In the world of children's literature, Louise Fitzhugh's Harriet the Spy and The Long Secret are widely recognized as epoch-making. They have bee...
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Sep 25, 2009
Lars
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If she had just written 'Harriet the Spy' before her untimely death, Louise Fitzhugh would have been an important figure in children's literature. Her other three books, although lesser known, are in many ways more groundbreaking, and certainly as well-written. In 'Nobody's Family is Going to Change,' she fearlessly tackles the touchy issue of a white writing about blacks. And she does this while standing stereotype on its head. Her African-Americans are an upper-class, Upper East Side famil
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Mar 09, 2010
Margaret
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I ran across this at Powell's a while back and picked it up at once; I'd never heard of it before, but of course I love Fitzhugh's other children's books (most notably the classic Harriet the Spy).
This one is about Emma, who wants to become a lawyer, and her little brother Willie, who wants to be a dancer, and their struggle to realize their dreams in spite of the opposition from their parents, who feel that boys shouldn't be dancers and girls shouldn't be lawyers. The book felt a l More...
This one is about Emma, who wants to become a lawyer, and her little brother Willie, who wants to be a dancer, and their struggle to realize their dreams in spite of the opposition from their parents, who feel that boys shouldn't be dancers and girls shouldn't be lawyers. The book felt a l More...
Dec 29, 2011
Janey
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This is a book that every kid should read, perhaps without the knowledge of their parents. Its message is a startling one to find in a bildungsroman (of realistic, unsensational fiction) aimed at a preteen audience, because it is a harsh one. Sometimes the most brutal reads are where the things that happen are mundane in summary, on paper.
Fitzhugh does an incredible job with her characters. The Sheridan family is honestly depicted, warts and all. There is real, eleven-year-old rage ( More...
Fitzhugh does an incredible job with her characters. The Sheridan family is honestly depicted, warts and all. There is real, eleven-year-old rage ( More...
Jan 08, 2010
Roxanne
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Mostly this book was middle of the road good for me - I probably would have liked it more when I was a kid, because I use to get lost of Louise Fitzhugh in a major way that I can't really replicate as an adult.
But this book has one of the greatest all time moments/ends/messages. Spoiler alert: NOBODY'S FAMILY IS GOING TO CHANGE. ! Part of me wonders if I'd read this at age 10, or whatever, my whole life would be different, but another part of me thinks probably that would have been More...
But this book has one of the greatest all time moments/ends/messages. Spoiler alert: NOBODY'S FAMILY IS GOING TO CHANGE. ! Part of me wonders if I'd read this at age 10, or whatever, my whole life would be different, but another part of me thinks probably that would have been More...
May 31, 2011
Molly
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I won't say this is one of the best books I've ever read, but I do think it is a great book for people -- especially young people -- who have basic philosophical differences with members of their families to read. Eleven-year-old Emma wants to be a lawyer. Unfortunately for her, it's 1974, and her father isn't having any of it. Nor is he willing to allow Emma's seven-year-old brother Willie to pursue his interest in dancing. Their mother, though she sympathises with her children, does not ta
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Jul 15, 2008
Thorn
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i read this as a kid, because i was a louise fitzhugh fan. it came out in '74, so i must have stumbled on it while shelf-browsing at the local public library when i was in junior high. i liked it a lot. the characters in the story have brown skin, but it wasn't a 'plight of the people with brown skin'-book. as one can tell from the title, it really does deal with universals. people with brown skin definitely have a plight worthy of engagement and discussion. but sometimes, just like people with
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May 30, 2008
Tori
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This book was mentioned on a recent This American Life episode, and I had to read it. I know I have wished (and still sometimes do) that my family would (for the love of God) change. This young adult novel really puts it in perspective. Because it's true.
Don't look for any sugar coated endings here. The Emma Sheridan and her younger brother Willie struggle and struggle. But still, as the title says...
In the meantime there's a Children's Army that secretly meets plotting More...
Don't look for any sugar coated endings here. The Emma Sheridan and her younger brother Willie struggle and struggle. But still, as the title says...
In the meantime there's a Children's Army that secretly meets plotting More...
Sep 17, 2009
Sarah
rated it:
Much as I love Harriet the Spy and her friends, this book by Louise Fitzhugh remains my favorite. When I first read it as a child, I couldn't believe that a writer had managed to capture my own father's narcissism, ambition, and self-pity so accurately in a fictional character– especially given the racial difference. To learn that a child could resist and even overcome parental neglect in its middle-class form gave me comfort and inspiration then; the book's message still inspires me now.
Nov 04, 2010
LauraW
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This book was first published in 1974, according to the copyright info in the copy I have, and it is showing its age a bit, but the message is still a relevant one for upper grade kids: you can change yourself and how you react to other people and situations, but you probably can't change other people so much. I enjoyed it - enough to start and finish it in one day - unusual for me.
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Jun 16, 2008
Erica
rated it: 
Like a lot of readers I picked this up because it was mentioned on a recent This American Life. Plus I had been a big fan of Louise Fitzhugh's work when I was younger, having read and re-read Harriet the Spy, The Long Secret, and my personal favorite, Sport. As I read I had to wonder, how did I miss this? It was wonderful and incredibly shocking, in the way that only children's books can be. My one complaint is that there wasn't really enough action to fill the entire book so the discussion
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Dec 11, 2008
Catherine
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I think I could write a unit plan for this book. There are so many good discussion points. Fitzhugh shows why sometimes children do things that are self-deprecating. A good read for parents and for children.
Oct 08, 2007
Chris
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This is one weird YA book...is this even for children? I heard about this book on 'This American Life,' and it's definitely not your run-of-the-mill kids' story. And while it's a premise I wholeheartedly embrace -- a brother and sister realize early on that they cannot change who their parents are and how they think, so they must accept this and move on with their own damn lives -- the writing didn't do anything for me. I wanted to finish to find out what happened to the siblings (there's a weir
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Jun 11, 2009
Nobody's family is going to change by Louise Fitzhugh (1974), [1st ed.]
Jan 15, 2012
Sean
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Dated in charming ways, very raw and current in others-- a somewhat shockingly adult book written for kids.
Sep 12, 2008
Asia
rated it:
look this book is a million times better than this american life. not that i don't like this american life but isn't always so depressing when you have found this amazing thing at a thrift store for 50 cents and loved it and cherished it, and told all your friends about it, only to have this american life tell the whole world about it?
okay, whatever.
reading this book is probably worth 2 years of family therapy.
okay, whatever.
reading this book is probably worth 2 years of family therapy.
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May 16, 2007
Jessica
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Phenomenal! This YA novel tells a story about two siblings growing up in NYC - a girl who wants to be a lawyer and a boy who wants to be a dancer - and their parents, who think boys should be lawyers and girls should be housewives. The characters completely draw you in, and the book comes to a poignant conclusion that manages to be both grim and full of hope. LOVED it.
Aug 09, 2009
Mara
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I don't think anyone will be surprised to hear that I picked this title up because I heard about it on "This American Life". I've been struggling a lot lately with established family dynamics, so this book was timely for me. Written in the seventies, this book holds up well and would be a good read for any older kid, say 11ish; I wish I would've read it then.
Apr 19, 2008
J'aime
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I actually haven't read this yet. Have you Mandy or John? I really like the concept.
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