YA Review: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
Based on the mean-girl does Groundhog Day plot, I probably wouldn't have read this if it hadn't been nominated as one of the 2013 Missouri Gateway Readers Award books. I'm so glad I did; it is one of my top-three favorites of the 15 nominees. Author Lauren Oliver does a great job taking the uber-popular Samantha Kingston through variations of the same day, where she comes to realize what truly matters-- and it's not losing her virginity to a boy she barely likes, getting drunk at a party, or saying viscious things to underclassmen who dare talk to her.
One major turnoff for me in this book is the somewhat favorable light, and the considerable amount of ink, cigarette smoking gets. It's the third or fourth YA book in a row that I've read that has played up cigarettes, and I'm seriously starting to wonder if the tobacco industry is getting its claws into YA authors. I'm a high school teacher-- and while I won't say that no students smoke, it's not like it's the 1950s where everyone was expected to. Because so few students smoke anymore, it is very easy to tell which ones do by the smell of their clothes-- or at least the ones who are around someone else who smokes. And while authors might say it's just a portrayal of teenage rebellion, doing something they're not supposed to-- I can't help but think even the casual mention only serves to promote and glorify cigarettes and tobacco. But enough from that particular soap box.
Other than the tobacco advertisements, this is a wonderful book that helps show what is important and that each moment of your life is precious.
One major turnoff for me in this book is the somewhat favorable light, and the considerable amount of ink, cigarette smoking gets. It's the third or fourth YA book in a row that I've read that has played up cigarettes, and I'm seriously starting to wonder if the tobacco industry is getting its claws into YA authors. I'm a high school teacher-- and while I won't say that no students smoke, it's not like it's the 1950s where everyone was expected to. Because so few students smoke anymore, it is very easy to tell which ones do by the smell of their clothes-- or at least the ones who are around someone else who smokes. And while authors might say it's just a portrayal of teenage rebellion, doing something they're not supposed to-- I can't help but think even the casual mention only serves to promote and glorify cigarettes and tobacco. But enough from that particular soap box.
Other than the tobacco advertisements, this is a wonderful book that helps show what is important and that each moment of your life is precious.
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