Story of a Girl

Story of a Girl
by Sara Zarr
Little, Brown & Company
New York
2004
ISBN: 0316014540



Plot Summary:
Deanna lives in a small town outside of San Francisco, goes to a small high school, attended mostly by people with small minds. Two years earlier, Deanna's father had caught her and a much older boy in the act in the back seat of his Chevy. Her father still hasn't forgotten it, and, thanks to the boy's humongous mouth, the rest of the town hasn't either.
Deanna still can't figure out how to get past it herself; or, how to get past herself. Sure, there's a few people she loves desperately, but she just can't seem to manage telling them, or treating them better than how she treats herself.
Summer comes, and with it a new job, and hopefully a new outlook on life. But her past just keeps resurfacing, and it's up to Deanna to finally try to figure out how to forget.
Critical Evaluation:
Told through Deanna's eyes, Story of a Girl is an extended immersion into the mind of a smart, sensitive young girl, desperately afraid of moving outside of the familiar pain she's surrounded by. Desperate to escape, while terrified of change, Zarr provides a voice for Deanna that skirts despair, but refuses to succumb to it. Though Deanna is unhappy with nearly everyone around her, her told is story with an ongoing admittance of her own flaws and failures. This levity manages to produce a figure both compelling and infuriating, enabling a narrative movement dependent upon identification with the narrator and a suspended hope in her redemption.
Reader's Annotation:
Deanna can't wait to get out of Pacifica, away from her parents, and even further away from her own reputation. A summer job at the local pizza place promises an income to help realize her dreams of escape. But life just doesn't go according to plan, and Deanna is forced to confront the reasons behind her dreams of escape instead.
Genre:
Issues/Coming-of-Age/YA fiction
Author Info:
Sara Zarr grew up in San Francisco, and recently moved to Salt Lake City. Story of a Girl was a National Book Award finalist, and her first novel.
Reader Level/Interest Age:
Teen and up. Intelligently and sensitive told, making it enjoyable for any age.
Booktalking Ideas:
*Is Deanna really in love with her best friend Jason, or just worried he and Lee might forget about her?
*Why can't Deanna's father look her in the face?
*Does Tommy understand the effects his actions have had on Deanna?
*Can Darren and April provide the surrogate family that Deanna craves?
Challenge Issues:
Sexual themes.
Defense to Challenges:
Provide an open ear and mind to concerns about title. Explain the library's selection policies in particular to this book, citing book's awards and recognitions.
Why Include?:
Another wonderful recommendation from a fellow student, book's presence on National Book Award list.