A Book about Books We Loved When We Were Girls
Every Friday, Lizzie Skurmick writes Fine Lines, in which she re-reads and then reviews the books she loved in her youth, mostly pre-teen and near-adult books from the '60s, '70s, and '80s (think Judy Blume, who she calls "A GENIUS").
Fine Lines has now inspired a book, which HarperCollins will publish next summer. Here are excerpts from some of my favorites (and a warning on the content: the column is geared toward adults--not kids--although older teens will likely enjoy it)...
On re-reading a book she's read "like, 34 times" but thought she'd forgotten (The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare):
"...upon reread, like some annoying little brother who keeps repeating everything you say exactly as you say it, my memory kept catching up with the text in front of me until the entire read was but one self-pleasuring session of deja vu."
On teendom now vs. 30 years ago (The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paula Danziger):
"I feel bad for teens today. Their parents listen to them. Teachers are invested in their intellectual development and well-being. Books are published on their optimal care and feeding; violins brandished for their edification; trips abroad marshaled so they may broaden their horizons and spread this wealth to others, eventually spearheading their own microloan organizations and so forth. ..."
And, "Quit Tesseracting Up" (on A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine l'Engle):
"If I had my way, none of us would have to read this review at all. Instead, we'd join hands, hear a great dark thunderclap, and be whisked off to a rambling house in the country, where we'd view odd things bubbling in a lab with a stone floor, then eat limburger-and-cream-cheese sandwiches while swinging our legs at the kitchen table. We'd sidestep for a moment onto a planet inhabited by gentle gray creatures with dents for eyes, then be inserted into some mitochondria. We battle for the soul of Madoc/Maddox, and eat small crayfish with our lesbian kind-of aunt who insisted on calling us our full name (Polyhymnia). We'd hop on a freighter and solve a mystery, then go to boarding school in Switzerland. We would make a brief detour on the Upper West Side by way of Portugal, and be concerned with cell regeneration in starfish. We'd be smacked on the ass by a dolphin. Most important, whatever happened, we'd know we could get through it--because we are creatures that can love."
Fine Lines has many comments every week, with people sharing their own experiences of these books. I certainly won't be the only book-loving girl waiting for more from this reviewer. --Heidi
Joseph J. Finn on June 26, 2008 at 10:18 PM
Hell, I'm a guy of the right age (born in 1973) and I love the Fine Lines feature.