Red: Teenage Girls in America Write On What Fires Up Their Lives Today

by Amy Goldwasser (Editor)

?Unsparingly frank and perceptive? ( Vanity Fair ) personal essays by teenage girls .

For every teen girl who thinks she?s alone, and every adult who?s dared to try to figure her out, comes this eye-opening collection in the spirit of New York Times bestseller Ophelia Speaks . In Red , fifty-eight girls?ranging in age from thirteen to nineteen, and writing from across the spectrum of geographic, socioeconomic, racial, and religious upbringings?share ?heartbreaking, hilarious, and often harrowing? (Francine Prose) essays about everything from politics to pop culture; from post-Katrina New Orleans to Johnny Depp; from the loneliness of losing a best friend to the loathing or pride they feel about their bodies.

The authors of Red are brave and honest documentarians of their own lives. These girls are the best shades of red (not pink): a little bit angry, a lot passionate. They?re on fire, and their essays speak gloriously for the future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Essays, Short Stories, Feminism, Gender, Womens, Sociology

288 pages, Paperback

First published November 8, 2007

Reviews

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'M BIASED OKAY? Little just barely 14 year old me writes a creepy essay about Stephen Colbert, missing the whole point of Truthiness at the time, in only like, 2 hours and then it gets published and HAUNTS ME FOREVER. Better things about this book: all the wonderful ladies I met through it, who are just wonderful and great and so very very talented.

[Erica Schickerling · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this book was very interesting and intriguing. Essentially it was neat to understand the perspectives girls had on all different topics. There were some girls who felt the same as each other, and others viewed the topic the exact opposite. I could relate to most of the stories and experiences in this book like school and friends. It is interesting to know that a lot of other girls my age share the same feelings as me. Overall I thought this was an amazing book and every girl should read it at least once to know they are not alone. I'm sure everyone could relate to at least one thing in this book, and that's why it is so great.

[Adele · Rating 4 out of 5]

I admit to buying this book as I knew that both Jordyn and Jocelyn were contributors. I would have bought it anyway as the whole concept intrigued me, as did the idea that it has been made almost immediately available on Australian shelves.

I loved this book as it was so affirming of the many different events (big and small) that we survive as teenagers. Technology has made life even more complicated for teenagers but essentially we have all had to muddle through the same experiences to varying degrees of suckage.

Of the contributions that struck me the most...

Mascara Wands Are Instruments of War - Jordyn's essay covers how the most innocuous of words from one's mother can pierce your heart. This was an immensely personal read for me. Her honesty about how much her mother's words cut to the core, her admission that her words might have the same affect back and an overarching sense of humour made this an emotional and smile invoking reflection.
Sleeves - Amy Hunt's insight into becoming invisible was heart wrenching awesome. She brilliantly gave insight into what it is like to be the fat girl. What it's truly like to go shopping, to hide behind online communication and suffer the slings and arrows of bullying. Essentially this essay boils down to the fear of being alone, a universal fear, one that unites us all.
Lucky - Caro Fink's essay is hard to read. It encompasses her dealings with sexual identity, cutting and self-acceptance. Her words are touching, moving and inspiring because she's been so honest, so real, so unfiltered. And yet there is a sense of hope that I felt stayed with me. I need for her to be still in that place of luck.

There are many contributions that stuck with me but to talk about them all would be way too time consuming. I would definitely recommend buying it as I felt like part of a sisterhood as these girl's words washed over me. Plenty of congratulations need to be sent Amy Goldwasser's way for choosing such a vast array of well written, insightful and humorous pieces on the teenage condition. Lastly, I would like to offer the contributors of this collection a big hug and much applause for being brave in revealing so much of themselves so as to positively affect others.

[Rosianna · Rating 4 out of 5]

What struck me most about Red was that I'd be reading touching stories that made me smile one minute and be in tears the next. But the honesty, oh the honesty. Terrific. Only reason it's not five stars is because there were one or two stories that subjectively, I didn't love. I could see people who would, so that's okay.

It's definitely worth buying a copy.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I needed a new book to read for independent reading, I saw this book in my locker and knew that it belonged to my locker partner, Alison. I asked her if she liked it and she said that it was a pretty good book, so I decided to read it. When I began reading it, I realized that it was a compilation of short stories/essays written by American teenagers from around 13-16 years old. I immediately started enjoying each real life story, which ranged from topics such as body image to dealing with tough family relationships to love. Each story was very unique in the individual girl's perspective, and I found it quite enjoyable to read stories that were written by girls close to my age. I am always hard on myself after I write a story or essay because I begin to get doubtful about if the piece of writing is my best work. I find it very courageous for these girls to agree to input their own writing into a published piece of literature and admire them for this action because I know that for me, it would not be so easy. Also, I was surprised at how well-structured, grammatically correct and flowing these stories were because they were not written by well-known and published authors but by normal and ordinary American teenagers. I especially enjoyed the stories written in the section entitled " People You Have to Live with and Other Family" because it reminded me of the hard times dealing with members of my own family, especially my younger sibling. Altogether, this book of stories was very descriptive, detailed and likable and made me want to continue to read every story following the one I was currently reading.

[Anja · Rating 4 out of 5]

The idea of this book is really cool. Young girls writing about- whatever they like. It really is awesome. There are many amazing writers in this book writing about things every young girl has to go through. There are funny stories that made me laugh out loud. There are sad stories that are hard to read because they are truth. There is something for everyone in this book. There is such a diversity of writing and topics it makes it more fun to read. My favorite of these stories is called Mini Mountain. My friend Mini (Kirsten) wrote it, and it's amazing! She wrote about me in to my surprise! I still would've liked this book if I wasn't in it. I think it is something that all young women should read because it is a true testimony that young girls can write (very very well) and it shows that we all go through the same things. Amy Goldwasser, the editor, did a great job choosing which stories to include and which to not. She chose a great group, spanning across many issues and topics. I recommend it to all young girls!

[Grace Inorio · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading Red. Since it is a compilation of many different pieces from many different young teenage authors, it didn't seem like a Non-Fiction book. It was very relatable and unpredictable which I thought helped to improve the quality. With so many different types of stories and writing styles it was easy to find more than one essay that I liked. One aspect of this book that I did not like, was that some of the girls did not give a clear conclusion to their writing. Some of the authors ended the story without explaining what happened or what the outcome was. I wish that more of the girls gave a more complete explanation to further intrigue readers. I would recommend this book to other teenage girls, even if they do not particularly like Non-Fiction books. It is easy to read and relate to and is sure to have a story for everyone. This book definitely deserves five stars and I would be happy to see another book like this be released.

[Stephanie Chengary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Red is a great book because you get to read about different girls of different ages and their views on certain topics. I really enjoyed reading this book because I could relate to some of the stories. I thought it was very cool to see how people live their lives and have different problems than me. However, something's the stories got boring and redundant over time. I felt that some stories were kind of unnecessary to the book and some very either too long or too short. I would recommend this book to teenage girls anywhere form the age of twelve to eighteen because many different aged girls shared their stories.

[Cassidy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Being an anthology, it is very difficult to rate Red, but I definitely appreciate the talent of many of these teen writers. I also loved the idea of red versus pink- rawness and passion versus stereotypical teenybopper fluff. The variety of voices would allow just about anyone to find a little of themselves in this book.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't say enough good things about about RED. Let's listen to what girls have to say about their lives. And let's start with this book.

[Avneet · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this collection over a very long period of time and also finished it quite a while ago now so most of my thoughts have vanished from my mind but here's a few things:
1. Meg Cabot's teen thoughts and dialogue in The Princess Diaries is pitch perfect
2. I was reading this when Inside came out, had me thinking a lot about curated performance for teen girls and femmes and how it changed over time.
3. Some truly truly talented writers in here that its interesting to Google and find out that they never became writers
4. One of the threads through this whole collection is that its so clear that this is a group of yound people whose childhood was collectively imprinted by 9/11 - there's a LOT of 9/11 mentions in here
5. Would honestly recommend this to anyone but just the standard cautions apply for the 2007-ness of it all (there is a jarring story towards the end where a girl is just talking about being mad at marginalized people because some of them don't relish in their trauma for show AH! And how jealous she is and wants to have a little bit of trauma too!)

[Devin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was such a beautiful, heartbreaking and vulnerable read! Reading all these accounts of young women and what they are worried about, curious of and what means the most to them. It was such a pleasure to have stumbled upon this book in a thrift shop. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone, granted, it was written a few years ago!! It still holds, though! The same worries, curiosities, interests, and thoughts these young women still hold today. I was continually blown away at how these women wrote, the mature voice they spoke with- something 15-year-old me didn't have at all. These women's' stories are nothing short of inspiring. This isn't my usual read but I'd absolutely recommend it to literally everyone! An absolutely amazing read.

[mrs.hotzman · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a stretch for me; I’ve come to deeply love essay collections but have never ventured outside the realm of literary criticism and commentary. While there were certainly pieces I enjoyed in this book, it was created by younger, less experienced writers. This was also my first time reading a collection of essays by multiple authors, so I found myself frustrated when I would start to enjoy a writers voice and then I would never get to hear it again in the book. Theee stars because I enjoyed most of this book, and genuinely looked forward to picking it up every day.

[lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book is excellent! essays written by teenage girls about the things that matter to teenage girls, all fantastically done. i enjoyed reading it and made some notes of essays that might work for the speech and debate team i coach. it's dated (published in the mid-aughts) at times, but highly enjoyable.

[Lisa Mcbroom · Rating 3 out of 5]

Teenagers write honesty about topics relating today.

[Reese · Rating 3 out of 5]

always interested in what a girl has to say

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Jimenez
Evaluation Criteria
In the book, “Red”, edited by Amy Goldwasser, is a well written book about teenage girls writing about their lives. Most are about their bodies and some others are about their appearance. Some speak strongly about what they’re fighting for and others just speak their minds out. While reading the book, I realize their tone in writing. If they’re angry, to me, they would sound sarcastic and upset about any comments they receive. These girls are all just letting out what they have to say because it’s not healthy keeping it in them and they need to let it out somewhere somehow. All they need is the support they can receive. Based on their tone, I can also live what they’re going through. It’s tough and in my opinion, I find it disturbing.
Amy Hunt is a curious individual and speaks about her life and what she goes through in a depressed and miserable tone. She realizes the mistakes she has made and continues to make along the way but has not found a way to make herself feel safe and secure and accomplished. Amy hangs out with a crowd that is the opposite of her, the crowd she is with can be considered as plastics, and with them she is popular yet miserable. She can't keep up with the other so blames her mom for not having a steady check. Amy speaks about how her mom is a temporary assistant and how she can go weeks without work at times. She says this is a pitiful way although you can tell she cares about her mother more than anything else. Another is how she speaks to herself in her mind she makes it seem as if she is slowly losing her mind. Each inside thought is more dramatic and sounds as its bringing her closer to insanity due to mis believe.
Allison is on a completely different story. She is still depressed and miserable but she is confident on speaking up. She tries and although she doesn't succeed she doesn't give up. Allison is really skinny and her family is concerned always saying she needs meat on her body. Her friends think she is perfect and wish they had bodies like her. Allison is tired and depressed that no matter who she is surrounded with no matter whom it is they still manage to make decisions on her that she can't change. All she wants is to be happy she wants to feel that she is going to make the right choice. The problem she faces though is that no one listens. She is concerned about her weight but doesn't solve it. Not many go through this situation and it is a curious one to see how the individual deals with it. After all everyone having a say in your life except you is hard. She is criticized and hurt but still strong enough to continue her battle against the words being thrown at her from family and friends. Allison has a powerful and summoning tone that can bring a bit of hope into anyone.
In the third essay, “The Jewish Hair”, by the descriptive, Jane Horowitz, it was written in a good manner. In other words, Jane didn’t seem to have a problem with her hair, but she was just explaining in detail of what “Jewish Hair” consists of. While reading this essay, I felt like my hair was completely than hers. Her hair is curly and puffy, while mine are straight and wavy. Overall, her tone in this writing was not in angry tone. She was perfectly fine while writing this, and it sounded like she was just explaining how her hair is and how she feels it makes her feel different in a way.
In conclusion, these girls made me feel somewhat insecure in the beginning, because I know that in this world, I always doubt what other people have to say about me. When people say, “You look beautiful.” I deny it right away. When they say, “You lost weight.” Or “You look skinny.” I don’t really see what they see. Every time it’s the same issue and I just can’t accept it. These girls make me feel like no other, they actually made me think that we girls can be beautiful no matter what we have. Whether it’s about the hair, appearance, or body, we’re all beautiful. Overall, I rate this book a five out of five stars, because first, it touched me and it made me feel like I was living it. Second, because it was well written and it was very descriptive.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a collection of personal essays written by teenage girls from all over the country. There are essays about the body to relationships to identities, and the majority of them are touching. It fascinated me as I read all these truthful stories about what had happened to these girls, from ages 13-19. Some of them were very sad and I was shocked to read them, but some were light-hearted and made me smile. Some of the essays were pages and pages long, to where they just went on and on in my opinion, and some were only a page long, to where I didn't get the significance. But I know that no matter how long or how short they are, there is something hidden deep within it, and that it means a lot to someone.

I am going to point out a specific essay that really stuck with me, called TLC: Three Days by Annie L. This one actually made me cry, it was so sincere. I no longer have the book with me, but I remember that this girl made such a terrible mistake, that her parents no longer wanted custody of her. It was a very touching story, but shocked me that something like this would happen.

There are other essays that shocked me. The places and homes that these girls come from (and write about), the things they go through, the parents they live with, really made me realize how brave these girls are to write about it and share it with the public. They opened my eyes to the real world.

I discovered this book in English class, when our project was to do our own personal essay like in this book. We wrote about something that we cared stongly about, and so I was able to experience what it's like to write like this. I then followed in reading this book (it took me so long to read, since I was reading 4 books at once).

Now don't let the word 'essay' make you think differently of this book -- it's not boring, but instead its filled with many personal essays written by passionate writers, about "what fires up their lives". They are all talented, and I could practically feel their emotions and picture what was happening. This book is definately worth your money, and I plan on buying it soon as well.

[Lindsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection. I'd figured I'd put this back into my bookswap when I finished it, but nothing doing. This one is a keeper.

There are 58 essays about everything under the sun--twinhood, body image, family relationships, Johnny Depp, spelling bees, first crushes, religion and world poverty. The only uniting theme is true essays by girls between the ages of 13 and 19.

Some of the essays are funny. Some of them are heartbreaking. Some are thought-provoking or uncomfortably revealing. Some I didn't enjoy at all. Some of the girls I couldn't relate to at all. But every essay is a piece of another girl's soul, and that is fascinating, comforting, frightening. I rolled my eyes when I read the glowing introduction by the compiler, Amy Goldwasser, the first time. When I read it again after my perspective had changed, and I understand her passion for this daunting project. Sure, it isn't as big and world-changing as maybe she thinks it is, but aren't we all that way with our darlings sometimes?

If you are or ever have been a teenage girl, one of these essays will speak to you and make you feel less alone, less alien, in this world. For me, the healthy, broccoli-salad benefit of this book was in the essays of girls worlds different from me, but the soul-comfort ice-cream-and-apple-pie was when I found me in a stranger.

[Celina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I chose this book because I like books that have multiple stories in them that were all written by different authors and the awesomeness factor was raised by 100 when I realized that every story was a true story written by an average teenage girl. The book as a whole was a collection of stories on all different topics, such as love, family, school, and more. My favorite quote was in a story about a girl who's best friend attempted to commit suicide, but it obviously didn't work. “The last time I saw Kate she was crossing a street, the day before I left town. I turned my head and pretended not to notice her doing the same thing. These are the daily lies that she and I have lived. And the biggest lie of all is that I am here. What kind of a friend am I?” This is my favorite quote because it is so true and people do it all the time to friends they once had. I found each author's writing style very unique and very brave for being able to publish stories about self-harming experiences, attempted suicides, and weight problems without being afraid of being harshly judged by anyone who reads their stories. I highly suggest you read this book because it is such a refreshingly unique book that nobody would read if someone hadn't suggested it.

[Erika · Rating 3 out of 5]

The one good thing I can say about waiting an hour to see my allergist is that I got to finish this book! Having recently become addicted to teenage feminist writings and blogs, I thought this book would pump me up and make me feel great about being a teenage girl. I loved how each entry gave me a new idea of what it's like to be a teenage girl in a different part of America. While girls can relate about hormones and body image and finding friends, there are so many more issues we face that are unique to each individual. Being able to catch a glimpse of new places and people was really fascinating.

While I enjoyed many of the entries in this book, I am only rating it three stars because far more stories than I expected were poorly written and lacking the emotion and voice that the cover advertised. If these girls are the next generation of American writers, I'm hoping they've taken some writing classes since this book was published. The second half was easier to get through than the first, and I took some inspiration from several entries for my own fiction. It wasn't until I got to the author bio at the very end that I noticed the editor is from a city right next to mine. Exciting!

[Alison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another book that I really love for several reasons. The book is composed of dozens of short stories written by teenage girls of various ages. It contains stories about all different types of "girl problems" and things that every girl experiences. For this reason, this book is great because you can read stories from girls across the nation that have gone through something you have as well. Basically this book follows the idea that you're not alone; this book is sort of a great thing because so many girls are self conscious and hard on themselves, but this book seems to eliminate this idea. I also really like this book because there is no specific mood, tone or even writing style because it is a combination of all different types of writing since the stories are short essays! Its also fun to skip around and read different story topics. I really liked this book, and I'd recommend it to any girl in the world because it truly is a universal novel!

[erinbobarin94 · Rating 3 out of 5]

At first I started out really not liking this book. It seemed like the wrong choice to me to start the book out with the collection of essays on body image and beauty, and I started seeing this book as kind of superficial. There isn't really a whole lot of depth to girls discussing what they hate about their hair and what they like about their curves. Then, as the book progressed the stories got better, but there were still a few weird ones in which the author never really lets on what she's talking about completely. While most of the essays I'd say were so-so, there were a few really good pieces mixed in there. My favorite stories were Caro Fink - Lucky, Kathryn Pavia - The Fourth Floor, and Sara Harari - Life Goes up a Wall. This was a good book to read in the context of a Women's Studies class, as it opened us up to discussions over a vast spectrum of issues, but it never seemed as hard-hitting and emotional as, say, Chicken Soup for the Girl's Soul.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full Review Here

As a book with a total of 53 essays, it'd be ridiculous to say I would give 5 golden stars to every essay in this book. Red, as a whole, however, is another story. This is a honest, down-to-earth (and sometimes not so much) essay collection from real teenage girls from all sides of life. I couldn't necessarily relate to every single story in this book so well I was sitting there going "Yes! That is me!" But the internal struggles and hopes and desires to succeed that shine from all of these essays really made that connection. It also helped me understand lives from other perspectives just a little bit better.

Would I recommend this book to everyone? No. I can't really see my father picking up this book and being as inspired by this book as a fifteen year old high school girl would be.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the pieces were good, some were not as good. Some of the writing was fantastic and some of it was flat. I laughed and cried and was inspired to write a little entry of my own.
the review I wrote for my school paper: RED, A collection of narratives written by teenage girls from around the country with subjects spanning crushes to body image to politics. The unique voices of the 58 young women will leave you in tears one page and laughing the next. The potent honesty is the only common denominator between the various stories, making it impossible not to relate to the lives of the writers. While some of the writing is clearly better than others, RED is a worthwhile read for anyone looking for something quick to flip through or a fresh take on the memoir.

[Saskia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm biased, even as I am eternally embarrassed about my contribution to this book. I vividly remember Amy G. saying things at the launch party about how the written word is forever, our stuff would be out there and we couldn't take it back, how she was impressed that we were still committed to publishing our words etc. etc. etc. and thinking "yeah? so what? i'm in a book and this is EXCELLENT!!! i could never regret this!"

I don't regret this, but I am also no longer 16/17 and therefore have a better appreciation of what Amy was getting at all those years ago when she talked about "forever." Also, I watch TV now. Regularly. Sorry, teenage me.

Anyway, I'm in a book, which is super cool! It's dated! This happens!

[Kaitlyn Granato · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked how much I could relate to this book. There were so amny amazing stories in there it was amazing to think that girls younger and a little older than me wrote such inspirational things. It's so amazing to see that these girls can get through so much and still stay strong. They are so courageous and brave. I loved this book though some parts I didn't like reading like when the girls talked about body image and cutting themselves. That kind of stuff makes me uncomfortable though I don't even have that problem. I really enjoyed this book and liked to see that Somme of the things I have a problem with I'm not alone in.

[Shawna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this was an okay book. I did not like how it switched off stories so often. I wish the stories were longer and there were fewer of them. I could have concentrated more and enjoyed the book more. The stories of the girls were very inspiring but also very depressing. Some of the hardships these girls had to overcome were amazing. I enjoyed when a girl in the story accomplished her goal and was very happy. It made me want to keep reading to see what else she might accomplish. I would reccommend this book to girls that want to hear about other girl's hardships throughout their teenage years even if their stories are tough to read at times.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall this was definitely a worthwhile read. It was so refreshing to read writings by 13-18 year olds that didn't contain terminology such as 'lol' 'bff' or 'lmafo'. Thank God...American girls can express their thoughts and feelings without reverting to live journal slang or whatnot. If I was on a college applications committee I would be impressed by some of the honesty and candour of these girls. I thought some of the essays - particularly the one written about a rehab wilderness program in Utah -- were better than others.

[Joaquin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don't think I have much to say on this one. The essays were interesting, but too short and too far-ranging in their topics to have a significant impact on me. I guess I prefer reading collections on specific phenomena (e.g. cutting, eating disorders, gender identity) over something as broad as this, where the 'only' thing the authors had in common was being teenaged girls willing to submit a sample of their non-fiction writing.

But at the same time, I did find myself thinking back to when I was a teenager, and my memory or my experiences with what the authors wrote about.