Red: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today (Paperback)

~ Amy Goldwasser (Editor) "You'd be surprised at what a girl can hide beneath her sleeves of skin: Truths lies secrets screamshoutlisten CRAZY..." (more)
Key Phrases: Johnny Depp, People You Have, What's Right (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Funny, smart, dark, observant.”
—Salon

“Red is a revelation.”
—Time Out New York (five stars)

Product Description

“Unsparingly frank and perceptive” (Vanity Fair) personal essays by teenage girls.

For every teen girl who thinks she’s alone, and every adult who’s dared to try to figure her out, comes this eye-opening collection in the spirit of New York Times bestseller Ophelia Speaks. In Red, fifty-eight girls—ranging in age from thirteen to nineteen, and writing from across the spectrum of geographic, socioeconomic, racial, and religious upbringings—share “heartbreaking, hilarious, and often harrowing” (Francine Prose) essays about everything from politics to pop culture; from post-Katrina New Orleans to Johnny Depp; from the loneliness of losing a best friend to the loathing or pride they feel about their bodies.

The authors of Red are brave and honest documentarians of their own lives. These girls are the best shades of red (not pink): a little bit angry, a lot passionate. They’re on fire, and their essays speak gloriously for the future.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Plume; Reprint edition (October 28, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0452289831
• ISBN-13: 978-0452289833
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (43 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #328,986 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Opening the Door to Dialogue, December 5, 2007

By	The Joy Of Reading (Michigan) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Red: The Next Generation of American Writers--Teenage Girls--On What Fires Up Their Lives Today (Hardcover)

I am a new step-mother to a young teenage girl. Not only are there the normal "teenage issues" but compound those issues with a new family unit and a longing for bio-mom and daddy to get back together and you have one emotional young girl! I pre-ordered this book and gave it to my step-daughter as soon as it arrived. She did not say a whole lot other than the barely audible "thanks". However, about a week later my husband came home from a visit. She wanted him to let me know how much she is enjoying the book and sharing it with her friends. She really likes it! The stories hit home and resonate with her! This has opened the door for me to engage in dialogue with her surrounding those stories: What in particular did she like? Which stories was she drawn to and what did those stories mean to her in her own life? As a new mom, I say thank you to the author for compiling such an intriguing set of life stories that resonate with a 14 year old and helped to "fire-up" real dialogue!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book for All Ages!, February 15, 2008

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Red: The Next Generation of American Writers--Teenage Girls--On What Fires Up Their Lives Today (Hardcover)

I felt that this book connected my mom and me a little more. Before we started reading "Red" together, I thought she didn't understand the life of a teenage girl very well, in my case a pre-teen. (Life for us girls can be pretty difficult, and there is this wonderful book to prove just that.) Once we finished all the funny, sad, and interesting essays, I think my mom better understood the lives of young girls today, and I saw that I wasn't alone in some of my experiences, especially at school and with friends. After reading this book I realized how different girls can be and I think I understand why they act the way they do. I know I will read this book again when I get older. I <3 Red!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and Poignant, November 28, 2007

By	AHD (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Red: The Next Generation of American Writers--Teenage Girls--On What Fires Up Their Lives Today (Hardcover)

I have not read all of the essays in "Red" yet, but I attended a reading by six of the writers -- Jane Horowitz, Emma Considine, Sarah Harrison, Lucy Bennett, Alison Smith, and Aarian Marshall -- and I am blown away by their wit and sensitivity. In the interest of full disclosure I must admit that I teach two of these young women (though not in English) and thus I am also biased; nevertheless I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book. It is amazing to discover that there are such compelling and accomplished writers in my classroom. Great work, and I look forward to reading more of the essays.