Analyzing Literature
The title of this book gives a lot away, so before reading I expected to read about a girl who was drunk during most of her younger years. Although, I had no prior knowledge of the author or works she had done in the past. I really enjoyed reading this book, mainly because it was relevant to me and the culture around me. Because I see cases of people in similar situations often I was interested in seeing how one persons story ended, which motivated me to read this book all the way to the end. I at first thought that this book was to didactic because the title, but then the preface was more informative so I realized it was a mixture of the two. This book was really easy to read and understand. Since the main part of the book took place 1990s and early 2000's the slang terms were still things that I was familiar with and the lingo was stuff I'm use to hearing still. My first impression changed during my readings only because I didn't think she would be so normal and everyday. I didn't expect a story about "a drunken girlhood" to come from someone with such a normal background.
This book was a nonfiction prose, due to the fact that it was about a real girl and real events that happened. More specifically though it was an autobiographical.An autobiography is an account about someones life written by the same person, written in first person. Since this is a book about the author and her life and experience, it is considered an autobiography.
One major element in this book is character development. Who the character starts out as (a shy, okay student, who just enjoys having fun with the few friends she has) to who she turns out to be (a loud, alcohol dependent young adult with a world of regret) shows what alcohol can do to somebody, more specifically someone who starts drinking young. The author also used point of view to her advantage in the book. By choosing first person she can show what it feels like being alcohol dependent and what it feels like. She can also show what people who are alcohol dependent look like.
This reading has helped me with understanding people who I was once friends with and understand what they were thinking and why they were so dependent on alcohol on more of a personal level. I do judge the work solely on its own merit and not on any judgment of the author. Many readers said that it helped them with their own abuse, but I haven't personally abused alcohol, so in that sense I disagree with readers, but overall they enjoyed the book much like myself. My appreciation of the work and the author has increased greatly after talking about it with my parents and writing about it. If I had to write a review about this book for a newspaper I would encourage young girls to read this book because it is directed more towards young females, although I'm sure anyone could enjoy it and learn something from it. The images are vivid and alive which enhanced the reading and made it more enjoyable.
This book was a nonfiction prose, due to the fact that it was about a real girl and real events that happened. More specifically though it was an autobiographical.An autobiography is an account about someones life written by the same person, written in first person. Since this is a book about the author and her life and experience, it is considered an autobiography.
One major element in this book is character development. Who the character starts out as (a shy, okay student, who just enjoys having fun with the few friends she has) to who she turns out to be (a loud, alcohol dependent young adult with a world of regret) shows what alcohol can do to somebody, more specifically someone who starts drinking young. The author also used point of view to her advantage in the book. By choosing first person she can show what it feels like being alcohol dependent and what it feels like. She can also show what people who are alcohol dependent look like.
This reading has helped me with understanding people who I was once friends with and understand what they were thinking and why they were so dependent on alcohol on more of a personal level. I do judge the work solely on its own merit and not on any judgment of the author. Many readers said that it helped them with their own abuse, but I haven't personally abused alcohol, so in that sense I disagree with readers, but overall they enjoyed the book much like myself. My appreciation of the work and the author has increased greatly after talking about it with my parents and writing about it. If I had to write a review about this book for a newspaper I would encourage young girls to read this book because it is directed more towards young females, although I'm sure anyone could enjoy it and learn something from it. The images are vivid and alive which enhanced the reading and made it more enjoyable.