Title: Minor: Volume One (The Journals of Meghan McDonnell Book 1)
Author: Meghan McDonnell
Published: December 2015
Format Read: Kindle for PC
Genre: Memoir, Non-fiction
Date Read: February 7, 2016
I was sent a copy of Minor by the author in exchange for an
honest review.
Minor is the first book published from the authors personal
collection of journals. Beginning in 1987 at the age of 8 years old, readers
follow McDonnell until the end of high school at the age of 17 in 1997. She
chronicles her adolescence, relationships, feelings and experimentation with drugs
and alcohol. This journal also serves as a time capsule for the formative grunge
scene of the western United States in the 1990’s as there is much mention of
popular culture from that time.
Dear diary...
I enjoy reading books that are written in diary or journal
format. I find that it gives a great inside view on the main character, or in the
case of Minor, the author herself. This particular journal showed how young
teens are heavily influenced by the people around them, most specifically their
friends. Growing up in a city with a large population, McDonnell made friends
and entered relationships with many different people. And these people opened
the door for her experimentation with drugs and alcohol.
Express yourself..
Her experimentation with these vices would lead her parents
to send her away to a survivalist program. The time she spent in the wilderness
was probably the most interesting part, for me because she really began to
express herself in her writing.
However..
Unfortunately I had a hard time relating to McDonnell and
her experiences during her formative years. Sure I tried new things like any
teen, but not to the extent that she had.
The people she mentioned throughout this journal, weren’t
really described in detail so they became faceless names to me. Although I do
understand that these entries were written for her own personal records and
therefore at the time, there wasn’t any need to be descriptive. This first
journal would also pave the way for the following books in the collection. However
I think that it may have been more enjoyable to the reader, had the author included
some footnotes to explain portions in better detail.
In closing..
Because this is a true journal I struggled with how I would
rate it. In the end I decided not to give it one at all. Not because I didn’t
enjoy it, but simply because how do you put a rating on someone’s life? I would
recommend Minor by Meghan McDonnell to other who like reading memoirs and to
those who intend to read the entire collection.
For more information on this book and the rest of the collection visit the Goodreads links below:
Grey characters add depth to novels for me, and they are the most reflective of what it means to be human.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very good point. Thank you for stopping by and commenting.
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