The Way I Used to Be
Ratings41
Average rating4.1
A New York Times bestseller. In the tradition of Speak, this extraordinary debut novel “is a poignant book that realistically looks at the lasting effects of trauma on love, relationships, and life” (School Library Journal, starred review). Eden was always good at being good. Starting high school didn’t change who she was. But the night her brother’s best friend rapes her, Eden’s world capsizes. What was once simple, is now complex. What Eden once loved—who she once loved—she now hates. What she thought she knew to be true, is now lies. Nothing makes sense anymore, and she knows she’s supposed to tell someone what happened but she can’t. So she buries it instead. And she buries the way she used to be. Told in four parts—freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior year—this provocative debut reveals the deep cuts of trauma. But it also demonstrates one young woman’s strength as she navigates the disappointment and unbearable pains of adolescence, of first love and first heartbreak, of friendships broken and rebuilt, all while learning to embrace the power of survival she never knew she had hidden within her heart.
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2 primary books#1 in The Way I Used to Be
The Way I Used to Be is a 2-book series with 2 primary works first released in 29 with contributions by Amber Smith.
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Why do I feel like, sometimes, I have no one in the entire world who knows me in even the slightest, most insignificant way?
this book was beautiful. it hurt at times and I cried a little bit. it was in no way easy to read. at times I wanted to just stop reading. it wasn't enjoyable at all, but it was a necessary read.
I read this based on a teen therapy client's request. They strongly identify with Eden, the protagonist, unfortunately due to similar experiences, and of course I'm grateful they found something that resonates with their experience! This is a totally serviceable book for any teen book collection, and Smith deals with the aftermath of rape (not a spoiler; that's page 1) generally sensitively. I did have some fairly significant quibbles. First, Smith wrote all the characters as racially ambiguous, and I suppose I see the intention (while noting what certain roads are paved with), and shout out to someone who wrote a great article for their high school news site about why racially ambiguous characters aren't actually helpful: https://conantcrier.com/voices/opinions/young-adult-literature-needs-more-representation/. My other quibbles are that some of the supportive characters are pretty one-dimensional, and I really think the 3rd quarter of the book documenting Eden's struggles with self-neglect could have been shortened while still getting the same point across. To end on a positive, though, since I am glad this is out there for teens, Smith resists the urge to tie things up too prettily with a bow at the end, which certainly rings true to life.
