You The Story by Ruta Sepetys

You The Story: A Writer’s Guide to Craft Through Memory

Ruta Sepetys

Viking. 2023

Our lives are stories in motion. 

“Each day, you add to your story, revise it, and view it from a different angle. You erase things. Tear pages out. And sometimes, in hindsight, wish you could put them back.”

So begins this assessable guide on how to write for aspiring writers by YA novelist, Ruta Sepetys (Between Shades of Gray; Out of the Easy; Salt to the Sea; Fountains of Silence; I Must Betray You). Sepetys encourages readers to keep a diary - not a journal - to record your innermost thoughts, wishes, dreams, and everyday interactions that will be fodder for your novels. 

Why? 

Because, “You are the story.”

Divided into eleven chapters, Sepetys narrative is both instructional while using her own life stories to illustrate aspects of the craft of writing fiction. Chapter titles are: Plot, Character Development, Voice, Perspective, Setting, Dialogue, Research, Revision & Input, and, Courage. 

In her conclusion, Sepetys asks readers to use writing as a vehicle for not only understanding you, but someone else? “What if exploring your memories helps heal something painful by expressing it or transforming it into something better on the page?”

Sepetys is an amazing writer. Her books are powerful and hard to put down. In, You The Story, Sepetys offers hopeful writers a workbook on how to create their own stories. It is a perfect book to use in high school ESL classes or writing groups for teens in public libraries. 

The book includes a list of references of titles important to Sepetys. 

Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by Myriam Daguzan Bernier

Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia

Myriam Daguzan Bernier; Illustrated by Cécile Gariépy

Orca Book Publishers. 2022 (Originally published in France, 2019)

I was reading through juvenile nonfiction reviews on the SLJ website and this book popped up. Of course, I had to request if from the library. I am so glad I did.

 

Bernier, a Canadian author studying sexology at Université du Québec à Montréal, has written this very informative book for teens. The book covers 155 body-related terms covering practical information about sexuality specifically for teens. Bernier wrote Naked for the teenager she once was. “I wish the teenager I was had been told that nothing is all black and white. That identities don’t restrict themselves to two closed groups. That sexual orientations are diverse and fluctuating.” 

Each alphabet covers a specific topic. Set up a bit like a dictionary, the word appears in bold type followed by its meaning. For example: 

App 

Application: noun, from Old French application, “act of applying something”

The paragraph that follows offers a more detailed explanation on what it is and how we can use it to our advantage. Some topics will highlight ways to seek help. Also included when applicable highlights other ways to find information the author curated from other sources. 

Bernier’s straightforward, honest explanations are very empowering, even for an elder like me. Naked offers readers answers to questions about sexuality that teens are often too afraid to ask. 

Peppered throughout are vibrant cartoon-like illustrations. 

Bernier’s narrative reinforces to teens that a fulfilling sex life has nothing to do with finding the perfect body. That love is not always all about sex. That knowing yourself, honestly knowing and loving yourself in all your glory is the best tool in having a life full of love.

Included is a list of resources by topic and an index.

Though the cover might steer librarians away, Naked is an essential purchase for today’s teens.