Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Harpercollins Childrens Books (1980), Edition: 1st ed, Hardcover, 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
006011102X / 9780060111021