It's just so wonderful to see the combination of major events with little personal ones. One entry read "President Nixon resigned; made an appointment to get my hair cut." I've already returned the book to the library, so I can't quote much more than that, but there were hundreds of entries that I just adored. Dozens of them had me nodding to myself and thinking "I know exactly what she means" and "I thought I was the only one who'd ever thought that." I was astounded that anyone else had ever had that crazy urge and fear to put their hand down the running disposal. "Washing food down the disposal is like standing on the edge of a cliff," she says, "which naturally makes you think about jumping off." Exactly!

She captures the ups and down of being a teenager perfectly; it really is the kind of journal you can imagine any teenager, yourself or one you know, writing. One day it's "Everything is wonderful" and the next "I'm just so depressed." She struggles to get along with her parents, desperate for their praise, but also just wanting to be alone. No one understands how very important it is that she make the dance team (made all to evident when her sister suggests she not try out and help their pregnant mother more). And there are boys, of course. She's very pretty (although she doesn't seem to think so); she is also devoutly religious, of her own accord beginning in middle school, and that's a bit aggravating to several of her boyfriends. She's an excellent student and bothered that the teachers hassle her when she's already acing all her classes. By the end of the book, she is anxious to go away to college, to get a new start, and to find new friends.

Read my complete reivew at: http://everydayreading.blogspot.com/2007/08/miss-american-pie-diary-of-love-secrets.html