Sinopsis
Having grown up on stories of her mother's wild youth in California, Elena Berg relocates from New England to the Bay Area in 2011 for a placement as an English teacher with Teach for America. Once there, she is eager to inspire a love of poetry and literature in her diverse but underprivileged students. Her own grandfathera Holocaust survivorwas a storyteller and teacher who touched the lives of his students for years to come. Elena's mother followed in his footsteps, leaving behind the hippie lifestyle of her twenties to become a university professor.
But Elena quickly finds herself feeling disconnected from teaching, unable to inspire her students, and before long, she grows disillusioned with her career. She transitions to a role in an education technology startupthough she questions her decision, her motivations, and her values.
Coming of age between the Occupy and #MeToo movements and against the backdrop of the 2016 election and California's...
Reseñas Varias sobre este libro
I just finished this book and wished I could read more.
It was one of those books where I would tell myself I was only going to read one chapter and then 4 chapters later I would look up.
In general I fiction books that are both beautifully written (where it feels a poet is writing a long form novel) and super engaging. I don't to be bored and I don't to be talked down to. This book checked all my boxes.
It is a gorgeous tribute to poetry, to young adulthood, to idealism and sinking into reality, to the Bay Area, and so much more. I love that there is romance but it's not the center of the book. I love the portrayals of complex intergenerational relationships, of startup culture, and of how the Bay Area has changed.
There is just so much in this book that I imagine many people will relate to.2 s Andrew Gordon-Kirsch2
Just finished an advanced copy. Love so much about it, including depictions of east bay haunts, gorgeous imagery, and both subtle and direct nods to the authors life. Do yourself a solid: get this book. 1 Evelyn377 16
What is a place you love? I am fascinated with the state of California, both its colorful history and chaotic present, so when I was gifted a copy by @booksparks of Noa Silvers upcoming novel I was elated. Synopsis in comments.
As someone who first visited the state with the rose colored glasses of all that I had read about its glory days, seeing the sometimes darker version of what it has become sometimes left me saddened. I could relate to Elenas reactions. What really interested me about this novel was Elenas personal coming of age story and how it would intersect and overlap with that of her mothers. The complicated family dynamic made for an interesting and complex read. And while this book examines much of Californias troubled recent history it is also a love letter to the Bay area with beautiful imagery of its unique attributes
Silver is a beautiful writer with each line meticulously crafted. She has the precision of a poet. There were numerous times I would just sit and reread a particularly beautiful passage. A wonderfully well done coming of age story with an emphasis on place and family. Sara1,387 84
You know, at first I thought I was reading a real memoir. The author's voice was clearly coming through loudly here. This is a coming-of-age story in which a daughter is overly impacted by her own mother's coming of age. The stages of life that the daughter goes through are filled with apt cliche's of just what life is for a privileged but daring young woman. Silver writes descriptions quite well and this makes it so easy to draw a picture in your mind as you read. Do we the characters are not? In the end it is a slice-of-life story of one young woman. I was hoping the time frame would extend into the pandemic to see how she handled that new challenge, but sadly the book ended before we got there. It's an interesting read and the writing is exquisite in many sections of the book.
Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of this book. I will be curious to see what else the author writes. Susan Ballard1,819 74
As I dove into this book, I was drawn in by its effortless prose, which immediately engaged me in the story. Its a unique blend of a love letter to California and a young womans quest for meaning and self-discovery.
It walks through hot topics such as abortion, the Occupy and #metoo movements, politics, and even the wildfires burning.
I loved all the literature references and appreciated that the main character, Elena, respected her grandfather, a Jewish Holocaust survivor who became a teacher. Elena also becomes a teacher but is unfulfilled with it and joins an education technology start-up company.
There is romance intertwined within the plot, but I didnt feel it was the focal point. Elena's struggle to find her place and her determination to stand up for what she believes in an ever-changing political and societal climate is the heart of this story.
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