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Purity [Hardcover]

Jackson Pearce
4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)

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Book Description

April 24, 2012
A novel about love, loss, and sex -- but not necessarily in that order.

Before her mother died, Shelby promised three things: to listen to her father, to love as much as possible, and to live without restraint. Those Promises become harder to keep when Shelby's father joins the planning committee for the Princess Ball, an annual dance that ends with a ceremonial vow to live pure lives -- in other words, no "bad behavior," no breaking the rules, and definitely no sex.

Torn between Promises One and Three, Shelby makes a decision -- to exploit a loophole and lose her virginity before taking the vow. But somewhere between failed hookup attempts and helping her dad plan the ball, Shelby starts to understand what her mother really meant, what her father really needs, and who really has the right to her purity.

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Purity + Code Name Verity (Edgar Allen Poe Awards. Best Young Adult (Awards))
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Many teens will find Shelby's emotional journey worth following...a satisfying read." (VOYA )

"Shelby's biting, irreverent first-person narration finely blends the humor and pain of her situation...A purely satisfying look at mourning and sexuality -- and even their connection." (Kirkus Reviews )

"A startlingly authentic picture of a girl in transition on multiple levels...teens will appreciate this thoughtful look at the implications -- or lack thereof -- of doing the deed." (The Bulletin )

"Smart and thought provoking." (Booklist )

"A hilarious and heartfelt story about what happens when a teenage girl actually tries to honor all the promises that adults demand from her while staying true to herself. I loved this book." (Jennifer Echols, award-winning author of Endless Summer and Love Story )

"Reading Jackson Pearce's Purity feels like talking on the phone with a lively and honest best friend -- who is telling it like it is. Shelby reminds us all to be first and foremost true to ourselves. This book is a must-read for anyone thinking about making promises to themselves or others." (Amy Deneson, author and New York Times essayist )

About the Author

Jackson Pearce is the author of Sisters Red, Sweetly, and As You Wish. She lives in Atlanta, Georgia.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 224 pages
  • Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (April 24, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 031618246X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0316182461
  • Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #777,830 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Jackson Pearce lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with a slightly cross-eyed cat and a lot of secondhand furniture. She recently graduated from the University of Georgia with a degree in English and a minor in Philosophy. She auditioned for the circus once, but didn't make it; other jobs she's had include obituaries writer, biker bar waitress, and receptionist. In addition, Jackson coaches both colorguard and winterguard at a local high school.

Jackson began writing when she got angry that the school librarian couldn't tell her of a book that contained a smart girl, horses, baby animals, and magic. Her solution was to write the book herself when she was twelve. Her parents thought it was cute at first, but have grown steadily more concerned for her ever since. Visit Jackson online at www.jacksonpearce.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Reading "Purity" Is A Promise You'll Want To Keep April 28, 2012
Format:Hardcover
My Thoughts
This is a book that, while it does deliver on its promise of contemporary YA goodness, also leaves the reader with some pretty savory food for thought.
Purity is the story of a father and daughter set adrift on a sea of loss, miscommunication, and misunderstanding of themselves and each other, after the loss of the wife and mother that anchored them.

Let me be the first to say that though this book spends a great deal of its time on the topic of Shelby's "deflowering", and her aversion to the "purity ball"; I am fully confident that it was not the author's intention to glorify teen sex or disparage the message of the abstinence movement in any way. These happenings within this read have more to do with being points of "discovery" for Shelby; about her power to plot her own course to happiness and love rather than having those things dictated to her by the predefined parameters of a promise or expectation.

Thank you Jackson for writing a story full of truly "good guys". It is so nice to see an exception to the "one prince per story rule." The princes in this book: Shelby's dad, Jeffrey, and Jonas. This book really explores the male/female relationship in three of its most important aspects. The relationship that girls have with the men in their lives as: fathers (Shelby's dad), sexual partners (Jeffery), and friends/love interests (Jonas). What this book does in true "girl power" fashion, is to show young women that they have the power to actively choose their role in these relationships and not simply let the male take the lead.

As the mother of three daughters, I will be the first to make this book required reading in my home.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Jackson Pearce's best work so far! May 1, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I rarely do reviews, but I had to write one for this book. I am a fan of Jackson Pearce and have read all her work. Purity has become my favorite out of all four of her books - I am a huge contemporary novel fan more than supernatural, which could the reason why it's my favorite. It's witty. It's charming. But most importantly it's real. I found myself relating to the main character, Shelby, in so many ways and the pressure she placed on her self to lose her virginity. It's very tasteful, and there is nothing in there that anyone under the age of 15 shouldn't be allowed to read.

The book isn't that big, and I was able to finish the book within a day. I love the relationship between Shelby and her friends, but I especially love the relationship, or lack of, between her and her father. Throughout the novel it's painful to see how they lack a relationship and what the purity ball ends up meaning for the both of them at the end. It's a story of growth, love, understanding, and most importantly to me, it's a story of searching who you really are.

I highly recommend the book. And I know some people may be turned off because of the mention of God or Shelby's view of religion, but she is a character in a book and characters have different views just like real people do. And that is why I love this book. Pearce has the ability to create strong characters with flaws that resemble real people. They're not perfect, their not flat, but intricate with several elements contributing to their existence... even if they are fictional.

And if anything else, you should just get the book for how beautiful the cover is!
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8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Funny, but also very meaningful! June 21, 2012
Format:Kindle Edition
5 years, 352 days ago Shelby made a promise to her dying mother. She swore to: 1) always love and listen to her father, 2) love as much as possible, and 3) always live without restraint. After her mother passed away, Shelby's friend, Jonas, came up with a Life List to help her keep Promise Three. At the time we meet Shelby for the first time, her list has more than four hundred items on it, including thins like "jump off the Lake Jocassee trestle like mom did in high school", "put flowers on every grave in a cemetery", and "learn all eighty-eight constellations". So far, Shelby managed to cross out one hundred and three items from the list. In other words, she's been working really hard to keep the promise she gave her mom, and really live her life to the fullest.

Everything seemes to be going great until Shelby's dad decides for them to attend the annual Princess Ball, a father-daughter dance and a Ridgebrook tradition. A dance, that ends with a ceremony during which all the fathers and daughters recite vows. The fathers vow "to be strong, responsible man of integrity and to play a central role in their daughter's lives", and the daughters pledge "to look up to their fathers for guidance and to live whole, pure lives." While Shelby doesn't exactly plan to do drugs or drink large amounts of alcohol, she certainly does not want to put on an invisible chastity belt and commit to life without sex, either. At the same time, she can't disobey her dad's wish - that would be breaking Promise One. She can't vow to stay pure until marriage either, because then she'd be breaking Promise Three - to seize the day and live without restraints. The only way out of this situation seems to be through exploiting a loophole.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Funny and honest
While I struggled with some of the protagonist's decisions in Purity, I was impressed with the honesty and humor Pearce uses to tell a story about the intersection between faith,... Read more
Published 16 days ago by Shalena @ Writer Quirk
3.0 out of 5 stars Hobbitsies Reviews: Enjoyable read with some issues
There were aspects of Purity by Jackson Pearce that I really enjoyed and others that ended up feeling a bit meh to me. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Tara Gonzalez
4.0 out of 5 stars Hits Just the Right Note
This is a YA novel, for grades 9 and up. There is some bad language and several sexual situations. At the age of 10, Shelby watched her mother die of breast cancer. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Samantha McManus
5.0 out of 5 stars Refreshing and honest
What a great novel about loss and honesty and priorities. Wonderfully written, funny and poignant and breathtakingly full of truth. Read more
Published 3 months ago by LuLu
2.0 out of 5 stars Unreal - way beyond belief
Young girl loses her mother but promises to uphold her principles. The book revolves around preparations for a high school Ball that she and her father are organizing for fathers... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Lucy O'Finner
3.0 out of 5 stars Chastity from a unique perspective
A very frank yet oddly premised book. I would not recommend it to my Young Adult Literature class for future teachers.
Published 4 months ago by Sue Anderson
4.0 out of 5 stars Original and Heartfelt Contemporary Read
I have read one other novel by Jackson Pearce (Sisters Red) and I have heard many good things about her other releases. Read more
Published 5 months ago by The Book Scout
5.0 out of 5 stars A Pure Pleasure
I loved this book and think it is Pearce's best writing to date. While I do understand the concerns that readers have raised about some of Shelby's decisions, I worry that young... Read more
Published 6 months ago by CW
5.0 out of 5 stars The Irish Banana Review
Prior to this, my only experience with Jackson Pearce had been in retold fairy tales (Sweetly and Sisters Red), so I wasn't sure what to expect from her in a contemporary novel. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Hannah @ The Irish Banana Review
4.0 out of 5 stars Sweet and entertaining..
I checked this book out from the library and wanted to share my thoughts :D

Shelby Crewe got a raw deal.. when she was 10 her mother died of cancer. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Autumn @ Paperrdolls
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