How I Changed My Life

Soundview High #1

by Todd Strasser

Overweight high school senior Bo decides to change her image while working on the school play with a former star football player who is also struggling to find a new identity for himself

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Childrens, Teen, Humor

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1995

About the author

Todd Strasser is an American author of more than 130 novels for adults, young-adults, and middle graders.

His most recent novel is Summer of '69

Booklist review: "Drugs, sex, and rock 'n' roll, those hallmarks of the summer of 1969, are all here, but there's so much more. In this loosely autobiographical novel, Strasser introduces 18-year-old Lucas, who is bright and sensitive but also a screw up…. The picture painted of the Woodstock music festival shows the dark side of peace and love, and the prevalence of drugs is on almost every page…The best part of the book, however, is the one that transcends eras: Lucas' introspection as he contemplates his place in the world."

Kirkus review: "Strasser perfectly captures the golden haze of youth and life on the cusp of adulthood. Readers fascinated with this time period will find much to enjoy... Vietnam, Woodstock, road trips, and acid trips: a sweetly bittersweet, surprising, even melancholy bildungsroman set against a world in flux. Groovy, man."

His most recent young adult novel is Price of Duty:
2018 New York Public Library Best Book for Teens
“Compact and suspenseful, the novel raises important questions about war.” – Kirkus 
“This thought-provoking book is both welcome and imperative.” – Booklist * (starred review).
"Rather than attempting to sway the reader, it offers awareness." - VOYA 
“Tightly wound and compelling ... appropriate for an older middle school and high school audience. VERDICT: Highly recommended.” – School Library Journal 

Bio: Todd was born in New York City. When he was young his parents moved to Roslyn Heights, New York (Long Island). Todd went to the I.U. Willets Elementary school and then attended the Wheatley School for junior high and high school. His best subjects were math and science. He also liked to read, but he had trouble with spelling and grammar, and didn't do well in English. His favorite sports were tennis, skiing and fishing. Todd went to college at New York University for a few years, and then dropped out. He lived on a commune, then lived in Europe where he was a street musician.

All the while, Todd wrote songs and poems and lots of letters to his friends back home. Finally he decided to try being a writer. He returned to the United States and went to Beloit College where he studied literature and writing.

After college, Todd worked at the Middletown Times Herald-Record newspaper in Middletown, New York, and later at Compton Advertising in New York City. In 1978, Todd sold his first novel, Angel Dust Blues. He used the money to start the Dr. Wing Tip Shoo fortune cookie company. For the next 12 years, Todd sold more fortune cookies than books.

Todd now divides his time between writing books and speaking at schools and conferences. When he's at home, he likes to spend time with his children and dog, Cooper. He still likes to play tennis and ski, but his favorite new sport is surfing.

Reviews

[Kaythari · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about romance.Don't read it if you don't like romance book. It's about a girl secretly in love with a guy who already have a girlfriend. I feel and stupid and ashamed for her. I don't even know why she would like a guy who don't even know her that close. At the end , she goes all crazy because she though that guy becomes to fall for her. I don't recommend to anyone unless you like to read about romance.

[Alissa Somjak · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bo Vine is hidden in the background behind every school performance. She is sick of being stuck in the shadows. She cuts her hair, looses some weight, and grabs the attenion of Kyle, the senior football star who is out on injury. Can she really change this fast? Is it really worth it ?

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. I have at least read this like a million times. I really want to read the other one he has, but i haven't been able to find it.

[Fiona · Rating 3 out of 5]

At least read this 15 times. The humor is real and I laughed way a lot in this!

[Jobey · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as YA slice-of-teenage-life books go, this is superb. A story with off-beat humor and razor-sharp observations of what makes its little high school tick.

One of the neatest aspects of the book is that it has two main characters, teenagers whose lives are changing (not least of all because high school is ending and they have to start thinking about post-school reality). They're very different:

Bo is a smart, dowdy wallflower who manages the school play every year who struggles with self-esteem, where she fits in, resenting the perfect Chloe Frost (academic superstar and extracurricular queen; we all know the type). She can really turn a phrase, which helps with her snarky commentary.

Kyle--said Chloe's perfect boyfriend--is now a burnout, a former jock whose knee injury has ruined his self-image as well as his only plan for the future, which was to get scouted and make the big-time. Now he's (let's face it) a not-too-bright kid with no future.

These two turn out to have quite a bit in common and their growing friendship helps them both in different ways. But the story doesn't go at all the way you're expecting. (I don't think the commenter below who complained that it's nothing but a romance novel actually got much more than halfway through it.) This is a mold-breaker.

The above aspects, plus its excellent supporting cast of characters, make Todd Strasser's clever look at senioritis and starting to GROW UP a true original. If you come across it, do not miss out.

[Miriam Villarreal · Rating 4 out of 5]

The question “What is to be attained from this book”, can differ depending on the person but the main lesson evoked is “Don’t be afraid to try. Don’t be afraid to fail.Don’t be afraid to color your hair.Try to understand where people are coming from. Don’t forget that most people are good at heart. And if you hate your name, change it.” (229. I could incorporate this in any future situations I may have, that may include a change in myself, others, and my surroundings. The change of name, Bo decides to make is not to be taken literally because she hated her name Bolivia, but because she understood that if you don’t like the person you are/you are becoming; never be afraid to change your name. Meaning change the thing you are known for. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone in high school encountering situations that may seem to have no solution to them will enjoy this book.How I change my Life focuses on how to handle change and how to always stay true to ourselves, because sooner or later we will be credited for our hard work. “Our stage manager! she shouted to the audience.The applause surged. And what was really sweet was that Mr. Goodrich and the actors and actresses all turned and applauded too. For that one moment they were all cheering for me. Finally.”(218) This shows that though we may be going through so much trouble and making many sacrifices yet we aren't credited for our work, we soon will be given credit for it. It also shows that we as teens may be caught up in all our worries but at the end of the day should focus on the benefits our hard work will bring us.My rating of four out of five shows that I enjoyed not only what was evoked from this book but the humor of it.Personally, I feel like the book could've worked on minor details on the ending, and not making it so obvious what was going to happen which was him not being interested in her. Although this book could have had minor changes to make it more interesting and get the reader wondering more, it was a great book that surely caught my attention.

[Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Todd Strasser is one of my favorite young adult authors. He mixes realism with some humor, and here he begins a series of companion novels--all centering around a specific group of high school friends, but you don't have to read the books in order. This shows that even old guys can effectively show the teenage mind.

This is my second time through this book and I appreciate it even more this time around. Strasser can do serious teen novels such as Angel Dust Blues, his first novel and which dealt with teen drug use and it's consequences or Can't Get There from Here dealing with street life on the New York streets for teen runaways. Or the lighter side like this one or the two other titles in the Time Zone High novels: Girl Gives Birth to Own Prom Date and How I Spent My Last Night on Earth. Even though these books have a lither tone they deal with real teen issues--acceptance, change, fear, seeking approval, fighting parents, looking for love and many other things.

Here we have Bolita (Bo) Vine whos is a stage manager extraordinaire who's developing a crush on the former star quarterback, Kyle--benched because of a knee injury. The school is doing the play the Diary of Anne Frank, and the he's playing opposite his girlfriend who's Anne. Bo decides to make some changes, loses some weight, changes her hair and soon new worlds and experiences open to her.

Strasser looks at a myriad of things with a deft and deep understanding without adding any heaviness. The story is punctuated by lots of wry humor as well.

[Rakisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kyle blew out is knee and can no longer play football. With interest in nothing else, he is floating through senior aimless and on the verge of being left back. Bo was always the chubby girl who knew her role as wallflower and played her position. That is until she lost weight. Suddenly, Kyle and Bo are at a crossroads. Do they take a chance to change or stay on the road they've been traveling and not upset the status quo? When they do decide to try something new, they face the wrath and the confusion of their friends and family who prefer to keep them in their current social box.

This is the best Young Adult novel I've read year although it was published in 1995. The morale of the story is so heavy, but it is told lightly without losing it's punch. Told in alternating points of view, the story was readable, funny, adorable, quick and even a little emotional. (I did get choked up in the end). Although the book has a very girlie cover, it is perfect for both boys and girls. It is realistic fiction that is not depressing.

[Liang.xinqi123 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learn people now at days falls under pressure to change how they feel and look because they don't like what they see in the mirror. In the book, a girl want to lose weight because she feel that she is overweight. She spends hours swimming the in the pool everyday. She change her hair completely and she even fall for a new guy. She started to put on more makeup. Plus,she became less shy and started to talk to more people. The book is also about a guy.He injured his leg and now he can't play football anymore. He was the star quarterback. When the girl and the boy started to meet each other. The girl fall over head for him but the boy is not as interested in her as she is for him.Also the girl helped in the school play at her school which the boy's girlfriend was in. The book is basically about how the girl and boy meet and how they started to get to know each other better.This book is good I would want to recommended it to my friends.

[Lexine · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like the story coz it really happens in real life. When Bo likes Kyle she has done everything to change herself just to notice by kyle. We really do everything for love, to be noticed but still it is not enough. I really like the ending part it says that "Life is mysterious. who knows why we fall in love with who we fall in love with, or what we can and can't do if we put our minds to it. If i've learned one thing from all this, it's never to put limits on myslef again. you have to try new things. you can hate failure, but you mustn't let the fear of it paralyze you."

Don't let fear conquer you, try new things that you have never done before, don't be afraid to try, don't be afraid to fail, take a risk. :DD

[Tripleguess · Rating 2 out of 5]

I picked this book up because the cover was cute and it was out on a table for free. To my shock, it actually had some substance to it. Not earth-shaking, not a keeper; but it was worth the fifteen minutes or so it took me to get from cover to cover.

I did want to shake Bo when she forced a certain issue later in the book... I know it's all the rage these days for girls to make the first move, but IDIOTS! If the guy is into you he'll let you know. Make him do the risk-taking. Keep your self-respect and maybe a little of that old-fashioned mystique.

Not anywhere near as shallow, sappy or stupid as I've come to expect from YA school books.

[EAL · Rating 2 out of 5]

The characters were far too cliche, and Bo's character development was directly linked to her weight loss. That can be interpreted in two ways: 1, that the only way to become confident is to be physically beautiful, or 2, that her physical metamorphosis was just symbolizing her internal change. The conclusion was satisfying in that it was realistic rather than contrived, but the end (as in the last chapter) dragged on. It was not horrible, but I'd only recommend it as indulgence reading.

[Lo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the "Time Zone" books Strasser wrote and it's adorable. It tells the story of Dee Vine (a character seen in "How I created the perfect promdate/Girl Gives Birth to own promdate/Drive me Crazy") and her quest for acceptance by her peers. It is told in alternating chapters between Nerdy Dee and football player Kyle.

[Emily Polito · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a really amazing book. There is a story of Bo Vine a girl who was invisable for her whole life. She loses some weight and starts wearing makeup and really cared about her apperance her senior year. Soon the star quaterback, Kyle, begins to notice her and she thinks they are falling in love. Only there is a probalem Kyle has a premodona girlfriend. Will this create a problem for Bo?

[704evin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very good book. Although it may not look like it on the cover. But you know what they say: "Don't judge a book by it's cover." This was a book about a misfit girl changes her image, puts some make-up on, changes her hair and everything. Soon, she draws the attention of a popular jockey at her school who has been benched due to an injury. A must read.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this was an excellent book to read at the time of my life that I did - for teenagers, this book can teach a lot. I loved the characters and found them very deep, even the ones that didn't need to be.
Even though the book is cheesy, I found it had a lot of good messages that came through when I read this.

[Anayeli · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book once I began to read I couldn't stop. It has some plot twist and isn't just a love story it's so much more. It can teach you a lot of things and its quite interesting of a book. The two characters believe their so different but once they start to actually get to know each other they figure out maybe their not so different after all.

[Lizzy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Follows two Seniors in high school who re-think the directions they're taking. Kyle decides to try a school play and learns to live with his step-mom and half-brother after a career ending football injury. Bo decides to start losing weight and become more sociable.

[Kayla · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book,was ok.i do not know why,but i like women authors better.I have not found one male author that has interested me.Todd Strasser came really close.I thought this was a typical conflict of books.Man vs.Self.With the bully, girl he likes but does not know,etc.

[Megan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was inspirational! I loved it! I think that every girl can relate to Bo. She wanted to change her life and she did. Bo is the kind of person who is independant and fagile. I can really relate to her.

[Kiley Drummond · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very interesting because their were two different point of views of high school, one of a popular has-been football player, and a close to nobody stage manger, who some how link together.

[Ayana Myles · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is about a person called todd who doesnt do so well in school mostly because the person doesnt do their own hw and because the student doesnt play football anymore they sunk to the bottom of their class\school popularity

[Femy · Rating 4 out of 5]

i like that her name is Bo Vine.

[Pauline]

Not a bad insight into the teenage mind.

[Battery · Rating 4 out of 5]

whoo hoo! exciting book! i like the two different points of view. it's really funny.

[Brooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved this book. It rocked the house!!

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shallow but good for a boring day when you want to read cheast teen fiction!

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

good book read it fast!!

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

How I Changed My Life by Todd Strasser (2004)

[Jules♥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I lved this book!