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A review by rickijill
Body Leaping Backward: Memoir of a Delinquent Girlhood by Maureen Stanton
4.0
The difficult thing for me in reading this book is trying not to be so judgmental about Maureen and her dysfunctional family. However, I think that we as readers and humans should judge bad behavior, because how else can we possibly set standards for ourselves and our own children?
One commonality Maureen's family shares with almost 50% of other American families at the time is divorce. There was a huge spike in divorce in the late sixties and early seventies, and Stanton does a great job explaining what was going on in society at the time that probably contributed to this phenomenon. I actually enjoyed reading about her family and their life in small-town Massachusetts in the shadow of a famous prison (Stanton does share stories about famous prisoners throughout the book). The antics on their cul-de-sac are very well-written, and I love Stanton's voice throughout the narrative. However, after about the first third of the book, after her parents' separation when things truly spiral out of control for Maureen's mother and her children, her story becomes a little too repetitive. Stanton describes doing drugs with her friends (mostly angel dust), doing really stupid things including breaking the law (larceny among others), saying disrespectful and stupid things, and never really getting caught or having consequences for said behavior. Then the same scenario is repeated. And repeated. And repeated.....it's almost as if Stanton is trying to comment on white privilege or something.
I would have liked to have read more about how Stanton gave up drugs, went to college, and turned her life around. She just decided one day at school during her senior year that she wouldn't partake in the Angel Dust again because something scared her. But when her father gives her $100 for voice lessons, she uses it to purchase cocaine. There are many poor decisions in this book, book there were also many good choices in Stanton's life obviously as she has achieved many accolades in her field. I would've enjoyed reading more about her strength, resilience, hard work, and achievements.
After all....her delinquency is only part of the story.
If you enjoy memoirs, reading about the culture of the 1970s, large families and family drama, and narratives written with a likable voice, then you should enjoy Body Leaping Backward. I give this book 4 stars only because I want more about how Maureen Stanton overcomes her delinquency, but obviously that isn't this book's focus.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Body Leaping Backward from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.
One commonality Maureen's family shares with almost 50% of other American families at the time is divorce. There was a huge spike in divorce in the late sixties and early seventies, and Stanton does a great job explaining what was going on in society at the time that probably contributed to this phenomenon. I actually enjoyed reading about her family and their life in small-town Massachusetts in the shadow of a famous prison (Stanton does share stories about famous prisoners throughout the book). The antics on their cul-de-sac are very well-written, and I love Stanton's voice throughout the narrative. However, after about the first third of the book, after her parents' separation when things truly spiral out of control for Maureen's mother and her children, her story becomes a little too repetitive. Stanton describes doing drugs with her friends (mostly angel dust), doing really stupid things including breaking the law (larceny among others), saying disrespectful and stupid things, and never really getting caught or having consequences for said behavior. Then the same scenario is repeated. And repeated. And repeated.....it's almost as if Stanton is trying to comment on white privilege or something.
I would have liked to have read more about how Stanton gave up drugs, went to college, and turned her life around. She just decided one day at school during her senior year that she wouldn't partake in the Angel Dust again because something scared her. But when her father gives her $100 for voice lessons, she uses it to purchase cocaine. There are many poor decisions in this book, book there were also many good choices in Stanton's life obviously as she has achieved many accolades in her field. I would've enjoyed reading more about her strength, resilience, hard work, and achievements.
After all....her delinquency is only part of the story.
If you enjoy memoirs, reading about the culture of the 1970s, large families and family drama, and narratives written with a likable voice, then you should enjoy Body Leaping Backward. I give this book 4 stars only because I want more about how Maureen Stanton overcomes her delinquency, but obviously that isn't this book's focus.
Disclosure: I received a copy of Body Leaping Backward from the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for a fair and honest review.