Aug 23 2009
Book I Just Read: What My Mother Doesn’t Know by Sonia Sones
I loved this sweet, sarcastic, funny book by Sonia Sones. It’s the simple tale of a teenager girl’s journey through life and dealing with family, friends, and boyfriends. The frank sexual language made What My Mother Doesn’t Know a challenged book in schools and libraries. Any book that that people want banned must be interesting.
Sophie is a girl growing up in Boston with her overprotective mother and her distant father. Her parents’ marriage is strained and they are often outcasts being one of the few Jewish families in their neighborhood. On top of that, Sophie is obsessed with her boyfriend, Dylan. However, a chance meeting with the class nerd over spring break changes things for Sophie.
Murphy is the plain-looking nerd of the class, so he’s an outcast in the school. The students use his name as slang for a stupid person. ( ”You’re such a Murphy.”) However, once Sophie gets to know him outside of school through their shared love of art, she sees that there’s more to Murphy than meets the eye. Will Sophie defend Murphy to her best friends that see him as a loser? Will she dump Murphy to stay with Dylan? Read What My Mother Doesn’t Know to find out.
