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Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.)
 
 
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Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) [Paperback]

Tish Cohen (Author)
4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)

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Book Description

P.S. August 12, 2008

Rachel Berman wants everything to be perfect. An overprotective single mother of two, she is acutely aware of the statistical dangers lurking around every corner—which makes her snap decision to aid a stranded motorist wholly uncharacteristic. Len Bean is stuck on the shoulder with Olivia, his relentlessly curious, learning disabled ten-year-old daughter. To the chagrin of Rachel's children, who are about to be linked to the most-mocked girl in school, Rachel and Len begin dating. And when Len receives terrible news, little Olivia needs a hero more than ever.

But the world refuses to be predictable. When personal crisis profoundly alters Rachel's relationship with a wild, very special little girl, this perfectionist mother finds herself drawn into a mystery from her past and toward a new appreciation for her own children's imperfect lives.


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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Cohen throws every imaginable obstacle at her protagonists in this thoughtful but overly dramatic tale of two single parents turned lovers. Rachel Berman, the divorced publisher of Perfect Parent magazine, is striving to be just that to her two children, rebellious teen Janie and 12-year-old Dustin. Len Bean, a widowed lawyer, meanwhile, tries to manage his daughter Olivia's learning disorder, a condition that causes her to repeatedly talk about rodents and dress inappropriately. When Rachel and Len serendipitously meet, they hit it off. Soon their lives and those of their children become intertwined, much to Janie and Dustin's dismay. As tension builds for the children, a secret from Rachel's past comes to the forefront, and Len receives bad news at the doctor's office. Regret, rejection and worry abound as the plot touches on the standard societal/familial issues (divorce, teenage sexuality, adoption), and Rachel fights to create her own legacy at work. Cohen's language is pleasant and the characters relatable, but the plot is so obvious that the narrative feels like a quirky soap opera. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From School Library Journal

Adult/High School—This compelling, insightful story is surprisingly lighthearted in spite of several heavy themes. Rachel Berman is raising her 14-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son by herself, after a divorce. She's also working hard to keep her father's magazine, Perfect Parent, financially afloat. Len Bean, an attorney, is raising his 10-year-old special-needs daughter alone; his wife was killed in a traffic accident when their daughter was five. The three children attend the same school, where Olivia Bean is known as "Inside Out Girl" because of her strange dress and overreadiness to hug, not to mention her love of data about rats. Soon after Rachel and Len meet, and then begin dating, Len discovers that he has a fatal brain tumor; finding a home for Olivia after his eventual death coincides with Rachel's longing to know what became of the daughter she bore as a teen and surrendered for adoption. Meanwhile, Rachel's daughter is struggling with her passionate crush on the girl next door. Characters are complete, credible, and engaging. Olivia and her nonverbal learning disorder are presented cogently and without stereotyping either her personality or the responses that she draws from kids and adults. This is a romance novel worthy of readers' time.—Francisca Goldsmith, Halifax Public Libraries, Nova Scotia
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 317 pages
  • Publisher: Harper Perennial; First Edition edition (August 12, 2008)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0061452955
  • ISBN-13: 978-0061452956
  • Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.4 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,138,445 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

19 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.5 out of 5 stars (19 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A great read, August 13, 2008
This review is from: Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
I loved this book! It is a beautiful story with wonderful characters. I loved Olivia, a quirky and adorable mix of innocence and heart breaking vulnerability. I loved the relationship between Len and his daughter Olivia. A moving story and a great read from cover to cover.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars POIGNANT AND HAUNTING, August 12, 2008
By 
Patry Francis (Cape Cod, Massachusetts) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
Len Bean and Rachel Berman are two attractive single parents, doing their best to balance high-powered careers and the needs of their children when they meet in the breakdown lane of the highway. (For once, it's the woman who plays hero, since Len has no idea how to change a tire.) What follows is an old fashioned love story--but not the one I expected. Though I was utterly charmed by Len's devotion to his daughter and Rachel's tendency to apologize for things that aren't her fault, it was the children who stole my heart. Olivia, who loves rodents and her father beyond reason is one of those unforgettable child characters whose triumphs and heartbreaks will sear you forever.
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars On The Outside Looking In, June 1, 2009
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This review is from: Inside Out Girl: A Novel (P.S.) (Paperback)
"Your inside is out, and your outside is in." -- Beatles, 1968 from "Everybody's Got Something to Hide Except for Me & My Monkey

Olivia Bean 10, whose name is as deliciously appealing as her very quirky character dances to her own tune. She lives with her widowed father Len and her paternal grandparents are part of her life.

Len is clearly a good father trying his best with Olivia who, at 5 was diagnosed with a Nonverbal Learning Disorder or NLD. A condition that has closely overlapping behaviors with autism, the distinguishing factor of NLD is an indiscrimate display of affection. Author Tish Cohen defines Asperger's Syndrome, which is the spectrum partner to autism as a condition wherein people are content to remain in their own worlds. That is not true. Many if not most people AS crave social interaction and social acceptance but have trouble navigating social terrain with their neurotypical (NT) counterparts.

Olivia's behavior is very bizarre. She hugs everyone without question; she does not even know when her own birthday is and she wears her clothing inside out. She plays with Barbie dolls in a very unusual way and has an encyclopediac knowledge about rodents. In fact, readers are introduced to Len and Olivia when her rodent dies and she refuses to bury him.

A chance encounter with magazine editor Rachel Berman bring two families together. A divorcee with 2 children, Janie 14, and Dustin, 12 Rachel has all she can manage with the magazine and her children's issues. Unknown to her, Janie is gay and Dustin is a typical pre-teen interested in skating and heckling his sister. He is very funny and the typical brother.

Len and Rachel plainly need each other, even if their kids don't hit it off right off the bat. Olivia likes bubblegum pop while Janie prefers "pure punk" from the 1970s and 1980s. She fancies herself a "punk purist" and idolizes the Dead Kennedys, Sex Pistols and their punk peers. In one very funny moment, Janie tells Olivia that her sugary pop tunes are "mainstream BS" and Olivia repeats that to all and sundry. Olivia also has very rigid routines about food and Rachel learns to work within the boundaries of Olivia's very specialized needs.

As it turns out, Olivia and the Berman kids attend the same school. Janie's life parallels with Olivia's wherein she is rebuffed by a neighbor girl and classmate on whom she has a crush. This in turn leads to a huge dent in her reputation among her peers. Olivia, never able to figure her peers out, takes everything they say seriously even when they set her up for cruelty and ridicule. Toward the latter part of the book, some of her worst bullies trick her into accepting an invitation with devastating results.

Len has his own very serious concerns to think about as well. He has to make some very major decisions concerning his only child and that is where Rachel comes in. Each help the other make connections they thought were forever lost. The Beatles' 1965 "In My Life" could easily be the soundtrack of Len and Rachel's courtship.

This is a book that readers of any age would enjoy. Phil Collins' "Inside Out" could very well be the soundtrack of this book as well. Readers get a good understanding of the social hierchy of middle school; coming to terms with one's sexual orientation and peer pressure and peer trickery and bullying in general. This is a wonderful book that gives an excellent look at raising a child with special needs and decoding the social perplexities that so many face.

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Inside This Book (learn more)
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
skate camp
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Perfect Parent, Callie Corbin, Georgie Boy, Tabitha Carlisle, Lucky Charms, Janie Berman, Birthday Wishes Barbie, Olivia Bean, Cody Donovan, Seer of All Truths, Sweeting's Pets, Jessica Simpson, Linda Haas, Michael Dearborn, Lane Five, Sex Pistols, Leaside Adoption, The Shining, The Incredibles, Code Adam, Rattus Rattus
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