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Tanya Chernov
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A Real Emotional Girl: A Memoir of Love and Loss Hardcover – September 1, 2012

by Tanya Chernov (Author)
4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 44 ratings
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A Real Emotional Girl tells the true story of young Tanya, growing up in the wonderland of her family’s summer camp. At sixteen, this idyllic life is interrupted when she must face her father’s sudden illness. Tanya, her mother, and two brothers find themselves cramped in a tiny cabin in a tiny town in northern Wisconsin in the dead of winter. There they wait for her father to die of cancer. Separated from friends and civilization, Tanya has only her fears and uncertainty for company.

At the age of twenty, Tanya loses a man who was not only her father but a surrogate father to thousands. Richard Chernov was a man who shared himself, humor and all, with just about everyone who would let him. And with this same unflagging commitment and passion, Tanya shares her struggles and the blessings she finds in them. Her memoir is a complex amalgam of human strength and fragility, which creates an inimitable coming-of-age story. This is a story of family and pain, of survival and growing up, and ultimately of love. For anyone who has ever experienced loss, A Real Emotional Girl offers a glimpse, provocative in its raw honesty, into the nature of grief and the positive transformation that can follow.
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  1. Print length
    336 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Skyhorse
  4. Publication date
    September 1, 2012
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 6.3 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1616088699
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1616088699
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“A contemplative, profoundly moving meditation on life, love and death.” (Kirkus Star Review)

“In this engaging debut work (despite its awkward title), Chernov re-creates the emotional devastation wrought by her father's death, followed by a gradual realization of what was most valuable in their relationship.” (Publishers Weekly)

About the Author

Tanya Chernov earned her BA in English from the University of Puget Sound and holds an MFA from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts, Whidbey Writers Workshop. A Pushcart Poetry Prize nominee and guest editor for COLUMBIAKids Magazine, she currently serves as the poetry and translations editor for the Los Angeles Review. Tanya lives and writes in Seattle with her dog, Mona, though the roots of her heart remain firmly planted in Wisconsin. Go Packers!

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Skyhorse; 1st edition (September 1, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1616088699
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1616088699
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 6.3 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.8 4.8 out of 5 stars 44 ratings

About the author

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Tanya Chernov

Tanya Chernov

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Tanya Chernov earned her BA in English from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington and holds a Master of Fine Arts from the Northwest Institute of Literary Arts: Whidbey Writers Workshop. She lives and writes in Seattle, where she also serves as both the Poetry Editor and Translation Editor for the Los Angeles Review.

Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5 stars
44 global ratings

Customers say

Customers find the emotional content poignant, touching, and moving. They also describe the writing quality as well-written, open, and revealing. Readers praise the author as incredibly talented.

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Emotional contentWriting quality
14 customers mention "Emotional content"14 positive0 negative

Customers find the emotional content poignant, touching, and moving. They also describe the book as inspiring, heartwarming, and powerful.

"...Whether others will find this memoir as emotional wrenching, as insightful, and as wonderful as I did, I honestly don't know.I hope so...." Read more

"This was a deeply emotional read for me...." Read more

"...never having met Richard (Tanya's father) myself, but the book was truly gripping, until the very last page...." Read more

"...explores cancer’s impact in clear prose that draws readers in with its emotional balance...." Read more

7 customers mention "Writing quality"7 positive0 negative

Customers find the writing quality of the book well-written, revealing, and eloquent. They also say the author is talented.

"...I know how Tanya felt at times in the book. Her open and revealing way of writing told a story of her painful journey and how stength of family..." Read more

"...Didion writing about losing her husband. It is that well written. As a reader, I felt invited into..." Read more

"...On the one hand, Chernov explores cancer’s impact in clear prose that draws readers in with its emotional balance...." Read more

"...Her writing was so vivid, the things she described, like the family's camp, was clear in my mind!..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

Richard A. Miller
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful, Just Wonderful
Reviewed in the United States on August 29, 2012
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Monday night I started Tanya Chernov's "A Real Emotional Girl, A Memoir of Love and Loss."

Tuesday I spent most of the day reading it through to the end.

It is the very personal and very honest recounting of Tanya's ten-year attempt to come to terms with the loss of her wonderful father Richard Chernov and her painful attempts to find a place in the world without him.

Whether others will find this memoir as emotional wrenching, as insightful, and as wonderful as I did, I honestly don't know.

I hope so. I think it's outstanding.

Know that I know the characters in Tanya's just published book.

Richard Chernov, her father, is one of the most wonderful persons I have every known. He is a former lawyer who became a summer camp director and created Birch Trail Camp for Girls, where my daughters and many, many young girls have spent some of the most memorable and important summers of their lives. Tanya will tell you why he was so wonderful. She sees him clearly, and the man she describes is the man I knew.

Barbara Chernov, her mother, is Richard's long time partner in everything he did. While she plays a smaller role in this memoir, the person Tanya describes is the person I also know.

Dylan and Gabe are her two older brothers. I don't know either of them very well, but from what I do know of them and from what Tanya writes, Richard and Barbara did a terrific job parenting them.

Tanya herself is the youngest of the three Chernov children and the only girl. She is about 16 when Richard is first diagnosed with cancer and the book covers approximately the next 10+ years of her life (and that of her family too).

Many of the current and not so current memoirs written by women about loss have been about the loss of their fathers, mothers, or husbands. I have not read much where a child, an adolescent, a young woman has written about this kind of loss.

And for me, that is the wonderful thing about "A Real Emotional Girl." Tanya has taken us (and I hope others who do not know the Chernovs or Birch Trail) on her painful and loving odyssey following the loss of her father and on the search for herself.
3 people found this helpful
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Bob Gottlieb
5.0 out of 5 stars Revealing, character study....
Reviewed in the United States on September 15, 2012
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This was a deeply emotional read for me. I have never written a book review on Amazon before, but I know Tanya and her family and felt compelled to do so. My daughter attended Birch Trail for 12 years as a camper and a counselor. Our family attended family camp many times. We have wonderful memories of Richard Chernov, so reading how much he suffered was difficult. Also, it brought back memories of my own loss of my Dad at 65. I know how Tanya felt at times in the book. Her open and revealing way of writing told a story of her painful journey and how stength of family and friends brought her to write this book. Kudos to you, Tanya.
2 people found this helpful
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Kathy Bero
5.0 out of 5 stars Remember to care for the kids in cancer treatment and loss
Reviewed in the United States on September 9, 2013
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Having dealt with my own diagnosis and the loss of my Dad to the beast, it was not hard for me to relate to Tanya's heartache. As I read, I felt like I could have been sitting up late into the night listening to a girlfriend shedding the pain of loss. I imagined my own daughters and how they could've been telling a similar story had I not beat cancer. I think we all often forget the emotional toll cancer takes on the children of parents lost. I have often heard that children are resilient. In truth, they have no choice but to go on, but that doesn't mean they have grieved or healed their broken heart. In fact, it was difficult to find meaningful help for my children as I struggled to live.

I also loved that Tanya included so much of the camp story. It clearly was an enormous gift that her family gave to so many others. I wish there was a camp like that today for my kids. The love and compassion her parents so willingly shared, made me feel the loss of her father in an unexpected way. I kept saying to myself it wasn't only a loss to the Chernov family, it was a loss to the world. We need more people like that! In an age when celebrities fill the airwaves with their issues and hunger for the sympathy of the world, which so many willingly give, we forget to support the regular people who do not have an entire staff caring for their every need as they navigate the challenges of life. I hope this book will be widely read!!
One person found this helpful
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Sarah
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must-Read
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2012
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It's really rare for me to read a book in one sitting; I'm often too preoccupied by the stresses of looming deadlines, or am too tired to sit down and read in the free time that I have. With two short weeks in between camp and school, I decided it was the perfect time to unwind and read, and with my copy of "A Real Emotional Girl" sitting proudly on my desktop, it was only natural to start the remainder of my summer reading with this memoir. I didn't really know what to expect, never having met Richard (Tanya's father) myself, but the book was truly gripping, until the very last page. I could feel the love that pours out on each page, and Tanya's words really resonated with me. I would definitely recommend this book...along with a package of tissues by your side.
3 people found this helpful
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Michael Cohen
5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Story/Great Read
Reviewed in the United States on August 13, 2013
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I loved reading this book. It was difficult and painful at times, but worth every tear.
One can easily feel for this young girl and her family. Chernov's style reminds me of Joan
Didion writing about losing her husband. It is that well written. As a reader, I felt invited into
a poignant and deep relationship with the author and her father. At the same time, it felt very
private and I was simply an observer. In that way, Chernov does a great job of making the
reader feel one of her significant conflicts between the public and private aspects of her
relationship with her father.
I strongly recommend this book!
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Tom
4.0 out of 5 stars Way better than I was expecting...
Reviewed in the United States on May 31, 2013
My girlfriend gave me this book to read after she had finished it, and it was way better than I was expecting. I can see why she wanted me to read it. I even teared up a couple times when reflecting on my own life and the people I've lost. Overall it was a good read and once I finished I was kinda sad it was done. I recommend this book to anyone who is going through a death or significant lose in life. It will remind you of what's really important...
One person found this helpful
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