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A review by piperhudsburn
You All Grow Up and Leave Me: A Memoir of Teenage Obsession by Piper Weiss
4.0
3.5
In an age where the wonder and violence of youth is dressed up in shows like HBO's Euphoria, You All Grow Up and Leave Me is a silent but deadly triumph.
Hindsight and nostalgia- I had a history professor once lecture on the dangers of both, but they don't seem to be worthy foes in Piper Weiss' memoir. Half-true crime, half New York City class drama, we follow fourteen years Weiss and her connection to her tennis coach, Gary Wilensky, a sought-after tennis instructor in the city. In the vein of the very fictional [b:What Girls Are Made Of|29401474|What Girls Are Made Of|Elana K. Arnold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477407101l/29401474._SX50_.jpg|49654171], there is a larger story going on here- a study on adolescent sexuality, loneliness, and belonging- that is worth a closer look.
While Weiss was obsessed with her tennis coach, among others, her tennis coach had dark obsessions of his own, from child stalking to violent sex fetish- culminating in a failed attempt to kidnap one of his teenage students. Both adult and teenage Weiss contend with this reality, seeking to make sense of haunting childhood memories. An investigative reporter, Weiss makes good use of interviews, personal records, and research to tell this story. Readers may find the narrative structure a bit too strange for their liking, but it helps give dimension to Weiss’ memories.
And what of these memories? You All Grow Up and Leave Me is a novel about those nuclear moments in our lives that mold us permanently, whether they are quiet- like a snide comment in middle school, or loud, like abuse. You won’t forget it.
"...love is not obsession. Love is survival."
In an age where the wonder and violence of youth is dressed up in shows like HBO's Euphoria, You All Grow Up and Leave Me is a silent but deadly triumph.
Hindsight and nostalgia- I had a history professor once lecture on the dangers of both, but they don't seem to be worthy foes in Piper Weiss' memoir. Half-true crime, half New York City class drama, we follow fourteen years Weiss and her connection to her tennis coach, Gary Wilensky, a sought-after tennis instructor in the city. In the vein of the very fictional [b:What Girls Are Made Of|29401474|What Girls Are Made Of|Elana K. Arnold|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1477407101l/29401474._SX50_.jpg|49654171], there is a larger story going on here- a study on adolescent sexuality, loneliness, and belonging- that is worth a closer look.
While Weiss was obsessed with her tennis coach, among others, her tennis coach had dark obsessions of his own, from child stalking to violent sex fetish- culminating in a failed attempt to kidnap one of his teenage students. Both adult and teenage Weiss contend with this reality, seeking to make sense of haunting childhood memories. An investigative reporter, Weiss makes good use of interviews, personal records, and research to tell this story. Readers may find the narrative structure a bit too strange for their liking, but it helps give dimension to Weiss’ memories.
And what of these memories? You All Grow Up and Leave Me is a novel about those nuclear moments in our lives that mold us permanently, whether they are quiet- like a snide comment in middle school, or loud, like abuse. You won’t forget it.