Story of a Girl by Sara Zarr
Little, Brown and Company, New York: 2007
ISBN: 0316014540

Plot Summary:
Story of a Girl is narrated by 16-year-old Deanna Lambert. When she was 13, her father caught her having sex with a 17 year old in the backseat of a car. Tommy, the boy she was caught with, told the whole school about what happened, as if it were a joke. Three years later, the incident still affects every aspect of her life- her relationships with her parents, her peers, and herself. The novel starts on the last day of school of Deanna's sophmore year, when she promptly starts looking for a job, and actually lands one at a pizza place that day. The problem is, when she reports to work at the pizza parlor, she finds out that her co-worker is none other than Tommy. She wants to run, but decides she needs the money more in order to escape her life at home, where her father still won't even look her in the eye, and her brother and his teenage girlfriend live in the basement with their newborn daughter.

Deanna has two best friends, Jason and Lee. She has known Jason since they were young, and harbors a secret crush on him. Lee is a recent transplant to Pacifica, who couldn't care less about Deanna's past, and is now dating Jason. Things get complicated when Lee goes away on a family camping trip and Deanna throws herself at Jason, feeling like it's her last chance. In the end, Deanna confronts her father, which gives her the confidence to forgive Tommy. Lee forgives Deanna, and even though there's more work to be done, it looks as if Deanna is going to make it.

Critical Evaluation:
This book was impossible to put down. Deanna is a character that will stay with readers for a long time. I felt her pain so acutely everytime her father avoided her, or a classmate made a nasty comment about her past--something she is still dealing with three years after the incident. I just wanted to hug her and tell her everything would change once she got out of her small town. But she's not in complete despair. She just can't figure out why everyone else can't get over it.

The writing is strong and the dialog is very realistic. One of my favorite scenes was when Deanna decides to stop taking her father's slights about her reputation and confronts him. Deanna had gotten home late from work the previous night, and she had gotten a ride from her boss. The family is in the kitchen eating breakfast:
"How did you get home?" [asks her father]
"My boss gave me a ride."
"And your boss's name is...?"
"Michael."
"And how old is this Michael?"
"Old," I said. "Forty-six."
Dad's jaw started working and he put down his mug. "And why is he giving you rides?"
"Because he's nice," I said. I sipped my root beer and stared Dad down. "Plus I fucked him."
"If you think that's funny..."
"I don't think it's funny," I said. "I think it sucks. I think it sucks that you think I would actually sleep with my forty-six year-old boss. It sucks that's what you think!" (pp. 156-57).

Wow! This is not typical, cowering Deanna behavior. I was laughing, cheering, and heartbroken all at once.

Reader’s Annotation:
Deanna is only sixteen, yet she is already haunted by her past. She must learn some serious lessons about forgiveness before she moves on with her life.

Information about the Author:
This is Sara Zarr's first book. She actually went to high school in the town that the novel is set in, Pacifica, California. The book is a National Book Award finalist.

Genre: Realistic fiction

Curriculum ties: none

Booktalking Ideas:
I'd talk about how one mistake we make can affect us for a very long time. I'd ask listeners to think about something in their lives they wish they could change. Then I'd talk about what Deanna's mistake was and how it still affects who she is today.

Reading Level/Interest Age:
This book is best suited for readers fifteen and up. Even though Deanna was having sex at thirteen, I think some of the concepts and situations would be difficult for younger teens to grasp.

Challenge Issues:
Of course this book would be challenged for it's portrayal of teen sexuality, though it is not graphic at all. There is also some profanity, though it's not gratuitous. I'd love to point out the themes of forgiveness and hope to someone who might want to challenge this book. I'd have to explain the library's collection guidelines and have them fill out a complaint card.

Why I chose this book:
I had never heard of this book before I found it while browsing the young adult area of my local library. I hate wasting my time on bad books, so when I saw the "National Book Award Finalist" sticker on the cover, and read all the rave reviews, I assumed I could take a chance on this one, and I'm glad that I did.