Red: The Next Generation of American Writers--Teenage Girls--On What Fires Up Their Lives Today

by Amy Goldwasser

Book Overview

?Unsparingly frank and perceptive? ( Vanity Fair ) personal essays by teenage girls . For every teen girl who thinks she?s alone, and every adult who?s dared to try to figure her out, comes this... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1594630402
• ISBN13: 9781594630408
• Release Date: November 2007
• Publisher: Hudson Street Press
• Length: 267 Pages
• Weight: 0.10 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 8.4"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

Great Book for All Ages!

I felt that this book connected my mom and me a little more. Before we started reading "Red" together, I thought she didn't understand the life of a teenage girl very well, in my case a pre-teen. (Life for us girls can be pretty difficult, and there is this wonderful book to prove just that.) Once we finished all the funny, sad, and interesting essays, I think my mom better understood the lives of young girls today, and I saw that I wasn't alone in some of my experiences, especially at school and with friends. After reading this book I realized how different girls can be and I think I understand why they act the way they do. I know I will read this book again when I get older. I <3 Red!

Opening the Door to Dialogue

I am a new step-mother to a young teenage girl. Not only are there the normal "teenage issues" but compound those issues with a new family unit and a longing for bio-mom and daddy to get back together and you have one emotional young girl! I pre-ordered this book and gave it to my step-daughter as soon as it arrived. She did not say a whole lot other than the barely audible "thanks". However, about a week later my husband came home from a visit. She wanted him to let me know how much she is enjoying the book and sharing it with her friends. She really likes it! The stories hit home and resonate with her! This has opened the door for me to engage in dialogue with her surrounding those stories: What in particular did she like? Which stories was she drawn to and what did those stories mean to her in her own life? As a new mom, I say thank you to the author for compiling such an intriguing set of life stories that resonate with a 14 year old and helped to "fire-up" real dialogue!

Hilarious and Poignant

I have not read all of the essays in "Red" yet, but I attended a reading by six of the writers -- Jane Horowitz, Emma Considine, Sarah Harrison, Lucy Bennett, Alison Smith, and Aarian Marshall -- and I am blown away by their wit and sensitivity. In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I teach two of these young women (though not in English) and thus I am also biased; nevertheless I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book. It is amazing to discover that there are such compelling and accomplished writers in my classroom. Great work, and I look forward to reading more of the essays.

Unmissable

This is a remarkable series of essays from a remarkable group of girls. Some are funny, some tragic, some caustic, some hopeful. What's most amazing, though, is that these girls can really write. The stories these 58 tell are heartbreaking, accurate, and hilarious, whether they're about the particular bittersweetness of having divorced parents (Emma Considine's description is better than any I've ever read), about what it's like to be thin when your friends are all bonding over thinking they're too fat, or about learning to say thank you for a hand-carved wooden spoon. Don't miss out on the next generation of writers. Read Red.

AMAZING WORK

i thought that this book really touches the way that teenage girls really feel. some of the essays are also extreamly beautifully written (unlike my writing haha) i especially loved the essay by maya catherine popa. i really felt like i knew what she was going through even though i have no idea who she is or who the people in her story are. i live in kansas and new york city has always seemed like a dream away. i always thought that new york city folks had a different mindset than us, but i was wrong. all teenage girls are going through the same dramas. i don't know what made me want to read this book but i'm glad i did. i recommend this book to all teenage girls and boys and mothers. girls because it will teach them that they are not alone in this difficult stage of life. boys should read it so that they can understand young women more instead of just complainin about it. and mothers should read it because it will help connect with their daughters and build stronger relationships. kan-SASS