First Person, Singular

by Vida Demas

Pam, a loner, experiences the agonies as well as the joys of adolescence, and gradually becomes aware of herself as a person.

255 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Erik Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first found this book in a used book trader 34 years ago, & I read it so much, it disintegrated. A dear friend found a copy for me on EBay around 17 years ago, and it remains something I go back to time & time again, to validate feelings of loneliness, isolation & inferiority. It takes place in the late 60s which gives it the potential to sound dated, but I think this adds to it's charm. This young girl comes of age in a time of social turmoil & change, where when almost everybody was looking for an identity or a movement to join, the main character decides it is OK to remain a loner and to pursue her self discovery on her own terms. A timeless classic, I highly recommend it if you can find a copy.

[CaliNativeBalboa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had this 70's era YA book in my closet until my early 20's, finally giving it away in embarrassment. The iconic novel of my teens, it reappeared on my radar when it popped up in a random Amazon or Goodreads search. I had to order it from a college library but I'm glad I did.
I'm rating this a 5 even though it's now a time capsule into the early 70's and has some rather "politically incorrect", although appropriate for the era, verbiage.
Told by seventeen-year-old Pamela, “First Person, Singular” describes her lonely journey through middle and high school in a small, industrial Pennsylvania town. Naturally pretty and sensitive, she struggles to fit in at school, cope with her mother’s recovery from a nervous breakdown and her father’s self-absorption.
Maybe I was in a particularly introspective mood, or especially sympathetic with the loners of the world following a couple recent school suicides, but I reconnected with the character and her experience. Like Pamela, who voices the novel, I felt isolated and generally out of it most of my middle school and high school years. Without social media to either find connections or unfavorably compare ourselves with other’s carefully curated lives, we loners had to find coping methods including pets, nature and God forbid, parents.
With the caveat about the dated references, I'd highly recommend "First Person, Singular" to any marginalized teen. Although dark and moody, it's ultimately uplifting at the end, with a salute to all the loners of the world. It's Ok to sometimes, not be OK.

[Angela Mcentee · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I was in high school I worked at the public library (hello, nerd much?) and the hard cover edition of this book had a photograph of all kinds of candy on it. that's what drew me to pick it up and read it. It's about a lot more than candy, its about being lonely, being different, wanting to fit in, trying to fit in. I very much related to the protagonist. It was worth keeping so I found a paperback copy, but it lacks the 'real' cover.

[Leslie]

I found a list of books I read during the summer when I was about 14. This was one of them. I don't remember anything about it, but I read it.

[Julia Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite book when I was a teenager. Reading it takes me back to the 1970s.