Posted by: Kelly on: April 29, 2011
Finished Sorta Like a Rock Star by Matthew Quick. I received a copy of this from the publisher. It’s currently available in hardback, but comes out in paperback on Tuesday.
Amber and her mom are homeless. Her mom drives a school bus, and that’s where they sleep. (It’s a big secret, obviously, because high school is hard enough without that.) Still, Amber is clinging to the self she’s created: the princess of hope. She tries to make other people’s lives a little bit better, and she succeeds. But then something awful happens and she finds it hard to be that person anymore. And if you’re the person who’s always helping other people, who’s there to help you?
I wasn’t sure at first if I’d like Amber. She’s a cheerful person, and I don’t generally deal well with them. I mean, with everything going on in the world, how can you be so…happy? But you can’t not like Amber. She’s wonderful and amazing. She’s smart and focused and determined to make the world a better place. She relies on her faith and lives it every day. And when tragedy hits, she falls apart as naturally she would—as anyone would—but she also does the hard part: she keeps going. She refuses to let anyone define herself and her life, because that’s her job. She chooses who she is, not anyone else.
This book will make you cry. But you’ll also smile and laugh.
I’ll leave you with my favorite quote:
“You may exist in this world—but I exist too. And I will not yield.”
This is a perfect book. I love Amber and her world and I’m sorry I’m not in it anymore. I could not possibly recommend this book more fervently. Please read it and then please make everyone you’ve ever met read it, too. That’s what I’m planning on doing. :)
