I recently read the book, Sad Desk Salad, written by Jessica Grose. The book was offered to bloggers as a read with the understanding that we would "review" it when we finished.
At first I wasn't sure what the envelope had in it, or who it was from, but squealed like a pig with joy when I realized she took the time to send me a copy, and I could participate.
I'm in!
At least for this book. ;)
I'm not a writer, or a professional reviewer, and I'm pretty sure there is a "right way" to review a book. I'm going to review it my way, since that's all I know, and hope for the best.
The book is about a young, popular, mean blog writer named Alex, who spends 12 hours a day in her stinky muu-muu, going from her unmade bed, to her old food stained couch, not even having time to brush her teeth.
But she does have time to grab a good cup of coffee.
(Yeah, I like her)
Even though she has a loving, hard working, professional live in boyfriend, she has no time for him or to even shower for that matter. The book follows a week in her life and how our world is changing so much now that everything and our mail, is online.
She finds herself in a place of feeling stressed, disconnected, and in a moral dilemma, after she has published a video that could potentially ruin a young girls life. She is also feeling pressured with a threat of being in the same place she has recently put this girl in, by an anonymous blogger who claims to have "dirt" on her, during her college years, if she doesn't take the video down, pronto.
I finished the book last night realizing how much the world I was brought up in has changed, and how much it is really, the same... just more intense.
I guess what I mean is that it hit me that when we were younger, being brought up to do the right thing, and make the right choices, we had a normal amount of awareness/pressure to do just that.
The right thing.
We didn't have the reality people now face, that our bad choices can, and probably will be recorded, and broadcast for the world to see. We only had to worry if Uncle Dave or the neighbor, would get wind of it, and maybe tell our parents, who would then ground us. End of story.
That is the difference.
The unfortunate thing is, young people are still young people. And until they are 25, the frontal lobe of their brain is not fully developed. That, is the reason and logic portion.
That part is the same.
So I wonder if the reality of their bad choices having the potential of being recorded and broadcast for the whole world to see, (not just your neighbors to hear about it at the corner store), is a good pressure or not.
Probably not.
Sad Desk Salad was a good read. I felt like I knew Alex, and was really concerned for her well being. I kept saying to the book,
"just take a shower and brush your teeth, you'll feel better sweetie!!!"
It was worth the few days it took to read it because it got me to thinking about this world of internet we live in, and all it is.
How things have changed so much from when I was a young girl...
and how much they have stayed the same.
Thank you Mandy for taking the time to send me a copy of this book, and allowing me to participate.
Hugs From My Heart
