Story of a Girl

In a heartfelt story of redemption, Deanna Lambert was labeled the school slut after her father caught her having car sex with a high school boy. Unforgiven and dejected in a smothering, gossip-fueled small town, Deanna faces the people she least wants to face in a moving attempt to outlive her past, with no help offered by her dysfunctional parents and a sister overwhelmed with young motherhood. I loved the gorgeous realism of this book, fueled by the deep intimacy Zarr creates with her sincere, frank-hearted, narrator.

I read Story of a Girl when it was brand new, yet the feeling of reading it still sticks with me. Zarr explores the pitfalls of adolescent girlhood so well. She writes like she's leveling with readers, not talking down to them. What stands out most to me about this book is when the main character confronts the guy who changed her life when she was 13 years old.  It's the conversation that lots of victims have had in their head, but most people never get a chance to have in real life. 

Story of a Girl was one of the first books that inspired me to write my own YA novel. With Deanna, Zarr gives readers a protagonist they can both relate to and root for as she navigates what seems like a hopeless family situation while being socially scapegoated for a mistake she made when she was just thirteen. The strength it takes for her to overcome and the lessons she learns along the way are nothing short of inspirational.