When She Was Good

by Norma Fox Mazer

Norma Fox Mazer's remarkable story of two sisters fighting to survive against a world without caring, reissued in a 10th anniversary paperback edition, to coincide with Mazer's new novel in hardcover.

In the sad, shabby trailer where Em Thurkill lived her first fourteen years, suffering her father's alcoholic rages and her mother's deathly silence, and in the three she lived trapped with her violent, unstable sister, there seems more than enough to end even the dream of hope.

Yet Em Thurkill's story is a story of how hope outlives brutality. It is a story of one girl's sweetness, and almost unbearable pain. Heartbreaking, mesmerizing, and ultimately transcendent, this novel is a tribute to the astonishing resilience of the human soul.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Mental Illness, Abuse, Contemporary, Teen

228 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Norma Fox Mazer was an American author and teacher, best known for her books for children and young adults.

She was born in New York City but grew up in Glens Falls, New York, with parents Michael and Jean Garlan Fox. Mazer graduated from Glens Falls High School, then went to Antioch College, where she met Harry Mazer, whom she married in 1950; they have four children, one of whom, Anne Mazer, is also a writer. She also studied at Syracuse University.

New York Times Book Review contributor Ruth I. Gordon wrote that Mazer "has the skill to reveal the human qualities in both ordinary and extraordinary situations as young people mature....it would be a shame to limit their reading to young people, since they can show an adult reader much about the sometimes painful rite of adolescent passage into adulthood."

Among the honors Mazer earned for her writing were a National Book Award nomination in 1973, an American Library Association Notable Book citation in 1976, inclusion on the New York Times Outstanding Books of the Year list in 1976, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1978, an Edgar Award in 1982, German Children's Literature prizes in 1982 and 1989, and a Newbery Medal in 1988.

Mazer taught in the Master of Fine Arts in Writing for Children & Young Adults Program at Vermont College.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/norma-fo...

Reviews

[Christina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I praise thee, Norma Fox Mazer, for creating my favorite fictional character ever. I will always remember the feelings this book gave me, and I will always remember the part where Em was describing how she looked into the lake and saw the moon reflected in it, and the children were laughing in the back round- and all she could think was "This is what I am missing in life." I think that this is truly good writing. The way that Em looks at the world is so very relatable, I feel like if she actually existed I would never feel alone again. Sometimes, when I do feel alone, I just read my favorite parts from this book, and everything is put into perspective again.
The part where Em is in the coffin shop looking for a coffin for Pamela, and she is looking at the salesman with friendly dog-like eyes also meant a lot to me. She is feeling her way through the world, holding onto the details in life that bring her joy. It's really quite beautiful. There is so much I can say about this book and Em Thurkill that I can hardly even articulate, the feeling this books gives me is like a shade that doesn't exist... It's exactly like that fleeting thought when you're in a haze that brings you joy before you forget what it is that you thought, but even after wards the feeling is still there even though you don't know why. When I finished with this book, I felt like I just met a new best friend. I encourage anyone and everyone to read this book, so you can fall in-love with this beautifully melancholy story as well. This book has truly carved itself a home in my heart.

[Margot Note]

Read this book because I saw a teen completely transfixed by it on the subway.

[Racquelromerobunting · Rating 1 out of 5]

The book is told through the first person point of view of Em. The character experiences things that shouldn’t happen to kids/teens of her age. People wouldn’t normally think of a lot of kids who go through Em’s experiences every day. The vibe you get from Em isn’t hard to point out when you first meat her. She is shy and weird when you first meet her because of the things that happen in her life which was abuse, depression, attachment, neglect, and rape.

Em Thurkill was a victim of abuse by her sister. Em had a hard life dealing with her dad who got drunk and was abusive to her to. Em had to deal with her very depressed mother who brought only some light into Em’s life. Because of howEm had to grow up, in she became a little crazy but very creative, and depressed in her life.

“When She Was Good” took place around the 1990s. It takes place in New York, in a rundown apartment. It also takes place in Em’s mind.

The theme in “When She Was Good” is to show the person reading the book to be strong no matter what you face in life because someone else could have it worse.

I didn’t enjoy “When She Was Good” by Norma Fox Mazer. The author made the main character talk about all these different things at once in each chapter. You couldn’t tell if she was talking about before she grew up or after. The beginning was a good start because you knew what was happening, but as I got further into the book, the main character’s life got confusing. The author brings in characters who don’t even need to be in the book and are not even important to story line.

I would recommend this book to teens or kids who like boring and confusing books both male and female. The book was hard to read and was confusing when the main character jumped back and forth in different stages of her life.

[Emma · Rating 1 out of 5]

"When She Was Good" was an okay book. It's about a 17 year old girl named Em, whose abusive older sister, Pamela just died. Em is all alone and struggling to survive. Her father was a raging alcoholic and her mother a person sunk deep into depression. Em lives with her sister's insulting shouts ringing through her brain whenever she thinks of something Pamela would think of as stupid (meaning everything.)She's trying to find a job, finish school, and get food on the table all the while just looking for a friend. This book takes a lot of thinking to figure out what the author is trying to say. I don't really recommend it but if you like hard, kind of boring, feel-sorry-for-the-poor-little-girl books go for it. Towards the end is where the writing becomes easier to understand.

[James Crawford · Rating 1 out of 5]

Emily's mother has been dead for four years. Em lives with Pamela, an older sister, who is about as nasty and vicious a person as you can find. At the start of the book she is dead, though, and the rest of the book is basically a story of how Emily has been emotionally abused by her older sister and has she has been physically (but not sexually) abused also.

After her sister's death it takes Emily a while to begin to function somewhat normally.

Overall a very disappointing read. There are so many bad things that happen to Emily one wonders why she didn't go psycho and just kill her older sister. It's a tale of woe that just goes on and on and on and doesn't really have a satisfactory conclusion.

[Vanessa Vasquez · Rating 2 out of 5]

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT IT SPOILED












.... It took me two days to read this book but even then it went by painfully slow.. It was awfully depressing and the way Pamela's death was explained felt very rushed. The only positive thing in this book were the Reminiscing of Veronica (Em's mother), the fact that Louise D'Angelo finally spoke to Em and the very few appearances of mr. Warren and William

[Heidi Busch · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a depressing book! I kept waiting for something good to happen and it never did. I get that Em's life was really bad. I wonder what happened to her father and his new wife? Did they go and look for the girls? In a way planting the garden was a small sign of hope in Em's new life, so maybe all is not lost.

[Greta · Rating 2 out of 5]

Actually, quite a powerful book- the simple prose is painfully poetic at points, and beautiful, while narrative itself effectively captures the mental landscape of the protagonist. Would recommend this YA read to girls in early to mid teens as an independet/book club text (not school).

[Roxana Simonet · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is a terrible book. It feels like a nightmare that won't end, but not in an interesting way. It's a nightmare that I get when I have fevers- never ending and pointless. I cannot waste my time finishing this terrible book.

[Ashley · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very strange and somewhat disturbing book. It was written in the first person and the character is... messed up from her life experiences.

[Kim Benouski · Rating 2 out of 5]

This got lots of great reviews, but I just did not like it. A girl takes care of her abusive sister. The sister was so unlikeable, I hated reading.

[Brian casillas · Rating 3 out of 5]

i am currently reading this book this is a good book because this story/novel talks about how the girl [em:] is talking about her life and how she was living with her sister, mother, and her father.

[Ashleyb · Rating 2 out of 5]

I honestly didn't like very much it was very hard to get into and nothing really happened. Overall I was dissapointed.

[Pamela · Rating 1 out of 5]

worst book I've ever read DON'T READ IT PLEASE thanks XOXO

[CC]

up to chapter 5. boring

[Mary Mcgobe · Rating 1 out of 5]

I could only get through a couple of pages. I could already tell that I was not going to connect with this book.

[Izzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not a happy read. In fact, a very unhappy read. But incredibly captivating and a page-turner nonetheless.

[Harmony Leauanae · Rating 4 out of 5]

"When She Was Good" by Norma Fox Mazer tells the story of Em, a young girl with a dark and difficult upbringing characterized by pain, loneliness and death, as well as perseverance, independence, and pure grit. Em spends the majority of her childhood in a trailer with her alcoholic and distant father, frail and depressed mother, and bipolar and intense sister, Pamela. When Em finally runs away with her sister to escape the control of their father and new stepmother, Ems problems only seem to follow her, as her abusive sister only increases her inability to maintain a job, "slowly, my jubilation wore off. There was nowhere to go. I was tired and felt old."

Yet, amongst all this turmoil, this easy read will keep audiences engaged from start to finish, as the use of pathos and raw, descriptive firsthand accounts will make them feel as it they are accompanying Em during her many trials. Readers will be amazed by Ems ability to pick herself backup without a helping hand, without anyone cheering on. This incredible example of diligence will inspire readers and encourage them through whatever problem they are currently experiencing. I would recommend this book to young audiences struggling to find who they are, or to those who need a little reminder that they CAN do it.

[Brittany Farr · Rating 3 out of 5]

I keep coming to this book over several years and I finally got around to reading it since I finally had time. For some reason, I originally thought this had something to do with Anne Frank; I have surplus of Jewish books at home, especially Anne Frank books. So I was confused when I started this book, then I caught on that I was not reading about Anne Frank. This book was ok. It was touching but at the same time it was kind of bland.

This is about a protagonist who is kind-hearted but is born into a family that isn't. She admires her mother but she is out of picture because of death (I believe, I read this while ago so forgive me if I get the facts mixed up) so all she had was her sister. Unfortunately, her sister is a bully to her and well her sister is not a good person so the protagonist had to endure her until something happened. The ending is touching because you kind of stay with the protagonist for the duration of her journey within the book. However, it can be bland at times. Nevertheless, if you are interested in reading this, do read this, it just wont be one of the best books you read.

[Terrial Soulvie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was amazingly captivating. Reading this in my Sophmore classes and ignoring the world is the best feeling. The first person view, and the way she describes Em's feelings through her own mindset is incredible. Showing her confusion. We don't get a look in the world of the author, rather we get transported into the world of Em. But the book was exceedingly slow paced and confusing. It doesn't follow a strong plot point. Rather very few things happen. And you simply read through Em's thoughts and perspective. Despite this flaw, the book flies by when you're reading. And brings you to strong emotional states.

Definitely reccomend.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

When she was good A fiction book describing the challenges Em, the main character had to endure in her life with her abusive sister. The story has many twist and turns that made it difficult to put down. My favorite part of the book was seeing Em stand up for herself because this showed confidence. I really disliked how real this book felt because it makes you really connect with the characters feelings. I recommend this book to everyone because i think it's important to see these bad situations. I think out of all the books I've read this is in my top ten it is a great read.

[Eva at The Willow Branch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 rounded up

I read this book when I was younger and thought I understood the world, depression, and the complexities of everything. Now that I’m older, reading about Em’s experiences have a whole new meaning to me. This is a nice piece of fiction that as you read, you feel just as confused and Em, and in her moments of clarity, you feel good too. It’s great to see what she had to do as she continued to learn, grow and find happiness in herself. Definitely something to continue to read over the years.

[Tabatha Baugh · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book wasn’t awful but I think would have been easier to follow if it was written as a journal/ diary. I wanted to know more about the protagonist ...why her mother passed, away, where her father and step-mother ended up...why her sister was the way she was...maybe I just expected too much ....the protagonist did remind me of the protagonist in ‘where the crawdads sing’ this was an easy read but just left me wanting to know more.

[Maria Alves · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was interesting one. It was about one girl named Em who spent her childhood of her life suffering her father's alcoholic situation, her mom's silent depression, and she had abusive sister who died later on. By reading it you learn all the things that she went through that was hard for her.

[Amber Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked this up while subbing and read it in about two hours. Em went through some brutal stuff, and despite her timid spirit you could tell she'd make it and you were rooting for her.
Silver was my favorite book as a young teenager, and while I haven't read Silver in a while I don't think When She Was Good measures up to that with memorability or story. However, it was a decent book.

[Eva Green · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've noticed that Em has never let herself feel or want things. Not truly. But even when she finally could, as Pamela died, she still didn't let herself. Pamela was haunting her, watching her every move.
So thoughts like: "Am I dreaming?", "Am I crazy?", "Did I say that out loud?" were constantly going through her mind, as if she didn't know if she was ever awake.
So that's why when she finally moved on, and let herself free, I felt so relieved.
This book has truly touched me, and learned me some important life lessons!

[Stephanie Ledyard · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the few novels I wanted read more than once. Just read it for the third time and it is just as powerful as the first time I read it in 2006. Em is an unforgettable character, and so is her sister Pamela. The narrative stays so powerfully inside Em's mind. The story is heart-wrenching but not at all hopeless.

[Christina · Rating 3 out of 5]

"one day you are alive: you blow your nose, you take a walk, you eat, you sleep, and day passes day, and maybe you're a good person and maybe you're not, but it doesn't matter, because after a while, good or bad, there comes another day, and you are dead."

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

So loved and admired this book. Intense as hell.

[Mellanie C · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not love this book, probably because I felt there was no resolution to Em's story. I know that's how real life goes, but I don't want that in my reading.