Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac

Product Information

This novel is not a romance. In fact, I'm I’ve only finished the book minutes ago and I'm feeling let-down, irritated and puzzled. The latter because I'm still trying to figure out the point of the novel. discovering her unconscious. He calls an ambulance and after pretending to be her boyfriend he goes eith her

In one misstep, Naomi lost years' worth of memories. After hitting her head on the steps after school, she wakes up in an ambulance, more aware of the pain than what actually happened. The only thing she knows is that she is grateful to the boy sitting beside her, though she has no idea who he is. She soon realizes that she doesn’t remember who she is or rather, who she has become.Once Naomi starts the school year everything becomes more complicated. She has to deal with people that knew her as she was before the accident and change her behavior based on their cues. She begins to analyze her life and make decisions about what is important to her now - and sometimes she realizes that what was once very important to her might not be as important to her now and visa versa. The only characters I actually liked were Will and Mr. Porter, and even they got annoying at times. And in what high school on earth does being on yearbook staff actually take up that much time?? I was on yearbook staff. We got out of school to sell ads, and never worked outside of that one class period a day. Ever. Ever ever. Naomi Porter regains consciousness as she is being put into an ambulence. She hears an unfamiliar voice claiming to be her boyfriend and opens her eyes to see him sitting beside her on the way to the hospital. The pain in her head is so severe that she doesn't worry about the fact that she has no idea who the guy is holding her hand and telling her everything is going to be okay. Now Zevin follows up her immensely successful debut with her second novel for teens, MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC. Like ELSEWHERE, her new book is elegiac, thoughtful, and rich in metaphor and character development.

My initial reaction to this book was a look of disbelief at the title. I mean, how could an amnesiac have memoirs? I opened the book and started reading and I was captivated. What an interesting concept for a book. The book is well written, and there are some incredibly lovely lines. I wanted to write a bunch down to put in my review but I decided not to interrupt the flow of my reading.

Editors

When Naomi realizes that her parents had a very nasty divorce, her attitude towards them after her accident is very different than her attitude towards them before her accident. In a situation like Naomi’s with her parents, is it possible to forgive and forget? Around about the middle of the book, I started feeling the restless-want-to-start-skimming feeling. But then, the book kinda changed direction (in the coolest of ways) and I was super into it again. And it occurred to me that while I could see how some plot threads would be resolved, I really had no idea where the book was headed. Zevin cooks up an entertaining love story . . . teens will identify with her vulnerability and her heightened feelings of alienation. And fans of psychological dramas won't want to put this book down.” — Publishers Weekly

With writing as wonderfully engaging as Elsewhere, Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac will spur readers to think about why they hold on to relationships, activities and emotions like anger when their time has passed.” — The Capital Times (Wisconsin) Zevin blends romance, changing friendships, and familial dysfunction with themes of chance, loss, and choice, and the result is a quiet exploration of identity and self-realization that is simultaneously thought provoking and entertaining.” — Voice of Youth Advocates Naomi suffers from amnesia after falling and hitting her head. What is amnesia? What causes it? How can it be treated?

Director

I finally admit that I judge books by their covers. I do and I did in the case of Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, which I find really strange since even now I'm not exactly sure what it is about this cover that I like. Maybe it's because it's one of the few female geared books I've seen recently without a long haired girl on the front. But I did judge it worthy of a read, even without actually reading the blurb. I mean the title is a bit self explanatory, isn't it? Elegiac, thoughtful, and rich in metaphor and character development… Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiacis a deeply moving novel that readers will be sure to ponder — and remember — for a long time to come…” — Teenreads.com If you happen to be one of those teens who just wants to forget what has happened the last few years, here is what you do: throw yourself down a flight of stairs! This is the kind of book that reminds me why I am not a middle school or high school librarian. I need to be able to choose two-and-a-half stars. There were things I really liked about this book, and other things I really did not like. This was a memorable book. Naomi was a likable, realistic character.” — A YALSA YA Galley Teen Reader

I was surprised I enjoyed this as much as I did. Surprised because despite loving the premise of I kinda got bored in it. She is sympathetic and I felt myself feeling sorry for her, or happy for her, or angry for her. It’s good to read a book with characters that you can relate in some way. In this case, I don’t identify myself with her; I just think she is really well built, like this could be the story of a real person living next door, and I loved to read about her adventures in the discovery of helsef. GABRIELLE ZEVIN is a New York Times best-selling novelist whose books have been translated into forty languages. I'm disappointed though. I was hoping that James would fight those demons and he and Naomi could find a way to make things work. Yes, I am naive. I'm a romantic at heart and I can't help think this way. tend to latch on to the romantic interestsinterstsFirst of all, if you bought this book thinking it's a good, teen romance, I would say stop right there! The third story was about her discovery of James. This is the story line that really drew me in. There was an honesty to James that I felt Naomi wanted to have herself, yet was scared to. Even thought she was completely redefining herself, she was doing it more just to not be what everyone else kept telling her she was. James new what he was and was attempting to make real changes, even if he was more messed up than Naomi was. Also, the characters spoke with kind of stiff dialogue. Really stiff dialogue. I think making Will an "old soul" type of guy fit for the way he was speaking (or maybe it was just an excuse cuz he sounded like such an old man) but it doesnt excuse anyone else.