![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
unusualmusic_lj_archiveMy Most Excellent Year: A Novel of Love, Mary Poppins, & Fenway Park.
I'd like to thank![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
sansa1970 for highlighting the rainbow list for 2009 and 2008
Without her highlighting of the list, I might have missed this wonderful novel when I went up to Barnes and Noble yesterday for a mental health break. There I was, rummaging around in the YA section, casting a jaundiced eye on the myriad books featuring vapid white privileged girls with lots of money getting into more trouble than can be realistically believed and mentally composing a blog post taking my branch of B & N to task for their lack of diversity on their YA book shelves; when I saw a book with a brown girl, flanked by two boys with their faces hidden by an umbrella. Hmm. I thought. Nice cover design. So I picked it up. Saw the title. Said to myself, "Self, isn't this a book that was highlighted on rainbow 2009's list?" My brain did a quick check and confirmed that it was. So I glanced through it, got a laugh or two, put it under my arm, and wondered around looking for more books to purchase. (never mind that my bank account had about $20 in there. my therapy is book shopping, i rarely ever buy just one.)
Anyway. I ended up with (trigger warnings for rape) Speak which I have been meaning to buy for least 2 years, (and now there is a movie? *goes over to Amazon, adds to cart*) and The $7 Meals Cookbook: 301 Delicious Dishes You Can Make for Seven Dollars or Less (don't ask me why. I HATE cooking.) Went around to the series sections, saw one about vampires, tried it, found it boring, and then FINALLY turned to My Most Excellent Year.
Ladies and Gentlemen? It blew my socks off.The characterizations were excellent, from Alejandra, who is the daughter of the ambassador to Mexico, a strong, intelligent girl (who is NOT boy crazy thank god); to brothers Augie Hmong, who is a Chinese American who loved musicals and is so full of life and laughter that I wished that I knew him in real life and TC Keller, a white American who is a great fan of baseball and likes Alejandra. I loved the way the story was told in the form of diary entries, instant messages, emails, private messages, and newspaper columns written by Lisa Wei Hmong (Augie's Bio Mom), who acerbically reviews musicals from a feminist and classist POV. And the bond between the Hmong family and the Keller family made me bloody jealous, they are so close that TC and Augie consider themselves brothers and call each other's parents Mom and Dad. In fact, both families seems have to integrated into one family unit, which includes whatever extended family that each may have. Did I mention that I am very jealous?
I especially loved the email correspondence between Craig Hmong (Augie's Bio Dad) and Ted Keller (TC's Bio Dad); that discussed topics ranging from whether or not Craig should let Augie know that he and Wei (Augie's Bio Mom, remember?) knew that Augie was gay and how he was looking forward to commiserating with Augie on his first crush; to Ted asking for advice on how to woo TC's school adviser Lori. I loved the touches of Chinese culture that were noted in the telling the story and I loved the easiness with which they were referenced, just as easily as American culture was referenced. And I loved the way the two main romances in the book, Augie and Andy and Alejandro and TC, unfolded. And I loved the relationship between TC and Hucky, a deaf little boy, abandoned by his mother due to his deafness; who lives in a group home and wants Mary Poppins to come take care of him.
Also, I love the fact that feminist themes are present and portrayed as a great thing, that the teens are activists and get things done, that stereotypes are pretty much avoided, and relationships and drinking and other typically silly gossip-girl-like activities are not their be all and end all, in short, these teens have substance and sense and don't leave me wondering what kind of adults they would make. And the book is as funny as hell.
I don't usually buy books at full price, because I buy so many that I can't afford to. But this is one book that I would make a great exception for. I bought it at $8.99 and I would have paid up to $14 without a murmur. Get it from your library, your online retailer, or your local bookstore. However you choose to obtain it, get it and come laugh, squee and enjoy along with me.
I'd like to thank
sansa1970 for highlighting the rainbow list for 2009 and 2008Without her highlighting of the list, I might have missed this wonderful novel when I went up to Barnes and Noble yesterday for a mental health break. There I was, rummaging around in the YA section, casting a jaundiced eye on the myriad books featuring vapid white privileged girls with lots of money getting into more trouble than can be realistically believed and mentally composing a blog post taking my branch of B & N to task for their lack of diversity on their YA book shelves; when I saw a book with a brown girl, flanked by two boys with their faces hidden by an umbrella. Hmm. I thought. Nice cover design. So I picked it up. Saw the title. Said to myself, "Self, isn't this a book that was highlighted on rainbow 2009's list?" My brain did a quick check and confirmed that it was. So I glanced through it, got a laugh or two, put it under my arm, and wondered around looking for more books to purchase. (never mind that my bank account had about $20 in there. my therapy is book shopping, i rarely ever buy just one.)
Anyway. I ended up with (trigger warnings for rape) Speak which I have been meaning to buy for least 2 years, (and now there is a movie? *goes over to Amazon, adds to cart*) and The $7 Meals Cookbook: 301 Delicious Dishes You Can Make for Seven Dollars or Less (don't ask me why. I HATE cooking.) Went around to the series sections, saw one about vampires, tried it, found it boring, and then FINALLY turned to My Most Excellent Year.
Ladies and Gentlemen? It blew my socks off.The characterizations were excellent, from Alejandra, who is the daughter of the ambassador to Mexico, a strong, intelligent girl (who is NOT boy crazy thank god); to brothers Augie Hmong, who is a Chinese American who loved musicals and is so full of life and laughter that I wished that I knew him in real life and TC Keller, a white American who is a great fan of baseball and likes Alejandra. I loved the way the story was told in the form of diary entries, instant messages, emails, private messages, and newspaper columns written by Lisa Wei Hmong (Augie's Bio Mom), who acerbically reviews musicals from a feminist and classist POV. And the bond between the Hmong family and the Keller family made me bloody jealous, they are so close that TC and Augie consider themselves brothers and call each other's parents Mom and Dad. In fact, both families seems have to integrated into one family unit, which includes whatever extended family that each may have. Did I mention that I am very jealous?
I especially loved the email correspondence between Craig Hmong (Augie's Bio Dad) and Ted Keller (TC's Bio Dad); that discussed topics ranging from whether or not Craig should let Augie know that he and Wei (Augie's Bio Mom, remember?) knew that Augie was gay and how he was looking forward to commiserating with Augie on his first crush; to Ted asking for advice on how to woo TC's school adviser Lori. I loved the touches of Chinese culture that were noted in the telling the story and I loved the easiness with which they were referenced, just as easily as American culture was referenced. And I loved the way the two main romances in the book, Augie and Andy and Alejandro and TC, unfolded. And I loved the relationship between TC and Hucky, a deaf little boy, abandoned by his mother due to his deafness; who lives in a group home and wants Mary Poppins to come take care of him.
Also, I love the fact that feminist themes are present and portrayed as a great thing, that the teens are activists and get things done, that stereotypes are pretty much avoided, and relationships and drinking and other typically silly gossip-girl-like activities are not their be all and end all, in short, these teens have substance and sense and don't leave me wondering what kind of adults they would make. And the book is as funny as hell.
I don't usually buy books at full price, because I buy so many that I can't afford to. But this is one book that I would make a great exception for. I bought it at $8.99 and I would have paid up to $14 without a murmur. Get it from your library, your online retailer, or your local bookstore. However you choose to obtain it, get it and come laugh, squee and enjoy along with me.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 08:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-27 09:15 pm (UTC)Film and book complement each other really, really well. I think even if you get "spoiled" with the movie, you'll still love reading the book. Andersen's writing style is fantastic and hilarious and witty.