My Crazy Corner

Big Girls Do Cry by Jacqueline Jock

Big Girls Do Cry is a young adult novel intended for girls in grades six through ten or ages 12 through 16. However, adults and teen boys have also enjoyed reading it. The book begins with a very disturbing and violent incident. Then the first character, Jade, goes back 19 days before the incident, and, through diary-style entries, the reader is pulled into Jade’s life through a first-person account of the occurrences that lead up to “the locker room incident.” Next, the reader gets Alissa’s perspective, and finally, Sam’s, all through their eyes as if reading their diaries. In the end, the reader returns to “the locker room incident” and later finds out what happened to the three girls afterwards.

Young readers can relate to the language, computer messaging, and texting as well as the social and family issues the girls face, such as cutting; bullying and cyber bullying; peer pressure; friendships and boyfriends; family problems and divorce; and experimentation with alcohol and alcoholism. Parents and grandparents of teen girls and anyone working with teens, including counselors, teachers, librarians, coaches, and religious leaders would benefit from reading about the current social issues teens today are facing. As the novel is written by a school counselor, the issues are real and seen every day at school. Discussion questions are included at the end, so the book may be used as a book club discussion facilitator or counseling resource.

In today’s world, bullying is the buzz word of the day, and the media has taken off on giving people the message that, “Schools do nothing.” Big Girls Do Cry depicts young girls as they really are and shows how complicated the teen years are with or without bullying in their lives. When incidents do occur, the complexity of the situations needs to be understood on a case-by-case basis and not simply labeled, and teen girls need to be taught better communication skills. The discussion questions at the end are intended as a start.

Big Girls Do Cry is independently published and only available in paperback by contacting the author directly. Jacquie may be reached by e-mail at jacquiej13@verizon.net or by calling (413) 967-6874 or (413) 427-2631. It is also available as an e-book through Barnes and Noble (Nook), Amazon (Kindle), and Smashwords.