Reviews tagging 'Stalking'

You All Grow Up and Leave Me: A Memoir of Teenage Obsession by Piper Weiss

5 reviews

livruther's review against another edition

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sad tense slow-paced

2.25

i really wanted to like this because the title is intriguing, the story seems incredible, and i like the cover. but alas, i did not enjoy it. the story is interesting and important, but i did not like the writing style or the narrator’s voice. it just makes me angry bc it had SO MUCH POTENTIAL!!!
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mollymocket's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective slow-paced

4.75

amazing and insightful portrait of being a teenage girl next to a terrifying and unsettling story of a psychotic man. and somehow they fit together so well and i felt very connected to her story
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opallll's review against another edition

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dark emotional informative reflective sad tense slow-paced

4.25

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dumaurier's review against another edition

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challenging dark reflective tense medium-paced

5.0

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moosycakes's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional reflective slow-paced

4.5

This book was an insightful look into the impact of stalking and grooming, even outside of the direct effects those crimes have on the victims. I think there are a lot of people who have come into contact with dangerous people, and while they may not be the victims focused on by media and who bare the full brunt of trauma, the lifelong psychological impact of these crimes can be more widespread than is instantly recognisable. It's rare to see the feelings and psychological processes outlined in this book being talked about, partly because it's a little taboo- if nothing "happened" to you, then why does it still effect you? What right do you have to those feelings? There is no blueprint that tells you how to feel, how to process your emotions in these dangerous, yet nuanced power balance situations. I personally found this book extremely valuable, although I found it very disturbing and uncomfortable at some points and spent a long time reading it because I had to take breaks in between some of the chapters. I also found a lot of the writing was very beautiful, easy to read and understand. 

Piper gets very difficult, complex and little talked about emotions across very well in this book. I also like how she included some stories regarding the difficulty of growing up Jewish in an area where that was seen as different/other, and about privilege and the difficulty in being able to see/recognise your own privilege- while not the main point of this memoir, it helped add to the picture of Piper's teenage life and brought up some important concepts.

I think a lot of people are disappointed in this book because they go into it expecting true crime. This is not really a true crime book, this is a book where someone is processing and explaining complex feelings regarding a crime, and the impact of how grooming behaviour and having a close relationship with a person who turns out to be a child stalker can have on a person, even if "nothing really happened" to them. This can be extremely complex mentally and for some people, this book could be extremely enlightening to their own mental state, complex histories, and difficult relationships with confusing trauma.
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