Books › Cherry
Cherry
A Memoir
First published 2000 · 483 pages
A sassy, restless dive into the chaotic thrills and paralyzing doubts of teenage rebellion.
What it feels like
Reading this memoir feels like a breathless sprint through the chaotic landscape of adolescence. The narrative dashes forward with a brisk, rebellious energy, fueled by customary sass and a restless search for belonging. Yet beneath the wild encounters with surfers, heads, and Texas law officers lies a deeply vulnerable core of paralyzing self-doubt and the terrifying thrills of sexual awakening. The prose crackles with a blend of literary wit and raw, unfiltered youth, capturing the messy reality of growing up. It is a perfect fit for readers who love unapologetic, coming-of-age stories that balance outrageous teenage antics with a poignant, desperate yearning to feel whole.
- Mood
- restless
- chaotic
- angst-ridden
- nostalgic
- Tone
- sassy
- rebellious
- vulnerable
- wry
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- teenage rebellion · sexual awakening · search for belonging · coming-of-age angst · substance use
- The writing
- Sassy and sharp, blending literary wit with the raw, unfiltered energy of youth.
- The arc
- Moves from the reckless momentum of adolescent rebellion into the vulnerable, paralyzing search for identity and connection.
- Who it's for
- Readers who crave unapologetic, rebellious coming-of-age memoirs that balance wild teenage antics with deep emotional vulnerability.
Content notes
- drug use
- sexual content
- teenage rebellion
About the book
"In this sequel, Karr dashes down the trail of the teen years with customary sass, only to run up against the paralyzing self-doubt of a girl in bloom. She flees the thrills and terrors of her sexual awakening by butting up against authority in all its forms - from the school principal to various Texas law officers. Looking for a lover or heart's companion who'll make her feel whole, she hooks up with an outrageous band of surfers and heads, wannable yogis and bone fide geniuses.
There's Meredith, who tempers Karr's penchant for rock and roll with literary wit. And Donnie is the wild-man beach aficionado who crawls into her life "on his hands and knees like a reptile.""--BOOK JACKET.
Description from Open Library.
Books like Cherry
See why they match
LitMary KarrA darkly hilarious, fiercely unsentimental plunge into the abyss of addiction and the messy, miraculous climb back out.
The Liars' ClubMary KarrA fiercely funny, unsentimental plunge into a chaotic Texas childhood where storytelling is the only survival skill.
Just KidsPatti SmithA tender, poetic elegy to a transformative friendship and the gritty, magical crucible of 1970s bohemian New York.
The chronology of waterLidia YuknavitchA raw, untraditional plunge into grief, fluid sexuality, and the fierce current of survival.
Running with ScissorsAugusten BurroughsA hilariously horrifying plunge into a childhood where the adults are the lunatics and survival requires a razor-sharp sense of irony.
PriestdaddyPatricia LockwoodA wildly poetic, laugh-out-loud descent into the absurdities of a deeply eccentric Catholic upbringing.