Dolores: Seven Stories about Her

by Bruce Brooks

Dolores is different. She heard "Lithium" come on the radio and asked him to turn it up, and then turn it up again until it was really blasting, and she even song along with the chorus, "I love you, I'm not gonna crack," at the top of her little voice, which he bet no other seven-year-olds could come close to doing. Dolores is poised. "Mom, there are four spoons here! I'm really asking! Which one do I use now? God forbid I eat a thick soup with the bouillon spoon or something reserved for thin broths-help me out!" Dolores is spunky. "I want to be a Central cheerleader because I like to make people scream!" Dolores is tough. She was terrified; she was furious. She let her anger burn her fear. She punched him smack in the nose as hard as she could. Shockingly beautiful, quirky, sarcastic, brave, and elusive, Dolores is always, quite simply, Dolores.

Genres: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

135 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Bruce Brooks (born September 23, 1950) is an American author of young adult and children's literature. He was born in Washington D.C., but spent most of his time growing up in North Carolina as a result of parents' being divorced. Although divorce is never easy for a child, Brooks credits moving around a lot between the two locations with making him a keen observer of social situations. Switching schools often and having to make new friends evolved his ability to tell good stories. He graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1972, and the Iowa Writers' Workshop in 1980. Before earning a living as a writer, Brooks had worked as a letterpress operator and a journalist for magazines and newspapers. Brooks has reported a very diverse list of influences, like Charles Dickens, Henry James, P.G. Wodehouse and Raymond Chandler. Brooks has three sons: Alex, 23, Spencer, 15, and Drake, 1. He lives with his wife Ginee Seo in Park Slope, Brooklyn.

Reviews

[Josiah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reliable information on two-time Newbery Honor recipient Bruce Brooks has long been difficult to find, but Dolores: Seven Stories About Her, published in 2002, may be his last book. Only in his early fifties at the time, his heyday had nevertheless come years earlier, though his extraordinary way with words is mostly intact in this brooding YA/middle-grade novel. In the tradition of What Hearts, which earned Brooks a 1993 Newbery Honor, the seven stories in Dolores form a cluster impression of who she is and why we should invest in her story.

"Half Good in Black" sees seven-year-old Dolores's teen brother Jimmy as manager of the Walmart music department. He knows sounds and he knows people, and records fly off the shelves as he hooks up emo guys and girls up with jams perfectly suited to them. Dolores hangs around during his shifts because there's no one at home to take care of her. One day Jimmy gets distracted by his girlfriend Luisa, and a pair of strangers nab Dolores and could easily have gotten away. So much potential, so easily snuffed out at that age. "Dad, Missing, Not Missing" is a transition piece about Dolores at age eight, living with Jimmy at their father's apartment. Their parents are no longer together. "Do They Mean It?" flashes ahead to Dolores in seventh grade. Shelly, leader of the popular girls, considers Dolores weird and tries to ruin her reputation, but there's just no getting to a girl like her. "Ladies for Lunch" opens on ninth-grade Dolores's mother, Jenny, setting up a dinner for her daughter and a woman named Lorinda. Dolores takes perverse pleasure in ladling out sarcasm all evening, ruining the dinner. We're never told why the relationship between these three is so tense.

"A Multiplicity" begins at the high school as shy William listens to Roanoke, a jock, brag that he's going to get Dolores laid at a party that night. William had a night of stimulating conversation with Dolores about music at another party, and felt instant chemistry. He hates to see a guy like Roanoke take Dolores as plunder, so William shows up to the party with a mix tape he created for her. Maybe she's different; maybe she'd never fall for a meathead like Roanoke. In "Rah", Dolores auditions for the Central High cheerleaders. Her unique charisma earns a spot on the team, though she clashes with Mary, the captain. Mary sets her up to be ignored at the big game, but Dolores makes the awkward arrangement work, capturing attention from the athletes and a few fans. In the final story, "Fair", Jimmy and his girlfriend Luisa have an uneasy dinner with sixteen-year-old Dolores. True to form, she makes a remark that sends Luisa stalking out, upset. Dolores goes after her, but a man abducts Dolores in his car. This time she isn't helpless; Dolores traps her assailant for the cops to arrest while she exits the scene. This is the girl the years have shaped her into.

Dolores tries to recapture the radiant energy of What Hearts, but I find it less rewarding, maybe too subtle. Bruce Brooks's one-of-a-kind linguistic verve is among my favorite things in all of literature, so I have to consider rating this book two and a half stars, but I'm not sure the themes justify it. It’s a pity that readers never discovered Brooks in large numbers. His two Newbery Honor books may be his finest, but every time I pick up one of his novels, it's appointment reading.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book - seven different "portraits" of Dolores as she grows from a child to a young woman - but found the ending to be slightly melodramatic. Otherwise I'm intrigued to read more by Bruce Brooks because I found myself really immersed in the little snippets of her life, all told through different people's perspectives of her.

Dolores reminded me a bit of a Stargirl-like character, and I loved Stargirl so that might be a good indicator of whether you'd like this book. I'd give it three-and-a-half stars if Otis'd get on that, but as it stands I've got to go with three rather than four.

[Melinda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Seven fun short stories about Dolores.

[Madison · Rating 4 out of 5]

From seven to sixteen, Dolores is faced with seven different challenges. Whe nshe is seven, she escaped a kidnapping. When she was in middle school she was unfazed by a girl who started false rumors about her. When she was in highschool, she foil the plan for a boy who plans to have sex with her that night at a party, and she also is unfazed by the head cheerleader who plans to embarass her. At the age of sixteen she escapes rape.
This is a prettty good book and i would totally recoment your reading it.

[Dominique · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is seven short vignettes in which Dolores is a character from the time she is seven until she is eighteen. The title is misleading because although some stories truly are about Dolores, a few of the stories are centered around her older brother. I understand what the author was going for here - showcasing a character's growth through time by showing her through the lenses of other characters - but the stories were so disjointed as to appear about a different family in each one. It wasn't bad, but it didn't quite accomplish what I think it set out to accomplish.

[Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a strange but interesting book !!!

[Anjreyevh]

I kind of admire Dolores for who she is. I seriously love this book.

[Librariann · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories about one spunky and preternaturally wise girl, from age 7 to 16.

[Joeann Haddad · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought the ending of the last short story was a bit ambiguous, but over all, the stories were enjoyable.

[Vicki · Rating 3 out of 5]

a 9 chapter book which describes important event in the life of Dolores from age 7 +. Interesting set-up. Good

[Angelica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book - Listened to audio version - I was left wanting more!

[Janelle Leigh · Rating 5 out of 5]

i listened to it on tape. what a spunky girl! a fun fast read.

[Debrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories about a smart, oddball girl from age 7 to 16.