How Beautiful the Ordinary: Twelve Inspiring Stories of Identity, Belonging, and Self-Discovery - Perfect for Book Clubs, Personal Growth, and Multicultural Literature Lovers
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SKU:18464450
Product Description
A girl thought to be a boy steals her sister's skirt, while a boy thought to be a girl refuses to wear a cornflower blue dress. One boy's love of a soldier leads to the death of a stranger. The present takes a bittersweet journey into the past when a man revisits the summer school where he had "an accidental romance." And a forgotten mother writes a poignant letter to the teenage daughter she hasn't seen for fourteen years.Poised between the past and the future are the stories of now. In nontraditional narratives, short stories, and brief graphics, tales of anticipation and regret, eagerness and confusion present distinctively modern views of love, sexuality, and gender identification. Together, they reflect the vibrant possibilities available for young people learning to love others—and themselves—in today's multifaceted and quickly changing world.
Customer Reviews
If it weren't for the last piece, a novella by the talented Gregory Maguire (author of Wicked,) I'd rate the collection with 4 stars. Before Maguire's contribution, there is a lot of very interesting experimentation with story telling. One of the best pieces is a touching letter written from a woman to her estranged "former" daughter on the girl's 16th birthday. The story is cleverly told and heartbreaking to read. But Maguire's "The Silk Road Runs Through Tupperneck, N.H." bumps up my rating.It's come to be one of my favorite short stories. In the end, the story is a romance. But save for one scene, there is almost no romance in the story. The novella feels real, which is Maguire's talent. You'll read about two boys at the end of adolescence finding in each other comfort and a reprieve from the drama and tragedy that plagues them in their late teens while getting insight into their later lives as adults. It is excellent. I couldn't recommend this story and this book enough.
