What Girls Are Made Of

by Elana K. Arnold

Hardcover, 2017

Status

Available

Genres

Collection

Children's Circulating

Publication

Carolrhoda Lab ® (2017), 208 pages

Description

Romance. Young Adult Fiction. Young Adult Literature. HTML: A 2017 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Finalist When Nina Faye was fourteen, her mother told her there was no such thing as unconditional love. Nina believed her. Now she'll do anything for the boy she loves, to prove she's worthy of him. But when he breaks up with her, Nina is lost. What is she if not a girlfriend? What is she made of? Broken-hearted, Nina tries to figure out what the conditions of love are. "Finally, finally, a book that is fully girl, with all of the gore and grace of growing up female exposed." �??Carrie Mesrobian, author of the William C. Morris finalist, Sex & Violence

User reviews

LibraryThing member Hccpsk

What Girls Are Made Of by Elana Arnold exposes teenage life through Nina’s current experiences as 16 year old interspersed with flashbacks and short, expository pieces that the reader comes to understand later in the book. The author really delves into Nina’s dysfunctional relationship with her

mother and how it manifests itself in Nina’s desire for affection and love. I think this book is well written with an interesting twist on the typical YA narrative, and captures a lot the interior life of teenage girls. Readers should be aware of somewhat substantial sexual content that may not be appropriate for a lot 13-16 year olds.

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LibraryThing member Brainannex

It's sure not sugar and spice. A litany of the challenges a young woman goes through as related to young men, other young women, and all of the horrible things we do to each other. Could be a sleeper for the Printz.

LibraryThing member CDWilson27

I picked up _What Girls are Made Of_ because it was highly recommended by YA lit reviewers I trust. While quite well-written - compelling, almost - I don't get it. Maybe, because, as a YA lit professor once said, I am not the intended audience. I found it compelling but depressing. Nina is a high

school student so at loose ends I feel sorry for her. Her parents are physically and emotionally distant, her mother revises their personal history on a dime ('You told me love is conditional.' 'I never said any such thing.' - when we know she did.). Her best friend seems shallow, and she is consumed by the attentions of a boy who uses her and casts her aside. Not exactly a rousing ad for 'It Gets Better.'

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LibraryThing member BDartnall

Authentic voice of teenage Nina, completely in love with Seth, but with her own admission (never spoken of, but nevertheless true) that he cares for her only with "conditions", her pregnancy and abortion, and their eventual break & the aftermath. As a sort of commentary on female-hood and Nina's

dreams/nightmares, the book is broken up with with intercalary chapters inserted - written with touches of magical realism and horror mixed- a teen girl's emerging realization that what girls are supposed to be is not what she always "feels" or "thinks" about herself, and how difficult it is to define oneself apart from boys, etc Very straightforward, explicit sex scenes and narrator's struggles with the effects of the sexual relationship, and detailed scenes of her visits to Planned Parenthood, and the abortion, etc. While the author's style effectively weaves a compelling story of young love, unhappy family, struggling teen girl, with passages of lyrical story, it left me feeling so sad and almost disturbed. Cavalcade of Authors author - NOT a book for younger teens for sure.

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LibraryThing member Tip44

I really hated this book, BUT I kept pondering it and coming back. I really rejected the main character's experiences as being 'universal' for women in the first part, but, much like Damsel, they had a grain of truth to them that kept me from stopping reading. I have the feeling this is one of

those reads that will come to mind over and over again throughout the years. The ending was not a huge winner-take-all, but more of a stubbornly satisfied I made it through.

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LibraryThing member cougargirl1967

This book is raw, awkward, and with "in your face" true happenings. I must admit that quite a few truths were uncomfortable to read, and yet they do happen. This is on a short list of some books that Texas parents want banned from school libraries. I'd say any young person that has the reading

skills and interest to read this book will be able to "handle' it's truths and hopefully it would open a dialogue with someone they trust.
The author's note at the end is the treasure, pick it up and read this part even if you don't read the whole book.

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