nmclaren 's review for:

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis

5.0

---

So, so good and so, so sad at the same time. I talked about Alex and the book with my 6th grader (leaving out the naughty bits of course) and he believes that even though Alex does bad things she is still a good person. I struggled because McGinnis makes me feel a tinge of guilt rooting for Alex, but you have to do it. She doesn't wear a cape or carry a staff, but she's a hero to the girls in her small town.

I feel like every book I read with teen narrators is messy and that I'm reading the secret lives of American teenagers, but any book for young adults that is good is honest. This book explores the female narrative and how young women get to author and drive their own stories outside of the boys in their lives.

I listened to the audio that features three voices for the three narrators. I loved Jack Fisher because in his arrogant proclamation that he is "the whole package", we know Jack is vulnerable, crippled by the fear of being trapped in his hometown and living a life as less than. All of the characters we should despise, we grow to understand a little better as the book progresses.

[ai:Mindy McGinnis|5351825|Mindy McGinnis|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1379437958p2/5351825.jpg]