crankylibrarian's review
4.0
Norma Fox Mazer had an uncanny ability to describe the heartache and pain in the lives of young girls. Though her books and stories were written in the 1970s and 80s, her themes of unrequited love, parental misunderstandings, divorce and death still ring true. I rediscovered the title story online and was astonished at how powerful it still was: as 15 year old Bitsy struggles to write a congratulatory letter to an older crush who has just announced his engagement, she wavers between confessing and concealing her heartbreaking love for him.
Unlike many contemporary YA writers, Mazer didn't fear depicting the challenges of poverty and working class life. In "Chocolate Pudding", Chrissy negotiates school and boys while dealing with an alcoholic father and uncle who frequently abandon her in their trailer home. In two other stories, girls develop empathy for their respective mothers who were disappointed in marriages to underachieving men.
The most powerful story, "Guess Whose Friendly Hands" unites these themes of love, family tension and economic stress with a stark. rip-the-bandage-off look at mortality. 18 year old Lou knows she is dying of cancer, yet her mother and beloved younger sister refuse to acknowledge the obvious. As Lou mentally bids farewell to school friends, adventure, and a life outside their tiny apartment, her grief is heightened by her inability to share her fears with the two people she loves most.
A masterful example of teen literature at its best.
Unlike many contemporary YA writers, Mazer didn't fear depicting the challenges of poverty and working class life. In "Chocolate Pudding", Chrissy negotiates school and boys while dealing with an alcoholic father and uncle who frequently abandon her in their trailer home. In two other stories, girls develop empathy for their respective mothers who were disappointed in marriages to underachieving men.
The most powerful story, "Guess Whose Friendly Hands" unites these themes of love, family tension and economic stress with a stark. rip-the-bandage-off look at mortality. 18 year old Lou knows she is dying of cancer, yet her mother and beloved younger sister refuse to acknowledge the obvious. As Lou mentally bids farewell to school friends, adventure, and a life outside their tiny apartment, her grief is heightened by her inability to share her fears with the two people she loves most.
A masterful example of teen literature at its best.
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