Oh My Goth

In this young adult novel (chosen by the amazing Stephanie for the Something About Me Challenge), Jade Leigh is a goth girl (you know the type, black lipstick and black nail polish) whose arch enemy, Mercedes (the kind of girl who enjoys wearing pink) makes high school life pretty much unbearable for anyone who is 'different'. In this respect the novel is quite realistic. I know, because in high school I was 'different'. Some would say I still am.

Anyways, as punishment for their constant fighting they are put into a virtual reality game wherein the majority of people in the town are goth and the 'freaks' dress normal (whatever that is supposed to mean). I guess they were supposed to get a taste for each other's situations and come to a better understanding for one another. Which, predictably, they do.

Maybe Goths are different in other parts of the country, or maybe today's young Goths are different from the Goths in my day, but I just never believed that Jade was a real Goth. It seemed like she just lived on the surface of the lifestyle. I've known lots of really dark Gothgirls and I can't imagine any of them reacting to Jade's predicament (sudden popularity in the virtual world) the way she did.

My favorite part was where Jade discovered her normally boring, conservative teacher has spiked hair in the virtual world. The stuff where Jade shares her first kiss was sweet, too. However, I breezed through this one in under 2 hours and it left me ultimately unsatisfied.

This in not the book's fault. It is a light, funny, breezy novel. I just don't care for YA novels. That is my failing. I chose it because it was the only book on Stephanie's list that I hadn't already read and she is one of my favorite bloggers. So, thank you Stephanie for helping me step outside my comfort zone for a little while.

I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys YA novels, especially ones with strong, smart, independent female heroines.

Oh My Goth

i picked this young adult novel, written by Gena Showalter, from Stephanie's list. this is what Stephanie said about it:

This is the story about a girl in high school (for me it was college) that is a nonconformist and who values individuality. She dresses "Goth", wears all black. Then one day her smart mouth gets her in trouble at school. (Hmmm...now THIS sounds like me!) She wakes up to find that whole world has gone Goth and she is no longer different....but POPULAR! I've been known to wear a LOT of black, even lipstick and nail polish. I always liked being different. Guess this one is really me!

i found this to be a fun, quick read. i don't think it is as well written as, say. Stargirl, my favorite high school nonconformist story. but reminiscent of the films 13 Going on 30 and Never Been Kissed, the moral of the story is a good one - although the kids that most need it are probably not the ones who are most likely to read the book (or get the message) - and i do like a happy ending!

thanks, Stephanie, for the recommendation!

Review: Oh My Goth

Oh My Goth by Gena Showalter
3 stars

Summary: Jade Leigh values individuality above all else and has a small group of like-minded Goth friends who wear black and dabble in the dark arts. They're considered the freaks of their school, which is mostly very Gap-centric, but they're happy. But when Jade's smart mouth lands her in trouble once again, the principal decides to teach her and her arch-nemesis, Barbie-esque taunter of freaks Mercedes, a lesson. Taken to a remote location where they're strapped down and sedated, Jade and Mercedes wake up in a world where Goths (and therefore Jade) are cool and the norm and being preppy makes Mercedes a freak. Only Clarik, the mysterious new boy in town, operates outside the cliques. Jade and Mercedes have to work together to get back to their own reality but even if they do, will things ever be the same again?

Who would like it? Just judging by its good circulation in my library system, it seems to be generally popular with teens. I don't think actual hardcore Goth kids who are in the throes of misery would like it, but "Goth lite" kids would enjoy it. And any teen who feels like a non-prom-queen type of freak. It would be great if some mean girls could read it and realize they're really only one fad away from being freaks themselves, though I doubt that happens very often.

Overall: Well, an episode of South Park sums up my general thoughts on the Goth thing. After being dumped by his girlfriend, Stan can't stand the pain and decides to dwell on it by becoming a Goth. It's pretty simple to join them - "If you wanna be one of the non-conformists, all you have to do is dress just like us and listen to the same music we do." And that's where the whole individuality thing breaks down for me - in the wide world, you may be in the minority, but you still have to conform to the Goths. As far as I can tell, you can't wear pink and have blonde pigtails yet still care deeply about pain and be a Goth. You have to do the whole black clothes/black hair/dark makeup thing. So really, you're just conforming to another way of thinking. I kept waiting for someone to point this out in the novel and thankfully Mercedes eventually did - it always seems like such an obvious point to me.

That's not to say there's anything wrong with the whole black clothing, etc. thing. People should be free to express themselves. And it does often require more effort and creativity than just throwing on something from the Gap - I really enjoyed Jade's descriptions of all the cool Goth clothes she and her friends wear. It just seems that to rage against cliques but still be in one yourself (even though it's a small and not very powerful one) is a bit ironic. The popular kids in the book are really mean to the Goth kids, but the Goth kids aren't a whole lot nicer to the people outside of their circle, either, and have no more respect for their lifestyle than the "normals" have for the Goth one.

And that's pretty much the message of the book, not to judge people by their outward appearance (Mercedes' life isn't all that picture-perfect, for example). It's the age-old walk a mile in someone else's shoes lesson (whether they're Manolos or combat boots).

What I learned about Stephanie: Well, she said it all in her blurb about the book - she enjoys being different and has a penchant for wearing black, so this is definitely a book about her. And I also discovered that she enjoys a YA novel from time to time, which I'm always happy to see! :-)