Reviewed by Angie Fisher for TeensReadToo.com
How many of us can truly say we know who we are, especially as teenagers?
Emily is no different. Sure, she has had the same BFF forever, will graduate from high school next year, and her family seems pretty together. Take away those three things, and she has no idea.
That is, until her art teacher recommends her for an invitation-only summer program in Philadelphia. Though she has never thought seriously about her artistic ability (like everyone else, she only took the class because it was an easy A), Emily decides a couple days a week taking some art classes in the city is a perfect way to take a break from all the blah.
What follows is Emily's journey between her hometown, where everyone is trying to fit in, and her new surroundings in the city, where the struggle is in trying to stand out. Attempting to navigate both worlds isn't easy, and Emily will lose herself before she can truly find the self-discovery, and the self-confidence, she will need to become the person she is meant to be.
As in all life lessons, there are losses as well as gains along the way.
Those living through adolescence and their teen years, as well as those of us who have actually made it through the experience, however scathed, can truly appreciate Siobhan Vivian's SAME DIFFERENCE. Though we would never choose to go back and live it all again, Ms. Vivian has given us a gift in allowing us to follow Emily in her effort to answer the question many go through life never having the strength to ask: Who am I?
How many of us can truly say we know who we are, especially as teenagers?
Emily is no different. Sure, she has had the same BFF forever, will graduate from high school next year, and her family seems pretty together. Take away those three things, and she has no idea.
That is, until her art teacher recommends her for an invitation-only summer program in Philadelphia. Though she has never thought seriously about her artistic ability (like everyone else, she only took the class because it was an easy A), Emily decides a couple days a week taking some art classes in the city is a perfect way to take a break from all the blah.
What follows is Emily's journey between her hometown, where everyone is trying to fit in, and her new surroundings in the city, where the struggle is in trying to stand out. Attempting to navigate both worlds isn't easy, and Emily will lose herself before she can truly find the self-discovery, and the self-confidence, she will need to become the person she is meant to be.
As in all life lessons, there are losses as well as gains along the way.
Those living through adolescence and their teen years, as well as those of us who have actually made it through the experience, however scathed, can truly appreciate Siobhan Vivian's SAME DIFFERENCE. Though we would never choose to go back and live it all again, Ms. Vivian has given us a gift in allowing us to follow Emily in her effort to answer the question many go through life never having the strength to ask: Who am I?
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