Review: Girl Unmoored by Jennifer Gooch Hummer

Title: Girl Unmoored Author: Jennifer Gooch Hummer Publication Date: March 6, 2012 From Goodreads: Apron Bramhall has come unmoored. It’s 1985 and her mom has passed away, her evil stepmother is pregnant, and her best friend has traded her in for a newer model. Fortunately, she’s about to be saved by Jesus. Not that Jesus—the actor who plays him in Jesus Christ, Superstar. Apron is desperate to avoid the look-alike Mike (no one should look that much like Jesus unless they can perform a miracle or two), but suddenly he’s everywhere. Until one day, she’s stuck in church with him—of all places. And then something happens; Apron’s broken teenage heart blinks on for the first time since she’s been adrift. 

Mike and his grumpy boyfriend, Chad, offer her a summer job in their flower store and Apron’s world seems to calm. But when she uncovers Chad’s secret, coming of age becomes almost too much bear. She’s forced to see things the adults around her fail to—like what love really means and who is paying too much for it. My Thoughts: Apron Bramhall is just thirteen years old but she has already been through way too much. Her mother has died, her father's new wife hates her and her best friend has also decided that she is not good enough to be friends with anymore. With big, red hair and freckles, Apron feels out of place and alone.  Enter Mike, the Jesus look-a-like who Apron sees in a production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Thrown together by unpleasant circumstances, Apron and Mike seem to hit it off. For the first time, Apron feels like there may be some hope after all. Someone is there to listen to her and soon she finds herself in a terrific friendship with Mike and his boyfriend, Chad. Unfortunately, being friends with them brings other tragedies to Apron's life, things that she never expected. Girl Unmoored is one of those books that leaves you feeling a million different emotions long after you turn the last page. Sadness, anger, but most of all, hope. Apron is one of the best young characters I've read in a long time. Even at thirteen, she is very kind and wise beyond her years. She is still dealing with the loss of her mother and her father's new marriage to her mother's nurse. "M", as Apron refers to her, is incredibly cruel. Desperate to stay in America, M has chosen Apron's father as her new husband and means of getting citizenship. She wants Apron gone and does whatever she can to get her into trouble. She even says horrible things to her when her father is not around. He, of course, doesn't believe Apron so she is left to suffer. Even with all these things going on, Apron doesn't lash out. She stays to herself and ignores the horrible comments from her old best friend. I'm not sure I would be as strong as she is. Each side character was exactly what you would think them to be. The author does an incredible job of  character development and this created some very real people, although I'm not sure I would want to know many of them personally. Actually, I do know them. Not the exact characters, but there are people I have met over the years who could very well be the characters in this book so it was very easy for me to picture these characters while reading. I'm pretty sure that everyone has come across people like this and it definitely gives the book a very raw, emotional feel. As for Mike and Chad, I loved them. They are who they are and they weren't sorry for it. Even when faced with unbelievable cruelty, they still kept a smile on their face. They showed Apron what is means to truly love without boundaries and to show kindness even when someone didn't deserve it.  I think there is a lot to be learned from this story. Although it takes place in the 1980s and many things have changed since then, we are still faced with some of the ignorance portrayed by some of these characters. People are still committing hate crimes based on race and sexual orientation, and there is still a stigma that comes along with AIDS. People are still picketing and fighting about whether gay marriage should be allowed. While I have high hopes that I will live to see these hatreds disappear, I am pretty sure this will not be the case.  There is only one way to cure hatred: knowledge. Children are not born to hate based on religion, race, sexual orientation or politics. They are taught this by us, their parents and community, throughout their lives. Teach them respect instead. Show them that everyone is different and that is what makes our world special. Teach them that everyone has a right to happiness, no matter how they choose to attain it. The only way to cure hatred is to stop teaching it.  Girl Unmoored is not a book to breeze through. Take the time to fully grasp all the lessons you can learn from it. Share it with a friend, perhaps one that shares different views. Even if it only changes one person's opinion, that is one step in the right direction for a safer world. To learn more about Jennifer Gooch Hummer or Girl Unmoored, check out her website here. {Purchase} {Amazon}{B&N}{The Book Depository} *I received this book for free in exchange of my honest review. This did not influence my opinion in any way and all views and opinions expressed are 100% my own.