Going Going

by Naomi Shihab Nye

Florrie's favorite coffee shop, with its open mike night, dreamy candles, and cute waiters ... Going? The mysterious little hut selling fresh lemon ice on the west side of town ... Going? The boutique featuring clothes you don't find at the mall, allowing you to look like ... an interesting person ... Going? Individuality. Originality. Quality. Independence. Opportunity. Going, going, gone. What's a girl to do?

Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Fiction

240 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2005

About the author

Naomi Shihab Nye was born to a Palestinian father and an American mother. During her high school years, she lived in Ramallah in Jordan, the Old City in Jerusalem, and San Antonio, Texas, where she later received her B.A. in English and world religions from Trinity University. She is a novelist, poet and songwriter.

She currently lives in San Antonio, Texas. She was elected a Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets in 2010.

Reviews

[Jillian D · Rating 4 out of 5]

Florrie is a character I will never forget. In Texas a lot of franchises are going away. Florrie wants to put a stop to this. So for her birthday wish she tells her family to boycott famous places such as Walmart, Best Buy, and Bed Bath and beyond, till the New Year. Her family agrees to and soon she has the whole city with her. Throughout her journey she gets a handsome boyfriend, courage that they can save her parents restaurant and many more. At the end of the book a lot of little shops were saved and that people saved a lot of money. Florrie hopes another girl with her dreams can do it again someday.
This book was a really good book. It shows how it relates to real life and many franchises are going away. I really hope that they can stay but, that not how life rolls.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Going going is a moving tale of growing up for everybody who is not done growing up yet. It beautifully depicts the difficult yet wonderful paradox of finding where to fit in and at the same time not being sure if you want to fit in.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable to read, only a hair preachy. Gets the ideas behind supporting small local businesses across well.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good message, easy read. Even though it was published in 2005, the main character felt very Gen Z.

[Stuart Levy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fits right into the "think globally, act locally" mantra, about saving small local businesses.

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from the sale table at my local library and read it quickly. Unfortunately, I let it go too soon, so I didn’t get a quotation from it AND I didn’t write down all the places in San Antonio that Nye mentions.

Going, Going is a book intended for idealistic teens who might need to read about others who are trying to change the world. Florrie’s world is changing rapidly because her hometown, San Antonio is gaining lots of chains and big box stores. Regrettably, San Antonio is not the only place experiencing this issue. However, Florrie and her friends have some novel ways of bringing attention to these changes.

I enjoyed the story even though I knew that not all could be saved. I have visited San Antonio so that helped make the story real. I would recommend this to younger teens who want to know more about quirky unusual kids. I wish Nye had developed Florrie’s family a bit more – I think they would have been fun to know better.

[Nika · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always wanted to find a novel character exactly like me. Here she is: Florrie. Right here in this wisp of a youth book that no one will ever notice ... I am pressed between the pages. Everything that happens to her. Every way she thinks. Even wearing all gray like a uniform.

A few years ago, I ordered a slew of khaki pants and white, short-sleeved oxford shirts from a catalogue so that I could wear only those with a black sweater vest every day, like a uniform. I had borrowed this idea from an installation artist at the Modern Art Museum in Fort Worth who had done the same with a black tshirt and khaki pants and his long ponytail every day. Never anything else for the two years I knew him. Even at the fancy Christmas party in the museum director's home, he was in his uniform. He stood there, lanky, in front of a wall of Warhol soup cans (yes, real ones) and took a liver and truffle bite from a silver filigree tray with indifference. He was calm while we were fussing with stilted language and networking and manners, so he seemed a sage in the midst of fools. Most days, I was an onlooker behind my receptionist's desk in the museum lobby and when he would pass by with his extension ladder and a cronie or two in tow, I would stare with my chin in my hand and wonder at his brilliance. As if he were a painting that appeared the same every time you turned to it, but always said something different to your soul.

Later, when I tried the uniform idea, my personal onlooker behind a desk, my boss, called me into his office and when he heard me explain my uniform idea, he puncuatated the moment with laughter until he nearly wet his pants, which were not khaki every day like mine were. Clearly, he missed the brilliance. In the late afternoon light of the window, I felt banished. For having thoughts that weren't the same as everyone else's.

I am like Florrie. The uniform. Also the spikey hair at times. Also the ravishing appreciation of old and dying things. Also hating cell phones (and facebook). Also the mysterious boy who intrigues then disappears. I call him Commanche. Hers was Ramsey.

There was something so satisfying about finding Florrie, like looking into the mirror and thinking your makeup is nice, for once.

Incidentally, Florrie would not like the title of this book.

[Cheryl A · Rating 2 out of 5]

The blurb says "effervescent, timely, and romantic". While the book was all three, at times, it was also extremely frustrating. I wanted more - more depth in the plot, more of the beautiful prose sprinkled throughout the book, more of old San Antonio, more emotion.

In a family where birthday wishes are spoken out loud, Florrie requests that her family frequent local business and avoid the franchises that are homogenizing cities and towns. She loves the old and original and is on a crusade to bring attention to the local flavor of her hometown San Antonio. She holds a rally at her school where she recruits her friends into joining her on a campaign to bring attention to this cause. She meets Ramsey, a boy from Alamo Heights (an enclave community in the middle of San Antonio) who saw an interview on television and apparently shares her passion for the old and odd of San Antonio. The campaign and her relationship with Ramsey are recounted over the course of the book.

Born in San Antonio like the author herself, I loved the descriptions of old San Antonio, but while they were frequent in number, they were mostly lacking in depth. Despite the Riverwalk being the setting and ending of the novel, if you hadn't seen it on the television or in person, you would not have gotten a feel for the magic of the place. With the exception of Florries' collection of postcards, the romance of things past is eluded to but not brought to life. The author's description of a cold front coming into town was wonderful, as was the recounting of Florrie's sixth grade life story.

Overall, a quick brush stroke of San Antonio, the value of the past, the importance of small business with the requisite teen romance thrown in as an after thought.

[Brianna Ramirez]

I read the book Going Going and absolutely loved it. It teaches a real life lesson to teenagers and and the people who own franchises or wants too.
In the book the teenage girl, FLorrie, wants to put a stop about all the franchises going away, so for her birthday she wishes to tell her family to boycott the big places. Florrie’s family eventually agrees with her. During the whole process she gets a boyfriend and he helps her and her family throughout this.
By reading this book you can tell that the author knew what it was like to go through this kinds of things. Naomi felt like she had been through this and actually experienced what it was like to open a franchise.
Florrie eventually stepped up her franchise game and started a boycott with the big franchises first then the smaller ones. She got all of them together and had them opened their franchises together.
If you believe in something or you have a dream you should go after it or chase it, just like Florrie did. FLorrie was the kind of girl who did something she set her mind to and never gave up no matter how hard it was or what she had to go through. She had friends, family, and herc community there for her through everything.
I highly highly recommend this book to anyone who has something to chase after during or after high school. NO matter if it’s something hard or something simple just go for it and dont stop chasing something if you really want to achieve it. Florrie had many many obstacles in her way during this and she went right through them and chased her dreams.
So if youre looking for a book to read during high school or anything i would recommend this book.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

disclaimer: i am a biased reviewer of this book. i loved this book. it was like a trip back to high school for me. while i may not have had such strong convictions about patronizing small independent businesses as the main character in this, i had some such convictions and everything else was extremely familiar. the book is set in san antonio where i went to town and the author uses the names of businesses and streets and places and people that actually exist there. the little bit of romance in the book seems very different from “typical” romance in young adult novels, but much more similar to my high school dating experiences–almost frighteningly familiar. i also love that she references the mennonites twice! the author of this book lives in san antonio and visited my high school once when i was there. normally, she writes poetry (and there are a few lines in the book that read more like poetry than prose) and she did an author visit to my school. i showed her a story that i had written and she gave me the address of her publisher (i later received the nicest rejection letter from them). she has written a lot of herself into this book and i really enjoyed reading it, but i don’t know what it would be like for someone who isn’t at all familiar with the book to read it. if you do, let me know!

[Sunny Stone · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has to be the most boring book by far I've ever read. It's basically about a girl named Florrie, who gathers her neighborhood to support small local businesses. Florrie is extremely unattractive to me because of her acvivist type of personality. She's so not fun as a teenager and always likes to talk about old stuffs that live in her grandfather's days. I still can't understand why the author chose such a dull story and character to write. Aftering reading this book, I swore to make sure checking the the next book's rating before reading it!

However, maybe it's because of reading too much romance, I felt kind of refreshing to read about the last two chapters where Florrie finds out the boy she likes doesn't take her seriously, so she gets over him, and devotes herself to the campaign again. I also like how the book open ends happily, with Florrie's mom finally becomes enthusiastic about protesting chains after she gets personally affected by them. The satisfactory ending is the reason I gave a second star to my rating of this book.

[Tara Ryan-Walker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going going provided cutesy moments for the reader, like her little fling with Ramsey and her love of her hometown San Antonio. This is a great book to read on a rainy day because it doesn't provoke much thought. It gives a beautiful scenery to think about, Nye uses lots of descriptive language to flutter the reader's head of old buildings once filled with life. The main problem with this book is the lack of plot. I felt when reading this book I was just stuck in a puddle of words, hanging on to me but never progressing the plot. The story stays in one of mode of thought and that is ? Also this book was a bit stuck up. Instead of trying to encourage the reader with a message of change and the happiness it brings, it harasses the reader telling you about why it is wrong to buy at large "bloodsucking" companies like Wal-Mart.

[Erin Sterling · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is one of those books that very narrowly walks the border between being too preachy and actually being realistic. Florrie is in high school and has always been passionate about local businesses with a nostalgia for old things (old postcards, old people, old buildings) and she finally decides to do something about it. So she organizes her friends and others to only buy local for the next 16 weeks until the year is over. Mostly it goes smoothly--plot is not a huge deal in the book--it has to do more with the issue at hand. There was a romance that felt a little thrown in there--the beginning made it seem like the boy interest would play a bigger deal than he did. I love the descriptions of San Antonio because I now want to visit the city. Well-written, but borders on the preachy.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was okay. It certainly wasn't the best book I ever read, but also not nearly the worst. Florrie, the main character, was interesting but also kind of boring. I just couldn't relate to her in the sense that she took things way too seriously and couldn't relax. I did feel a bit of sympathy for her especially when it came to Ramsey, but overall, I didn't enjoy Florrie as a main character very much. True, her brother, was more entertaining than her as well as most of the side characters. I wouldn't read this book again nor purchase it for my own collection, but I did love some of the history about San Antonio and this has inspired me a bit to check out more locally own, independent stores rather than depending on chain stores all the time. Three stars for this book.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Going, Going is a decent YA novel about quirky Florrie, a teenager from San Antonio who greatly values individuality and originality. Florrie is a big supporter of local businesses. Basically the entire book is about her rallying for local establishments as well as her short-lived romance with a boy named Ramsey.

Liked

It made me think about where I buy things, and it also made me realize the importance of local business.

Florrie was an interesting and unique character.

Disliked

This book is possibly the slowest thing I have ever read. I don't really understand what the plot was trying to be. There wasn't really a climax.

It was kind of just boring.

[Phoebe]

I read an edition from a thrift store that had "Uncorrected Proof Not For Sale" printed on the jacket, which I hope means that it was something along the lines of a first draft, because I would not say that the book I have ever saw and editor (choppy writing due to to many short sentences, unrealistic dialog due to wrong-word-emphasis...). I liked the plot of this book, and thought that the characters had potential, but the edition I read was frustrating. I hope that my library has an edited version.

[Melanie]

I learned that if there is something that you strongly believe in, then you should stick to it and never give up, no matter what the factors or consequences are. Also, if you want to succeed at something or get the world to change,then you should have people following you. You'll have better results and don't trust anyone just because of their looks. They may be deceiving you.

[Savannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I am from San Antonio (same as the setting for the book), so I found this book pretty interesting. I was able to relate to and imagine the scenery fairly well because of my connection to the area. However, the main character Florrie wasn't easy to relate to and I didn't enjoy the author's writing style or plot the book's plot very much.

[Annemarie Carlson · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did not care for this book.
Boring as hell. I wanted it to end even a few chapter in. It has a very "preachy" MC that I didn't connect to at all.
I'm really sorry. I had to stop this book half way through. Ugh. >.<

[Paula · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it personally brought back the nostalgia of growing up in San Antonio and seeing it change through the years. A story of Florrie's personal endeavor/movement/political statement to save the small businesses of San Antonio (or any other city).

[Delaney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't get I think her name is Florrie?
Totally boring.
In an instant she meets a guy and they exchange emails and phone number. Just the 1st ch and it was lame.
Not going to finish it or see what happens.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

For junior high aged readers, this is a good read. I love indie businesses too, and hate the "same-ification" of America's unique towns and cities, so I loved the message. It's pretty thin on character development, but I like the acknowledgement that there's no easy solution to this problem.

[Valerie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really like Nye's poetry and essays I've read, and this was the first novel of hers I've read. I liked that it was as much about a smart, independent and motivated young girl's dreams and ideas for the world around her and her city as it was about the relationships she engaged in.

[Bcoghill Coghill · Rating 1 out of 5]

This isn't light fiction, just simple fiction. The hero is a reformer and this book is as boring as most reformers are.

[Kristen · Rating 2 out of 5]

it was really boring b/c all she doe sis rally and at the beg. she meets a boy and i thought that he would hav a sort of big part in the story but relly doesnt:)

[10-12 Jaycie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this it is very good it actully makes you feel like your on the river walk. I found this in the library and it spoke to me please read!

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was simplistic and seemed like an incomplete story, but I really liked the idealism and strength of character and a bit of magic and a tone that reminded me of Weetzie bat for some reason.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really good book about an old fashioned girl trying to save small buinesses by boycotting franchises..not the most interesting story but good none the less.

[Lindsay Ejoh · Rating 1 out of 5]

BORING.

[Suzy-Q · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just so hard to believe that one girl could have so many resources to put on such an elaborate protest. Most teens reading this couldn't connect with the references to the 60s, too.