Friday, July 24, 2015

Popular: Vintage Wisdom for a Modern Geek (a Memoir) by Maya Van Wagenen

Publication Date:  April 15, 2014
Publisher:  Dutton Books for Young Readers
Series:  Stand Alone
Pages:  262
Genre:  Nonfiction 
Synopsis:  Stuck at the bottom of the social ladder at pretty much the lowest level of people at school who aren’t paid to be here,” Maya Van Wagenen decided to begin a unique social experiment: spend the school year following a 1950s popularity guide, written by former teen model Betty Cornell. Can curlers, girdles, Vaseline, and a strand of pearls help Maya on her quest to be popular? 

Review:  For the first time in a very long time, I deigned to read a book without magic and oppressive governments and a sad ending. I think I should have stuck with the dragons and tears.


My biggest complaint about this book is the writing.  While I am impressed that an eighth grader wrote and published a book, it is fairly obvious that is is written by a thirteen year old.  It is very flat and two dimensional, although this may be due to the fact that is clearly very heavily edited.  All emotion and personality has been edited out, which is something I'm sorry that the publishing company did.  


The story itself is easy to read and entertaining, but it doesn't ring true to real life.  I'm sorry, but no teenager is that nice and gets along with her family that well.  All Maya's personality seems to have been cut away.  I also have an issue with other elements being added to the plot, such as stories about the town and such.  It isn't a story with an organized plot and deeper emotional meaning, and they shouldn't have tried to make it more than it was.  


Now for something nit-picky:  I assumed that Maya would be taking tips from Betty Cornells popularity guide (written in the fifties) and applying them to the modern world.  What really happens is that the same advice meant for a teen girl in the twentieth century (such as clothing, hair, etc.) is used in real life. Times change, and the outdated tips to reach popularity do not fit today's world, so it is no wonder Maya didn't gain popularity from them.  


The overall message of the book is a good one, though.  To be kind and generous to everyone is a great message for readers, but I think the target audience is one for younger kids.  It is a lesson children learn in elementary school, and while it is a true one, being nice to people doesn't get you everything.  The world just doesn't work like that, no matter how much it probably should.


It is a strange thing, criticizing a book that is about someone's life. It feels odd to rate someone's experience and know that it actually happened.  I think Maya Van Wagenen could grow up to be a decent author one day, but this book was not one to showcase her talents.  It is cute and has a well intended message, but isn't anything more than that.


2.5 Keys



      

8 comments:

  1. I kiiiind of want to read it because OMG SHE PUBLISHED SO YOUNG, but at the same time I'm not the world's biggest fan of younger-style books. I need my dragons too *nods* And the fact that the personality and emotion have been edited out terrifies me. That's sooo not good news for a book. :O

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    1. I know! She's a published author already. All I've done is watch Netflix and eat food. I really wanted to like it just because of her age, but, alas, I did not. I blame the editors more than anything else.

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  2. It sounded like a good premise and could have been cute or interesting at least. Stinks it lacked personality. Great review though!!

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    1. It has a super intersting synopsis, and I had high hopes! Sadly, those were definitely not met. Thank you! :D

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  3. This sounds like a good read! Great review, I might give it a go! Not too sure :)

    Yousra | Mystic Tales

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    1. It is really fun and easy to read, although not the best! Thanks for commenting!

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  4. i heard a lot of praise on this but i was skeptical because of her age and the amount of editing. i think i would've preferred the book if had a little more problems but a lot more personality. for a book like this, personality counts so much! i was also quite excited about this book because i'm NOT popular and the idea of "popularity" baffles me. like, what's so good about it? you have every person watching you to fall or make a mistake idk

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    1. Exactly! I don't know what the editor was thinking... If it had just a hint of a real person underneath, it could have been a very different review. The whole "popularity" thing is strange, isn't it? So you have a lot of friends and are always in the spotlight... What's the point??? Anyway, thanks for commenting!

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