The Late Great Me

by Sandra Scoppettone

High schooler Geri Peters recounts her descent into alcoholism.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Addiction, Mental Health, Coming Of Age, High School, Childrens

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Also wrote as Jack Early.

Sandra Scoppettone first emerged as one of the best hard-boiled mystery writers using the name Jack Early for her first three novels that included A Creative Kind of Killer (1984) that won the Shamus Award from the Private Eye Writers of America for best first novel. She had started writing seriously since the age of 18 when she moved to New York from South Orange, New Jersey. Scoppettone in the 1960s collaborated with Louise Fitzhuh and in the 1970s wrote important young adult novels. The Late Great Me depicting teenage alcoholism won an Emmy Award in 1976. Her real name was revealed in the 1990s with the start of a series featuring PI Lauren Laurano. Scoppettone shares her life with writer Linda Crawford.

Reviews

[Steph · Rating 3 out of 5]

this nearly-half-century-old YA novel is really a bit of a cautionary tale, but slipping into the POV of a troubled 1970s teenager is an interesting trip.

we follow geri, a teenager with an out-of-touch mom and checked-out dad. she meets dave, a new kid at school who introduces her to alcohol, and her descent begins.

the most cautionary element of the story is bunny, a sloppy middle-aged alcoholic who turns out to be dave's mother. whereas dave himself is such a nothing character - he doesn't do much over the course of the book, beyond acting as geri's gateway into addiction (and drinking a lot himself).

frequent repetition of the sentiment "at least it's not pot" is absolutely wild. that's perhaps the most dated element of the book.

big side eye at the idea that attending AA meetings is the only way to recover. however, it is intense to see a kid hit rock bottom so young, and somehow acquire motivation to enter recovery. geri does so with very little support from family, friends, or peers.

geri's mother is the most puzzling element of the story. she's stuck in the past, delusional and obsessed with 1950s culture, and unwilling to open her mind (at the cost of her relationship with her daughter). and as geri's alcoholism reaches its messy heights, her mother disconnects even further? she slips deeper into her own unreality, and eventually is institutionalized?? what? what was the message here?

particularly after reading scoppettone's happy endings are all alike, another dark piece of 70s YA fic, this was an interesting read. it's an addiction narrative that makes sense for its time. old school YA titles always make me grateful for how far the genre has evolved over the years.

[Bren fall in love with the sea. · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was one of my favorite books as a kid.

Geri drinks -- a lot. Not when you first meet her but pretty quickly into it.

She falls in love -- twice.

With Dave and with booze -- lots of booze -- LOTS and LOTS of booze.

This book was so ahead if its time. I am so glad it was written back then, as were it written today who knows?! Some might try to BAN IT.

(I mean it. My favorite book EVER "A tree grows in Brooklyn", just recently got banned in certain places in certain states.)

There is lots of darkness here. The book follows Geri's descent into alcoholism and -- I mean - it's a tough read, a really tough one, but it's very compelling

So yes this is not a light YA book. In fact, I don't know if I'd even CALL it YA. It was written as YA but it's heavy. It's what would be now referred to as "realistic young adult."

It will likely feel dated to you. Good. It IS dated. That takes nothing away. I have reread it since school days. It's powerful, very. When you enter Geri's world, you will find it difficult to leave.

[Brin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have wanted to read this book for a long time and I am really glad that I finally managed to get my hands on a copy. This was not an easy book by any stretch of the imagination (it was downright difficult to get through at times actually) but it was definitely a worthwhile, thought-provoking read.

The subject matter is a tricky one and it was hard for me at times to empathize with Geri (probably because I grew up living with an alcoholic – not an easy thing to admit to but a necessary one to understand my viewpoint) but having the protagonist be the one with the problem was really a bold move – especially for a book that was first published in the 1970’s.

I know from reading another one of her other books Happy Endings Are All Alike that Sandra Scoppettone is not one to shy away from difficult topics and she did not disappoint with this, her earlier novel The Late Great Me.

I had worried at first that this book may not have necessarily been able to get under my skin the same way Happy Endings did when I first read it all those years ago (I was about fifteen if I recall correctly and it had a huge impact on my impressionable, teenage self). I needn’t have worried. This book grabbed me from the first and aside from a couple of moments where it was clear this book was a little bit dated nonetheless Geri’s struggle always felt very real and present.

I have made it a goal to try to read vintage young adult books. One, because I am somewhat nostalgic for the past, but also because some of these have a lot to offer and shouldn’t ever be over-looked. The Late Great Me is definitely a rare find – although in some respects it is very much a product of its time, in other ways it is absolutely timeless.

I am getting a little bit ahead of myself here so I think a little bit of background is required. The Late Great Me is a book about a shy teenager called Geri. Geri feels isolated from her family. Her father is a distant figure and her mother seems to live in the past, frequently regaling her family with tales of her seemingly perfect teenage years. Her brother seems to be cut from the same mould as her mother, the perfect teenager with the perfect grades, athletic interests and the model girlfriend.

Geri, on the other hand, feels like a loser, a self-confessed freak, who really only has a couple of close friends. Although Geri feels stifled by her mother’s input into her life, there is a part of her that longs for acceptance and popularity. Her world is turned upside down when she meets Dave, a handsome new kid with a troubled history of his own.

Together, they will fall deeper and deeper into the world of partying and drinking and soon Geri is spiralling out of control. A teacher at school could offer the salvation she desperately needs but does Geri have the strength to admit that she really has a problem?

I often struggle to sympathise with alcoholics. It’s something I realized about myself years ago. It sounds pretty harsh but I know how alcohol makes some people behave and the destruction it can cause not only to themselves but to just about everyone around them. My dad was an alcoholic and he was the definition of a mean drunk. He would be the life and soul of any gathering but in private would quite often show a darker side.

This book pulls absolutely no punches. You see Geri at her very worst. It doesn’t happen overnight but eventually her drinking begins to take a heavy toll on her. I didn’t expect to feel for her plight as much as I did but by golly I really got her struggles.

It was pretty gut-wrenching at times to be quite honest. I was with Geri through every bump, every turn, and every setback she faced. And yes, I felt for her. This book was absolutely brutal and really messed with my head but in the best possible way.

I wouldn’t go as far to say I ‘understand’ the battle that alcoholics have to face (and it is a battle, just like fighting any other kind of disease or illness) but I certainly do understand that feeling of watching the bottom of your world drop away from you and not having anything to hold onto to keep you from falling into the abyss.

I think reading this book at this particular time is something that is really good for me on a personal level. I am undergoing therapy to deal with things that happened in my past and maybe it is a good thing for my eyes to be opened more to the struggle that certain people have with alcohol. Lord knows there are other things I rely on as a crutch (food for one thing).

I think maybe forgiveness is a good thing for anyone to feel. I need to deal with my past and maybe not have such a black and white attitude to those who struggle with their demons and use things like alcohol to dull away the pain.

The book really hit me in a profound way. I actually wish I had read it years ago as it may possibly have given me a bit more insight about alcoholism and it may have helped me understand the alcoholic in my own life. I will never actually know and what is past is past. Still, this book was a thoroughly engrossing read and I have to thank the author for depicting alcoholism in such a realistic way.

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this over and over as a teenager. The author did a brilliant job with this story. She not only gives us a deep look into Geri's world, but also her family: mom, dad, and brother. I also liked her school teacher mentor. The author goes deep, very deep into alcoholism and how it not only affects the drinker, but also the friends, family and bf. I highly recommend this to parents of teenagers. I do believe my mom purchased this book for me. She always bought my sisters and me tons of books, whether by John Benton, Johanna Lindsey, or this one--The Late Great Me. Three cheers for parents who always encouraged reading and never ever censored us.

[Lorie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my favorite book in junior high and high school. Geri Peter's story shows the horrors of alcoholism in a realistic straight forward way. Even after all of these years, this story touches my heart.

[Spider the Doof Warrior · Rating 5 out of 5]

So this book is interesting. It is set in the 70s, but surprisingly isn't completely dated. Geri's mother is obsessed with her 50s childhood and constantly pesters Geri about becoming popular. She meets a boy named David who introduces her to booze.

Which is kind of an unlikely way things would happen, I think. Like would a person go, I just know you're totally going to be into alcohol?

Substance abuse is interesting. I keep reading such stories and rereading them as I try to navigate the world of medicinal marijuana. I think the way we think about addiction needs to change. It's not helping people.

People who get addicted to substances aren't bad people. i wonder if some people are wired for addiction. Some folks can just drink alcohol and not be depended on it. Do you ever consider how many undiagnosed autistic people probably turn to alcohol and such? A lot! Some people might drink quite a bit to deal with social phobia and anxiety and being awkward.

Alcohol is actually a gateway drug. Because there's such a mystique about it from the time we're young. I didn't grow up with alcohol in the house because religion so I never even tasted alcohol until college. Most of it tasted gross so I never got drunk, but a lot of people in college did and got alcohol poisoning and such. I wonder if we handle alcohol wrong.

But anyway, this is a bit of a tangent. You have Geri discovering that alcohol makes her feel good. She likes the taste of it, except for the sweet stuff. Me, I only like the sweet stuff. But if alcohol tastes too good you drink it way too fast. Alcohol helps her to be more social, but it also slowly ruins her life. Not everyone who drinks will become an alcoholic. I'm shocked how low the percentage of people who get addicted to alcohol is. It's higher than those getting addicted to marijuana. Marijuana actually is not as terrible as people say it is.

Still, this is a good book for young people to read. I think people under a certain age should avoid marijuana and alcohol until they're old enough to be responsible with it. It is possible to do that. But some people are wired differently and if we understood that better, we could help them.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

my favorite book of all time

[Amy]

Not going to give this any stars at the moment as I'm mostly shelving this here to remember it. After listening to the "you're wrong about" episodes on "Go Ask Alice," I realized that I'd never actually read that book and the alcohol/addiction memoir I remember reading as a middle and high schooler must have been something else. After doing some research, I *think* it was this one. However, I can't find this in our library systems so I can't verify if that's accurate. Keeping this here to try to remind myself to keep checking to see if our library gets a copy one day!

[Cassandra Morrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book as an 8th grader. I knew people that were already drinking, smoking, using drugs and some were actually parents already. This book had such an impact on me that I never fell into the trap of alcohol and drugs.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel like my formative years was spent reading about the East Coast Teenagers in the 70s, between this book and Judy Blume. This book is loaded with nostalgia for me. I don't know which of my sisters brought this book into our house, but we all read and re-read it in middle/high school. Its pretty funny, and melodramatic like an after school special from that era. I don't think it really deterred me from wanting to drink. I mean... it kind of seemed fun and funny to me based on this book. My parents were pretty strict, though, and I was scared of getting into too much trouble with them, and that's the main reason why I didn't experiment.

This book was always kind of around the house, and at some point or another we'd pick it up and read it when we're bored or procrastinating. My sister and I played a game one afternoon, where we'd take turns opening this book to a random page, start reading out loud and the other had to guess what part of the book it was. We wanted to see who could identify the passage in the shortest amount of time. We didn't count words or anything. There were no winners in this game.

[Bonnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s because of this book that I never drank more than one beer at parties when I was a teenager. A very realistic portrayal of a young girl’s descent into alcoholism and the factors that can lead teens to self-destruction, from peer pressure to family problems (Geri’s mother’s corresponding descent into mental illness is almost as harrowing - this book is practically Requiem for a Dream, Junior Edition). It pulls absolutely no punches about what booze makes this girl do - public nudity, family battles, getting into huge trouble at school, etc. And yet, she cannot pull herself out of the downward spiral until something happens that’s so shocking you won’t believe you’re reading a YA novel. And yet, it’s all relatable and believable, not over-over-over the top like Go Ask Alice. Like this author’s book about homophobia in a small town, Trying Hard to Hear You, it’s dated on the surface, but the underlying issues are timeless.

[Vivienne]

As soon as I saw the cover I remembered I read this a long time ago as a cautionary tale and also as a curious Muslim teenager into getting a peek into a world that was/is completely alien to me. Another reason for reading this book was that a very good friend of mine had started drinking on the sly while we walked to school together; she filled up a soft drink can from her parents’ liquor cabinet and even offered me some several times which I declined citing my religion which she found hilarious. I thought I was the only one who knew but eventually another mutual friend told me that others had also noticed her intoxicated state including teachers. While I was reading this book it sparked a lot of interesting conversations with my non-Muslim friends and classmates and even a teacher or two. Now as a grownup I wonder whether they thought I had a drinking problem myself and probably didn’t believe me when I told them that nobody in my family or our social circle drank at all. Fun times!

[jacky · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I was in middle school, we had to do outside reading on our own time. We had to choose from a list of books that had computerized quizzes on a program called "Electronic Bookshelf." I wasn't a very strong or fast reader at that time, so I hated this. It wasn't so much that the quizzes were hard, because they weren't, but it was that I didn't find any of the books on the list interesting. This book was one on the list. It is about a girl in high school who becomes an alcoholic. I really remember it as an after school special / Lifetime movie kind of story and didn't get any enjoyment out of reading it.

[Katelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Late Great Me was very good. I think Geri became friends with the wrong people. I also think the pressure from her mom, did not help her at all when she made bad decisions. I think it is really sad, because Geri messed up her life. She did not have alot of friends, and she was not all that pretty to begin with, but she did have two friends who were true friends. Excpet then she got into trouble, and lost them, but she made more friends, but they were not very good friends. I could not stand her boyfriend, he really made me mad, I think he is one of the stupidest people ever. But I did feel pretty bad for him, Because his mom was crazy.

[Jill · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a teen, and I just re-read it. The book was written in the 70s, and has a definite 70s tone about it. It's about an unpopular 16-year-old girl whose mother puts a lot of pressure on her to make friends and be popular. She begins drinking at the urging of a new boy at school who shows her some attention. She loves the way alcohol makes her feel -- her shyness disappears and she feels uninhibited and creative. Before long, she is drinking every day, hiding alcohol in her locker at school, having blackouts, etc.

[Tracy Speelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite books of all time. I first read it when I was 14 and couldn't put it down. I have read it again many times over the years (and will read it again). I love Geri Peters (she is so real and human) and I'm in love with her creator, author Sandra Scoppettone. This book was made into an after-school special in the early 80's and I was thrilled to watch it again recently. I own the first-edition book and I love to see it on my bookshelf every day.

[Anna Hardesty · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had to read this book for my English class, but it was so freakin' good. I could really relate to this book a lot because of my dad and his previous and current encounters/problems with alcohol. I loved Geri, she was the main character but also the best. A lot of teenagers with addictions should read this book. It's amazing.

[Tina Valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

The reason I like this book so much? Your Guess would be as good as mine. I read this book during my freshman Year in High School. Not that big a deal and I read and the forgot about it. I am now 21 and it has taken me 6 years to find this book. Out of the blue I wanted these characters back and have them close in my personal collection.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cautionary "this could happen to you" book in the vein of Go Ask Alice, with perhaps more literary value. Very dated, of course; has some funny comments on AA. The portrait of the troubled mother of the troubled alcoholic teen is cringe-inducing.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Again I'm letting my middle school self (of over 30 years ago) pick the rating for this book. Much like My Name is Davy, I'm an Alcoholic, everything about this book was fascinating to me-from the cover (look at her gazing at her huge bottle of alcohol) to her alcoholic woes.

[Steph · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is based in the 70's it is about highschool kids and how they just want to fit and the turn out becomes bad for one of the girls. I could not put it down it's really good.

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Most Alcoholics are crazy.

[ava · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars? Basically an after-school special, yet endearing and clever. The main thing I took away from this book was the reminder that yes, alcohol can get you not only raped, but FAT.

[Shaeeza Haniff · Rating 4 out of 5]

I first read this book when I was in high school along with many others of this genre. It was eye opening and now it is on my list to acquire.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this book in high school. I reread it many times. It was a tale that made me think about how alcohol can take you down.

[Florence · Rating 3 out of 5]

It started out with humor and really showed how easily a person can be influenced by their wanting to be accepted.

[Skyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scoppetone also wrote the great high school gay novel, Trying Hard to Hear You, way ahead of its time.

[Liza Maggio · Rating 3 out of 5]

By 1978 standards, this is a 3 or 4: progressive for addressing teenage drinking, women's lib, mental illness, sex, date rape, and abortion.

By 2025 stanards, this is a 2: the language, esp spoken by Geri internally, is dated. The book still does a decent job of addressing alcoholism, though I could't suspend disbelief at some of the more outrageous behaviors, incl of adults.

The book focuses *way* too much on weight, and includes body shaming.

The book does address women's lib (somewhat outdated), mental illness, sex, date rape, and abortion. A 260-some-page book cannot address all of these well. This YA novel adresses the last 3 topics just scantily and therefore poorly. Date rape is rape even if the victim is drunk and is NOT the victim's fault.

As a sometimes Catholic middle school teacher and actively practicing Catholic, I rate the book a 2. The discussion of abortion is shallow. Neither side of the controversy is represented well, but the pro-life argument is almost dismissive.

*None* of the important characters believe in God? Really? God is dismissed out of hand, as is the significance (sacredness?) of sex.

The book is painful to read. Geri's drunken escapades hurt me. The language, inclu the dialogue, is often clunky and -- as stated -- outdated. I found the reveal about Ginger at the end predictable.

I liked that some actions have irrevocable consequences. Neither Sofie nor B.J.'s complete trust/friendship can ever be restored.

[Naomi]

My mom gave me this book when I was still in elementary school, not because she thought I’d develop a drinking problem, but because I was a very advanced reader with a taste for the subversive, and she encouraged me to keep reading what I enjoyed. She let me read her copy of Flowers In The Attic around that time, too.

It has been almost 30 years since I read this, but I still remember certain parts of it so vividly.

[Sarah Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. It was recommended to me by my mother in law, whose mother passed away from alcoholism. I think this book gives a really great insight into the disease and how people cope with it. I can see why my mother in law loves it so much.