All Better Now

December 14, 2015
Smith’s absorbing memoir provides an uncommon glimpse into the inner world of a girl who has always had trouble functioning. The prologue makes it clear that even in adulthood, with a thriving career as a writer and a happy marriage, she continues to suffer from what she calls “Woo-Head,” a “headache hybrid” that combines dizziness, light-headedness, and trembling. A difficult child from her earliest years, Smith (Back When You Were Easier to Love) had more than her share of problems, including sexual assault and a car accident, which contributed to her behavioral struggles. The discovery of a brain tumor at 12 seemed to be the explanation for Smith’s condition, but even with its removal, her difficulties remained. Her narrative is interlaced with professionals’ psychological evaluations of her from age six through 16, which offer external perspective on her personal story. Smith unapologetically and honestly delivers all the messy details of her hard-won life and, without striving for sympathy, draws readers firmly to her side to applaud her developing successes. Ages 12–up. Agent: Michael Bourret, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management.

December 15, 2015
A married woman looks back on her childhood of disability and awkwardness. In a prologue, adult Emily describes her ongoing headaches, wooziness, and disabled hand, concluding that she's grateful to God for her career, her husband, and just being alive. Chapter 1 rewinds to Emily at 7, graduating from counseling for aggressiveness and hostility. She wonders if she's "all better now," a recurring theme. Emily, a white Mormon, doesn't know what's wrong with her body and brain: why does she always feel backward and difficult? She doesn't question her constant headaches. It turns out she has a brain tumor, discovered (and removed) due only to emergency surgery after a car accident at 12. However, despite becoming the "Thank-God-She-Got-Hit-By-A-Car Girl," Emily's life is much the same afterward--slogging through headaches, anxiety, misery, and motor disability--until she meets her husband, who makes her feel, finally, "all better." There are some gaping holes: Emily has siblings but barely mentions them; she says she loves and hates Mormonism but explains nothing about the religion or her feelings about it; she's raped when she's young but barely skims its emotional aftermath or effects (despite blaming the rape, heartbreakingly, on her self-described weirdness). Instead of depth, the text sticks to rote insistence that Emily's a good writer. Her tendency to exoticize nonwhites is off-putting. Bland, despite the dramatic medical hook. (Memoir. 14 & up)

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March 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-In this memoir, Smith chronicles the psychological and physical problems she faced throughout her childhood, until, at age 12, she learned that a previously undiagnosed brain tumor was at the root of her problems. As a young girl, Smith attended the Children's Center, a place for troubled children to work out their issues through individual and group play. However, Smith didn't want to interact with others, preferring to reflect on her own thoughts and to figure out how to be "all better." She details her struggles with depression, anger, and the question of where she fit into the world. Smith eventually accepted headaches as part of her life, a condition that she called Woo-Head. As fate would have it, a horrific car accident saved her life: when she was examined, doctors discovered that she had a large tumor growing in the frontal lobe of her brain. Weaving in stories of abuse, disappointments, and successes, Smith creates captivating tales that are disturbing and beautiful, making it clear that her writing saved her life. VERDICT Those who feel different or unsure of how to navigate the awkwardness of youth will appreciate this poignant read.-Amy Caldera, Dripping Springs Middle School, Dripping Springs, TX

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

February 1, 2016
Grades 8-11 YA author Smith has written an engrossing memoir about her life on the outside and how she found her way in. From an early age, Smith was identified as challenging because of her volatile temperament, obsession with proving her intelligence, and anxiety about pleasing adults. She also suffered physical ailments, which exacerbated her behavioral issues, landing her in and out of psychological treatment programs all through her childhood. The tragedy is that she grew up feeling in need of fixing; the accidental discovery of a brain tumor should have provided her an excuse for being the weird girl, but instead it was another complication, not a fix. Smith, a gifted storyteller, writes about her experiences with candor. As painful as her experiences are, her story is full of hope. While not every reader can say that they have been damaged by something so drastic, every reader can understand Smith's feelings of ostracism and self-doubt and will applaud her overall resiliency.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)