Status
Available
Call number
Collection
Publication
Aunt Lute Books (1989), Paperback, 195 pages
Description
Star of her school softball team and with the highest point average in her class, Niki nonetheless has a severe drinking problem, and after nearly self-destructing decides to help herself.
User reviews
LibraryThing member citygirl
A fascinating story about the fall and recovery of a high school alcoholic. Niki is a female protagonist who doesn't fall prey to any of the usual conventions of an American high school girl: she knows what she wants, she's independent, she competes, she speaks her mind. This is a book I read over
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and over in high school and after a recent re-read, I found that it still held my interest. An overlooked young adult gem. Show Less
LibraryThing member csoki637
An eye-opening novel about a high-functioning alcoholic teenager, 17-year-old Niki Etchens. Readable, informative, not an after-school special. There's a lot of information about what alcoholism means, and the author doesn't whitewash Niki's life. The book was published in 1980, and I don't know if
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the culture was just different then, but I was shocked how often Niki drove drunk — even driving her friends home, with rarely anyone blinking an eye. Couldn't believe she never had an accident. Niki is a star pitcher on the girls' softball team, and there's some reflection on the devaluation of girls' sports and female athletes compared to their male equivalents. I appreciated the role Niki's friendship with her best friend, Martha, played in the novel; more than any other part of Niki's life, it's this friendship that shows a clear picture of the harms of Niki's drinking. The book is set in Berkeley, with mentions of the UC and Carmel. Show Less
Awards
Best Fiction for Young Adults (Selection — 1980)
Language
Physical description
195 p.; 8.2 inches
ISBN
0933216580 / 9780933216587
Local notes
OCLC = 430