Story of a Girl is a book I'm sure many teenage girls would enjoy, but I'm not so sure I would want to teach it in my classroom. That being said, I want to make it a point to say I don't think there is anything wrong with reading this novel. I think kids should read whatever interests them!
I would like to focus on defending why I would not want to read this in my classroom. Story of a Girl has a title that definitely does it justice, it is a story of a girl. Deanna has major internal and external conflicts and I don't think the boys in my class would be able to relate to her as a character. Deanna has major family dynamic problems. Her brother and his girlfriend live in the house with their child which is not necessarily a "problem" but it is an unstable environment for a teenager. Deanna's father is clearly her big issue because they cannot communicate with one another after what he witnessed. These are just two of the major issues Deanna has. Many children would not be able to connect their life to the novel which could pose interest and discussion issues in the classroom.
I will say the one theme adolescents could look at in this novel is the fact that is takes so long for Deanna to forgive herself for what she did with Tommy. This could repercussion of her father's attitude about the situation in combination with her own remorse. Adolescents should know that they will make mistakes, but it is not going to ruin their life. Every mistake is a lesson and mistakes make you a stronger person. Deanna's relationship with herself grows stronger because she is eventually able to forgive and move on with her life.
Teaching this in a classroom would be challenging. I think a lot of resistance would come from male readers who may be unable to fully connect with the struggles that Deanna goes through. I also found the story line to be a little bit overused. How many times have we heard the story of the girl who becomes the "school slut"? That being said, I stil think this novel would be a good option for students if they are looking for something to read in their free time.
ReplyDelete-Allison
I agree that this would be a difficult book to teach in a class because it is more geared towards girls, and boys would struggle to connect with the story. I also think that the story could be seen as more geared towards making mistakes and the repercussions they have, as well as how mistakes help you grow and learn.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering the same thing. I think that this story could be hard to teach in the classroom. There are some tough themes to deal with. When I was reading I almost felt that this would be used for a "health class" :/. This book would definitely cover the theme of how to learn from your mistakes and growing from them.
ReplyDelete