My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters

My Big Nose and other natural disasters by Sydney Salter
(Young Adult)

Jory Michaels is entering summer vacation this year with plans. Really big plans! She plans on getting a job to save money, finding a boyfriend, possibly loosing her virginity and getting her “Super Schnozz “ as she like to call it ’fixed’. So she gets a job delivering cakes and flowers. So not the best ideas she has ever had. On her very first day she needs to have someone else show her how to drive a stick shift!

This book deals with many problems a lot of teens may experience, in a funny and fairly realistic way. Some of these issues include, self-image problems, homo-sexuality, loosing ones virginity just to name a few. For Jory, and probably for most teen show more girls it was a little more complicated since she was also basing her self image on her mother who was constantly dieting (I’m laughing at some of the very unusual diets this poor woman tried…the Cabbage soup diet?) and very unhappy with her own looks, which makes a big impact on her daughter.

I recommend this book very highly for any young girl over 15 and I really recommend this as reading for any mother of a young teen girl, as this can serve as an excellent cautionary tale about what you are teaching your daughters when you strive for perfection at any cost. show less

This was such a fun book to read! It was absolutely charming/hilarious/authentic throughout the entire novel! Jory’s character was phenomenal. It’s easy to relate to her and her self-esteem/self-image issues, because honestly if it’s not your big nose, it’s your big ears, your big butt, maybe even your lack of certain assets! But whatever your insecurity is we all deal with it. Salter told Jory’s story though a uniquely hilarious and heartfelt way. It was nice to see Jory overcome her issues with her nose in a way that she nor I ever expected. There was an insane amount of layers in this novel, which I hadn’t expected at all. It was refreshing to read about a girl that wasn’t perfect, or thought she wasn’t perfect. My show more only complaints were Jory’s friends and mother. Talk about some of the most unsupportive friends in the universe! Wow, I would have kicked those girls to the curb. And Jory’s mother! Here honey, let me dab some more of this nose minimizing make-up on your face! Although, I think she had more of a problem with herself and it was projected onto Jory as a result. Overall, an awesome debut novel! (I kinda feel bad for poor Wooster Tom! I’m sure he wasn’t expecting giggling when he whipped out his manhood!) show less

What a fun read! For Body Image & Self Perception Month, I have been reading some wonderful stories, but they have had heavy subjects that are sometimes difficult to read. My Big Nose and Other Natural Distasters was such a refreshing change. It has an important subject matter, but it is told in a fun and enjoyable voice that makes it impossible not to crack a smile.

It was easy for me to click with Jory. She is highly self conscious about her "Super Schnozz". She thinks that if it wasn't for her nose, her life would be perfect. I think we have all felt the same thing, in one way or the other. But it's not only that with Jory. She also feels just "average" in everything she does. She feels she has no talent that would stand out in a show more crowd. I know I have felt this way in the past, especially as a teen. Some of my favorite parts to read about were Jory's big blunders that happens when she is working. I felt terrible for her, but they were completely hilarious.

I couldn't stand Jory's mom and her friends. Jory definitely had a poor choice in friends. Her mom was the type that only cared about what the outside world saw. As long as the neighbors think everything is perfect, everything is okay. So for Jory's mom, her nose doesn't fit the cookie cutter image of perfection. I sympathized with Jory about her mom. You can't replace your mom, but I really wish she would have dumped those crappy friends! I was so happy when Gideon came into the picture. He is exactly the kind of person Jory needs in her life, and I was rooting for these two to get together.

I was really satisfied with the ending. By the end of the book, I was so proud of Jory for how far she came. My Big Nose and Other Natural Disasters was a heartwarming story with a sense of humor. I loved Salter's charming writing style, and am looking forward to reading more from her. show less

Jory Michaels has a problem.

A big, lumpy, ridiculous and embarrassing one -- and it's right on the edge of her face, there to greet each and every boy in Reno, Nevada who just may have paid an ounce of attention to her . . . if Super Schnozz wasn't constantly there to ruin her chances at popularity and happiness.

And ruin it all, it does -- Jory just can't seem to muster up enough self-confidence to keep up with gorgeous and well-proportioned best friends Megan and Hannah as the summer before their senior year at Reno High stretches before them, long and inviting. Jory decides that this summer will be one of "passion" as she finds work delivering local cakes and flowers and begins saving for a nose job. As she works to set aside the show more $5,000 or so she'll need, Jory fights to get of the shadows of her younger brother Finn, an Adonis-like soccer player and fiddler of girls' hearts. She's stuck, too, with her mother's whacky dieting and constant commenting on Jory's looks -- especially how she doesn't seem to resemble anyone else in their tanned, golden family. And then there's the little issue of trying to grab the attention of Tyler Briggs, her longtime crush who encourages her affections just enough to keep her from giving up on him completely.

And so Sydney Salter's My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters goes: Jory laments Super Schnozz; Jory obsesses about not being as good-looking as her friends; Jory worries she'll die alone, the "world's oldest virgin" living in a hotel room and drinking herself to death. Jory crashes vans, trips over her own feet, breaks things and constantly drops things, usually in front of Gideon, the bewildering (and big-nosed) son of a cake shop client.

I felt like I'd fallen head-first into 350-ish pages of a teenage girl's obsessively insecure ramblings . . . oh, wait -- I did.

Now before you get the wrong idea about me, I'll say this -- I did like the book. Jory was a believable -- if not entirely likeable -- heroine, and I think many teen girls would appreciate and relate to her body image issues.

But while Salter is definitely a good writer who had no trouble getting in the mind of teens, my fundamental issue with the book was this: it was whiny. Oh, so very, very whiny. While we had the neat framework of the summer laid out as the timeline of the novel, I felt like Jory in her work van: driving aimlessly for hours on end, no particular path in mind. I just didn't feel like I was getting anywhere.

Yes, Jory seemed real -- but that's what also made her really frustrating. I had a hard time catching any snippet of her personality beyond what she claimed to like in order to fit in and be accepted. This was all part of the "coming-of-age" story, yes -- Jory's lack of an individual identity, the fact that she invested too much of herself in others . . . but I just really wanted something more. show less

Oh my gosh did I have a good time reading this book! I couldn't get to the end fast enough! I think my favorite thing about this book was how many layers it had, for example not one potential love interest, or even two, but three! I mean yeah, I definitely knew who she would end up with but I liked having those few extra challenges for Jory to face! I like how the book mixed a fun summer, romance, learning about yourself, and body/self-esteem issues. It takes A LOT on and I think it does a pretty good job of balancing it all.

I love how we get to see Jory evolve over one summer and all the challenges she has to face. In particular I was really interested in reading about what could be considered a friendship betrayal, you'll have to read show more the book to see what I mean. I also loved seeing her accept others and realize it was ok to accept herself. This book was just great!

My only gripe with the book was that Jory made fun of herself, and particularly her nose a few too many times. Yes, I know that's part of the title etc but it just got to be a bit too much at times.

Overall a layered, humorous yet thoughtful look at finding yourself and being happy with what you see. I'd definitely recommend it! show less

"tayo'y mga pinoy, tayo'y hindi kano.. wag kang mahihiya kung ang ilong mo ay pango!"

above are lyrics to a filipino folk song which basically says that filipinos shouldn't be ashamed of being snub-nosed. for a while back, i hated hearing this song because i felt it brought attention to my flat, pug nose in all it's glory. it's like when the heavens gave out nose cartilage, i was sleeping in. now the song just makes me smile. i've long grown to accept and love my nose just the way it is.

i saw this book at a bargain bookstore and i chuckled. i just had to read it. the story is about jory and what happens during the summer before her senior year. she's ok-looking except that her nose is too big that she calls it the super schnozz. to add show more insult to injury, her younger freshman brother is gorgeous, talented and is more popular in their school than she is. also, she feels that she doesn't meet her mother's standards - she's not pretty enough, she's not smart enough, too clumsy for sports.

i liked this book except for the fact that it's too boy-centric. jory has major self esteem issues and it seemed as if all she wanted to do was to snag a boy, any boy to feel good about herself. in the end she did learn to have confidence in herself. she realized that she can have a super schnozz and still be awesome just the way she is. show less

So I heard several different takes on this book. Was okay, was not that good, was amazing! I happen to be in the latter class. Sydney Salter made me laugh, cry, and smile throughout the entire process.

Jory was relatable in the sense that every teen has self-confidence issues. I know I do. So it was a relief to find one that a problem with herself that was not so outlandish. A nose. Simple, but effective. What she does she solve this problem made me cry my freaking eyes out. She has this entire notebook titled “Nice Nose Notebook”, an ideal process where after having a plastic surgery she’ll be more loved. Self-confidence issues. Every teens and/or adults have them. Unloved. A flaw.

Gideon was the comic relief. He made me laugh show more (out loud). Smile. Sigh. And cross my fingers that he and Jory will end up together. The perfect Yin to her Yang (cheesy I know), that helped her realize that she is fine the way she is.

The friends that Jory has were pitiful though at times. Non-empathic, selfish, and hateful. To be mindful of the different scenarios, the ups and downs of each of the girls lives, I will let it slide. Some parts are more touching then others. show less