The Divorce Girl
Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg
Ice Cube Press
July 7,2012
374 pages
Amazon
provided by publisher
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4/5 Books
Meet Deborah Shapiro, a New Jersey teenage photographer whose parents’ outrageous divorce lands her in the biggest flea market in the free world, a Greek diner with immigration issues, a New York City taxi company, a radical suburban synagogue, a hippie-owned boutique, bowling alleys, beaches, and bagel shops. As her home explodes, a first love, a series of almost-mothers, and a comical collection of eccentric mentors show Deborah how to make art out of a life, and life from the wreckage of a broken home. Join Kansas poet laureate Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg as she explores loss, grief, and bad behavior with humor and imagination. This coming of age story illuminates how a daring heart can turn a broken girl into a woman strong enough to craft a life of art, soul, and beauty.
About The Author:
Lois longed to fly the friendly skies but in 1968 minister’s daughters did not become stewardesses. They chose practical careers like teaching or nursing. For the entire first year of nursing school, Lois made weekly calls home to beg her parents to let her come home. Then her instructors decided she had a “bad attitude”. Despite her lukewarm feelings about a nursing career Lois set out to prove those cranky old instructors wrong.
Lois’s attitude, as well as her feelings about nursing, changed radically during her over 30 year career. She retired in the year 2000 as professor emerita from Trinity Christian College with Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in nursing. But even that wasn’t enough classroom time for Lois. She recently completed three years of the University of Chicago Basic Program of Liberal Education for Adults. She now spends her days writing and being a happy grandma.
Connect With The Author:
Website
My Review:
Not knowing first hand what it means to be from a divorced family (my parents have been married 36 years!), I still wanted to give Caryn’s book a try. I generally enjoy reading a good fictional novel for the Young Adults from time to time, and this one fits into the category of great reads, for sure!
Caryn Mirriam-Goldberg takes her readers on an inside look of what it’s like to be from a divorced family. She takes on a journey that’s filled with humor, some awful angst, and the decisions that need to be made with being a child of divorced parents.
Through Deborah Shapiro’s eyes, we get to witness first hand what she goes through as she’s older and her parents have just divorced. Being torn with what to do, and worry about life in general all fall on her. Throughout the novel, Mirriam-Goldberg shows us that finding happiness in the midst of a broken family can be a wonderful outcome.
I truly enjoyed reading this novel. Not being from a divorced family myself, my oldest son is dealing with this issue. He’s just but 10, but he’s had to deal with the complications of his father and I being divorced. Through this book, my eyes opened to so many issues he may be already dealing with, and that’s he’s dealt with since he was a baby of just 21 months when we divorced.
This definitely coming with a 4 Book rating from me. It’s a perfect “tool” for any teenager or young adult who is dealing with a broken family and having to make some tough decision. With the perfect amount of humor mixed in, this book is never a dull moment, that’s for sure! Well done, Ms. Mirriam-Goldberg!
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Good review! This does sound like an interesting book