Title: Holding Up the Universe
Author: Jennifer Niven
Format: Hardcover
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 400
Date Published: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Date Published: October 4, 2016
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Description:
From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone -- and love someone -- for who they truly are.
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed "America's Fattest Teen." But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game -- which lands them in group counseling and community service -- Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel.... Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.
Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are -- and seeing them right back.
From the author of the New York Times bestseller All the Bright Places comes a heart-wrenching story about what it means to see someone -- and love someone -- for who they truly are.
Everyone thinks they know Libby Strout, the girl once dubbed "America's Fattest Teen." But no one's taken the time to look past her weight to get to know who she really is. Following her mom's death, she's been picking up the pieces in the privacy of her home, dealing with her heartbroken father and her own grief. Now, Libby's ready: for high school, for new friends, for love, and for EVERY POSSIBILITY LIFE HAS TO OFFER. In that moment, I know the part I want to play here at MVB High. I want to be the girl who can do anything.
Everyone thinks they know Jack Masselin, too. Yes, he's got swagger, but he's also mastered the impossible art of giving people what they want, of fitting in. What no one knows is that Jack has a newly acquired secret: he can't recognize faces. Even his own brothers are strangers to him. He's the guy who can re-engineer and rebuild anything in new and bad-ass ways, but he can't understand what's going on with the inner workings of his brain. So he tells himself to play it cool: Be charming. Be hilarious. Don't get too close to anyone.
Until he meets Libby. When the two get tangled up in a cruel high school game -- which lands them in group counseling and community service -- Libby and Jack are both pissed, and then surprised. Because the more time they spend together, the less alone they feel.... Because sometimes when you meet someone, it changes the world, theirs and yours.
Jennifer Niven delivers another poignant, exhilarating love story about finding that person who sees you for who you are -- and seeing them right back.
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THE REVIEW
Reviewer: Sam
Reviewer: Sam
Rating: 5/5 Stars
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Oh, boy. I didn't know, guys. I didn't know when I opened this book at midnight several days ago that I'd be pulling an all-nighter. I didn't know that I'd fall head-over-heels in love with Libby and Jack. I didn't know I'd be forced to face some hard realities, that those realities would gut me in the way that they did. I didn't know I'd found a new favorite.Source: Purchased from Amazon
But I know now.
Obviously, there are a great many things I could say about this book, all really wonderful and fangirly. I could talk about the dialogue... PERFECT! I could talk about the romance... SQUEE! But I really, really wanna talk about its depictions of disability and mental illness. It's important. (Duh.)
Jack is diagnosed with Prosopagnosia, or Face Blindness. As he cannot recognize faces, everyone - including close friends and family - is a stranger to him.
I'll be honest: Prior to reading the flap description, I'd never heard the terms "Prosopagnosia" or "Face Blindness." I like to think, then, that I began my reading with lots of questions and a fairly open mind. Many of my questions were answered, thanks to Niven's thorough research. My reading granted me an awareness of and empathy for the challenges that someone like Jack faces on a daily basis; that said, the novel did not leave me with feelings of sorrow or pity for Jack (as a more ableist crafting of his narrative likely would have). Quite the opposite, guys. I mean, listen: Jack is probs the coolest dude you'll ever meet - on page or in real life. Seriously. He's crazy brilliant, passionate, loyal, tender-hearted... and he sees things. He sees through and beyond the superficially-uncomplicated masks his classmates, his siblings, his parents wear. He sees through them to the nuanced truths and precious vulnerabilities that they're meant to hide. As a result, he is able to immediately recognize Libby's unique goodness and general bad-assness. (Actually, maybe that's not the best example... I mean, Libby's unique goodness and general bad-assness are pretty apparent to anyone with eyes and a brain. It's just that some people - IDIOTS! - refuse to appreciate them because she is overweight.)
Anyhoo, guys. Here's the thing: Jack may be face blind, and he may have to overcome some tuff shit as a result; but, like... I want to be him... or, at least, I want his eyes. And his swagger. And maybe (definitely) his hair.
Libby is recovering from an eating disorder. Still needing to lose 190 pounds, she is the largest girl at her new high school. I have never been overweight; therefore I cannot know Libby's struggle personally. But I have a history of disordered eating that took me out of school and brought me very near to death. I have a history of anxiety that revolves around death and dying. I'm hyperaware of my mortality and the ephemerality of everything I love. I have panic attacks. In these ways, I can very much relate to Libby. Because I can relate to her, she is real for me. Because she is real for me, her courage and her strength and her sense of self worth are real for me. I couldn't help but think all throughout this book, "I can do it because Libby is doing it. I can love myself because Libby is showing me how." And, heck! It wasn't just that I could; it's that I suddenly wanted to, guys. I wanted to stand proudly before my peers in my own skin. I wanted to say to the world, "I am worthy, and I am lovely, and I am REALLY FCKING AWESOME!" Friends, I wanted to dance.
To wrap things up (because I know this review is getting kinda long), Holding Up the Universe is pretty perfect. Niven does an amazing job crafting nuanced characters that you can't help but want all the best things for. You love them with their struggles; and you maybe kinda start to love you with your struggles as a result. The romance is fun and flirty. You'll be grinning and squealing and clapping and dancing. Just you wait. And speaking of waiting...
I cannot wait for Jennifer Niven's next book (whatever it will be). Girl has never let me down, and her books just get better and better.
I'm giving this one all the stars!
☆☆☆☆☆