In the fickle world of YA lit, memoirs are a rare breed.  Cruise the teen shelves at the library or bookstore and you'll find only a few.  That's one of the reasons All Better Now, a new memoir by YA novelist Emily Wing Smith is so refreshing.  It's unique, yes, but it's also honest, funny, heartbreaking, and hopeful.  A tale like this could so easily veer into a sappy, platitude-filled story; it doesn't.  It's uplifting while remaining both raw and real.  Teens, especially, will appreciate Smith's forthrightness.  No matter their age or experience, readers' hearts will go out to young Emily, an entirely empathetic heroine with a wholly compelling story.  All Better Now is not the kind of book I usually describe as compulsively readable, but in this case, it's true.  I devoured it in one sitting.  Hand this one to teens—or anyone, really—who enjoys a quick, enlightening read that will make them look at the people around them with new eyes and a more compassionate heart. 

(Readalikes:  Reminded me of Small Steps by Peg Kehret and This Star Won't Go Out by Esther Grace Earl)

Grade:

After reading The Way He Lived, Emily Wing Smith's debut novel, I figured I kind of knew where the plot of her newest was going to take me. And I wasn't sure I wanted to go there. Even in a Saab 900 with a nice, clean cut Mormon boy. But, there were so many reasons to give Back When You Were Easier to Love (available April 28, 2011) a try - the cute cover; the fun, road trip story; the skillful wordcraft evident in Smith's first book; Smith, herself, who is so sweet and genuine; and, of course, Barry Manilow. So I did give it a try and, let me tell you, I'm so glad I did. The book surprised me in all kinds of pleasant ways. It's sweet, but not saccharine; fun, but not silly; upbeat, but not fluffy; and overall, just a thoughtful, quirky, life-affirming story. Have I mentioned how much I loved it?

The story goes a little something like this: Joy Afterclien, a 17-year-old high school senior, can't stand life without her boyfriend. Even though it feels like Zan died, he didn't. He just left Haven, Utah, for a college in California. Without explaining himself, without saying goodbye, without taking Joy with him. Zan was the one who made living in Utah, with all its churches, Modest is Hottest t-shirts, and "überconservative nutjobs" (50) bearable. Without Zan to laugh about it all with her, Joy's afraid she'll lose her edge, get sucked into the bland, conformist Havenite culture.

Obsessing over Zan's reasons for leaving is making Joy crazy. She has to have closure. She has to see Zan. A road trip with Zan's best friend (who's such a Havenite she can barely stand to look at him) isn't exactly what Joy had in mind, but, as means-to-ends go, it could be a lot worse. As Noah and Joy travel the 664.08 miles to California in Noah's Saab 900, Joy is forced to examine what she believes, what she knows, and a few things she might have missed completely. The trek, which begins as a simple road trip, soon becomes a journey of self-discovery, one that leads to some very surprising truths in some very surprising places.

You might have to be a Mormon from Utah to fully appreciate Back When You Were Easier to Love, but anyone can enjoy it. It's a story for anyone who's ever felt out of place, trapped by other people's perceptions, or stifled by what they're supposed to believe. It's a story for anyone who's not sure what they believe, or what is actually true, or even who they are. In other words, a story for all of us. I may have mentioned this before, but I adore it. Absolutely adore it.

(Readalikes: A little bit like Taken By Storm by Angela Morrison)

Grade: B+

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for mild language (no F-bombs) and some sexual references/innuendo

To the FTC, with love: I received an ARC of Back When You Were Easier to Love from the author and the generous folks at Dutton. Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

- When I met Emily Wing Smith last weekend, I was thoroughly charmed. She's funny, upbeat and quirky in the best possible way. For some reason, I thought her book would be just like her. Um, no. Her debut is much darker and a whole lot more depressing than I imagined. I keep asking myself if I would have read the novel differently had I not met the author first. So, I just want to throw this question out there - Has meeting an author in person ever influenced the way you read his/her book? I'm very curious about this.

- Also, I'm a huge hypocrite. I bash LDS literature constantly for being too cheesy, too preachy and way, way too unrealistic. But, when someone - like say, Emily Wing Smith - writes a book for the mainstream press that shows Mormons in a harsh, not-all-that-flattering light, I get a little uncomfortable. I guess I prefer Angela Morrison's brand of "Mormon book" - stories that let LDS teens grapple with their testimonies, their hormones and their families, without becoming too bitter or critical. All this is my way of issuing a warning: The Way He Lived is no feel-good LDS novel. If you are sensitive to candid discussions of hot-button issues and how they affect LDS teens, I suggest giving this one a wide berth.

- I should probably clarify what I mean by LDS literature. First of all, LDS = The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, popularly known as The Mormons. I consider books written by members of the church about any aspect of Mormonism to be LDS literature. However, there's a huge difference between LDS literature published by the church and LDS literature produced by mainstream presses. In order to be published by church-owned presses (namely Deseret Book and Covenant Communications), a book cannot contain any profanity, sexual content, graphic violence or criticism of the church. Generally, the stories need to be clean and uplifting. Mainstream presses, on the other hand, allow - and sometimes actively encourage - profanity, gratuitous sex, graphic violence and censorious looks into conservative societies. Whether you care about any of this, I don't know, but ...

FYI: Emily Wing Smith is LDS. Her book is about Mormon culture. The Way He Lived was published by Flux, which is not owned by the church.

Ah ha! You're good and curious now, aren't you? Okay, what say we actually talk about the book? Here we go for real:

The Way He Lived revolves around 16-year-old Joel Espen, a Mormon boy who dies when a Boy Scout trip to the Grand Canyon goes horribly wrong. No one is surprised to learn that Joel sacrificed himself to save his friends - that's just the kind of person he was. A hero. An angel. Or was he? As six teens, including Joel's sisters, his best buddy, and his would-be girlfriend, tell their stories, six very different pictures of Joel emerge. Was he the perfect Mormon boy his family thought him to be? Or a typical hormonal boy, horrified by his own passion? Or was he a confused, tortured soul, trapped by the strict expectations of his religion?

Since we know the details of Joel's death from the beginning of the book, there's no real mystery or suspense to the story. In fact, there's very little plot at all. That might have gotten a little annoying if the voices of Smith's characters weren't so distinct and compelling. Each of the half dozen narrators offers a fresh perspective - from the brainy debater who longs to embrace her artistic side, to the bad boy whose grief makes him lash out, to the older sister who can't stand the thought of her saintly brother being anything other than what she imagined him to be, to the lonely girl who finally manages to attract Joel's attention, just to have her hopes dashed to pieces. Filtered only by each person's assumptions, the vignettes give six different glimpses into how a person grieves, how people see one another, and what it means to be kids living in a society governed by strict, often stifling rules of conduct.

What I like about this book is the authenticity of the kids' voices. They're real. They're sympathetic. They're fascinating. I read The Way He Lived in one sitting because I wanted to see how they dealt with Joel's death and how they changed - either for the good or the bad - because of it. I cared about all of the characters even if I didn't agree with them. The book also made me think a lot - about my own prejudices, my own assumptions, and my own beliefs. I'm not saying that reading this novel changed how I feel about the issue in question, but it made me feel a little more empathetic toward those who may be struggling with it.

As if I didn't already admire Emily's boldness (I heard she recently snuck onto a movie set pretending to be an extra ...), I now bow to her bravery. I can think of very few LDS authors ballsy enough to take on "heavy" topics like this.

Doing so, of course, means that Emily gets to deal with readers who might not be too keen on her sharp look at Mormon society. I guess that includes me. I'm all for being more loving/accepting/open-minded, but I can't help feeling that The Way He Lived casts Mormondom in a decidedly unflattering light, paints LDS people as small-minded sheep, and makes the church's stringent principles seem hopelessly outdated. Whether that was Emily's intention or not - and, yes, I do know it's just a story - that's what I took away from it. I wanted at least a little bit of brightness, a teensy bit of hope, but I just didn't feel any.

All in all, I'm glad I read the book. Emily Wing Smith writes with such skill and such empathy that it's hard not to be drawn into her writing. She creates characters whose voices ring absolutely true. She's brave, talented, and really, so sweet. I look forward to reading whatever she writes next - I just hope she turns her piercing gaze toward something other than her own people.

(Readalikes: I can't think of any. Can you?)

Grade: B

If this were a movie, it would be rated: PG-13 for language and sexual innuendo/content

To the FTC, with love: I bought The Way He Lived from Amazon, using moneys I earned from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.