Customer Reviews

This Will Go Down on Your Permanent Record

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You better write a darn good YA novel if you are going to invoke -- right in your title -- a key line from one of the greatest teen anthems of all time. Susannah Felts has done just that. This is a great story that vividly captures that turning point in life when you are nowhere near being "grown-up" enough to handle or even fully understand all the big stuff going on around you, but there it is, in your face and under your skin, and you've just got to deal with it all in the best way you can. It's a real treat experience this period through the eyes of the main character Vaughn, to see how she handles a difficult but deeply significant friendship, or how she embraces and explores the art of photography. Vaughn is a smart, self-aware young girl who isn't yet comfortable in her own skin, but you know she will be at some point, sooner than most, but not any time soon. This is a real treasure of a novel. I hope you know that this should go down on your reading list, like, now. The good feeling you get will stay with you. Highly recommended.

From the first moment they meet at the Dragon Park, Vaughn and Sophie have a rocky friendship. It seems hard to believe they're friends at all, considering Vaughn is quiet and thoughtful while Sophie is wild and outspoken. However, they do form a bond, although a volatile one. As Vaughn begins to take pictures of Sophie for her photography project, she feels like she's getting to know Sophie even better. But a drunken mistake wounds their friendship, and Vaughn finds herself missing Sophie's presence greatly. She can't bring herself to find a new subject for her photography.

I enjoyed the extensive characterization of both Vaughn and Sophie, through Vaughn's perspective. At first sight, they seem to be complete opposites, but they are both just girls in need of a good friend. They fulfill this role for each other, and I liked that they were able to work out their conflict.

One of my favorite parts of this novel was the incorporation of the art of photography. It was very insightful and never got confusing, even for strangers to the fine points of photography. It was also very interesting to read about the controversy over picking subjects and the interpretation of different photographs. For me, the addition of photography was what made this story so unique and enjoyable.

This Will Go down on Your Permanent Record is a lovely coming-of-age story. It is a little slow at times, but definitely a worthwhile read that I recommend.

[...]

I was lucky enough to have been able to meet the author (Susannah Felts) at a writing conference at a local college. It was amazing to hear her read from her novel. The book has a lot of qualities that a teenager would enjoy reading, but also adults like to read to reminisce about there own teen-age experiences. I have not finished reading the book yet, but I can tell you it is amazing. I will post another review after I am done. Read this or have a black mark on YOUR permanent record!
Em V.