3.75 stars, really.
This book contains about 5 or 6 years of diary entries made by the author from when she was a pre-teen through high school during the early to late 70's. It was so interesting to read some of her entries because they were humorous and also gave a lot of historical events too here and there. We see her struggles as she finds herself and doesn't know who she is or what she is going to be. We see her falling in and out of love and even dating a guy for about two years the she doesn't even love, while not giving into pressure. She talks a lot about her longing to do right and her search for God. Her best friend and her have such a great relationship throughout the book too (the boy next store). She talks a lot about her longing for her parents' approval, her issues with friends, and her love for horses. It was really a sweet book to read. It was real life!
I read this book in about 2 days. I didn't think I'd get into it, but I certainly did.
This is an easy, laid-back, simple and quick read. I did enjoy it.
5 stars! Not a literary classic, but being two years younger than the author, I could NOT set this book down. Flash backs to the 1970s for sure, no matter where you grew up. the angst! the drama! the insecurity! and we all survived. Thank you to the author for her bravery for sharing this- I burned my journals, I was too embarassed. and still can't spell.
Well, I just finished Book One for four of my five challenges, pretty darn good!
Miss American Pie by Margaret Sartor is actually a diary she kept between the ages of 13 and 18. When I realized what it was, I became even more interested because I could relate to it. I kept a diary starting when I was 12 or 13 and until I married my first husband.
I felt many of the things young Margaret felt: "Rained again. That's my life." "I hate these days with nothing to do." "Jesus, are you watching over me? I hope someone is." "The first time I thought about killing myself, I was about ten years old." Some of it is so mundane, some of it filled with so much pain.
Margaret is six years younger than me. She remembers many of the things I do--Watergate, for one thing. She grew up in Louisiana and remembers desegregation and rascism on a level I don't.
You can see her maturing and her ability to reason and figure things out through the years. She sure was boy crazy, I have to say that!
If you have forgotten what it's like to be a teenager you should not miss this book. It's based on the true diary entries of Margaret "Maggie" Sartor during her tumultuous teens. It starts with simple day-by-day 2-3 sentence thoughts as a 12 yr. old and ends with her going off to college as an 18 yr. old high school graduate. With its deeply personal, painstaking, honest, and sometimes laugh-out-loud entries, it is the best diary-type book that I have read. It made me appreciate that I will never have to repeat adolescence again. Read this book!!
Megan (bananapancakes) - 
