reading (Ophelia Speaks)

I finished "Ophelia Speaks" yesterday. If aren't familiar with this book, it's a collection of writing by adolescent girls on topics that concern them. It got a fair amount of press when it came out. I picked it up out of a flood of books that was offered to us at one point. As you might expect, there are some stilted bits. There are some clunky bits were the attempt to be arty or deep comes on too strong. But there are also some incredibly well written stories. Not well written "for a thirteen year old who's been through hell", but well written. Period. End of sentence.

The subject matter here isn't for the faint of heart. There is some very strong stuff here, but it's generally not sensationalized or overstated. In fact, sometimes it's very well understated.

Overall, the book reminded me to be grateful I'm no longer sixteen. A lot of the tone and nuance still rings with parts of my brain and with my memories. It made me doubly grateful that I'm not sixteen and blessed with ovaries. That said, I think this should be the 11th or 12th birthday present for every girl who has to trudge through adolescence in American culture. Not to scare the shit out of them, which it might, but to let them know when they do hit the really heavy weather they aren't alone and there are others who have broken the trail. It might not help, but then again it might.

29. Sara Shandler "Ophelia Speaks"