Kelly Easton has written several books, but my library only has one of them, so I was very excited to get my hands on a copy of her new book, TO BE MONA. I didn’t start reading until almost 10:30pm last night or I would’ve read this straight through. As it is, I read half and then woke up so excited to get back to it that I didn’t get out of bed this morning until I’d finished it. What a fantastic book.
The book is told from several points of view, but it doesn’t alternate on a schedule or anything. The story dictates who tells their bit next and it works really well and has a very sastisfying rhythm. It’s a funny and interesting book, but also can make you squirm with discomfort or embarrassment. It also struck me that if you were an acting student, you could take pieces of the book and perform them as monologues.
It’s a great read for adults, but I think this book will speak to teens. Either ones who suffer from some of the issues in this story, or just kids who have compassion for others. Easton tackles a lot of big topics in this book, but it never feels overwhelming or heavy handed.
P.S. If you saw the bit about your chance to win this book on my homepage and are wondering where it went, no one entered in the first couple of days so I decided to give it to my friend, and local librarian, Susan because I know she’ll love it. Maybe it will end up in circulation up here too.
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