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A review by readingwithhippos
Girls Like Us by Gail Giles
5.0
Oh my heart.
I think I'm going to need some time to recover from this book. It was honest and sweet and real and hard and sad. It made me feel things.
Quincy and Biddy are Speddies—girls in the Special Ed program at their high school. After graduation, they're paired up by their teacher and move into an apartment together above an elderly lady's garage. They'll both be working—Quincy will prep food at a grocery store bakery, and Biddy will help their landlord Elizabeth around the house.
They're excited to be out on their own, but living together is a challenge. Quincy spends a lot of time angry, lashing out at Biddy and Elizabeth whether they deserve it or not. Biddy is afraid of the world, only able to venture out if she's wearing a huge coat (even though where they live, in Texas, it's hardly ever coat weather). And the girls learn that even though Elizabeth isn't a Speddie, she makes plenty of her own mistakes.
My favorite books are the ones that show what it's like to be someone else. If you met Quincy or Biddy in real life, you might not understand them. You might make assumptions about what they're like and what they're capable of. But the story alternates between their two perspectives, and by letting us into their minds, Giles shines a light on the two girls. They've been through some terrible things in the past, and their lives are far from perfect now, but slowly they are finding ways to help and teach each other.
Life for Quincy and Biddy is better when they're together, when they trust each other. Their story wrung me out completely. I feel like I've been emotionally bludgeoned. But in a totally good way.
Find more of my book recommendations for grades 6-12 at www.read-or-die.com.
I think I'm going to need some time to recover from this book. It was honest and sweet and real and hard and sad. It made me feel things.
Quincy and Biddy are Speddies—girls in the Special Ed program at their high school. After graduation, they're paired up by their teacher and move into an apartment together above an elderly lady's garage. They'll both be working—Quincy will prep food at a grocery store bakery, and Biddy will help their landlord Elizabeth around the house.
They're excited to be out on their own, but living together is a challenge. Quincy spends a lot of time angry, lashing out at Biddy and Elizabeth whether they deserve it or not. Biddy is afraid of the world, only able to venture out if she's wearing a huge coat (even though where they live, in Texas, it's hardly ever coat weather). And the girls learn that even though Elizabeth isn't a Speddie, she makes plenty of her own mistakes.
My favorite books are the ones that show what it's like to be someone else. If you met Quincy or Biddy in real life, you might not understand them. You might make assumptions about what they're like and what they're capable of. But the story alternates between their two perspectives, and by letting us into their minds, Giles shines a light on the two girls. They've been through some terrible things in the past, and their lives are far from perfect now, but slowly they are finding ways to help and teach each other.
Life for Quincy and Biddy is better when they're together, when they trust each other. Their story wrung me out completely. I feel like I've been emotionally bludgeoned. But in a totally good way.
Find more of my book recommendations for grades 6-12 at www.read-or-die.com.