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Still Here
Hollywood rising star and passionate humanitarian Rowan Blanchard shares her beloved personal scrapbook with the world.Featuring art and writing from her favorite photographers, poets, and friends alongside her own journal entries and snapshots, STILL HERE is an unedited look at Rowan Blanchard's inner life--and a poignant representation of teen life in general. Alongside Rowan's own raw diary entries, poems, and personal photos are taped in letters, photos, and poems from her friends who inspire her, like the poet rupi kaur, photographer Gia Coppola, and writer Jenny Zhang, among others. The result is an intimate portrayal of modern girlhood and a thoughtful reflection on what it means to be a teenager in today's world.
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 2, 2018
49 people are currently reading
1558 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews
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January 28, 2018If Emo were a scrapbook it would look like this. I think I would have enjoyed this book as a teen, but as a woman in her late 30s, it felt a bit self-indulgent. The scrapbook format will definitely be appealing to teens, but I didn’t find it particularly artistic or original. If anything it just felt like a messier version of what my own notebook looks like and nobody’s knocking down my door to publish that.
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February 20, 2018Although this book is written by a teenager and is probably meant for teenagers I believe that it is meant for anyone who is struggling with identity.
January 18, 2018
*Won in a goodread givaway*
Still Here has journal entries, pictures, drawings and poems from Rowan Blanchard. The book I received was 32 pages long but I enjoyed reading and looking at the drawings and pictures. You can tell by reading this book that she is full of love, and pain. Rowan will make a difference in the world and I hope that she inspires young women to do the same. I believe that this book will be geared more towards young girls and teens.
Still Here has journal entries, pictures, drawings and poems from Rowan Blanchard. The book I received was 32 pages long but I enjoyed reading and looking at the drawings and pictures. You can tell by reading this book that she is full of love, and pain. Rowan will make a difference in the world and I hope that she inspires young women to do the same. I believe that this book will be geared more towards young girls and teens.
Want to read
September 21, 2017Ahh one of my favorite actress is going to release a book !!
February 14, 2018
This book is the friend I wish I had at age 12, age 15, age 17. I wish I could reach back in time and hand this book to my thirteen year old self as a tangible reminder of just how completely un-alone she was. The Russian Nesting Dolls of my teenage selves inside of me feel more seen and understood than they ever have. This world is still so full of hope, and Rowan and this book are a beautiful reminder of that. Thank you for reaching out through the darkness and handing us this work for art.
February 22, 2018
I found this book to be very interesting and refreshing as it is in a format often not adopted by authors. It's casual, journalist tone offers a different experience for the reader than a more commonly structured piece of literature. However, the rudimentary structure did not detain from the overall message of empowerment and unity. The combination of art (photographs, drawings, etc.) with the words also aided the reader in understanding the full meaning of the text and the mood behind it. Another tool that Blanchard used to her advantage was the presence of multiple writers. This allowed the reader to hear many different perspectives and immerse themselves in many different writing styles. Although each individual entry within this book stands alone, when put together as Blanchard did, they tell a hauntingly beautiful story of growing up. This "stand alone" effect can also lead to everything seeming a bit scatter brained, but that is part of the effect. That chaotic and scatterbrained effect mirrors what it feels like to be growing up. Also, as a teenager in the process of growing up, Blanchard's viewpoint is extremely valuable and relatable. It is a refreshing change to read a teenager writing a coming of age story rather than an adult who came of age in a time much different than today. The utilization of her own diary entries also brought a level of vulnerability to this book that elevated the stakes for the reader and grounded everything in reality. Blanchard encompassed a wide variety of voices and topics within "Still Here" and still managed to seamlessly blend them all together. This was an extremely intriguing novel that I would recommend to anyone dealing with the trials and tribulations of growing up.
April 23, 2018
I felt a special connection with this book, maybe it was because Rowan wrote it, maybe it was the fact that it was targeted at teens, maybe I understood and related to what was said. This book is filled with so many emotions and I definitely recommend it.
February 18, 2018
Rowan prefaced this book as an inside look of growing up as a teenager in today’s society. But I think what the average reader will find is art and topics so much bigger than her. So much bigger than a teenager’s life. We are living in a time where change is happening everyday and trying to be on the right side of history can prove to be most difficult. However, it doesn’t seem to escape Rowan her place in all of it. Her platform to extend equality and be compassionate. I think she’s brilliant and I think is book is too.
March 9, 2018
I really struggled to find anything I liked about this book. Some of the handwriting was challenging to read, so it took away from the meaning behind the words. I really disliked most of the poems and entries; I didn't connect to them and I found them, overall, confusing. The pictures made no sense. They didn't connect to anything else in the book. I really didn't understand this book at all; thus, I didn't enjoy it.
November 10, 2019
This book was not at all what I expected it to be. That isn’t necessarily bad...just different.
It is a collection of journal entries & photographs from a ton of different people. A lot of it was very important. It was very touching and emotional. But a lot of it was random little strings of sentences, they didn’t all make a lot of sense. The handwriting was hard to read in some of them, so I just skipped over some words/sentences.
I don’t really have a lot of feelings towards this. It was alright, but I probably wouldn’t read it again. I enjoyed the format- how it’s not just a linear story, it’s a bunch of random thoughts.
But again, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I still really admire Rowan Blanchard and all that she’s done at such a young age, though!
It is a collection of journal entries & photographs from a ton of different people. A lot of it was very important. It was very touching and emotional. But a lot of it was random little strings of sentences, they didn’t all make a lot of sense. The handwriting was hard to read in some of them, so I just skipped over some words/sentences.
I don’t really have a lot of feelings towards this. It was alright, but I probably wouldn’t read it again. I enjoyed the format- how it’s not just a linear story, it’s a bunch of random thoughts.
But again, it wasn’t what I thought it would be. I still really admire Rowan Blanchard and all that she’s done at such a young age, though!
July 4, 2018
I really appreciate that Rowan made this book, it is bold and important. I believe that it is a good book for teenagers to read. Rowan is one of those people who is smart, much smarter and openminded and aware than I was at that age and I am glad that she went this route when writing a book, making a collaboration between people she knew. It is diverse, which I always appreciate and covers a variety of topics relevant to the society and adolescents today. Written for teenagers, each voice that contributed to this book is authentic. I found myself relating to some of the poems and I think that I would have enjoyed this a lot when I was younger. Some of the poems and journal entries didn't really touch me or I didn't like as much as others. Some stuff I didn't really know why it was included, like some pictures. I did really like the format and that different people got to contribute. I did find that I liked anonymous' writings a lot. I found some of the handwritten stuff hard to read, but it wasn't too bad. This is a book that snapshots being a teenager and I am excited to see what else Rowan and the other contributes write in the future. I see a lot of growth coming their way.
*149 is something I will keep in mind whenever I am overly anxious. I found it helpful.*
*149 is something I will keep in mind whenever I am overly anxious. I found it helpful.*
February 20, 2018
So I haven't exactly looked through the whole thing but I can tell you that it's a little pretentious lol, but you can't expect much more from a Hollywood teen who's only lived I don't know 16 years? She acts pretentiously wise and experienced for her age in the book but hopefully Rowan looks back on it twenty years later and realizes how really arrogant it is. But hey, nice attempt! Stick to acting for now.
February 19, 2018
There's nothing like raw teenage emotions. This really got to me.
May 31, 2023
a quick and easy read :)
April 5, 2018
3.0 out of 5 stars
I think Rowan is a wonderful human and have always admired her for coming out as a young girl and dealing with all the opinions others forced upon her after that. So I was excited to read this since she published this. However I was let down a bit with this for a couple reasons.
First of all some entries were hard to read. Secondly, there were some words utilized in a couple of the entries that I personally hate when others utilize such as c*nt and n*gger especially in journaling and day to day life (which was when both were utilized) so that took away from the book for me. Third of all. The entries included, while not all came from Rowan herself, sounded as though they were trying to hard to be too pretentious and all knowing but since this is supposed to come from a "teen life in general" it seemed a bit much which took away from the book in general.
So while I enjoyed being able to support Rowan and will continue supporting her, I'm feeling like this book was leaning more towards the miss side of hit or miss although the protest story was cool and did bring the raising up from the two stars I almost gave it
I think Rowan is a wonderful human and have always admired her for coming out as a young girl and dealing with all the opinions others forced upon her after that. So I was excited to read this since she published this. However I was let down a bit with this for a couple reasons.
First of all some entries were hard to read. Secondly, there were some words utilized in a couple of the entries that I personally hate when others utilize such as c*nt and n*gger especially in journaling and day to day life (which was when both were utilized) so that took away from the book for me. Third of all. The entries included, while not all came from Rowan herself, sounded as though they were trying to hard to be too pretentious and all knowing but since this is supposed to come from a "teen life in general" it seemed a bit much which took away from the book in general.
So while I enjoyed being able to support Rowan and will continue supporting her, I'm feeling like this book was leaning more towards the miss side of hit or miss although the protest story was cool and did bring the raising up from the two stars I almost gave it
February 24, 2018
I wasn't particularly excited to read this book seeing as I'm not very familiar with Rowan Blanchard's work. I was, however, surprised by how much I resonated with Blanchard's entries. I wouldn't say that Blanchard's experience reflects that of all teens today (she is an outspoken activist), but she did write about experiences that I can relate to. It felt very personal, yet her entries didn't feel like one in a million.
May 17, 2018
The style of this book is a fantastic idea - I love reading the diary of others, stepping into someone else’s shoes and trying to understand what they are living. This book left me wanting - wanting more depth and story. I felt like I had uncontrollable ADHD while reading this. Although I picked this book up because of the concept and how much I loved the idea, I didn’t LOVE the book itself. There were a few pages that I felt deeply, but most just didn’t have enough substance to grab onto.
December 9, 2019
Dollar Tree find.
This book tricked me with pretty pictures and mixed media which is usually entirely up my alley but the writing was awful. Admittedly the author was quite young when she wrote it, but it just screams being a teenager and trying to write prose while thinking you're so deep and witty. But you're not.
This book tricked me with pretty pictures and mixed media which is usually entirely up my alley but the writing was awful. Admittedly the author was quite young when she wrote it, but it just screams being a teenager and trying to write prose while thinking you're so deep and witty. But you're not.
March 15, 2018
4.75⭐️
I love Rowan Blanchard and what she fights for so I wanted to pick this up. Finished it quickly and this was beautiful. The collection her poems, diary entries, photos and other contributors entries together was beautiful! Read this if you aren’t sure what to read.
I love Rowan Blanchard and what she fights for so I wanted to pick this up. Finished it quickly and this was beautiful. The collection her poems, diary entries, photos and other contributors entries together was beautiful! Read this if you aren’t sure what to read.
February 28, 2018
She needs to just go be a teenager. 🤷🏻♀️
May 1, 2018
eh, the emo 16 yr old me would have loved this book, but this just seemed like a collection of tumblr posts tbh.
March 27, 2018
This is the type of book my younger queer self would have needed to read. Now that I'm older, it's a little less impactful, but still beautiful.
April 8, 2018
Great for the intended age group but once you’ve past the phase of self discovery and move on to the phase of survival it loses its appeal lol
August 9, 2020
i find it both impressive and terrifying that a sixteen year old wrote this.
May 29, 2018
PERSONAL RESPONSE
I loved reading Still Here . It was very interesting to read about other people’s perspectives in the world. It made me realize that even though I live a very different life than some of these famous people, I still deal with the same problems as them. I could strongly connect to many of the passages. I also loved how deep this book was. I reread pages many times to try and fully understand what that particular author was trying to say. All in all, I do not have any criticisms for this book.
PLOT
Still Here represented the journey everyone makes when they “grow-up." It followed a basic chronological order. At the beginning, most of the passages were written when these teens were middle school aged. As the book went on, the ages got older. Each author wrote about their own hardships. Throughout the book, they would write about their frustration with these hardships. Most of Still Here consisted of a lot of negativity. Every teen was, simply, mad at the world. It was not until the last few pages that this book showed a little positivity, because each individual had finally overcame their own hardships.
RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend Still Here to any teen who is not the stereotypical “perfect, rich, straight, white, American.” I feel that many teens would be able to connect to the difficulties the authors go through in this book. I also believe that teens would be the best age group for this book, because that is the age in which most people find themselves.
CHARACTERIZATION
Still Here consisted of a lot of characterization, as it basically tells the story of individuals growing up. At the beginning of the book, every individual was upset and confused. Their personalities were changing, and they did not understand why. They started only focusing on the hate the world was giving them. Lots of their journal entries turned into rants, and they stayed like that for a while. Finally, towards the end of the book, every individual became confident in who they were.
I loved reading Still Here . It was very interesting to read about other people’s perspectives in the world. It made me realize that even though I live a very different life than some of these famous people, I still deal with the same problems as them. I could strongly connect to many of the passages. I also loved how deep this book was. I reread pages many times to try and fully understand what that particular author was trying to say. All in all, I do not have any criticisms for this book.
PLOT
Still Here represented the journey everyone makes when they “grow-up." It followed a basic chronological order. At the beginning, most of the passages were written when these teens were middle school aged. As the book went on, the ages got older. Each author wrote about their own hardships. Throughout the book, they would write about their frustration with these hardships. Most of Still Here consisted of a lot of negativity. Every teen was, simply, mad at the world. It was not until the last few pages that this book showed a little positivity, because each individual had finally overcame their own hardships.
RECOMMENDATION
I would recommend Still Here to any teen who is not the stereotypical “perfect, rich, straight, white, American.” I feel that many teens would be able to connect to the difficulties the authors go through in this book. I also believe that teens would be the best age group for this book, because that is the age in which most people find themselves.
CHARACTERIZATION
Still Here consisted of a lot of characterization, as it basically tells the story of individuals growing up. At the beginning of the book, every individual was upset and confused. Their personalities were changing, and they did not understand why. They started only focusing on the hate the world was giving them. Lots of their journal entries turned into rants, and they stayed like that for a while. Finally, towards the end of the book, every individual became confident in who they were.
May 13, 2018
Beautiful, heart warming and easily interpreted to fit what you need in life right now. I am grateful for artists, and the power of art to make people feel less alone. We rarely talk about the pain of growing up as a concrete idea. We are more than just a source of the older generations’ amusement or an outlet for complaining. This book shows the ups and downs of learning, growing, firsts and lasts in an artistic way. I am not sure how older individuals will take this, but I turned the last page feeling less alone. The images and artistic design filled me with warmth, and the prose helped me understand that while my experience as a teen is wholly my own, the teen experience as a collective is challenging and heart breaking, but outlined in strength and bundled in resilience.
March 28, 2018
3.5*
This was a very powerful novel. I loved the message it gave, and I really loved the journal format, but I also had quite a few issues with it.
In some of the entries, the handwriting was really small, and difficult to read. It took me a while to, finally, get used to reading the reeeeaaaallllyyyy small handwriting.
I was also not a huge fan of the "poetry" in this novel. I didn't fully understand the metaphors, and reading the poetry just wasn't that enjoyable.
Overall I would say that I liked this novel.
This was a very powerful novel. I loved the message it gave, and I really loved the journal format, but I also had quite a few issues with it.
In some of the entries, the handwriting was really small, and difficult to read. It took me a while to, finally, get used to reading the reeeeaaaallllyyyy small handwriting.
I was also not a huge fan of the "poetry" in this novel. I didn't fully understand the metaphors, and reading the poetry just wasn't that enjoyable.
Overall I would say that I liked this novel.
February 19, 2018
Personally, I have loved Rowan Blanchard since I first saw her on the show Girl Meets World as a child. Now that I have slowly progressed into my teenage years, I see Rowan as the person she is. This book was amazing and it is now my sort of teenager handbook. It talks about feelings like love and anger and just understands me. I recommend this book for all teenage girls like me just trying to get through life.
February 18, 2018
I love Rowan so much and I am so glad I was able to get this book so soon. She is such an important role model to me even though she is younger than me. She’s such a wonderful person. I love this book and I want to read it again and again.
Want to read
September 22, 2017So hyped for this!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 122 reviews