Word Revel

For someone who's angry, Rose is pretty humorous. I got more than a few chuckles out of reading those pages. Reading about high school and the horrors of all the uncertainty that lies ahead brought back quite a few memories. Freshman year here made me laugh, squirm, get angry, feel sad and be deep in thought all over again.

Louise Rozett dealt some very poignant issues in Confessions of an Angry Girl. Most obviously, there were loss and grief. She portrayed very realistically the responses one might have towards losing a loved one. Also, questions about emerging sexuality were explored with hilarity, injected with appropriate seriousness. Bullying, be it as the bully or the bullied, the consequences and impacts, were also brought to the fore.

I liked that the main character had a sound head on her shoulders. She didn't become excessively whiny or self-absorbed, although she did seem to think that she was smarter than most people her age. Her curiosity reminded me of how naive 14-year-olds really are while making me think about issues I probably took for granted all these years. Even if high school is or was very different for the reader, I'm sure Rose brought enough colour and character to be relatable. Her life was wrought with confusion:

• She missed her dad,
• she had no idea if her feelings for Jamie were reciprocated,
• she was afraid of losing her best friend,
• she made an enemy in one of the popular girls,
• she had disagreements with her brother who was away her college,
• she felt neglected by her mum.

That makes six points and if not even one of these points has ever  remotely concerned you, your life must have been pretty smooth sailing. Basically, for me, this book was a throwback on the days bygone. At the same time, it made me realize that some things don't change even as we grow older. We continue to have out insecurities well into our twenties at least and for that, I could relate to this book.