And We Stay

And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I woke up ridiculously early on Saturday morning and didn't want to while away the time playing on my phone in the dark. Instead for the first time, I voluntarily searched through the iBook selection and chose Jenny Hubbard's "And We Stay". I chose it because the premise was compelling and topical since I had just read about one of the Columbine shooter's mother finally opening up about her experience of having her son perpetuate such horrible crimes. I chose it too because it won prestigious honors and seemed like one of those classically angsty that my students could potentially enjoy....By the time Seth woke up, I was halfway through the book.

I can't say I loved the book, but I was captivated. The choice to include poetry throughout was fascinating. I disliked the random tense shift and overuse of present tense writing, but I, in true English teacher style, enjoyed all the references to Emily Dickinson and her life and poetry. This book held more "high flyer" issues than I anticipated - suicide, depression, sex, abandonment, and abortion just to name a few of them, but Hubbard neither glamorized or tried to sell one view versus another. I wouldn't necessarily recommend this book unless you're just dying to read a modern connection to Dickinson and her writing....but I'm glad I read it, and I'm glad I have more to show for my hours on my phone than another dozen Pinterest pins because let's be honest. I'm not going to cook 97% of those recipes I've pinned.

Happy reading!