’ Italians? Because it was! I am a little misled about their culture because of shows like the Jersey Shore and Jerseylicious (which I admit are my guilty pleasures). But these were far from the Gorilla Juiceheads we watch on MTV. Marcehetta showed us the gossipy neighbors, the outdated yet strong traditions, the fiery tempered and passionate Italians that are often overshadowed by their vulgar MTV counterparts.

One has to wonder what Australia is in hiding ‘down under’. Because Melina Marchetta is certainly a hidden gem. show less

It was a long time ago that I was a teenager but reading this book brings it all back to me. The wild mood swings, the fights with your parents, the worrying about what to be when you grow up. I would never want to be a teenager again but it is kind of fun to read about it.

Josephine Alibrandi is 17 and she makes a reference to At Seventeen by Janis Ian which could be an anthem for the book. She is in the final year of high school at a private Catholic school in Sydney, Australia. She is bright and funny and opinionated and thinks she will never fit in or fall in love. She has been called a wog and a bastard and these names wound her deeply. As the final year of high school progresses she learns a great deal about herself and her family show more and love and friendship.

At times I was fed up with Josie's fixation on her ethnicity but I guess I can't know what it is like to be called names based upon my heritage. I am a WASP through and through and, quite frankly, I wish I could claim some more interesting heritage. You always want what you don't have, don't you.

The book was written in the 1990's so I wonder if a new generation has transcended the ethnic barriers or if there are still cultural divides in Australia. I have certainly noticed a difference in Canada with people of aboriginal heritage since then. When I was growing up and even into the 80s and 90s people very seldom mentioned if they had aboriginal blood because they would be (had been) treated badly probably. Now people are proud to proclaim this. show less

Looking for Alibrandi takes me to a part of Australia I didn’t know existed and includes characters I never suspected were part of Australian life. Josephine Alibrandi has never known her father, and the lack of a father is a major problem in her Italian family. Just being from an Italian heritage sets Josephine up for scorn from her solidly Australian friends, and not having a father sets Josephine up for scorn from both her Australian friends and her Italian family.

And then her father comes back into her life.

Josephine is a wonderfully real teen, full of both worries and courage, as she unexpectedly comes to connect with both her dad and other teens.

When I was in school, we routinely had to complete projects about our heritage. People asked (and still ask) “what are you?” meaning what is your nationality. A lot of these projects ended up with discussions about why third or fourth generation Americans still call themselves Irish, Italian, Korean, Filipino, Greek, etc. instead of saying they are American first. My blood is pretty watered down at this point—Irish, Swedish, German, Spanish…but it really doesn’t matter. I’m sure kids in other primarily immigrant countries had to do the same kinds of projects/presentations. I identify most with the mish-mash of cultural traditions that my immediate family celebrates and those of my dearest friends than those of any specific show more country from which my ancestors hailed. Sometimes I wish I was full-blooded something, or at least enough that I could be part of an ethnic community but until American Mutt becomes an ethnic category I think I’m out of luck. It is fun to go crazytime on St. Patrick’s Day, make Pepparkakor, and put sauerkraut on tons of stuff though. As much as I couldn’t connect with Josie’s Italian culture, I totally understood the Catholic school and community situation. It’s a close-knit community and everyone knows everyone else’s business. This is especially true when people have a lot of siblings. (Josie was perhaps lucky in that regard) And feeling guilty about everything? GUILTY! Anyway, I totally understood Josie’s confusion about her identity and her and several other characters’ confusion about their futures.

I kept putting this book off because it was the last contemporary YA Marchetta book that I’d yet to read, and I’ve been told many times that it was probably her weakest book. (which to me meant that it would still be better than 98% of the YA out there) Turns out I think it was my favorite Melina Marchetta reading experience to date. The narrator for the audiobook was perfect. I watched the movie the other day and I almost wished (slash actually did wish) that some of the characters had the narrator’s voice instead of the actors’ voices. I wish I could take back watching the movie because it felt trivial compared the book. I suppose that is what I truly enjoyed most about the book, though—Josie was living everyday life and getting up to no good with her friends, seeing a boy her family might disapprove of, and feuding with a girl at school but all the while she was thinking of her cultural identity, what she would do in the future, how people’s individual life choices affect where their paths go, and about the difference between sadness and pure despair. I totally bawled about John Barton.

I think I felt a real affinity to Josie as a student-- our experiences weren’t that far off. All-girl’s Catholic school. Uniforms. Nuns. She is much more of an overachiever than I was. I never cut school but I used to leave early when I had free periods to hang out at my sister’s apartment and play cards and watch movies. (oooo, rebel.) Anyway, I’m sure you all don’t give a crap about my high school antics and really, if you aren’t already reading Melina Marchetta’s books, I don’t know what I could do to persuade you. I could tell you that her books are beautifully written, that each one of them is emotional in a different way, that her characters are multidimensional, that she understands families and friendships more than most authors, and that each one of her books is a favorite of mine. All of that is true, and if you haven’t already started reading her back catalog, you are truly missing out. But if you’re still reading this I bet you’re my friend and you already have read one or more of her books. That’s one of the reasons you are awesome. (Yeah, you.) show less