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The Perfect Pull
Alyssa Simone has a secret, but common, disorder: trichotillomania. Since the fourth grade she has been pulling out her hair and wondering why she can't stop.
Now at fifteen, she is the best friend of the most popular girl in school and trying to appear normal. When she moves to Las Vegas for her sophomore year, Alyssa isn't sure how much longer she can hide the damage.
The night before school starts she realizes her left eyebrow is completely gone, and she is dangerously close to pulling out her head hair. To make matters worse, her mother has signed the two of them up to star in a reality show and the cameras are about to start rolling. Alyssa is desperate to keep this secret from her mother, classmates, and the camera...
The Perfect Pull is a fictional novel for ages 11 and up.
Now at fifteen, she is the best friend of the most popular girl in school and trying to appear normal. When she moves to Las Vegas for her sophomore year, Alyssa isn't sure how much longer she can hide the damage.
The night before school starts she realizes her left eyebrow is completely gone, and she is dangerously close to pulling out her head hair. To make matters worse, her mother has signed the two of them up to star in a reality show and the cameras are about to start rolling. Alyssa is desperate to keep this secret from her mother, classmates, and the camera...
The Perfect Pull is a fictional novel for ages 11 and up.
- GenresMental Illness
204 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 2012
3 people are currently reading
75 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 2, 2014
Overall I thought this was an ok book. Seeing as it is the only fictional book written about Trichotillomania, I was very eager to read it. I have to admit that I was a little disappointed. The plot seemed a bit shallow. I was expecting something that delved more into the roots of why Trichsters pull their hair, or how societies standards of beauty are bizarre and inaccurate, but I actually felt that it reinforced some of those "social standards." The fact that the disorder was presented as something gross and hidden was ok, because I know that at one point I felt that way about it myself, but I think that it should have been stressed even more that it is in fact neither of those things. What frustrated me the most was the way that people reacted about her wearing the wig and her Trichotillomania. If I was a 13 year old who just developed Trich, and I read this book, I would be terrified of telling people about my hair pulling. The book gave the impression that the majority of people are like Jasmine; rude, immature, and not understanding. That is a stereotype and untrue. I told my entire school about my hair pulling, and I went bald, and not one person made fun of me. Most of my friends were very understanding and did not come to quick judgments about me, and have been extremely supportive of me throughout my recovery journey. In fact, I have found that the majority of comments about Trich being "gross, dirty, and abnormal" came from myself, not others. Something else that really frustrated me was the implication by Alex that Alyssa liked the pain in her life caused by her emotionally neglectful parents because it made her feel "alive." In reality I don't think that a teenage girl who has been emotionally neglected her whole life, living with a narcissistic mother, would ever think that "she likes it" because it makes her feel alive.
What I loved about this book:
I have to give a round of applause to Lindsay Woolman for facing the daunting task of writing a book about this difficult subject. I felt that Alyssa was a relatable character overall. I loved that she was fearless at the end and shaved her head, and I absolutely loved that at the support group one of the women had recovered fully. She gave great advice: face Trich with determination and strength as you would something you are very passionate about, such as swimming or a sport, giving yourself grace when you make a mistake, but not letting that mistake give you permission to pull more. This can be applied to all audiences because I think everyone is passionate about something. I loved that although Alyssa had a crush on an immature guy at the beginning, and was surrounded by controlling and immature friends, she learned that she is better than how they made her feel. I don't necessarily think you need to find another guy to help you learn that you deserve to be treated respectfully, but I think it was a good example to get the point across.
All in all, the book seemed designed for a younger audience. It was a bit cliche at parts and predictable. There were some spelling and grammar issues which led me to believe that it wasn't thoroughly edited. I think it had some great points and ended on a very positive note. I hope that another author will write a book about this topic, or that Lindsay will write another. I think that there needs to be a range of information available to Trichsters that is not hopeless like a lot of the blogs that you will find online regarding the subject.
Readers: I think the main thing to keep in mind while looking at others experiences with Trichotillomania is to not take everything as literal or as something that applies to your life. Think critically. Challenge others. Although we are connected by this disorder we are still very different people and will all have different experiences. I wish you the best of luck.
What I loved about this book:
I have to give a round of applause to Lindsay Woolman for facing the daunting task of writing a book about this difficult subject. I felt that Alyssa was a relatable character overall. I loved that she was fearless at the end and shaved her head, and I absolutely loved that at the support group one of the women had recovered fully. She gave great advice: face Trich with determination and strength as you would something you are very passionate about, such as swimming or a sport, giving yourself grace when you make a mistake, but not letting that mistake give you permission to pull more. This can be applied to all audiences because I think everyone is passionate about something. I loved that although Alyssa had a crush on an immature guy at the beginning, and was surrounded by controlling and immature friends, she learned that she is better than how they made her feel. I don't necessarily think you need to find another guy to help you learn that you deserve to be treated respectfully, but I think it was a good example to get the point across.
All in all, the book seemed designed for a younger audience. It was a bit cliche at parts and predictable. There were some spelling and grammar issues which led me to believe that it wasn't thoroughly edited. I think it had some great points and ended on a very positive note. I hope that another author will write a book about this topic, or that Lindsay will write another. I think that there needs to be a range of information available to Trichsters that is not hopeless like a lot of the blogs that you will find online regarding the subject.
Readers: I think the main thing to keep in mind while looking at others experiences with Trichotillomania is to not take everything as literal or as something that applies to your life. Think critically. Challenge others. Although we are connected by this disorder we are still very different people and will all have different experiences. I wish you the best of luck.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 28, 2017
Interesting. Alyssa is a fairly standard teenager, but with a twist or two. One: she has trichotillomania, meaning that she compulsively pulls out her hair. Two: her mother is a self-styled real-life Barbie, having had surgery upon surgery to tweak her proportions and face into what she wants. Moreover, they've moved from San Diego to Las Vegas for a few months to film a reality TV show.
I'm not sure all the elements were put to their best use. Like: there's a Big Reveal with Alyssa's mother at the end, but it comes so late that there's really no time to explore it or see what kind of longer-term impact it makes on Alyssa. I'm also not sure how well the Vegas setting served the book. Why put her somewhere new, where she knows nobody and spends much of the book existing in something of a social void, rather than seeing how she copes with her disorder getting more obvious around people she does know? Alyssa's meant to go back to San Diego at the end of the events of the book, so I'm left wondering a) whether her new friends will stay relevant and b) what kind of process she'll have to go through with her old friends, and whether they'll stand by her.
Still: interesting. More complex than I expected. In particular, Alyssa's mother managed to be a reasonably complex character for much of the book. She got a lot more self-serving (and less interesting) in the second half, but it was nice to see Alyssa trying to balance frustration with her mother's choices against a yearning for her mother's attention.
I'm not sure all the elements were put to their best use. Like: there's a Big Reveal with Alyssa's mother at the end, but it comes so late that there's really no time to explore it or see what kind of longer-term impact it makes on Alyssa. I'm also not sure how well the Vegas setting served the book. Why put her somewhere new, where she knows nobody and spends much of the book existing in something of a social void, rather than seeing how she copes with her disorder getting more obvious around people she does know? Alyssa's meant to go back to San Diego at the end of the events of the book, so I'm left wondering a) whether her new friends will stay relevant and b) what kind of process she'll have to go through with her old friends, and whether they'll stand by her.
Still: interesting. More complex than I expected. In particular, Alyssa's mother managed to be a reasonably complex character for much of the book. She got a lot more self-serving (and less interesting) in the second half, but it was nice to see Alyssa trying to balance frustration with her mother's choices against a yearning for her mother's attention.
March 7, 2014
Trichotillomania isn't really something I'm all too familiar with. I am moreso now than I was even a month or two ago, but as a skin picker, hair pulling is something that I haven't quite connected and don't always understand. This book, however, gave me good insight on what goes on when it comes to hair pulling since it's told from a first person narrative. While there are many sensational things about the book, like how the main character, Alyssa and her mother are whirlwinded into a reality television show, there are definitely the essence of true struggles and true emotions within the pages of this book.
It’s not a book that features a character that ends up “cured” from the disorder, but it certainly is a hopeful ending because Alyssa is beginning to learn just what it is to have the disorder and that there’s hope. I think pullers and skin pickers alike will enjoy this book.
It’s not a book that features a character that ends up “cured” from the disorder, but it certainly is a hopeful ending because Alyssa is beginning to learn just what it is to have the disorder and that there’s hope. I think pullers and skin pickers alike will enjoy this book.
January 8, 2021
Excellent explanation of hair pillingr
This book helped me to understand this disorder much better. Back in the '70's I went to school with a girl who had this disorder, and she suffered from quite a few unkind remarks from those who did not understand the bald patches and the need for her wig. It was a boarding school so she really had no place to be alone. I now wish I had had the courage to be a friend to her and also to speak up in her defense. Thank you for writing this story to help those of us who knew her to learn more about what she was going through.
This book helped me to understand this disorder much better. Back in the '70's I went to school with a girl who had this disorder, and she suffered from quite a few unkind remarks from those who did not understand the bald patches and the need for her wig. It was a boarding school so she really had no place to be alone. I now wish I had had the courage to be a friend to her and also to speak up in her defense. Thank you for writing this story to help those of us who knew her to learn more about what she was going through.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews