Weird on the Outside [Paperback]

Shelley Stoehr-McCarthy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 11, 2003 | Age Level: 7 and up | Grade Level: 2 and up

When sixteen-year-old Tracey runs away she finds that making ends meet in New York City for a young girl with few real skills is nearly impossible. That's when Tracey becomes Amanda, a topless dancer. On her first day of work, another dancer gives Amanda this advice: "Never mix this place with the real world," but already Tracey's and Amanda's worlds seem like one big blur... Tracey is one of the most interesting female characters in recent YA fiction... In a sense this is a survival novel." (The Horn Book)An ALA Recommended Book for Reluctant Young Readers.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

New York City's lights are bright enough to thrill even the most jaded teen--at first, anyway. Tracey Bascombe runs away to the writhing metropolis in hopes of living anonymously, away from her neglectful father and pill-popping mother. Sparkling facades are rarely what they seem, however, and soon Tracey must confront New York's gritty underbelly. Alone in the huge city, without real skills, Tracey turns to stripping in order to survive. In what may be one of the most graphic books ever written for teens, author Shelley Stoehr takes readers inside the mind of a runaway teen as she splits apart in order to maintain her sanity. She may be Tracey by day, but at night, under the hazy glow of stage lights, she becomes Amanda and dances for slobbering, objectifying men. Stoehr bravely abandons all moralizing here. Instead, the author allows Tracey/Amanda to describe her own life in painful, lurid detail, resulting in a powerful, cautionary tale for mature teens everywhere. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Publishers Weekly

Stoehr (Crosses) seems out to shock with this sordid sortie through the strip joints of New York City. Tracey-a beautiful, brilliant, privileged teenager-has everything except the love of her divorced parents. So she runs off to the city and, with remarkable ease, finds herself a room in a fleabag hotel and lands a job as a topless dancer. Her coworkers in the flesh biz are, on the whole, supportive and friendly; the clients tend toward the lewd and crude. Much of the story is taken up with a repetitious accounting of Tracey's piecemeal earnings ("A flash might get me a dollar, but I know I'll get at least two by sensually rubbing slow circles in the skin below my navel," she says in a relatively tame moment). Tracey's descent into booze, cocaine and ever-riskier business counterpoints a murkily developed theme that has something to do with gaining independence or female power; the irony here is never certain. The conclusion trumpets confusion-after being brutally beaten, Tracey returns to her father's home, where she mulls things over: "Not that every girl has to strip to become a woman.... But it worked for me. And even though I hated dancing naked sometimes, I also liked it." Ages 14-up.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 7 and up
  
• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: iUniverse (March 11, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0595269532
• ISBN-13: 978-0595269532
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,000,992 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars REALLY REALLY GOOD!, July 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: WEIRD ON THE OUTSIDE (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Paperback)

I live in the city and it was very real. I could also relate to her problems, because I am a girl around her age, however I have never gone to the extremes that she went too. It gets down to the nitty gritty, and is a great read for all ages. Infact I am surprised it's not also classified as an "adult book" because it's just as real for both age groups. It was the kind of book that made me laugh, while also making me cry at parts. A highly recomended read!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderfully Entertaining, September 3, 2003

By 

Julina (Chicago, IL USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Weird on the Outside (Paperback)

The first time I read this book was either in the sixth or seventh grade and I fell in love with it. I so amazed with such an adult matter the book had and even more amazed how well the author was able to word it for young teens to understand. Even as a young teen, I felt like I knew Tracy and understood her pain. I loved the book so much that I even stole it from the library in my hometown. Even being in my Twenties, I still enjoy this book. Everyone should read this book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great!, March 5, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Weird on the Outside (Hardcover)

It really shows whats going on and tells it like it is. I'm 13 and LOVED the book... It ruled because it seemed like it was really written by a 17 year old runaway. She used language things that we use and can relate with...in all it RULED!