Memento Nora [Hardcover]

Angie Smibert (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2011

In the future, it doesn't pay to remember.

In Nora's world you don't have to put up with nightmares. Nora goes with her mother to TFC--a Therapeutic Forgetting Clinic. There, she can describe her horrible memory and take the pill that will erase it. But at TFC, a chance encounter with a mysterious guy changes Nora's life. She doesn't take the pill. And when Nora learns the memory her mother has chosen to forget, she realizes that someone needs to remember. With newfound friends Micah and Winter, Nora makes a comic book of their memories called Memento. It's an instant hit, but it sets off a dangerous chain of events. Will Nora, Micah, and Winter be forced to take the Big Pill that will erase their memories forever?

Angie Smibert's remarkable debut novel takes readers on a thrilling ride through shadowy world where corporations secretly rule--and wish you'd just keep shopping.

Editorial Reviews

Review

... Smibert's dystopian first novel is a gift for both reluctant and regular readers.-- Cindy Welch --    Booklist, June 1, 2011

The novel is taut and lean; Smibert's prose is quick and fluid; and her three artist teens--Nora the writer, Micah the graphic artist, and Winter the creator of kinetic sculpture--have appeal. --Horn Book Magazine, July - August Issue

... fuses the politically charged projections of Anderson's Feed and Doctorow's Little Brother with the breathtakingly personal implications of selective amnesia... --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, April 2011

...the themes of inquiry and fighting back will resonate with young and old. --School Library Journal, April 2011

Nora witnesses a man thrown to his death and is then taken to the local clinic where she is given a pill to make her forget what she saw. Nora could have lived her life only remembering the good moments, if she had obeyed and taken the pill. Micah, a classmate, ruined that chance when he walked out of the clinic and in one silent gesture shows Nora he did not take the pill. Nora and Micah then work together to find out the truth everyone wants to forget. The more they learn, the more dangerous life becomes. In order to preserve their stories, they create a comic and release a few issues before everything they were once familiar with changes. Throughout the novel Nora struggles with how shallow her mother s life is and decides that is not the life she wants. The supporting characters add depth to the story and move the plot along. For the reader who enjoys alternative reality in which our society takes a big brother approach, this book is a good recommendation. Recommended. --LJ Martin, Media Specialist, Portville (New York) Central School

About the Author

Angie was born in Blacksburg, a once sleepy college town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. She grew up thinking she wanted to be a veterinarian; organic chemistry had other ideas. But she always had stories in her head. Eventually, after a few degrees and few cool jobs--including a 10-year stint at NASA's Kennedy Space Center--she wrote some of those stories down.

A frequent contributor to Odyssey Magazine, Angie has published many, many short stories for both adults and teens. Her first novel, MEMENTO NORA,  hit the shelves in April 2011.   A Junior Library Guild Selection for 2011, MEMENTO NORA has also been nominated for YALSA's 2012 Best Fiction for Young Adults list. Her second novel, THE FORGETTING CURVE, will be coming out in Spring 2012 from Marshall Cavendish.

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 184 pages
• Publisher: Skyscape (April 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0761458298
• ISBN-13: 978-0761458296
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #909,832 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in Blacksburg, a once sleepy college town in the mountains of Southwest Virginia, I grew up thinking I wanted to be a veterinarian. Organic chemistry had other ideas. But I always had stories in my head. Eventually, after a few degrees and few cool jobs--including a 10-year stint at NASA's Kennedy Space Center--I wrote some of those stories down.

I'm the author of several young adult books, including MEMENTO NORA, THE FORGETTING CURVE, and THE MEME PLAGUE. I've also published many short stories, for both adults and teens.

www.angiesmibert.com
www.mementonora.com

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Short dystopian in three voices July 28, 2011

By Mrs. Heise

Format:Hardcover

It's a short, quick read, and a unique take on the genre. Mostly my students liked it, although parts were a little confusing for some of them. I liked the story quite a bit. The whole idea of a society in which people take pills after traumatic events in order to forget about them is intriguing. The idea of someone choosing to fake taking the pills in order to know what's really going on is even more intriguing! This story is told in three voices in alternating chapter perspectives. I really liked Nora and Micah, not so much Winter - she confused me a little bit. Overall, I felt the character development was a little shallow and I missed the reasons for the world having come to this. It felt a little underdeveloped because it was so short and such a quick read - I liked the concept enough that I really wanted more substance to it. The parts of the overall concept, the idea that Nora finds out there's more going on in her family than she thought, the way Micah engages with Nora in the first place, and Winter's grandfather were all interesting to me though. Everything came together in the end, and it was surprising how some people were connected that I didn't expect throughout. The concept of this world and the way the characters grow up were the elements that I enjoyed the most. I'll probably be reading the next book in the series, THE FORGETTING CURVE, I just hope for a little bit more depth to the characters as we grow with them.

Review originally posted on Heise Reads & Recommends

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Dystopian Novel March 28, 2011

By Cari VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Warning prepare for lots of gushing about how much I loved Memento Nora. I want to start out by telling you that sometimes I have a difficult time with dystopia and sci-fi because I don't always feel like I can relate to such a different world or it makes me sad to think that we couldn't survive as a society and we almost cause our own destruction and a new radical world takes it's place. For those who feel the same way I do, I want to recommend Memento Nora to you because it is set in the future but you don't feel like a whole new world is forced on you. I felt that it could be possible for this future to happen but I also think that fans of Dystopia and Sci-fi could enjoy this.

In Memento Nora the world is 40-50 years in the future and terrorism is at an all time high. Car bombings happen every few days and there are Therapeutic Forgetting Centers (TFC) that help people forget any traumatic event with a simple pill that will only cause you to forget that specific event.

Nora makes to her first trip to a TFC after witnessing a bookstore bombing while she is out on a shopping trip with her mother. Her mom goes to to TFC almost weekly and Nora loves that after her mom is finished she's in a great mood and usually ready for more shopping. While she is in the waiting room she sees Micah, a skater kid from school, coming out after a TFC session and he spits his white pill out when no one is looking. Since it's Nora's first time her mom tells her that her father beat her and she takes her pill to forget. Nora decides that like Micah she doesn't want to forget and she spits the pill out as she exits the center.

From that moment on nothing in Nora's life will ever be normal and she seeks out Micah. They decide to put their stories in comics that will be titled Memento, which means remember in Latin, and distribute them so others can see the truth. They hope that other kids will share their stories before they take the pill to forget. Micah is not a jock or distant if anything he's sweet and caring and really makes a great love interest. *Micah I love you* In a way he sort of reminds me of Peeta from Hunger Games and Jay from The Body Finder. With help from Micah's artsy best friend Winter they successfully print and distribute Memento.

Memento is loved by students and quickly makes it's way around the city. The students are coming up with ideas of expressing their voice and it fuels support for Memento. They want a newspaper and pull a prank in support of the comic. An underground group wants Micah, Winter, and Nora to stop Memento as it could get them arrested. The government wants to find out quickly who is behind it and to wipe all their memories.

Memento Nora is such an amazing book. For it only being 192 pages this little book packs a big punch. The cover is gorgeous and the ending might bring you to tears. I want to reread it because I wonder if there are hidden clues now that I read the whole story. Memento Nora is Angie Smibert's first novel and she is currently working on a sequel. Angie is also part of the Class of 2K11 and with the League of Extraordinary Writers. I can also see Memento Nora being turned into a graphic novel.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars not bad June 12, 2012

By Trekkie Laura

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

This book was intersting, but not exciting. The concept could have been wonderful but the writing and character development fell short. I did not have an emotional connection with the characters. I would recommend this book for pre-teens and early teens, but anyone over 15 would be less than impressed.