Review Detail

There are not a lot of memoirs for YA that feel accessible to a broad range of readers. Angela Blount’s memoir grabs your attention from the very first page. The story was engaging till the very end. The way she captures your attention is flawless. As a reader, you feel every emotional up and down she goes through on her travels. I think may young adults and adults will feel a strong connection with the experiences Angeli experiences on her journey cross-country.

As an adult, I felt a strong connection to Blunt’s description of the world post 9/11. I remember a world where we all knew about cells phones, but we didn’t all carry them with us all the time. We relied on landlines and dial up Internet to keep in contact with others. The Internet, email, even Facebook was not available at our fingertips. You could still find a working pay phone at almost every corner and pick up a paper map at a store.

Besides my connections to Angeli’s past, teenagers and young adults can find solace that despite all the issues they face today in a world of cyber bullying and hardship, there is still hope. Angeli’s struggles are similar to many teens today. She has her share of social struggles, not really feeling like she fits in, and is often bullied because of it. She meets other teens who struggle with being different and Angeli starts to realize that she isn’t alone.

This is a great memoir about self-discovery and searching for meaning in life. Angela Blount does a fabulous job depicting real people and the issues many people face even today. I love how each person Angeli meets on her trip, while they have their flaws, are good at heart. They are real. This is a memoir everyone should read.