Jennifer W. (GeniusJen) reviewed Everything Sucks: Losing My Mind and Finding Myself in a High School Quest for Cool on + 5322 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
Reviewed by Amber Gibson for TeensReadToo.com
EVERYTHING SUCKS is the blase and brazen memoir of Yale graduate Hannah Friedman, recounting those awkward childhood and teenage years when everything truly does suck.
Imagine being a first-born human child only to live in the shadows of a monkey. Thus begins Hannah's life, with Amelia the monkey as an older sibling of sorts who can get away with anything. Hannah's mother saved Amelia from an opium withdrawal death and adopted her into the family. Amelia repaid the favor by garnering a Hollywood movie role that bought the Friedmans' house. While there might be a few pros to having a monkey at home, ultimately it just really sucks. Hannah becomes known as The Monkey-Girl Freak at school and, try as she might, she never can quite integrate herself into public school social circles.
When her father uproots the family to the United Kingdom for a whirlwind music tour to promote his new album, Hannah balks at the idea. No, her father - Dean Friedman - is not a rock star, rather a one-hit wonder from the 1970s. Hannah is dragged along for the ride, witnessing a colossal bust of a tour, though there are some fun Twinkie dinners and eccentric people to brighten up the rainy days.
Back in middle school, Hannah is determined to reinvent herself. Perhaps with her newfound worldliness she can charm her way into the upper echelon of popularity. Alas, her dreams are shattered when she finds herself even lower (if that's possible) on the totem pole than before.
Imagine Hannah's surprise when she transfers to a private boarding school and finds herself inadvertently in the midst of the most popular and glamorous clique there is. Unfortunately, the world she now finds herself in is more complicated, bitchy, superficial, and ugly than she ever would have guessed from its glossy appearance. The constant battle for supremacy is consuming - everyone strives to be the sexiest and thinnest while backstabbing anyone who gets in the way. The drama takes its toll on Hannah, whose values and self-esteem are easily molded by those around her. Eating disorders and drug problems aside, Hannah is finally becoming the girl she always imagined she could be.
Translation: This sucks way more than being Monkey-Girl Freak ever did.
Friedman successfully recaptures her teenage angst and desperate need to fit in, reliving some of the most embarrassing and difficult times of her life thus far. For most young college graduates, writing a memoir is out of the question. The result would be a dreadfully boring, typically short-sighted narrative. Friedman, on the other hand, can already reflect thoughtfully on her experiences of the recent past and provide a heartbreakingly honest voice of the teenage girl.
While EVERYTHING SUCKS occasionally harmonizes with Mean Girls, Friedman's autobiographical foray is unique in its approach. Simply put, she tells it like it is.
EVERYTHING SUCKS is the blase and brazen memoir of Yale graduate Hannah Friedman, recounting those awkward childhood and teenage years when everything truly does suck.
Imagine being a first-born human child only to live in the shadows of a monkey. Thus begins Hannah's life, with Amelia the monkey as an older sibling of sorts who can get away with anything. Hannah's mother saved Amelia from an opium withdrawal death and adopted her into the family. Amelia repaid the favor by garnering a Hollywood movie role that bought the Friedmans' house. While there might be a few pros to having a monkey at home, ultimately it just really sucks. Hannah becomes known as The Monkey-Girl Freak at school and, try as she might, she never can quite integrate herself into public school social circles.
When her father uproots the family to the United Kingdom for a whirlwind music tour to promote his new album, Hannah balks at the idea. No, her father - Dean Friedman - is not a rock star, rather a one-hit wonder from the 1970s. Hannah is dragged along for the ride, witnessing a colossal bust of a tour, though there are some fun Twinkie dinners and eccentric people to brighten up the rainy days.
Back in middle school, Hannah is determined to reinvent herself. Perhaps with her newfound worldliness she can charm her way into the upper echelon of popularity. Alas, her dreams are shattered when she finds herself even lower (if that's possible) on the totem pole than before.
Imagine Hannah's surprise when she transfers to a private boarding school and finds herself inadvertently in the midst of the most popular and glamorous clique there is. Unfortunately, the world she now finds herself in is more complicated, bitchy, superficial, and ugly than she ever would have guessed from its glossy appearance. The constant battle for supremacy is consuming - everyone strives to be the sexiest and thinnest while backstabbing anyone who gets in the way. The drama takes its toll on Hannah, whose values and self-esteem are easily molded by those around her. Eating disorders and drug problems aside, Hannah is finally becoming the girl she always imagined she could be.
Translation: This sucks way more than being Monkey-Girl Freak ever did.
Friedman successfully recaptures her teenage angst and desperate need to fit in, reliving some of the most embarrassing and difficult times of her life thus far. For most young college graduates, writing a memoir is out of the question. The result would be a dreadfully boring, typically short-sighted narrative. Friedman, on the other hand, can already reflect thoughtfully on her experiences of the recent past and provide a heartbreakingly honest voice of the teenage girl.
While EVERYTHING SUCKS occasionally harmonizes with Mean Girls, Friedman's autobiographical foray is unique in its approach. Simply put, she tells it like it is.
