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Story of a Girl Sara Zarr Books

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Story of a Girl Sara Zarr Books

After thirteen-year-old Deanna’s father finds her in the back seat of a car with Tommy, a high school senior she becomes known as the school slut. Three years later her father still can’t look her in the eye. Her mother’s no help and her older brother is too busy with his girlfriend and their new baby to do much. When Deanna gets a job at a pizza place, she’s forced to see Tommy, her coworker while things at home are only getting more tense.

Although Deanna makes mistakes and isn’t always thoughtful, she’s very sympathetic. No victim of statutory rape deserves to be labeled a slut. She thought she was a willing participant, but was too young to consent, too young to understand the consequences of her actions, too young to have sex. When I was in high school in the late 1970s, early 1980s, a senior dating an eighth grader wasn’t taboo. **I** thought it odd a football star would date a middle schooler in one instance, but what did I know about dating. A friend told be, “She’s a cheerleader” as if that shrunk the age gap. I’m glad we know better now.

Tommy told all his friends following Deanna’s father’s discovery, made his behavior a joke and suffered no consequences. Standards for sexual behavior are unfortunately different for boys and girls, men and women. He’s a stud, she’s a slut for the same actions.

I loved Deanna’s relationship with her brother and with her boss, Michael.

THE STORY OF A GIRL is a story of forgiveness, forgiving others for their imperfections and bad behavior and most of all forgiving ourselves, yet never pushes an agenda of forgiveness as necessary. Sara Zarr shows the story in a poignant, but never overwrought manner.

I didn’t appreciate how Tommy’s workplace behavior went unaddressed by Michael, although Michael did say he’d protect her. Tommy clearly harassed Deanna, in subtle ways like standing too close and with verbal innuendo. I wish that had been addressed as not okay, especially since Michael was portrayed as a hero to Deanna.

THE STORY OF A GIRL is a good illustration of double standards with an imperfect, realistic ending.


Tags : Amazon.com: Story of a Girl (9780316014533): Sara Zarr: Books,Sara Zarr,Story of a Girl,Little, Brown Books for Young Readers,0316014532,Family - General (see also headings under Social Themes),Social Themes - Dating & Sex,Social Themes - Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance,Family problems;Fiction.,Forgiveness;Fiction.,Self-esteem;Fiction.,Children's 12-Up - Fiction - General,Children: Young Adult (Gr. 7-9),Family - General,Family problems,Fiction,Forgiveness,Girls & Women,Self-esteem,Social Issues - Dating & Sex,YOUNG ADULT FICTION,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Family General (see also headings under Social Themes),YOUNG ADULT FICTION Family Parents,YOUNG ADULT FICTION General,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Girls & Women,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Media Tie-In,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Romance Contemporary,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Dating & Sex,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Emotions & Feelings,YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes General (see also headings under Family),YOUNG ADULT FICTION Social Themes Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance

Story of a Girl Sara Zarr Books Reviews

When Deanne was thirteen, her father caught her having sex in the backseat of her brother's friend's car. Since then, Deanne's father won't look at her, or really talk to her, and she's been labeled the school slut. She wants to escape her house and her town, and she thinks she has found the perfect solution in helping her brother, his girlfriend, and their infant daughter move into their own place. But over the course of the summer, Deanne learns that running away from one bad situation doesn't fix the real problem, and that forgiveness can come in unexpected places.

Story of a Girl is a short novel that really packs an emotional punch. Deanne's struggles to not let her past decisions and mistakes define her and prove to everyone around her that she isn't the girl they believe her to be is full of many painfully awkward encounters and a few small, triumphant moments. Zarr explores the restlessness and urge to be independent that so many young people feel, making the point that while moving away may give you a new perspective, it won't solve your problems. Deanne's feelings of displacement and isolation--at home, with her friends, and at school and work--are so relatable, and her family dynamics extremely well-drawn and emotional, verging on painful to read about. This is a great novel about moving on, forgiving, taking second chances, and going your own way. Story of a Girl is a quick read that will demand to be read in one sitting.
I had high hopes for this book, but nd I have to admit when I started reading it my first impression was that it was a bit slow. This took me longer to read than most books, because every so often I would get bored with it. I think for me, I like books that are plot-driven, and this really is not. It's very introspective, and it's nice to really get into Deanna's head, but in my opinion it makes for kind of a slow read.

Although I felt like a lot of the relationships depicted in the book were raw and really realistic, I kept feeling like the relationship between Deanna and her father was a little too over the top to be believable. I felt like they should have made more progress in their relationship in three years, especially since Deanna seems not to have put a foot wrong in those three years. Since they were so close before the incident when Deanna was thirteen, it felt a little off to me that their relationship would break down so completely and just stay broken for years.

In contrast, I thought Deanna's relationship with her brother was very authentic, and I loved the book's portrayals of her friendships with Lee and Jason. Zarr does a wonderful job in portraying the ups and downs of friendships - especially the difficulties of trios - and I liked the way the relationships between Deanna, Lee and Jason grow and change throughout the book. Zarr definitely has a great understanding of how teenage relationships work, and it was nice to see such a real depiction of that.

I did like the messages that Story of a Girl communicated, about how stifling life in a small town can be, and the injustice of how one poor choice in your past can completely change how you are perceived by your peers. Story of a Girl makes the reader really think about the importance of reputation, and examines just how misleading a person's reputation can be.

Story of a Girl was, for the most part, an interesting read and an honest, gritty depiction of small town life. It's not a light read and it's not meant to be. It definitely carries an important message to teens, in a way that might actually reach them. It wasn't a personal favorite of mine, but it's a book that has value and I can see why it has so many good reviews.
After thirteen-year-old Deanna’s father finds her in the back seat of a car with Tommy, a high school senior she becomes known as the school slut. Three years later her father still can’t look her in the eye. Her mother’s no help and her older brother is too busy with his girlfriend and their new baby to do much. When Deanna gets a job at a pizza place, she’s forced to see Tommy, her coworker while things at home are only getting more tense.

Although Deanna makes mistakes and isn’t always thoughtful, she’s very sympathetic. No victim of statutory rape deserves to be labeled a slut. She thought she was a willing participant, but was too young to consent, too young to understand the consequences of her actions, too young to have sex. When I was in high school in the late 1970s, early 1980s, a senior dating an eighth grader wasn’t taboo. **I** thought it odd a football star would date a middle schooler in one instance, but what did I know about dating. A friend told be, “She’s a cheerleader” as if that shrunk the age gap. I’m glad we know better now.

Tommy told all his friends following Deanna’s father’s discovery, made his behavior a joke and suffered no consequences. Standards for sexual behavior are unfortunately different for boys and girls, men and women. He’s a stud, she’s a slut for the same actions.

I loved Deanna’s relationship with her brother and with her boss, Michael.

THE STORY OF A GIRL is a story of forgiveness, forgiving others for their imperfections and bad behavior and most of all forgiving ourselves, yet never pushes an agenda of forgiveness as necessary. Sara Zarr shows the story in a poignant, but never overwrought manner.

I didn’t appreciate how Tommy’s workplace behavior went unaddressed by Michael, although Michael did say he’d protect her. Tommy clearly harassed Deanna, in subtle ways like standing too close and with verbal innuendo. I wish that had been addressed as not okay, especially since Michael was portrayed as a hero to Deanna.

THE STORY OF A GIRL is a good illustration of double standards with an imperfect, realistic ending.