Perfect for fans of Deb Caletti, this "powerful, absorbing, and
beautiful" (Booklist) coming-of-age novel in verse follows a teen girl
who connects with the women of her maternal line through their journals
and comes to better understand her fraught relationship with her
mother.
Mimi's relationship with her mother has always been difficult. But
lately, her mother has been acting more withdrawn than usual, leaving
Mimi to navigate the tricky world of turning sixteen alone. What she
doesn't expect is her mother's advice to start journaling--just like all
the woman in her family before her. It's a tradition, she says.
Expected.
But Mimi takes to poetry and with it, a way to write down the realities
of growing into a woman, the pains of online bullying, and the new
experiences of having a boyfriend. And all in the shadows of a sexual
assault case that is everywhere on the news--a case that seems to
specifically rattle her mother.
Trying to understand her place in the world, Mimi dives into the
uncovered journals of her grandmother, great-grandmother, and beyond.
She immerses herself in each of their lives, learns of their painful
stories and their beautiful sprits. And as Mimi grows closer to each of
these women, she starts to forge her own path. But it isn't until her
mother's story comes to light that Mimi learns about the unyielding
bonds of family and the relentless spirit of womanhood.