Life As I Knew It [Paperback]

Randi Hacker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 21, 2006

My name is Angelina Rossini. A little about me:

• I am sixteen years old.
• I live in Blodgett, Vermont. Population: 854.
• Most of my life's been pretty normal for a twenty-first-century American teen.

THAT SAID:

• I'm in love with my best friend who, um, recently came out.
• I sometimes get the sense that my mother wishes I hadn't been born.
• I maintain a low level of hostility with at least one of my classmates.

I could deal, though. Mainly because my dad was around, and he was my sun. Our sun, really: my mom's, my stepsister's, and mine. My dad kept us all in place, orbiting around him.

But then the sun, well...it went out. Click.

That was the end of Life As I Knew It -- and the beginning of something a lot different.

--This text refers to the Kindle Edition edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–Sixteen-year-old Angelina Rossini's small world in Blodgett, VT, has fairly typical trappings: classes, friends, choral concerts, and a slightly embarrassing parent; but all that's normal quakes when her 69-year-old father suffers a stroke. One moment, he is preparing for his morning shower; the next, strapped into an ambulance. Thus is Angelina's life separated into a before of cheerful enthusiasms from her robust Italian father and an after of inarticulate, wheelchair-bound barks and mutterings. After weeks in the hospital, her father begins his new sort of existence in the family garage, refitted with a handicapped-accessible bed and bath. Time is short, though, for the teen and her mother to give and get what love they can from a man once so full of life. While written in a conversational tone that is well suited to the audience, the novel's appeal will be strongest for those who identify with the protagonist's situation. The author succeeds in creating a handful of strong homosexual characters–Angelina's best friend; her mother's good friend who lends a hand; and even school nemesis Celeste, who turns out to have a crush on Angelina. When Angelina's dad, otherwise unable to talk, sings along at the Andrew Lloyd Weber school show, both the audience and readers are touched; but the novel is ultimately more therapeutic than engaging.–Suzanne Gordon, Peachtree Ridge High School, Suwanee, GA
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Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Simon Pulse (September 21, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416909958
• ISBN-13: 978-1416909958
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,575,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Better than I expected..., December 29, 2006

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Life As I Knew It (Paperback)

Just grabbing this off the shelves in the holiday-gift rush, this book was not high expectations-wise for me. I am pleased to say, however, that it was well-worth it. It is about a 16-year old girl living in a small, quaint North Vermont town. Angelina as a narrator is good, telling about her father and the event that happened that changed her, her family, and her town's life forever: he had a stroke, leaving him paralyzed on one side, not able to eat or talk. The narration is excellent, and the story line was very touching and deep, very moving.
One part that I did not like was the theme of gayness in the novel, with her best friend being gay and her having a crush on him, and her mom's best friend being a lesbian. I wouldn't mind so much if, in the end, her recently widowed mother kissed her lesbian friend passionately on the lips.
But overall, it was worth the read and I enjoyed reading it. There are some good lessons in here as well.