Review 10Bagdasarian, Adam. First French Kiss and other Traumas. Sunburst: 2002. Print.
Annotation: Episodes of youth traumas we all get over...eventually.
Justification for Rejection: If there ever was a book to be described as "short and sweet", First French Kiss is it. Bagdasarian gives us short, sweet, funny, painful descriptions of childhood events. He recounts childhood memories from moving to a new house, his disillusionment with owning his very own gumball machine, to yes, his first make-out session.
The vignettes offer vivid detail with balance of pain and humor. The stories are quite resonant with a wide reading audience--regardless of age or gender.
Although the book offers bits and sparks of humor and emotion, for the most part, it falls flat. The language often feels to simple, and boring. The randomness of the stories is also disruptive. Understood, memory does not work in an entirely linear fashion; however, this is where the craft of editing comes in to "save the day". I feel this book could have benefited from a little more structure or storyline.
Perhaps this book offers exactly what you are looking for if that is a light, quick read, where you can pick and choose chapter titles that interest you. Although, even those, I'm afraid, don't succeed in grabbing much attention.
Like I said: a short, sweet read; not a Printz book.
Genre: Humor
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