I Can't Keep My Own Secrets: Six-Word Memoirs by Teens Famous and Obscure

by Larry Smith, Rachel Fershleiser

Overview

From the editors of the international phenomenon and New York Times bestseller Not Quite What I Was Planning comes a collection of six-word memoirs created by and for teens.

From cancer to creativity, prom dates to promiscuity, and breaking hearts to breaking laws, the memoirs in this collection reveal that often the youngest writers have the most fascinating stories to tell.

One life. Six words. What's yours?

 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780061948695
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/01/2009
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	192
File size:	581 KB
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

LARRY SMITH is an adjunct associate professor of economics at the University of Waterloo and a recipient of the University of Waterloo’s Distinguished Teacher Award. During his longstanding tenure, Smith has taught and counselled more than 23,000 students on the subject of their careers, representing more than 10 percent of UW’s alumni. Smith has worked with more than 500 teams of student entrepreneurs, advising them as they have created companies of significant size and success across industries as broad-reaching as communications, software, robotics, entertainment, design and real estate. Smith is also president of Essential Economics Corporation, an economic consulting practice that serves a wide range of public and private clients. “Why You Will Fail to have a Great Career,” his TEDx Talk based on his experience counselling students, has been viewed by over six million people.

Rachel Fershleiser is SMITH's memoir editor and has written for the Village Voice, the New York Press, Print, and the National Post. Rachel lives in New York City.

Editorial Reviews

Following two earlier “six-word memoir” titles, this addition collects supersuccinct memoirs written by teenagers (who are identified by their first names and last initials). Like graffiti scrawls on a bathroom wall, some are funny (“Contemplated joining circus. Foolishly chose college”), others are poignant (“He said bye with YouTube links,”), while many are bluntly honest (“I regret sleeping with my teacher”). Select b&w illustrations are also included. The range of powerful emotions, expressed in just a few words, make this an ideal pick for teens seeking evocative, easily relatable stories. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

Gr 7 Up—Almost 800 authors, ranging in age from 13 to 19, contributed to this thought-provoking collection of individual memoirs. Based on the interest resulting from the publication of Not Quite What I Was Planning (HarperCollins, 2008), the editors of SMITH Magazine decided to challenge teens to write the story of their lives in a few brief words. The result is a compelling compendium that will provoke laughter—"Mom just revoked my creative license"; sadness—"Grandma is dying while I'm out shopping"; and empathy and thought—"In the nest, twigs are sharp." Less than a dozen of the selections, most of which are not as good as those by "obscure" authors, are written by famous teens. The short length, relevant topics, and authentic emotions will ensure that this book will appeal to a wide variety of teens, including reluctant readers. English teachers, theater teachers, and student book-club sponsors will revel in the instructional possibilities that could spring from this anthology. It may require some initial hand selling, but ultimately this book will find broad appeal in most collections.—Lynn Rashid, Marriotts Ridge High School, Marriottsville, MD

School Library Journal

SMITH, an "online magazine obsessed with personal storytelling," invited almost 800 teens, famous and not, to take a page from Hemingway and submit their own six-word memoirs. These memoirs, printed on the page asymmetrically, are mostly from girls and reveal a wide range of experiences and emotions. Some are funny ("Aspiration: Colonize Mars. You're not invited"), others are poignant ("Laughed at abuser's funeral. Felt guilty") and some are provocative ("I live bigger than your labels"). All leave readers wondering about the circumstances in the writers' lives that led them to write those six (in places, seven) particular words and what it says about the lives they plan to lead in the future. PostSecret readers will love this book, which is one to pass around and (unfortunately for libraries) mark up. Some drawings accompany the memoirs. A novelty, yes, but one worth having in the era of Twitter. (Nonfiction. YA)

Kirkus Reviews