For this month’s rad reading, I read Every Last Word by Tamara Ireland Stone. This book is about a girl named Samantha in high school who has OCD. This is a secret who she has hidden from everyone at her school, including her best friends (the popular girls.) Every day, she tries to layer up all her problems behind perfectly applied makeup and fashionable outfits so that she can maintain the delicate friendship that she has with them. But one day, she meets this quirky, unfashionable, funny girl who shows her a hidden place called Poets Corner below the theater. It is a secret poetry club that meets in the old janitor’s closet twice a week where everyone reads poetry and has lunch together. There is one boy, AJ, who she is particularly fond of, but he is awfully cold to her for some reason that she will eventually figure out.
This is a great book about love, sadness, dealing with your emotions, and discovering your true friends. There are so many different things that I didn’t know before reading this book about what people who have OCD struggle with in their everyday life. I learned how it’s so hard to control obsessions and anxiety that people with this disorder have over certain things. In the book that I just read, the main character Sam has this obsession over the number three. She doesn’t feel safe or content until certain things that she does are done in patterns of three. For example, she won’t get out of her car until the odometer is at a three, or if the elevator number is pressed three times.
Caroline was my favorite character because she was a great friend, but also didn’t care what other people thought of her. One of her character traits was reliable. On page 233 the book states, “‘Can you keep a secret?’ I ask her. Caroline rolls her eyes. ‘Of course I can.’” This quote shows that she is reliable because she is a loyal friend that won’t share her friend’s private information. This is a great characteristic that Caroline has because it is good to have someone to talk to who won’t share what they hear from you.
My favorite quote from the book is “No. It’s not perfect. But it’s me.” (page 352) I really liked this quote because sometimes the things that we like best about ourselves aren’t always the things that are viewed as good or perfect, but sometimes that is what we like the most. A lot of people try to hide these things to fit in better with everyone else, but you can feel happier when you let this free. This is what Caroline taught Sam with her funny outfits and practical hiking boots. You shouldn’t have to care what others think, because your true friends will like you no matter what. 🤍
