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Everybody Else's Girl
Set in Tazewell, Virginia, a town whose wholesome storefronts and country charm hide an undercurrent of poverty and lawlessness, Everybody Else's Girl tells the story of growing up poor amid unspeakable violence. Broken-down trailer parks and gritty classrooms provide the background for this story of a girl searching for her voice.
Trigger Warning -
This book deals with heavy subject matter, such as addiction, sexual abuse, and violence. Please read with care.
Trigger Warning -
This book deals with heavy subject matter, such as addiction, sexual abuse, and violence. Please read with care.
138 pages, Paperback
First published September 12, 2013
59 people want to read
About the author
Sarah Sawyers-Lovett
2 books46 followersSarah Sawyers-Lovett is a writer and bookseller in Philadelphia, PA. She is the author of Everybody Else's Girl, a memoir, and Retrospect, an anthology.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
April 15, 2014
Writing a book is a monumental achievement and I always applaud anyone who is able to accomplish this goal. Writing a memoir about sexual abuse, violence, and addiction can’t be an easy project to work on. Yet it’s important for people to share their stories, not just for themselves but for others who might be going through a similar situation. Maybe someone who reads this book will realize they aren’t alone. No two situations are identical but not feeling alone can encourage people to seek help. To talk to a friend. A therapist or anyone.
I applaud Sarah Sawyers-Lovett’s bravery. Her memoir isn’t a light read. And as weird as this sounds, it’s a good book. It’s hard to reconcile liking a book about abuse. Her writing is honest and she takes you there. Right into her past. Some of the events aren’t sugar-coated. That doesn’t mean every word will make the reader cringe. The author takes care not to over-do things. She’s not writing to gain sympathy. Nor is she writing to justify her actions in life. She’s just sharing her story and telling it like it was. In addition, she talks about the things that helped her deal with her past and how she was able to overcome her dysfunctional lifestyle.
Everybody Else’s Girl is a powerful memoir and I applaud the author for sharing her story. It couldn’t have been easy, but it’s an important work to share with others.
I applaud Sarah Sawyers-Lovett’s bravery. Her memoir isn’t a light read. And as weird as this sounds, it’s a good book. It’s hard to reconcile liking a book about abuse. Her writing is honest and she takes you there. Right into her past. Some of the events aren’t sugar-coated. That doesn’t mean every word will make the reader cringe. The author takes care not to over-do things. She’s not writing to gain sympathy. Nor is she writing to justify her actions in life. She’s just sharing her story and telling it like it was. In addition, she talks about the things that helped her deal with her past and how she was able to overcome her dysfunctional lifestyle.
Everybody Else’s Girl is a powerful memoir and I applaud the author for sharing her story. It couldn’t have been easy, but it’s an important work to share with others.
January 6, 2015
What a voice. Content is difficult, of course, but I found myself cheering for Sawyers-Lovett throughout. I really enjoy the way she writes the people she cares about. Her voice is fierce, incisive, and uncompromising. Everybody Else's Girl is an intensely personal story but is also evocative of its time and place like a good novel.
I wish the book itself was more tightly copy edited, and I'm confused by the last line of the About the Author ("Everybody Else's Girl is her fist novel") because everything else indicates it's nonfiction. Minor, minor quibbles. Highly recommended.
Wish this was a better-written review. My excuse is I stayed up past my bedtime, reading. :)
I wish the book itself was more tightly copy edited, and I'm confused by the last line of the About the Author ("Everybody Else's Girl is her fist novel") because everything else indicates it's nonfiction. Minor, minor quibbles. Highly recommended.
Wish this was a better-written review. My excuse is I stayed up past my bedtime, reading. :)
December 29, 2014
If this book was difficult to edit, Sarah is a wonder for writing it. I am lucky enough to read some things before she publishes them. I've been trying to think of a way to review this book since I finished reading the Word document it came to me in. Sarah is one of the strongest people I know; this us her origin story. It is heartbreaking and beautiful and horrifying and victorious. She is beautiful and victorious, cherished. Please buy it, support her, read it, tell your own origin super hero(ine) story.
May 26, 2015
A powerful story, but was it a novel or memoir? The disclaimer about nonverbatem conversations made me think it was a memoir, but then the book is described as the author's first novel...
February 26, 2014
It's hard for me to really come up with the words I want to say about this memoir. Part of me wants to say I enjoyed reading, except the author goes through such horrible times in her childhood it almost feels wrong to say I enjoyed it. I'm not quite sure, but maybe phrasing it I as enjoyed the time I spent with it sounds better.
The book reminds me of Regina Calcaterra's memoir except more detailed and more graphic. It is hard to read, and there are parts that I guarantee will make you uncomfortable, but I still do think it's worth reading.
If I have any complaint about this it's that the story stops when the author graduates high school. Instead I wished it would have continued, and we could have seen how Sawyers-Lovett was able to overcome her childhood. You know she has since she's able to write this book, and shares some of the resources that helped her on the way, but I wish we would have had a window into that part of her life as well. So much of this book deals with depressing situations, and I would have loved to have had it end a little more positively, or at least as much as it could have.
But in a lot of ways it feels like the book itself was a big step on the road to recovery. It seems that writing about these events really forced Sawyers-Lovett to comes to terms with her childhood. I did lead a completely different type of life from the author, which did make it a bit hard to relate to certain situations. However I think if I had a similar background, I could see how this book could be a major steps towards someone else being able to turn their life around.
Disclosure: I was provided this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
The book reminds me of Regina Calcaterra's memoir except more detailed and more graphic. It is hard to read, and there are parts that I guarantee will make you uncomfortable, but I still do think it's worth reading.
If I have any complaint about this it's that the story stops when the author graduates high school. Instead I wished it would have continued, and we could have seen how Sawyers-Lovett was able to overcome her childhood. You know she has since she's able to write this book, and shares some of the resources that helped her on the way, but I wish we would have had a window into that part of her life as well. So much of this book deals with depressing situations, and I would have loved to have had it end a little more positively, or at least as much as it could have.
But in a lot of ways it feels like the book itself was a big step on the road to recovery. It seems that writing about these events really forced Sawyers-Lovett to comes to terms with her childhood. I did lead a completely different type of life from the author, which did make it a bit hard to relate to certain situations. However I think if I had a similar background, I could see how this book could be a major steps towards someone else being able to turn their life around.
Disclosure: I was provided this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are my own.
August 5, 2016
Everybody Else’s Girl is a true-story of a young girl born into a gritty world of poverty and addiction. Sarah vividly describes her life growing up in a trailer park where she romped around with other children, but couldn’t escape the hands of abuse. While Sarah’s story is heart wrenching, there are light moments where she describes her Ninny and the good that her grandmother brought into her life.
Sarah takes readers through the tragedy of losing her younger brother, her own addiction, and coming out. I never got the impression that Sarah wants us to feel sorry for her; it’s more of sharing her tale of survival amid pain and chaos.
This book is unique in the way the author has split her story up into two main categories: What Happened and What Helped. The second half of the book details the things throughout her life that helped her break away from the dysfunctional lifestyle and move to being the person she is today.
Sarah takes readers through the tragedy of losing her younger brother, her own addiction, and coming out. I never got the impression that Sarah wants us to feel sorry for her; it’s more of sharing her tale of survival amid pain and chaos.
This book is unique in the way the author has split her story up into two main categories: What Happened and What Helped. The second half of the book details the things throughout her life that helped her break away from the dysfunctional lifestyle and move to being the person she is today.
October 6, 2013
This book made me laugh and then cry and then think.... A lot. It's an extremely thought provoking memoir with a lot of very traumatic events, but it's written with a disarming, innocent voice. This is a unique book about a strong, amazing, and inspiring person- and I would have to say the take away was even motivational (not in a cheesy way) though I'm unsure if that was intended or not. There is a hopeful and loving spirit in this memoir and It's hard for me to articulate exactly how reading this made me feel... But I highly recommend this as a terrific memoir and a terrific choice if you're looking for something that will hit a nerve, start you thinking, or even as one of those books you sit down with at 10 am on a Saturday and loose yourself in completely until you're done Sunday night. I would give it one hundred stars if I had that option!
June 24, 2014
It's hard to say I enjoyed this book, because so much of it is really heartbreaking. I can say that I'm very glad to have read it. It's a well-written book, memoirs that pay close attention to precious moments as well as tragic ones. Sometimes it's almost disorienting to follow as the narrative flows from funny, sentimental reflections to darker tones of sexual abuse and mortality. Not a light read, but a thoroughly effective one. It will leave its mark on you, to be sure. Very highly recommended!
December 18, 2015
This is a very intense story, in straightforward language that paints a vivid image of Sarah's childhood. There are light moments mixed in with the dark and moments that made me laugh. The story sucked me in and moved me along and I thought it was really good.
August 23, 2014
It's always a pleasure for me to review any book, but I take a special thrill from reviewing books/works/zines from independent authors/publishers. The work is more raw and I feel the emotions on a whole other level.
My experience reading Everybody Else's Girl was just like that. Sawyer-Lovett describes living among others in a life full of abuse, addiction and overall feeling lost. Although most of what is talked about is painful, there are silver linings of happy nostalgia sprinkled throughout the book. The book is a brilliant memoir full of painful, but hopeful moments.
As someone who works in the mental health field, I appreciated this book on another level besides "entertainment". Sawyers-Lovett provides a trigger warning in her book which I wish other authors would provide as well. I've heard so many horrible stories from people's backgrounds and not everyone can have the insight to provide themselves with the space needed to express their feelings. Sawyer-Lovett's memoir provides an inside look, but also a hopeful note that life can change and people can move forward.
Verdict
Highly recommend, but please keep in mind the trigger warning. This book deals with some heavy stuff - graphic details of abuse. Please take this into consideration.
My experience reading Everybody Else's Girl was just like that. Sawyer-Lovett describes living among others in a life full of abuse, addiction and overall feeling lost. Although most of what is talked about is painful, there are silver linings of happy nostalgia sprinkled throughout the book. The book is a brilliant memoir full of painful, but hopeful moments.
As someone who works in the mental health field, I appreciated this book on another level besides "entertainment". Sawyers-Lovett provides a trigger warning in her book which I wish other authors would provide as well. I've heard so many horrible stories from people's backgrounds and not everyone can have the insight to provide themselves with the space needed to express their feelings. Sawyer-Lovett's memoir provides an inside look, but also a hopeful note that life can change and people can move forward.
Verdict
Highly recommend, but please keep in mind the trigger warning. This book deals with some heavy stuff - graphic details of abuse. Please take this into consideration.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews