Book Cover Photo Source, Barnes and Noble: http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/imageviewer.asp?ean=9780316014540, accessed September 26, 2009.Bibliography:
Zarr, Sara. 2007. STORY OF A GIRL. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
ISBN 9780316014533
Critical Analysis:
One moment caused everything to change for Deanna Lambert. "I was thirteen when my dad caught me with Tommy Webber in the back of Tommy's Buick, parked next to the old Chart House down in Montara at eleven o'clock on a Tuesday night." Deanna's dad hasn't looked her in the eye "or talked to me, really talked to me since." Her peers have labeled her "the school slut" which, in the small town she lives in, defines who she is for the next three years.
Sophomore year is over and Deanna decides to get a job for the summer. Deanna's brother, Darren, and his girlfriend, Stacy, live in the family's basement with their baby, April. Deanna has decided that she will save enough money for them all to move out of her parent's house and into an apartment. Her friends Jason and Lee try to be supportive of Deanna, but she ends up feeling at odds with them as well. When Deanna shows up for her first day of work at the pizza parlor and discovers that Tommy, now 19, works there too, old feelings resurface. "My body did things again, nerves awake, something not quite good and not quite bad creeping over my scalp." Told in honest first-person dialog, the story is both credible and clever. Zarr explores Deanna's dysfuctional family life with sensitivity and perception, which in turn is convincing and believable to the reader. Her effective use of flashbacks, explains how Deanna became involved with Tommy and helps to tie up questions the reader may have about the relationship. Deanna's journal entries are scattered throughout the book like leaves blowing down an empty lane, adding a profound sadness to the story. In the end, forgiveness defeats fear and Deanna is able to overcome her past and find her true voice.
2007 National Book Award Finalist
Review Excerpts:
KIRKUS REVIEWS: "Sophomore Deanna Lambert made just one mistake to turn herself into the "school slut." Back in eighth grade, Deanna's father caught her having sex with a high-school boy. Nothing has been the same since that painful night, and Deanna's extremely dysfunctional family is not much help. There are just two people who are willing to take the razzing of being the friends of "slutty Deanna," and she misses her loving dad who has turned into a man who can neither look her in the eye nor give her any affection.
KLIATT: "Deanna Lambert is a girl with a past. Ever since she was caught by her father having sex with her brother's friend in the backseat of a car, her life has become a high school joke. The event not only haunts her but also defines who she is. Now that summer is here, Deanna is looking for a job that will give her enough money to help her brother and his wife and daughter to move out of a difficult home situation, taking her with them. The only job she can get is one working in a pizza parlor with Tommy, the high school boy from the backseat. Her brother Darren and his wife have a falling out and Deanna is caught in the middle. Deanna's friends Lee and Jason provide support and encouragement, but she finds herself uncomfortably in the middle of that relationship as well. In one weak moment she goes out with Tommy and almost becomes the girl in the high school joke. Instead she channels her frustrations, forgives Tommy and is finally able to put the past behind her."
Classroom Connections:
This book is a great way to talk to teens about how one mistake can make such a profound impact on our lives. After reading the book talk about what might have happened to Deanna if she had chosen not to sleep with Tommy at such a young age. How do you think the story would have been different?
What if Deanna's dad had been different after he caught her with Tommy? Would that have made a difference?
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