I finished reading this book last week, but wanted to take the time to digest what I’d read. I’m still not sure how to respond to the book. Having read the three follow-up essays in the novel, I have a better understanding of the time period, the groundbreaking place this book earned, and the seeming timelessness of the book and the story.
Written in the late 1960s and published just months before the infamous Stonewall Riots, I’ll Get There. It Better Be Worth The Trip. was a quiet force for change in young adult literature. It was one of the first young adult books, if not the first, to deal with homosexuality. And I felt it did so with a softness and quaintness that is often missing in the hyper-sexual hyper-hormonal way in which teen sexuality comes across in today’s media.
I’ve wanted to read this for quite a few years. I grew up fascinated by the Star Wars universe. I can confidently say, whether I would or not is another question, I have probably read all Star Wars novels released prior to 2003. And probably owned 90% of them.
This novel/memoir completely surprised me. I knew of the controversy, but managed to avoid knowing anything else about the novel. Regardless of whether this novel/memoir is falsified or true (Frey has admitted that it was embellished), I think more people should read it. I thought James Frey provided an interesting and intimate look into the life of an addict, whether it was fabricated or not, I still think it was a beautiful story. His writing style took a while to get used to, but over-all it didn’t take anything away from the story.