Something Real by Heather Demetrios

Title: Something Real
Author: Heather Demetrios
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication date: February 4, 2014
Pages: 406
Source/format: Purchased/Hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com): 

Seventeen-year-old Bonnie™ Baker has grown up on TV—she and her twelve siblings are the stars of one-time hit reality show Baker’s Dozen. Since the show's cancellation, Bonnie™ has tried to live a normal life, under the radar and out of the spotlight. But it's about to fall apart . . . because Baker’s Dozen is going back on the air. Bonnie™'s mom and the show's producers won't let her quit and soon the life that she has so carefully built for herself, with real friends (and maybe even a real boyfriend), is in danger of being destroyed by the show. Bonnie™ needs to do something drastic if her life is ever going to be her own—even if it means being more exposed than ever before. 

Heather Demetrios' Something Real is the winner of the Susan P. Bloom PEN New England Discovery Award.

My Thoughts:

Bonnie Baker is finally trying to live a normal life after being on a reality TV show for countless number of years. Under the name Chloe, no one knows she is Bonnie Baker. Things take a turn and a Bakers Dozen is going back on air and Chloe is furious. All she wants is live her own life how she wants to. How can she live her life when cameras are always following her recording every action and every word? She can't even call Patrick Sheldon in privacy.

Heather Demetrios wrote a fabulous book. Not only is the plot line unique but the characters make the book. At first it was hard to remember who is who, but I enjoyed reading the relationships between each Baker. Life for Chloe is a whirlwind. I feel bad for Chloe at times because MetaReel pretty much threatens her that if she doesn't comply to their every whim, it will be her fault for ruining things within her family. It's a lose, lose situation kind of deal.

I am glad her friends don't treat her different just because she is on TV. Tessa, Mer and Patrick are very supportive and are always checking in with Chloe to make sure she is okay. Chloe's brother Benton is also very supportive of her and he has similar feelings to how they are being exploited without permission. On the other hand, Chloe's mom doesn't care about Chloe's feelings. In fact it seems like she doesn't care about anybody's feelings but her own. Beth Baker only cares about herself and the publicity the show is giving the family. Does she care whether Chloe cares if a camera follows her pretty much 24/7? No. Does she care if Chloe can't hang out with her friends in peace? No. I absolutely love the ending. It's perfect. For all the things that Chloe had to put up with her whole entire life, the ending is probably one of my favorite parts of the novel besides the slow burning relationship between Chloe and Patrick.

I loved how Demetrios includes references to Harry Potter and 1984 within the novel. The comparison of 1984's Big Brother to Bonnie's life right now is pretty on par. It's very similar to the Truman Show as well. I read 1984 and watched the Truman Show in my Junior English class in high school. Something Real would make a great addition to an English class which incorporates 1984 into their curriculum as well as an advertising unit.

Alternate Realities: Bringing Fictional Worlds to Life

Image from newburyportliteraryfestival.org

I was fortunate to attend the Alternate Realities: Bringing Fictional Worlds to Life panel at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Newburyport, MA. This was one of the panels at the Newburyport Literary Festival on Saturday, April 25, 2015. The panel was moderated by Robin Brenner, Teen Librarian of the Public Library of Brookline. Avi, Myfanwy Collins, Heather Demetrios and Lori Goldstein spoke at this thought-provoking panel. All of the presenters had very insightful things to say regarding world building, writing from experience and about publishing in general.

First, authors shared some of their favorite books. Demetrios mentioned she loves Little Women and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Goldstein shared her love for Stephen King and Judy Blume. Avi enjoys The Wind and the Willows and Treasure Island.

Creating a world depends on the genre of the book that is going to be written. Realistic contemporary has a different approach than a full blown fantasy. Demetrios was able to create her worlds through sensory memory. For Exquisite Captive, Demetrios was inspired by the Arabian Nights and mentioned how sensory details are important and how culture and mythology helped create the world. She also traveled to Morocco in order add the necessary details for Exquisite Captive. Demetrios mentions how the closer you are to the character, the more you're entering the story through their eyes. You give readers a strong character to empathize with. No one is going to care about a flat character.

Goldstein approached the world building differently. Goldstein focused on what the main character is struggling with. What does the character want in life? Goldstein also wrote a book about genies, Becoming Jinn, but it is more of a contemporary fantasy. Researching about the Middle East and North Africa is crucial as well as researching names. Names have power and are important. Names will lead to other names.

Avi talked about the job of the writer. It is important to pull words of time that the reader will love today. By expressing a difference in place and time, it creates a wonderful story. The job of a writer is to make the words of a book intelligible by using language or details that are self-explanatory. If the language or details are not self-explanatory, it is the writer's job to describe such details. Avi also mentioned how historical fiction and fantasy are similar because of the laws of language. Avi describes how writers spend more time doing research and how the hard work has to appear natural within the book. He claims, "Hard writing makes easy reading. There is nothing you cannot find in books."

The panelists discussed about writing from experience and how it shaped their books. Demetrios said her father has PTSD which led to her to write I'll Meet You There. She mentioned that by having something you care about or are obsessed about, it helps the writing process. Reality TV made her angry and that led to Something Real. Goldstein touched upon the journey about helping someone who is alone. Many teens often feel alone. Subconscious things come out while writing which shapes the story. Avi talks about how you have to "take something you have done and use it. Reinvent what you didn't do and give it life."

For inspiring writers, presenters talked about the publishing industry and how to get published. Demetrios mentions how you need to write a lot. She chose to go with traditional publishing because the book doesn't just become her book; it becomes a book shared between her agent, editor and everyone who pitches in to help the book get published. Goldstein tells the audience to work on the craft. You don't need to know someone in publishing to get your book published. Often the editors will request manuscripts from a slush pile. One thing Goldstein loves is how welcoming and generous the YA community is and I totally agree. I have met so many people through twitter and eventually met some of my twitter friends in person. Avi shared how people want to write but many don't want to learn about the publishing business. He mentions how you have to learn the business side of writing because it's crucial. In terms of publishing now and before, Avi touched upon how publishing is more corporate like and more of a business. The editor/author personal relationship is not there. Publishing is very markety and more competitive than before.

After the panel, book signing occurred in the front of the Unitarian Universalist Church. I enjoyed meeting authors before spending the rest of my afternoon meandering around State Street in Newburyport. If you have a chance to visit Newburyport, MA, I highly recommend it. It's such a cute coastal town with a lot of shops and eateries.

MT @glennhmyers: Avi, Myf, & other inspiring authors speak about creating the world of a novel. @NBPTLitFest pic.twitter.com/DnQIEJUb48
— Newburyport Lit Fest (@NBPTLitFest) April 25, 2015

I'll Meet You There by Heather Demetrios

Title: I'll Meet You There
Author: Heather Demetrios
Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.
Publication date:  February 3, 2015
Pages: 379
Source/format: Purchased/Hardcover

Rating: ☆☆☆

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

If seventeen-year-old Skylar Evans were a typical Creek View girl, her future would involve a double-wide trailer, a baby on her hip, and the graveyard shift at Taco Bell. But after graduation, the only thing standing between straightedge Skylar and art school are three minimum-wage months of summer. Skylar can taste the freedom—that is, until her mother loses her job and everything starts coming apart. Torn between her dreams and the people she loves, Skylar realizes everything she’s ever worked for is on the line. 

Nineteen-year-old Josh Mitchell had a different ticket out of Creek View: the Marines. But after his leg is blown off in Afghanistan, he returns home, a shell of the cocksure boy he used to be. What brings Skylar and Josh together is working at the Paradise—a quirky motel off California’s dusty Highway 99. Despite their differences, their shared isolation turns into an unexpected friendship and soon, something deeper. 

My Thoughts:

I heard great things about I'll Meet You There. For some reason, I could not get into the book as much as I wanted to. The premise of the story sounds intriguing and I was super excited to have my hands on a copy of the book. Maybe I had high expectations about the book. Sometimes if a book is over hyped, I expect more from it. I am glad I give it a chance though. It is not a horrible book. It's maybe not a book for me.

The novel starts with a graduation party after a high school graduation ceremony. Skylar Evans is waiting around for Josh Mitchell. She is super excited that she graduated and she is college bound. However, life takes a turn and things get complicated. With Skylar's dad's death, her mother hasn't been herself. Her mother ends up losing her job and Skylar's dream of leaving Creek View becomes unreal. Josh comes back from Afghanistan not too long ago but with one less limb. He is trying to adjust to life but sometimes life is hard. People don't understand what he went through. They don't understand what he lost. Skylar and Josh have been working at the Paradise Motel for quite awhile. Although they both have their own problems, they are able to share something special between them.

What I like about this novel is how raw and honest the book is. There is no sugarcoating about how life is like for Skylar and Josh. Sure it may be something different than the "average" person's experience of life at age 18 or 19, but this is what life is for some. Not everyone is fortunate from birth or even when they are growing up. Things happen. Life happens.

I see the struggles of high school aged students everyday. I work with low-income and first-generation students. Some students are raised in broken homes, some lose a parent, some barely have enough food to eat everyday. Yet they strive to do something better for themselves. Sure, others may look down upon them for not having certain things. People can live without material things but living without a parent or working a lot in order to help support your family while in school is hard. You can't change that. Kids don't wish that upon themselves. Some of them wish to find a way out of where they live but sometimes it is impossible to leave.

But the reason why I couldn't get into the book is mainly because I couldn't connect to the characters as much as I wanted to. I have a grasp about what their situations are like but maybe it's the way that the novel was written. Some of the profanity can be toned down. There were times where I was bored. There were times I didn't want to finish the book. The book didn't hit me hard as I expected. I understand the content of the story can be uncomfortable to read at times but I have read books with difficult issues and I still felt more connected with the characters from other books. This is a book where you have to read it for yourself to decide whether you love it or not. So far I have not read one bad review about it and I don't want to deter others not to read it just because I didn't love the novel.