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| Plot Summary of Better Than I Know Myself |
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"
Donna Grant, Virginia DeBerry
St. Martin's, Jun 2004, 24.95, 370 pp.
ISBN: 0312273096
In the Brooklyn projects Carmen struggles to survive the mean streets. Her father is dead, her mother vanished, and her older brother has “raised” her by abusing her. Hew ticket out of the slums is Columbia University, but that means two jobs and non-stop studying.
In Franklin, New Jersey, upper middle class Regina lives the African-American equivalent to the Cleaver household though she is no Beaver. Her parents “Ward and June” have set life goals for her that are so strict her she is ready to revolt.
In Baldwin hills, California, teenage star Jewel cannot hide from the fact that she is recognizable as a star on the TV show "Daddy's Girl. However, Jewel has made some decisions about the direction of her life. She plans to go to school to obtain a real education and to achieve that she needs to escape from her stage mother.
In 1981, these three teens from totally different social classes meet in Morningside Heights and forge a friendship that survive drugs, secrets, illness, betrayal, and death. For each has found solace in the other two.
Harriet Klausner
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Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar
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| Review Analysis of Better Than I Know Myself |
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Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book?
- thoughtful
Time/era of story
- present (2000-2010)
Kids growing up/acting up?
Yes
Kids:
- struggling to earn a living to survive
Inside culture (main char)
- Black
Culture clash?
- family young v. old guard
Ethnic/regional/gender life
Yes
Parents/lack of parents problem?
- rebelling against parent's expectations
GROUP of women story?
Yes
Main Character
Gender
- Female
Profession/status:
- secretary
Age:
- 20's-30's
Ethnicity/Nationality
- Black
How sensitive is this character?
- sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor
- Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence
- Smarter than most other characters
Physique
- very athletic
Main Adversary
Identity:
- none
Setting
United States
Yes
The US:
- Northeast
- California
Style
Person
- mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death?
- no torture/death
Unusual Style:
- a lot of stream of consciousness
- No single main character?
Amount of dialog
- significantly more dialog than descript
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Click here for more information about this book
Donna Grant and Virginia DeBerry Resident Scholar Profiles
TOP SCHOLAR:
 Harriet Klausner
SCHOLARS:
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s). | |
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