READING : My Big Nose And Other Natural Disasters by Sydney Salter (ARC)

It's the end of junior year, and summer is about to begin. The Summer of Passion, to be exact, when Jory Michaels plans to explore all the possibilities of the future - and, with any luck, score a boyfriend in the process. But Jory has a problem. A big problem. A curvy, honking, bumpy, problem in the form of her Super Schnozz, the one thing standing between Jory and happiness. And now, with the Summer of Passion stretched before her like an open road, she's determined for Super Schnozz to disappear. Jory takes a job delivering wedding cakes to save up for a nose job at the end of the summer; she even keeps a book filled with magazine cutouts of perfect noses to show the doctor. But nothing is ever easy for accident-prone Jory - and before she knows it, her Summer of Passion falls apart faster than the delivery van she crashes. 

When I read the summary of My Big Nose... I thought that this was the book for me.I too am self conscious and have loads of insecurities,one of them being surprise surprise, my big nose.I too was and am still thinking of getting a nose job sometime in the future, but unlike Megan I am not that determined and I haven't started saving up yet :( All my friends think I'm crazy to even think about it and that no plastic surgeon would ever agree to do it(one of my friends even threatened not to speak to me again if I went through with it!), but they are my friends, right?They are supposed to say things like that.Not that I deny the possibility that maybe I am completely and utterly insane.On the other hand,maybe I am not.Who knows?

But I digress.

What I am trying to say is, that I picked up this book because I though I could relate to Megan.And for the most part of the book I did:feeling that you are so ugly that you can't do anything right,that everyone is staring and pointing at you in the street, that you can't go out unless you do at least a 2 hour-preparation beforehand,in the hopes that you are at least presentable.I've felt all these things and I can tell you right now,it's not pretty.I always thought of insecurity as a decease and I always said that someone is not just insecure, but he suffers from insecurity.Because believe me, there is suffering.Lots.Thoughts and feelings can start eating away at you and completely alter your state of mind and in the end,all these intense emotions leave you feeling depressed and completely alone.I know that I am overreacting and that I exaggerate. Maybe a lot.But even when you know deep down that you're wrong and your friends and family tell you that you're fine and there's absolutely nothing wrong with you and no matter how hard you try to think better of yourself, it only takes one look in the mirror and bam!You're sucked in a world of self loathing all over again.That's what happened to Megan.At least for the most part of the book.The only difference with Megan is that she had no idea she was acting crazy and all her life and its course was depending upon her looks.

The only reason for this semi huge preamble is that I wanted to express what I feel about self consciousness and self hatred, subjects that I am unfortunately very familiar with and that my "review" of this book cannot possibly be objective,because I hate to admit it,but its theme hits too close to home.However, if I had so many guys being interested in me and hitting on me like Megan did when I was 17, I would be overjoyed and super confident!Also, for an insecure girl, she sure was quick to turn down guys and walk away over extremely trivial matters.I am not suggesting to settle or do something you don't want do just because you're insecure and you think that you'll never have a chance like that again.Far from it.But Megan liked someone, he liked her and it came so easy for her to forget him and move on because something beyond stupid,which I can't even remember right now,happened.You have to be just a tiny bit egocentric and self absorbed to act and think like that.So maybe you probably aren't as insecure as you thought you are or claim to be.

Did this book rock my world?No.But it had fantastic humour and touched a subject,however lightly,that concerns women of all ages.I'd recommend this book to tweens and teens who are still finding themselves and want to read something amusing and carefree.

I'll take this opportunity and suggest that you check out "Body Image And Perception Month" that Jo over at Once Upon A Bookcase is hosting.There is also a button if you want to put on your blog.

3/5