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A review by booksinthemountains
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler
4.0
So I had the joy of rereading Virginia Shreve's story and it still touched me quite a bit. I first read this in middle school or early high school and related a lot with Virginia's descriptions of feeling isolated and wondering how a boy could ever love her. I felt bad for Virginia because her family didn't seem to care about her or accept her for who she is, they always compared her to her older siblings. I related to that as well, I spent a long time being held up in comparison to older family members, I was different less social and more focused on reading.
I reread this now and still connect with it. I also read this now with a deeper understanding of rape culture and take this in as what it is, Virginia's own feminist awakening. After her brother date rapes his friend, Virginia and her family's lives change dramatically. Virginia seems to be the only one who is holding her brother responsible or thinks he did something wrong. This is her journey of overcoming this incident and coming in to herself.
This is an important read ala Speak (though I would say Speak is a must read and this is a step below that). This book is serious but has its fun moments too, the book held up ten years later.
I reread this now and still connect with it. I also read this now with a deeper understanding of rape culture and take this in as what it is, Virginia's own feminist awakening. After her brother date rapes his friend, Virginia and her family's lives change dramatically. Virginia seems to be the only one who is holding her brother responsible or thinks he did something wrong. This is her journey of overcoming this incident and coming in to herself.
This is an important read ala Speak (though I would say Speak is a must read and this is a step below that). This book is serious but has its fun moments too, the book held up ten years later.