cami19's review
challenging
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
thebradking's review
3.0
[a:Erika T Wurth|8150118|Erika T Wurth|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]'s novel [b:Crazy Horse's Girlfriend|21535634|Crazy Horse's Girlfriend|Erika T. Wurth|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1398195362s/21535634.jpg|40864584] is a dark, gritty look at the life of a young teenage girl who does not go gently into that good night. The daughter of a working class Native America, she fights back against a world that is determined to push her deeper into the box of poor, minority woman.
Here's what good about the book: Margaritte's story feels authentic. Wurth doesn't take any easy outs with her main character. In truth, there are no real happy endings for anyone involved, and the ones who do sneak out with some hope do so because they just refuse to stop moving forward.
What makes the story so good is also what leads to one of the great ironies of the book. In many ways, Wurth has written the great Republican American dream. The story of a young woman who faces long odds and refuses to let anything - or anyone - keep her from moving forward. Not race, not class, and not gender. She refuses to be looked down upon, and pushes forward no matter what.
Yet Margaritte is forced to do all of that while living in a world in which people use drugs and drink without consequences (sometimes), sex is regular part of the teenage life (sometimes for love, sometimes for escape), and parents are sometimes the cause of strife and destruction.
Navigating that dichotomy is where Wurth's voice is most authentic and strong. In those scenes and moments where the two worlds crash together, Margaritte explodes off the pages.
That isn't to say that the book isn't without its flaws. The pacing isn't always smooth, and there are moments when the side narratives were a bit too diversionary. We would leave the story and enter her life, and I always wanted to get back to Margaritte. It was her voice and her story that drove the book.
Still, the voices of Margaritte (and Wurth) make getting over those humps worth the investment.
Here's what good about the book: Margaritte's story feels authentic. Wurth doesn't take any easy outs with her main character. In truth, there are no real happy endings for anyone involved, and the ones who do sneak out with some hope do so because they just refuse to stop moving forward.
What makes the story so good is also what leads to one of the great ironies of the book. In many ways, Wurth has written the great Republican American dream. The story of a young woman who faces long odds and refuses to let anything - or anyone - keep her from moving forward. Not race, not class, and not gender. She refuses to be looked down upon, and pushes forward no matter what.
Yet Margaritte is forced to do all of that while living in a world in which people use drugs and drink without consequences (sometimes), sex is regular part of the teenage life (sometimes for love, sometimes for escape), and parents are sometimes the cause of strife and destruction.
Navigating that dichotomy is where Wurth's voice is most authentic and strong. In those scenes and moments where the two worlds crash together, Margaritte explodes off the pages.
That isn't to say that the book isn't without its flaws. The pacing isn't always smooth, and there are moments when the side narratives were a bit too diversionary. We would leave the story and enter her life, and I always wanted to get back to Margaritte. It was her voice and her story that drove the book.
Still, the voices of Margaritte (and Wurth) make getting over those humps worth the investment.
rachel_reads_regularly's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
platinumwarlock's review
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
kasiabrenna's review
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, and the writing was quite good, but I found it very frustrating. The characters could have used more development, especially the tertiary characters Jake and Julia, who I found more interesting than the protagonist. And the ending! I totally wanted to reach into the book and shake Margaritte by the time the book was over.
ms_aprilvincent's review
4.0
Wurth really gets into the hopelessness of poverty, thinking you’re gonna be the one to get out, and then getting dragged down by all the things you’re trying to get away from.
lizmart88's review
3.0
Profound book exploring the lives of four young urban Indians living in Denver. The book is centered on the life of Margaritte, who lives with her mother, drunk and abusive father, and her young twin sisters. As she enters her junior year, she meets Mike and they begin to date.
The book explores issues of identity around Native Americans, though it doesn't revolve around that issue. It focuses on how young people grapple with big issues without being preachy or a morality tale.
Good read.
The book explores issues of identity around Native Americans, though it doesn't revolve around that issue. It focuses on how young people grapple with big issues without being preachy or a morality tale.
Good read.
sophia_she1's review
4.0
very gritty but captivating
not enough native american ya books
title still doesnt make sense, maybe a little more expanding on who crazy horse is
not enough native american ya books
title still doesnt make sense, maybe a little more expanding on who crazy horse is
heykellyjensen's review
This is a tough read. It's a gritty look at life in an impoverished small town in Colorado, with 16-year-old Margaritte figuring out who she is, who it is she wants to be, and how to make a life better than the one her parents made for her.
The writing and the pacing are imperfect here, though those are secondary to the bigger story. It's rare to see a Native main character in a YA novel and even rarer to see one who is dealing with a lot of challenges -- drugs, pregnancy, alcoholism, an abusive/alcoholic parent -- and figuring out how to "make best" with them in a way that doesn't disrespect her culture or background.
The ending was a little too neat for my own tastes, especially after such a tough go of things, but I suspect others may find it satisfying to have some of those bows tied.
The writing and the pacing are imperfect here, though those are secondary to the bigger story. It's rare to see a Native main character in a YA novel and even rarer to see one who is dealing with a lot of challenges -- drugs, pregnancy, alcoholism, an abusive/alcoholic parent -- and figuring out how to "make best" with them in a way that doesn't disrespect her culture or background.
The ending was a little too neat for my own tastes, especially after such a tough go of things, but I suspect others may find it satisfying to have some of those bows tied.
caseythecanadianlesbrarian's review
4.0
An intense, compelling book about harsh, harsh realities that doesn't shy away from that but also not from hope and heart. Margaritte is a 16-year-old mixed race Apache, Chickasaw, and Cherokee young woman living in Idaho Springs, Colorado. She's a drug dealer working with her cousin, both her parents are physically abusive, her white dad's an alcoholic, and her apparently nice new boyfriend turns out to be a lying cokehead. Halfway through the book she gets pregnant. This sounds like a straightforward, hard story of misery, but it's never that simple. Wurth continually resists the narrative of Margaritte being a victim and imbues her with smarts and self-determination. No one here is a stereotype, everyone defies expectations, and no one is only one thing, even if they're an abuser or an asshole. This gave me lots to think about issues like adoption, teen pregnancy, poverty, colonization, queer native identity, and more. It's a book that refuses to be easy, to provide easy answers, but is ready to show you other, unexpected options.