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Underneath I'm Different
Sixteen-year-old Amy enrolls in a ballet class to lose weight, starts dating handsome accompanist Ansel, and things seem to be going well, until Ansel has an emotional breakdown.
- GenresYoung Adult
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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40 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
March 17, 2025
Update:
Contrary to my expectation, I found this 80s YA novel to be a hidden gem! It reminded me a lot of Paul Zindel and M.E. Kerr (dark; zany; awful parents) and when I looked up the author, I found a 1978 NYT article listing Zindel as her strongest influence.
Both Amy's mom and her best/only friend are horrible to her and are always telling her how fat she is and how she has to lose 50 pounds. (Guess Amy's clothing size? 14!!) Then a fascinating boy falls for Amy when she literally falls on him. But he is struggling in some mysterious way. The dialogue is great and the story is interesting. Amy's best friend, who is truly a "you love her/you hate her" fully-realized madcap character, falls in with the one feminist girl at their school, cuts her hair short, and stops dating boys. (This is what we had for queer content in the '80s.) The ending is satisfying.
You can find this novel on archive.org if nowhere else!
Original:
This is the worst book blurb I've ever read. I have to read this book!!
Contrary to my expectation, I found this 80s YA novel to be a hidden gem! It reminded me a lot of Paul Zindel and M.E. Kerr (dark; zany; awful parents) and when I looked up the author, I found a 1978 NYT article listing Zindel as her strongest influence.
Both Amy's mom and her best/only friend are horrible to her and are always telling her how fat she is and how she has to lose 50 pounds. (Guess Amy's clothing size? 14!!) Then a fascinating boy falls for Amy when she literally falls on him. But he is struggling in some mysterious way. The dialogue is great and the story is interesting. Amy's best friend, who is truly a "you love her/you hate her" fully-realized madcap character, falls in with the one feminist girl at their school, cuts her hair short, and stops dating boys. (This is what we had for queer content in the '80s.) The ending is satisfying.
You can find this novel on archive.org if nowhere else!
Original:
This is the worst book blurb I've ever read. I have to read this book!!
Displaying 1 of 1 review