I'm Glad I Did
By Andrea Beach,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Upbeat tale of teen songwriter has vivid '60s backdrop.
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What's the Story?
JJ Green comes from a family of lawyers, and it's a given that she, too, will be a lawyer when she grows up. But her heart's always belonged to music, songwriting in particular. The summer after she graduates from high school, she gets her dream job in the fabled Brill Building, the mecca of pop-music songwriting in 1960s New York. While working as an unpaid intern there, she meets Dulcie Brown, a once-great singer who lost it all to drug addiction and now works as a custodian. Meanwhile, JJ also meets and writes a song with Luke, the handsome young man who works a few floors down. JJ cuts a demo of the song, with Dulcie singing, and it could be the start of a comeback for Dulcie. But fate has other plans, and unless JJ can uncover the truth about Dulcie's past and present, their song may never see the light of day.
Is It Any Good?
In her debut novel, I'M GLAD I DID, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame songwriter Cynthia Weil vividly brings to life a world she knows well: the music business in early '60s New York City. This fascinating look back at a unique time and place serves as the backdrop to a coming-of-age story that will appeal to older teens. Heroine JJ Green is believable and teens will easily relate to her struggles against parental expectations as she forges her own path through life.
Colorful characters enliven JJ's world, and an intriguing mystery surrounding a fallen singing star holds the reader's interest right through to the end. The writing's not quite as finely crafted as one of her many pop masterpieces and weakens considerably in the sections of Dulcie's memoir, which don't find an authentic voice and read like a high-school essay. But Weil effectively conveys the feeling of an era when America was on the cusp of tremendous social change. Teens ready to make their own futures happen, and fans of mid-century American history, will enjoy connecting to that time when anything was possible.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why and how people succumb to drug or alcohol addiction. How does Dulcie become addicted to drugs? What do you think her life and career would have been like if she hadn't become addicted?
Lots of our pop culture, including TV (Mad Men) and music videos ("All About That Bass" by Meghan Trainor), is fascinated with '60s music and style. What's so special about that era? Why are we so fascinated with it?
Did you notice that the author, Cynthia Weil, is a songwriter in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame? Have you heard any songs she's written? Why do you think she wrote this novel?
Book Details
- Author: Cynthia Weil
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Topics: Arts and Dance, Brothers and Sisters, Great Girl Role Models, History, Music and Sing-Along
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Soho Teen
- Publication date: January 27, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 17
- Number of pages: 272
- Available on: Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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