Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac
By Pam Gelman,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Lost memory leads to some honest soul-searching.
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Based on 3 parent reviews
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As long as your mature enough for an awesome book, your good
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What's the Story?
The summer before their junior year of high school, Naomi Porter and her best friend Will, both co-editors of the yearbook, flip a coin to see who has to retrieve an expensive camera they left out. She loses, finds the camera, and trips on the stairs. The bump on her head takes away her memories of the past four years. She no longer remembers Will, her parents' divorce, body changes since the sixth grade, her boyfriend, or her likes/dislikes as a teen.
Along the way she and her boyfriend Ace break up and she connects with the boy who found her on the steps and rode with her to the hospital. His own dark past and journey in self-discovery help jump-start a romance between them. Once Naomi reevaluates who she is, she makes important changes involving meaningful relationships in her life.
Is It Any Good?
Author Gabrielle Zevin has nailed this one for teens. Amnesia or not, most teens want to erase and start over at some point in adolescence. MEMOIRS OF A TEENAGE AMNESIAC allows readers to live vicariously through Naomi, who's lost four years with one spill down the stairs. As Naomi gathers clues to her past, she discovers she likes and dislikes certain things about herself. Can she go back to being that person -- and does she want to?
Her reevaluation has many consequences, including better relationships with her parents and friends, and a test of those relationships. This book offers a great opportunity for young adult readers to get to know a teen character as she forges a new identity. Her evolution may inspire teens to think about their own relationships and choices and what it takes to make positive changes in their own lives.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about Naomi's memory loss and how it changed her. Who does the reader like better: the old Naomi or the new one?
Why is amnesia such a popular plot device in soap operas and other stories? How does it create possibility? Does the idea of starting anew appeal to you?
Book Details
- Author: Gabrielle Zevin
- Genre: Coming of Age
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
- Publication date: August 21, 2007
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 14 - 14
- Number of pages: 288
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
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