Title: Tessa
Masterson Will Go to Prom
Author: Brendan Halpin and Emily Franklin
Review: I
picked this up at my local library without reading the back. When I started reading I realized what the
book was about and thought, ‘OK I’ll give it a few more pages.’ Well I’m glad I did. This book will make you laugh, it will make
you cry and it will make you think about how you treat people who are not the
same as you are. I really enjoyed this book
and I think you will also.
Who said that we all
have to be the same to get along? I hope
no one because it isn’t possible for one thing and it would be extremely boring
if it was. I like the difference in
people it keeps things changing and it keeps me thinking. I am a every Sunday church going Christian
and I have to say that people who use Jesus Christ as reason to hate and discriminate against
others(for any reason under the sun) do not understand Christianity at all. Christ taught of love and non-judgment, he
taught of peace and goodwill to all. He
never taught of hate and discrimination, he never taught of bombing abortion
clinics, or violent protests again
homosexuals, Christ taught of patience,
long-suffering, charity and most of all love.
Not just love for those that are like us and easy to love, but for all
people. Christianity is about love, not
hate…..never hate.
This book made me
really think about the way I treat those who are different from me….those who
are from a different race, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, intelligence,
value system, religion, and I have to say that I did not enjoy what I
saw in myself. Work is needed on my part
to be a true Christian and to truly follow Christ. Christ is love, don’t mix that up with right
or wrong…..Love is all that matters in this world.
The authors may not have
intended for this to be the theme of their work, but to me I had a hard time
seeing anything else. Thank you for this
book and the feelings it brought up in my heart.
Publisher: Expected publication: April 2nd 2013 by
Walker & Company (first published March 27th 2012)
ISBN: 9780802723598
Copyright: 2012
Pages: 257
Quick Review: 41/2 stars (out of 5)
Why I Read It:
I saw this on the new book shelf at the library and it looked
interesting.
Synopsis: Lucas and Tessa’s friendship is the
stuff of legend in their small Midwestern town. So it’s no surprise when Lucas
finally realizes his feelings for Tessa are more than friendship and he asks
her to prom. What no one expected, especially Lucas, was for Tessa to come out
as a lesbian instead of accepting his heartfelt invitation. Humiliated and
confused, Lucas also feels betrayed that his best friend kept such an important
secret from him.
What’s worse is
Tessa’s decision to wear a tastefully tailored tuxedo to escort her female
crush, sparking a firestorm of controversy. Lucas must decide if he should
stand on the sidelines or if he should stand by his friend to make sure that
Tessa Masterson will go to prom.
Emily Franklin and
Brendan Halpin tackle both sides of a ripped-from-the headlines story to show
that true friendship will triumph after all.
Author Biography:Brenda Halpin - I grew up in Cincinnati, went to college
in Philadelphia, and also lived in Taipei and Edinburgh along the way. I've
lived in Boston since 1991.
I became a
professional writer in 2000, writing about my late wife Kirsten's breast cancer
diagnosis and treatment. Kirsten died in 2003, leaving me and our daughter
Rowen. I married Suzanne in 2005 and got her kids Casey and Kylie in the deal
too. Bargain! Suzanne and I live with our three kids and dog in the shadow of
Franklin Park in Jamaica Plain, best neighborhood on earth.
Growing up, Emily
Franklin wanted to be “a singing, tap-dancing doctor who writes books.”
Having learned early
on that she has little to no dancing ability, she left the tap world behind,
studied at Oxford University, and received an undergraduate degree
concentrating in writing and neuroscience from Sarah Lawrence College. Though
she gave serious thought to a career in medicine, eventually that career
followed her dancing dreams.
After extensive
travel, some “character-building” relationships, and a stint as a chef, Emily
went back to school at Dartmouth where she skied (or fished, depending on the
season) daily, wrote a few screenplays, and earned her Master’s Degree in
writing and media studies.
While editing medical
texts and dreaming about writing a novel, Emily went to Martha’s Vineyard on a
whim and met her future husband who is, of course, a doctor. And a pianist. He
plays. They sing. They get married. He finishes medical school, they have a
child, she writes a novel. Emily’s dreams are realized. She writes books.
Emily Franklin is the
author of two adult novels, The Girls' Almanac and Liner Notes and more than a
dozen books for young adults including the critically-acclaimed seven book
fiction series for teens, The Principles of Love. Other young adult books
include The Other Half of Me the Chalet Girls series, and At Face Value, a
retelling of Cyrano de Bergerac (coming in September 2008).
She edited the
anthologies It's a Wonderful Lie: 26 Truths about Life in Your Twenties and How
to Spell Chanukah: 18 Writers Celebrate 8 Nights of Lights. She is co-editor of
Before: Short Stories about Pregnancy from Our Top Writers.
Her book of essays and
recipes, Too Many Cooks: Kitchen Adventures with 1 Mom, 4 Kids, 102 New Recipes
~ A Memoir of Tasting, Testing, and Discovery in the Kitchen will be published
by Hyperion.
Emily’s work has
appeared in The Boston Globe and the Mississippi Review as well as in many
anthologies including Don't You Forget About Me: Contemporary Writers on the
Films of John Hughes, When I Was a Loser: True Stories of (Barely) Surviving
High School by Today's Top Writers, and Because I Love Her: 34 Women Writers on
the Mother-Daughter Bond. Emily writes regularly about food and parenting for
national magazines and newspapers. She travels, teaches writing seminars, and
speaks on panels, but does not tap dance. Emily Franklin lives outside of
Boston with her husband and their four young children.
Other Reviews:
No comments:
Post a Comment